World Cup embraces new tricks, treats

world cup photo

NEW DEHLI: Whether planning to open the bowling with a spinner or capitalising on the powerplays, World Cup captains have to make sure they do not leave their thinking caps in the dressing-room.

Creativity has paid rich dividends ever since New Zealand captain Martin Crowe bucked the trend in the 1992 World Cup by tossing the ball to off-spinner Dipak Patel after the opening over. The spinner continued to deliver whenever he shared the new ball till his side ran into Pakistan in the semi-final, losing by four wickets.

The 1992 tournament saw for the first time not only coloured clothing, white balls, black sightscreens and day-night matches, but also pinch-hitters in a bid to exploit fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs. New Zealand used Mark Greatbatch while eventual runners-up England promoted all-rounder Ian Botham to do the pinch-hitting, but many teams still preferred specialists at the top.

Sri Lanka went one step ahead in the 1996 edition when they turned pinch-hitters into a potent weapon on flat sub-continental tracks. Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, both middle-order batsmen early in their careers, were sent in as openers and stunned the opposition with their hitting.

The coming years saw hard-hitting batsmen at the top, with India’s Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Australians Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, and West Indies’ Chris Gayle providing brisk starts.

The days of pure wicket-keepers were also over, with Gilchrist, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni, New Zealander Brendon McCullum and South African Mark Boucher giving their teams more batting options.

Yorkers and slower balls have now become useful weapons, especially in ‘death’ overs.

“Now, more than ever before, the fast bowler has to blend intelligence with pace and aggression,” wrote Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram. “Variety is the name of the game and at the same time one must guard against over-experimenting.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2011.

india v Australia, World Cup 2011 warm-up match

India in tatters as Lee strikes

india v Australia, World Cup 2011 warm-up match

Two fancied teams, India and Australia, play their first World Cup warm-up match on Sunday, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. It is an inconsequential game as far as the result goes, but there are some points of interest in the contest

Gautam Gambhir fell early in India's warm-up
 game against Australia in Bangalore © Getty Images

India's lower-middle order
Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan are fighting for the No. 6 and 7 spots. All three have been getting games in recent series due to the absence of some of the seniors at the top of the order, but one of them will have to be benched in the World Cup. Current form suggests it will be Raina, since Kohli was India's most assured batsman in the one-dayers in South Africa, and Yusuf has repeatedly shown what a destructive force he can be lower down the order. Raina, though, is expected to fare better on the flat tracks likely to be served up in the subcontinent. Which of the trio misses out in Dhaka in a week's time could be decided by the performances in the warm-ups.

The return of Punter
Entering his third campaign as captain, Ricky Ponting is yet to lead Australia to a loss in a World Cup match. With the legends of past World Cup triumphs retired, and his own batting rarely hitting the imperious heights of old, this will be his toughest World Cup at the helm. A finger injury has sidelined him since the Boxing Day Test, forcing him to be away from the game for a month, a break which Ponting says has refreshed him. He has played only one ODI since July, has only three centuries in the format in three years, and there have been several calls for him to give up the captaincy. Sunday's game will be the first chance to remove some of the question marks.

Heavyweights at the top
India's batting order starts with three of the biggest names in the game: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The talent, experience and firepower they provide forms the bedrock of the strongest batting unit in the tournament, but all three are returning from injuries (Sehwag - shoulder, Gambhir - elbow and Tendulkar - hamstring). One other slight concern is the lack of match practice in the format in recent times: the trio has played only seven ODIs between them in the past five months, and hasn't been in a one-dayer together since December 2009. Match fitness and their slightly changed roles when all three are present will be things to work on at the Chinnaswamy.

Australia's spinners
Few things caused as much mirth for England fans as Australia's muddle-headed picks in the slow-bowling department over the past few months. With their two preferred options - Nathan Hauritz and Xavier Doherty - out injured, their frontline spinner for the World Cup is Jason Krejza, a man with all the experience of one ODI. His performance on Test debut, in India, two years ago was the definition of a mixed bag; he took 12 wickets while shipping 358 runs. There's support for him in the form of young legspinner Steven Smith, and a wealth of part-timers - David Hussey, Cameron White and Michael Clarke - but in a tournament where quality spinners are likely to be game-changers, how Krejza adapts to the subcontinent will be pivotal to Australia's chances.

The Indian quicks
Less than a week ago, Sreesanth thought his only contribution to the World Cup campaign would be a song he wrote and dedicated to the Indian team. Praveen Kumar's slower-than-expected recovery from an elbow injury signalled an 'I am back' tweet from Sreesanth, though whether he will make the XI remains uncertain. Over the past year, India have had three quicks who were definite starters when fit - Praveen, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. With Praveen injured, and Nehra's form taking an alarming dip in the previous two series, Zaheer is the only one absolutely certain of his place. Nehra has a solid record over the past two years, Munaf Patel has shown he can be a steady option when given a one-day chance, and Sreesanth has more pace than anyone else in the squad. Another conundrum which the Indian selectors will solve over the two warm-up matches coming up.

Siddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo