2007 Cricket World Cup Preview
| 12
|
by user Alex Holowczak
On March 13, the 2007 Cricket World Cup will be played in the West Indies. There will be 75 games played on 47 days, as the top 16 nations in the cricketing world take part for the ultimate One Day prize on offer in the game.
The 16 nations will be split into 4 groups of 4, with the top 2 in each group advancing to the Super Eight stage. At which point, it is basically a Round Robin with all the teams left in playing each other. The top 4 then go into the Knockout Phase, i.e. the Semi-finals and Finals.
Group A
Australia and South Africa will be fancied to get through this group as the Test playing nations. The Netherlands and Scotland can cause an upset however, as the two are two of the strongest non-Test playing nations there are. Australia and South Africa have a history in this competition, so their meeting on March 24 could be a classic.
Qualifiers: Australia, South Africa
Group B
-
Bangladesh
-
Bermuda
-
India
-
Sri Lanka
Bermuda shocked many by getting here, so expect them to be the whipping boys of the group. India and Sri Lanka should safely advance, although the third Test nation in this group, Bangladesh, caused a shock by beating Australia in 2005, and could cause a shock.
Qualifiers: India, Sri Lanka
Group C
-
Canada
-
England
-
Kenya
-
New Zealand
After spending a lot of time getting whipped by the Aussies this winter, England and New Zealand couldn’t have had a tougher draw. Canada beat Bangladesh in 2003, which was a big shock, but it is unlikely to happen this time. Kenya has a history of upsets though, beating the West Indies in 1996, and stunning everyone by reaching the Semi-finals in 2003 – the closest a non-Test nation has got to winning the trophy.
Qualifiers: England, New Zealand
Group D
After reaching the Super Six in 1999, Zimbabwe have been in such political hot water that their top players all retired before the 2003 tournament. Having lost Test status, expect Ireland, the strongest non-Test nation, to beat them. Pakistan should have it all their own way in this group, but the West Indies might be inspired on home territory. However, no sole host nation has ever won the Cricket World Cup.
Qualifiers: Pakistan, West Indies
Super Eight
Once at the Super Eight stage, anyone can beat anyone on their given day. You would expect the stronger sides to go through though under this format. Australia and India are expected to be shoe-ins for the Semi Finals. South Africa and Pakistan are favourites to make the Semis from what remains, although the other four qualifiers could all be capable of getting through (non-Test sides excepting).
Who Will Win?
It’s hard to look beyond Australia. But in the knockout stage anything can happen, so they are not immune – everyone has a bad day. India should be knocking on the door if the Aussies back down.
Teams currently have a squad of about 30 that are in consideration for a World Cup spot. Incredibly, only 15 players can go (with a team of 11 needing to play), so injuries could be a factor. Over the next month, teams will be announced, and I will preview them as and when they are released. There is still a lot of cricket before the World Cup, so squads can change. Many should be announced on February 13, so stay tuned!
Until then, here’s a surprisingly good video I found on YouTube to preview it all, and show you highlights of 2003. Accompanying music – “In the City of Blinding Light” by U2.
