27 games have been played so far at the ICC Cricket World
Cup 2015 over three weeks. Each of the teams at this stage has played three to four games
respectively. Co-hosts, New Zealand & Defending Champions, India look
pretty at the top of the table in their respective pools. They are the only
teams who have been unbeaten till now in the competition. With just one loss a
piece; Australia, Sri Lanka & South Africa are certain for their qualification.
Pakistan & West Indies each have two wins out of four
living up to their reputation of being unpredictable. The lesser fancied,
Bangladesh & Ireland too have two wins each.
England has been absolutely lacklustre securing just one win in their
four encounters. Zimbabwe has been impressive in phases, but hasn’t been able
to maintain that consistency to get over the line more frequently. Debutants
Afghanistan has done reasonably well to hold their nerve against Scotland &
giving Sri Lanka a serious scare. Scotland will be proud of the way they have fought, but really very disappointed at not registering their maiden
win. The only joy for the United Arab Emirates is the individual batting brilliance of
Shamian Anwar.
Here is pool-wise analysis of each team & what they need
to do to make it through to the knockouts
Pool A
1) New Zealand – With four wins out of four, New
Zealand are pretty much certain to top the table. The Kiwis have really played
some aggressive cricket under the proactive captaincy of Brendon Mc Cullum.
Deadly duo, Tim Southee & Trent Boult have not just picked a wicket or two
but at times run through teams up front. They are just the perfect two new ball
bowlers with their accuracy, pace, swing & right-left hand combination. The
batting form of Brendon Mc Cullum coupled with the calmness of Kane Williamson
has ensured a flying start on each occasion for them.
Can they continue playing their ace game
for few more games!? Will the pressure
of a knockout get to them? But for now they can smile & afford to test
their bench strength in their coming games versus Afghanistan & Bangladesh.
The tournament policy has ensured that New Zealand will be playing their
quarter-final at home which would be a huge advantage. They would in all
likelihood play the winner of the Pool B clash, Pakistan v/s Ireland.
2) Australia – After thrashing Afghanistan, the
Aussies have made way into the knockout phase unless more than a miracle occurs.
Much like their neighbour foe, they too have played aggressive cricket, as they
almost ran New Zealand down in a low scoring thriller. In a world cup where
all-rounders are in scarcity, Australia is one team to have them in plenty.
That really constitutes an ideal balance and makes them the most enviable side.
Their encounter against Sri Lanka could well decide who qualifies second in
their pool and the possibility of avoiding running into a rampant South Africa
early in the knockouts.
3) Sri Lanka – After losing their opening game
versus New Zealand, they have registered three consecutive wins and ensured qualification.
The batting form of their top four (Kumar Sangakarra, Mahela Jayawardene,
Tillekaratne Dilshan & Lahiru Thirimanne) has been sublime with each of
them getting big hundreds. Their bowling especially the form of Lasith Malinga remains
an area of major concern for them. Their contest against Australia is all set
to decide who comes second in their pool.
4) England – After facing the in-form duo hosts
early in the tournament, they find themselves in more than a spot of bother.
They now not only need to win their remaining two games versus Bangladesh &
Afghanistan but are now dependant on New Zealand beating Bangladesh for their
further progress. They really need to play some fearless Cricket to restore some
faith in their own abilities.
5) Bangladesh – Having two wins thus far and one point
from their washout against the mighty Australians, they are better placed than
England. The equation is simple for them, they need to win one of their remaining two games,
which are against New Zealand & England.
Pool B
1) India – After a disappointing summer in
Australia, India has transformed into a different unit ever since the World Cup
started winning their first three games. Having defeated the relatively
difficult oppositions, South Africa and Pakistan, India is all set to top their
group. The batting, bowling, fielding and catching, everything seems to be just
perfect for India. The death bowling is still to be tested and face the heat.
They look all set to meet England or Bangladesh in the quarterfinals.
2) South Africa – After their defeat versus India,
South Africa has been absolutely clinical in all the departments with their
dominant performances. Having scored 400 runs twice in the tournament speaks in
itself about the form of the batsmen. AB De Villiers with his scintillating
brilliance has made batting look like walk in a park. Being over shadowed
against some of the other batsmen, Hashim Amla is now the fastest to 20
hundreds with a very impressive strike rate. They look all set to play the
losing team from the Australia v/s Sri Lanka encounter in Pool A. Like most of
the previous World Cups, South Africa would go into knockouts as of the prime favourites.
Can they overcome business end blues!?
3) West Indies – After losing in their opening game
versus Ireland, they have come back well to bring their campaign back on track
courtesy a Gayle Storm. If they defeat the UAE, and lose to India, they will
still be able to hold onto their third spot in all likelihood. With the kind of
cricket they play, they could be a dangerous side in knockout phase if they
arrive at the party. They look all set to play the winner of Pool A clash,
Australia v/s Sri Lanka.
4)
Pakistan – After losing their opening two games
versus India & West Indies, they looked out of sorts especially with their
batting. But with back to back wins against lesser fancied, Zimbabwe & UAE
they have kept themselves alive in the competition. The batting unit finally got some form in the last game. Historically the bowling resources have never been a weak link for Pakistan. Write them off at your peril.
5) Ireland –
Well known for their chasing abilities, they won their opening two games versus
West Indies & UAE courtesy some collective brilliance. Despite being an associate nation, they are one team who have always been outperformers and termed as giant killers. They would look to continue their way ahead in the next phase. Their game versus Pakistan looks all set to be a virtual
pre-quarter final.
Key Clashes in Last Leg of League Phase
1) Australia v/s Sri Lanka – 8 March at Sydney (Likely Pool A, 2nd Place)
2) England v/s Bangladesh – 9 March at
Adelaide (Likely Pool A, 4th Place)
3) Pakistan v/s Ireland – 15 March at Adelaide (Likely Pool B, 4th Place)
Quarter Final Predictions
1)
Sri Lanka v/s South Africa (A3 vs
B2) on 18th March at Sydney
2) England
v/s India (A4 vs B1) on 19th March at
Melbourne
3) Australia v/s West Indies (A2 vs B3) on 20th March at
Adelaide
4) New Zealand v/s Pakistan (A1 vs B4) on 21st March at
Wellington
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