Come Saturday, cricketing war begins

Come Saturday, February 19 and 2011 World Cup cricket war will be declared when India play Bangladesh in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka play Canada on Sunday at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Sooriyawewa in Hambantota and Kenya take on New Zealand in Chennai.

The two teams, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, unless the unforeseen happens, should coast to victory and gather the much needed inspiration to take it from there and attempt for the plum.

The India- Bangladesh game should be a welcome teaser. It will be after the excellent opening that Bangladesh Cricket Association has promised to put on display. India are fancied to win this game.

But India will not breathe easy until they come out of this game victors. It's hard to forget the 2007 World Cup fixture in the Caribbean, that shell shocked India when Bangladesh upset them in the first game of the preliminary round which ultimately led to their being ousted from the tournament.

As the two teams meet again, Bangladesh will want to prove that the 2007 victory was not a fluke. And the Indians are of course poised to take sweet revenge and redeem the nightmare that was.

But the ardent prayer of every cricketer and sports fan will be for the rains to take a breather and let the games continue without interruptions, not be a spoil sport and allow the dreaded non cricketers Duckworth and Lewis to pad up and decide.

Cricket must be played the full 50 over quota. When weather plays up and overs are reduced it sadly takes away the gloss and the very purpose that this game was invented for. It loses its appeal as a contest.

Thankfully the three stadiums - the R Premadasa, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pallekelle have been cleared and given the green light by the ICC panel that visited these venues. The SLC organisers can heave a sigh of relief and doubting Thomas' can hide their faces in shame.

It is inexplicable the excuse that some cricketers seem to be making. First it was the cry that they had been deprived the exposure of playing and practicing at the Hambantota and Pallekelle Stadiums.

Then followed the lament that Sri Lanka Cricket is in disarray and they are unable to concentrate on the jobs in hand. The third is the querying as to why SLC agreed to play the match against New Zealand in Mumbai and why not in Sri Lanka. Now isn't this poor thinking considering that the draw was made many a moon back.

There are more important matters to focus on and condition our minds to enjoy games and not be dragged down by pathetic laments. Rather the cricketing warriors of all 14 teams must make things happen by having a positive spirit that will not disappoint the huge crowds expected.

To win the World Cup, along with the three million dollar prize money and all the sponsorship is what all teams aspire to. There is also the unquantifiable joy that each team gets to be an integral part of the mega event.

It would be foolhardy to even hazard a guess as to the ultimate winners. But teams such as India, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa, England are the formidable teams who should be in contention with cricket fanatics wagering on them.

The teams that can cause an upset and turn the form book on its heads are Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh are best positioned because they are fielding their best warriors and are injury free.

What has happened to teams like Australia, England, South Africa is that they have been playing too much cricket weeks before the World Cup and find many of their players carrying injuries with them.

The worst affected are Australia and England. Australia will miss their best one-day champion in Michael Hussey and spinner Nathan Hauritz. England will miss their best one-day basher in Eion Morgan.

There are others too who are nursing injuries, but hope to be fit when match time comes around.

In one-day cricket bowlers must bowl wicket to wicket and contain the batsmen. Fielders must grab the half chances, reduce the twos into ones and the batsmen are even expected to throw technique to the wilds and play the weirdest of shots to obtain their runs.

Teams will do well when batting first to take advantage of the first 15 overs when field restrictions apply and chalk up maximum runs. In this aspect the opening batsmen will have a big responsibility.

If the openers could succeed in this effort, then it will give the batsmen following the ideal launching pad to take it from there build, consolidate and post a total that should be beyond the team chasing.

When good openers are being spoken about, especially those who scored freely by taking advantage of the field restrictions in the first 15 overs and hitting over the top and setting a new trend, Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharne stand out without peer.

Many teams tried to emulate what Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharne did in the 1996 tournament that was the chief factor in Sri Lanka winning the Cup.

They came a cropper because they did not have batsmen with the aggressive hitting of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharne.

It is hoped that the present Sri Lankan openers Upul Tharanga and Tillekeratne Dilshan who have it in them to do a Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharane will oblige.

Over then to the cricketing theatres where a virtual cricketing war will be staged with the combatants well geared with their uniforms and armoury and skills to give life to bat and ball. May those with the best strategic and tactical ploys and prowess triumph.

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