2011 Cricket World Cup promises to be memorable

Mobeen Irfan
Contributor
Every four years, cricket fans from all over the world come together to watch the most exciting event of the year: the Cricket World Cup.
Countries like Australia, India and Sri Lanka fight for cricket’s biggest prize and a chance to be named world champions. This year the Cricket World Cup is set to host the most tightly contested and exciting matches since the 1999 World Cup held in England.

The suspense lies in the fact that, at this time, there is no clear favorite. Let’s take this time to analyze the top contenders for that most coveted trophy.
INDIA: Team India is being tipped by experts as one of the favorites to win the World Cup.
India is one of the nations hosting the World Cup 2011, and the country is a force to reckon with.
The team is particularly well suited for the sub-continent conditions; they have arguably the best batting line up in the world. In fact their only weakness comes in the bowling department, where they lack an out-and-out pace bowler who consistently breaks the 150 km/h speed barrier.
They compensate for it, however, with the depth of their spin bowling attack. The player to look out for on this team is Sachin Tendulkar, who is probably playing his last world cup. Tendulkar is arguably the greatest batsman to play the game, and his will to score runs never seems to end.
AUSTRALIA: The three-time defending world champions face their biggest challenge to their 12-year reign.
Australia hasn’t been the force it once was in world cricket. Opposing teams don’t fear them as much as they once did.
Admittedly, their batting attack has gotten better, and they have a strong pace attack. The return of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait will strengthen the team’s performance in bowling.
The vulnerable department in the Aussie team is their spin attack. They lack a quality spinner, which is a big weakness considering the World Cup is in the sub-continent. The players who can make a big difference for the defending champions in this World Cup will be Ricky Ponting and Lee.
PAKISTAN: The most unpredictable team in world cricket, and the subject of many controversies over the past two years.
Many cricket experts have written off the team’s chances this year without so much as a look at what the players bring to the table.
Here is a team who can beat any team in the world on their best day, a group filled with match winners and astounding talent. Pakistan has the best bowling attack when it comes to bowling in the tiebreakers, as the players have the best technique for reverse swings and feature some quality spinners on their squad.
The batting line-up has a balanced look with a mixture of power hitters and stable middle order batsmen. Pakistan has recently won the One Day International (ODI) series in New Zealand, which should give their critics
something to talk about.
The players to look out for in this team are their talismanic captain Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Umar Gul.
ENGLAND: Buoyed by their recent win in the Ashes series against Australia, England is hungry for a World Cup win. The three-time finalist country has finally found the right combination, and looks like a dangerous team going in to this mega event.
They have found a great leader in Andrew Strauss, who they believe can lead them to World Cup glory. Their pace of bowling is decent, as they have potent wicket takers, but their main weapon
will be Graeme Swann, who many believe is the b est spinner in the world. The players to look out for on this team will be Kevin Pietersen and the off spinner, Swann.
SOUTH AFRICA: Tagged the “chokers,” the Proteas have historically failed to make it to the finals these last few years. Although no one is expecting the team to go far, the players have a great batting line-up that may make them the successful underdogs this year.
The pace of their bowling attack is dangerous, with the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel sharing the ball, and the spin of their bowling is strong with Johan Botha. All in all, they have a well-balanced team strong in batting, bowling and fielding.
The players to look out for in this team will be Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Johan Botha.
SRI LANKA: These 2007 finalists are also the joint hosts of the World Cup, alongside India and Bangladesh.
Their spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitharan, is eager to perform well in this, his last World Cup before he retires. The all-star has been the motivation for the rest of the team throughout these years, and he’s only more motivated now.
The team has a lot of quality players, especially captain Kumar Sangakkara, who scored his first two ODI centres in 2004. Along with the captain’s talent, Sri Lanka has an excellent fielding unit, who are excellent in any conditions.
Though the team lacks genuine wicket takers, the spinners will compensate the shortcomings on turning tracks. The players to watch out for in this team will be Angelo Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan.
YORK’S THOUGHTS:
Who Will Win the World Cup?
32% India
25% Australia
14% Pakistan
11% Sri Lanka
9% England
7% South Africa
2% Other
Based on an unofficial survey of 100 students