Tony Becca
The countdown for the Cricket World Cup 2007 has started. It is now two months before the first ball is bowled in the first match and, despite all the talk about what will be ready and what will not be, about the state of roads, airports, hospitals and hotels, cities, towns and parks and what have you, to the cricket fan, the big question is this: who will be crowned champions at the end of it on April 28, in Bridgetown?
Will it be two-time defending champions, Australia, for the fourth time? Will it be one of one-time winners, India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka? Will it be for the first time England? South Africa or New Zealand, will it be one of the dark horses - one of the rank outsiders such as Kenya, Scotland or Holland, or will it be for the third time, the West Indies?
After winning the first two tournaments in 1975 and 1979, victory for the West Indies would be nice - and it would be nice not only to West Indians, but to cricket fans around the world.
Victory would be nice to West Indians because it would break a long drought and because it would make them the first home team to win it; and it would be nice to the rest of the world because all the world love West Indies cricket and based on the sentiments expressed around the world because the West Indies team is everybody's second team.
Australia the favourite
Although the World Cup, one-day cricket, is such that any one of the top eight teams could well walk away with the title, chances are, however, it will not be India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka for the second time, it will not be England, South Africa or New Zealand for the first time, it will not be one of Kenya, Scotland or Holland for what would definitely be a shock result, and although they are a good bet, chances are it will not be the West Indies.
Based on the players in their team, based on their results in recent times and based on the ICC's LG rankings, Australia must be the favourites, probably the howling favourites, to win the Cup.
A look at the latest rankings shows Australia on top of the team rankings followed by South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, West Indies and England.
Latest listings
Although the Aussies have been on top of the rankings for many moons, what is impressive about them in the latest listings is the number of them in the individual listings and their positions.
In batting, for example, with Mike Hussey at number one, Adam Gilchrist at number four, Andrew Symonds at number six, Ricky Ponting at number eight, and Michael Clarke, they boast five batsmen in the top 12.
In the bowling department, with Glenn McGrath at number two, Nathan Bracken at number three, Brett Lee at number seven, they parade three in the top 12; and with Symonds at number five, they have one in the top five all-rounders.
What is interesting about the rankings is that while South Africa, with Graeme Smith at number 12 and Herschelle Gibbs at number 15 in the batting, with Shaun Pollock at number one, Makhaya Ntini at number six, and Andre Nel at number 15 in the bowling, and with Pollock at number one in the all-rounders list, are number two in the team listings; while Pakistan at number three boast only Mohammed Yusouf at number 13 and Inzamam-ul-Haq at number 17 in the batting, Naved-ul-Hasan at number 12 in the bowling, and no one in the all-rounders list; and while New Zealand, also at number three in the rankings and with Daniel Vettori at five, Shane Bond at number 10, Kyle Mills at number 11 and Jacob Oram at number 19 in the bowling, have not one batsman in the top 20, the West Indies, ranked at number seven, boast Christopher Gayle at number three, Ramnaresh Sarwan at number 10, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at number 20 in the batting, Ian Bradshaw at number four in the bowling, and Gayle at number two on the all-rounders list.
Against this, Sri Lanka at number five have three batsmen in the top 20, three bowlers in the top 20 and one all-rounder in the top five. India, ranked at number six, have three batsmen in the top 20, two bowlers in the top 20, and England, the team below the West Indies, have one batsman, Kevin Pietersen at number two, in the top 20, not one bowler in the top 20, and one all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff, in the top five.
Based on previous tournaments, Cricket World Cup 2007 should be closely contested and based on the fact that the West Indies failed to win it in 1983 to make it three-in-a-row and that no home team has ever won it, neither Australia nor the West Indies should win it.
Based on the latest one-day rankings, however, and with the showdown just around the corner, Australia, with five batsmen, excluding Matthew Hayden, in the top 12, with three bowlers in the top 12, with one all-rounder among the top five, are red-hot favourites for a hat-trick of victories.
In other words, with eight out of 11 players in the top 12, Australia are strong, really strong.
