World Cup

Nine games into the World Cup and not even one game could get our pulses racing. Almost all the games so far have been fairly lop-sided. The England – Netherlands game, although, looked close on paper but England had it under control most of the time.

Today’s game between Bangladesh and Ireland promised mid-way that it might go right down to a wire but the Irish lost their way and this game also ended tamely.

Two very exciting contests are on the cards for this weekend. The Pakistan – Sri Lanka game should really be a humdinger. Sri Lanka on paper are a very strong side and also have the home advantage. They are considered by many as the favourites to win this tournament. They definitely have a very balanced side with strong bowling, athletic fielding and a good batting combination.

Pakistan on the other hand is the most ‘unpredictable’ team in this tournament. On their day, they can blow any opposition away. But off late they have been below-par more often than not. The dirty politics and divisions amongst team-mates are taking a toll on their performance on the field.  I would give Sri Lanka a slight edge in this game.

Also on the menu is a mouth-watering match-up between India and England. India will ride high on their tremendous batting line-up. India’s weakness lies in their bowling and sometimes lackluster fielding. They usually have to make up for this by scoring an extra- ordinary total.

The recent resurgence of the English team will make them a very strong opponent in this game and I have a feeling that the spinners will hold the key to this game.

India might go in with two pacers and two front-line pacers. It’ll be a toss-up between R. Ashwin and Piyush Chawla on who gets the selectors’ nod for the game.

All-in-all a cricket fans’ double bonanza is on the cards for the weekend.

Tags: Cricket, England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, World Cup