POWER PLAY

WHO ARE THE MINNOWS????

2007-03-18T03:34:00.001-07:00

i usually let gaurav do the honours when it comes to reviewing world cup matches,but i cant resist it now,especially after the amazing display by the so called "minnows" yesterday.i cant help but compare the indian cricket team to the english football team.they have many a things in common barring the sport they play.the much acclaimed hype for a "not-so-good-as-they-seem" side,the expectations,the controversies have all taken centre stage with these two sides.the striking similarity of course is the fact that both of them are not good enough.

the display yesterday by india was reminiscent of the old indian team under the likes of azharuddin and tendulkar.absolutely no fire from within,no desire,lust to win against a team which they knew had the capability to cause an upset.its all fair to say india underestimated their neighbours,but they played a truly remarkable game.i was in fact happy when they took the game on to the indians when they batted,which i hope is taken as a lesson by many of our "senior players".now they have their backs to the wall and will have to rely hugely on other teams for qualification.this is not surprising at all,given the indians.there is nothing to be astonished if they scrape through for a victory against bermuda.cmon,we are talking about the indian cricket team.join the blue billion for their campaign against bermuda.and please dont hype it up.their brotherhood with the english footie team will be complete once they get SEH-WAGS(for all who dont know,this is the indianised version of the Wives and Girlfriends of the english football team,yeah it includes all the current,ex,future wives and girlfriends of the guys) up and running .i think this could also solve virender's poor run of form.new addition to SEH-WAGS: Kim Sharma currently dating Yuvraj Singh(thats news to you,to me as well)....

the irish seemed as if they had already appeared in 2 or 3 world cups prior to this one.characterised by perfect bowling and superb batting,they were on top of pakistan through out the match.neil o brien resembled graeme thorpe so much with his "one-foot-in-the-air" square cut and his straight drive was as exquisite as it could get.

its all good for the game of cricket.the minnows are no longer minnows.

--badri

ANSWERS FOR STARTER

2007-03-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

1. A-Phil jackson,B-los angeles lakers,C-sacramento kings,D-rick adelman....

2.the thrid person is rafa benitez....the connect is these are the only coaches to have won the UEFA cup and the champions league in succesive seasons....

3.Ian Botham....

4.Best beard award....

5.Andy Gray....

Superb South Africans!!

2007-03-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

South africa are my favourites for the cup.They have been very unlucky over the last few world cups.This time i guess its their time to pull it off.They have a good all round team which are capable of calling the shots.Bowling and batting are equally competitive.The only draw back is that the pitches really dont suit the kind of attack the south africans possess.But they have the slow bowlers to nullify the effect.According to me its south africas cup.We will know in a months time.May the best team win and we are ready to rock..

Squad

Jacques Kallis (vc)
Loots Bosman
Mark Boucher (wk)
AB de Villiers
Herschelle Gibbs
Andrew Hall
Justin Kemp
Charl Langeveldt
Andre Nel
Makhaya Ntini
Robin Peterson
Shaun Pollock
Ashwell Prince
Roger Telemachus

Awesome Aussies!!!

2007-03-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

Australia have been pegged down a lot over the last month or so due to their bad performance.5 losses in a row has made sure australia restructure their plans.The team has a lot of injury concerns over the past few months and this has hampered their performance.Ricky and his team must work very hard to regain the first place in the rankings.Its going to be a hard time for them.Last world cup they were clear favourites but this time around they have soem home work to do.Their bowling lacks the firepower but the spirit is what keeps them going.Hope the aussies retain the coveted trophy.

Squad

Nathan Bracken
Stuart Clark
Michael Clarke
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Brad Haddin (wk)
Matthew Hayden
Brad Hodge
Brad Hogg
Michael Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Glenn McGrath
Andrew Symonds
Shaun Tait
Shane Watson

Intimidating India!!!

2007-03-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

A billion expectations beckons this team and i wonder how they are going to cope up with the pressure.India are in a for a huge challenge and even though they have the most balanced team in the world right now they rarely deliver during crunch situations.Rahul dravid has a huge role to play this time around as both a batsman and captain.The pitches are bound to be slow there and its upto him to keep the batting going.Dhoni will play a role during the slog overs and a lot of pressure on dada to perform at the beginning.Lets see whether india will be able to withstand the pressure.

Squad

Sachin Tendulkar (vc)
Ajit Agarkar
MS Dhoni (wk)
Sourav Ganguly
Harbhajan Singh
Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Zaheer Khan
Anil Kumble
Munaf Patel
Irfan Pathan
Virender Sehwag
Sreesanth
Robin Uthappa
Yuvraj Singh

Pretentious Pakistan!!!

2007-03-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

Pakistan have a bad team this time around. This country filled with talented youngsters are no mugs.They are batting is very strong and they need to make good use of that.If they can post big scores then i think they will be able to go all the way.I dont see them winning by chasing big scores.shoaib and asif will definitely be missed big time.It is against the big teams that pakistan bowling will be tested.I think the captain must lead from the front this time around as its the only way this young team will be motivated.Pakistan definitely have a lot of work to do.

Squad:

Younis Khan (vc)
Azhar Mahmood
Danish Kaneria
Iftikhar Anjum
Imran Nazir
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Sami
Mohammad Yousuf
Naved-ul-Hasan
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Umar Gul
Yasir Arafat

Scintillating Sri lankans!!!

2007-03-10T23:56:00.000-08:00

Sri lanka are the underdogs this world cup.They have been in good form over the last month or so and with most people predicting hte pitches will be very slow and dry it looks like it will suit their bowlers more than any other team.Jayasuriya is in the thick of thigns now and he will definitely want to leave the game on a high.So will murali and vaas.The lankans will definitely breeze through their first round and after that it matters how consistent they are against the better teams.My backing is on sangakarra.He wil be the key batsman.Most of the time if he hits they go on to win.Lets see if they can deliver.

Squad

Russel Arnold
Marvan Atapattu
Malinga Bandara
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Dilhara Fernando
Sanath Jayasuriya
Nuwan Kulasekara
Farveez Maharoof
Lasith Malinga
Muttiah Muralitharan
Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
Chamara Silva
Upul Tharanga
Chaminda Vaas

Walloping West Indies!!!

2007-03-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

In spite of some good show recently i am not very convinced about the host nation going all the way.They have a very good team on paper but i am not sure if they have the fire power to clinch the trophy.They we also be under pressure because its the first time the world cup has come to their country.The warm ups did not go down well also as they stumbled to defeat against india.With the likes of lara and gayle they better back themselves to earn a spot in the semifinals.My backing is on sarwan to do the trick.He is a very good player and can adapt very well.I think he will be the key member in carribean's quest to glory.

squad

Ian Bradshaw
Dwayne Bravo
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Corey Collymore
Chris Gayle
Kieron Pollard
Daren Powell
Denesh Ramdin (wk)
Marlon Samuels
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Lendl Simmons
Dwayne Smith
Devon Smith
Jerome Taylor

Nippy New Zealand!!

2007-03-05T22:40:00.000-08:00

The dark horses as usual is new zealand.They enter every major tournament as the dark horses anad most of the time they end up coming close and losing out.This time around they are in good form and stephen fleming is captaining them in his third world cup in succession.It is going to be very hard to predict the outcome of new zealand.They are a very good side at home but they have not yet proved their ability away form home.The west indian pitches are conducive to slow medium pace which they have in plenty.They bat deep and if they keep their form running then they should ease to the semi finals.But again New zealand are a very un predictable side and when it comes to the big games they rarely do well.This could be flemings last world cup and he will want to finish his career on a high.Its a matter of time since we know that.

Squad

Shane Bond
James Franklin
Peter Fulton
Mark Gillespie
Brendon McCullum (wk)
Craig McMillan
Michael Mason
Jacob Oram
Jeetan Patel
Scott Styris
Ross Taylor
Daryl Tuffey
Daniel Vettori
Lou Vincent

Enigmatic England!!!

2007-03-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

According to me England are seeded 8 and i dont give them much of a chance to win the cup this year.Their batting is their strong poing with the likes of kevin peterson and freddie.The bowlers of england have a lot of work to do as it is the first outing for most of the people to the west indies.Its going to be real hard for them to get ten wickets for a paltry score.Their first challenge will be new zealand and if they can win that then their confidence will go sky high.The slow pitches are not going to suit their style of batting and bowling.Lets see how they cope up with the pressure and the conditions.The poms are going to find it hard but we all know when the going gets tough,the tough gets going.

Squad:

James Anderson
Ian Bell
Ravinder Bopara
Paul Collingwood
Jamie Dalrymple
Andrew Flintoff
Ed Joyce
Jon Lewis
Sajid Mahmood
Paul Nixon (wk)
Monty Panesar
Kevin Pietersen
Liam Plunkett
Andrew Strauss

Baffling Bangladesh!!

2007-03-03T01:19:00.000-08:00

Well the so called most improved team in the circuit is back again with a new coach and a new attempt at creating history.Bangladesh has always been over-rated according to me.Even though they have wins over almost all the countries they have never risen to the occasion or put up a galiant fight.They generally succumb very easily.The carribean pitches are definitely going to be one which they are going to cherish.Slow bowlers is what they have in plenty and if they maintain a good discipline in their bowling i dont think it should be a problem for them to put up a fight.They have some superb talent in ashraful and mortaza.But the fact that they are very unpredictable even after being in this level for a long time baffles me!!

Squad

Shahriar Nafees (vc)
Abdur Razzak
Aftab Ahmed
Javed Omar
Mashrafe Mortaza
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Rafique
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Rajin Saleh
Saqibul Hasan
Shahadat Hossain
Syed Rasel
Tamim Iqbal
Tapash Baisya

Zonked Zimbabwe!!!

2007-03-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm here is one team which i was so impressed about 7 years ago,but now are fighting to stay in the top league.Its so disappointng to see the zimbabwains who were once filled with greats like the flowers,strangs and the whittals are now very unequipped.I dont see them giving any of the teams the run for their money and i wont be surprised even if they lose to the
lower seeded teams.Their team consists of mostly blacks who are amateurs and are trying to get used to the game.Its a shame that this team once beating s.a and india were almost through to the world cup semi finals find themselves in a lot of trouble.Lets see if they can surprise anyone but its as bleak as catching osama.

Squad

Gary Brent
Chamu Chibhabha
Elton Chigumbura
Keith Dabengwa
Terry Duffin
Anthony Ireland
Friday Kasteni
Stuart Matsikenyeri
Christopher Mpofu
Tawanda Mupariwa
Ed Rainsford
Vusi Sibanda
Brendan Taylor (wk)
Sean Williams

Knowledgable Kenya!!!

2007-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Kenya is another team which has been trying hard to make a mark at the world cup.They have soem exciting players in their line comprising of a lot of brothers.The obuya brothers,the odumbe brothers and the suji brothers to nama a few.They were the surprise package last year when they made it to the semifinals due to the fact that they got many points from teams refusing to play in their country and one upset win against sri lanka.They beat west indies in the 1996 world cup which at that time was the biggest upset ever.Kenya play some smart cricket but hopefully with the experience they have earned they could be a vital force this time.We can just wait and watch.

Squad

Thomas Odoyo (vc)
Rajesh Bhudia
Jimmy Kamande
Tanmay Mishra
Collins Obuya
David Obuya
Nehemiah Odhiambo
Peter Ongondo
Lameck Onyango
Maurice Ouma (wk)
Malhar Patel
Ravi Shah
Tony Suji
Hiren Varaiya

Charismatic Canada!!!

2007-02-26T03:16:00.000-08:00

Canada the old war horse is all set to start their third campaign this year.They are very experienced and have soem amazing batters.Who can forget John davison's fastest hundred in a world cup match.They are a very unpredictable team who may even get bowled out for a paltry score of 40 odd.The other teams should not be complacent at all against this outfit.They got their first win last year and hopefully they can pull a couple this year.Canada are definitely under-rated.

Group C

Canada
England
Kenya
New Zealand

Ashish Bagai (wk)
Geoff Barnett
Umar Bhatti
Ian Billcliff
Desmond Chumney
Austin Codrington
George Codrington
Anderson Cummins
Sunil Dhaniram
Ashif Mulla (wk)
Henry Osinde
Qaiser Ali
Abdool Samad
Kevin Sandher

Numinous Netherland!!

2007-02-24T19:59:00.001-08:00

This is Netherland's third appearance in a world cup and they have been impressive only in bits and pieces.I guess they are the most experienced of the minnows and their team consists of a lot of old players.They are paired with the top 2 teams in the rankings right now,so they will have to do a lot of home work to grab a win.i think their best chance will be against scotland.Hopefully by experience they have learnt to play more carefully and can give the other teams a run for their money.

GROUP A

Australia
Netherlands
Scotland
South Africa

Squad

Adeel Raja
Peter Borren
Tim de Leede
Mark Jonkman
Alexei Kervezee
Mohammad Kashif
Darron Reekers
Edgar Schiferli
Jeroen Smits (wk)
Billy Stelling
Eric Szwarczynski
Ryan ten Doeschate
Daan van Bunge
Bas Zuiderent

Sanguine Scotland!!

2007-02-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

This is their second world cup and they were very impressive in their first outing.In 1999 they gave a good fight to australia and pakistan.One of their star players is gavin hamilton who is a prolific run scorer.He has all the shots in the book and surely he will put up a great show.I am sure he will have no problem facing the likes of mcgrath and pollock in the group stage.If Australia are in the form they are in right now i am pretty sure the scottish guys can look forward in creating the biggest upset of the tournament.Their bowling attack also has one english player called dougie brown who once represented the poms.Among the minnows i will give them the best chance of snatching a win.

Group A

Australia
Netherlands
Scotland
South africa

Squad

Ryan Watson (vc)
John Blain
Dougie Brown
Gavin Hamilton
Majid Haq
Paul Hoffmann
Douglas Lockhart
Ross Lyons
Neil McCallum
Dewald Nel
Navdeep Poonia
Glenn Rogers
Colin Smith (wk)
Fraser Watts

Interesting Ireland!!!

2007-02-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Another team making their first appearance in a world cup,hopefully they leave a mark before they leave the carribean.Its going to be a tough draw for them since they are paired with the hosts,pakistan and zimbabwe.They were very impressive in the qualifying matches giving a fight to the other non test playing matches.Not sure of any of their star players but i am sure there will be some good talent.I guess they will be happy beating zimbabwe and hope to spring a surprise with pakistan or west indies.Lets see if they can make it to the next stage.

GROUP D

IRELAND

PAKISTAN

WEST INDIES

ZIMBABWE

Squad

Kyle McCallan (vc)
Andre Botha
Jeremy Bray
Kenneth Carroll
Peter Gillespie
Dave Langford-Smith
John Mooney
Paul Mooney
Eoin Morgan
Kevin O'Brien
Niall O'Brien (wk)
William Porterfield
Boyd Rankin
Andrew White

Buoyant Bermuda!!!

2007-02-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

We have 16 teams participating in this world cup and over the next 16 days i am planning to review each team's chances in this mega event.I will be doing this in the order of least favourites to favourites.

Starting of, seeded 16th are minnows Bermuda.Its their first world cup and as debutants generally do, they will definitely want to leave a mark before they leave the island of west indies.Following up closely may be senegal and zimbabwe both of whom are capable of causing an upset.The fact that they are grouped alongside india,srilanka and bangladesh, makes it the toughest group in the group stage.I guess none of us really know how the players play and who the key players are, but i am pretty sure like every world cup, these guys will definitely try springing up a surprise.Hopefully they play some fighting cricket and dont succumb easily.

Group B

Bangladesh
Bermuda
India

Sri Lanka

Squad

Delyone Borden
Lionel Cann
David Hemp
Kevin Hurdle
Malachi Jones
Stefan Kelly
Dwayne Leverock
Dean Minors (wk)
Saleem Mukuddem
Steven Outerbridge
Oliver Pitcher
Clay Smith
Janeiro Tucker
Kwame Tucker (wk)

Interesting World Cup Ahead!!!

2007-02-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Its been a pretty dull few days for me. As an ardent aussie fan i never anticipated such a change would happen.Its an example of total reversal of roles.Now pegged back to the corner the aussies will have to come back with a lot of grit and confidence.A 3-0 whitewash and a loss in 5 games continuously,this is definitely not what the doctor ordered.Its going to be hard to digest this and just as michael hussey said " It will take him a few days to get over the 3 losses" its going to be hard for me too.Despite having massive scores at their disposal they found it hard to defend it.Very rarely do teams lose 2 games on the trot after scoring above 300.I doubt it has ever happened before.So now the bench strength of australia is pretty clear and its time they start grooming their youngsters as in another years time we are bound to see a lot of new faces.Both new zealand and england have gained from the fall of the oz's.Both these teams have played soem amazing cricket over the last fortnight and they can enter the world cup with a lot of confidence.I guess both these teams will be a great force to reckon with. Australia will have to first get rid of their injuries and get their players fit.Once that is taken car of i am sure they will come back strongly.We have a very interesting world cup ahead of us.I have decided to cover the world cup extensively with team's chances,match predictions,trivia and reviews over here.Please feel free to comment and share your opinions during the course of the month.

STARTER

2007-02-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

1)A,the coach of B is the master of mind games.During one of his title winning seasons,against one of B's toughest opponents,C, A used a peculiar method to motivate his players in the dressing room.Specifically,he displayed images of Edward Norton's character from the movie American History X, who has a bald head and a tattoo of a swastika, alternating with photos of a star player from C. A then displayed pictures of Adolf Hitler alternately appearing with D,the coach of C. After this was revealed, people started questioning tactics used by coaches and thus sparked off a huge debate as to when they crossed the line with their techniques. Identify A,B,C,D....

2)find the third person and connect the three....

3)who is the first player to score a century and take 10 wickets in the same test match....

4)andrew flintoff won this award twice,in 2004 and after his ashes exploits in 2005.the 2006 award went to monty panesar who beat fidel castro by a very narrow margin.what awards are we talking about?

5)who is the only player to win both PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year Awards in the same season.

mail your answers to baddyg@gmail.com