4..3..2..1.. Countdown Over...!!!
It's that time which the whole cricketing fraternity waits for with bated breath. There is the IPL and there is the T20 World Cup, but now it's time for the epitome of all cricketing victories. It's time for the Fifty Overs World Cup Tournament. The World Cup over the last 36 years has brought jubilation to a few, and disappointment to many more. If the mighty Lloyd wept in 1983, Imran in 1992 had the moment which many dream of, but few achieve. His protege Inzy wasn't so forunate, and so was the case with the great Lara, both falling without a whimper in 2007.
Come 2011 and the World Cup returns to the heartland of the game. As always, we shall see some new faces and some old, braving the heat of the tournament. But more than ever earlier, this edition there seem to be A Few Old Men, whose performances will shape the way this tournament shall progress.
1. Ricky Ponting (36 years, 352 matches)
A man we all love hating. Still, there is no denying the fact that the World Cup has been his playground for quite some time now. Few men can boast of a career comprising of 4 WC finals, 3 of which won, 2 as a captain.
Ponting might have taken truckloads of criticism for his leadership, but there is one thing he does better than countless others i.e. Lead by Performance. He is the reason why "140" still pinches every Indian cricket fan. Inspite of Australia having seen some low times recently, it would take a fool to rule out their chances at the WC for one simple reason- they are Team Australia.The Aussie One-Day side surely is a pack of wolves which knows the rules of the Jungle better than many others. On form Shane Watson might be their best man today, but certainly, in the long run of the tournament, Ricky Ponting could be the one making the final difference.
2. Jacques Kallis (35 years, 307 matches)
3. Sachin Tendulkar (38 years, 444 matches)
And finally the biggest of the breed. No body wants it as bad as him. India has always been a land of brilliant masters of the willow, and there is no denying the fact that he has stood tallest amongst them all. If the unbeaten 200 was the prettiest piece in his crown of jewels, his baggage of glories shall always remain incomplete without the WC trophy. From coming within sniffing distance of the elusive cup, to suffering the ignominy of a first round exit, his unsuccessful attempts at the WC have been more than my attempts at CAT (quote courtesy DJC). The wise men all called for his head 4 years back, when a lowly Bangladesh and forever-nemesis Sri Lanka kicked us out. Heads did fall, but his stayed high and mighty, fighting bowlers, age and injuries alike. Speculations were often made about his retirement from the game, but he kept doing what he does best, scoring runs. By 2010 it was clear that the Master was not going to leave without another shot at the World Cup. As they talk about wine, this man too has gotten better with age. Till Feb 2009, SRT batted with an average of 44.05 and a strike rate of 85.41. The last 24 months have seen him score 1196 runs from 22 innings; at an astonishing average of 62.94 and a strike rate of 98.35. Not forgetting that him being an opener does not give him many unbeaten innings to boost up his average, and there haven't been any Bang/Zim featuring in those innings. His hunger for the Cup has kept him running, and expectations have seldom been higher. Although he himself has not made public any retirement plans, as always, there have been others talking on his behalf. As much as I want him to play forever, a match-winning century at Wankhede on Apr 3, 2011 might just be the perfect way for the great man to sign things off.
Apart from these greats, there will be many others taking their last shots at the elusive Cup. Though the sting might have gone down a bit, the wily old fox Murali still has enough in him to bamboozle batters on subcontinent pitches. I also dare to mention the widely under-rated Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, the lone man standing in possibly the worst years of West Indian cricket. How much would I love to see the Windians come back to their maverick ways. The Windies have had too many greats to boast of, and not many in the land of Lara, Richards and Sobers would talk about Chanderpaul. Probably Pollard has garnered more attention in his short career than Chanderpaul. Still, he has been one man standing tall amongst the ruins of West Indian cricket, and at 36 years, coming back again to where it all started 17 years back, he would definitely like to make the most of this final stab.
Without doubt, there will be only one or maybe even none of these greats lifting the World Cup trophy 2 months from now. Let's all realize that as much the presence of this trophy would elevate these men's glittering careers; there would be no amount of demeaning and disrespect in case the trophy is not won.
Here's wishing them all a very good luck.. .CHEERS TO THE BEST OF OUR TIMES !!!
It's that time which the whole cricketing fraternity waits for with bated breath. There is the IPL and there is the T20 World Cup, but now it's time for the epitome of all cricketing victories. It's time for the Fifty Overs World Cup Tournament. The World Cup over the last 36 years has brought jubilation to a few, and disappointment to many more. If the mighty Lloyd wept in 1983, Imran in 1992 had the moment which many dream of, but few achieve. His protege Inzy wasn't so forunate, and so was the case with the great Lara, both falling without a whimper in 2007.
Come 2011 and the World Cup returns to the heartland of the game. As always, we shall see some new faces and some old, braving the heat of the tournament. But more than ever earlier, this edition there seem to be A Few Old Men, whose performances will shape the way this tournament shall progress.
1. Ricky Ponting (36 years, 352 matches)
A man we all love hating. Still, there is no denying the fact that the World Cup has been his playground for quite some time now. Few men can boast of a career comprising of 4 WC finals, 3 of which won, 2 as a captain.
Ponting might have taken truckloads of criticism for his leadership, but there is one thing he does better than countless others i.e. Lead by Performance. He is the reason why "140" still pinches every Indian cricket fan. Inspite of Australia having seen some low times recently, it would take a fool to rule out their chances at the WC for one simple reason- they are Team Australia.The Aussie One-Day side surely is a pack of wolves which knows the rules of the Jungle better than many others. On form Shane Watson might be their best man today, but certainly, in the long run of the tournament, Ricky Ponting could be the one making the final difference.
2. Jacques Kallis (35 years, 307 matches)
The Grand Old Man of South African Cricket. The cricketing world has seen great all rounders like Botham, Hadlee, Imran and Kapil Dev, but none have been mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Sir Gary Sobers..well...almost. If SRT has long been hailed as the Bradman of this era, the new generation has finally found an answer to Sobers in Jacques Kallis. Few men today play with a bigger heart and greater passion than Kallis. Kallis infact does something that even Sobers did not do...bowl ten overs of medium pace and bat as high as No. 3. From the highs and heartbreaks of the late 90s to the lows of the match fixing storm to the resurgence under Graeme Smith, Kallis has stood like a rock for South African cricket.
Perhaps the only blemish in Kallis' impeccable record has been his failure to accelerate when required. However, his performances over the last 2 years reveal otherwise. Since Feb 2009, he has scored at an average of 52.5 and a strike rate of 86.45, and we have still not talked about his exploits in the IPL.
Ever since Allan Donald failed to run, the "Choker" tag has had a stranglehold over the Proteans. Nobody knows it better than Kallis that not just for him, but for the good of future generations of South African cricket, the "choker" tag has to be removed. For an upbeat Protean team, this might very well be their biggest and best chance to do that.
And finally the biggest of the breed. No body wants it as bad as him. India has always been a land of brilliant masters of the willow, and there is no denying the fact that he has stood tallest amongst them all. If the unbeaten 200 was the prettiest piece in his crown of jewels, his baggage of glories shall always remain incomplete without the WC trophy. From coming within sniffing distance of the elusive cup, to suffering the ignominy of a first round exit, his unsuccessful attempts at the WC have been more than my attempts at CAT (quote courtesy DJC). The wise men all called for his head 4 years back, when a lowly Bangladesh and forever-nemesis Sri Lanka kicked us out. Heads did fall, but his stayed high and mighty, fighting bowlers, age and injuries alike. Speculations were often made about his retirement from the game, but he kept doing what he does best, scoring runs. By 2010 it was clear that the Master was not going to leave without another shot at the World Cup. As they talk about wine, this man too has gotten better with age. Till Feb 2009, SRT batted with an average of 44.05 and a strike rate of 85.41. The last 24 months have seen him score 1196 runs from 22 innings; at an astonishing average of 62.94 and a strike rate of 98.35. Not forgetting that him being an opener does not give him many unbeaten innings to boost up his average, and there haven't been any Bang/Zim featuring in those innings. His hunger for the Cup has kept him running, and expectations have seldom been higher. Although he himself has not made public any retirement plans, as always, there have been others talking on his behalf. As much as I want him to play forever, a match-winning century at Wankhede on Apr 3, 2011 might just be the perfect way for the great man to sign things off.
Apart from these greats, there will be many others taking their last shots at the elusive Cup. Though the sting might have gone down a bit, the wily old fox Murali still has enough in him to bamboozle batters on subcontinent pitches. I also dare to mention the widely under-rated Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, the lone man standing in possibly the worst years of West Indian cricket. How much would I love to see the Windians come back to their maverick ways. The Windies have had too many greats to boast of, and not many in the land of Lara, Richards and Sobers would talk about Chanderpaul. Probably Pollard has garnered more attention in his short career than Chanderpaul. Still, he has been one man standing tall amongst the ruins of West Indian cricket, and at 36 years, coming back again to where it all started 17 years back, he would definitely like to make the most of this final stab.
Without doubt, there will be only one or maybe even none of these greats lifting the World Cup trophy 2 months from now. Let's all realize that as much the presence of this trophy would elevate these men's glittering careers; there would be no amount of demeaning and disrespect in case the trophy is not won.
Here's wishing them all a very good luck.. .CHEERS TO THE BEST OF OUR TIMES !!!
