With the World Cup 2007 round the corner, we will have a look at the different teams participating in the world cup in detail with a few key highlights. To begin with, we take on team Australia the reigning champions in One Day Cricket.
Team Australia defends its title in this years World Cup in the
Caribbean Islands with a team that has a few important names missing from it. Even with this present team the side presents a defence of the Cup that it conquered in 2003.
The team is plagued with a few injury worries to key players like Andrew Symonds and Mathew Hayden alias Haydos but still the team boasts of a fine mix of effervescent youth and experience combined ina near perfect proportion.
Team Australia for World Cup 2007
This is the 15 member Aussie squad comprising Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin (wk), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson.
A look at it and one gets a whiff of one thing very clearly- competitive spirits! Australians are known around the world for this ability which has seen them rise and conquer the throne in the past two decades. Tough competition in the domestic circuits has bred players like Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey who personify the word competitive!
Strengths - Strong batting lineup and a decent pace attack
Weakness - Injury to key players like Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee and the absence of a quality spinner
Core
Ricky Ponting
Their core comprises their captain Ricky Ponting who is all aggression and can tear apart any bowling with his wide array of shots. Having said that Pontings Achilles heel has been his falling over and getting out Leg Before the Wicket in the recent past.
Adam Gilchrist
One of the most attacking wicketkeeper batsman of this generation, Gilly has destroyed many a bowling attacks with his aggressive batting. A excellent puller and cutter of the ball, he can take the attack to the opposition and make a mockery of any big total with his strokes!
Michael Clarke
A promising youngster who announced his arrival to the international arena with a century on debut against India, he has cemented his place in the side in both forms of the game. Since then there has been no looking back as he has gathered experiance and honed his talent to win many a matches for his team. A fine fielder in the inner ring, he can raise the bar at any time of the game.
Michael Hussey
If Australian team felt the vacuum created by the retirement of Michael Bevan, then it could be said that Hussey has filled in Bevans shoe! A late entrant to international cricket Hussey has stamped his authority with his display of experiance and temperament. A fantastic finisher to the game, he has a great head to handle pressure while chasing targets.
Glenn McGrath
The spearhead of the Aussie bowling attack, he is most destructive with the new ball. A great component of line and length, he could rattle the scoreboard and within no time the opposition could lose its top order batsmen to some clinical bowling of Mcgrath. Though he has lost on pace, he is like the banyan tree which could help other bowlers like Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson maximise their potential under his canopy!
Shaun Tait
A young searing fast bowler, he made a mark with his unconventional action. Tait can clock 140 kmph plus easily and can prove to be a cause for concern. Though he is a bit wayward and lacks the discipline he makes up most of the time with his pace.
A string of losses suffered at the hands of England and New Zealand have raised doubts on the teams performance. But for this Australian outfit adversity brings out the best in them so no team can make the mistake of taking them for granted! The abundance of talent and self belief in the team makes them formidable team on any given day.
The time has come for the biggest event for the World of one day cricket to unfold- The World Cup. This edition will be played in the Carribean Islands and the viewers apart from enjoying the scenic beauty and warm sandy beaches will get to see some real explosive cricket.
World Cup, the new inclusion being the teams of Ireland and Bermuda. The teams have been grouped into four groups namely A, B, C, D with four teams in each group. In general there are two strong teams and two relatively weak in each group. In a way this format also introduces the ’surprise element’ where these minnow could spriing up a real surprise against the established sides!
and rise above ‘individual’ performances to deliver the goods. To capture the mood of this World Cup, we would showcase each team with its strenghts, weakness and star players till the tournament begins. Also would be some intersting trivias and lots of action.
All said and done, this World Cup would certainly have the Caypso flavor in all the three aspects of the game- Batting, bowling, fielding and not to forget the CROWD with their bands!..
