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ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
CUP OF GOOD HOPE WORLD CUP 2015 AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TEAM PREVIEWS
INDIA’S WORLD CUP WINS
1975-2011 HIGHLIGHTS
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
CRICKET AND TRAVEL
WHAT’S INSIDE
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
ODI the winner at World Cup
At a time when the 50-over game strives for relevance, the tournament gives the game context and promises glory
R Kaushik |
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winningest team on the big stage Some luck, yes, but it was a lot of pluck and more skill that made Australia all-conquering at the World Cup
Shamya Dasgupta |
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Rise of the Asian associates
The Devils, the daredevils
1983 and 2011 – campaigns of contrast, two very different paths to the same celebratory end
R Kaushik |
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Afghanistan and UAE have made a quick climb through the ranks, but can they make the transformation from Associates to champions as successfully as Sri Lanka?
Karthik Lakshmanan |
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Million-dollar MIDDLE-AGER From modest beginnings in 1975, cricket’s showpiece event is now attracting the moolah by the millions
Manoj Narayan |
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Final hurrahs and fond farewells With several players expected to hang up their boots after World Cup 2015, the signs of a new world order in the next four-year cycle are already apparent
Sidhanta Patnaik |
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FALL OF THE TITANS
By mid-1980s, West Indies’ fast-bowling arsenal kept them in the hunt but their batsmen were a byword for inconsistency
Dileep Premachandran |
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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FLASHBACK
1975 1979 12
13
1983 1987 28
38
1992 1996 50
60
Lights, colour, action! The last time the World Cup was in Australia and New Zealand, it signalled the dawn of cricketainment. Cricket as we knew it had changed
Disha Shetty |
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Two new balls and two powerplayS A round-up of all the rule changes for World Cup 2015 that aim to make the game more attractive to fans
Himanish Bhattacharjee |
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1999 2003 68
76
2007 2011 82
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TEAM PREVIEWS
16
25
33
37
40
42
46
52
57
64
70
73
75
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ON THE ROAD
Stunning harbours, picturesque cityscapes, plentiful parks, friendly people, and cricket history peeking out at you from the most unexpected corners - a teaser of what to see and do in Australia and New Zealand
Arundhati Sridhar |
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Edited by: Karunya Keshav Designed by: Ashish Mohanty All pictures published as part of Cup of Good Hope courtesy of Getty Images and Wisden India Archive
6 WORLD CUP 2015
ODI the winner at World Cup At a time when the 50-over game strives for relevance, the tournament gives the game context and promises glory R Kaushik
Pakistan v Australia in UAE: 0-3 (3)
South Africa v West Indies in South Africa:
India v West Indies in India: 2-1 (5)
4-1 (5)
New Zealand v South Africa in New Zealand:
New Zealand v Pakistan in New Zealand:
0-2 (3)
2-0 (2)
India v Sri Lanka in India: 5-0 (5) Australia v South Africa in Australia: 4-1 (5) Bangladesh v Zimbabwe in Bangladesh: 5-0 (5) Sri Lanka v England in Sri Lanka: 5-2 (7) Pakistan v New Zealand in UAE: 2-3 (5)
T
hat has been the One-Day International between
schedule
October
2014
and now, with the New Zealand-Pakistan
two-
New Zealand v Sri Lanka in New Zealand:
match series the last international outing
4-2 (7)
before the World Cup. That’s 12 bilateral
Australia-England-India Australia: Australia
tri-series
in
series/tri-series, and these are the ones only involving the Test-playing nations.
7
Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea played two ODIs in Australia, while Afghanistan, Ireland and Scotland were involved in a triangular tournament in Dubai. I am not sure how many of us remember these matches, let alone the results. Yes, perhaps West Indies’ tour of India, but that only because the Caribbean team ditched the tour midway through due to a Classic SIX Every cricket fan around the globe knows India are 2011 champions.
pay fallout between the cricket board and the players. But beyond that, not many of these matches or series ring more than a faint bell. ODI cricket finds itself between a rock and a hard place. The very fact that so many rule changes have been made to the 50over format is alone indicative of the need
to tell us that all three of its international
to keep the product alive and interesting
products are robust and self-sustaining, is
in an era when Twenty20 cricket has
unsurprisingly the most natural casualty
graduated from upstart to a format that
in this scenario. A seven-hour game with a
is easily the most widely followed, and
45-minute break thrown in would appear
when Test cricket, for all the supposed
neither here nor there. You could squeeze
lack of patronage, continues to hold its
in two Twenty20 games in that duration.
own because the players pay it at least lip
Compared to the 20-over slam-bang, thrill-
service and traditionalists still abound.
a-nanosecond circus, the 50-over game is almost pedestrian. There is a touch of
The 50-over game, no matter how much
predictability to the proceedings – tee off
the International Cricket Council will try
at the beginning, consolidate in the middle
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
8 WORLD CUP 2015 and ennui of the middle overs. Have they worked? Hard to say from a spectator and interest perspective, though various ONE FOR FANS Cricket’s most glamorous contest will be a runaway hit.
captains have voiced their displeasure at the increasing imbalance between bat and ball. But that’s another topic altogether. One of the reasons why we struggle to remember the aforementioned 12 events is a distinct lack of context. These are matches, series, tournaments that have become no more than a formality. Cricket boards have obligations towards their broadcast partners and other sponsors, so visibility is necessary. A 50-over game
and then go for broke at the end – that
allows broadcasters the opportunity to air
makes one game no different from another, one series eerily similar to the previous or the next one. Which is why, suddenly, back to one new ball at each end. Which is why, only one five-over block of powerplay after
There are far too many ODIs floating around to keep track of what is happening where. The 50-over game is almost entirely dependent on the World Cup, therefore, to retain its sustainability.
the mandatory first ten. Which is why, during the 35 non-powerplay overs, only
advertisements during almost 100 breaks
four fielders are allowed to patrol the vast
between overs, not to mention every time
expanse of the outfield. All designed to take
a wicket falls or the players adjourn for
the element of predictability away from the
a drinks interval. Even when a player is
game, to retain interest all the way through
receiving treatment for injury – and this
an innings, to dissipate the boredom
is particularly unique to the subcontinent
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– someone is trying to sell water or a soft drink or insurance. Oh well, cricket has long metamorphosed into a commercial beast. But let’s return to the context. Or rather the lack of it. Australia beating Pakistan
It has a prestigious crown and oodles of prize money at the end of it, but more than anything, it comes with a tag, a label, a prefix and a suffix that span four whole years. Not just any prefix or suffix. World Cup winners.
in the UAE or New Zealand crushing Sri Lanka in their own backyard are all no more
spectator-at-the-ground interest point of
than sideshows. There are so many ODIs
view – in a country like India where there
floating around the cricketing stratosphere
are nearly 20 international centres, each
that it is impossible to keep track of what
venue gets no more than one ODI a year
is happening where, no matter how ardent
– but it is debatable how seriously players
and committed a cricket fan you are. The
approach these matches. This is not to
authorities will tell us that of course, every
suggest that they don’t want to win every
ODI has context because unlike a Test
match they play, but look at Sri Lanka’s
series, ratings points are updated after
approach when they were pushed in as
every single 50-over international game.
late replacements for the runaway West
All well, to a point. But then you have
Indies in India. Or, more recently, India’s
a scenario where the ranking changes
approach in the tri-series in Australia when
hands sometimes three times a week,
they were so concerned about ironing out
and occasionally, a team that is not even
kinks and arriving at combinations for the
involved in the action briefly becomes No.
World Cup that victory was no more than
1 because someone has lost and someone
a bonus.
else has won. Context? Really? The World Cup, of course, is a different The 50-over game is almost entirely
entity altogether. Australia are the current
dependent on the World Cup, therefore, to
No. 1 and India are No. 2, but who is the
retain its sustainability. The ODIs are fine
world champion? Do we even care to find
from a commercial and sometimes from a
out who Nos. 3 and 4 are in the ICC ODI
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
10 WORLD CUP 2015
THE best People play the sport to be recognised and acknowledged as the best.
ratings? No sir, it is about who is the World
turned the cricketing order upside down
Cup winner. Every cricket enthusiast
one emotional March night in Lahore in
around the globe – and there are many,
1996.
even if that number is miniscule compared to say football or tennis fans – knows
That’s the charm, the magic, the power
that India are the defending World Cup
of the World Cup – it has context. It has
champions. That Australia won the title
a prestigious crown and oodles of prize
immediately before that, in 2007. As they
money at the end of it, but more than
did in 2003. And in 1999. That West Indies
anything, it comes with a tag, a label, a
won the first two World Cups, in 1975 and
prefix and a suffix that span four whole
1979. That Kapil Dev inspired India to an
years. Not just any prefix or suffix. World
extraordinary, against-all-odds triumph
Cup winners. World champions. Now,
in 1983, Allan Border’s dark horses went
that’s what people play sport for. To be the
all the way in 1987, Imran Khan’s soldiers
best, and to be remembered and recognised
scripted a remarkable comeback in 1992
and acknowledged as the best. The other
and that Arjuna Ranatunga’s brave troops
series and tournaments will never provide
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that status. Fifty-over cricket desperately
camouflage the fact that not even cricket’s
needs the World Cup – as its flag-bearer,
apex body believed the Champions Trophy
as the mother of all ODI tournaments, as
was doing anything to promote the cause
the showpiece event that brings the top
of the 50-over game.
nations all together under one common platform, battling each other and elements
And so here we are now, with the
alien to most but the hosts/co-hosts for
World Cup bearing the onerous task of
seven weeks, all for the winner’s medal
carrying the future of the 50-over game
and a slice of glory that, no matter what,
at the international level on its broad but
history will always reflect and remember.
overburdened shoulders. Most World Cups are guaranteed to be hits, even cricket
another
World Cups that are only contested by
tournament that had the potential to
14 teams this time and ten from the next
augment the World Cup’s battle to further
edition onwards. That said, sometimes,
the cause of the 50-over game, but when
it is possible to make a hash of even a
teams such as the United States of
tournament as popular as the World
America started to be involved in a cricket
Cup – like in the Caribbean in 2007, a
tournament that goes by the name of the
tournament that many of its billion critics
Champions Trophy, surely something is
tell us is still going on somewhere in those
amiss? In its collective wisdom, the ICC
lovely islands.
The
Champions
Trophy
is
decided that the Champions Trophy was going nowhere, especially with the World
This 11th edition of cricket’s most
T20, the biennial bash, a far more lucrative
glamorous and prestigious multi-team
and viable proposition. The 2013 edition in
competition will be a runaway hit, co-hosts
England was to have been the last of the
Australia and New Zealand will ensure
Champions Trophies. It took the success
that. Despite the insular nature of these
of that same event in 2013 – ah, but India’s
islands, tickets have sold like hot cakes,
surge to the title had nothing to do with
public interest is peaking to a nicety. Fifty-
it – for the ICC to revisit its decision to
over cricket will be in the forefront for seven
scrap that tournament. But that could not
weeks, from February 14 to March 29, 2015. After that? Wait for 2019, I suspect.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
12 Gary Gilmour: 6-14 off 12 overs and 28* off 28
1975
balls v Australia, Leeds. Match Impact: 18.08 The second-highest impact performance in the history of ODI cricket and the highest impact performance in World Cups came in the first semifinal of the 1975 World Cup. In only his third ODI, Gary Gilmour picked up six top/middle-order English wickets and had a high Pressure-Building Impact (taking wickets in quick succession to build pressure) as he reduced Australia from 2 for 0 to 36 for 6. His job was not finished though: England, chasing 94, were 39 for 6 when Gilmour came out to bat and smacked an unbeaten 28 off 28 balls. Not only did he have a high Runs Tally (proportion of runs scored), Pressure and Chasing Impact, but he also had an exceptional Strike Rate Impact, given the low and slow scoring nature of the match.
Final: West Indies v Australia Favorites West Indies took on Australia in a It was the opening round of the inaugural World Cup in England and one-day cricket was still new. On a warm, sunny day at Lord’s, England’s Dennis Amiss, the opener, enthralled a full house with an exciting 137 off 147 balls. With half-centuries from Keith Fletcher and Chris Old, England posted a daunting 334 for 4 in 60 overs, the highest one-day total back then. Indian fans, hopeful of a spirited fightback, were in for a rude
FLASHBACK
shock when Sunil Gavaskar opened India’s innings in Test-match mode. He bizarrely batted through 60 overs, but scored only 36 runs in an unthinkable 174 balls. The Wisden Almanack reported that after the match the Indian team claimed Gavaskar thought England’s score was beyond reach and so decided to get some practice. India crawled to 132 for 3 and lost by 202 runs.
60-overs-a-side game, and were in some trouble at 50 for 3 before a classic from Clive Lloyd, their captain, took them to 291 for 8. Lloyd, assisted by Rohan Kanhai (55), smashed 102 in 85 balls, the knock including 12 fours and two sixes. The Australians threatened, but their innings was marked by run outs, five in all, three of them orchestrated by Vivian Richards. The final pair of Jeff Thompson and Dennis Lillee got their team to within 18 runs of victory, but the day would belong to Lloyd and his men.
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Didn’t realise I bowled the first World Cup ball Madan Lal I came to know only later that I’d bowled the first ball of the World Cup in 1975. I had no clue at that time. Going into the 1975 World Cup, we didn’t have much idea about one-day cricket. We were not used to the
1979
We still had a Test mindset
format, so the massive 202-run loss to England in the opening match was not too much of a setback. There
The simple game, a shock upset and an embarrassing
were not many One-Day International tournaments
encounter with Len Hutton
in India, so we didn’t have that sort of experience of playing at a world stage. Only after the 1975 World Cup
AU n s h u m a n G a e k w a d
did we start playing more ODIs. Playing cricket in England, particularly in the summer, is Since we were not at all familiar with the format or the
a delightful experience. The pace of life, the greenery,
rules, the biggest challenge for us was to do well. We
the crisp air, the moist wickets and everything that
started improving somewhat only after the first World
comes along with it can be both a thrill and a challenge.
Cup, once we started playing against the top nations.
Having experienced things first hand in 1975, I was
Both 1975 and 1979 editions were not the World Cups
personally keyed up for the 1979 World Cup. But,
to remember because we didn’t do well at all.
somehow, as a team, we didn’t quite understand its importance.
As told to Disha Shetty After our failure in 1975, India made a conscious effort, but not a professional one, to get better. The Packer
Brief scores:
revolution had just begun, but we still had a Test match
Lord’s, London: West Indies 291/8 in 60 overs (Clive Lloyd 102, Rohan Kanhai 55, Keith Boyce 34, Bernard Julien 26 n.o.; Gary Gilmour 5-48, Jeff Thomson 2-44) beat Australia 274 in 58.4 overs (Ian Chappell 62, Alan Turner 40, Doug Walters 35, Ross Edwards 28; Keith Boyce 4-50) by 17 runs. MoM: Clive Lloyd
mindset and there was not much planning that went into our campaign. For us, one-day cricket meant just batting out the 60 overs, as it was then, and not getting bowled out. That perhaps explains our record in the first two editions. My first memory of the 1979 edition is the handbook
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
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After our failure in 1975, we made a conscious effort, but not a professional one, to get better. For us, one-day cricket meant just batting out the 60 overs, as it was then, and not getting bowled out. That perhaps explains our record in the first two editions. we were given upon landing. It was a tiny booklet of around 15 pages. The tournament rules were simple – no elaborate security arrangements, and not much restriction in terms of media commitments like there is today because there were just a handful of journalists. We did not have briefings on anti-corruption and dope tests either. In that sense, the cricket was pure and unadulterated. Another thing about those days was, all of us shared rooms and that fostered team spirit. But we were also scared to go out or break team rules. There was also plenty of fun we had as a team. Travelling by bus, in trains, meeting local Indian families who were gracious enough to host us, mingling freely with friends without having to worry about cameras or security restrictions was fun. Coming back to the cricket, we knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park for us. Although we lost to West Indies and New Zealand, we were confident of beating Sri Lanka. They were the minnows and our body language was that of a side who had beaten them even before we stepped onto the field. But what happened there was quite shocking.
I still remember Venkat (S Venkataraghavan), who was our captain, coming back into the dressing room and not finding any of us there. He was furious, and sensing that, we all hid in the bathroom and pretended to be having a shower. It was only after a while did we all come out. That loss was deflating. Another memory of the Cricket World Cup, although an embarrassing one, would be the one in 1975. We were in the long room at Lord’s for a cocktail and dinner party. Karsan Ghavri and I were smoking pipes and having a quiet drink when an elderly gentleman walked up to us and engaged us in a conversation. Both of us put on a fake accent and started talking to him like we would to a friend, not knowing who he was. Karsan was from Rajkot, I was from Baroda, so you can imagine how the Gujarati-tinged British accent we tried to put up must have been! After about half an hour, he introduced himself to us as Len Hutton. We were shell shocked and immediately put down our drinks and went looking for him in the long room. He was gone. Sir Len Hutton! It didn’t dawn upon us then. But that is just one of several memories I associate with England and Cricket World Cups.
Aunshuman Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India, and was part of the squads for the 1975 and 1979 World Cups. As told to Shashank Kishore
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Associates Sri Lanka beat India
Final: West Indies v England
Beaten by New Zealand in their opener by nine wickets and with the match against West Indies called off, Sri Lanka went into their final group game against India missing their injured captain and with nobody
99 for 4, it seemed England had the initiative at Lord’s. But that was before Vivian Richards (138 from 157 balls) and Collis King (86 from 66
expecting a great contest.
balls) got together not just to steady the ship,
Yet, they took apart a toothless Indian attack. A 96-run
partnership was instrumental in a 286 for 9 total.
but to steer it full speed ahead. Their 139-run
stand for the second wicket between Sunil Wettimuny (67) and Roy Dias (50) off 25 overs was followed by a robust half-century from Duleep Mendis (64). Sudath Pasqual, the 18-year-old, added 52 off seven overs with
The English defense began well in Mike Brearley (64) and Geoff Boycott (57), but the runs came too slowly. And with the dismissal of Graham Gooch
Mendis to take Sri Lanka to 238 for 5 in 60 overs.
at 183 for 3 came an almighty collapse as eight
India had to wait until Monday to begin their chase,
world supremacy for the second time in a row.
owing to a late start on Saturday. Sunil Gavaskar and
FLASHBACK
With West Indies, the defending champions, at
Aunshuman Gaekwad began strongly with a 60-run
wickets fell for just 11 runs, giving West Indies Joel Garner was the chief destroyer, taking five wickets, and was twice on a hat-trick.
stand, but Gundappa Viswanath’s run-out on 22 sparked a flurry of wickets. Somachandra de Silva dismissed Dilip Vengsarkar, Brijesh Patel and Mohinder Amarnath, before Tony Opatha swept through the Indian tail to give Sri Lanka a shock 47-run victory.
Viv Richards: 138* off 157 balls and 0-35 off 10 overs v England. Match Impact: 9.36 In the 1979 final, West Indies had been reduced to 99 for 4 against England when Collis King joined Viv Richards at the crease. King began
Brief scores: Final, 1979 Lord’s, London: West Indies 286/9 in 60 overs (Vivian Richards 138, Collis King 86; Phil Edmonds 2-40, Ian Botham 2-44) beat England 194 in 51 overs (Mike Brearley 64, Geoff Boycott 57, Graham Gooch 32; Joel Garner 5-38, Colin Croft 3-32) by 92 runs. MoM: Vivian Richards
the onslaught, smashing 86 off 66 in a 139-run partnership, but it was Richards who controlled the innings. He stabilised the innings before going on the rampage. He had a high Runs Tally (proportion of runs scored), Pressure and Partnership-Building Impact. In England’s chase of 287, they fell short by 92 runs. Richards chipped in there too, conceding only 35 off his ten overs (high Economy Impact). This was also a tournament-defining performance.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
INDIA
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POOL B
Strengths
India go into the World Cup as defending champions and the second-ranked OneDay International team in the world. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, likes continuity and has made no bones about his wish to have each squad member get an extended run in the lead-up to the World Cup. The ability to thrill and frustrate notwithstanding, the selectors have shown patience with a number of players over the last two years. That has eventually borne fruit, especially in the batting department, as exemplified by Rohit Sharma. Unlucky to miss out on selection in 2011, Rohit has emerged as one of the pillars in the batting. Twin double-centuries in ODIs have only enhanced his reputation. Virat Kohli’s presence along with Suresh Raina and Dhoni gives the middle order a power boost. The team’s penchant for chasing down tall totals is sure to give opponents something to think about.
“I think whenever you play one-day cricket, India will always have a chance.You look at the batting, they have a strong line-up. ODIs are a lot easier than Test cricket so bowlers will also do well. I’ve earlier said also this is the best possible team at the moment.” - Sourav Ganguly, former India captain
Watch out for
SQUAD MS Dhoni (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli. Picked in 2011 on the back of solid performances in limited overs, he thrilled on World Cup debut by smashing a century against Bangladesh. Sizable contributions in all the other matches, including the final, meant his role even within a team of superstars was clearly defined. The dynamics are different now and he will have to shepherd a relatively inexperienced middle order. Aggression is his middle name, and India’s new Test captain has shown he can walk the talk. Rest assured, there will be no backing down.
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Weaknesses
The Indian bowling has come under the scanner for quite some time now, their frailties exposed after a long, fruitless tour of Australia just before the World Cup. With no respite in sight, Dhoni will have plenty of headaches as the tournament presses on. Primarily picked for their ability to bowl at over 140 clicks, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami have proved expensive, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ability when there is no swing on offer will be tested. With 76 ODIs under his belt, Ishant Sharma was the most experienced seamer and expected to lead the attack, but with injury ruling him out and Mohit Sharma drafted in his place before the warm-up games, it will only add to Dhoni’s concerns. India have long wished for a genuine seam bowling allrounder, which Stuart Binny offers. But he’s still a rookie at the top level, as is Axar Patel, which means Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin will have their task cut out in the spin department. But the clear lack of experience could be a major talking point. Morale too will be low after failing to win a single game in the tri-series with Australia and England, and in the Tests that preceded it.
“What makes this team special is that over the last few years they have faced all kinds of situations in limited-overs cricket and have shown they are capable of coming out successfully from all of them. That’s why I say we have a good chance to win this World Cup. A big reason for my belief is our Champions Trophy victory in England. We played in very foreign conditions that didn’t suit the side and yet we played so well that we didn’t lose a single match. That shows that the side is used to winning and that’s really exciting.” - Duncan Fletcher, coach
World Cup history
With just a solitary win against East Africa across two editions in 1975 and 1979, India caught the world by surprise as they denied West Indies a third title. While memories of Kapil Dev with the trophy on the Lord’s balcony is an iconic image, Dhoni’s winning six in 2011 is also the stuff of legend, coming as it did after the low of 2007. Before that, India did fairly well by reaching the semifinal in 1987 and 1996, while they finished runners-up to Australia in 2003.
FIXTURES Feb 15: Pakistan, Adelaide Feb 22: South Africa, Melbourne Feb 28: United Arab Emirates, Perth March 6: West Indies, Perth March 10: Ireland, Hamilton March 14: Zimbabwe, Auckland
- Shashank Kishore ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
18 WORLD CUP 2015
The Devils, the daredevils 1983 and 2011 – campaigns of contrast, two very different paths to the same celebratory end R Kaushik
W
hen Kapil Dev led
rankest of rank outsiders – 66-1 outsiders,
his team out at the
to be precise. In two previous World Cups,
1983 World Cup in
they had just one win to show from six
England, satellite
matches, the one against East Africa in
TV wasn’t even a
1975. Four years on, they were put in
figment of the imagination in India. The
their place even by Sri Lanka, then only
Berlin Wall continued to stand between the
an Associate member still some way short
Germanys, few outside of the Germanys
of Test status. No one believed India would
had heard of Boris Becker, Michael Jackson
even be competitive, let alone make a
was yet to burst into Grammy folklore and
serious pitch for top honours.
all Sachin Tendulkar had were stars in his eyes and dreams in his heart.
How things had changed by the time the 2011 edition came a-calling! Tendulkar
India entered the 1983 World Cup as the
had gone from aspiring India cricketer to
19
28-year wait From rank outsiders in 1983 to perennial favourites in 2011.
master of the world. India had graduated
overwhelmingly fancied. Both champions,
from no-hopers to perennial favourites.
charting different paths to glory but getting
The contrast couldn’t have been starker.
to the summit nevertheless against all odds,
In 1983, Indian fans would have happily
both stirring journeys – one chronicled
settled for a victory here, a close defeat
sketchily for obvious reasons, the other an
there;
than
emotional roller coaster lived out not just
Mahendra Singh Dhoni holding the cup
by the 15 men constituting the team but
aloft at the Wankhede Stadium would
a billion fans that drove the team forward
have been construed a gross, abject, total
collectively, inexorably, towards the tryst
failure.
with ultimate glory.
in
2011,
anything
less
Kapil’s Devils, Dhoni’s Daredevils. The
In 1983, no one gave Kapil’s Devils a
class of ’83, the band of ’11. Total underdogs,
chance. No one, that is, outside of the team
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
20 WORLD CUP 2015 Gavaskar walked in. The great opener sat on the seat of the toilet during the length of the meeting! And oh, forget about wives and girlfriends on tour. India went into that epochal tournament with some momentum. In Berbice a few weeks previously, they had registered their first away win over West Indies, riding on The Pioneers In 1983, there was no support staff, no database, no mind gurus.
Gavaskar’s 90. It was the spur the side needed; the rest of the world focussed on which of Australia or England or Pakistan would challenge the World Cup hegemony of Clive Lloyd’s men. India quietly worked their way through the draw, beating West Indies in their opening game on the back of a solid innings from Yashpal Sharma to
itself. In those days, there was no fancy
convince themselves, as much as anyone
support staff, no technological support, no
else, that Berbice was no flash in the pan.
database and mind gurus and workload management. It was the team, and PR Man
India’s path to the semifinal was strewn
Singh – manager, coach, facilitator, all
with obstacles. Crushed by Australia the
rolled into one. There was no team room –
first time around – the four teams in each
‘meetings’ were held in the room of either
group met each other twice with the top
the captain or the manager, both of whom
two making the semis – they needed to
had larger settlements than the rest of the
defeat David Hookes’s men in their final
players who were bunched two to a room.
group tie to make the last four. They did,
I remember Man Singh talking about one
fairly easily, but before that match, the
memorable team meeting in Kapil’s room,
team and its dedicated followers tracking
packed to the rafters even before Sunil
their progress on radio died a million
21
deaths against Zimbabwe in Tunbridge
Richards pulled, Kapil ran and ran and
Wells, Kapil hauling them from the mess
ran, and held on to a sensational catch.
of 9 for 4 and 17 for 5 with the single-most
Kaps, you beauty! One tremendous final
influential knock in the history of the World
push from the bowlers with Mohinder
Cup – 175*, sadly unrecorded for posterity
Amarnath, soft and gentle and sleepy,
because the BBC was on strike.
trapping Michael Holding leg before, all hell breaks loose. Champions of the world.
You felt that this was a run too good to be
Who would have thunk?
true. England, the mother nation, the host nation, in the semis surely a bridge too
Twenty-eight years on, the script was
far? Of course not. By then, Doordarshan
written out beautifully. Tendulkar’s last
had woken up to the possibilities. So we
World Cup – this one is for you, Master.
huddled in front of our old black and
The Master himself had a great World Cup –
white Dyanora set, waiting for the bubble
centuries against South Africa and England
to burst, but eventually rejoicing in the
– but no one could best Yuvraj Singh. India meandered through the league phase, then
Then Madan Lal banged one in, Richards pulled, Kapil ran and ran and ran, and held on to a sensational catch. Kaps, you beauty!
sprang to life in the knockouts. Australia dethroned in a tense quarterfinal, Pakistan conquered in a tenser semi. Wankhede and Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene magical. Then enter Dhoni. Out of sorts with the
flurry of boundaries with which Sandeep
bat, walking out ahead of the flaming hot
Patil drove Bob Willis and England to their
Yuvi, a massive gamble but one designed
knees.
to negate Malinga and Murali. Worked out quite beautifully. Gautam Gambhir was
West Indies in the final. Lord’s. June 25.
the ice, Dhoni the raging, unputoutable
183 all out. There we go. Awesome run,
fire. Kulasekara deposited into orbit over
outstanding run, but not enough. Nearly
long-on. Twirling bat, Sachin on shoulders,
not enough. Not with Viv, Smokin’ Joe, in
victory lap, the tri-colour proud and flying
the mood. Then Madan Lal banged one in,
high. It was the stuff of dreams, sending
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
22 WORLD CUP 2015
There was a common thread that bound 1983 and 2011. No, not Srikkanth; it was the multiple allrounders India possessed.
expert, Balwinder Sandhu. Spinning ones in 2011, making the most of the purchase the subcontinent offered them. Yuvraj at YUVRAJ SINGH The allrounder was key to India’s success.
the top of the list. Sehwag. Raina. Pathan, Yusuf. And specialists Harbhajan, Ashwin and Chawla. With Zaheer the battering ram, reverse swing and all, producing a wicket every time India desperately needed one. The devourer of left-hand batsmen. Andrew Strauss in Bangalore. Devon Smith in Chennai. Mike Hussey in Ahmedabad.
the nation on an adrenaline rush that not
Upul Tharanga in the final.
even the immediate spoiler in the form of IPL 4 could staunch.
India were a naturally athletic fielding unit in 1983. A jog here, a run there, the
There was, though, a common thread
occasional trot from the ground to the
that bound 1983 and 2011. No, not
hotel. But no trainer to monitor BMI (body
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, dashing opener
mass index, apparently) or some such. No
then and selection panel chairman now. It
physio to monitor injuries, no masseur to
was in the personnel that India possessed.
untighten knots. In 2011, India had worked
Multiple allrounders. Seaming ones in 1983
towards becoming a fantastic fielding side.
that exploited the conditions in England
Scientific. Professional. Clinical. Different
beautifully.
ways then to skin a cat, each one as effective
Amarnath,
Madan,
Roger
Binny, Kapil, of course. And that swing
as the other. The Devils, the Daredevils.
23
FALL OF THE TITANS By mid-1980s, West Indies’ fast-bowling arsenal kept them in the hunt but their batsmen were a byword for inconsistency D i l e e p Pr e m a c h a n d r a n
I
n the first three World Cups, West
masters were knocked off their perch.
Indies lost just two games, both of
That may be true as far as Test cricket
them to India in 1983. In the last
is concerned, but in the 50-over format,
three, they have won just that
the cracks had become apparent nearly a
many games against established
decade earlier.
opposition. It’s a sobering statistic and a reminder of just how steep the fall from
At the time, those defeats to India were seen as an aberration. They were not.
grace has been. Years from now, anyone reading the
In March 1985, Pakistan comfortably
cricket history of our time will probably
defeated them in the semifinals of the
identify the mid-1990s, and specifically
World Championship of Cricket. Mohsin
Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in 1995,
Khan may have toiled 93 balls for his 23,
as the time when the game’s one-time
but there was serenity to the manner in
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
24 WORLD CUP 2015 which Rameez Raja (60) and Qasim Umar (42 not out) eased past the target. The West Indies total of 159 wasn’t the result of devastating new-ball spells from Imran Khan and Wasim Akram either. It was the far less threatening duo of Tahir Naqqash (3 for 23) and Mudassar Nazar (5 for 28) that did the damage.
TOP 5 IMPACT BOWLERS FOR WEST INDIES IN ODIs Joel Garner 2.95 Michael Holding 2.62 Curtly Ambrose 2.41 Malcolm Marshall 2.03 Ian Bishop 1.95
A year later, it was England, and not West Indies, that won the Perth Challenge.
Gone were Joel Garner and Michael
On their day, the fast-bowling arsenal still
Holding, who still command a place in a
made West Indies a fearsome proposition
list of the five highest impact bowlers to
– Sri Lanka were bowled out for 55, with
play ODIs for West Indies. A third, Malcolm
Courtney Walsh taking 5 for 1, in a Sharjah
Marshall, had opted to give the tournament
tournament a year before the 1987 World
a miss. The two other men who round off
Cup – but the batsmen had become a
that all-time top five, Curtly Ambrose and
byword for inconsistency, especially on
Ian Bishop, would make their debuts only
slow and low surfaces.
a year later.
The black-and-white World Cup histories
Walsh, as skilled as he was, was no
often cite Walsh’s refusal to run out Saleem
Garner in the slog overs. In Gujranwala,
Jaffar in 1987 – who had backed up too
England, with four wickets in hand, had
far – as the moment when the team’s
needed 91 from the last ten overs to win.
fortunes changed. Again, there’s a bit of
With Allan Lamb in splendid form, that was
urban legend at work there. West Indies
whittled down to 34 off three overs, still a
had already lost their opening game of the
considerable ask. Walsh bowled overs 48
tournament to England and were a vastly
and 50. Patrick Patterson had conceded
inferior team to the one that had lost to
just five off the penultimate over, but with
India four years previously.
Walsh giving away a whopping 31 in nine
WEST INDIES
25
POOL B
Strengths
If the batting arsenal that West Indies possess fires, they could well have a great time. While Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith are more than capable of giving the team a flying start, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo know how to build the innings.
Watch out for
Chris Gayle. A thorough entertainer, West Indies depend on him to give them the much-needed impetus at the top. He can single-handedly change the course of a game, but can as easily throw away his wicket. His last hundred – his 21st in the format – came 17 games ago, and his team would be hoping he can take his T20 form into the 50-over game.
“I am disappointed that we won’t have as strong a team in the 50-over format without Pollard and Bravo. That’s really a big blow for us to lose two key players. It is a ridiculous selection from my point of view. I don’t know where our cricket is headed. It’s really sad. It really hurt..” - Chris Gayle World Cup history
Champions in 1975 and 1979, and finalists in 1983, West Indies have been the major players in the World Cup memories of many fans. From Clive Lloyd’s stunning century in that first final, to the magic of Joel Garner and Viv Richards, it’s an illustrious history the team carries into any World Cup. Unfortunately, theirs is now a team in decline. Lloyd, now chief selector, however, has backed the squad, saying they were chosen with an eye on the future.
SQUAD Jason Holder (capt), Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Jonathan Carter, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Nikita Miller, Sheldon Cottrell, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn.
Weaknesses
Sunil Narine’s withdrawal came as a huge blow for the West Indies. While they would miss his wickettaking ability, he would have been a huge factor in curbing the run rate in the middle and death overs as well. While Andre Russell has shown glimpses of brilliance – with the added advantage of being familiar with local conditions thanks to a stint in the Big Bash League – the bowling doesn’t quite inspire fear. West Indies are of course going to miss quality allrounders such as Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, who were left out of the squad following a turbulent few months following the team’s aborted tour of India late last year. Jason Holder’s lack of experience as captain may hamper their chances too.
FIXTURES Feb 16: Ireland, Nelson Feb 21: Pakistan, Christchurch Feb 24: Zimbabwe, Canberra FEB 27: South Africa, Sydney March 6: India, Perth March 15: UAE, NAPIER
- Akash Sarkar ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
26 WORLD CUP 2015 cow-corner cleave either. It went straight back over Walsh’s head. By the time West Indies beat Pakistan in their final match, they had already been eliminated. Their only other victories were against Sri Lanka, who were still half a decade away from becoming a force. England won their second encounter by 34 BRIAN LARA One of the few who could match up to the greats of the 1970s and ’80s.
runs, highlighting a real vulnerability in the lower middle order. The story was little different in 1992. Bowlers who were still as good as any in the game kept them in the hunt, but the
batsmen
failed
repeatedly
when
challenged. Against South Africa – a match that deserves to be remembered if only for Adrian Kuiper’s jaw-dropping slog-swept six off Ambrose – they were skittled for 136 in response to 200. Then, with a place legal deliveries, England sauntered past
in the last four beckoning, they restricted
the target.
a strong Australian line-up to 216 at the MCG. The response was a pitiful 159, with
Sportsmanship or not, he was no less culpable against Pakistan. Again, 14 were
only Brian Lara (70 off 97 balls) crossing 15.
needed from the last six balls, with the final pair of Abdul Qadir and Jaffar at the
The story pretty much ends there. The
crease. This time, Walsh’s sequence went
record books may say that they reached
1-1-2-6-2-2. The six that Qadir hit was no
the semifinal in 1996, and bossed it for
27
long periods until Shane Warne’s dramatic
There are many theories advanced for
late intervention. But the frailties that had
why things went so wrong in the space of a
become apparent even in the Test side were
decade. Some mention the lure of American
in ample evidence during the course of a
sport. Holding, who is as passionate about
tournament in which they were thumped
West Indies cricket now as he was while
by both India and Kenya. Lara’s brilliance
wearing the colours, rubbishes that notion.
eliminated South Africa, the form team,
He speaks of the cyclical nature of winning
in the quarterfinal, but all Warne did was
and losing, and also of administrators who
capitalise on batting diffidence that even
have seldom had the players’ best interests
Kenya, the new kids on the tournament
at heart.
scene, had exploited so ruthlessly. A cursory look at the world of sport It was also undeniable that the region
supports his view. A generation ago,
struggled to produce players of comparable
Sports Illustrated reckoned that three
quality to the titans of the 1970s and ’80s.
teams epitomised sporting dominance in
The bowling standards were maintained
the 1980s. One was West Indies. Another,
until Ambrose and Walsh called it a day, but
Liverpool Football Club, won its last league
outside of Lara, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine
title in 1990. The third, the San Francisco
Chanderpaul – and he’s been more grafter
49ers, have been back to the Super Bowl
than destroyer – it’s hard to think of a
just once since winning their fifth in
batting talent fit to rank alongside Sachin
January 1995.
Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting or Inzamam-ulHaq, leave alone the incomparable Vivian Richards.
Empires fade, and in some cases, crumble to dust. In sport, as in life.
WORLD CUP FACTS Australia dropped players who defected to the World Series in 1979, while Pakistan and West Indies selected them fearing fans’ backlash.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
28
1983
Kapil Dev: 175* off 138 balls and 1-32 off 11 overs v Zimbabwe, Tunbridge Wells. Match Impact: 13.40 Kapil Dev scored almost 66% of his team’s total. His innings had a high Pressure, Runs Tally (proportion of runs scored) and Partnership-Building Impact (ability to build partnerships and occupy the crease). It is, till date, the highest impact innings played by any Indian in a World Cup. His allround performance – he picked up a wicket and was economical – is the third-highest impact performance by any player in World Cup history.
Final: West Indies v India It was a match that pitted an unlikely candidate in India against the most dominant force in world cricket at the time. Both teams had come into the final on the back of some strong performances. Clive Lloyd asked India to bat at Lord’s and the West Indies bowlers hunted in a pack to dismiss them for 183. The defining moment came when West Indies were on 57 for 2 and Kapil Dev plucked a famous catch, running backwards, to dismiss India desperately needed a win against Zimbabwe to stay in the tournament, and at 17 for 5, then 78 for 7, it looked bleak. That was until Kapil Dev, the India captain, decided to take matters into his own hands in a merciless display of power hitting. Kapil Dev dispatched Zimbabwe’s bowlers to all corners of the park as he
FLASH BACK
raced to his hundred from a mere 72 balls. By the time India’s quota was complete, he had piled on 175 runs from 138 deliveries with 16 fours and six sixes in what would go down as one of the greatest innings ever. India won that match. The Kapil magic continued in the final, when he took a memorable catch to dismiss Viv Richards.
Vivian Richards, who was at his destructive best. West Indies were shot out for 140 and India stunned the world to lift their maiden World Cup. Brief scores: Lord’s, London: India 183 in 54.4 overs (K Srikkanth 38, Mohinder Amarnath 26, Sandeep Patil 27; Andy Roberts 3-32, Malcolm Marshall 2-24, Michael Holding 2-26, Larry Gomes 2-49) beat West Indies 140 in 52 overs (Vivian Richards 33, Jeff Dujon 25; Balwinder Sandhu 2-32, Madan Lal 3-31, Mohinder Amarnath 3-12) by 43 runs. MoM: Mohinder Amarnath
29
The team that was a family Celebrations continued long after that historic victory against West Indies
PR Man Singh D Govindraj, part of the Indian squad that won the
objective was to keep the unit in a happy space devoid
Test series in West Indies and England in 1971, was
of any mental pressure.
employed with State Bank of India in London in 1983. He wanted the side then to play in his benefit match
After a game, a player waited anxiously for his friends
immediately after the World Cup, and when I proposed
to come and pick up his wife, who was staying with
the idea to Kapil Dev, or “Kaptaan” as I address him, the
them. Soon after that, I asked the team if they have
boys immediately agreed to it. June 26, the day after
any problem if the ladies travelled in our bus. Cheeka
the final, was a Sunday and was appropriate, as it gave
(Krishnamachari Srikkanth) had got married just two
the Indian diaspora around London’s Gymkhana Ground
months previously and wanted to spend a day with
a chance to watch their favourite players in action.
Vidya (his wife, who was staying with a relative). Instead, I asked Roger (Binny, Srikkanth’s roommate) to
We had little idea then that the match would take place
shift to my room and Vidya moved in with Cheeka.
less than 24 hours after we had defeated West Indies in the historic final and celebrated till 3am in the night.
The board’s clause was that wives couldn’t stay in
All the players turned up on Sunday afternoon, but the
the same hotel or travel in the team bus. I violated
effects of the spirit had not yet mellowed down.
the norms on humanitarian grounds, and when we landed in Mumbai after the tournament, an official
The scenes at the ground, expectedly, were chaotic and
reprimanded me. I smiled and replied, “Had I not done
the match had to be stopped many times. Soon after
that, we would not have won the cup.”
that, we headed to my brother-in-law’s house for a dinner party and there too people gatecrashed. It was
Before the World Cup, my father had got a showcase
so euphoric that even though we fell short of food and
cleared in our Secunderabad house for the winner’s
liquor, no one complained.
medal that his son was to bring. It was a bit overambitious, though I was confident of a semifinal
In the June 1983 edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly,
berth with the bits and pieces players we possessed in
David Firth, the editor, had written that India did not
our ranks, but today it is my proudest possession.
deserve to play in the World Cup. He literally had to eat doing so!
PR Man Singh was India’s manager during the 1983 World Cup campaign.
We won because the team lived like a family.
As told to Sidhanta Patnaik
his words, and the publication carried an image of him
Differences were solved amicably, and as manager, my ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
30 WORLD CUP 2015
winningest team on the big stage Some luck, yes, but it was a lot of pluck and more skill that made Australia all-conquering at the World Cup S h a m ya D a s g u p ta
N
from
But were they the best team in the world
West Indies in the early
then? Hard to say. South Africa must feel
editions of the World
they were as good. Ditto for 1987, when
Cup, has dominated the
Australia won the World Cup for the first
tournament quite like
time, against all calculations. But win they
Australia did over two editions: 2003 and
did, in 1987 and in 1999, and then in 2003
2007. Australia fans may add 1999 there,
and 2007, twice more than West Indies and
but that’s not quite fair.
India have.
o
team,
apart
In 1999, Australia were hardly all-
1987: The out-of-turn champions
conquering in ODIs. They could have
Allan Border had taken charge of the
crashed out of the tournament any number
Australian team at possibly the worst
of times. That they didn’t, of course, is
time, quality-wise, in their history, in
a testament to their resolve and ability.
1984-85 after Kim Hughes’s tear-drenched
31
Elite company Australia’s three World Cup-winning captains, with Michael Clarke.
resignation. Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell
the drawn series in India, but the Ashes
and Rodney Marsh had retired and a
loss pushed Australia back again. So, when
number of players were serving bans for
they went to the subcontinent for the 1987
having toured South Africa. The squad
Reliance World Cup, it wasn’t with a lot of
wasn’t the best, and through 1985-86, the
hope. Still, they won.
losses piled up. The team certainly had the personnel – So bad was the situation that Border
David Boon and Geoff Marsh, the openers,
even threatened to resign. That he didn’t
scored 447 and 428 runs respectively, Dean
was because the Australian Cricket Board
Jones scored 314, and Mike Veletta, down
(later Cricket Australia) staunchly backed
the order, pitched in with crucial knocks.
him, and they brought in Bob Simpson as
Then there were the young allrounders –
the team’s coach to help Border along.
Steve Waugh and Simon O’Donnell – who added key runs and picked up important
The Border-Simpson association started well with the tied Test in Chennai, part of
wickets. And Craig McDermott, who topped the charts with 18 wickets.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
32 WORLD CUP 2015 sweep a catch to Greg Dyer behind the wickets is another case in point. Luck, yes, sure. Pluck too. And we had the second of three successive unlikely
GEOFF MARSH World Cup winner with Australia as player and as coach.
There was on display a trait that we have come to see in big matches as quintessentially Australian: Winning key moments champions of the World Cup, sandwiched between India in 1983 and Pakistan in 1992. 1999: High after teetering on the edge True, Pakistan emerged out of nowhere to win the 1992 World Cup, but Australia’s entry into the final of the 1999 tournament
There also was on display a trait that
was just as unexpected.
we have come to see, in big matches over the years, as quintessentially Australian:
To start with, after beating Scotland,
Winning key moments. In the first match of
Australia slipped to a five-wicket loss to
the tournament they played, for example,
New Zealand and then a ten-run loss to
India were well on course to chasing down
Pakistan. The format of the World Cup
271 till Australia effected two run-outs
worked in their favour, with wins over
and Waugh went past Maninder Singh’s
Bangladesh and West Indies enough to
defences to clinch an unlikely one-run
take them into the Super Sixes, but it was
win. The final, then, when Border brought
still a bit sticky for them.
himself on and got Mike Gatting to reverse
AUSTRALIA
33
POOL A
Strengths
A formidable batting line-up in a side that prides itself on aggression - David Warner and Steve Smith are in especially dangerous form - and a bowling attack that will thrive in home conditions make Australia a threat. Recent successes against South Africa, India and England have proven the depth in their ranks and they go into the World Cup as the No. 1 ODI side, capable of lifting their game at the big moments.
Weaknesses
Australia will be without their captain for at least the initial games in the tournament. Michael Clarke’s selection despite injury concerns – he has been given till February 21 to prove his fitness – could pose a distraction for the team, even as George Bailey, the stand-in captain, tries to make the team his own.
“The good thing is all the quick bowlers are very quick bowlers. We can all run in and try and hit the deck and bowl quite quick. The WACA and a couple of other grounds are nice and fast for us. I think that’s going to be our biggest strength in the bowling, having three or four quick guys in the side.” - Pat Cummins World Cup history
Their four wins – in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 – are the most by any team. They were unbeaten in 34 World Cup matches, and hold the record for the highest percentage of wins in World Cup matches. Their 359 for 2 against India in 2003 is the highest score in a World Cup final. The 1979 and 2011 World Cups were the only ones in which they exited in the group stages.
Watch out for
David Warner. Misadventures during India’s tour have meant he’s been told by Cricket Australia to “stop looking for trouble”. But away from the controversies, the opener has had a purple patch. Australia will be looking to him for an attacking start, and he could be the difference between a winning score and an average one.
FIXTURES
SQUAD Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.
Feb 14: England, Melbourne Feb 21: Bangladesh, Brisbane Feb 28: New Zealand, Auckland March 4: Afghanistan, Perth March 8: Sri Lanka, Sydney March 14: Scotland, Hobart
- Kritika Naidu
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
34 WORLD CUP 2015 So, when it came to the last Super Sixes game, Australia had to beat South Africa. That’s when we had the ‘You just dropped the World Cup, mate’ moment, and Australia were in the semifinals, where they met South Africa again. The match was tied as South Africa messed things up
Buchanan went on to oversee a glorious run for Australian cricket. Then again, how could anyone really go wrong with Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Martyn, Lehmann, Bevan, Symonds, Hogg, Bichel, Lee and McGrath?
in the last over – the birth of the C-word – and Australia, having won the earlier game
the champion among them with 398 runs,
between the two sides, went through to the
including that unbeaten 120 that took
final, where Pakistan were made to wipe
Australia to the semifinals. And there was
the floor in an eight-wicket result.
the Shane Warne-Glenn McGrath combine, which ended with 38 wickets.
It was the start of the Australian domination, but hardly the stuff of world champions. More than once in the group
The core of a fantastic one-day unit was clearly taking shape.
stage, then in the Super Sixes when Herschelle Gibbs dropped Waugh, and
2003: The team that won everything
then in the semifinal when Allan Donald
Ricky Ponting and John Buchanan
ran himself out so mindlessly, Australia
inherited the team Steve Waugh and Geoff
survived because of huge slices of luck.
Marsh had built. Marsh had quit soon after the 1999 World Cup, and Waugh played
Yet, luck alone cannot help a team win seven matches in a row.
a big part in Buchanan coming in as his replacement in spite of little first-class experience as a cricketer. There was a fair
Geoff Marsh, the coach at the time,
bit of criticism then, but Waugh liked the
has been credited widely for scripting the
quiet worker. Buchanan went on to oversee
turnaround, despite being away in the back
a glorious run for Australian cricket.
room. The entire batting order came to the party at different stages – Steve Waugh
Then again, how could anyone really go
35
wrong with Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Martyn, Lehmann, Bevan, Symonds, Hogg, Bichel, Lee and McGrath? Remember that withdrawn from that 2003 squad for various reasons were Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Shane Watson.
Twice they won the World Cup when they weren’t anybody’s favourites, and twice they won when there were no other favourites. At their best or not, it’s impossible to count out Australia among the favourites in 2015
That winning run, of seven games that had started in 1999 stretched to 18 by
even in the cricket lexicon till Buchanan,
March 23, 2003, as Australia won all their
and his laptop, hit the scene.
games, the two-wicket win over England with two balls to spare the only time they had been stretched.
2007: Ponting’s Invincibles The sequence of wins went from 18 to 30 in a bit of blur as Australia again won every
Warne might have said then, and later,
single match they played in the Caribbean
that the role of a coach was only to ferry
in the 2007 World Cup – three in the group
players from the hotel to the ground, but
stages, seven in the Super Eights, and then
Buchanan, by all accounts, played a key
the semifinal and the final.
role in that team becoming as good as it was. He need not have bothered about talent and
The squad had changed, but only a tad,
skills, and he didn’t, but he, quietly, did
and the changes only seemed to make the
the one thing a team of champion players
unit stronger – Mike Hussey and Michael
needed so desperately: Managing the men;
Clarke among the men to have made the
‘man management’, a term that wasn’t
step up in the four-year gap. As in 2003,
WORLD CUP FACTS Gary Gilmour, who with 11 wickets was the highest wicket-taker of the 1975 World Cup, played only two games, the semifinal and the final.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
36 WORLD CUP 2015 in 2007 too, Australia were a league or two ahead of the next best, so far ahead of the pack that they were, really, No. 1 in a field of one. Like Clive Lloyd’s West Indians of the 1975 and 1979, Ricky Ponting’s Australians were the best cricket team in the world in both formats in 2003 and 2007. They had the best opening batsmen in the world in Hayden-Langer (Tests) and HaydenGilchrist (ODIs), the best wicketkeeperbatsman in the world in Gilchrist, a topnotch middle order with Ponting as the
2003 champs Ponting inherited the team Steve Waugh and Geoff Marsh built.
pivot around which everything revolved, the best spin bowler in the world, Warne, and the McGrath-led pace attack that was the envy of the rest of the world. When it comes to a squad that good, the
out Australia among the top favourites in
trick is probably in ensuring there are no
2015 – played at home, even if they flopped
ego clashes or mistakes. Really, what else
so miserably the last time the World Cup
do you need? Injury management, maybe.
was played Down Under, in 1992. They
And suchlike stuff. Nothing a professional
are, after all, the winningest team in World
set-up can’t address.
Cup history, and a team that knows how to win can always be counted upon to dig
Twice they won the World Cup when they
just that bit deeper, find just that one extra
weren’t anybody’s favourites, and twice they
man to put his hand up, create a moment
won when there were no other favourites.
of magic from somewhere … strut their
At their best or not, it’s impossible to count
stuff on the biggest stage of them all.
ENGLAND
37
POOL A
Strengths
England’s strength lies in their middle-order batting, which has helped them recover from early setbacks in recent times. Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ian Bell have been their most successful batsmen over the past year, and the presence of James Taylor and Moeen Ali, who has impressed with both bat and ball, will give the three-time losing finalists some confidence. Their decision to drop Alastair Cook seems to have lifted the team. In the bowling department, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are back in action, and with support from Steven Finn and Chris Woakes, they can trouble the opposition on the pace-friendly pitches in Australia and New Zealand.
Weaknesses
England’s recent ODI form has been dismal. They lost a seven-match away series to Sri Lanka 5-2 after conceding a 3-1 defeat against India at home. Nine of the 15-member squad will be playing in their first World Cup. Eoin Morgan replaced Cook as captain only after the Sri Lanka tour, and the team had only the tri-series in Australia – where they got to the final, but lost – to get used to the changes and adapt to a new, aggressive approach.
“We need to realise we have never been any good at one-day cricket – even when I was playing. I played in three World Cups and didn’t get anywhere in any of them, but for the England team now, it’s a chance to blaze a trail and form an identity.” - Andrew Flintoff, former England allrounder World Cup history
The early editions of the tournament saw England as the perennial bridesmaids, having reached the World Cup final thrice, in 1979, 1987 and 1992, but never lifting the cup. It’s now been 25 years since they last appeared in a World Cup final. The 2003 edition was their worst, with Nasser Hussain’s side crashing out of the tournament in the group stages, finishing ninth.
Watch out for
Jos Buttler. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper from Somerset has 704 runs in his kitty from 25 matches in 2014. He has often bailed England out of tough situations, and has impressed with his agility behind the stumps.
FIXTURES
SQUAD Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.
Feb 14: AUSTRALIA, Melbourne Feb 20: New Zealand, Wellington Feb 23: Scotland, Christchurch March 1: Sri Lanka, Wellington March 9: Bangladesh, Adelaide March 13: Afghanistan, Sydney
“I am the greatest patriot there is, but we do not have a cat in hell’s chance.” - Graeme Swann, former England spinner
- Himanish Bhattacharjee
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
38
1987
England and Australia were both surprise qualifiers for the 1987 World Cup final. Neil Foster, Eddie Hemmings and John Emburey combined to keep Australia down to 253 for 5, and England’s reply was going swimmingly with Graham Gooch and Bill Athey in the middle after Tim Robinson’s early dismissal. Gooch fell after a while, and Mike Gatting joined Athey, the momentum not sagging for a moment and England on course to win the trophy. But the pictures show Allan Border and not Gatting holding the World Cup. And the reason, at least in the minds of many, is Gatting himself. In the semifinal against India, Gatting had contributed a wonderful 56 from 62 balls, but had gotten out in a fashion considered rather bizarre at the time: Attempting a reverse sweep. It was the cool, new stroke of the era and Gatting rather fancied his chances with it. Against India, he attempted it against Maninder Singh and deflected the ball on to his stumps. Not satisfied, he tried it against the first ball Border bowled to him in the final. This time, Gatting, then on 41 from 44 balls,
FLASH BACK
top edged it on to his shoulder for the ball to pop up for an easy catch for Greg Dyer, the wicketkeeper. Wisden called it a shot “too crass to contemplate”. England lost their way and Gatting has been trying to answer questions about that moment of madness ever since – unsuccessfully.
Dave Houghton: 142 off 137 balls v New Zealand, 1987, Hyderabad. Match Impact: 9.64 Chasing New Zealand’s 243 in humid and energysapping conditions, Zimbabwe were 104 for 7. By their own admission, No. 3 Dave Houghton and Iain Butchart’s plans were to save face. Eventually, the pressure was on the New Zealanders. A completely dehydrated Houghton got out attempting a slog with Zimbabwe needing 18 more to win. They would eventually lose by three runs. Houghton had an incredibly high Runs Tally (proportion of runs scored) and Pressure Impact. His performance was made more remarkable by the fact that he had kept for the first 50 overs, effecting one catch. Final: England v Australia In a match befitting a final, Allan Border chose to bat after winning the toss against England at the Eden Gardens. David Boon anchored the innings nicely at the top, with the middle order making vital contributions as well, while Mike Veletta blasted a 31-ball unbeaten 45 lower down – the result being Australia got to a very competitive 253 for 5. England lost Tim Robinson early, but the top and middle order were largely equal to the task. However, a cluster of wickets from 170 for 3 stalled England’s progress and they finished second best in a World Cup for the second time. Brief scores: Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Australia 253/5 in 50 overs (David Boon 75, Dean Jones 33, Allan Border 31, Mike Veletta 45 n.o.; Eddie Hemmings 2-48) beat England 246/8 in 50 overs (Graham Gooch 35, Bill Athey 58, Mike Gatting 41, Allan Lamb 45; Steve Waugh 2-37, A Border 2-38). MoM: David Boon
39
Hat-trick and a Gavaskar hundred
The ball trickled over and I just couldn’t believe that I’d
We played every match like the defending champions,
Gavaskar hit his first century. His explosive innings set
but messed up the semifinal chase
up an easy win for us. Sharing the Man of the Match
taken a hat-trick in a World Cup. The match was more memorable because Sunil
award with a legend like Gavaskar, what more could a
C h e t a n S h a rm a
youngster like me ask for?
The 1987 World Cup didn’t start on a positive note
When we boarded the flight to Mumbai from Nagpur,
for me. I had fractured a bone in my left thumb while
the airline crew cheered us a lot as we entered. That
fielding in a practice match against Pakistan at the
experience was really out of this world.
Nehru Stadium. I was very disappointed that I would India’s 1987 World Cup campaign was very rewarding.
miss the first few matches of the tournament.
We played every match like the defending champions, When I finally got a chance, against Australia, I wasn’t
but messed up the semifinal chase. But overall, it was a
too successful.
good showing.
Against New Zealand, in a match that we needed to win
Chetan Sharma is a medium-pace bowler who played in 23 Tests and 65 ODIs, taking 61 and 67 wickets respectively for India.
comprehensively, it took me a while to find my rhythm. But Kapil paaji backed me a lot throughout, he brought me back into the attack in the 42nd over. My first wicket (Ken Rutherford) gave me a lot of confidence. Then I bowled a quicker one to get (Ian) Smith off the next. Kapil paaji calmed my nerves when I was on the hat-
As told to Disha Shetty
trick ball. He said that I had done well to get those two crucial wickets and if I didn’t get a hat-trick, I wouldn’t lose anything. But what I didn’t expect was that (Ewen) Chatfield would leave so much gap between his legs.
WORLD CUP FACTS Sachin Tendulkar, then 13, was a ball boy during the 1987 semifinal between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
BANGLADESH
40
POOL A
Strengths
Bangladesh have their critics, given their struggle in Tests, but the 50-over game suits their style. That the selectors have relieved Mushfiqur Rahim, the wicketkeeperbatsman, from his captaincy duties could work in their favour, allowing him to focus on his batting. Shakib Al Hasan, the top ranked allrounder in Tests and Twenty20s, will be a vital contributor. As for their bowling, young talent Taskin Ahmed started his career with impressive performances against India at home, while Taijul Islam, the left-arm spinner, recently became the first bowler to claim a hat-trick on ODI debut.
Weaknesses
Bangladesh failed to register an ODI win for most of 2014, until their 5-0 thrashing of Zimbabwe at the end of the year. The team’s ability to put up consistent performance is in serious question, and could be a factor given the format of the tournament. The inexperienced bowling line-up will be put to a stern test. Mashrafe Mortaza is captain for this World Cup, but the pacer, though experienced, is injury prone.
“I personally think that if we play with guts, we will get a good result. We have a chance to prove ourselves. I think we may see a couple of Bangladeshi batsmen among the top five batsmen at this World Cup. Our target will be to do something special.” - Mushfiqur Rahim World Cup history
Constant underachievers, Bangladesh’s win against India in the opening encounter of the 2007 World Cup, saw them through to the Super Eights. That has been the only time they have moved beyond the first round; this time, they will have to beat more than the Associates in their group to keep their hopes alive.
SQUAD Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (vice-capt), Mahmudullah Riaz, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Nasir Hossain, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny.
Watch out for
Shakib Al Hasan. A left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner, Shakib will be playing his third World Cup. Despite his troubles with the board, he has been the team’s mainstay. Besides, he is the only one to have experienced Australian conditions recently, having participated in the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.
FIXTURES Feb 18: AFGHANISTAN, CANBERRA Feb 21: AUSTRALIA, Brisbane Feb 26: SRI LANKA, MELBOURNE March 5: SCOTLAND, NELSON March 9: ENGLAND, ADELAIDE March 13: NEW ZEALAND, HAMILTON
- Akash Sarkar
41
Rise of the Asian associates Afghanistan and UAE have made a quick climb through the ranks, but can they make the transformation from Associates to champions as successfully as Sri Lanka? Karthik Lakshmanan
O
n
October
4,
2013,
That
historic
October
2013
victory,
Mohammad
which Nabi called “a gift to the younger
Nabi, the Afghanistan
generation”, was the icing on the cake
captain,
Kenya’s
after Afghanistan cricket’s rapid progress
Shem Ngoche through
over the years. The Afghanistan Cricket
when
hit
complete
Federation was merely 12 years old, and
the 94-run chase in Sharjah, people
just five years earlier, they were in Division
across Afghanistan took to the streets in
Five of the World Cricket League, then the
celebration. It was not an ordinary victory.
lowest division of the International Cricket
Afghanistan had just finished second in
Council’s 50-over competition for non-Test
the World Cricket League Championship
playing nations.
the
midwicket
boundary
to
behind Ireland and, in the process, sealed their qualification for the 2015 World Cup
Most sports were banned in Afghanistan
– their maiden entry into the tournament.
by the ruling Taliban, but cricket was made
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
AFGHANISTAN
42
POOL A
Strengths
It’s a young side; the number of the players in their early twenties should help them meet the physical demands of ODI cricket. Mohammad Nabi has been the full-time captain since 2013, and the players will have grown accustomed to his style. Nawroz Mangal has had good success at the top of the order, while 18-year-old Usman Ghani has shown promise. The middle order with the experienced Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari and Nabi wears a settled look. In Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan have a strike bowler who can bowl fast and swing the ball both ways.
Weaknesses
A lot of the players are inexperienced. This will be Afghanistan’s first World Cup, and, although the team has been a part of three World Twenty20 tournaments, 50-over cricket throws up a different set of challenges. Mangal and Shapoor Zadran missed the team’s recent triangular series in Dubai, which also featured Ireland and Scotland, as they were denied visas, so will head into the World Cup without much match practice. Inconsistency in batting is also an issue.
“We will be the underdogs of our group. But the positive sign is we will have a good backing in Australia and New Zealand. Fortunately, we have beaten Bangladesh in the Asia Cup last year, which obviously has given us the confidence. We have played Australia, so know a little about their strengths and weaknesses.” - Bashir Stanikzai, high performance manager, Afghanistan World Cup history
This is their first appearance at the World Cup, but as the highest ranked Associate, and having given Zimbabwe and Bangladesh something to think about not too far in the past, their opponents will be loath to take Afghanistan for granted.
SQUAD Afsar Zazai (wk), Aftab Alam, Asghar Stanikzai, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Javed Ahmadi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Nawroz Mangal, Samiullah Shenwari, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.
Watch out for
Mohammad Nabi. The Afghanistan captain will not only lend stability to the batting, but he’s also effective with his off-breaks.
FIXTURES Feb 18: Bangladesh, Canberra Feb 23: Sri Lanka, Dunedin Feb 26: Scotland, Dunedin March 4: Australia, Perth March 8: New Zealand, Napier March 13: England, Sydney
“To obtain a qualification spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is something Afghanistan deserves.” - Michael Clarke, Australia captain
- Akshay Gopalakrishnan
43
Historic win Qualification for CWC 2015 was a gift to the youth, said Nabi.
an exception in 2000 after widespread
their domestic competition. Afghanistan
interest in the sport. Afghan refugees living
lost
in Pakistan had been playing the sport
many with two draws in the remaining
and the Taliban’s official approval led to
games. Their steady rise continued with
expats setting up the Afghanistan Cricket
Afghanistan gaining Asian Cricket Council
Federation on their return to the country
membership in 2003.
three
matches,
but
impressed
in 2001. In the same year, the sport in the country got a major boost with the ICC awarding it an Affiliate Member status.
The year 2006 was the turning point. They were runners-up in the Middle East cup, won six of their seven matches –
A few months later, even as the USA-led
including victories over the second XIs of
war began in Afghanistan, the country’s
Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire in
cricket team was invited by the Pakistan
their maiden tour of England – and finished
Cricket Board to play in the second tier of
third in the ACC Elite Cup.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
44 WORLD CUP 2015 ICC in June 2013. With growth as rapid as
Players like Shapoor Zadran, the left-arm fast bowler, Mohammad Shahzad, the wicketkeeper, and Nabi, the captain, became big inspirations for a war-torn nation and cricket gradually became a household game.
that, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep Afghanistan out of the Asia Cup and they made their tournament debut in 2014. Afghanistan lost to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India but defeated hosts Bangladesh by 32 runs in Fatullah – their first win over a Test playing nation.
They missed out on a chance to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, but were granted
***
One-Day International status, even as they made it to the World T20 in West Indies.
The 2015 World Cup will also mark the
That was their first tournament against
return of the United Arab Emirates to the
the full-time ICC Members. Despite some
World Cup tournament for the first time
spirited performances, they failed to make
since their maiden entry in 1996. What
it past the group stages, even as they
started as a team with first-class cricketers
continued to find success against non-Test
from other Asian countries like India,
playing nations.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka – UAE’s captain Sultan Zarawani was the only native Arab
Afghanistan have been regulars in ICC
in the 1996 squad – grew steadily over the
world tournaments since then. Players like
years to establish themselves as one of the
Shapoor Zadran, the left-arm fast bowler,
top Associate sides. Bangladesh’s entry
Mohammad Shahzad, the wicketkeeper,
into Test cricket saw UAE taking over as
and Nabi himself became big inspirations
the top Associate nation in Asia, winning
for a war-torn nation and cricket gradually
four ACC trophies between 2000 and 2006.
became a household game. Qualifications for the World T20s in 2012 and 2014 and
One of the biggest boosts for UAE cricket
the 2015 World Cup followed over the next
came in 2005, when the ICC shifted its
few years and amid all this, they were
headquarters to Dubai. The international
recognised as Associate Member of the
body also set up the ICC Cricket Academy,
45
a high-performance training centre, which has helped develop cricket in the area. “There is a significant player base here and a lot of active cricketers, and at the top level the standard is pretty good,” explained Paul Radley, a reporter for The National, a UAE-based daily newspaper. “The current administration at the Emirates Cricket
One of the biggest boosts for UAE cricket came in 2005, when the ICC shifted its headquarters to Dubai.
REVIVAL UAE return to the World Cup for the first time since 1996.
Board are harnessing that better than ever before, and there is now a solid high performance programme in place, too.” it up with a berth in the 50-over World Cup UAE participated in the 2004 and 2008 Asia Cups but had the knack of
when they defeated Namibia by 36 runs in Christchurch in the World Cup qualifier.
falling at the final hurdle for World Cup qualifications. That, however, changed in
“The qualification means they got full
2013. UAE first made it to the 2014 World
ODI status, and thus extra funding, which
T20 by defeating Netherlands and followed
can go a long way towards improving cricket here,” observes Radley. “However,
WORLD CUP FACTS 1992 semifinalists South Africa would have had to return home if the referendum back home had upheld the apartheid rule. Thankfully, an overwhelming majority voted to end it and the team stayed on. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
UAE
46
POOL B Strengths
UAE could not make the most of the Associates and Affiliates tour of Australia and New Zealand, but pulled things back in the four-match home series against Afghanistan, which they won 3-1. The win should have restored some confidence. Expect Khurram Khan to be heavily relied upon as he has been most dependable with the bat. They have generally hunted in a pack with the ball and have been consistent in their bowling, with Manjula Guruge especially promising swing and an ability to bowl well at the death.
Weaknesses
It’s a highly inexperienced squad: all 15 members together have experience of 71 ODIs. Besides, several players are well above 30, with a couple of them, including Mohammad Tauqir, the captain, over 40. Tauqir did not play in the four-ODI series against Afghanistan at home and UAE played under two different captains in Khurram and Ahmed Raza in the series, and that could unsettle them.
“In 1996, no one took the UAE as seriously as they do today. There was only limited exposure to the world. People weren’t sure how good UAE cricket was. But now, people have seen UAE playing at different levels, and I think we can surprise a few people and a few teams.” - Aaqib Javed, UAE coach World Cup history
This will be only their second appearance at a World Cup, after nearly two decades. Their win over Netherlands by seven wickets in that World Cup was their first on cricket’s grandest stage. A team with plenty of expats, they will be hoping to get more wins this time around, and cause some upsets.
SQUAD Mohammad Tauqir (capt), Khurram Khan (vice-capt), Swapnil Patil, Saqlain Haider, Amjad Javed, Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Ali, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa, Manjula Guruge, Andri Berenger, Fahad Al Hashmi, Muhammad Naveed, Kamran Shahzad, K Karate.
Watch out for
Khurram Khan. Khurram has been in blazing form the past year. He was their top-scorer in the qualifying tournament and became the oldest ODI centurion when he made an unbeaten 132 not out against Afghanistan a few months ago. His left-arm spin can also come in handy. Hopefully, losing the captaincy for policy reasons won’t affect his game.
FIXTURES Feb 19: Zimbabwe, Nelson Feb 25: Ireland, Brisbane Feb 28: India, Perth March 4: Pakistan, Napier March 12: South Africa, Wellington March 15: West Indies, Napier
- Akshay Gopalakrishnan
47
that is only guaranteed for four years, so while growth in the medium term should be good, after that it is unclear.” *** While
qualification
itself
is
Sri Lanka made their World Cup debut in 1975, but over their first five World Cups, won only four matches. Then, Arjuna Ranatunga led them to a historic World Cup victory in 1996.
an
achievement for the teams, they’ve set
before ended their final jinx by winning the
their sights high. “We will rock the World
World T20 in 2014.
Cup, all the boys are in confidence,” said Nasimullah Danish, Afghanistan cricket
The Asian Associates have, obviously,
board chairman, in an interview, and
merely taken baby steps in their World
they could well start the shake-up in their
Cup ambitions and have a long way to go,
opener against Bangladesh, a side they’ve
especially with a slimmed-down 2019 World
defeated. Mohammad Tauqir, the UAE
Cup being planned. Says Radley of UAE:
captain, meanwhile, has said his team are
“If it is a ten-team World Cup, it is going to
looking at a couple of wins, and stretching
be extremely hard for UAE to make it back.
‘big brother’ teams like India and Pakistan.
UAE will be competing for the final two places with well resourced full Test nations
The two sides, of course, need to look
like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and more
no further than their Asian counterparts
mature Associate sides like Ireland and
– Sri Lanka – for inspiration. Sri Lanka
Afghanistan. It is also hard to see full
made their World Cup debut in 1975, but
members giving them many opportunities
over their first five World Cups, won only
by way of bilateral ODI series in the next
four matches. Then, Arjuna Ranatunga
four years. If funding is then cut as a
led them to a historic World Cup victory in
consequence, then any progress made will
1996 and they’ve since been one of the top
be immediately undermined.”
sides across all formats. Runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 editions, they also came
The 2015 World Cup could then just be
second in the 2009 and 2012 World T20s,
the best place to start the long climb ahead.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
I CC WO R L D C UP 201 5 DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
DAY 8
DAY 9
DAY 10
DAY 11
DAY 12
DAY 13
DAY 14
DAY 15
14 FEB
NEW ZEALAND V SRI LANKA
15 FEB
SOUTH AFRICA V ZIMBABWE
16 FEB
WEST INDIES V IRELAND
17 FEB
NEW ZEALAND V SCOTLAND
18 FEB
BANGLADESH V AFGHANISTAN
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
19 FEB
THU
Match1, Pool A Hagley Oval, Christchurch - 11:00 Local
Match3, Pool B Seddon Park, Hamilton - 14:00 Local
AUSTRALIA V ENGLAND
Match2, Pool A Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne - 14:30 Local
INDIA V PAKISTAN
Match 4, Pool B Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - 14:00 Local
PO
Match5, Pool B Saxton Oval, Nelson - 11:00 Local
Match6, Pool A University Oval, Dunedin - 11:00 Local
QUARTE
Match7, Pool A Manuka Oval, Canberra - 14:30 Local
DAY 31 30
ZIMBABWE V UAE
18 MAR
Match 8, Pool B Saxton Oval, Nelson - 11:00 Local
20 FEB
NEW ZEALAND V ENGLAND
21 FEB
PAKISTAN V WEST INDIES
AUSTRALIA V BANGLADESH
22 FEB
SRI LANKA V AFGHANISTAN
SOUTH AFRICA V INDIA
FRI
SAT
SUN
Match9, Pool A Regional Stadium, Wellington - 14:00 Local
Match10, Pool B Hagley Oval, Christchurch - 11:00 Local
Match12, Pool A University Oval, Dunedin - 11:00 Local
23 FEB
ENGLAND V SCOTLAND
24 FEB
WEST INDIES V ZIMBABWE
25 FEB
IRELAND V UAE
26 FEB
AFGHANISTAN V SCOTLAND
27 FEB
SOUTH AFRICA V WEST INDIES
28 FEB
AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
PO
Match 11, Pool A The Gabba, Brisbane - 13:30 Local
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney - 14:30 Local
DAY 32
QUARTER FINAL 3
FRI
DAY 34
24 MAR
TUE
DAY 34
29 MAR SRI LANKA V BANGLADESH
Match 18, Pool A Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne - 14:30 Local
Match19, Pool B Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney - 14:30 Local
wisdenindia.com
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - 14:00 Local
SEMI FINAL 1
TBD V TBD
Eden Park, Auckland - 14:00 Local
FIN
Match16, Pool B The Gabba, Brisbane - 13:30 Local
Match2, Pool A Eden Park, Auckland - 14:00 Local
TBD V TBD
SEMI
Match15, Pool B Manuka Oval, Canberra - 14:30 Local
Match17, Pool A University Oval, Dunedin - 11:00 Local
TBD V TBD
WED
20 MAR
Match 13, Pool B Cricket Ground, Melbourne - 14:30 Local
Match14, Pool A Hagley Oval, Christchurch - 11:00 Local
QUARTER FINAL 1
INDIA V UAE
Match 21, Pool B WACA, Perth - 14:30 Local
SUN
TBD V
Melbourne Cricket Groun
5
( F E BRUARY 14 - M AR C H 2 9 ) PAKISTAN V ZIMBABWE
Match 23, Pool B The Gabba, Brisbane- 13:30 Local
OOL A
ENGLAND V SRI LANKA
Match22, Pool A Regional Stadium, Wellington - 11:00 Local
SOUTH AFRICA V IRELAND
Match24, Pool B Manuka Oval, Canberra - 14:30 Local
AUSTRALIA V AFGHANISTAN
OOL B
Match 26, Pool A WACA, Perth - 14:00 Local
PAKISTAN V UAE
Match25, Pool B McLean Park, Napier - 14:00 Local
BANGLADESH V SCOTLAND
Match27, Pool A Saxton Oval, Nelson - 11:00 Local
INDIA V WEST INDIES
ER FINALS QUARTER FINAL 2
TBD V TBD Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 14:30 Local -
QUARTER FINAL 4
TBD V TBD
Regional Stadium, Wellington 14:00 Local -
DAY 31 33
19 MAR THU DAY 33
Match28, Pool B WACA, Perth - 14:30 Local
ZIMBABWE V IRELAND
SOUTH AFRICA V PAKISTAN
Match 30, Pool A Bellerive Oval, Hobart - 14:30 Local
Match 29, Pool B Eden Park, Auckland - 14:00 Local
AUSTRALIA V SRI LANKA
NEW ZEALAND V AFGHANISTAN
Match 32, Pool A Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney - 14:30 Local
21 MAR
Match 31, Pool A McLean Park, Napier - 11:00 Local
ENGLAND V BANGLADESH
SAT
Match 33, Pool A Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - 14:00 Local
I FINALS
INDIA V IRELAND
SEMI FINAL 2
TBD V TBD
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 14:30 Local -
Match 34, Pool B Seddon Park, Hamilton - 14:00 Local
DAY 35
SRI LANKA V SCOTLAND
26 MAR
Match 35, Pool B Bellerive Oval, Hobart - 14:30 Local
THU
SOUTH AFRICA V UAE
NAL
V TBD
nd, Melbourne - 14:30 Local
Match 36, Pool B Regional Stadium, Wellington - 14:00 Local
ENGLAND V AFGHANISTAN
BANGLADESH V NEW ZEALAND
Match 38, Pool A Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney - 14:30 Local
Match 37, Pool A Seddon Park, Hamilton - 14:00 Local
AUSTRALIA V SCOTLAND
INDIA V ZIMBABWE
Match 40, Pool A Bellerive Oval, Hobart - 14:30 Local
Match 39, Pool B Eden Park, Auckland - 14:00 Local
PAKISTAN V IRELAND
WEST INDIES V UAE
Match 42, Pool B Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - 14:00 Local
Match 41, Pool B McLean Park, Napier - 11:00 Local
1 MAR SUN
3 MAR TUE
4 MAR
WED
5 MAR THU
6 MAR FRI
7 MAR
SAT
8 MAR
SUN
9 MAR
MON
10 MAR TUE
11 MAR
WED
12 MAR THU
13 MAR FRI
14 MAR SAT
15 MAR SUN
DAY 16
DAY 17
DAY 18
DAY 19
DAY 20
DAY 21
DAY 22
DAY 23
DAY 24
DAY 25
DAY 26
DAY 27
DAY 28
DAY 29
50
1992
Rameez Raja: 119* off 155 balls v New Zealand, Christchurch. Match Impact: 13.20 In their last group game, a must-win for Pakistan, Wasim Akram’s 4 for 32 and Mushtaq Ahmed’s 2 for 18 shot New Zealand out for 166. Pakistan, in their reply, were jolted early by Danny Morrison, reduced to 9 for 2. Rameez Raja, the opener, eased the situation with Javed Miandad. In their third-wicket partnership, Miandad’s contribution was only 30, as Rameez Raja scored a mammoth 71% runs the team made. This he did under pressure (Pressure Impact) and made sure he batted till the end to finish the game off (Chasing Impact).
Final: England v Pakistan Pakistan started the 1992 World Cup with just one win in the first five matches. But then, four consecutive victories later, they met England in the final in front of an 87,182-strong crowd in Melbourne. Pakistan rode on Imran Khan and Javed Miandad’s century partnership to set Readmitted to the International Cricket Council and participating in their first World Cup, South Africa had caught the imagination of the cricket world, especially with the fielding of Jonty Rhodes, and his agility and skill were on full show against Pakistan. Inzamam-ulHaq was spearheading Pakistan’s chase of South Africa’s 211 (reduced by rain to 194 in 36 overs) with Imran
FLASH BACK
Khan, having hit five boundaries on his way to 48 and threatening more. Inzamam set off for a leg bye, but was sent back by Imran. But wait! Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Was it Superman? No! Rhodes charged in, picked up the ball on the run with his right hand, defied gravity and flew airborne to break the stumps. South Africa won by 20 runs.
England 250 for victory. In reply, England were 69 for 4 before Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother built a 72-run partnership. But once Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed removed both, Graham Gooch’s men plummeted to a 22-run loss. Pakistan won their first World Cup final and England lost their third. Brief scores: Melbourne Cricket Ground: Pakistan 249/6 in 50 overs (Imran Khan 72, Javed Miandad 58, Inzamam-ul-Haq 42, Wasim Akram 33; Derek Pringle 3-22) beat England 227 in 49.2 overs (Neil Fairbrother 62, Allan Lamb 31; Mushtaq Ahmed 3-41, Wasim Akram 3-49, Aaqib Javed 2-27) by 22 runs. MoM: Wasim Akram
51
Long tours of Australia are never easy Everyone remembers that incident with Javed, when I appealed for a run-out and Javed started jumping
mock imitation of the appeal). So David Shepherd came up to him and told him that if he did it again, he would be thrown out. So it ended there. We didn’t have a good time at the World Cup, which came at the end of a long tour. Touring Australia is never easy anyway. Of course, if you do well, the locals are very appreciative, and there’s a big Indian community there. But the cricket is tough. So we would
Kiran More
go out for dinner with the teammates.
The most memorable match of the 1992 World Cup from our point of view was the game against Pakistan, in Sydney. We batted first and scored 216 (for 7, in 49 overs) and it wasn’t a bad total, which we thought was quite a good one, even though they had Javed Miandad and all the other batsmen. The boundaries were quite deep, so scoring runs quickly wasn’t easy. But we weren’t confident – a few more runs would have been better.
But spending three-four months there can be tough. Especially if you don’t do well, that hits you more. We were in Australia for four months, we lost four of the five Tests, we did all right in the tri-series (West Indies were the third team), but the World Cup didn’t go well. So it can get quite tiring. This time also, the Indians will be in Australia for around four months and it’s always good to get a break
Everyone remembers and still asks me about that incident with Javed. I was talking, asking the bowlers to do what I felt was right, asking them to bowl close to his body and not give him space to hit. He got frustrated as he couldn’t score freely, and there was an appeal for a catch down the leg side off Sachin’s (Tendulkar) bowling, which I thought was out. That’s how the chatter started. He said a few things to me and I gave it back to him. And then that incident happened. I appealed for a run-out and Javed started jumping (in
for 10-15 days in the middle. If you start losing, there are always issues that crop up, on the field and off the field; things start going wrong. There are injuries too. I hope we win, and everyone stays fit, because it will be a long and tough tour, as it always is when you go to Australia.
Kiran More was a wicketkeeper who played 49 Tests and 94 ODIs for India. As told to Shamya Dasgupta
WORLD CUP FACTS After Pakistan’s terrible start in 1992, Imran Khan presented his squad a white T-shirt with a yellow tiger on it. “I want the team to play like a cornered tiger, when it’s most dangerous,” he said. They won the title. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
SRI LANKA
52
POOL A
Strengths
Sri Lanka’s batting is their strength. Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakkara are looking for a perfect swansong, while Tillakaratne Dilshan is peaking at the right time. Then there is Angelo Mathews (1244 runs), the captain, who along with Sangakkara (1256 runs) finished as the best ODI batsman of 2014, and will provide some late thrust to Sri Lanka’s innings. There is enough depth at Mathews’s disposal. Sri Lanka can rotate their bowling well in the middle overs with a gamut of bowling allrounders in Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekera. Mathews will bank on Lasith Malinga’s parsimony and incisiveness to lead the bowling pack.
Weaknesses
If there’s a criticism of the No. 4-ranked Sri Lankan side, it is that they lack pace bowling venom. Sri Lanka have relied heavily on Malinga; however, his participation in the tournament is subject to fitness, as he recovers from an ankle surgery. Another pressing question is who will open the innings with Dilshan. After Kusal Perera’s replacement, Dimuth Karunaratne – recalled into the side after a year – failed to impress in the New Zealand ODIs, Sri Lanka look set to hand back the role to Jayawardene. Their recent limitedovers form has also been far from convincing. They were outclassed 5-0 by India but bounced back to defeat England 5-2 in a seven-match ODI series, before struggling against a confident New Zealand side going into the World Cup.
Watch out for
World Cup history
SQUAD
“We may not have won those two World Cups, but reaching two finals showed we played consistently well.”
Kumar Sangakkara. His red hot form has now extended for well over four years and he ended 2014 as the highest run-getter in both ODIs and Tests. Yet, he has announced his plans to retire from all international cricket after the World Cup, although a recent double-ton in the second Test against New Zealand, which put him one behind Don Bradman on that count, had him reconsider Test retirement.
Angelo Mathews (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne (vc), Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake.
Part of the World Cup since its inception in 1975, Sri Lanka had a string of first-round exits until they made it all the way to the title in 1996. Having made six ICC finals since then – twice at the World Cup, thrice at the World Twenty20, once at the Champions Trophy – Sri Lanka have proved time and time again that they are a brilliant tournament side with a knack for navigating through the knockout rounds. They are a rhythm-and-confidence side, and once they get on a roll, they are almost unstoppable.
- Mahela Jayawardene
FIXTURES Feb 14: New Zealand, Christchurch Feb 22: Afghanistan, Dunedin Feb 26: Bangladesh, Melbourne March 1: England, Wellington March 8: Australia, Sydney March 11: Scotland, Hobart
- Disha Shetty
53
Million-dollar MIDDLE-AGER From modest beginnings in 1975, cricket’s showpiece event is now attracting the moolah by the millions M a n o j N a r aya n
I
If cricket was a classic rock song,
of economics and greater fan following
the World Cup would be its guitar
has taken cricket beyond the traditional
solo – that bit which everyone
pockets. As those from different corners
looks forward to and remembers
of the world gather in Australia and New
long after it’s gone. Like the
Zealand for the 11th edition of the premier
guitar solo sells the song, the World Cup
competition, it is worth looking at the
is cricket’s most salable asset. The 2015
tournament’s financial journey from a
World Cup will easily be the most followed,
nervous experiment to a global spectacle.
on television, on social media and on the internet at large. The digital age is here.
Let’s start with the players. Apart from the worldwide recognition and popularity,
It wasn’t always thus. There were simpler
at stake is the considerable prize money.
times when only those with a ticket could
When West Indies won the inaugural World
view the action. Now, a combination
Cup in 1975, they collected £4000 (nearly
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
54 WORLD CUP 2015
LUCRATIVE Broadcasters are rolling out the big bucks to telecast the World Cup.
£30,000 adjusted for inflation) for their
1992, the tournament assumed a bigger,
efforts, from a total pool of £9000. The
more radical skin. Whites were dispensed
losing finalists got £2000, while the Man of
with as coloured clothing, white balls and
the Match in the final bagged £200.
floodlights were introduced to augment day-night matches. Television took on a
As the world around it evolved, so did
bigger role and a strange rain rule triggered
the popularity of the World Cup grow.
all sorts of debates. The tournament was of
Sponsors began to pour in, TV deals were
a higher profile, and players were the direct
signed and everyone jostled for a piece
beneficiaries. Martin Crowe, the top-scorer
of the pie. The 1987 World Cup, jointly
with 456 runs from nine matches, won
hosted by India and Pakistan, received a
the Man of the Series award and walked
windfall as Reliance Industries broke the
away with a Nissan 300. In 1996, Sanath
million-buck barrier with £2.17 million as
Jayasuriya won an Audi A4.
sponsorship fee. The prize money on offer rose substantially, too. From £66,200 in
In subsequent editions, Sachin Tendulkar
1983, to a sizeable £99,300 in 1987. In
received a golden bat (2003), while Glenn
55
McGrath was given a diamond-studded cricket ball (2007). In keeping with the trend of each event being more rewarding than the previous one, the 2015 World Cup will be the most lucrative yet. The ICC announced a 20% increase in prize money
When West Indies won the inaugural World Cup in 1975, they collected £4000. This edition, the winning team stands to earn $3.975m, a figure that could go up to over $4m if they are undefeated
from the 2011 edition, with the total prize money pegged at an impressive $10m. The
As far as sponsors are concerned,
winning team stands to earn $3.975m – a
the World Cup has had steady backing.
figure that could go up to over $4m if they
The first three tournaments in England
are undefeated in the tournament. Each
were backed by the Prudential Assurance
win in the group stages alone is worth
Company, which invested £100,000 in
$45,000. The six teams who fail to make
1975 and signed off with £500,000 in 1983.
the quarterfinals will also be rewarded
Then came Reliance Industries in 1987,
$35,000 each.
before Benson and Hedges pumped in £3m for the 1992 tournament. The Wills World
Keep in mind that much of this boom happened when the rest of the world was
Cup in 1996 was the last tournament with a title sponsor, Wills contributing £8m.
struggling through recession. People don’t get saturated with sport. Which is why the
Thereafter, the ICC took control of the
organisers – the ICC – are happy. How
running of the World Cup (until then the
does the ICC run something as large-scale
home boards were in charge), doing away
as the World Cup? Where does the money
with naming rights. The results could be
come from? Sponsors and broadcasters.
seen shortly into the new millennium,
WORLD CUP FACTS Kapil Dev’s unbeaten 175 in 1983 was the first ODI hundred by an Indian batsman. Before that, Kris Srikkanth’s 95 against Sri Lanka in Delhi in 1982 was the highest one-day score by an Indian. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
56 WORLD CUP 2015 as Global Cricket Corporation splashed
These days, television rights go for
$550m for the right to broadcast World
billions. It is the engine that drives the
Cups 2003 and 2007. ESPNStar changed
sport. When ESPNStar bought broadcast
the
rights in 2006 for the period between
broadcasting
landscape
with
a
mammoth deal of $1.1 billion.
2007 and 2015, they paid almost twice the previous deal. In December 2014, the ICC
The 2015 World Cup will have a wide
announced “cricket’s biggest-ever global
range of sponsors – LG, PepsiCo, MRF
broadcast
partnership”
after
awarding
Tyres, Hyundai, Reliance – all of whom
rights for all ICC events for the next cycle,
have a strong presence in India. This is no
from 2015 to 2023, to Star India and Star
coincidence. With a population of over 1.2
Middle East. The exact figures were not
billion, India possess the biggest market
disclosed, but, according to the ICC, is
in cricket, and that’ll inevitably influence
supposed to be “significantly in excess of
both sponsors and broadcasters. The ICC’s
the ICC’s previous commercial deals”.
World Cup 2015 ‘Commercial Partner forum’ in August last year included Star
Why are people willing to spend such
Sports, Super Sport, BSkyB, ESPN, Fox
huge amounts on broadcasting a sport
Sports Australia, Sky TV New Zealand and
that is still largely considered niche? Why
Channel Nine – all leading broadcasters
is the World Cup so lucrative? The answer,
across the world, all rolling out the big
again, is in its reach. In the 2011 World
bucks to telecast the tournament to
Cup, when India and Pakistan clashed in
respective audiences.
the semifinal, an estimated 900 million
WORLD CUP FACTS
South Africa tried to bridge the communication gap between the coach and players on field during matches by wiring Hansie Cronje and Allan Donald to Bob Woolmer during their first game against India in 1999, only for the match referee and ICC to intervene and bar the method.
SOUTH AFRICA
57
POOL B
Strengths
From the likes of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers with the bat to Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander with the ball, they are all match-winners. Records fall by the wayside when these guys get going. De Villiers scored the fastest ODI century, off just 31 balls against West Indies as they warmed up for the World Cup. Amla is the quickest to reach 2000, 3000, 4000 and, most recently, 5000 runs in terms of innings played. Steyn is the highest-ranked bowler in the tournament. Capable of generating pace and bounce, he will be a force in Australia, but he is likely to set fire to the field on swing-friendly conditions in New Zealand. If Steyn has a bad day, South Africa have a tall, hit-the-deck bowler in Morkel to rely on, along with Philander who can be devastating when offered even minimal assistance from the pitch.
Weaknesses
As accomplished as their specialist batsmen and bowlers are, South Africa have concerns when it comes to allrounders. JP Duminy is a capable batsman and offspinner, but on pace friendly conditions in Australia and New Zealand, a seaming allrounder is ideal. That’s where Farhaan Behardien comes in. He lacks the presence though. He is 31, and in his 20 ODIs since making his debut against New Zealand in 2013, he has 313 runs and 11 wickets – not the most intimidating figures. That apart, South Africa will also have to battle their own demons: that hugely damaging ‘chokers’ tag.
World Cup history
South Africa have a troubled World Cup history. In their inaugural campaign in 1992, they were infamously left needing 21 runs off one ball in the semifinal against England after a brief spell of rain. They made the quarterfinals in 1996, before agony ensued in 1999, which worked out better for Australia than it did for South Africa. In 2003, at home, South Africa were knocked out in the group stage after tying their last game against Sri Lanka when a win was needed, and reached the semis in 2007 but were ousted by Australia again, while in 2011 they couldn’t go past New Zealand in the quarterfinal.
SQUAD AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla (vice-capt), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn.
“I want bowling line-ups to look at our batting line-up and think: We are not going to get through there.” - AB de Villiers
Watch out for
AB de Villiers. He is the highest-ranked ODI batsmen, and you can see why. His batsmanship is unorthodox and beautiful all at once, given his ability to twist himself into positions that make every delivery playable. He has an eye for the boundary, as seen during his record century against West Indies – of 25 boundaries, 16 were sixes.
FIXTURES Feb 15: Zimbabwe, Hamilton Feb 22: India, Melbourne Feb 27: West Indies, Sydney March 3: Ireland, Canberra March 7: Pakistan, Auckland March 12: UAE, Wellington
- Manoj Narayan
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
58 WORLD CUP 2015 Nike, with its Winner Stays campaign, captured fans’ imagination as regular kids in a neighbourhood park transformed into their favourite players and played in front of a packed stadium. Ambush marketing but within the ambit of the rules – that will dot this World Cup as well. As was the case during the 2011 World Cup. Though LG is one of ICC’s commercial partners, Sony ran its Bravia range of television sets campaign featuring Mahendra
Singh
Dhoni.
The
ICC’s
contention was that Dhoni was in a blue tuned in. When the two teams clash again
shirt that bore a striking resemblance to
in the group stages on February 15, that
India’s blue kit. The issue was eventually
figure is expected to hit a billion, at least.
sorted out, with Dhoni’s shirt colour changed to grey in subsequent ads.
For advertisers, these figures are akin to an all-you-can-eat buffet. You don’t
To protect its commercial rights, the
have to be a commercial partner of the
ICC
tournament to be associated with it.
Integrity International (CII) to monitor any
Adidas was the official sponsor of the Fifa
infringement of its sponsors’ commercial
World Cup in Brazil in 2014, but while the
rights. “Each ad is open to interpretation. So
brand’s name was plastered everywhere,
the players and teams are advised on what
the likes of McDonald’s and Nike made
ads they can appear in during the World
as much of an impression with their ad
Cup,” explained Roshan Gopalakrishna,
campaigns.
exuded
the legal and business head of CII. “A lot
feel-good, showing common Brazilian folk
of letters have gone out to these brands,
doing extraordinary things with a football.
and it will help because it means all your
McDonald’s
GOL!
has
teamed
up
with
Copyright
59
infringements are out of the way. They will
It all goes to show what an opportunity
think twice before offering tickets, they will
the World Cup is for advertisers, and their
think twice before using the colour blue.
clamour to get on board without actually
The message that gets sent out is that
being on board. According to reports, ad
there is someone monitoring all this, and
spends in India during the tournament are
so it really is up to how their marketing
expected to range around Rs 1500 crore –
teams can come up with a solution to it.
around the same range as in 2011, which is
We’ll continuously be monitoring these
a positive given that the 2011 tournament
ads.”
was held in India during prime time. Ad rates during World Cups have increased
This
time
around,
given
that
the
exponentially as well. During the 2011
tournament will be staged in Australia and
World Cup, a ten-second spot was worth
New Zealand, protection of commercial
Rs 3-4 lakh, a figure that mushroomed as
rights is expected to be easier, at least
India progressed towards the finals. This
in these two countries. “The context
time around, a ten-second spot could cost
here is of two western countries, where
around Rs 5 lakh.
enforcement of intellectual property rights is much easier. For this World Cup, there
All these are huge figures, suggestive
is an entire list of words and terms that
of how far the tournament has come
are protected by law in Australia and New
as a commercial entity. Long before the
Zealand,” said Gopalakrishna. “At least in
Cricket World Cup came into being, other
those two countries, none of the rivals can
sports already had their global events in
use any of the listed terms in advertising.
place. Indeed, the 1975 World Cup was an
It still happens elsewhere, but it depends
accident of sorts, but the event has clearly
on the position of the law. For example,
come a long way since then. To paraphrase
the term Cricket World Cup is protected,
Scyld Berry, the World Cup is now a middle-
but in India, ‘World Cup’ is a very generic
aged man of 40, wise and assured, but still
term, and it can apply to multiple sports.
possessing the old flamboyance of a classic
So in India, it’s just a case of being on the
rock star.
lookout.”
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
60 Aravinda de Silva: 3-42 off 9 overs and 107* off
1996
124 balls v Australia, Lahore. Match Impact: 12.11 In the final, Aravinda de Silva picked up three top/middle-order wickets, including those of the two top-scorers in the Australian innings, Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting. Chasing 242, Sri Lanka were under pressure at 23 for 2 with both Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana back in the pavilion. Much like the semifinal against India, de
Kenya were on an unprecedented high, having beaten
Silva took charge, showing his ability to bat under
West Indies in their previous game. But Aravinda de
pressure (Pressure Impact), build partnerships
Silva was in the form of his life and an inexperienced
(Partnership-Building Impact) and finish the match
Kenya attack only fuelled his appetite for runs as he
(Chasing Impact). Overall, this was the highest
made a 115-ball 145 in Sri Lanka’s crushing win.
impact tournament-defining performance by any player in World Cups.
Coming in at 88 for 2 with a good foundation set, de Silva took off like a bullet train, bringing up his century off 92 balls. His partnership with Asakna Gurusinha
Final: Sri Lanka v Australia
was worth 184, the highest for Sri Lanka in ODIs for any
Sri Lanka entered the 1996 World Cup final on the
wicket at the time.
back of an unbeaten run in the tournament to face
FLASH BACK
Mark Taylor’s Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in De Silva finally fell for 145 to finish with an incredible
Lahore. Asked to bat first under overcast conditions,
strike rate of 126, as Sri Lanka missed the 400-run mark
Australia posted 241 for 7 courtesy Taylor’s 74,
by a whisker. He had hit 14 fours and five sixes.
along with worthy contributions from Ricky Ponting
Sri Lanka’s 398 for 5 was the highest World Cup total for
(45) and Michael Bevan (36 not out).
11 years till India eclipsed that record in 2007. Kenya got to a respectable 254 for 7, but it still meant a 144-
Despite a shaky start to their chase, Aravinda de
run defeat.
Silva’s unbeaten 107, and gritty knocks from Asanka Gurusinha (65) and Ranatunga (47 not out) helped Sri Lanka claim a seven-wicket victory, and their only World Cup title. Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: Australia 241/7 in 50 overs (Mark Taylor 74, Ricky Ponting 45, Michael Bevan 36 not out; Aravinda De Silva 3-42) lost to Sri Lanka 245 for 3 in 46.2 overs (Aravinda De Silva 107 not out, Asanka Gurusinha 65, Arjuna Ranatunga 47 not out) by seven wickets. MoM: Aravinda De Silva
61
We have to accept what happened
The 1996 World Cup is also remembered for the
We always raised our game a little bit when we played
Kolkata. It was bitterly disappointing, mainly because
Pakistan, no match was ever bigger than that
it came in Kolkata. We had the team, and we started
semifinal. Unfortunately, we lost pretty badly in the semifinal in
well when I got two wickets early (Sanath Jayasuriya
J a v a g a l Sr i n a t h
and Romesh Kaluwitharana) and then got Asanka
I thought we played really well in the 1996 World Cup.
played! Anyway, we were going pretty evenly in that
It was played at home for us, and we did quite well in
match before it all went wrong. It was a sad game for
most of the matches, especially the quarterfinal against
us, and quite emotional as well.
Gurusinha. But what an innings Aravinda de Silva
Pakistan, which was a great experience.
I don’t like using words like ‘devastated’, but it was
I don’t know how or why, but we always raised our
pretty close to that. There were many people in the
game a little bit when we played Pakistan – for me, no
stands who were crying, and even in our dressing room
match was ever bigger than a game against Pakistan. To
there were players in tears. I wasn’t, and I realised
many people in both the countries, the India v Pakistan
that Sachin wasn’t, so I went up to him to speak. What
game is bigger than the final of the tournament. In fact,
he told me has remained with me. He said that we
that match is the final, even if it is an exhibition game.
had played the game with conviction and still lost. It happens, there’s nothing we can do about it. “It’s not
I was there in 1992, when we won the match, but
the end of the world,” he said. And that’s so true. I wish
Pakistan won the World Cup. The Kiran More-Javed
the result had gone differently, but we have to accept
Miandad incident – everyone remembers that. Even in
what happened.
1996, we had the incident between Aamer Sohail and
In India-Pakistan games, both the winner and the loser
Javagal Srinath was a fast bowler who played in 67 Tests and 229 ODIs for India. He is the country’s jointhighest wicket-taker in World Cups, picking up 44 across four editions.
are remembered, but for entirely different reasons.
As told to Shamya Dasgupta
Venkatesh Prasad, my bowling partner from Karnataka. We won that game as well. And then we won in 2003 as well, when Sachin Tendulkar demolished Shoaib Akhtar.
Thankfully, we have won all the World Cup contests.
WORLD CUP FACTS Australia and West Indies forfeited their 1996 World Cup group matches in Colombo due to security concerns and still ended up as semifinalists along with Sri Lanka, the team who won those forfeited matches. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
62 WORLD CUP 2015
Final hurrahs and fond farewells With several players expected to hang up their boots after World Cup 2015, the signs of a new world order in the next four-year cycle are already apparent S i d h a n ta Pat n a i k
I
’ve had a tremendous time playing
concluded Lara. It was a poignant exit for
for West Indies. All I ask is, did I
one of the game’s legend on the biggest
entertain?
stage.
Brian Lara threw this question
Eight years later, at the 2015 World Cup
to the crowd at the Kensington Oval in
in Australia and New Zealand, there will
Barbados on April 21, 2007, after West
be more men hoping to bow out on a high,
Indies lost a thriller to England, the hosts’
or at least leaving with the satisfaction of
last game in the World Cup and Lara’s last
having entertained. This edition will draw
in Caribbean colours. The skipper had a
the curtains on the illustrious careers
poor tournament, but the crowd screamed
of
in approval of their famous son.
Vettori, and end One-Day International
Mahela
Jayawardene
and
Daniel
commitments for Kumar Sangakkara, run“If
I
entertained
you,
I’m
happy,”
machine extraordinaire; Misbah-ul-Haq,
63
Big Dream For Tendulkar, it was not about the records, but winning the World Cup.
the man responsible for comparative parity
president, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, coaxed
in Pakistan cricket in recent times; and the
the captain to reconsider retirement and
dynamic Shahid Afridi.
nurture the 1992 World Cup team. Almost a spent force by then, Imran used the larger
The World Cups have been the final
motivation of building Pakistan’s first
hurrah for many a cricketer over the
cancer hospital in memory of his mother to
years. Sure that the 1987 World Cup in
trigger his team to an inspirational win in
front of his home supporters would be his
Melbourne.
final limited-overs outing, Sunil Gavaskar batted freely to an 88-ball 103, his only
Four years later in 1996, Javed Miandad, the all-knowing cog in that success, became
ODI century, against New Zealand.
the first to play in six World Cups, but his After Imran Khan’s Pakistan lost the Lahore semifinal in 1987, the country’s
entertaining 19-year career ended with a quarterfinal loss to India in Bangalore.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
NEW ZEALAND
64
POOL A
Strengths
Records have been tumbling at the hands of an in-form batting unit, with Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi all proving effective not only in putting up large scores, but also chasing them down. The bowlers, meanwhile, led by Trent Boult and with the experience of Daniel Vettori heading the spin department, have been more than dangerous. With nine wins in 16 ODIs in 2014, and now playing in their backyard, New Zealand are the team to beat.
Weaknesses
Lower-order batting is a concern. Kyle Mills and Tim Southee, at times, have shown glimpses of match-winning ability with the bat, but Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne are all untested.
“You can’t have a team-first mentality if only a few people are buying into it. When you have players sacrificing their own personal records for what the team needs, that’s what it’s all about.” - Mike Hesson, coach World Cup history
Watch out for
SQUAD
“On paper, it’s without doubt the strongest team I’ve been with. But World Cups aren’t won on paper.”
New Zealand have made six semifinals in ten World Cups, and have had several memorable games. In 2007, McCullum scored the fastest half-century in World Cup history, taking all of 20 balls against Canada. The 363 for 5 New Zealand posted was their highest in the tournament. New Zealand’s best figures for bowling belong to Shane Bond, who took 6 for 23 against Australia in 2003.
Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan , Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.
Brendon McCullum. Leading from the front, the New Zealand captain promises to carry forward his recordbreaking Test form into the limited overs. He can singlehandedly change the games, and his team will depend on the starts he provides at the top. Add to this his astute captaincy and energetic fielding, and you have a World Cup-winning combination.
- Brendon McCullum
FIXTURES Feb 14: SRI LANKA, Christchurch Feb 17: Scotland, Dunedin Feb 20: England, Wellington March 28: Australia, Auckland March 8: Afghanistan, Napier March 13: Bangladesh, Hamilton
- Kritika Naidu
65
Wasim Akram, at 38, was the first bowler to reach 500 ODI wickets at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, but he, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar never played an international again. That same year,
This edition will draw the curtains on the illustrious careers of Jayawardene and Vettori, and end ODI commitments for Sangakkara, Misbah and Afridi.
Sourav Ganguly influenced Javagal Srinath to come out of retreat and spearhead the
died mysteriously, as did Anil Kumble
bowling unit one last time, and it proved
and Stephen Fleming. Glenn McGrath’s
decisive as Srinath’s 16 wickets took India
farewell after Australia’s third consecutive
to the final. The home fans, however, were
World Cup title was a rare highlight from
disappointed. Jonty Rhodes’s broken hand
that controversy-marred tournament.
while attempting a catch against Kenya, on the fourth day of the event, and Allan
Muttiah
Muralitharan,
international
Donald’s lacklustre outing were anti-climax
cricket’s highest wicket-taker, picked up
endings too. South Africa crashed out in
New Zealand’s Scott Styris, also on his last
the first round after their rain-affected
leg, off his last ball at home in the 2011
game against Sri Lanka was tied. Aravinda
World Cup semifinal, and then called it a
de Silva, who made 73 in that match and
day after the final against India in Mumbai.
hero of 1996, bowed out after a semifinal loss to Australia.
In contrast, Shoaib Akhtar, one of world’s fastest bowlers, well past his prime, sat
In the West Indies in 2007, Inzamam-ul-
gloom-faced in the dressing room in the
Haq, Pakistan’s captain, quit ODIs just a
reserves, even as India defeated Pakistan
few days after Bob Woolmer, their coach,
in the other semifinal.
WORLD CUP FACTS Sachin Tendulkar holds these batting records in World Cups: Most runs (2278), most hundreds (6), most fifties (15) and most runs in a tournament (673). ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
66 WORLD CUP 2015 Unlike football, where the club versus country debate runs deep, cricket’s core identity still revolves around international rivalry. Cricketers aspire to represent their ODI exit Jayawardene and Sangakkara will sign off with one last World Cup.
country and be a part of a champion side, and the World Cup scheduled every four years fuels that desire. *** Test cricket, of course, is the pinnacle, but its legacy is in bilateral contests. The 1912 triangular series between England,
When Sachin Tendulkar says in a
Australia and South Africa, and the
television advertisement that scoring 100
Asian Test Championships in 1998-99
centuries or more than 34,000 runs was
and 2001-02 proved the impracticality of
not his biggest dream, but winning the
a multi-nation Test event. The seemingly
World Cup was, or when Srinath writes
dull prospects required the International
that playing in the tournament was his
Cricket Council to shelve the idea of the
biggest incentive growing up, they are only
World
reiterating the significance of the World
ranking system across three formats is far
Cup among players.
from consistent, the World T20 is taking
Test
Championship.
The
WORLD CUP FACTS The 318 runs that Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid put on for the second wicket against Sri Lanka at Taunton in 1999 is the only 300+ partnership in World Cups.
ICC’s
67
baby steps, and the Champions Trophy
Within a year followed eight Test defeats
has always been viewed as a preparatory
in
England
and
Australia.
Virender
ground for the World Cup by the major
Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh,
cricket nations. Strategies have always
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan – all
been built keeping the four-year World
key members of that 2011 campaign –
Cup cycle in mind.
gradually went off-piste.
After India’s first-round exit in 2007 and
So, Vettori, Jayawardene, Sangakkara,
subsequent attacks on the houses of some
Misbah and Afridi apart, there could be
players, 2011 World Cup became the team’s
many more swansongs at the 2015 World
singular mission. The outcome of every
Cup – some immediately, with fanfare, and
match was connected to the larger goal, and
some gradually driven by circumstances, the way Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen,
There could be more swansongs at the 2015 World Cup – some immediately, with fanfare, and some gradually driven by circumstances
Graeme Swann, Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, among others, bid adieu over the last four years.
it demanded immaculate planning, high
Michael
Clarke’s
back
and
Lasith
fitness levels and consistent performances.
Malinga’s knees have been dodgy, you
Add
the
never know what’s running in Dhoni’s
pressure from fans and sponsors, and the
mind, and Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana
team almost had a tunnel-vision approach.
Herath, Younis Khan, Chris Gayle and
to
it,
the
self-expectations,
Brad Haddin are already on the wrong Finally, once India lifted the trophy on April 2, 2011, Mahendra Singh Dhoni
side of 30, to be soon joined by Brendon McCullum and Shane Watson.
opened up about the pressure and anxiety in the dressing room. But, without that
The signs of a new world order in the
baggage to carry, the sudden void became
next four-year cricket cycle are already
challenging to fill.
apparent.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
68 Steve Waugh: 120* off 110 v South Africa, Leeds.
1999
In all the talk of the Australian domination between 1999 and 2007, it’s easy to forget that Australia were
Match Impact: 8.85 In a must-win game against South Africa, Australia, chasing 272, were 48 for 3 after 12 overs when Steve Waugh produced the highest impact batting performance of his career till then (it would be his second-highest impact ODI batting performance). Under considerable pressure, he steadied the Australian ship and finished the chase unbeaten (Chasing Impact) with two balls to spare as the others played around him.
this close to being eliminated on more than once occasion during the 1999 World Cup. And it took a lot of drama for them to finally get where they did. At Headingley, South Africa, riding on Herschelle Gibbs’s 101, put up 271 for 7 from their 50 overs, and then they had Australia down for the count at 48 for 3. And that’s when Steve Waugh walked in. Between them, Waugh and Ricky Ponting put together 126 runs, the “You just dropped the World Cup, mate” jibe to Gibbs thrown in along the way, when Waugh was on 56. Whether Waugh said what he is reported to have said or not is contentious, but Gibbs did drop the World Cup that day for all practical purposes. Waugh went on to score an unbeaten 120, helping Australia get into the semifinal, where they met South Africa again. Waugh, interestingly, scored 56 (the score he was
FLASH BACK
dropped on by Gibbs in the earlier game) as Australia put up 213. And then, in one of the most dramatic last overs in World Cup history, South Africa choked, not for the first time, as we would find out later, and ended on the same score as Australia. Match tied, but South Africa out because they had lost to Australia earlier in the tournament.
Final: Sri Lanka v Australia Having won two classics against South Africa on the way to the final, Australia won their second World Cup in 1999 with resolute brutality, comprehensively outplaying Pakistan. Pakistan got to 69 for 3 before Shane Warne caused havoc. Warne picked up four wickets for the second consecutive game to take his wickets tally to 20, and restricted Pakistan to a meagre 132. Then, the Pakistan bowling was swept away with as much ease. Adam Gilchrist reached his fifty in 33 balls while Mark Waugh passed 1000 World Cup runs on the way to an unbeaten 37 to take Australia over the line in just 20.1 overs with eight wickets to spare. Brief scores: Lord’s, London: Pakistan 132 in 39 overs (Ijaz Ahmed 22; Glenn McGrath 2-13, Tom Moody 2-17, Shane Warne 4-33) lost to Australia 133/2 in 20.1 overs (Mark Waugh 37 n.o., Adam Gilchrist 57, Ricky Ponting 24) by eight wickets. MoM: Shane Warne
69
Great to go after Shane Warne
We were really struggling, and when I went in to bat,
In England, the conditions and unexpectedly losing key
out, we would probably be bundled out for 50 or
players at various junctures were big challenges
something, which would be the most embarrassing
Rahul (Dravid) and I told each other that if we got
situation to be in. But luckily, we had a really good
Robin Singh
partnership (141 off 187).
More than anything else, coping with the weather
In fact, one of the most memorable moments from that
was strenuous for us when we landed in England to
tournament was going after Shane Warne. We took him
take part in the 1999 World Cup. I remember it was
apart in one over and they had to re-strategise after the
extremely cold when we played Kenya (in Bristol) and it
assault. That actually kind of got us back in the game,
was seaming around – like you must have also seen in
but, unfortunately, we could not pull off a win.
our game against England. Interestingly, every pitch was Doing well against Australia was satisfying, especially
different from the other in some way.
after hitting an all-time low against Zimbabwe earlier. But the biggest setback for the team was when Sachin’s
Ten out of ten times you would expect to win the game
father passed away and he had to go back to India. As a
from the position we were in. We should have never
team, we had to figure out how to fill the gap and strike
lost that game.
the right balance. In contrast, the highest point for the team was beating Later, again, against Pakistan, though we won, we had
Pakistan. They were playing exceptionally good cricket,
to go in without Sourav (Ganguly), who was out due to
and beating them in Old Trafford was a special feeling.
an injury. When I look back now, getting those five wickets So, as a team, these moments when we unexpectedly
against Sri Lanka after that exceptional partnership
lost key players were the real challenge.
between Sourav and Rahul will always remain special – a match worth watching over and over again.
Personally, a big challenge was when we faced Australia – the toughest team in the tournament, apart from Pakistan. At one stage, we were down to 17 for 4 in that game, and then to be able to help the team come out
Robin Singh, an outstanding fielder and handy allrounder, played 136 ODIs for India.
of that situation and manage to get to a respectable total – that was one of the biggest moments in that
As told to Himanish Bhattacharjee
World Cup for me.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
SCOTLAND
70
POOL A
Strengths
The Scotland squad is a mix of youth and experience, and is full of fight. Matt Machan, Hamish Gardiner and Richie Berrington have been among the runs in the recent tri-series involving Afghanistan and Ireland in the United Arab Emirates. On the bowling front, right-arm medium pacers Iain Wardlaw and Josh Davey have struck form at the right time. Leading from the front will be Preston Mommsen, Associate Player of the Year for 2014.
Weaknesses
Lack of experience of playing against big sides on a global platform might prove to be Scotland’s biggest obstacle going into the World Cup.
“The tournament is an opportunity to get on the map.You’re trying to bring the next generation through and give them something to aspire to and everyone is looking to make progress. Scotland’s fielding is world class and it’s an area where we should shine.” - Paul Collingwood, coaching staff
Watch out for
World Cup history
SQUAD
“Scotland haven’t won a game in a World Cup before so that’s something we’re targeting. The team have set out the goal over the next few years to become the best-ever Scottish team so putting in good performances and getting a couple of wins would set us on the way.”
Richie Berrington. He is the first Scotland batsman to score a Twenty20 International century – against Bangladesh in July 2012. In the recent tri-series in UAE, he scored a match-winning 62 against Afghanistan while batting at No. 6. He is also a handy right-hand medium pacer, able to chip in with a wicket or two.
Preston Mommsen (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Freddie Coleman, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Rob Taylor, Safyaan Sharif, Iain Wardlaw.
Scotland are yet to register their first World Cup victory after playing eight matches in the tournament in the 1999 and 2007 editions.
- Craig Wright, assistant coach
FIXTURES Feb 14: New Zealand, Dunedin Feb 21: England, Christchurch Feb 26: Afghanistan, Dunedin March 5: Bangladesh, Nelson March 11: Sri Lanka, Hobart March 14: Australia, Hobart
- Himanish Bhattacharjee
71
Lights, colour, action! The last time the World Cup was in Australia and New Zealand, it signalled the dawn of Cricketainment. Cricket as we knew it had changed Disha Shetty
H
aving narrowly scraped into
the
knockout
A new format, 39 keenly contested matches – the most in the competition’s
the
1992
history at that point – played before
World
Cup,
large crowds, a new look, new rules and
Pakistan had pushed
innovations – it was a tournament of
through to topple title favourites and
many firsts at a time when the commercial
co-hosts New Zealand, before beating
potential of cricket was ripe for the taking,
England in the final before a record crowd
and its success went on to define the one-
of 87,182 at the MCG. An emotional Imran
day game for years to come.
stages Cricket
of
Khan dedicated the win to a larger goal of building Pakistan’s first cancer hospital in
The 1992 World Cup broke new ground
memory of his mother. And, as the confetti
simply by being held in the southern
fell, it brought to an end a memorable
hemisphere,
tournament for more reasons than one
Australia and New Zealand welcoming the
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
with
trans-Tasman
rivals
72 WORLD CUP 2015
World Cup 1992 The first to feature coloured player jerseys.
world into their backyard. It also marked
inside the circle. Although these aspects
South Africa’s first appearance in a World
had been increasingly seen in One-Day
Cup, as they re-joined the International
Internationals since Kerry Packer’s World
Cricket Council as a Test-playing nation
Series Cricket introduced them in the late
after the end of apartheid.
1970s, they had not been a feature of the previous four World Cups.
As for the innovations on the field, the 1992 World Cup was the first to feature
A complete round-robin format replaced
coloured player jerseys with their names
the use of two qualifying groups. While
on the back, white balls (one from each
the initial draw was released with eight
end), black sightscreens, and, significantly,
competing countries and 28 round-robin
floodlights. The fielding circle rules were
matches, South Africa were added in
refined, allowing only two men outside
late 1991, and the draw was amended to
the ring in the first 15 overs; after that
include them. The revised draw comprised
it was as before – a minimum of four
36 round-robin matches – all nine teams
PAKISTAN
73
POOL B
Strengths
Pakistan will bank on the experience of players such as Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Shahid Afridi. With the flamboyance of Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, their batting will be strong. Their unpredictability means they can spring some surprises, espcially now that they will return to the land of their World Cup win.
Weaknesses
Inexperience and injuries haunt Pakistan. They will miss the services of a quality world-class spinner in Saeed Ajmal, whose bowling action was cleared a little too late for him to be a part of the squad. With a week to go for the start of the tournament, they also lost the experienced Mohammad Hafeez to injury, while Junaid Khan was ruled out late too. The pitches in Australia and New Zealand are expected to help the pacers, and Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz are likely to lead the attack, but Ehsan Adil, Haris Sohail and Sohail Khan have a combined experience of just 16 ODIs. Afridi can chip in with legspin, but Yasir Shah, who has played just one ODI, is yet to be tested.
“I don’t see much of the depth in our fast bowling. Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil and Wahab Riaz are all yet to prove that they could be match-winners. When you lose your experienced bowlers, for whatever reason, the first thing that should spring to your mind is to look for an experienced replacement.” - Javed Miandad, former Pakistan captain World Cup history
Pakistan, under Imran Khan, came from behind to win the World Cup in 1992 in style. They were runners up in 1999, but crashed out in the pool stage in 2003 and 2007. Their 2007 campaign was especially messy – they were eliminated after an upset to Ireland, and their coach Bob Woolmer died suddenly just a few hours later.
SQUAD Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.
Watch out for
Umar Akmal. With a range of audacious shots to offer, Akmal’s immediate aim when at the crease seems to be to get the scoreboard ticking. And given Pakistan’s trouble in the early part of the innings, this contribution is immense. Very few balls that Akmal faces are dot balls.
FIXTURES Feb 15: India, Adelaide Feb 21: West Indies, Christchurch MARCH 1: Zimbabwe, Brisbane March 4: UAE, Napier March 7: South Africa, Auckland March 15: IRELAND, Adelaide
- Akash Sarkar
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
74 WORLD CUP 2015 playing each other once – two semifinals
1992 WORLD CUP
and the final. Among the less successful changes introduced was the modification of the ‘rain rule’, which calculated a revised target for a team batting second in rainaffected matches. Previously, the run-rate
9 Teams 39 Matches over 33 days 456 Runs by Martin Crowe 18 Wickets by Wasim Akram 87,182 People at the MCG for the final
of the team batting first was multiplied by the number of overs available to the team batting second – a rule that was deemed too
at making matches more exciting and
favourable to the team chasing. To rectify
increasing cricket’s appeal with fans.
this, a panel of experts, including Richie Benaud, suggested that the reduction
Today, as we dig out Jonty Rhodes
in target be proportionate to the lowest
‘superman’ run-out, Zimbabwe’s Eddo
scoring overs of the side batting first. It
Brandes’s inspired victory against England,
aimed to take into account the benefits of
Inzamam-ul-Haq’s astounding 60 in 37
chasing.
balls, or Australia’s last-ball thriller against India from YouTube and internet archives
However, this resulted in some absurd
and re-live the tournament in all its colour
chases, most of all when South Africa lost
over and over again, it would seem that
out on a berth in the final to England.
goal has been achieved, and then some. It
South Africa had needed 22 off 13 balls in
was Cricketainment that brought the sport
the semifinal against England when rain
into the modern era.
stopped play. When the match resumed after a 12-minute break, they were left
Twenty-three years later, as we return to
with an impossible target of 21 off just one
the scenes of those celebrations in the age
delivery.
of Twenty20, new power structures and cut-throat commercial interests, the sands
The tweaks to the game were aimed
of cricket are in evident shift again.
IRELAND
75
POOL B
Strengths
Ireland come into the World Cup with everyone almost expecting them to cause upsets, as in 2007 against Pakistan and 2011 against England. The team will bank on the firepower of Kevin O’Brien, who holds the record for the fastest century in a World Cup, the experience of William Porterfield and Ed Joyce and the flamboyance of youth with Stuart Thompson, the pacer, who has an impressive bowling average of 14.50 and Craig Young, who picked up 5 for 46 on his ODI debut. Their recent tour of Australia and New Zealand recently as part of the ICC High Performance Programme will have introduced them to the challenges they can expect.
Weaknesses
Their lack of big-match temperament can work against them, and they have their work cut out to prove their wins aren’t flashes in the pan. They didn’t have a great acclimatisation tour, winning just two out of seven games played, although the tri-series win in Dubai against Afghanistan and Scotland would have given them reason to celebrate.
“Ireland have got a good structure. They’re a well-drilled unit, and a lot of their players have county experience, so you know they are going to cause problems. It will be their goal to have an Irish Test team to keep hold of the players that have come over to England to do that.” - Paul Collingwood, former England cricketer World Cup history
Watch out for
SQUAD
“We have a very talented and experienced. We just have to go and play to the best of our abilities.”
Ireland have played in two World Cups so far, their come-from-behind win against England in 2011 and their three-wicket victory over Pakistan on St Patrick’s Day in 2007 proving what entertainers they can be to fans and what threat they pose to their opposition. With games getting harder to come by for Associates, they will believe they have a point to prove with their performances.
William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Max Sorensen, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.
Kevin O’Brien. The image of a pink-haired Irishman thrashing a hapless England attack for a super-fast century will forever be etched in the annals of World Cup lore. Ireland will be hoping he can rediscover that mojo.
- Kevin O’Brien
FIXTURES Feb 16: West Indies, Nelson Feb 25: UAE, Brisbane MARCH 3: South Africa, Canberra March 7: Zimbabwe, Hobart March 10: India, Hamilton March 15: Pakistan, Adelaide
- Akash Sarkar ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
76 Andy Bichel: 7-20 off 10 overs & 34* off 36 balls v
2003
England, Port Elizabeth. Match Impact: 13.94 England had a superb start, scoring 66 without loss in the first ten overs. Andy Bichel came in as the first change bowler and turned the tide singlehandedly. He took the wickets of Nick Knight, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain in quick succession (Pressure-building Impact) to leave England at 74 for 3. Alec Stewart and Andrew Flintoff staged a recovery from 87 for 5 with a 90-run partnership, but Bichel took both of them out within a space of six deliveries (Partnership-breaking Impact). England ended at 204 for 8, seven of those wickets picked up by Bichel. Then, with Australia at 135 for 8 and staring at defeat, Bichel and Michael Bevan stitched together a crucial partnership (Partnership-building Impact) under immense pressure (Pressure Impact), to take Australia home with two balls and two wickets to spare. This is the second-highest impact performance by
The final against India. Damien Martyn and Ricky
any player ever in the World Cup.
FLASH BACK
Ponting in to continue the work Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden started. Ponting took his time settling
Final: Australia v India
in, needing 74 balls for his fifty, with only one boundary
India had a good run through the tournament,
along the way. However, soon after that, things changed
but in the final, a nervous bowling line-up allowed
dramatically. Ponting hit two consecutive sixes off
the Australians to run riot. Put in, the openers
Harbhajan over deep midwicket; that was a harbinger
added a punishing 105. The real fireworks,
of the carnage to be unleashed. In the last ten overs,
though, started with Ricky Ponting and Damien
Ponting hit sixes at will. He took just 47 balls to go from
Martyn. The duo added an astounding 234 in
50 to 140, the highest score by a captain in a World Cup
30.1 overs to power Australia to the highest total
final. His knock made the match a one-sided affair.
in a World Cup final, 359 for 2. Rain halted play
New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg: Australia 359/2 in 50 overs (Adam Gilchrist 57, Ricky Ponting 140 n.o., Damien Martyn 88 n.o.; Harbhajan Singh 2-49) beat India 234 in 39.2 overs (Virender Sehwag 82, Rahul Dravid 47; Glenn McGrath 3-52, Brett Lee 2-31, Andrew Symonds 2-7) by 125 runs. MoM: Ricky Ponting
when India were 103 for 3 in 17 overs. After play resumed, Australia’s strike bowlers delivered, bundling out India for 234. It was Australia’s second consecutive World Cup title, and one that underlined their supremacy in world cricket.
77
Everyone in the team knew his role
mostly the same teams playing. During the 2003 World
During the 2003 World Cup, there was no chopping and
me before the World Cup and told me what he wanted
changing.
from me. He was clear that if Mohammad Kaif bats at
Cup, there was no chopping and changing. When it came to me, Ganguly made sure … he spoke to
No. 7, he would play a maximum of 30-40 balls and he would have to score at a run a ball. He said that was
M o h a mm a d K a i f
equal to a century as far as he was concerned.
In 2011, India had the advantage of playing at home and (MS) Dhoni, he is a clever captain, he used his
Yuvraj and I were the best fielders on the team. Some
spinners and part-timers very smartly. And Yuvraj made
of our seniors like Ganguly and (Virender) Sehwag and
all the difference. He is a match-winner, he has always
(VVS) Laxman, were not as good; some of them were
been one, and his bowling made a big difference too.
not agile and athletic, but they were keen to improve
With the bat, anyway, you don’t get better than Yuvraj.
their fielding. They were very committed. We knew we
It would have been nice to see him in the team for this
could bat and we could bowl, with (Javagal) Srinath,
World Cup too.
(Ashish) Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan (Singh), (Anil) Kumble … we had good understanding. The seniors had
But that sort of strategy isn’t going to work in 2015, and
been playing together for a long time, and that was the
it was like that in 2003 as well. In 2003, with (Sourav)
biggest plus.
Ganguly and John Wright, the ambition was to do well overseas. At home, we did well, that wasn’t the
The new fielding rules are a bit of a problem, because
problem.
we need to have five proper bowlers. That wasn’t the case then, and we played four bowlers and Rahul
Winning abroad was the target, and we had started to
Dravid kept wickets. We have a great batting line-up,
do well, except on that tour of New Zealand. We lost
I am confident they will do well, but the bowling is
matches, we started doubting things, and then at the
not coming along, and that could be a problem at the
World Cup, we lost a practice game, then didn’t do
World Cup.
well against the Netherlands and lost to Australia. But
2002, and we knew we had the ability.
Mohammad Kaif captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2000, before playing 13 Tests and 125 ODIs for the senior side.
And we had solid plans. We knew who needed to do
As told to Shamya Dasgupta
then, we slowly started doing well. We had won some tournaments, like the NatWest Trophy in England in
what. We knew what positions we were expected to bat at and what role we needed to play. Everything was sorted. The first XI knew they would play, the others knew they wouldn’t. Most teams that win a lot have ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
78 WORLD CUP 2015
Two new balls and two powerplayS A round-up of all the rule changes for World Cup 2015 that aim to make the game more attractive to fans
H i m a n i s h B h at ta c h a r j e e
C
hange in rules, in any
if you scored a run a ball everyone said you
game,
to
had a tremendous strike-rate. Now they’re
disturb the conservative
saying you have to be 120-130. Same with
aficionados of the sport.
the bowlers. In the old days, Fanie de
But David Richardson,
Villiers got upset if he went for more than
the International Cricket Council’s chief
three runs per over. Now, bowlers only get
executive, believes that the rules are bent
upset when they go for more than six runs
only to enhance the competitive spirit of
an over. Yes, things have changed. But I
the sport, and, in the long run, make every
don’t necessarily think for the bad.”
is
bound
format more attractive for the fans. The switch from the 60-over format to “We just might need to change our
the 50-over game in 1987, introduction of
perceptions,” he said at a press conference
cricket in coloured clothing, with a white
in Dhaka in March 2014. “In the old days,
ball and in the day-night format in 1992,
79
AB DE VILLIERS Batsmen will make the most of the new field restrictions.
addition of the Super Six round in 1999, the
Field restrictions
inception of the bowl out rule for knockout
This edition of the World Cup will be
games in 2007, and it being superseded by
the first to witness two sets of powerplay
the Super Over rule in 2011 – a lot has
overs instead of three. The first mandatory
changed since the first World Cup, or the
period of restriction will apply to the initial
Prudential Cup, as it was known as.
ten overs, when only two fielders can be placed outside the 30-yard inner circle,
At the end of the ICC’s board and
and the second one, a five-over slab, which
committee meeting on January 29, the
is called by the batting side before the 40th
sport’s governing body put a final stamp
over, will allow three fielders outside the
on the revised guidelines under which
ring.
the tenth edition of the World Cup, from February 14 to March 29, will be played.
When the powerplay overs are not on, a
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
80 WORLD CUP 2015 of providing pacers with a better chance of
Sub-continental teams, concerned over losing their spinners’ old-ball advantage, have opposed the idea of the two new balls maximum of five fielders can be deployed outside the inner circle. Two new balls Law 5.1.2 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Playing Conditions reads “Each fielding team shall have two new balls for its innings, to be used in alternate overs, i.e. one from each end.” This rule was introduced in October 2011, taking over from the previous procedure of changing the ball only after 34 overs. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, possibly concerned over losing out on their spinners’ old-ball advantage, opposed the idea right from its onset. But the proposal was passed with the intention
having a go at the top-order batsmen early on, and at the same time, making sure the ball remains hard till the end of the innings, so batsmen can make good contact even at later stages of a match. The Decision Review System (DRS) While the Hot Spot technology won’t be used, the Real-Time Snickometer – which was not available in the 2011 edition – will be in play. The process for reviewing leg-before wicket decisions via the ball-tracking technology will also be used in the tournament. The 2.5-metre rule though, is now set at 3 metres, beyond which not out decisions cannot be overturned by the television umpire. Slow over-rate Captains will not carry any ‘strikes’ against their name for slow over-rate into
WORLD CUP FACTS The 1983 World Cup was the first to introduce the 30-yard fielding circle.
81
the World Cup. The existing rule states
Higher prize money
that if a captain is involved in two slow
The ICC, in November 2014, announced
over-rate offences in the same format
a 20% increase in prize money for the
within 12 months, he will serve a ban for
2015 World Cup. The winners will now
the next match in the same format. But as
take home $3.975 million, but if a team
per the new rule, captains will enter the
remains unbeaten, that would rise to more
tournament with a clean slate.
than $4m.
Super Overs in knockout round
Overall, a total of $10 million, in contrast
In 2011, the ICC replaced the bowl-out system with the Super Over, a one-over
to the prize money of $8.01 million in the 2011 edition, will be up for grabs.
eliminator, as the method of determining the winner in the knockout stage of a
The team on the losing side of the March 29 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
tournament in case of a tie.
will receive $1.75 million, while the two In November last year though, the ICC
losing semifinalists will each get $600,000.
announced that if the 2015 World Cup final
The four losing quarter-finalists will pocket
is tied or if the match is a no-result, then
$300,000 each, while the winners of each
the teams will be declared joint winners.
group match will get $45,000 per match.
But in their most recent release, they reverted to the idea of having a Super Over decide the winner in case of a deadlock at
All six teams eliminated in the first stage will get $35,000 each.
the end of the match.
WORLD CUP FACTS The 1987 event, held for the first time in the subcontinent, was the first to involve neutral umpires.
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82
2007
Niall O’Brien: 72 off 107 balls v Pakistan, Kingston. Match Impact: 11.48 A surprise name for highest impact performance at the World Cup, Niall O’Brien’s runs against Pakistan were pure gold. Having kept Pakistan to 132 runs, Ireland were under pressure. Coming in at 15 for 2, Niall, the wicketkeeper, built steady partnerships even as wickets fell. He was the fifth Irish batsman out, but of the 108 runs on the board then, 72 were scored by him. Niall’s brother Kevin completed the formalities for a memorable upset. Almost 54% of Ireland’s total was scored by Niall.
Final: Australia v Sri Lanka Australia were at their rampant best in the tournament, defeating every side they encountered. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, reached the final after consistent performances. On that April 28 in Barbados, after rain delayed the start, Adam Gilchrist (149 off 104 balls) lit up a gloomy day with some astonishing hitting, taking Australia to 281 St Patrick’s Day. An Irish cultural celebration, parades, free-flowing Guinness. And that was even before minnows Ireland beat Pakistan in their maiden World Cup. Dave Langford-Smith sent back Mohammad Hafeez early and Boyd Rankin had the measure of Younis Khan. Rankin returned 3 for 32, Andre Botha sent back Imran
FLASH BACK
Nazir and Inzamam-ul-Haq in a spell that read 8-4-52, and all Ireland needed was to chase down 133. A steady head from Niall O’Brien despite wobbles around him took Ireland over the line in 41.4 overs with three wickets in hand. It was the Irish green that won the day. The party went on just that much longer, and for a while, everyone wanted to be Irish that March 17.
for 4 in the allotted 38 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya (63) and Kumar Sangakkara (54) kept Sri Lanka in the chase till the 20th over, but once they were dismissed, the chase fell apart. Sri Lanka managed just 215 for 8 in 36 overs, giving Australia a 53-run win by Duckworth-Lewis method and their third title in the fading light. Brief Scores: Kensington Oval, Barbados: Australia 281/4 in 38 overs (Adam Gilchrist 149, Matthew Hayden 38, Ricky Ponting 37; Lasith Malinga 2-49) beat Sri Lanka 215/8 in 36 overs (Sanath Jayasuriya 63, Kumar Sangakkara 54; Michael Clarke 2-33) by 53 runs (D/L method). MoM: Adam Gilchrist
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The worst few days of my life
sent back to bowl in the Ranji Trophy. But Rahul bhai
We needed something positive, and winning the World
As it turned out, I was in the squad, and slowly started
T20 helped all of us recover from the loss
to bowl better, but wasn’t in the team for the three
(Dravid) had told me that I would be playing in the World Cup, so I was confident.
matches we played before returning home. Munaf
Ir f a n P a t h a n
(Patel), Zaheer (Khan) and Ajit (Agarkar) were all
That World Cup just didn’t work out for us.
tournament finished. I still don’t know how to describe
bowling well, so I didn’t get a chance. And then our that experience, of losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
We had prepared well, played quite a bit of cricket in
and crashing out. For two nights we didn’t step out of
the lead-up to the World Cup. We visited West Indies in
the hotel. Those were the longest two nights for all of
2006 and won the Test series. We had a full tour there,
us. We didn’t feel like doing anything, going anywhere,
which we felt would have helped us get used to the
meeting anyone. I think it took me more than two
conditions there. Then we went to South Africa as well.
weeks to fully realise what had happened. It was the
I thought our team was a strong one with a lot of very
worst few days of my life.
experienced players and a lot of quality. We also had a lot of camps just before. So the preparation was quite
It’s not an excuse, but I do feel that the format of that
good. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for us once
tournament made it difficult for a team to come back
the World Cup started.
after a loss. I don’t know what would have happened if we hadn’t won the first World Twenty20 later that
As many might remember, I was sent back home from
same year. We needed something positive, and winning
South Africa (in December 2006) because I wasn’t
the World T20 helped all of us. But the memories of
bowling well. It was a strange time for me. I think I
that World Cup – I still don’t like talking about that
was batting beautifully then and the team was keen
World Cup.
on having me as a frontline batsman. I got runs against good bowlers in South Africa. I got my first first-class century on that tour as well, against Morne Morkel,
Irfan Pathan was a seam-bowling allrounder who played 29 Tests and 120 ODIs for India.
Nantie Hayward, Alfonso Thomas and others. I was at my best as a batsman, but not as a bowler. So I was
As told to Shamya Dasgupta
WORLD CUP FACTS Herschelle Gibbs became the first batsman to hit six 6s in an over in an international match in 2007. The unfortunate bowler was the Netherlands’ Daan van Bunge. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
84 ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 WORLD CUP 2015
On the road – Arundhati Sridhar
City Overview – Brisbane
A day in ... Dunedin
Like nearly every major city of note, life in Brisbane choreographs itself around a river. The Brisbane river, as it is quite simply called, runs through the city, its every bend creating small pockets of independent urban villages, each with a personality of its own. The river itself is lined with plenty of Readconstructed the full article on strategically walkways to explore the wisdenindia.com - ON THE ROAD
Afternoon: With one of the most textured histories in the country, marrying strands of Scottish and Maori cultures, the city of Dunedin deserves an Read the full article on introduction that brings it all together. The Toitu h a wisdenindia.com - ON THE ROAD
Queensland’s state capital is Australia’s third-largest city, but one that has often been accused of being “the world’s largest country town”, for its laidback pace and townie vibe. But from being a penal colony and dumping ground for murderers, rapists and repeat offenders, to becoming one of Australia’s most photogenic and liveable cities, Brisbane has had one of the most remarkable turnarounds.
Morning: Dunedin, much like the rest of New Zealand, finds itself surrounded by places of incredible scenic beauty. Make the most of the crisp morning air and indulge in an hour-long drive from the heart of the city towards the very tip of the picturesque Otage peninsula. At the end of a winding trail lies the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head, which houses the world’s only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross. Pick from the many tours the centre offers, and enjoy the morning surrounded by wildlife.
Eden Park, Auckland One of the semifinal venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, New Zealand’s largest, most iconic stadium has a special association with World Cups in general, holding the record for being the only ground to have hosted two Rugby World Cup finals. This, in some sense, explains its diamond-shaped layout, something that continues to make field placements a nightmare for all cricket captains.
MC Melbourne Now one of the most iconic sights in world sport, it is hard to believe that the mighty MCG was not always on such … firm ground. What was originally called the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1846, a public parkland situated further downstream from its current location, was constantly prone
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Cricketer’s Quote: Adelaide
For the cricket fan: New Zealand Cricket Museum, Wellington Located within the picturesque Basin Reserve, the New Zealand Cricket Museum is a well-curated, succinct introduction to cricketing history in the country. Organised chronologically by decade, it houses rare pictures, newspaper clippings, letters, scorecards and interactive digital instalments that walk one through the many changes that cricket has seen – from the equipment, to the stadia, to the rules. Though the collection is limited, the memorabilia on display – like the original 1743 Addington bat – is sure to delight the cricket buff.
“Whenever I get to a new city, one of my favourite things to do is explore it by foot or by bike, especially given that most cities in Australia are extremely intimate and walkable. But of them all, Adelaide probably has some of the prettiest cycling tracks I have come across. And the walks around are just as scenic.” – Greg Chappell
A visit to the museum can be clubbed with a match, Read thean fulloffarticle on earn yourself a or you can go on day and wisdenindia.com - ON THE ROAD
CG ourne to flooding when the Yarra would breach its banks. The flooding was so severe that the club had bigger worries than the lack of effective drainage, and it wasn’t uncommon to find them advertising for the return of the dressing rooms that had taken a swim down the river.
Hagley Oval, Christchurch The idyllic feel of the Hagley Oval, flanked by grassy banks and the lone gentle pavilion, belies the enormity of its symbolism in the recent history of Christchurch. Following the earthquake that hit the city in February 2011, the ground has gone from being a mass of rubble at Lancaster Park to a worthy venue for the World Cup opening match at Hagley Park, a triumph of no small measure.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
86
2011
AB de Villiers: 107* off 105 balls v West Indies, Delhi. Match Impact: 10.53 In a tournament where Kevin O’Brien scored a 50-ball century and Andrew Strauss scored 158, AB de Villiers’ innings against West Indies was the highest impact performance. After West Indies were bowled out for 222, South Africa were tested by Kemar Roach and Sulieman Benn. De Villiers walked in at a high-pressure situation at the end of five overs, at 20 for 2, and put together a 119-run partnership with Graeme Smith and an unbeaten 84-run stand with JP Duminy to take South Africa home with seven wickets and seven overs to spare. Final: India v Sri Lanka The 2011 edition pitted two Asian giants against each other. Before an adoring crowd at the Wankhede, Mumbai, India made a solid start, sending both openers back with 60 on the board. Mahela Jayawardene (108) carried the innings and some late hitting helped Sri Lanka post 274 for 6. The Indian openers made a poorer start, sent back by Lasith Malinga after 31. Virat Kohli (35)
Five wickets for 31 runs and an unbeaten fifty against Ireland – the first to get a five-for and a half-century in the same World Cup match. One century and four fifties for India. Four Man of the Match Awards. Man
FLASH BACK
of the Tournament, with 362 runs at 90.50 to go with 15 wickets at 25.13. World Cup champion. 2011 was Yuvraj Singh’s tournament, his all-round showing game after game – we would only later learn of the trying circumstances and the overwhelming odds under which these performances came – enthralling his many fans at home and guiding his team to a much-awaited title.
and Gautam Gambhir (97) steadied the rocking ship, adding 83 for the third wicket, but it was to be the MS Dhoni (91 off 79 balls) show. The Indian captain added 109 with Gambhir, finishing things off with a memorable six over long-on to take India to a World Cup win after 28 years. Jayawardene became the first batsman to end up on the losing side after scoring a century in the final. Brief scores: Wankhede, Mumbai: Sri Lanka 274/6 in 50 overs (Kumar Sangakkara 48, Mahela Jayawardene 108; Zaheer Khan 2-60, Yuvraj Singh 2-49) lost to India 277/4 in 48.2 overs (Gautam Gambhir 97, MS Dhoni 91 n.o.; Lasith Malinga 2-42) by six wickets. MoM: MS Dhoni
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It was one of those life-changing moments It was impossible to control emotions and it seemed totally acceptable for adults to behave like children
live each and every second of it. While some players shouted and some cried, others were keen to go ahead with the victory lap in front of an ecstatic Wankhede crowd. *** Something else that made the World Cup triumph really special was the fact that many of my teammates
S a c h i n T e n d u lk a r
dedicated the achievement to me. I felt overwhelmed. Once we had finished with the awards ceremony and
I have to confess that I did not actually see what millions of Indians saw with ecstasy and delight that night. I did not see my ultimate dream being fulfilled, the moment I had waited to savour since making my debut in November 1989. The reason was that when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the winning six at the Wankhede Stadium, I was with Virender Sehwag in the dressing room, praying. I wasn’t asking God to help us win. All I wanted was that God should do what was best for us, for Indian cricket and the Indian cricket team.
the lap of honour, the scene of action moved to our dressing room. I opened the first bottle of champagne and subsequently made a point of getting it signed by all my teammates. It now has pride of place in the cellar at my house. We tried to make the most of the moment in as many different ways as possible. We took countless photographs. First it was the players, then we took some with Gary (Kirsten), who had just served out his last match as India coach. Paddy Upton and Mike Horn,
***
both important members of our support unit, soon
Frankly, at first it was difficult to take in that we had won the World Cup. It was almost as if there was still
joined in and it seemed totally acceptable for adults to behave like children.
a match left in the tournament. But when I ran onto the ground and embraced an emotional Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), it was impossible to control my emotions. It was one of those life-changing moments and we wanted to
Excerpted from Playing It My Way, Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography.
WORLD CUP FACTS Kevin O’Brien, his hair dyed pink in aid of charity, hit the fastest World Cup century, in 50 balls, in Ireland’s memorable win over England in Banglalore in the 2011 edition. He made 113 in 63 deliveries. ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
88
Then there were XI
One super team of the world’s best participating in 2015 World Cup - Shashank Kishore
Brendon McCullum New Zealand’s captain brings a mixture of brute force and timing to the table. He has spearheaded a remarkable turnaround through his ability to lead from the front and galvanise a team that has faded away after promising starts at previous editions. New Zealand are in red hot form, and McCullum, the leader, has blown attacks away – his strike rate is over 115 in the past year – led a rearguard effort, rescued the team out of a tight corner and instilled belief in his outfit.
A favourite pastime of a cricket aficionado – and a debate most likely to descend to agonising pedantry and assume the most unparliamentary, Warnereque of proportions – is an attempt to pick a unique XI – the best, the greatest, in this decade, of all-time, between the summer solstice of 1983 and Sachin’s 16th birthday.... Wisden India took up the fool’s errand in all earnestness, looking to build a fantasy XI from the players participating in the ICC World Cup 2015. The World Cup hosts the most experienced at the top of their game, the young rookies hungry to prove a point, the old warhorses on their last lap – the 15 best cricketers from every country. To whittle the choice down to the 2015 World Cup XI, in batting order, we looked at ability, experience of playing in cricket’s biggest extravaganza (minimum of five matches) and current form, and we chose from teams most likely to make the quarterfinals. The composition of the side is simple: Seven specialist batsmen, including MS Dhoni, captain and wicketkeeper; one allrounder in Shahid Afridi, who can be relied on to bowl ten overs on most days; three out and out pacers; and a spinner in Daniel Vettori for variety. If the pitch demands an extra seam bowling option, Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka skipper at the 2015 World Cup, would walk into the side in place of Afridi. Else, Afridi, more experienced and higher impact, would pip Mathews’s industry.
Hashim Amla Amla’s never-ending thirst for runs and the ease with which he makes them is godly. He became the fastest to get to 5000 ODI runs, in just 101 innings, eclipsing Virat Kohli’s record. One can but be awed by those flicks and the punch through the off side. And with 19 ODI tons in 104 innings – five of those centuries came in 2014, two more this year – Amla’s conversion rate is the best in international cricket. What are the odds of that figure just getting better at the 2015 World Cup?
89
Virat Kohli If The King believes Kohli is the boss in the shorter format, need we say more? The swagger is hard to miss; the timing even better and his ability to nonchalantly put up tall totals make him one of the modern-day marvels. Hot-headed and temperamental at times, Kohli’s in-yourface attitude stems from his ability to walk the talk. Nineteen of his 21 centuries have come in an Indian win, and 14 while India were chasing. He averages 64.26 at a strike rate of 92.84 while chasing, better than his average of 51.5. Why wouldn’t you want him on your side?
Kumar Sangakkara With 1256 runs in 28 innings, Sangakkara was the highest ODI run-getter in 2014. Artistic, elegant and with a penchant for big runs, while also bringing tactical acumen, his value to a side can’t be understated. Given the form he’s been in, even as he gets ready to sign off, 2015 could be Sangakkara’s best World Cup yet.
AB de Villiers Is there anything on the cricket field that AB de Villiers can’t do? When he isn’t keeping wickets, he effects runouts with ease, makes difficult catches look like child’s play, scores centuries off just 31 balls, plays audacious reverse sweeps for six against bowlers who hurl the ball in at close to 150 clicks, and, more importantly, reminds his teammates that the ‘chokers’ tag is a thing of the past.
ISSUE 7, FEBRUARY 2015
MS Dhoni (capt, wk)
MS Dhoni, ranked among the best ODI finishers of all time, will come in at No. 6. What the men coming above him start, he can finish. He has proved orthodoxy and methods have little value in the game if the results aren’t there to back it up. Who better than the captain of the defending World Cup champions and India’s most successful ODI captain to lead you team?
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Shahid Afridi
Mitchell Johnson
James Anderson
Afridi is like a ticking time bomb with both bat and ball, one that goes Boom Boom when you least expect it. A handy legspinner who is guaranteed to give ten overs most times, he’s also the one a captain would look towards to pull a team out of a sticky situation.
From being someone the Barmy Army dismissed as the one who “bowled to the left and right”, he’s turned into a bowler whose very name on the team-sheet can give his team a psychological advantage. A pace of close to 150 kph, ability to swing the ball both in the air and off the pitch makes him dangerous even on the most docile wickets. In home conditions, he could be the X-factor for his side.
England’s only representative in this XI, he is the secondmost experienced bowler when it comes to World Cup, having been part of campaigns in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Generally a parsimonious bowler, he has signalled a return to form after a considerable injury layoff. In Australia, expect him to swing the new ball and run riot.
Dale Steyn Perhaps the most complete bowler of the generation, Steyn will go down in the pantheons of South African cricket as one of the greats. Few inspire the awe he does when in full flow. The sprint, the release, the wrist action, the banana swing and yorker make him a stand out, one who can intimidate the opponents. In many ways, his mannerisms and ability is a throwback to the West Indian era where the fast bowlers ruled the roost and had the ability to keep the batsmen in their tracks, not by words, but just with their action.
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Daniel Vettori The New Zealand veteran – he has been a part of World Cup campaigns since 1999 – has been plagued with injuries to his back, knee and ankle. But months of rigorous training and commitment has brought him back into contention for perhaps one last shot at glory. One of the best left-arm spinners in the modern day, Vettori’s ability to fox the batsman in the air, as much as he can off the pitch, makes him a tough proposition.
12th man:
Angelo Mathews Tactful, proactive and aggressive, Mathews had a terrific 2014 as captain and player, leading Sri Lanka to their fifth Asia Cup title, among other ODI honours against England and Pakistan. In all this, he brought up his first ODI century, against India in a series Sri Lanka would lose. His emergence as a leader and an allrounder makes him vital in any World XI side.
WORLD CUP ’15 SUPER XI
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ZIMBABWE
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POOL B
Strengths
While they aren’t expected to set off quakes at the 2015 World Cup, Zimbabwe have a few players on whom they firmly place their hopes. Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor and Elton Chigumbura form the crux of their batting, and if they can get going, they can reach a total that the likes of Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara can realistically hope to defend. In Sean Williams, left-arm spinner, and Solomon Mire, the medium-pacer, Zimbabwe also have two useful allrounders. Crucially, Dav Whatmore is a vastly experienced coach who won the World Cup with Sri Lanka in 1996. He has rung in the changes and Zimbabwe could finally turn a corner.
Weaknesses
When they drew blanks in the Test and one-day tour of Bangladesh, the batting line-up’s propensity to collapse was apparent. At the World Cup, Zimbabwe will face attacks far tougher than Bangladesh, and building partnerships will be key to their survival. They also haven’t played preparatory ODIs for the tournament. Their last ODI was against Bangladesh in December 1, and the build-up has consisted of domestic cricket, an ‘A’ series against Canada and a training camp in Dubai.
“By 2023 we want to be contending for the World Cup. That’s the aim. It’s not an aim that’s unrealistic. It’s achievable. We’ve got a long-term view on this.” - Alastair Campbell, Zimbabwe Cricket managing director World Cup history
Zimbabwe have played in eight World Cups so far, but they peaked in the 1999 and 2003 editions, making the Super Six stage on both occasions. In 1999, they beat the likes of India and South Africa, along with Kenya, on their way past the group stages, while in 2003, they posted totals in excess of 300 against Namibia and Netherlands, on their way to the next stage.
SQUAD Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa, Tinashe Panyangara, Brendan Taylor (wk), Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.
Watch out for
At 31 years of age, and 14 years into his international career, Hamilton Masakadza will make his World Cup debut. Inexperience, form and injuries over the years meant he had to be left out of previous World Cup squads. He has been in good form in domestic one-dayers. As an opener, the starts he provides will be instrumental in Zimbabwe’s fortunes. He averaged 35.46 in 2014, including half-centuries against Australia and South Africa in the tri-series. More of the same is expected.
FIXTURES Feb 15: SOUTH AFRICA, HAMILTON Feb 19: UAE, NELSON Feb 24: WEST INDIES, Canberra March 1: PAKISTAN, BRISBANE March 7: IRELAND, Hobart March 14: INDIA, AUCKLAND
- Manoj Narayan
Almanack
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