| Calypso Cricket has long thrilled fans with its cavalier | | | | The host nation can rarely be discounted in a major |
| approach to an often unnecessarily complicated | | | | tournament, and the West Indies are the kind of team |
| gentleman's game. 'Why find a gap in the field when | | | | to win it just for kicks. Or at least they used to be. This |
| you can just hit over the top,' argued West Indian great | | | | current crop has talent, inconsistency continues to |
| Sir Vivian Richards. Likewise, as a spectator sport, | | | | baffle their legion of frustrated fans. The ever-present |
| cricket in the Caribbean has always been a world | | | | Brian Lara will make one last hurrah, but it's the opening |
| apart. It is best described as a 'lively party' painted with | | | | pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle who |
| colour and equipped with seasoned conches, drums | | | | could well dictate how far the team progresses. |
| and various other instruments to add to the rhythmic | | | | Jerome Taylor is developing quickly as a strike bowler, |
| flavoured day. Just imagine, in Australia even beach | | | | and Ian Bradshaw has a good one-day record, but the |
| balls are confiscated upon entrance; in Barbados, | | | | West Indies lack frontline bowlers to keep opposition |
| ushers guide 'loud' fans to mounds where lively | | | | batsmen in check. Given an all-round team |
| spectators and DJs are jamming to calypso and soca | | | | performance though, and who knows what home |
| chutney. | | | | ground advantage might bring? |
| Hosting cricket's showcase event is an enormous task | | | | Player to Watch: Dwayne Bravo |
| for any nation, let alone a region as distinct as the | | | | Bravo is exactly what the West Indies have been |
| West Indies. | | | | looking for - a genuine, athletic all-rounder. Bravo made |
| "Ten years ago if you said that nine governments | | | | a huge impression on debut in England in 2004, and |
| would combine to pass legislation for the World Cup, | | | | hasn't looked back since. An attacking though |
| and that this scale of construction would happen, | | | | technically astute middle order batsmen, and a |
| people would have said you were mad. Since the | | | | deceptive medium-pace bowler, Bravo has injected |
| 1930s we have taken cricket in the Caribbean for | | | | some timely enthusiasm into Caribbean cricket. |
| granted but now we have the chance to change the | | | | 6. India |
| game for ever. We have spent more than $300m and | | | | Prediction: Super 8's |
| used it to overhaul everything. It has been a fantastic | | | | Expectation weighs heaviest on Team India, and their |
| exercise." -Chief Executive of the World Cup, Chris | | | | form is often harder to gauge than a winter monsoon. |
| Dehring | | | | Yet coach Greg Chappell seems to have turned them |
| Whether Dehring's enthusiasm translates to a | | | | around in recent months, with axed captain Sourav |
| smoothly run tournament is a matter of some concern | | | | Ganguly returning to the fray as an opening batsmen, |
| for an anxious cricket public. One thing is for certain | | | | and poster boy Sachin Tendulkar enjoying yet another |
| though, when the tournament opens in Jamaica on | | | | purple patch. But scoring runs has never been India's |
| March 13th, any speculation about the fate of the 2007 | | | | problem; stopping runs has proven harder. Harbajan |
| Cricket World Cup will fade away seamlessly into the | | | | Singh and Anil Kumble give them attacking slow |
| rhythm of the diverse crowd as all eyes focus on that | | | | bowling options, but the conditions in the Caribbean |
| shiny red ball. | | | | won't suit their sharp turn. Likewise pace duo Zaheer |
| Preview | | | | Khan and Ajit Agarkar are too erratic to regularly |
| So, who will win the 2007 World Cup? Well... | | | | trouble the world's best top orders. If India tighten up in |
| 1. Australia | | | | the field though, don't discount the sleeping giant. |
| Prediction: Champion | | | | Player to Watch: MS Dhoni |
| The reigning World Cup holders are in ominous form. | | | | The glamour boy of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni gets the |
| They secured the Champions Trophy in India in | | | | crowds jumping, the girls swooning, and the selectors |
| November, then trounced England and New Zealand | | | | licking their lips. The long-haired wicketkeeper is also a |
| at home. Their belligerent on-field approach has won | | | | punishing middle-order batsman as he proved in both |
| them some critics, but it's also won them a lot of tight | | | | Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2005. |
| matches. Captain Ricky Ponting is a tactical master | | | | 7. Sri Lanka |
| who knows how to choke opposition teams. | | | | Prediction: Super 8's |
| Wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist is capable of | | | | The 1996 World Champions have done well to stay |
| destroying potent attacks, Brett Lee has matured into | | | | competitive after a golden era. This well-coached, |
| a devastating one-day bowler, and Michael Hussey | | | | flamboyant side continues to produce impressive |
| has built a reputation as a clinical finisher. World | | | | results. Their solid away record is due to batting depth, |
| domination never gets old for this mob. Reason | | | | sharp fielding, and a couple of star bowlers, namely |
| enough to keep them very safe. | | | | world-record wicket taker, Muttiah Muralitharan and |
| Player to watch: Andrew Symonds | | | | veteran leftie, Chaminda Vaas. With Jayawardene as |
| An electrifying exponent of the modern game, | | | | an uncompromising, positive captain, and stalwart |
| Symonds is a dread-locked, zinc-lipped master - look | | | | slasher Sanath Jayasuriya still getting his team off to a |
| for his middle-order mayhem with the bat. Symonds is | | | | flying start with the bat, look for Sri Lanka to cause a |
| more than handy with the ball too. He can bowl either | | | | few serious headaches. |
| darting off-spin or probing medium-pace, and his fielding | | | | Player to Watch: Lasith Malinga |
| is quite simply the finest in world cricket. | | | | This fiery fast bowler has been a revelation for the |
| 2. South Africa | | | | small island nation. His round-arm action leaves |
| Prediction: Semi-Finals | | | | batsmen with little time to sight the ball, and his |
| South Africa remains a well-drilled unit, with an | | | | reputation for toe-crunching yorkers and searing |
| experienced top shelf. Captain Graeme Smith heads a | | | | bouncers has cricket fans lining up to see him play. |
| talented batting line-up that relies on the stroke-making | | | | Malinga is sure to relish the West Indian pitches too, so |
| of Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs. Throw in two | | | | look for him to make a real impact at World Cup 2007. |
| tough all-rounders in Justin Kemp and Andrew Hall, plus | | | | 8. England |
| the bouncy Makhaya Ntini, and most sides will find | | | | Prediction: Super 8's |
| them hard to keep out. | | | | The tragedy of international one-day cricket, England |
| Player to Watch: Mark Boucher | | | | has won only a handful of matches in the past two |
| Vice-captain Mark Boucher is a tremendous lower | | | | years. Conservative and short-sighted selections |
| order batsman, and a world-class glovesman who | | | | haven't helped the cause, such as the latest Australian |
| marshals an excellent fielding side. The 30-year-old | | | | tour which saw three players in their mid-30's make |
| thrives in difficult situations, but can also accelerate an | | | | their debut. There are some positives though, namely |
| innings at the death. If called upon, he rarely fails. | | | | the brave stand-in captain Andrew Flintoff and dashing |
| 3. Pakistan | | | | batsman Kevin Pietersen. The return of opener |
| Prediction: Semi-Finals | | | | Michael Vaughan will make an enormous difference |
| Coach Bob Woolmer will be looking for consistency | | | | too, as will the continued development of cagey |
| from his fresh-faced Pakistan side that showed | | | | spinner Monty Panesar and swing bowler James |
| promise on 2006 tours to South Africa and India. Only | | | | Anderson. |
| the much-maligned captain Inzamam-ul-Haq remains | | | | Player to Watch: Kevin Pieterson |
| from the star-studded 1992 World Cup winning side, | | | | The out-and-out star of English cricket, charismatic |
| but key batsmen Younis Khan and Mohammed | | | | Kevin has rocked the establishment with his natural |
| Yousuf (currently rated #1 in the world) are a | | | | aggression and powerful stroke-making. Pietersen has |
| formidable middle-order presence. Plus young | | | | the confidence to lead from the front, and without him |
| speedster Mohammed Asif has emerged as a big | | | | England are a timid and miserable bunch. When he's in |
| wicket taker. If the opening batsmen can settle, then | | | | the mood though, there are few better exponents of |
| Pakistan will surely threaten the big boys. | | | | the art of batting. |
| Player to Watch: Shoaib Akhtar | | | | Group A |
| Pakistan's chances of World Cup glory were given an | | | | 1. Australia |
| enormous boost recently when speed demon Shoaib | | | | 2. South Africa |
| Akhtar had a two-year ban for steroid use lifted by | | | | 3. Scotland |
| the Pakistan Cricket Board. Love him or hate him, the | | | | 4. Netherlands |
| high-flying playboy is a proven match-winner. He has | | | | Warner Park Stadium, St Kitts & Nevis |
| sheer pace and a mysterious ability to reverse swing | | | | Group B |
| the ball. If fit and firing, Pakistan will go a long way. | | | | 1.India |
| 4. New Zealand | | | | 2. Sri Lanka |
| Prediction: Semi-finals | | | | 3. Bangladesh |
| A one-day specialist side, the Black Caps are a | | | | 4. Bermuda |
| tenacious defensive team, with enough firepower to | | | | Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago |
| cause upsets. The bowling attack boasts a | | | | Group C |
| world-class spinner in Daniel Vettori who has | | | | 1. New Zealand |
| developed into a fine artist of flighted left-arm | | | | 2. England |
| orthodox, the rejuvenated paceman Shane Bond, and | | | | 3. Kenya |
| underrated seamer Mark Gillespie. Captain Stephen | | | | 4. Canada |
| Fleming fronts a flexible batting line-up, with a lower | | | | Beausejour Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia |
| order full of dash. If the top order can shake off a | | | | Group D |
| tendency to self-destruct, then New Zealand will take | | | | 1. Pakistan |
| advantage of their weak grouping. | | | | 2. West Indies |
| Player to Watch: Jacob Oram | | | | 3. Zimbabwe |
| Oram is crucial to his team's balance. A muscular | | | | 4. Ireland |
| left-handed batsmen, he has resurrected countless | | | | Sabina Park, Jamaica |
| Black Caps' innings with a mixture of power and grace. | | | | Super 8's* |
| Importantly, Oram also bowls useful medium pace, | | | | Sir Vivian Richards Oval, Antigua & Barbuda |
| which enables the Kiwi selectors to include another | | | | Queen's Park, Grenada |
| specialist batsmen, or promising spinner Jeetan Patel. | | | | Providence Stadium, Guyana |
| An injury-free Jacob Oram holds the key for New | | | | Kensington Oval, Barbados |
| Zealand. | | | | * The top two teams from each group will progress to |
| 5. West Indies | | | | the Super 8's stage. From there, another set of |
| Prediction: Super 8'S | | | | round-robin matches will determine the semi-finalists. |