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Friday, November 03, 2006
Cricket cricket cricket. Immense boredom comes
That's my tepid six-word reaction to the ongoing Champions Trophy. Salil Benegal, a young man not yet as jaded as I have become, has much better reports of each game of the Champions Trophy in a post titled "Going for maximum."
To be honest, it's not that the cricket is boring: it's just that when one has covered cricket for a while, it all gets too much. I'm looking forward to the World Cup, though, where I think seven teams have a more-or-less equal chance of winning. Three good days in succession is what it effectively takes to seal the cup, and a number of teams have the capability to lift themselves up:
Australia, for obvious reasons, the biggest among them their fantastic bowling line-up, for bowlers do win one-day matches;
West Indies, consistent underperformers but immensely talented (and they'll be on home turf);
South Africa, still a hard team to beat;
Pakistan, who have a horde of genuine (not bits-and-pieces) allrounders and matchwinners;
England, who are on the down now, but have matchwinners like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen who can turn games on their own;
Sri Lanka, who'll find the conditions in West Indies similar to those at home, with lots in it for their slow bowlers;
and finally, India, despite this recent woes. Too many of their batsmen have been out of form at the same time for too long, and if that changes, I still believe this could be a heck of a side.
and no, despite their charge to the semi-final here, I don't believe New Zealand can win the cup. I love underdogs, but there simply isn't enough talent there.
And whaddya mean I'm playing it safe? I stuck my neck out on New Zealand, didn't I?
Update: Anand Ramachandran explains why he supports the Indian team.
To be honest, it's not that the cricket is boring: it's just that when one has covered cricket for a while, it all gets too much. I'm looking forward to the World Cup, though, where I think seven teams have a more-or-less equal chance of winning. Three good days in succession is what it effectively takes to seal the cup, and a number of teams have the capability to lift themselves up:
Australia, for obvious reasons, the biggest among them their fantastic bowling line-up, for bowlers do win one-day matches;
West Indies, consistent underperformers but immensely talented (and they'll be on home turf);
South Africa, still a hard team to beat;
Pakistan, who have a horde of genuine (not bits-and-pieces) allrounders and matchwinners;
England, who are on the down now, but have matchwinners like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen who can turn games on their own;
Sri Lanka, who'll find the conditions in West Indies similar to those at home, with lots in it for their slow bowlers;
and finally, India, despite this recent woes. Too many of their batsmen have been out of form at the same time for too long, and if that changes, I still believe this could be a heck of a side.
and no, despite their charge to the semi-final here, I don't believe New Zealand can win the cup. I love underdogs, but there simply isn't enough talent there.
And whaddya mean I'm playing it safe? I stuck my neck out on New Zealand, didn't I?
Update: Anand Ramachandran explains why he supports the Indian team.
