Who are you supporting!!!!
Who will win this time..???
Once known as the gentlemen’s game….Now come to an aura when its fought fiercely as ever...Team for most continent will be putting there best efforts for the Glory of Holding World Cup in there Hands.
World Cup returning to Subcontinent after 15 after the 1996 spectacles…where Sri Lanka came winners, where likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana at top with followed by classy Aravinda de Silva and Smart Captain as Arjuna Ranatunga …followed with the likes of Roshan Mahanama, Hashan Tillakaratne Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Dharmasena and team to support in Bowling department.
Happening in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh if would be highly competitive affairs where 14 Team would be challenging for the World Cup from the hands of Australia, winner of 1999, 2003 and 2007 trying to go after unprecedented quadruple of major trophies. The team which won Australia was of different league altogether and had a captain who was a warrior in Steve Waugh, it started the dominance of Australia which was followed by Ricky Ponting. Now to forget there Victory in 1987 under Allan Border and there dominance of International cricket from there on…
Coming to 1992 world cup where the Pakistan under the captaincy of the one of the great all rounder Imran Khan went on win the world cup, it was a world cup where World Noticed one of the greatest left arm pacer of all time…Wasim Akram. As well there was upcoming and ferocious lad known as Inzamam-ul-Haq with chipping performance from the like of Javed Miandad, Aamir Sohail, Rameez Raja and Saleem Malik. There was Mushtaq Ahmed who seems to be a find in the leg spinning department with a Googly which was not readable by most batsmen.
Now if we talk about flare and brut power and elegance we will come to West Indies once known as super power with there dominance of World Cricket from 70’s… its been a unconditional slide to the bottom… think of guys like Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Desmond Haynes and an upcoming start know as Viv Richards. With a Bowing line up of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner this was a line up for a decade which will have shivers in your throat… bowlers coming down to knock your heads off… the "Big Bird", Joel garner, 'Whispering Death' Michael Holding, just imagine a ball coming from 7 feet to your toes and crushing it…such where there dominance the before playing the opponent there where aware of the threat from there bowlers, and the likes of Greenidge and Haynes at top followed with destructive Richards, Lloyd, Kallicharran and the Jeff Dujon a street smarter cricketer who was behind the stumps to cheer the Windes all the time.
People who follow England, would be the most disappointing once after reaching three finals they still an allusively trophy which is alluded them for 36 years, WORLD CUP’s invented in the Mecca of cricket the Lord’s.
South Africa, know as the biggest choker in the World cricket…are the most deserving with what they brought to the game in 1992 with the fielding standards going sky rocketing and every one to be a Jonty Rhodes… Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Andrew Hudson, Brian McMillan, Dave Richardson, Peter Kirsten, Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Daryll Cullinan, Shaun Pollack, Allan Donald, Lance Klusener …it was team with maximum All-rounder in the world…at that time…player who could change any instance of match with there performance.
Just Imagine if Donald had kept his nerve in 1999 semifinal, Klusener was wining on his own, there calculation in 2003 where they where knocked out on Duckworth–Lewis… as host nation.
New Zealand, the most underrated team in this world cup there are coming after a disastrous campaign in India and back Home against Pakistan. Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya, Netherlands, Ireland will try to have giant killing in offer with defeating one of the contenders to upset the competition and have it open contest.
Bangladesh as a host nation will have there hands full with crowd cheering and number of matches in home will be there to upset a set team and qualify further in the rounds.
India at last will be there to compete and get this trophy back after 28 years, its was a moment when thing changed in the cricket fraternity…and the fan following increased like anything….
This is World Cup is goin to be one of the most open WORLD CUPS with team gunning to battle against each other for the Trophy….India started in 1975 with Srinivas Venkataraghavan as there captain which consisted of Syed Abid Ali, Mohinder Amarnath, Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Anshuman Gaekwad, Eknath Solkar, Gundappa Viswanath and many more… India did not qualify for the semis…in 1979 as well they did not qualify for the semis.
In 1983, no one expected any great things for a team like India, with a captain who was a fighter there was new spirit inherited in the whole squad which consisted of some great names as Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Roger Binny, Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani (wk), Madan Lal, hard hitting Sandeep Patil, the Banana Ball Man (Do you remember that!!!) Balwinder Sandhu, Yashpal Sharma, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Dilip Vengsarkar though there was Kirti Azad, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Valson… it was team with self belief and a fighter mentality which was inherited from Kapil Dev, playing with care free attitude and not fear the opponent was the highlight…It was a David Vs Golith match where the 2 time champions West Indies where expected to win the world, and the way Richard started trashing the India Bowler they felt, that he had some engagement and want to finish the match soon as chasing mere 183 in 60 overs wasn’t a difficult challenge to Windes…with there line up… and then a brilliance from the captain came the moment with taking that catch running back ward that was a highlight of that match .. He ran backwards and took a stunner for the Joy to Indian Supports... then with the brilliance on Amarnath slow military medium pace it finished of the tail…and as they say the rest is history….
1987 was the Brilliant batting from Graham Gooch and captain Mike Gatting… took England to finals…1992 was India did not qualify for the Semis.
1996 event happening in India with the greatest batmen ever (You know who!!!) firing in all cylinder, India Stormed to Semis against Srilanka, but the disgrace of the crowds and wicket falling the match awarded to Sri Lanka by match referee Clive Lloyd when play could not continue due to the rioting crowd. 1999trying to repeat the 1983 glory the team tried to put performance but eventually losing to Australia and New Zealand in Super Six.
2003 was a totally new chapter after a disastrous tour of New Zealand, not many gave India any chance to do well… but after there defeat to Australia in Group stage… they did pretty well to reach the Final… with good performance from the team especially at the top from the mater himself who was the highest run getter (673) and Man of the Series.. His performance against Pakistan…. but to lose to Australia in Finals still hurts….
2007 was the Disaster as India where knocked out in Group stages itself….
2011….????? Is I am waiting for a new chapter in the history of Indian Cricket with the team lead by astute captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni…with team supported by the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan with the bowing lead by Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, Nehra, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin and the Master to up the ante whenever required.. Hope to see them do well in this World Cup…
It’s a wish to God to see Sachin Lift the World Cup trophy non 02nd of April in Mumbai it would be a fitting tribute to the man who has entertained every on over more than decades…
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