SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 21

Today's match is only significant as Sri Lanka might just slip to fourth place if they lose to Ireland. Anyways, if Sri Lanka win today or lose by a narrow margin then they are set to most probably face the Kiwis in the semis at Jamaica's Sabina Park. But if the Kiwis complete a shock and convincing rout of the Aussies, then the Lankans are up against Ponting and Co. for the second time in three matches.

Ireland will feature in their last match of he tournament and most of these cricketers will return to their workplaces back home, very well knowing that this World Cup will always be the highpoint of their sporting careers. They bought a sense of joy to this World Cup, and the 'Chicken Dance' is just one of the few examples. Hope the world has one more cricketing nation to look up to.

Ireland v/s Sri Lanka
AKG: Ireland
MJV: Sri Lanka

Match scheduled to start at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 20

Key players won't be rested today. That's because if either England or South Africa lose today's match, they are out of the tournament. Predictions -

England v/s South Africa
AKG: England
MJV: South Africa
Match scheduled to start at 1900 IST on DD-1, SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 18

The clash of the 'minnows' the scribes call it, also a watered-down version for those fans who were expecting a Indo-Pak clash. This match for sure won't be short on enthusiasm or the competitive spirit. Had the Bangladeshi batsmen put on more runs on the board against England, perhaps this match would have assumed even more significance. If they fail today and lose, it would be a disappointment since they are the higher-ranked team. Also, it would nullify the positives of defeating India and South Africa. On the other hand, Ireland could become the 12th team on the ICC's one-day rankings if they beat Bangladesh today. And their best chance to register their first win in this stage would be against Bangladesh.

Our predictions:
Bangladesh v/s Ireland
AKG: Ireland
MJV: Bangladesh

Match scheduled to start at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 16

It's Friday the 13th, and Ashok is looking forward to Ireland shocking Australia. Mathew realises it's the Aussies and feels that it's a good chance for Hussey and Symonds to make big scores.

Australia v/s Ireland
AKG: Ireland
MJV: Australia
Match scheduled to start at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 13

Hosts West Indies take on the recently dethroned World No. 1 team South Africa in a crucial encounter today. The Windies desperately need a win to stay alive in the tournament, while another loss for South Africa after the defeat to Bangladesh will add to the excitement in the scramble for semi-final berths. However, South Africa face a stern test against the West Indies. When it comes to big tournaments such as the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, the Proteas have come a cropper against the men from the Caribbean. Lara and Co. will be hoping to once again squeeze out a win against the 'chokers.' Below are our predictions for today -

South Africa v/s West Indies
AKG: South Africa. They will definitely bounce back from the Bangladesh loss. The Windies better watch out.
MJV: West Indies. The time is ripe for the hosts to revive their chances of winning a World Cup. A victory would surely electrify the atmosphere in the islands.

Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCH DAY 9

Here's our predictions for today.
England v/s Sri Lanka
AKG: England
MJV: Sri Lanka

Match scheduled to start at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi). Do check DD-1 as well.

SHOWDOWN - SUPER EIGHT - MATCHDAY 1

The Super Eight begins today, without two big names, India and Pakistan. But the intense rivalry will go on regardless. The astute oracles that we are, we have been proved otherwise in the last few days. This is a chance for redemption. The red hot Australians are making their opponents dance, but will the Windies follow suit? The Windies have home support and a certain Chris Gayle, along with the post-wicket celebration guru, Dwayne Bravo , which could be deterrents to the Aussie arsenal. Both the predictors, Ashok and Mathew think, and pray that the Windies win today!!

1900 IST on SET MAX (English) and SAB TV (Hindi).

Showdown - Matchday Thirteen

The last match of the group stages shall see Bangladesh take on Bermuda.

Our prediction:
Bangladesh v/s Bermuda
AKG and MJV: Bangladesh. If Bermuda does, Mathew thinks India will win the World Cup.
Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX.

Showdown - Matchday Eleven

Today's the big one. India have to beat Sri Lanka to qualify for the next round. West Indies will take on Ireland in the other match of the day; the Irish will be hoping that an upset win this time around won't have similar repercussions as the last one. Though both the teams have qualified for the next stage, this match is important as two points to be carried forward to the next stage are up for grabs.

So, as usual, our showdown for today.

India v/s Sri Lanka
AKG and MJV: India
Match starts at 1900 IST on SET MAX (English), SAB TV (Hindi) and DD-1.

Ireland v/s West Indies
AKG and MJV: West Indies
Match starts at 2000 IST on PIX.

Showdown - Matchday Ten

Our contributors once again have a go at stretching their powers of prediction.
Netherlands v/s Scotland
AKG: Scotland
MJV: Netherlands
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SAB TV.

Canada v/s New Zealand
AKG and MJV: New Zealand
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SET MAX.

Twenty20 World Cup Draw

Inaugural Twenty20 World Cup Draw

Group A
Bangladesh
South Africa
West Indies

Group B
Australia
England
Zimbabwe

Group C
Kenya
New Zealand
Sri Lanka

Group D
India
Pakistan
Scotland

Venues: Kingsmead, Durban; Newlands, Cape Town; and Wanderers, Johannesburg.
Duration: September 11-24, 2007.

Showdown - Matchday Eight

Indian fans may have heaved more than a sigh of relief following the win over Bermuda yesterday. The West Indies also won their encounter against Zimbabwe, thus booking their place in the next round.

In today's matches, Scotland take on South Africa and New Zealand take on Kenya.

Scotland v/s South Africa
AKG and MJV: South Africa
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SAB TV.

Kenya v New Zealand
AKG: New Zealand.
MJV: Kenya.
Match starts at 19:00 IST on SET MAX.

Poll - Predict this year's Champion

Vote Now - Who will win this year's Cricket World Cup?

The Minnows Strike Back

Mathew J. Varghese

I think we have all lost count of the number of detractors who would have shot down the so-called ‘minnows’ over the last one month. I hope all those who made that statement have learnt a lesson for good after watching yesterday’s matches.

Every Indian supporter will crib over the team’s bad performance; Sehwag should be sent back home blah blah…. But anyone who watched the game without the ‘patriotic’ fervour would have easily seen the difference between the two teams. Bangladesh played like a professional side all through out. Their attitude was positive to say the least, best exemplified by Mashrafe Mortaza’s opening spell, Tamim Iqbal’s aggressive and attractive strokeplay and above all, the team’s daunting presence while on the field. Skipper Habibul Bashar’s prophetic words on the eve of the match was no empty-handed threat. Bangladesh are pretty similar to what Sri Lanka were in the 1996 World Cup, and under the guidance of the same coach. Though I would still not predict anything drastic, as this time’s World Cup is hardly similar to the one in 1996, as far as the schedules go.

Talking about schedules, many blamed the long duration of this World Cup on the fact that the ICC had to accomodate minnows. The 2006 Football World Cup with 32 teams has double the number of teams than what its far-less popular equivalent in cricket has and yet finishes within a month’s time. The group stages in both tournaments see the teams divided in groups of 4 each, with the top two making it through to the next round. However, while the Football World Cup enters a frantic knockout mode after the opening group phase, the ICC since the 1999 World Cup has had a lousy round-robin league for the second phase as well, with the top four making it to the semi-finals.

This is reflected in the schedules as well. While the first stage of this World Cup is from March 13- March 25, the ‘Super Eight’ stage (which was the Super Six in 2003 and 1999) is from March 27 to April 21, after which follows the semis and the finals. When the 'Super Six' was introduced in 1999, many felt it was a backdoor attempt to ensure the sub-continental teams India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were involved for most of the tournament, as that’s where the event will be most followed. Well, has it worked? Pakistan has crashed out in the first stages of this World Cup as well, to add to their ignominious exit in 2003. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka could also put an end to the sport’s biggest revenue-spinner - India.

The minnows have already proved their might at this World Cup. Bangladesh and Ireland have perhaps already accounted for the quota of probable upsets that were bound to occur. One needs to wait and watch if they can make it through to the next round, and if other teams such as Kenya and Zimbabwe can be in the reckoning. As far as Bangladesh pulling off an upset like Sri Lanka did in 1996, I would again say the scheduling perhaps will deny them the chance. Sri Lanka went easily through the group phases thanks to the forfeits by Australia and West Indies then and had three knockout matches that they won to clinch it. However, Bangladesh faces a far sterner test as they need to go through the Super Eight as well. Though one must note that Sri Lanka were unbeaten in that tournament, defeating India twice and Australia in the finals. This Bangladesh side has to now prove the recents wins are no one-off affairs like the one against Australia in 2005, and that they can display the ability shown yesterday with a fair amount of consistency.

The Indian team will be worried for sure, but I am waiting to see how many of the ‘big teams’ may have to pack their bags early thanks to the ‘might of the minnows.’

Showdown - Matchday 3

Well, both contributors got their predictions right yesterday. Anyways, it wasn't a tough decision. Today's matches are also not that difficult to call.

Bermuda v/s Sri Lanka
AKG and MJV: Sri Lanka
View live scores on cricinfo.com

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe
AKG and MJV: Zimbabwe
Mathew was inclined towards Ireland, but swayed over to the other side after considering skipper Prosper Utseya's off-spin.

View live scores on cricinfo.com

Showdown -Matchday 2

Since we are a bit late today we shall keep it short. Plus, anyways we have a consensus today, as both Ashok and Mathew are going with the favourites. As the Cup progresses we should hear from Kunal and Nikhil on their views.

Australia v/s Scotland
AKG and MJV: Australia
View live score on cricinfo.com

Kenya v/s Canada
AKG and MJV: 2003 World Cup semi-finalists Kenya
View live score on cricinfo.com

The Showdown score so far is 1-0 in Mathew's favour. We hope to see your comments as well. Mail us at notjustcric@gmail.com.

Cricket coverage ... thats not important... it's all about the money!

Hi Folks! In a few weeks viewers in India will watch the Cricket World Cup on Sony's four channels; Set Max, Sony, Sab TV and Pix. Terrestrial broadcaster Doordarshan has signed an agreement with Sony to provide all the matches to its platform. But the blatant commercialization of cricket has meant that new and innovative ways to disrupt the viewing experience have been found by creative people without a conscience. You will have the irritating music with a weird cartoon figure, all excited when the batsmen scores a fifty or the team reaches three figures. The screen will suddenly shrink when the bowler is returning to the bowling mark, give way to a toothpaste ad and then come back to its old form, mid way through the bowlers run up. The national anthem, sung by the team and its supporters, which offered such a wonderful spectacle in last year's Soccer World Cup, is too unimportant for Sony's head honchos. They choose to ignore the national anthem segment during their coverage of the 2003 World Cup. The ad-breaks keep on increasing, and we are getting to see lesser and lesser of the actual match.

IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is an innovative way to reach viewers via the Internet. But illegal softwares that broadcast TV channels are doing the rounds. I have used one such software, and I got to watch a Champions Trophy match on an Channel 9, Australia. Edgy display for lack of bandwidth notwithstanding, it was a surreal experience. I did not even notice the ads.

If only greed could be kept at bay!

WC - Players to watch out for

Nearly 200-odd players will don their national colours this World Cup, all eager and rearing to showcase their talent in a tournament jointly hosted by eight nations, perhaps a record of some sorts. On the relaid tracks and newly-built stadiums in the West Indies, one still has to wait to determine which type of bowlers or batsmen will excel, but this is just an attempt at highlighting the players who may make a mark.

The Debutants
Two-time defending champions Australia goes into this World Cup with pace bowler Brett Lee ruled out and an injured Andrew Symonds hoping to make it in time for the Super Eight stage. The Aussie middle-order will be controlled by the two Michaels – Clarke and Hussey- who will be making their World Cup debut. Clarke, also known as ‘Pup’, might still be considered a youngster but he has already featured in 101 ODIs, and with some success that is. In the absence of Symonds, Clarke may be called upon to bowl his arm over as well; the left-arm spinner has best figures of 5/35 and 6/9 in ODIs and Tests respectively. Having lost on the finisher’s role to his namesake Bevan in the ‘Australia’s Greatest ODI XI’, Michael Hussey will be looking forward to succeeding in this World Cup, and if his ODI average of 66.81 is sustained during the campaign, Australia will surely be in the reckoning.

South Africa is on top of the one-day rankings, and many will be featuring in their first World Cup. Amongst them are AB De Villiers and Ashwell Prince, two players who have performed well in the recent past. De Villiers will most likely open the batting with skipper Graeme Smith, while the left-handed Prince along with Jacques Kallis will be entrusted the responsibility of handling the middle-overs. Both are also good fielders, especially the agile De Villiers, who has also kept wickets for his side in Test cricket.

In a side that boasts of batsmen such as Kumar Sangakarra, Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya, Tilakaratne Dilshan has stood tall and cemented his place. His records may not look that impressive, but he surely is electrifying on the field. He effected four run-outs in the 2005-06 VB Series final against Australia, forcing the home team to concede a rare lead in the best-of three series decider. His off-spin bowling will be handy if the wickets are conducive to spin, in addition to his cool presence in the batting line-up. Lasith Malinga has a round-arm action that looks scary to most even on a television set, more so if coupled with hair streaked in a hue between brown and blond. Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler can be erratic and expensive, but has the ability the pick up wickets, especially with the yorkers.

India brings a relatively experienced squad to this World Cup, with nine of the 15 in this squad having been around in the 2003 edition. The side includes Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the most exciting wicketkeeper-batsman post Adam Gilchrist, the one who made teams realise the all-round potential of a ’keeper in an age where genuine all-rounders are hard to come by. Dhoni may be restricted to a lower middle-order role in this World Cup, but many Indians will sit up the entire night only to watch the lad from Jharkhand clear the boundary ropes. Left-arm swing bowler and a handy bat Irfan Pathan could have done no wrong in his first two seasons of international cricket; however the 2004 ICC Emerging Player of the Year will have to fight the demons of poor form and fitness if he wants to do more than warm the benches.

New Zealand’s Jeetan Patel is no relation of Dipak Patel, the former off-spinner who defied convention when skipper Martin Crowe made him open the bowling for the Kiwis in the 1992 World Cup. The young Patel - an economical off-spinner with a good record to boot - will be hoping that his captain Stephen Fleming will take a gamble and play two spinners, as he would find it hard to win a place in the side ahead of the experienced vice-captain Daniel Vettori. Ross Taylor only made it to Team Black Caps last year, but the exciting 22-year old batsman is a crucial component in the Kiwi top-order, in the wake of Nathan Astle’s retirement.

England may be on the rebound following their convincing win in the tri-series over Australia, but will be looking forward to the return of their star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who injured himself during the tournament. An explosive batsman, Pietersen not only won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year but also the ICC One-Day Player of the Year for 2005. Along with the man of the moment Paul Collingwood, Pietersen will need to fire in order to propel England to its first World Cup. The other man to watch out for will be Mudhsuden Singh (Monty) Panesar. Panesar was the first Sikh to play for England, and has not even played a dozen ODIs for England. But the man whose first scalp in Test cricket is Sachin Tendulkar, will be vying with Daniel Vettori for the title of the best slow-left arm spinner at present in the world.

Pakistan’s unpredictably as a side has even begun before the team takes the field in the West Indies. Their top bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif are under the cloud of dope suspicion, and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is out injured. Asif is a promising youngster and is a seam bowler who can trouble most batsmen. Shoaib Akhtar will spearhead the bowling if available but it is Shoaib Malik who could well lead the way for the side. A useful batsman, coach Bob Woolmer has smartly used him either as a mainstay at one-down or No.4 or as an aggressive bat lower down to finish off the innings. His off-spin bowling is modelled on the style of Saqlain Mushtaq, effective though not as successful.

The pressure of playing at home will be on Brian Lara and his boys. All-rounder Dwayne Bravo could play an important part in the team’s World Cup prospects. He’s a matchwinner with both bat and ball; his slower ones kick-started a disastrous run for a till then successful Indian one-day side when the team’s last visited the Windies. Jerome Taylor took a hat-trick in the side’s exciting win over the Aussies in the group stages of last year’s Champions Trophy. The Jamaican pacer will be looking forward to repeating that success at home.

The Last Hurrah
At 37, Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya will for sure be playing their last World Cup. It’s a certainty that this World Cup will see many cricketers who will most probably either bid adieu to the game or at least the shorter version after the carnival ends in the West Indies.

This World Cup will see the defending champions say goodbye to Glenn McGrath, perhaps the game’s most accurate bowler since the great Sir Richard Hadlee. It will also be the last one for wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and his opening partner Matthew Hayden. At 32 and with the phenomenal record he has in recent years, Ricky Ponting might wait to bow out in 2011. Brad Hogg and Brad Hodge might also see their position in the Aussie side handed over to youngsters once this World Cup is done with.

South Africa’s tried and tested players- Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock- are all in their thirties, and a success here might convince a couple to perhaps walk off in style, at least from the shorter version of the game. Kallis and Boucher will only be 35 and 34 at the next one, so might hang around till then. However, Gibb and Pollock, both 33, will find it a tough battle to survive, more so for Pollock, South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in both forms of the game.

The stalwarts of Sri Lankan cricket over the years – Chaminda Vaas, Marvan Atappattu, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan – along with Russel Arnold look set to feature in the last World Cup of their careers, unless Murali can continue bowling his off-spinners till the island nation hosts the World Cup along with Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in 2011. Sri Lanka is considered a favourite by many, and these five will need to perform if they want to repeat their success of 1996, a side which had Jayasuriya, Murali and Vaas.

Anil Kumble has made his intentions clear for his career after the World Cup. Kumble will quit ODIs for certain. ‘The Big Three’ in the batting – skipper Rahul Dravid, vice-captain Sachin Tendulkar and former captain Sourav Ganguly- won’t be around till 2011 unless they can prolong their careers keeping the target in mind. Ganguly will turn 35 this year and had it not been for the woeful run of the side last year, would not have made it to this World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar may play the World Cup semi-finals on his 34th birthday, if India manages to qualify that is. Injuries have plagued the highest run-getter in ODIs and World Cups; though the team would be hoping that he can repeat the exploits of 2003.

For the Black Caps, 33-year old skipper Stephen Fleming might hand over the reins to a worthy successor after the World Cup. The man at the helm during the Kiwis’ two previous campaigns will be hoping to better the nation’s semi-final finishes in 1992 and 1999.

It’s uncertain whether England captain Michael Vaughan will play in the upcoming World Cup, forget the next one. Interestingly, wicketkeeper Paul Nixon, aged 36, will most likely be playing his first and last World Cup.

Pakistan skipper Inzamam ul-Haq will turn 37 on March 3, and would be looking to erase memories of his woeful run in South Africa, where he scored 16 runs in six matches. Inzamam has been suffering from indifferent form of late, but fans will wish he leaves the stage with many more great innings like the cameo that send the Kiwis crashing out of the World Cup in 1992. It remains to be seen if the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar will make it to this World Cup, which in all probability will be his last. Although one should not hazard predicting anything about a man involved in more action off the field rather than on it.

Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will hope to end their careers by doing what no team has achieved before, a win on home soil. West Indies has not reached the finals of the World Cup since their loss to India in 1983. Both Lara - the greatest left-hander of all-time and perhaps of his generation as well- and Chanderpaul’s careers have come at a time when the West Indies slumped from world-beaters to almost minnows. Though the team has had sort of a revival with youngsters performing well under Lara’s leadership, the onus will be on the left-handed batsmen along with Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Too many minnows fill the Cup?

Michael Holding may have spoken the mind of many a cricket fan when he questioned the logic behind having so many non-Test playing nations or the Associate Members of the ICC – the ‘minnows’ - at the sport’s premier event. This edition of the World Cup will see Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland vie for honours alongside top-ranked teams South Africa and Australia. Test-playing nations Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will also be playing with the ‘minnows’ tag.

The number of teams playing the World Cup has increased from nine at the1992 edition in Australia to 16 in this year’s tournament. The consequence: a World Cup lasting nearly two months, in contrast to a month-long event for the Football World Cup, featuring 32 teams. And cricket is not even half as popular as football.

Coming back to the minnows, one must not belittle their ability to spring a surprise or two. It has happened in earlier World Cups, and chances are that a repeat will occur in the West Indies. The World Cup might be only chance for most players from these teams to rub shoulders with the ‘big boys’, apart from sharing the limelight.

Bangladesh will be leading the pack this time; though like the others they will need a great effort to overcome their sub-continental counterparts India and Sri Lanka to qualify for the Super Eight stage from Group B. However, the team led by batsman Habibul Bashar and coached by Dave Whatmore – the man who succeeded in guiding an unfancied Sri Lanka to the 1996 title- will take inspiration from their upset win over Pakistan at the 1999 World Cup and another over World Champions Australia in the NatWest tri-series in 2005. The Bangladesh squad for this World Cup only has skipper Bashar and wily left-arm spinner Mohammed Rafique from the 2003 squad, and with an average age of 23.6, has some exciting players such as Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammed Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed to watch out for.

Bermuda is the fourth team in Group B, this being the first-ever appearance at the World Cup for the island nation. Irvine Romaine will lead the side. Key players include English county Glamorgan skipper and batsman David Hemp. The team fared poorly at the recently concluded World Cricket League in Kenya – featuring the top six ICC Associates- and lost all but one of their five matches. The team consists of what many call “unfit amateurs”, surprising for a country where cricket is the national sport. The team has former West Indian cricketer Gus Logie as coach.

Zimbabwe may still play Test cricket, but they are far from the peak that they hit in the 1999 World Cup. A win over India and South Africa saw them reach the Super Six stage, but they missed out on a semi-final berth. Internal strife has plagued the team in recent years, and this team led by 21-year old off-spinner Prosper Utseya lacks the star quality of the Flower brothers, Heath Streak or Henry Olonga. Utseya and Sean Williams are the players to look out for. Coached by former player Kevin Curran – who incidentally played a part in the country’s stunning win over Australia in the 1983 World Cup- will be hoping his young lads can create a amongst the ranks of Pakistan and West Indies, the top sides expected to go through in Group D.

Ireland faces a tough proposition in Group D. The country is the other debutant in this World Cup, and will be hoping that opponents Pakistan, Zimbabwe and the West Indies strike the indifferent form that they are prone to. Their bowlers failed to deliver at the World Cricket League in Kenya, the team ending with one win, though all losses were closely contested. Batsmen hold the key for the side, 22-year old William Portenfield being one of them.

Kenya will consider having done a good job even if they match their semi-final appearance in the 2003 edition. Star batsman Steven Tikolo leads the African side that has Canada, England and New Zealand for company in Group C. Former West Indian off-spinner Roger Harper is coach of the team that boasts of talented players such as all-rounder Thomas Odoyo, leg-spinner Collins Obuya and medium-pace bowler Peter Ongondo. However, the team will miss the services of World Cup stalwarts Kennedy Otieno and Hitesh Modi as well as fast bowler Martin Suji, who is out due to a knee injury. The team’s win over West Indies in 1996 remains one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

Think of Canada and one instantly recalls skipper John Davison’s blitzkrieg against the West Indies. Slotted in Group D, Canada will come up against England and New Zealand – two sides on the back of successes against the Aussies- and Kenya, a semi-finalist in South Africa. Vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the World Cricket League, Nairobi. Former West Indian fast bowler Anderson Cummins also figures in the squad.

Scotland will make their third consecutive appearance this World Cup. Scotland lost to eventual winners Kenya in the World Cricket League in Nairobi, and tops the Associate ODI rankings, which does not include Kenya though. The team has to compete in Group A alongside the top two ODI sides of the world – South Africa and Australia. Scotland won the ICC Trophy, the qualification tournament for this World Cup, in 2005. Gavin Hamilton, the all-rounder who was the star of their campaign in 1999 and later played for England, will play for the minnows in this World Cup.

The Netherlands is the other team in Group A and their match with Scotland will be one to watch out for. Batsmen Bas Zuiderant and Ryan ten Doeschate had a good run in Nairobi and will be hoping to replicate that form against quality bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock. The team is captained by 37-year old Luuk van Troost. The Netherlands’s Nolan Clarke made history at the 1996 World Cup, at 47 years and 257 days he became the oldest player to appear in an ODI when he played South Africa at Rawalpinidi.

Eight ‘minnows’ will be playing this World Cup, in spite of doubts over their ability. However, with so many ‘minnows’ in the fray, it will hardly be a surprise if one or two can pull off an upset.