World Cup Favourites

[Evermind]

Alright, getting down to it now. I thought it'd be a good time to reckon each team's chances and the odds in their favour at the moment, and perhaps discuss the likely outcomes and results. Everyone's been saying Australia, but they're definitely vulnerable. Who's gonna win it for your money?

How about gut instinct, just a flash you see in a team that you think will win it? A strange twitch you get when you see a player you think will be the player of the tournament, a strong intuition you get maybe about a bowler you think might light up the tournament. A Lance Klusner of 2007.

Anyway, odds right now:

Australia 2.62
South Africa 8.00
India 8.00
Sri Lanka 8.00
West Indies 8.00
England 9.00
Pakistan 9.50
New Zealand 13.00

Woah! Pak and England in the bottom 3? I'd say the most likely teams to win the cup:

1) Aus
2) SA
3) SL
4) Pak
5) England
6) West Indies
7) India
8) NZ

Though WI have the home advantage, I just don't see the talent in the team that could overwhelm the other teams consistently. NZ are also another bits & pieces team with too few match winners: if Bond breaks down, their bowling is gonna be screwed. India are good on paper but spineless and pathetic under any sort of pressure: I'd rate them as having no chance in hell of taking the cup. Pak have a talented team but their seam bowling attack with the exception of Asif is often a liability. But in Yousuf, Inzamam and Younis they have an excellent batting middle order - one as good as Australia's, IMO. It's a team full of thugs and cheats (Asif, Akhtar, Afridi), though, so I wouldn't want them to win.

I think SA have a very good chance and so do Aus (of course). SL are strong, and very much underrated. England have a couple of real match-winners (Flintoff, Collingwood, Pietersen) but can they pull it all together and click on the same day?

 

[Scaly piscine]

In most-likely-to-win order:


Australia
.
.
.
WI/England
SA
.
.
.
Pakistan
SL
.
.
.
India/NZ

 

[pasag]

On gut feeling:

Aus
West Indies
SA
Pak
India
NZ
SL
England

Meh, with England finding form, 2-8 has become impossible. Will be such a close and exciting WC imo.

 

[LA ICE-E]

thats bull**** where's bangladesh, kenya and the rest of the minnows? just because it like 1 million to 1 chance doesn't mean you dont put them up in the poll ! :}

 

[Natman20]

Whoa! serious underestimisation of New Zealand here. How could we be most unlikely to win it?

My List:

AUS
SA
IND
NZ
PAK
ENG
WI
BAN
ZIM
etc.

 

[IndianByHeart]

In most-likely-to-win order:


Australia
.
.
.
WI/England
SA
.
.
.
Pakistan
SL
.
.
.
India/NZ

Wow.. England soooooo high, maybe after 2 wins over Aus they should be considered sole fav's of WC!!

 

[HowsThat]

I would say,

India/Australia

then

SA/NZ

then

WI/SL

and then the rest.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Whoa! serious underestimisation of New Zealand here. How could we be most unlikely to win it?

Because you don't have any matchwinners or standouts. A better shout to reach the semis than many sides, but the likelihood of it all coming together for enough games to take the whole thing out is very low.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Wow.. England soooooo high, maybe after 2 wins over Aus they should be considered sole fav's of WC!!

For someone else other than Australia to win someone has to beat Australia in a semis or final (can't see them getting knocked out in the league bit). The teams I'd give a 30-40% shot of beating them are England and WI because they have big game players and aren't phased particularly by playing Australia (like other countries are). When England or WI play Australia it's really just who plays better on the day. SA are a bit of unknown when it comes to pressure and mental strengths but have choked badly in the past, however they are probably the second best ODI side generally. Pakistan and SL probably aren't good enough, NZ and India aren't good enough and they choke all the time.

 

[PakPowered]

For someone else other than Australia to win someone has to beat Australia in a semis or final (can't see them getting knocked out in the league bit). The teams I'd give a 30-40% shot of beating them are England and WI because they have big game players and aren't phased particularly by playing Australia (like other countries are). When England or WI play Australia it's really just who plays better on the day. SA are a bit of unknown when it comes to pressure and mental strengths but have choked badly in the past, however they are probably the second best ODI side generally. Pakistan and SL probably aren't good enough, NZ and India aren't good enough and they choke all the time.

First a team have to play well to reach semis of WC. SA and Pak are ranked second and third in OD, don't understand how one can say that Pak aren't good enough.I think Pak has been a better OD team than England, they are in a mess now but thats mostly coz of injuries to players.If they can sort out the opening problem they will be a force in WC, even if Akhtar is unavailable

 

[PakPowered]

Pak have a talented team but their seam bowling attack with the exception of Asif is often a liability. ?

Their three front line bowlers in Akhtar,GUl and Shabbir was injured on top Naveed who usually is an excellenet OD bowler was hopelessly out of form.I think IN WC Asif will open bowling with GUl with Naveed or Anjum as back up pacers (assuming Aktar is unavailable) and i believe even without Akhtar this will be one of the best attack in the competition.

Asif, Gul, Naveed/Anjum, Rehman/Danish and Afridi..Looks pretty solid attack to me.

 

[Scaly piscine]

First a team have to play well to reach semis of WC. SA and Pak are ranked second and third in OD, don't understand how one can say that Pak aren't good enough.I think Pak has been a better OD team than England, they are in a mess now but thats mostly coz of injuries to players.If they can sort out the opening problem they will be a force in WC, even if Akhtar is unavailable

Rankings mean bugger all. For example England just beat Australia three times in a row. All Pakistan have is a good middle and lower middle order, their fielding is rubbish, their bowling is rubbish and their opening partnership is rubbish. The World Cup has probably come at the wrong time for them.

 

[shortpitched713]

Haha, love how there are four votes for India and one for South Africa.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Asif, Gul, Naveed/Anjum, Rehman/Danish and Afridi..Looks pretty solid attack to me.

Umar Gul need to prove his fitness. Rana Naved is an over-rated ODI bowler and one of the most inconsistent in the world. Rehman is untested. Danish Kaneria is a rubbish ODI bowler.

I'm failing to see the solidity here. Pakistan have one close-to-world-class bowler in the ranks at the moment, and he too has had a few struggles in South Africa atm. Pick Saqlain.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Haha, love how there are four votes for India and one for South Africa.

Same, SA over India any day.

 

[haroon510]

Umar Gul need to prove his fitness. Rana Naved is an over-rated ODI bowler and one of the most inconsistent in the world. Rehman is untested. Danish Kaneria is a rubbish ODI bowler.

I'm failing to see the solidity here. Pakistan have one close-to-world-class bowler in the ranks at the moment, and he too has had a few struggles in South Africa atm. Pick Saqlain.

i agree with u. pakistan has no chance of wining if they put rana and kuneria in the world cup matches. as far as shoaib goes i think he should just call it a quit now. he has been playing cricket for over nine years now and in this perid of time he manage to play only 43 test matches and 133 one dayers. incontrast, bret lee who is just like shoaib akhter one of the world's fastest bowler has been playing for less then 7 years and he has played 59 test matches and 150 one dayers. this proves that there is something wrong with shoaib. his off field activaties or something that is one of the reasons behind his fitness. to this date he hasn't played a 2 or 3 full series matches in year. every year he has been out for an injury at least once or twice. if pakistani cricket board wants to think of making future team they should first get ride of shoaib akhter cuz his future doesn't seem bright in any ways for the team.

i voted for pakistan stil becuase pakistan is one of the most unpredictable team in the world right now. u never know they might win the world cup.

 

[Richard]

Because you don't have any matchwinners or standouts.

Bond, Taylor, Vettori, Fleming and, hell, even Vincent aren't standouts? (Matchwinners is a shockingly poor term)

 

[Richard]

Haha, love how there are four votes for India and one for South Africa.

Given the "gut feeling" bit and the number of respective fans, it's hardly surprising.

 

[Richard]

In most-likely-to-win order:


Australia
.
.
.
WI/England
SA
.
.
.
Pakistan
SL
.
.
.
India/NZ

NZ are infinately more likely to win it than England.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Bond, Taylor, Vettori, Fleming and, hell, even Vincent aren't standouts? (Matchwinners is a shockingly poor term)

Bond is a shadow of himself at the moment.
Taylor has a lot to do before he gets classed as a "matchwinner" or a true standout.
Vettori is not a matchwinner, as the term goes. He's an economical spinner and a useful batsman, but I don't see him turning many matches in a Collingwood fashion.
Fleming, perhaps.
Vincent has a bit to do too. He's looked leagues better in this most recent incarnation though.