World Cup Predictions

[DCC_legend]

World Cup Winners: as Much as id like to say England, I can See Australia winning.
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan (most likely)
Player with most runs: Pietersen
Player with best strike-rate: Gayle
Bowler with most wickets: Muralitharan
Bowler with best economy rate: Pollock
Tournament's emerging player: Bopara
Most disappointing player: Rana Naved
Surprise package: Ireland, i can see them making an upset.
Biggest disappointment: New Zealand

 

[sy88]

World Cup Winners: Australia (I'd like to see my Kiwis win though)
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan (they've got no bowlers left+are ridiculously inconsistent, might even be upset by one of the minnows if the wrong Pakistan shows up)
Player with most runs: Ponting (best batsman in the world, enough said)
Player with best strike-rate: Dhoni ( Gilchrist, Gayle, Oram, Jayasuriya, Pietersen all close behind)
Bowler with most wickets: Bond (BOND!!!!!)
Bowler with best economy rate: Murali, Vettori (West Indies pitches=spin friendly & ridiculously hard to get away)
Tournament's emerging player: Ross Taylor, Marlon Samuels (Taylor could establish himself as one of the best batsmen in the world, Samuels is an irrepressible talent-he just needs to get his head in the right place and he could be a real wildcard)
Most disappointing player: Tendulkar (The Little Master's light is fading fast)
Surprise package: New Zealand (here's hoping)
Biggest disappointment: Pakistan (see above)




Don't go swimming in the ocean or a seal could bite your hand off.

 

[armchairumpire]

I got out the crystal ball and came up with the following:

World Cup Winners: Sri Lanka or New Zealand (maybe wishful thinking re NZ but Sri Lanka could win)
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan ( as Australia discovered recently you actually have to have your best players on the park to win)
Player with most runs: Sangakkara or Lou Vincent (Sangakkara is fantastic when in form and there agian wishful thinking re Lou Vincent)
Player with best strike-rate: Adam Gilchrist (once he gets going we know what happens)
Player with biggest score of tournament: Ricky Ponting or Adam Gilchrist (they might break the 200 run score barrier)
Bowler with most wickets: Shane Bond or Murali (Bond is good chance if he can stay fit)
Bowller with best economy rate: Daniel Vettori (Ditto comment made above about Bond)
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Shane Bond or Stuart Clark or Murali (Hopefully it's Bond but since Stu Clark was shamelessly left out of the original Aus 15, I hope he shows them)
Tournament's emerging player: Ross Taylor (He's a real gem)
Most disappointing player: Graeme Smith
Surprise package: New Zealand
Biggest disappointment: England

 

[andmark]

It has to be SA.

 

[Beleg]

World Cup Winners : West Indies
Biggest "big 8" flop: Australia
Top run scorer: Chris Gayle
Best strike rate : Dhoni
Highest score: Jayasuria
Most wickets : Pollock
Best economy rate : Vaas
Best bowling figures: Bracken v Scotland
Best emerging player: Ross Taylor
Most disappointing player: Graeme Smith
Surprise Package: Azhar Mahmood
Biggest Disappointment: Mo-Yo
Semi-Finalists : Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Australia

 

[Jono]

World Cup Winners : West Indies
Biggest "big 8" flop: Australia
Top run scorer: Chris Gayle
Best strike rate : Dhoni
Highest score: Jayasuria
Most wickets : Pollock
Best economy rate : Vaas
Best bowling figures: Bracken v Scotland
Best emerging player: Ross Taylor
Most disappointing player: Graeme Smith
Surprise Package: Azhar Mahmood
Biggest Disappointment: Mo-Yo
Semi-Finalists : Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Australia

Blasphemy

Any reason you think this, or just a gut feel?

 

[Richard]

The fact that no-one can keep scoring forever, and Yousuf has been known to let himself down at "big" moments before now?

 

[i_cricket]

World Cup Winners: India
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: South Africa
Player with most runs: Tendulkar
Player with best strike-rate: Afridi
Player with biggest score of tournament: Dhoni
Bowler with most wickets: Shane Bond
Bowler with best economy rate: Glenn McGrath
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Vaas
Tournament's emerging player: Uthappa/Joyce
Most disappointing player: Greame Smith
Surprise package: A non-test team making it to super-8s
Biggest disappointment: South Africa failing to even make it to super-8

 

[Evermind]

World Cup Winners: Australia
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: India
Player with most runs: Pietersen
Player with best strike-rate: Afridi
Player with biggest score of tournament: Ponting
Bowler with most wickets: Pollock
Bowler with best economy rate: Pollock
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Pollock
Tournament's emerging player: Uthappa, Taylor
Most disappointing player: Jayasuria
Surprise package: Bangladesh
Biggest disappointment: South Africa can't cope with pitches

 

[Prince EWS]

Ireland will make the Super 8 stage.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Pakistan!

 

[Eclipse]

World Cup Winners: Australia
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: India
Player with most runs: Ponting
Player with best strike-rate: Afridi
Player with biggest score of tournament: Gilchrist
Bowler with most wickets: Pollock
Bowler with best economy rate: Pollock
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Tait
Tournament's emerging player: Watson
Most disappointing player: Tendulkar
Surprise package: Bangladesh
Biggest disappointment: England

 

[JASON]

World Cup Winners: India ( or NZ )
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan possibly
Player with most runs: Hussey
Player with best strike-rate: Gilchrist
Player with biggest score of tournament: Mohammad Yousuf
Bowler with most wickets: McGrath
Bowler with best economy rate: Pollock
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Vaas
Tournament's emerging player: Watson
Most disappointing player: ? Maharoof or Arnold
Surprise package: NZ (can go all the way)
Biggest disappointment: SA or SL

 

[pasag]

So, the results, some are judgment calls though:
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: India, Pakistan
Player with most runs: Matthew Hayden, 659
Player with best strike-rate: Mark Boucher, 137.20
Player with biggest score of tournament: Imran Nazir, 160
Bowler with most wickets: Glenn McGrath, 26
Bowler with best economy rate: Shane Bond, 3.05
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Andrew Hall 5/18
Tournament's emerging player: Malinga and Tait
Most disappointing player: Gayle, Ntini, heaps others
Surprise package: Ireland
Biggest disappointment: India, Pakistan, West Indies.

World Cup Winners: Australia
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: England
Player with most runs: Ricky Ponting
Player with best strike-rate: Adam Gilchrist
Player with biggest score of tournament: Sanath Jayasuriya
Bowler with most wickets: Muttiah Muralitharan
Bowler with best economy rate: Shane Bond
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Mohammad Asif
Tournament's emerging player: RTD
Most disappointing player: Kevin Pietersen
Surprise package: The home side
Biggest disappointment: South Africa

World Cup Winners: Australia Yes
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: England No
Player with most runs: Ricky Ponting No 3rd
Player with best strike-rate: Adam Gilchrist No, 7th
Player with biggest score of tournament: Sanath Jayasuriya No, equal 7th
Bowler with most wickets: Muttiah Muralitharan No, equal second
Bowler with best economy rate: Shane Bond Yes
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Mohammad Asif No
Tournament's emerging player: RTD Yes!
Most disappointing player: Kevin Pietersen No
Surprise package: The home side No
Biggest disappointment: South Africa Not really, no

 

[Prince EWS]

Ireland will make the Super 8 stage.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Pakistan!

Not bad.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

World Cup Winners: Australia Yep
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan Yep
Player with most runs: Ricky Ponting I was close
Player with best strike-rate: Shahid Afridi Nope
Player with biggest score of tournament: Chris Gayle Nope
Bowler with most wickets: Shaun Pollock No
Bowler with best economy rate: Shaun Pollock No
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Ponting century in the final in a large chase. I must have been drunk and read that as batsman, so that's a no
Tournament's emerging player: Shane Watson Yes, IMO. (H)
Most disappointing player: Kevin Pieterson No
Surprise package: New Zealand Yes and no.
Biggest disappointment: South Africa choking... again. Yep.

 

[alternative]

World Cup Winners: India - No
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan - Yes
Player with most runs: Ricky Ponting - Close enough
Player with best strike-rate: Justin Kemp - Nope
Player with biggest score of tournament: Sanath Jayasuriya - Nope
Bowler with most wickets: Mohammed Asif - Haha
Bowler with best economy rate: Shaun Pollock - Nope
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Shane Bond - Nope
Tournament's emerging player: Ab De Villers - Not really
Most disappointing player: Mike Hussey - Hardly got a chance, so YES
Surprise package: Kenya - No
Biggest disappointment: New Zealand - No

 

[The_Bunny]

So, the results, some are judgment calls though:
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: India, Pakistan
Player with most runs: Matthew Hayden, 659
Player with best strike-rate: Mark Boucher, 137.20

Just a question, is this batsmen with 100 runs or more?
Shane watson has 145 runs at a S/r of 170.59

Player with biggest score of tournament: Imran Nazir, 160
Bowler with most wickets: Glenn McGrath, 26
Bowler with best economy rate: Shane Bond, 3.05
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Andrew Hall 5/18
Tournament's emerging player: Malinga and Tait
Most disappointing player: Gayle, Ntini, heaps others
Surprise package: Ireland
Biggest disappointment: India, Pakistan, West Indies.



World Cup Winners: Australia Yes
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: England No
Player with most runs: Ricky Ponting No 3rd
Player with best strike-rate: Adam Gilchrist No, 7th
Player with biggest score of tournament: Sanath Jayasuriya No, equal 7th
Bowler with most wickets: Muttiah Muralitharan No, equal second
Bowler with best economy rate: Shane Bond Yes
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Mohammad Asif No
Tournament's emerging player: RTD Yes!
Most disappointing player: Kevin Pietersen No
Surprise package: The home side No
Biggest disappointment: South Africa Not really, no

 

[Johnners]

[World Cup Winners: Australia - Yep
"Big 8" side to perform most poorly: Pakistan - Guess So
Player with most runs: Kumar Sangakarra/Ricky Ponting - Nup, Close though with Punter
Player with best strike-rate: Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Nope
Player with biggest score of tournament: Ponting, 170+ in the semi's, or final. - Nope
Bowler with most wickets: Shane Bond - Nope
Bowler with best economy rate: Shaun Pollock - Nope
Bowler with best performance of tournament: Shane Bond - taking an 8-fer when NZ are in a real need of it after making a <180 score - Nope
Tournament's emerging player: Robin Uthappa, Ross Taylor, Liam Plunkett & Shane Watson (forgot to add bowlers) - Sort of with Watto , the other 2 disappointed
Most disappointing player: Makhaya Ntini - Yep, was one of them
Surprise package (Team):England - They'll come a helluva lot closer to making the Semi's than many think IMO. - Nah
Biggest disappointment: The bowlers are going to cop an absolute pasting in the majority of the games. Spin bowlers especially - Bowlers copped some pastings, but generally the spinners wen well, so nope

Ouch, a dire display of predicting tbh, barring Ntini being the biggest disappointment.

 

[pasag]

Just a question, is this batsmen with 100 runs or more?
Shane watson has 145 runs at a S/r of 170.59

Minimum 100 balls faced according to cricinfo where I got all the info from. Watson only faced 85.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Haha dire. Give it to Watto!