Cricket World Cup 2011: The Other March Madness
By Ras H. Siddiqui
CA
While most Americans have been glued to their television or computer screens these days and are closely following the developments in the “March Madness” of College Basketball, across the globe in South Asia and beyond, close to 1.5 billion people are doing something similar except that they are following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 which has been co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka recently. And just like the basketball championship pursuit in America, the ‘Final Four” have already been selected in cricket, pitting New Zealand against Sri Lanka and India against Pakistan, out of which the two victors will face each other for the championship on Saturday, April 2nd in Mumbai, India. There will be crowned the best one day cricket team in the world.
The Cricket World Cup has been around since 1975 (England being its first hosts) and is played every four years. Ironically, England, the mother ship of the game has never won this cup but the former colonies Australia (4 times), The West Indies (twice) and India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka having won (once), have all shared the crown. Australia has been so dominant in the game recently that it has won the last three World Cups. But after twelve years, this time it was finally ousted, beaten by both India and Pakistan. The rest of the cricketing world has been holding its breath since 1999 whenever Australia played (and won), but now they can finally exhale.
Out of the fourteen teams that started, Australia did not make it to the final four. The teams from Group A still in contention are Pakistan (which led the group with 10.0 points), Sri Lanka (9.0 points) and New Zealand (8.0 points). From Group B, leader South Africa was ousted and only one team India (9.0 points) is still in this tournament. For the first semi-final one has to favor Sri Lanka because if they play at the level that they did during their last match against England, their next opponent New Zealand, will need a great deal of luck to advance to the final. But as the saying goes, “Cricket by chance”. New Zealand cannot be counted out of this match played Tuesday, March 29th. The other match between India and Pakistan is getting the most attention. If one can imagine the intensity in a stadium where Brazil and Argentina play soccer especially at the World Cup level then imagine a cricket game between rivals India and Pakistan. The Prime Ministers of both countries are going to be watching the match at the venue, as will just about every fan in the two countries on television. One should actually feel sorry for the players on the field because of the intense pressure they will be under on Wednesday, March 30th at the stadium in Mohali, India. This is a sports war of sorts (the two countries have unfortunately fought many actual wars in the past, and the specter of terrorism also still looms). But one hopes that the outcome will be received by the losing side in a dignified manner because let us not forget that the actual glory is to be gained on Saturday where either Sri Lanka or New Zealand are quite capable of making the India-Pakistan game victor eat humble pie. So a message to our respective communities of Indians and Pakistanis worldwide: Let the respective sides play their best game and please accept the outcome without resorting to violence.
During the game on Wednesday, I will be enthusiastically supporting the Pakistan team to win. India happens to be my second most favorite side in this World Cup. Pakistan has some of the finest bowlers (pitchers) in the game today namely captain Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul. India on the other hand has possibly the best batting (hitting) lineup with Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag and Kohli (all members of the 100 run club in this Cup). But one cannot win a game with either bowling or batting only, a team has to have both to do the job. The all-rounders (individuals who are both bowlers and batsmen) this time will probably make the biggest difference.
While all eyes will certainly be on India’s Tendulkar to see if he scores his 100th hundred here, Pakistan’s efforts should be more concentrated on Yuvraj Singh. This man has become an explosive batsman and is a very capable bowler, one who can quickly change the tide of this game in favor of India. Zaheer Khan’s bowling from the Indian side will also be a real challenge for Pakistan’s unpredictable batting order. Pakistanis should hope that their openers do well and get to 70+ runs and then pass on to the likes of Misbah and Yunus Khan to hold the fort and reach over 225 runs till Afridi and Razzaq get to bat. If Pakistan bats first, it needs at least around 300 runs to stay in the match.
India already has the home field advantage. It will need to score at least 250 runs if it bats first. Pakistan’s run chasing has been unpredictable lately but not it’s bowling attack. If the Indians can bag Pakistan’s first four wickets or more within the first 100 runs scored, then they will have a much greater chance to win. The batting key here is going to be Misbah. If he plays to his balanced potential, it will create the opportunity that Pakistan needs. And if latter order Afridi has a good day, India will have a problem on its hands.
To conclude, it is going to be one sleepless Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for both Pakistani and Indian cricket fans here in North America. But let us remind ourselves that this is just a game and not a war. So if you go to the office after the match this week and happen to be from the victorious side, don’t rub it in to your co-workers who originate from the losing country. Remember, no matter who wins or loses here, the game of cricket will win. For me it is “Go Pakistan!” but IF India does win this game, it will have my backing for the Cup final mainly because Sachin Tendulkar deserves to win it more than many others. And while we are at it let’s all hit a sixer (home run) for peace too between India and Pakistan at Mohali. Howzat?
