The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 festival is upon us and Tuesday brings with it as many as five warm-up games. Here are the previews.
Before you go on to read our previwes, here is where you get to know all you want to about the teams, Star Players, Captains, Statistics, Factoids,History, Venues and of course the Fixtures of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Match Previews by Abhishek Dinman
Australia vs South Africa
Defending champions Australia will get their last chance at setting things right before the ICC Cricket World Cup begins when they take on South Africa in their final warm-up game in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The Aussies, despite a tight bowling performance, came apart on a spinning track against Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh and will be eager to restore some confidence in the camp against the Proteas.
The Africans have been on a roll after etching out a strong win against India at home and brushing past Zimbabwe in their first warm-up game. Rest assured, they will be no push-overs.
The key for Australia would be Ricky Ponting returning to form and Brett Lee spewing venom with the new ball again. That Jason Krejza held his own against a mighty Indian batting line-up will be a boost for the world champions. However, the rest of the batsmen need to get their act together and take a leaf out of Shane Watson's book.
The Proteas, meanwhile, will rely on Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel to dish out some fiery spells upfront. Graeme Smith would be a relieved man to see Jacques Kallis back in the fold - not only will that tighten the middle order, the bowling should look a lot more balanced and compact. His stint at the IPL will come in handy as will Steyn's.
After suffering at the hands of Piyush Chawla against India, Australia's hesitant middle-order batting unit will face yet another stiff test against spin. Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir took three for 35 in their eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe on Saturday and captain Smith has threatened to unleash his secret weapon on Australia.
While Ponting would be eyeing Australia’s unprecedented fourth title on the trot, Smith, who has declared he would step down after the event, will endeavour to cross the finish-line, for once!
Bangladesh vs Pakistan
Bangladesh and Pakistan will play a warm-up match at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Shahid Afridi has played down fears that Pakistan have a depleted pace attack. But the fact remains that they will rue the absence of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. There is also the danger of the spot-fixing scandal affecting the team’s morale, something that Afridi was quick to dismiss.
Pakistan’s reliance on an aging Shoaib Akhtar, who will be assisted by Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq in the pace department, may not be enough. Also, Junaid Khan can, at best, be a surprise package as he is an unknown entity. But, Afridi is adamant Pakistan will fire.
Along with two specialist spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, Pakistan will also rely on Afridi and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to add variety to their spin attack.
Captain Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Abdur Razzak will all be vital cogs in Bangladesh’s scheme of things and would provide the much-needed experience to a young side with an average age of around 24.
Bangladesh brushed aside Canada in their first match while this will be Pakistan’s first practice match. Imran Khan recently called them the 'worst-prepared' side. The team can prove him wrong, come Tuesday.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies
The two teams are fresh out of a bilateral series but this is a different stage. Apart from ironing out the remaining flaws before the start of the tournament, both sides would also look to make a statement of intent in Colombo!
Muttiah Muralitharan, world’s highest wicket-taker, stands in the sunset years of his international career and will quit the game after the tournament ends. The Lankans are hoping Murali can weave his magic one last time in a re-run of their 1996 World Cup glory, starting with the game against the Windies.
The Tigers are in great nick. In their first tie, they demolished Netherlands by 156 runs. The best part about their win was collective performance. Their top-order, including Tillakratne Dilshan, Thilan Samarweera, Chamara Silva and Kupugedera all scored runs, indicating they are in peak condition. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara did not even have to bat.
But they will come out against the Caribbean side, making it a more threatening prospect for the Darren Sammy-led side. Dilhara Fernando grabbed four against Holland and he would be a threat alongside a fresh Murali.
Windies’ performance against Kenya was unsettling. They lost their last nine wickets for 58 runs and it was Ramnaresh Sarwan’s magnetic 153 that bailed them out. Unless the openers give solid platforms, it would be difficult for the likes of Sarwan to keep repeating.
Bowlers Kemar Roach and Adrian Russell are in great form and West Indies will expect Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard to lead the party.
Kenya vs Netherlands
Kenya and Netherlands will look to leave a better impression than their first warm-up game when they play their last practice match on Tuesday.
Kenya looked steady against the West Indies to start with but lost seven wickets for 55 runs and were dismissed for 192. Batting first, West Indies scored 253 for eight.
Veteran Steve Tikolo’s calming affect and experience will hold the team well. Thomas Odoyo, who took three for 34 against the Windies, will spearhead a frail Kenyan attack.
Netherlands have much more ground to cover, though, after being smashed for 351 runs by Sri Lanka and succumbing to a 156-run defeat in their first warm-up match.
Kenya and Netherlands are among the four associate ICC members, along with Ireland and Canada.
Zimbabwe vs Ireland
Ireland nearly did it again after coming sensationally close to upsetting New Zealand in their first warm-up match and will be more than handful for Zimbabwe when the two teams lock horns.
Chasing 312, Ireland staged a stellar performance before the Black Caps closed them out for a fighting 279. It was a display that Ireland are beginning to get comfortable with.
The Irish team will, no doubt, fancy its chances against Zimbabwe, who were trounced by South Africa by eight wickets in their first match. It turned out to be a lop-sided affair. Zimbabwe failed at gaining any match practice and could not even last 50 overs.
Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams were standout stars but the African nation would want the rest of the batsmen to step up and be counted. After all, fending off Ireland will not be easy.
Ireland had shocked Pakistan by three wickets in the group stages and were responsible for the latter's first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in West
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