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Here is the official list of the teams and players as per ICC rankings. I will try to keep this updated as regularly as possible. However the latest and most updated rankings can be found here.
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| ODI | ||
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For full Player ratings, click here.
West Indies registered the first win in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup when they beat Pakistan by 54 runs yesterday. Top run scorers for the host nation were Marlon Samuels (63 runs) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (49 runs). For Pakistan Shoaib Malik (62 runs), Mohammad Yousuf (37 runs) and Inzamam ul-Haq (36 runs) were the leading scorers.
After winning the toss, Inzamam put West Indies in to bat first. The move paid rich dividends as Chris Gayle, struggling for form, departed with the score on 7 runs. He made 2 before edging an Umar Gul delivery to Kamran Akmal. However solid performances from Sarwan, Samuels and Lara ensured that the partnerships kept on coming. A stunning cameo from Dwayne Smith at the end of the innings, he scored 32 from only 15 balls, helped West Indies post a defendable target of 242. For Pakistan, the bowlers were not impressive. Iftikhar Anjum picked up 3 wickets, Umar Gul and Mohammad Hafeez picked up a couple each. Danish Kaneria’s figures were the least impressive with one wicket for 45 runs from his 9 overs.
1. New Zealand
They have always been the underdogs in any world cup that they played. And this one is not going to be any different. New Zealand has never had any “STAR” players in their team, and this squad holds no surprises as well. OK, a lot would disagree with me here, so I will mention Shane Bond as a STAR player. Although New Zealand does have a lot of bits and pieces players. And this is where the Kiwis excel in. Where they lag in star power, they more than make up for in players who do their jobs day-in and day-out. McMillan, Vettori, Oram, Styris and Fulton to name a few. Its always a collective effort for the Kiwis and thats what really works for them.
2. England
The country that created cricket has never won a World Cup. To a stranger this would be almost unbelievable, but to the cricket followers this should not come as a surprise. England has never had an invincible ODI squad and this one holds no surprises either. However, after defeating the Aussies with a depleted attack, England must surely be soaring high in confidence. The key to the English performance will be Flintoff and Pieterson. These two can rip apart any team when its their day. The rest of the team will have to play around these two guys.
3. West Indies
Last but not least, the host nation. And who else but Brian Lara will hold the key to the West Indian campaign in this World Cup. I believe that West Indies have a terrific squad who will definitely spring a few surprises and might make it to the semi-finals. They have had a far better one day record in 2006 and playing at home might just give that little bit of edge. Chanderpaul, Gayle and Sarwan need to support Lara in the batting. The bowling is very inexperienced and will be the weakness for West Indies.