Wedon'tlikecricket...weloveit!ApreviewoftheICCCricketWorldCup

Ir'sfinallyupon us. After alongsummerof cricket -one which wasalways destinedtobeacurtainraiser forthemainevent -wehavearrived at the11'"ICC CricketWorld Cup, robehosted in Australia andNewZealand between 14February and29 March, 2015. There will be14 venues hosting49games, robe contestedamongover200players from 14 differentcountries. This yearmarks23yearssinceWasim Akram'sheroics saw Pakistan lift theWorldCuponAustralian soil,and anew generationwill nowbewatchingonaslndia aimtodefendtheirtitle, while thedangerousAustraliansseek immortalityunderthe nation's watchful eye. The pitchesand stadiums promisethrilling entertainment forbothfans and playersalike.

Coulditgetany better?

The Contenders

Thiseditionof theWorldCupis oneof themostopeninrecent memory.Several teams have found formheadinginto the tournament - andit'snotjust the teamsyou alwaysexpecttosee. Although Pakistan, SriLanka, lndia and England aregenuine threats for tl1etitle,they may find themselves introublesomewatersif they reston theirlaurels,forthereare plenty of sharks at sea.

Australia

Iris widely accepted,by betting agencies and experts alike,that Australiaare favourites robe holdingthe trophy aloftatthe MelbourneCricket Groundon29 March.Theirbatsmen'sfamiliaciry with the bouncy wickets, their electric fieldingand sharppace attack, alongwith what promises to bevociferoushome support, are sureto see theAustraliansgo deepin the tournament. Totopir off, theiropeningbatsmen, Aaron Finch andDavidWarner,arethe mostconsistentand explosive combinationin tl1e world, while theiropening bowlers,whether MitchellJohnsonorStare, CmnminsorHazlewood, are all genuine wicket-rakingthreats.

lris truethat there is tmcertainrysurroundingthe fitnessof the captain, Michael Clarke.However,Australiamay be stronger witl1outhim;it is impossiblerodropFinch, \'{lamer, Steve Smitl1orShaneWatson forClarke,forfearof damaging the balanceof tl1e side. Thar leavesGeorgeBailey, whowould beaggrievedto6nd hin1seLf eithercaptaininghis country,or sittingontl1esideline, despite his exemplary one-day international record. Clarke'sabsencemaygive the team the settled, unified feelit hasbeenrecently missing. The key factor forthe Australiansistheirphenomenal deathbO\vling. ln theirlastgroup match against England in thetriseriesforexample,Australiaused clever changesof paceas wellas yorker-lengtl1 deliveriestostifle England'sscoringin the last five oversof theinnings, transforming a difficult target into amanageable one.

South Africa

On paper,SournAfricahavethe strongest one-day international outfit in rheworld,and irwould be ahugesurpriseif they miss ouronasemi-final spot.Although they boast a slightly top-heavy battingorder,it is anchoredby batsmenwhowould walkinto any nationalteam,including AB De Villiers,Faf du Plessisand HashimAmla,aswellaspowerful hirterssuch asDavidJv[i]]erand RileeRossouw. Their bowling attack is vastly experienced and varied,includingtl1e nagging line and lengthof VernonPhilander, thesharp bounceof 1vforne Morkel,thepreciseaggressionof Dale Ste)'n andthe deceptive wrist

The key factor forSoutl1 Africaistl1eirabiliry to win tl1e key moments andpeak at the righrstage; itis wellknown mat SouthAfricahavehabitually underperformedat critical momentsin pastcampaigns.

New Zealand

A finebalanceof youth and expetienceisakey feamreof NewZealand'sbest-everone-day international rerun; consequently, it would be unfairro labelthem asmerely a'darkhorse'. Their recentform,alongwith home advantage,could create theperfect stormcosee theBlack Capsfinally break their40-yearwaittoreach aWorldCup final, (although tl1ey have reached thesemi-final stageonsixoccasions,thejointhighestalongsidePakistan).Their bowling attack has amazing depth, withTrentBoult,AdamMilne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Sourhee, Kylei\,[jJJs andCorey Anderson,alongsidespinner DanielVettori all providing viable bowling options. Meanwhile, theirtraditionally fragilebatting orderlooksvastly improved, with BrendonMcCLtllum and KaneWilliamson in particularly sparklingform.

ewZealand's key factor is avoidingrhelossof wickets inbig clusters, asthey enduredinvarious recent matches againstBangladesh, SriLanka,Soutl1Afocaand theWestIndies.However,their consistency inthemostrecent seriesagainstSri Lanka,as wellas intheir4-0hammeringof India, pointstogreenerpasturesahead forthe ream. favouritesto beholdingthe trophyaloftat theMelbourne CricketGroundon 29March.There isuncertainty surroundingthe fitnessofthe captain,Michael Clarke,but Australiamaybe strongerwithout him

Playersto Watch

Each teamin the romnament boasts significam ralem.While players such asChris Gayle, DavidWarner andDale Steyn will be perennial threats on the cricket field, IndianLinktakes a look at the players we've tipped mtake the rournamentby srorm.

AB de Viiiiers (South Africa)

South African one-day international captainAB de Villiers is quite simply one of the most exciting, absorbing andobscenelytalented athletes in the world -and there is no question thatbeforelong, be will go down as one of the most dynamiccricketers in bisrory. His audacious shot-making and ability to send any deliverysoaringover theboundarywillsimultaneously delightandfrightenAustralian audiences, who have already been exposedto his limitless talent. DeVilliers's abilityto performunder pressureis crucial toSouth Africa's desireto ditch tl1eir unfortunate reputationas "chokers" and finally make their mark on the worldstage.

Whatyou may not be familiar with is thatABDe Villiers also excels in anumber of otl1er sports. He was shortlistedfor SouiliAfrica's national junior hockeyand football teams; captain of Souch Africa's national junior rugby team; aholder of six SouthAfrican school swimming records; amemberof South Africa's juniorDavis Cup tennis team;d1eSouthAfricanU/19 national badminmn champion; the bolder of the 100m dash record inSomhAfrican junior atl1letics,and he plays witl1 a golf handicap of scratch (zero).

Of course, noneof thatmay be relevant over 22yards, but if iliereis onlyoneplayer you payto watch this smnmer,your decision should already be made.

Virat Kohli (India)

Virat Kohliis tl1e most important player in the rournamentalbeit only because the Indian teamis so heavily relianton him. Kohliaveragesnearly70 when India wins, a figure that drops to32 when Indialoses. TheinextricableI.ink between Kohli's performance and his team's success is recognised by opposition captains,each of whom will have specific plans for sending himback to thedressing rooms.

However, if any of those plans involve sledging, tl1ere'sa good chancethe plan may backfire. Kohli's sensational run of form intherecentlyconcluded Test series againstAustralia proved tl1at hecould handle tl1e heat;his verbalbattles with crowds and opposition alike only seemedto spur him on. Although he has endured arelativelylean tri series, themeaningless natureof che matcheshas cercainl)'contributed to Kohli's mental fatigue. Heis already oneof India'shighest run-scorers onAustralian soil; he will be keen to make the most of his timeDownUnder and get to the top of the list.

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

TrentBoult finds hirnself in rare company asa modernday player who has played twice as many Tests as one-day internationals. Although his few ODI appearances have sofar generatedslightly underwhelming results,Boulc'ssignificant impacton tl1e Testarenamay well transfer to the fight for cricket's biggest prize. Witl1 110 Test wicketsatan averageof 27, Boult has firmlyestablished himself as the spearhead of ew Zealand'sattack, andheis our tip to be tl1esurprisepackage of the tournament.

Aleft-arm fastbowler, the 25-year-old can swing the bal1 both ways atserious pace, and it is no surprise tl1at he idolises Pakistani greatWasirnAkram. There may be more fearsome bowlers out there, however, the young and experiencedBoult \Vill be keen to impose himself on tl1eworldstage and hungry cobecomeahouseholdname.

With I ewZealand playing the majority of their matches at home,i.n conditions traclitionally favourable to swingbowlers, Boultwillbe a tricky proposition for all batsmen who face up co him.

Boulthas alsodevelopeda repucation for taking scarcely believable catches - don't be surprised if he ends upwith the catch of the tournament, too.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Kane Williamson willone day breakall of New Zealand's batting records. It is scarcely believable tlrnt attheage of 24, he has scored over3000 Test runs and2000ODInms, with a penchant for capitalising on bis starts andscoringbig. Apart from being a delight to watch when attacking,\Xi'illiamson has an exemplary defensivetecluiique thatwill be vital early on inthe seaming,swinging conditions typicalof New Zealand.

Williamson has been in stellar form for the BlackCaps, scoring over300 rm1s in his mostrecent Testmatch against theSri Lank.ans,and notching up scores of 103and 97 in the subsequent

ODIseries.Unlil,eIndia'sVirat Kohli, Williamson will bat at number 3,giving New Zealand's best batsman the oppormnity to control the match from avery earlystageand batfor as many overs as possible. Will.iamson also bowls handy off-breaks, a valuable asset to a team without a right-arm off-spinner