B D Narayankar Despite being famous for its unpredictable and inconsistent performance in the past, West Indies is undoubtedly the dark horse of World Cup 2007. The Windies gave enough hints of winning the World Cup when it convincingly thrashed Pakistan in the tournament opener. It has potential to upset the applecart of the best of the sides on its given day.
It not only has good fielders, but also a good mix of youth and experienced players who can handle pressure situations. This World Cup will be a great spectacle as there are so many different grounds and wickets. Some wickets will help swing\spin, some will be uneven\flat. Hence the team that assesses the conditions well will have greater chance of winning the Cup. And no other team can do this better than the hosts West Indies.
Chris Gayle and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul are the most devastating opening pair in the World and most under-rated too. Gayle, known for his power play, has the potential to change the complexion of the game at his will and Chanderpaul is a busy batsman who values his wicket. One should not, however, under-estimate his explosive nature. He is as belligerent as Gayle.
The best bet for Windies, off course is Brian Lara and he is in awesome form. If he gets his act together, this World Cup will be the most memorable one for him, as he knows the conditions in West Indies much better than anyone else in the tournament.
Ramnaresh Sarawan, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith are tremendous batsmen too. Sarawan is an elegant little batsman who paces his innings according to the situation. It is a treat to watch him bat and has all the shots in his book. Samuels is in great touch. His 63-runs innings against Pakistan was simply superb. It looked he had been given a specific task in this World Cup. Smith is a tonker and can change the match in just five to six deliveries!
And there is the fantastic Bravo. He can bowl and bat and what distinguishes him with others is that he is a thinking-cricketer. He is a cany customer. Any captain will love to have him in the side.
Given the resources it has with it, it remains to be seen whether this dark horse gallops to victory and lifts the World Cup, thus reviving its glorious days of cricket that had given players like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Gary Sobers and the lots.
Eom\
It not only has good fielders, but also a good mix of youth and experienced players who can handle pressure situations. This World Cup will be a great spectacle as there are so many different grounds and wickets. Some wickets will help swing\spin, some will be uneven\flat. Hence the team that assesses the conditions well will have greater chance of winning the Cup. And no other team can do this better than the hosts West Indies.
Chris Gayle and Shivnaraine Chanderpaul are the most devastating opening pair in the World and most under-rated too. Gayle, known for his power play, has the potential to change the complexion of the game at his will and Chanderpaul is a busy batsman who values his wicket. One should not, however, under-estimate his explosive nature. He is as belligerent as Gayle.
The best bet for Windies, off course is Brian Lara and he is in awesome form. If he gets his act together, this World Cup will be the most memorable one for him, as he knows the conditions in West Indies much better than anyone else in the tournament.
Ramnaresh Sarawan, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith are tremendous batsmen too. Sarawan is an elegant little batsman who paces his innings according to the situation. It is a treat to watch him bat and has all the shots in his book. Samuels is in great touch. His 63-runs innings against Pakistan was simply superb. It looked he had been given a specific task in this World Cup. Smith is a tonker and can change the match in just five to six deliveries!
And there is the fantastic Bravo. He can bowl and bat and what distinguishes him with others is that he is a thinking-cricketer. He is a cany customer. Any captain will love to have him in the side.
Given the resources it has with it, it remains to be seen whether this dark horse gallops to victory and lifts the World Cup, thus reviving its glorious days of cricket that had given players like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Gary Sobers and the lots.
Eom\
