tHe tEeeamS...The anAlysIS!

It is 16dAys and 16 more hOurs to go b4 the world cup starts with 16tEams competing for the coveted trophy! Who'z gonna win it and who'z gonna miss it?

This is the 9th world cup edition and this is the first instance when there is no clear favorite to win this cup. All the previous editions had a stand out favorite to win the cup, ofcourse it is a different story all together if the favorites really win the cup or not! Let us now analyze all the teams competing for the world cup glory.

Let us first take a look at the bottom 8 teams in the competition. Scotland and Netherlands with Australia and South Africa in Group "A". It is tough to see any surprise upSet in this group though Scotland might be a team to watch out for the future! Bangladesh and Bermuda with India and Sri Lanka in Group "B". It is tough to see any surprise upSet in this group either but I would bet Bangladesh giving a tough fight with Sri Lanka! Now in Group "C", there might be a surprise upSet with both Kenya and Canada playing well in the ICC cricket League. Kenya and Canada are pooled with England and New Zealand. A surprise upSet is a possibility! In Group "D", Zimbabwe and Ireland are pooled in with Pakistan and West Indies. A surprise upSet is a possibility but not very much a likelihood since Zimbabwe is not doing very well either! It depends on how bad Pakistan or West Indies can play on a given day!

Now that the bottom 8 teams are analyzed, let us talk about the top 8 teams. Unlike the previous editions, I would say all the top 8 teams would be qualified for the SUPER "8" stage. Infact here is where the real competition fires up!

I would count on South Africa, England, India and Sri Lanka to make the Semis. Australia and West Indies have a distant shot to make it to the semis. I donot give Pakistan or New Zealand any chance to make it to the semis just for the fact that Pakistan do not yet have a decided bOwling combination(with dOping and inJury concerns) and New Zealand do not have good sloW bowlers! This edition of world cup does give a chance to the teams with good sloW bowlers and meDium paCers since the pitches in West Indies are kept very low and slow(unless this changes very drastically). I have put Australia and West Indies as a distant shot to make it to the semis for the reason being most of the Australia's top players are either rEtired or inJury hit! Symonds and Brett Lee are a doubt and Ponting is just coming back from a back injury! But they do have the fire power to come back strong against all odds. West Indies on the other hand is very uN-predictable and that is thE reason which stands against them. They have good batting line-up but the bowling is relatively in-experienced!

Now coming to my favorite 4, India are a well balanced side with a good mix of youth and experience in both the batting and bowling departments. FieldinG is deFinitely an area of coNcern...if addressed properly, they have the potential to be thE wInners. Sri Lanka on the other hand has good blend of youth and experience and is also a good fielding side. It needs to be seen if their famed bOwling can stand uP to deLiver! England is a team which is very in-cOnsistent but is the team to watch out for. They are the dark horses in the tournament! With a relatively second string team they were able to win against the mighty aussies and the kiwis in their own backyard. With Peterson back into the team and a fit Vaughn they have evry chance to win the cup! Getting eleVen fully fit experienced players day-In and day-OUt is the only thing which goes against theM! South Africa is the team to watch out for in this tournament. They have a well balanced side with good bowling and batting talents. Their fielding is exceptional as always. Their tag of cHokers and deLivering in cRunch situations is the only thing going against them!

So let's keep our fingers crossed to see who wins the most coveted cup in cricket!

My favorites are South Africa or England to win the CUP with India and Sri Lanka following close behind having equal chance as well if things fall in place on a given day!