Cricket World Cup mid-season Review

With the World Cup reaching its climax stage, one thing is for certain, rain is always going to be there. It has clearly wrecked havoc upon this World Cup, but still, the fans have not lost hope. Everyone knows that if a match doesn't happen, we the fans will be the biggest losers, as the ICC, broadcasters have everything covered for themselves(money related). With 3 abandoned matches so far, it has already set an all time high. But, I personally think, this will test the character of the big teams, cause now they will realize that each and every game is a must win game, because you may never know when it will rain and when it will not.

Now, leaving the rain behind let's move on to the big teams. England, Australia, India have so far lived up to the expectations set by the cricket analysts, media and their fans. Particularly India which is one of the 2 unbeaten teams in this world cup along with New Zealand. India's blockbuster match against their arch-rivals Pakistan lived up to the hype. India showed their superiority and class with a 89 run win over them. But, the one match I am eagerly waiting for is between India and England on 30th June.

The next team I am going to talk about can surely be defined by one word, and that is "REJUVENATED". Yeah, you guessed it right, it is Australia. With 4 wins out of 5 they have shown their credentials as one of the favorites. With the way their batsmen have so far batted in this tournament is simply magnificent. Particularly Warner and Smith. To make a comeback to the international circuit after a year long gap is never easy. But the way they have done it so far is brilliant. Australia's bowling has been a little on and off but one player has stood out from the rest and that is Starc. With 13 wickets in 5 matches he has set the tournament alight with his blistering pace and lethal bouncers. It still remains to be seen if he has the consistency to continue this wicket taking form till the business end of this tournament.

Now moving on to the hosts, England. According to me their best player so far has been Joe Root. With two hundreds in this World Cup, he has become the Root of this English tree. But one of this tree's branch is out due to injury, Jason Roy (only for 2 matches). But I think they have enough depth in their squad to cover for his absence.

It still remains to be seen who can be considered as the top contender for the 4th spot for the semis. But judging by the form and position in the points table, I think it will either be the Kiwis ( New Zealand) or the Tigers (Bangladesh).

Image source: cricket.yahoo.net