The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup begins a new era for the tournament.
There will be no Sachin Tendulkar, no Ricky Ponting and no Jacques Kallis. Instead, a new crop of World Cup heroes will arise from the likes of David Warner, Brendan McCullum, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Johnson, James Faulkner, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and many others.
In just three days, cricket’s biggest event kicks off with one of the game’s biggest rivalries; Australia and England will lock horns at the MCG in what is expected to be a sell-out.
The 2015 World Cup shapes up to be one of the most fiercely contested events in World Cup history, with every team having their own strengths and X-factors, along with their share of weaknesses and issues. Who are the favourites for the tournament? Host nations Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa.
However, it won’t be an easy task to win the 2015 World Cup for any team, whether it is India, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Looking at past World Cup history, Pakistan has won a World Cup in Australia, taking the trophy back in 1992. But this is irrelevant – records are meant to be broken.
In my predictions, I won’t be picking a winner or discussing which team is likely to flop; rather, I’ll be discussing individual elements and possible upsets.
Here are my top five predictions:
1. Ireland upsets West Indies in first round:
There is every chance of this happening. Ireland surprised everyone in 2011 when they famously chased down England’s 327, so why can’t they do it again? The West Indies are in shambles and heading into a crisis stage. On the field, they struggle to compete with even lower-ranked teams, so much so that Ireland should be favourites for this game.
Chris Gayle is in the twilight years of his career and is a shadow of his former self; Kemar Roach, their best fast bowler, is under an injury cloud; and their best spinner has pulled out due to issues in relation to his bowling action.
Off the field, there are financial problems, selection disputes and poor business culture. Now, the Windies do have a great deal of talent, don’t get me wrong. Andre Russell continues to develop as a player and could be a fine all-rounder; Darren Bravo is just as good as his half-brother Dwayne; and captaincy could spark the inexperienced Jason Holder to stand up and deliver in the big moments.
That said, that’s as far as the Windies go. They are talented, but nowhere near being a world-class team, and it is hard to see them progressing past the quarter-final stages.
2. Michael Clarke makes a statement and is leading run-scorer for the tournament
Australia’s captain is well on track to have the ‘c’ beside his name in the team that will take on Bangladesh in 10 days. Being so far ahead of his rehabilitation and recovery schedule, he could be a surprise inclusion into Australia’s World Cup opener against England this weekend.
Clarke has been treated very unfairly, not just by the selectors, but also the public. Remember that this is a guy who took over the captaincy from Ponting in 2011 when the team was in a crisis, and carried the team for the best part of 36 months.
Between 2011 and 2014, he not only has broken several batting records and been the one Australian player to consistently perform at both Test and one day international level, he returned The Ashes to Australia; defeated the No.1 Test-playing nation, South Africa, away from home after being literally battered and bruised by the Proteas’ attack, and held the team together when Phil Hughes passed away.
You don’t have to like the guy, but at least respect him. Clarke’s record in ODI cricket is just as good as his Test record – 7762 runs at an average of 44.86 puts him among our best-ever limited overs players.
I expect Clarke to return with a bang, and to remind everyone of the class player and great leader that he is, and why he is still Australia’s best player.
3. Six-hitting showdown
I believe that we will see a record for the highest number of sixes hit in a World Cup tournament. This year’s tournament features some of the biggest hitters in world cricket, including Warner, McCullum, Kohli, Russell and Gayle, as well as Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, MS Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan and several others.
I’m tipping Maxwell to record the most out of any player, and Chris Gayle to send one 150 metres.
4. Hat-tricks
This World Cup will also see a record number of hat-tricks taken – in fact, there are as many as five bowlers capable of taking one, including: Mitch Johnson, Mitch Starc, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn and James Anderson.
5. The Big Bash seagull makes a World Cup appearance
One of the greatest stories to come out of the 2014-15 Big Bash League was not the Perth Scorchers winning back-to-back trophies, or even Brett Lee retiring; rather, it was the Steve the Seagull’s rise from the dead at the MCG. He will make a return to the home of cricket in the final in front of 100,000 fans, and help Australia to victory.
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