Goliath meets match in Guyana April 8, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Cricket.trackback
Shock upsets are inevitable, especially in an event such as the Cricket World Cup. But cricket found the least unlikely contenders at the centre stage of one of the greatest upsets in the history of One-Day International Cricket at a Super 8 match at Guyana yesterday. The erstwhile minnows of international cricket, upcoming ‘David’ – Bangladesh, placed ninth in ICC rankings turned the apple cart against South Africa, ranked the world’s best team and a very strong contender for the 2007 ICC World Cup. The Bangladeshi tiger cubs rattled a comprehensive 67-run victory against the Proteas – totally outclassing them in all the 
departments of the game, and changing the complexion of the remaining Super 8 matches. Now, West Indies and England have been given a chance to fight for a semi-final berth, while South Africa have been chortled and brought back to terra firma – the spectre of the choker tag never seems to desert them. Giant killing Bangladesh seems to be the silver lining in this otherwise lacklustre tournament, dominated by Australia and conspicuous by the early exit of over-rated India and mercurial Pakistan. Underdogs such as Ireland and Bangladesh have shown cricketing excellence is not anyone’s fiefdom.
Coach Dav Whatmore, the Midas man behind Bangladesh’s dream run, is currently in the reckoning to be Team India’s next coach. It will be very interesting to watch out for future developments. If he does get the job, I’m sure that B’desh’s loss would very much be India’s gain.
Here’s a quick look at a few common traits seen in some of the better performing teams playing in this World Cup:
1. The ability to enjoy the game as a team
2. Outstanding fielding standards
3. Not relying on a single individual as a match winner – depending on every player to contribute on the field
4. Ability to put pressure on competition, especially if they are on top
5. Supreme fitness – explains why players like Sanath Jayasuriya are still ruling the roost
Super Eight Standings as of today
Team MP W L PCF Pts NRR
AUS 3 3 0 2 6 +2.01
SRI 4 3 1 2 6 +1.55
NZL 3 3 0 2 6 +1.44
RSA 4 2 2 0 4 -0.63
ENG 3 1 2 0 2 +0.02
WIN 4 1 3 2 2 -1.18
BAN 4 1 3 0 2 -1.78
IRE 3 0 3 0 0 -0.93
Arun Rajagopal 
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