This Friday, the first ball of the 11th ICC World Cup will be bowled with dual opening matches between New Zealand and Sri Lanka and commonwealth rivals Australia versus England. Australia will be staging 26 games over six weeks, while co-hosts New Zealand will field 23.
There are any number of intriguing storylines to follow, including a couple of possible firsts: Will South Africa finally win the World Cup? Can Scotland finally win a game at the tournament? What are the odds that India wins back-to-back World Cups on foreign soil? How do you even play cricket? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2015 ICC World Cup.
Fast Facts
No. of teams: 14
No. of games: 49
Runs from: Feb. 13–March 25 (check out the complete schedule)
Format: 2 groups of 7 play round-robin; top four teams from each group go to knockout round (quarterfinal)
This year’s groups: A=Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka; B=India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
First year of tournament: 1975
Most wins by a country: 4 (Australia)
The Commonwealth Rivalry
With no home team at the World Cup, Canadians should cast their eyes to the results of fellow Commonwealth siblings: England, Australia and New Zealand. If the trio makes the knockout phase of the World Cup and have to play one another, prepare for bloody encounters, trash talking and fight-to-the-death stuff. Expect Australia to dominate England—they’ve won eight out of nine of their last matchups. And When New Zealand and Australia lock horns, it will be like watching Team Canada vs USA in Olympic hockey. As for the Brits vs. the Kiwis, that’s a coin toss, although I’d side with the Black Caps based on their current red-hot form. It’s been an ugly 18 months for England who were ranked No. 1 in the world when the ICC first announced the World Cup fixtures. Since then they’ve slumped to fifth. On top of that they lost the Ashes against Australia, who beat them up real good (5–0), and are 10-18 since the beginning of 2014.
What is a Super Over?
A Super Over is basically overtime. This is good to know because If a quarter- or semifinal ends in a tie, the teams will trundle back onto the field and play a Super Over to decide a winner. Each team will bat and bowl for six balls until there is a winner. If the World Cup Final ends in a tie, both will be announced as joint winners. Yes, JOINT winners. How anti-climatic will that be after six gruelling weeks and more than 50 matches and 400 hours of cricket?
South Africa’s World Cup Demons
South Africa have never won a World Cup. They spent 21 years in exile from cricket due to apartheid, but since 1991 when they were reinstated, they’ve underperformed at the World Cup with talented squads. They’ve reached the semifinals three times and quarterfinals twice since ’92. Their failure to perform on a world stage in cutthroat games against the world’s best has led to them being called “chokers.” Coach Russell Domingo says his team is mentally strong enough to win the World Cup, but captain AB de Villiers says the team is feeling the pressure. But if South Africa can erase 23 years of World Cup nightmares they could come close toward claiming their first-ever championship. They boast some of the world’s best top-order batsmen in de Villiers and Hashim Amla and a bowling unit that is centered around the combustible Dale Steyn. If they can’t strike now, or at least make the final, then the question might just forever remain: Is South Africa the best cricket team to never win a World Cup?
A Tale of Two Pakistan Teams
On their day Pakistan can produce some stunning results (wins against South Africa away and Sri Lanka at home last year), but then they can also, from nowhere, fall in a heap, for example, in losses to Australia and New Zealand. They often face myriad challenges just getting a team on the park. They haven’t played a home game in more than five years because of increased Taliban insurgence and acts of terrorism. They now play their games in United Arab Emirates, where they beat Australia in a Test series late last year. This World Cup will be the swan song of enigmatic all-rounder Shahid Afridi. If he can cash in all his chips, Pakistan could go deep into the World Cup. He’s a match winner, and he knows when to strike. Keep in mind though that there is a broad gulf that separates Pakistan’s best and worst cricket; they have the ability to chase 325 for the win but they can also look disinterested and collapse for 90.
Why New Zealand are Darkhorses
First thing you should know about New Zealand is that you never write off New Zealand. Don’t let their underachieving ICC rank of sixth fool you. The truth is, the Kiwis are World Cup darlings despite any lack of rankings or trophies to show for it. They have the uncanny knack of finding ways to produce consistently. In the previous six World Cups the Black Caps have made the semifinals on four occasions—and they look primed to do so again this time as co-hosts. In the past 12 months, the Kiwis have struck form losing only two of eight one-day series. The wins came against Pakistan (twice), Sri Lanka, and a clean sweep against current World Cup champions India (4–0). Apart from the fact they thrive on being underdogs, they also play their entire Pool A fixture at home on slow, postage-stamp sized grounds, which suits their medium-pace bowlers and big hitters. They’d have to perform beyond miserably to not qualify for the knockout rounds. Not happening. Watch for wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan McCullum’s bag of extraordinary batting tricks. Kane Williamson is also on fire right now, cracking 112, 97 and 54 from his last three knocks.
The Best of the Minnows
There are four minnow nations competing this year: Scotland, Ireland, Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates. With the West Indies playing sub-standard cricket, England in a rut, and who knows what Pakistan will bring, the chances of the minnows causing upsets against the big boys are greater in this World Cup more than ever before. While they’re not likely to win the entire thing, here’s a quick look at the best of the lower deck:
Afghanistan: Of the six, the Afghans are the only ones playing in their first World Cup. They recently defeated Scotland and Ireland in Dubai and drew 2–2 with Zimbabwe. Watch them chalk up their first win against Scotland and if luck has it, perhaps even topple a fragile England. They might even pull a Kenya.
Ireland: The green machine have the ability to shock. In 2011 they chased down 327 against England and 306 against the Netherlands for two inspiring wins. In 2007 they reached the Super 8s. Expect them to take down a big player. It could be England. Sorry, England.
Scotland and United Arab Emirates: Scotland are 0-8 at World Cups; UAE are 1-4 after beating the Netherlands in 1996. Hard to see either team making a splash at this year’s World Cup.
World Cup Odds
Bookies have Australia as firm favourites to win the 2015 World Cup at 2–1, with South Africa, 3–1, right behind them. New Zealand (5–1), England (8–1) and India (9–1) are all in the mix too. The value bet would be on Sri Lanka (10–1)—in ten World Cup appearances, they managed to win in 1996, and were runners-up twice in 2011 and 2007. They’ve also won the Asia Cup five times including six second-place finishes from 12 cups. The point here: They know how to go deep in tournaments. I’d steer clear of the West Indies (29–1) as they’ll definitely disappoint. Scotland and UAE are super longshots at 2500–1. I wouldn’t be surprised if they blow out to 5000–1 before the first ball.
Final Four Predictions
Since the 1992 World Cup, six teams have been able to consistently reach the semifinals: Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand with four appearances, and India, Pakistan and South Africa with three semifinal bouts. In the tournament’s entire history, only one nation has won as host, and that was India in 2011. Expect Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand to reach the Final Four with their World Cup experience and know-how on home ground environs. Either India or South Africa make ideal candidates for the that fourth semifinal spot but don’t discount the likes of Pakistan or Afghanistan to throw a cat amongst the pigeons with a miracle run.