The end

The Cricket World Cup ended with Australia triumphant - however, there is no shame losing to them since they are truly dominating cricket. Of course, this is scarce consolation leading to the hype of the finals; lanka succumbed to an amazing innings by Gilchrist. I am not a big fan of a sensitivity analysis or a 'what-if' 'cos in this Australian team, you can expect any of those eleven to do something special and Lanka was second best.

However, after screaming myself hoarse, I salute the Lankan team. We gave them a fight - this is not recognised by most but if you were a Lankan or anyone not supporting Australia, we were in the game till about the 23rd over of our innings. With Jayasuriya getting out, the fight, in my opinion was up.

Now, life can return to the mundane but while Lankan cricket shines like a bright beacon, Sri Lanka has plummeted into a new crisis with the Tamil Tigers carrying out ariel strikes in the main city, Colombo.

THIS IS LANKA!!!

Woot. So almost 50 days into the tournament and Lanka is officially into the Finals. Now, we have to wait on either SA or Aus. My money is on SA - simply because with the amount of trash talking the Aussies have done, they deserve to lose.

In any case, come hell or water high, Lanka is ready. Oh, by god, we are ready. Mahela played the innings that will have everyone raving each time they look back at the World Cup 2007, Tharanga shut the door on Attapattu (and hopefully Ranatunga's cheerleader like campaign) and Murali, Malinga and Vassy proved why they form the most potent bowling attack in World Cricket at the moment.

The only weak point, and this is too bloody obvious, was Dilhara Fernando. I hate shmucks who go out and make statements such as "I have solved my no-ball problem" and now the arse delivered at least an over-worth in his crappy spell. I supported him into this match, but given that the dude does not even know where the pitch is, I say drop him and bring in Mahroof. It must have hurt Mahroof to be left out but his credentials are not fantastic either but definitely better than what Dilhara is serving up.

So that is that; people are talking about a 1996 repeat. I seriously think it will be an awesome contest - both the Lanka and the Aussies are fierce. While Australia is almost like a well-oiled machinery, Sri Lanka is the neutrals favourite and almost play the game with a zest that more people can connect to.

For the more technical parts - I have a lot of things in my head about the game and it will be nice to see some of them unravel if it is indeed a 1996 repeat.

Now, the wait. Again.

Team Lanka

The ads are cheesy but you gotta love the Lankans.

Malinga - Before and After

Malinga - Before

Malinga - After

This guy should have a huge impact on the last couple of games for Lanka. Of course, I am assuming that we will make it through the semi's.

The wait.

So the top four teams made it. Though SA looked on the edge for the last couple of games, they should be in the semi's - they have a one-toned attack but it is an attack that can dismantle any batting line-up.

And also, SL is slated for a clash with the Kiwi's again. However, the result should be the same and it should be a SL vs. SA/AUS final. I am not too convinced that Aus is going to find the going easy with the proteas. The clashes between SA and Eng vs. Aus tend to always bring something else to the table.

In either case, my money is on Lanka. Now, I simply have to wait for them to prove me right.

Super 8 - April 2007

Sun 1	30th Match, Super Eights - West Indies v Sri Lanka Providence Stadium, Guyana D2 v B1 Lanka. This is a crucial match and Lanka certainly holds an advantage. A loss for the Windies would help seal their fate. After seeing the farce in their selection, I sincerely do not think the Windies have the mental strength to progress.
Mon 2	31th Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v New Zealand Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua B2 v C1 England. In all honestly, England could be a real contender for the Semi's. She came to the Winides on a high having won the CB series when nobody gave them a shot. It is true they struggled a bit but it is all about peaking at the right time; even Flintoff's determination, Pietersens's talent, and their new action hero, Collingwood, I would definitely be wary of them.
Tue 3	32th Match, Super Eights - Ireland v South Africa Providence Stadium, Guyana D1 v A2 South Africa. Ireland gave them a hell of a scare in the warm-up matches; however, I think SA is unlikely to slip again and would try their best to erase those memories. Also, they may be looking to boost their run rate since they came on the backfoot in the Super 8's. However, given they lost to Australia (to lose those two points), I feel it will not hamper their plans to make it to the Semi's since most teams (if not all) will lose to Australia!
Wed 4	33th Match, Super Eights - England v Sri Lanka Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua Lanka. God, I am biased, no? But seriously, I think unless a few England players pull their socks up, they will struggle. This is mainly because our bowling is a lot better. In fact, so is our batting. Heck, and everyone knows about our fielding. Maybe I am not that biased after all.
Sat 7	34th Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v South Africa Providence Stadium, Guyana B2 v A2 South Africa. I will stick to my initial assertion; while Bangladesh and Ireland made it thus far, this is the end of the road.
Sun 8	35th Match, Super Eights - Australia v England Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua Ricky Pointing and co. will be looking to avenge their loss in the CB series. The poms may be charged-up due to the history. I think Australia's bowling is susceptible - it is missing Lee (and of course, Warne retired) so it does not look as great. However, it is their batting and also their presence simply intimidates their opponents - and this is truer when that opponent is England.
Mon 9	36th Match, Super Eights - Ireland v New Zealand Providence Stadium, Guyana D1 v C1 New Zealand. They really are playing well and have the bowling attack to make most teams worry. Ireland is not going to pose any challenge.
Tue 10	37th Match, Super Eights - South Africa v West Indies National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada D2 v A2 South Africa. Haiz. The Windies really have a set of issues and they just do not have the firepower to match teams such as Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Wed 11	38th Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v England Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados C2 v B2 Poms.
Thu 12	39th Match, Super Eights - New Zealand v Sri Lanka National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada Wow! Now, this will be a cracker. I would think Lanka might have the edge; Malinga has scared them before and by god, going by his four-in-four, he is likely to do it again.
Fri 13	40th Match, Super Eights - Australia v Ireland Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados A1 v D1 What a mismatch. Australia.
Sat 14	41th Match, Super Eights - New Zealand v South Africa National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada A2 v C1 South Africa. While this is likely to be an interesting game, South Africa, to me is still a much stronger team since they have some huge players; New Zealand has never had the big names and I feel the fact that they do not have a Smith, a Lara or even a Jayasuriya could really hamper them.
Sun 15	42th Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v Ireland Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados B2 v D1 I think this match is of no consequence. I wish the Bangladeshi's win to simply maintain that they are "better than the associate" thingy going for them.
Mon 16	43th Match, Super Eights - Australia v Sri Lanka National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada Call me biased but I think only Sri Lanka really has the ability to unnerve Australia. I am sure we will give them a fight; and for the record, Matty Hayden will fail against us. Even given his run of recent exploits, I just do not see Malinga and Vaas being bullied.
Tue 17	44th Match, Super Eights - England v South Africa Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados South Africa. The poms just do not have the bowling to contain Smith.
Wed 18	45th Match, Super Eights - Ireland v Sri Lanka National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada Lanka. 'Nuff said!
Thu 19	46th Match, Super Eights - West Indies v Bangladesh Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados D2 v B2 Windies. I am going to say this again - Bangladesh can only win against Ireland.
Fri 20	47th Match, Super Eights - Australia v New Zealand National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada A1 v C1 Wow! Coming on the back of those amazing run-chases and the 10-wicket bashing, New Zealand and Australia definitely have some bad blood to settle. I have not done any calculations, but both teams should have sailed into the Semi's if my previous predictions are correct.
Sat 21	48th Match, Super Eights - West Indies v England Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados This match may be important if their is tussle for the fourth place and all that jazz. On merit alone, I would think the Poms.

We never had a chance

Four in four for Malinga. Brilliant stuff and it really shows that this guy is capable.

In a match that Sri Lanka should have won, Jayawardene would have to cop the brunt of the blame.

1. His own form is pathetic; you put your best player at 3 - not the one in the worst patch of form in his life.

2. Why was Murali brought in so late?

3. Malinga is a good bowler but he struggles at the top. I think I would give him a couple - cos his disconcerting pace might get you wickets. If he is going for runs, make the quick changes and bring this guy later in the game. He is so good with the old ball!

4. I still think we are missing a quality bowler in this line-up. I think Bandara is a better bowler than most but we need to play three fast bowlers and Mahroof and Dilhara are not good enough. After seeing Mahroof yesterday, that smuckh Dilhara might be worth a gamble with Vassy. However, it should also come with the ultimatum that if he bowls no-balls, Attapattu, our favourite 12th man, can cut him in the legs - not deep sashes but enough to let him know.

5. Get the batting oder right. Think Sanga should be number three for sure; Mahela and Chamara should share four and five.

6. WTF was with the collapse; while Mahela is not to blame completely I would give those bitches Mahroof, Vassy, and especially Murali a scolding that they would remember for sometime. Man, Murali, is such an arse. He is completely unprofessional when it comes to his conduct while batting; it is very sad that a person who has done so much for cricket does not understand the importance of his role as a bat. Sure, we do not expect a miracle but to get his basics right - jeez Murali, grow up, will you!

Well, it was still a good match and we can be reasonably confident to pull off victories against the Brits, the Windies, the Irish and the Kiwis. We probably give Australia a good fight - and if we beat them - heck, then we will be right on top.

Still think we are well on our way to the Semi's but a couple of surprises and we can kiss our dreams goodbye.