Don't be surprised if you are swept off your feet by a riveting display from various performers at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Dhaka tonight. With the viewers worldwide ready to settle for nothing less than the best and organisers willing to spend millions to please them, I expect that the organisers have already gone out of their way to orchestrate a picture perfect show.
While opening ceremonies were more of a chore to get over with during our playing days, they have great importance in today’s scheme of things. At the same time, it will also provide Bangladesh an opportunity to prove that they have truly arrived on the world stage — even if their cricketing skills still needs some sharpening.
While ceremonies will be a part and parcel of the 45-day extravaganza, cricket will be the focal point and ICC will be hoping that cricket is the winner when curtains are drawn on the 2011 edition of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.
Talking of cricket, I have been surprised by the way our team has gone on asserting that they would want to win the Cup for batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. I have no doubt over his contribution to the game and also realise that realistically this will be his last World Cup. But if the team really wants to dedicate the Cup to the little genius, they should quietly go about their job and if they manage to win the Cup, they can then proclaim that it was for the greatest batsman to have graced the game after Donald Bradman.
I would like to ask the team what they will do if they don’t win the Cup? Also, they shouldn’t undermine the support they have received from their die-hard fans and win the Cup for them. The Indian fans are known to wear their hearts on their sleeves. As a result, the pressure to perform will be huge on the Indian team. While most of Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s comments seem to be well thought out, I don’t agree that there won’t be the extra pressure of playing at home.
He might be street-smart to call it an added responsibility, but this can turn into a burden if the team puts up one poor performance. He feels that whenever India plays, there is pressure but it would be foolish to compare any other match with the World Cup.
This is where the team has to step up. You can’t just depend on one Sachin or one Zaheer Khan to do the job for you and I am sure Dhoni will have discussed this in team meetings. Dhoni’s maturity sets him apart from a maverick like Sourav Ganguly. While Ganguly loved to back his instincts, Dhoni is more calculating in his approach.
While Ganguly’s boys in 2003 were still in the process of learning how to play in a highpressure tournament like the World Cup, they have all evolved since then. With India being termed favourites by all and sundry, I would rather like to warn them that pressure can get to the coolest of characters. So Dhoni’s men should guard against over-confidence. For me, there are four other teams who could be serious threats to Dhoni’s dream of gifting Sachin the World Cup.
The Australians might not have been at their best in the last few years, but one would be dim-witted to discount their ability to shine on the big stage. History bears witness that every time they have been down, they have rebounded with a vengeance. Then come the South Africans. Considered chokers, they will have a point to prove and I am sure that captaining his team for the last time on the world stage, Graeme Smith will look to go out with a bang.
When it comes to rising to the occasion, none can beat Pakistan. Waiting till the eleventh hour to name Shahid Afridi as the captain, they could spring major surprises. While they have good batsmen such as Ahmed Shehzad and Misbah-ul-Haq, the bowling boasts of Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi to name a few. For me, they are the dark horses.
Sri Lanka can’t be ignored at home. Although there bowling isn’t something to write home about, they have a very good batting line-up and if Tillakaratne Dilshan gets going, the opposition bowlers might start looking for places to hide.
Fasten your seat belts as the best in the business gear up to set the stage on fire.
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