Who Can Win This World Cup Now? by Tim Holt

If anything this World Cup has been symbolised by the incompleteness of the Teams....
There have been no super Teams like the great West Indies Teams of the 70's and the masterful Aussies of the recent World Cups
So it could be conceivable that a Team comes from the clouds to win the Cup.Like India did in 1983 and Pakistan in 1992
So what are the respective Teams chances?
Ill separate it into 5 categories


1.Batting
2.Bowling
3.Weaknesses
4.XFactor
5.Chances to Win

Australia

1.Batting
The Aussie batting has been strengthened by the inclusion of Mike Hussey.Who not only is an exceptional player,but one of the few Aussies whose accomplished against spin.They also have the quality of Shane Watson at the top and two sleeping giants in Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.Then also dangerous types like Dave Hussey,Cam White and Brad Haddin

2,Bowling
The bowling is in my mind very one dimensional with the three fast bowlers of Johnson,Lee and Tait.All of which are attacking options,but if someone gets on top of them they can go for plenty.In Shane Watson you have the one defensive option in the bowling.Who has done a very admirable job,but the reliance on him in this Team is intense.There are spin options in Krejza,Smith and Dave Hussey,but none are of the threatening incarnate

3.Weaknesses
Spin in all regards...........They struggle to bat against it bar Mike Hussey and Clarke and then they have no one who can bowl it adequately.Which makes their bowling very one dimensional.
Also a very unhealthy reliance on Shane Watson,so if he was to get injured or struggled. Australia would be on it's knees

4.Xfactor
Mike Hussey's inclusion is a huge boost for he adds quality to the batting and a good player against spin.Also a very good leader on the field in a Team that lacks leaders

5.Chances of Winning
20%-The inclusion of Hussey has improved their chance but I still think this Team will come a cropper against a quality unit.Or against a Team with quality spinners.

Bangladesh (Assuming they qualify)

1.Batting
The Tigers have struggled with their batting with an unhealthy reliance on Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan.Thankfully for them Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddiqui stepped up in the last game.They still are very fragile in this regard of the game

2.Bowling
The bowling has improved by the match with the very impressive medium pacer Shafiul Islam becoming a key factor.Then the spinners starting to perform in a manner that is making it very hard for teams to score against this Bangladesh Team

3.Weaknesses
The batting is very fragile and relies on too few to get winning scores.So against better bowling Teams they will struggle to post winning scores
Also the Tigers have struggled with the weight of expectation as seen in their insipid implosion against the Windies

4.Xfactor
There are two for the Tigers........
The first being the pitches getting low and slow and favouring their glut of spinners and the second being fate.In regards to missing an Asian Team (in particular India) if they make the quarters

5.Chances of Winning
2%-Their batting is too weak to survive against the better Teams

England (Assuming they qualify)

1.Batting
The batting has been reliant on Strauss,Trott and Bell to carry it.Which on occasion has been good enough for them.Though like the rest of the English Team these three have struggled with consistency.The loss of Kevin Pietersen to injury and the loss of form of Paul Collingwood has nobbled the batting .This off set in some small way by the inclusion of Eoin Morgan

2.Bowling
It has like the batting been so inconsistent and bar the South African miracle win has been toothless.Though one of the chief architects in that miracle Stuart Broad has now succumbed to injury and thus the bowling has been weakened again

3.Weaknesses
Chief one consistency......
For there is obvious quality in their Team though they are all over the place in performances.
Also seems luck is against them with so many injuries to key personnel at inopportune moments

4.Xfactor
Chris Tremlett replicating his Ashes heoroics

5.Chances of Winning
1%-More chance of flying to the moon

India

1.Batting
The batting is about as complete as you can possibly get.
It has the supreme class of Tendulkar
Then other class acts in Sehwag,Gambhir and Kohli.
Completed by the lower order maulers in Yusuf Pathan,Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni

2.Bowling
The bowling has one of the best bowlers in the World in Zaheer Khan and then a very able off sider in Harbhahjan Singh.
Though if they are very good the rest are average to be polite and rubbish to be honest in Piyush Chawla,Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel

3.Weaknesses
The Bowling.........
The back up bowlers to Zaheer and Harbhahjan are money for old rope and then the part timers in Yuvraj and Yusuf.Though they have been effective against the Associate Teams can't be expected to be decisive factors against the better Teams
M.S.Dhoni's Captaincy has also been seen as a weakness for it's very defensive mindset and ill advised decisions
The fielding is on the wrong side of average too

4.Xfactor
The inclusion of Ravi Ashwin on pitches that are likely to get lower and slower could make the Indian bowling a bit more effective.For Ashwin with his off spin is very effective with his accuracy and very unorthodox and penetrative with his lethal carrom ball

5,Chances of Winning
20%-Their batting can carry them far,but then their bowling and fielding will eventually lead to their demise

New Zealand

1,Batting
The batting is if they perform very dangerous and in the initial parts of the Tournament they struggled and the Team with them.Though with the likes of the Taylor's,McCullum's and Ryder's having started to improve as has New Zealand.They have very dangerous lower order hitters in Jacob Oram and the unconventional but effective Dan Vettori

2.Bowling
The bowling has very much been carried by the improving Tim Southee.Then supported by the big hearted types like Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram.Dan Vettori has yet to be a factor at this World Cup with the ball,but has potential to do so.

3.Weaknesses
The bowling is an accident waiting to happen to be honest.Southee has carried it with his very fine performances,but he's a young man and can be reasonably expected to cool off at some point.The rest of the bowlers aside from Dan Vettori are just mediocre trundlers.
So against the better Teams they will likely get plundered

4.Xfactor
Kane Williamson would add some much need class to this Team in the batting department.Plus is an exceptional fielders and a useful off spin bowler

5,Chances Of Winning
5%-They haven't the class in particular in their bowling to win the Cup

Pakistan

1.Batting
The batting has been very inconsistent with only Misbah ul Huq being a constant performer.Though it isn't lacking in class in regards to players like Younis Khan and Umar Akmal and threat in the lower order hitters.Such as Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq.The adding of young Asad Shafique might alleviate the issues in the top order.

2,Bowling
The bowling has been carried by Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul...
The rest of the attack in Shoaib Ahktar,Razzaq and the spinners in Harfeez and Rehman have had their moments,but can' really be relied on in a big match

3.Weaknesses
The key one is the keeping of Kamran Akmal and if he's retained then Pakistan have no hope of winning.For as seen again New Zealand his drops and attitude just kills the Team like putting termites in wood
The top order is also a worry,but Asad Shafique could assume a role in the top order and alleviate that issue.
Then the bowling is reliant on too few to get Teams out.

4.Xfactor
I think it would be a good ploy rather than wasting Abdul Razzaq at 7 to bat him in the top 4.Where if it comes off it could be devastating
Saeed Ajmal needs to come back into the Team too

5,Chances of Winning
0% If Kamran Akmal is retained as keeper or even kept in the Team
25%-They still if everything comes together can upend the more fancied Teams and as seen when everything clicked in 1992 can go on a run and win the Cup

South Africa

1,Batting
The South African's have been very fine in this regard.Highlighted by stars like Hasim Amla,A.B.DeVilliers and J.P.Duminy.Then with class players like Smith and Kallis yet to leave a mark on this Tournament

2.Bowling
In truth the best at the World Cup with every aspect covered

3.Weaknesses
Very few,maybe the lower middle order against a quality spin attack

4.Xfactor
The Team has been performing very well,but they could do better and be very hard to topple if Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis start to perform


5,Chances of Winning
70%-They'll be very hard to beat

Sri Lanka

1,Batting,
The batting is based around the elite pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene and they are good-very good indeed! If the openers click which they have in games. It's another huge strength.The lower middle order is workmanlike

2,Bowling
On a par with South Africa's with a key spear head in Malinga and then spinners that are lethal.In lieu of slower and lower pitches as the World Cup goes on. They'll be even more lethal

3,Weaknesses
The lower middle order is fragile especially if Sangakkara and Mahela are dismissed cheaply.It exposes them and as shown against Pakistan.They are very fragile.

4,Xfactor
If Sri Lanka had the courage to play Mahela Jayawardene as an opener as they do in T20 cricket.It could be a factor that can win the World Cup.Especially when their chasing a target

5,Chances of Winning
71%-I'd rate them just ahead of South Africa on the basis that they have so many quality spinners and the pitches will start to favour them.

West Indies

1,Batting
The batting has been very adequate in this Tournament and Chris Gayle its king pin has yet to make a decisive contribution.They have the class of Darren Bravo and the acidic threat of Kieron Pollard down the order.Then the workmanlike players to compliment them

2,Bowling
Like the batting they have got the job done.The unlikely opening partnership of Kemar Roach and Suliaeman Benn have been huge successes.In Roach they have one of the best strike weapons in this Cup.Then the rest of the bowlers,like the support batsmen have done their job adequately.

3,Weaknesses
It's hard to pick a weakness out of this Team for they have been very well performed in all regards.If anything the lack of supreme class is a weakness.For they are very much 11 good players playing exceptionally well as a Team.

4,Xfactor
Chris Gayle always is threatening against any bowling,but has yet to exert his influence here.If he decides to turn up and put in one of his characteristic devastating blitz's.Well the Windies might be a darkhorse to win it

5,Chances of Winning
20%-They have on performance have a chance to pull off an unlikely win.Though I think might be found out by a better Team