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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Team Australia: Analysis and Odds for ICC World Cup’11

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Australia-Cricket
Australia
Group Rivals :- Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya
Coach :- Tim Nielsen
Captain :- Ricky Ponting
Best Performance in WC :-  Champions in 1987, 1999, 2003,2007
Highest Score in WC :-  377-6 (50 Overs) v/s South Africa in WC’07
Lowest Score in WC :- 129 All Out (38.2 Overs) v/s India in WC’83
Best Individual Score :- 158, Matthew Hayden v/s West Indies in WC’07
Best Bowling :- 7-15 Glenn McGrath v/s Namibia in WC’03
Matches Won/Lost/Tied/NR  51-17-1-0
The Odds :- 7-5
ICC ODI Ranking :- No.1
MAN TO WATCH
SW
Shane WATSON
Shane Watson is the face of future for Australia. He is one of the world’s best all-rounder, a clean and uncomplicated hitter who plays any kind of game from first gear to overdrive. He is pillar of the  Australian batting because he opens the batting and gives good and quick starts to Australia in all the 3 formats of the game. He knows the sub-continent conditions very well as he is playing for Rajasthan Royals in IPL for last 3 seasons. He is the one man who can demolish any attack on his day and a very good medium pacer as well who can bowl economically and pick up key wickets in crucial moments and not to mention he is a brilliant fielder like all Aussie players.

Career-best performance:
Batting: 161* v/s England at MCG in 2011
Bowling: 36-4 v/s Pakistan at Brisbane in 2010
Australia is defending champion in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. This Australian team is only team which had won Cricket World Cup 4 times and won the World Cup 3 times consecutively since 1999. They are undefeated  in the World Cup finals since 1999. In short they are World Cup rulers since 1999. They are also No.1 team in ODIs according to ICC rankings and they simply justify their No.1 rank by giving superlative performance in shorter version of the game. Their dominance in ODIs can be defined from the fact that currently they are leading ongoing Commonwealth Bank ODI series 5-1 against England. They recently lost Ashes Test Series against England at home but that loss has not affected their ODI performance. They are really invincible atleast in shorter form of the game. This Australian team can bat well, bowl well and field well anywhere in the world. Different venue and pitch conditions does not make much effect on their performances and not to forget they possess two of the fastest bowlers in the world in Shaun Tait and Brett Lee who can demolish any batting line-up on any ground in the world with their sheer pace.

Australian team’s record in ODIs speaks everything about their domination. What could possibly be their Achilles’ heel? Key players in Ricky Ponting who is regular captain, off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty, dependable batsman Micahel Hussey and Shaun Marsh are doubtful for the initial stages of the World Cup due to injuries. But not to forget they enough capable replacements for the injured players atleast in shorter version of the game. I will not be surprise if they will retain elite cricketing trophy once again.

Key Players for Australia: Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brett Lee  and Cameroon White

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