or risky to predict the winner of what now has become the most entertaining CWC, ever.
Stepping into the breach is a silly thing to do when it comes to cricket or golf. I'm a silly man hahaha
There are a few certain things worth noting after having witnessed the world's finest strutting their stuff....
a) Oz and NZ have the best attack, and of the two the Black Caps are the most balanced with DV as spinner.
b) Depending on the wicket and ground, no team is going to score more than 300 runs against them... their attack is that good that a huge score is only achievable by great batting.
c) Alongside of rule changes and the influence of T20, ODI's have become far more appealing and entertaining. The game has been altered for the good.
d) It now means that big hitting starts at the top of the innings and continues through the middle-order.....big hitting is no longer middle-order dependent.
So which team has the best chance of winning the WC?
Going back to my original selections prior to the WC I had it listed as..
1) Oz
2) Kiwi's
3) SA
This might be a surprise to some but I'm stepping into the breach by dissing the Kiwis....why?....simply because their batting is a one man band in the scintillating form of Brendon McCullum. Kane Williamson, Guptill and a couple of the other Kiwi batsmen are all reasonable batters but nowhere in the class of McCullum who can't be contained. So unless they bowl the opposition out for a miserly score like they did against Oz, something that will never happen again, I simply cannot see the Kiwis getting through against both SA and Oz.... specially if McCullum fails. The MCG where the final will be played is a huge ground and a touch unfamiliar to Kiwi batsmen who thus far have played and won on small grounds.
Of the rest of the contenders, India is obviously the best....I don't rate their chances against either NZ or Oz.
The Proteas are a huge chance but only if they have a fit team and freeze selection on colour.They have big hitters aplenty and they bat deep. Arguably they have the best spinner in Tahir.
There are questions around the Oz batting, we know what they can do with the ball and we know the MCG is home and sacred turf.Oz tick too many boxes,they remain my winner.
Go Proteas!