Chris Gayle got the Twenty20 World Championships off to a rollicking start, only to be let down by the bowlers in his side. The fact that South Africa overhauled the target with a couple of overs to spare is an indication of how badly the West Indies bowled. It was a thoughtless display, with several wides being conceded not down the leg-side but on the off. The West Indian bowling in the recent past has been poor, and unless some drastic changes are made, it is unlikely that their fortunes on the field will improve. Of course, cricket can be a funny game, and there could well be a turnaround for the ‘calypso cricketers’ if the bowlers do their homework. But then, the members of the bowling attack have been around for quite some time and haven’t really distinguished themselves. Hence, I don’t think the West Indian supporters will be overly optimistic about their team’s prospects in the tournament. However, they will certainly expect Ramnaresh Sarwan and his side to win today’s ‘make-or-break’ clash against Bangladesh. The team that Bangladesh famously beat in the preliminary round of the 2007 World Cup will do well not to take Scotland lightly. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a bunch of youngsters who will liven up the fielding aspect considerably. It is the first time since 1996 that India will be playing in a ‘World Cup’ of sorts without the Big Three — Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. That makes it a great opportunity for the boys to show that they are ready for top-level cricket and competent enough to take over whenever the triumvirate calls it a day. Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Virender Sehwag have been given the chance to reestablish themselves in the team. The brief they have been assigned is simple; they have to perform, and perform well to regain their spots in the limited-overs and Test sides. Harbhajan and Irfan will of course not find it all that easy, given that this is essentially a batting-oriented format. However, Sehwag can bat freely and return to his big-scoring ways. If he rediscovers his touch and Irfan recaptures his consistency, it will do wonders for the balance of the Indian team in virtually all versions of the game. A team that has been completely out of sorts in recent times is Zimbabwe. The return of Tatenda Taibu would have heartened the players and their supporters. They will be up against an England team high on confidence after its 4-3 win over India. With 16 sides participating, there will always be the odd one-sided game, like the one between New Zealand and Kenya yesterday. However, the Twenty20 format is such that a couple of good or bad overs can make all the difference. So the top-notch teams shouldn’t take the so-called ‘minnows’ lightly.
