Trivandrum: England will open their World Cup campaign looking to get one back on opponents Netherlands, who shocked them at home during the 2009 T20 championship
Since the loss in the 1992 World Cup final, England’s fortunes in the premier ODI tournament have been on a major slide. A quarterfinal exit in 1996 and disappointments in the pool stage or super-eights from there on have really highlighted their fall from grace in the limited overs format of the game.
Since the loss in the 1992 World Cup final, England’s fortunes in the premier ODI tournament have been on a major slide. A quarterfinal exit in 1996 and disappointments in the pool stage or super-eights from there on have really highlighted their fall from grace in the limited overs format of the game.
But 2011 could be the year when the Three Lions come roaring back.
On the back of a morale-boosting Ashes win Down Under, Andy Flower’s men will be raring to demolish all opposition standing in their way, starting with minnows, The Netherlands.
These two sides have quite a bit of history in the recent past at major world meets. In the 2009 World T20 championship, the Dutch scripted a sensational win over England in the opening Group game, and many of the stalwarts of that team are still around. If anything, with the addition of a few youngsters of Australian and South African origin, the squad has only become stronger.
But still, the one world class talent in the Dutch squad remains Ryan ten Doeschate. The Essex star, has been one of the most prolific players in the English County scene, and by numbers alone, is the best all-rounder in world cricket. His performances landed him a contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2011 IPL.
Stylish batsman Bas Zuiderant is another veteran star in the Dutch line-up, the only player to have played in every World Cup match so far for the side. Alexei Kervezee is another decent bat while New South Wales youngster Tom Cooper and veteran all-rounder Tom de Grooth are other names that England would be wary of.
The interesting thing to note here is that both teams would know the other quite well as a result of the Dutch squad being one of the participants in the English limited overs County scene. With not too many surprises in terms of previously unheralded talent expected from the Dutch, on paper, England are the odds on favourites.
Kevin Pietersen opening the batting will be something to look forward to. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell will have to continue their recent string of high scores if England are to progress deep into this tournament. While Eoin Morgan will definitely be missed, Paul Collingwood’s timely return to form during the warm-ups means that the middle-order once again has a settled feel to it.
In James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, England have one of the most potent fast-bowling units in the world for ODIs and one that should fire even on the slower pitches of the subcontinent. Michael Yardy has been a fine addition to the squad with his ability to keep one end tidy but his spin partner Graeme Swann could be the real star of the tournament.
Whether he will play this first match is still in doubt, having only flown out to India on Sunday, but when he does take the field, Swann will be a danger to even the best players of spin.
With their injury issues during the 6-1 ODI mauling by Australia mostly cleared up, Andrew Strauss’ men are to me, the outside favourites for the title behind India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The high of the Ashes triumph would far negate the lows of the ODI series that followed, and England will be confident of returning home in April for a well-deserved rest, with the Ashes and the World Cup in tow.
Prediction: England to win despite Ryan ten Doeschate heroics.
On the back of a morale-boosting Ashes win Down Under, Andy Flower’s men will be raring to demolish all opposition standing in their way, starting with minnows, The Netherlands.
These two sides have quite a bit of history in the recent past at major world meets. In the 2009 World T20 championship, the Dutch scripted a sensational win over England in the opening Group game, and many of the stalwarts of that team are still around. If anything, with the addition of a few youngsters of Australian and South African origin, the squad has only become stronger.
But still, the one world class talent in the Dutch squad remains Ryan ten Doeschate. The Essex star, has been one of the most prolific players in the English County scene, and by numbers alone, is the best all-rounder in world cricket. His performances landed him a contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2011 IPL.
Stylish batsman Bas Zuiderant is another veteran star in the Dutch line-up, the only player to have played in every World Cup match so far for the side. Alexei Kervezee is another decent bat while New South Wales youngster Tom Cooper and veteran all-rounder Tom de Grooth are other names that England would be wary of.
The interesting thing to note here is that both teams would know the other quite well as a result of the Dutch squad being one of the participants in the English limited overs County scene. With not too many surprises in terms of previously unheralded talent expected from the Dutch, on paper, England are the odds on favourites.
Kevin Pietersen opening the batting will be something to look forward to. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell will have to continue their recent string of high scores if England are to progress deep into this tournament. While Eoin Morgan will definitely be missed, Paul Collingwood’s timely return to form during the warm-ups means that the middle-order once again has a settled feel to it.
In James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, England have one of the most potent fast-bowling units in the world for ODIs and one that should fire even on the slower pitches of the subcontinent. Michael Yardy has been a fine addition to the squad with his ability to keep one end tidy but his spin partner Graeme Swann could be the real star of the tournament.
Whether he will play this first match is still in doubt, having only flown out to India on Sunday, but when he does take the field, Swann will be a danger to even the best players of spin.
With their injury issues during the 6-1 ODI mauling by Australia mostly cleared up, Andrew Strauss’ men are to me, the outside favourites for the title behind India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The high of the Ashes triumph would far negate the lows of the ODI series that followed, and England will be confident of returning home in April for a well-deserved rest, with the Ashes and the World Cup in tow.
Prediction: England to win despite Ryan ten Doeschate heroics.
