Trivandrum: With Group B shaping up rather nicely, the two games on Friday could have a big impact on the three undecided quarter-final spots. India have already qualified to the last-eight and all that remains for MS Dhoni’s men is to see where exactly they finish in the Group.
At the moment, the co-hosts are on top of the Group with 7 points from 4 games. England are second with 5 points from as many games, but South Africa and West Indies have both played a game less and have 4 points each. They also have a far superior net run rate as compared to India or England.
But minnows Bangladesh and Ireland are still in with a chance of qualification. The Bangla Tigers will jump up to 4 points from 4 games if they beat England, while Ireland will also have the same figures if they beat the Windies.
Both teams have games against South Africa and Netherlands coming up after this, and will fancy their chances at least against the Dutch. Which means that a win on Friday added to a possible beating of the Netherlands would give both nations 6 points, which might just be enough to seal their progress to the quarters.
For the Windies and England though, a game against each other follows their respective battles on Friday. In the case that they lose to Ireland and Bangladesh respectively, that game could become a direct shootout for a quarterfinals berth. This is just a sample of the different permutations and combinations possible in this Group from here on till the end. All this means, is that the results on Friday have a lot riding on them.
Getting to the team news for these games, England have been rocked by the departure of Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad, both of whom have been suffering from injuries for a while. Eoin Morgan and Chris Tremlett have been drafted in, and while Morgan’s entry at the expense of a woefully out-of-form KP might in hindsight turn out to be a lucky break for the Three Lions, Broad’s exclusion is a big miss.
England have been suffering in the bowling department and Broad had just started to show signs of getting back to his best during the last game against the Proteas. But now, added pressure will be heaved on the shoulders of Graeme Swann and James Anderson. On the batting front, England’s World Cup plan of opening with Andrew Strauss and KP has now been totally demolished. This might result in Matt Prior or Ravi Bopara being handed the opening spot, with Morgan slotting in to his familiar No.6 role. While the middle-order will benefit by having the Irishman there, how things work at the top will be interesting to note.
With all this commotion in the opposition camp, this might be the best chance for Bangladesh to cause an upset in the tournament. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak are as always the crucial cogs in the Bangla setup, and all three will have to fire in Chittagong.
Meanwhile, in the morning game, Ireland will fancy their chances on what should be a good batting strip in Mohali. The PCA stadium is one of the few Indian decks that assist the faster bowlers and while Kemar Roach will be a definitive threat, Ireland will look to focus on the fact that their pacers, Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston, will have lots to look forward to. Captain William Porterfield played a good knock against the Indians in their last outing and will be a crucial figure again this time. Ireland have to make sure they see of the opening spells of Roach and tall spinner Suleimann Benn.
If they do that, then they should be able to make merry in the middle-overs against the likes of Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Nikita Miller. One of Ireland’s star batsmen Ed Joyce has yet to deliver in the tournament and this could be his day.
Niall O’Brien and Kevin O’Brien have been in good nick and if they receive support from Porterfield and Joyce, Ireland will back themselves to get a good score. On two previous occasions I have gone against the Windies with a prediction. Both times the Caribbean Kings came back to haunt me with spectacular performances. But I will hope for third time lucky!
Prediction: Good day for the British Isles with Ireland and England winning.
At the moment, the co-hosts are on top of the Group with 7 points from 4 games. England are second with 5 points from as many games, but South Africa and West Indies have both played a game less and have 4 points each. They also have a far superior net run rate as compared to India or England.
But minnows Bangladesh and Ireland are still in with a chance of qualification. The Bangla Tigers will jump up to 4 points from 4 games if they beat England, while Ireland will also have the same figures if they beat the Windies.
Both teams have games against South Africa and Netherlands coming up after this, and will fancy their chances at least against the Dutch. Which means that a win on Friday added to a possible beating of the Netherlands would give both nations 6 points, which might just be enough to seal their progress to the quarters.
For the Windies and England though, a game against each other follows their respective battles on Friday. In the case that they lose to Ireland and Bangladesh respectively, that game could become a direct shootout for a quarterfinals berth. This is just a sample of the different permutations and combinations possible in this Group from here on till the end. All this means, is that the results on Friday have a lot riding on them.
Getting to the team news for these games, England have been rocked by the departure of Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad, both of whom have been suffering from injuries for a while. Eoin Morgan and Chris Tremlett have been drafted in, and while Morgan’s entry at the expense of a woefully out-of-form KP might in hindsight turn out to be a lucky break for the Three Lions, Broad’s exclusion is a big miss.
England have been suffering in the bowling department and Broad had just started to show signs of getting back to his best during the last game against the Proteas. But now, added pressure will be heaved on the shoulders of Graeme Swann and James Anderson. On the batting front, England’s World Cup plan of opening with Andrew Strauss and KP has now been totally demolished. This might result in Matt Prior or Ravi Bopara being handed the opening spot, with Morgan slotting in to his familiar No.6 role. While the middle-order will benefit by having the Irishman there, how things work at the top will be interesting to note.
With all this commotion in the opposition camp, this might be the best chance for Bangladesh to cause an upset in the tournament. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak are as always the crucial cogs in the Bangla setup, and all three will have to fire in Chittagong.
Meanwhile, in the morning game, Ireland will fancy their chances on what should be a good batting strip in Mohali. The PCA stadium is one of the few Indian decks that assist the faster bowlers and while Kemar Roach will be a definitive threat, Ireland will look to focus on the fact that their pacers, Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston, will have lots to look forward to. Captain William Porterfield played a good knock against the Indians in their last outing and will be a crucial figure again this time. Ireland have to make sure they see of the opening spells of Roach and tall spinner Suleimann Benn.
If they do that, then they should be able to make merry in the middle-overs against the likes of Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Nikita Miller. One of Ireland’s star batsmen Ed Joyce has yet to deliver in the tournament and this could be his day.
Niall O’Brien and Kevin O’Brien have been in good nick and if they receive support from Porterfield and Joyce, Ireland will back themselves to get a good score. On two previous occasions I have gone against the Windies with a prediction. Both times the Caribbean Kings came back to haunt me with spectacular performances. But I will hope for third time lucky!
Prediction: Good day for the British Isles with Ireland and England winning.
