The Upset Predictions for WC

How about those people in Egypt? Many thought people in the muslim world were incapable of non-violence. The stereotypes were between Iraq style insurgency and suicide bombings or religious theocracy of the Iranian kind. Also, the "experts" who thought that democracy and Islam were incompatible. And that dictatorship therefore was the only course. Many brains hopefully have been reset. And once again, we are reminded of the genius of the Mahatma.


But I digress. This is a cricket blog. Perhaps the Pakistan cricket team will find inspiration in what's happening out in the middle east. For sure, they are the team with momentum. They are sure to make the quarter-finals. And from that point on, it's a lottery. I would have preferred an NBA style play-off. A 3 match series between the quarter-finalists. This would have put the really deserving teams into the semi-finals. Once again I digress. What's wrong with some lack of focus anyways? This is a blog, right?

Here's my list of potential upsets.

Upset #1 - Kenya beats New Zealand in game 2.
Kenya is playing quite well. They are quietly racking up wins and bowling in a disciplined manner. They have won both their warm-ups so far and the West Indies might get some real match practice. New Zealand may not find their feet until after they play Kenya.

Mini-Upset - Pakistan beats Sri Lanka in game 10.
Pakistan generally doesn't play Sri Lanka very well. While the Premadasa has been a fortress for SL, Pakistan have built a well balanced team and retained their essential unpredictability. They have had good match practice in New Zealand and their batsmen will probably prosper on sub-continental belters. Younis Khan could have a big day. Therefore, they have an edge in this game.

Upset #2 - Bangladesh beats England in game 28
England to me looks the weakest among the big guns. They were soundly thrashed by Australia. Despite Flowers disciplined approach, Pietersen and a few of the others could fly off the handle in the sub-continent. Bangladesh is playing at home and England are not exactly the best tourists to the sub-continent of late. Bangladesh will be looking to hunt down one of the big ones and England has the softest underbelly at this time. I'm imagining a pack of wild dogs and a hobbling wildbeast here.

Upset # 3 - West Indies beats India in game 42
The West Indies have always played India well and they just seem to have India's number in the big games. With all their IPL experience and their relative lack of discomfort to India's chaos, the West Indies will be enjoying their sojourn to India. Plus, they will have some crowd support when they play other teams. Indians love the West Indies teams. So coming into the game against India they would be pressure-free and with people who love playing against India - Dwayne Bravo, Chanderpaul and probably Barath.

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