A mini-World Cup deserves a mini-preview.
Best XI: Watson, Warner, Bailey, Clarke (c), Voges, Wade (wk), Marsh, Faulkner, Starc, Doherty, McKay.
Form: WWWWW
Key Players: Watson, Clarke, Starc.
Punchable: Watson
Prediction: Semis. Good enough to get past the Kiwis and Lankans in their group and maybe even beat England to group leader.
Best XI: Cook (c), Bell, Trott, Root, Morgan, Buttler (wk), Bresnan, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn.
Form: LWWLW
Key Players: Cook, Morgan, Swann, Anderson.
Slappable: Broad
Prediction: Semis. See Australian prediction for more.
Best XI: Dhawan, R. Sharma, Kohli, Karthik, Raina, Dhoni (c)(wk), Jadeja, Ashwin, Pathan, B. Kumar, Yadav.
Form: LWWWL
Key Players: Kohli, Dhoni, Bhuvi
Mustachioed supervillains: Dhawan and Jadeja
Prediction: Group stage or finalists. Good enough to beat Australia/England in the semis to set up a final with South Africa/Pakistan... but only if they don't get eliminated by them early on.
Best XI: Guptill, Ronchi, Williamson, Taylor, Elliott, B. McCullum (c)(wk), Franklin, Vettori, Southee, Mills, McClenaghan.
Form: WLLWL
Key Players: Guptill, Taylor, Southee.
Not Trent Boult: McClenaghan
Prediction: Group stage. Dark horses, etc.
Best XI: Farhat, Jamshed, Hafeez, Shafiq, Misbah (c), Malik, Akmal (wk), Riaz, Khan, Ajmal, Ali.
Form: WTWLW
Key Players: Jamshed, Misbah, Ajmal.
Akmal: Kamran
Prediction: They just tied with Ireland and then barely escaped with a 2 wicket win. Sooo... champions, I guess?
Best XI: Amla, A. Peterson, Ingram, de Villiers (c)(wk), Duminy, du Plessis, McLaren, R. Peterson, Steyn, Morkel, Tsotsobe.
Form: WWLWL
Key Players: Amla, Steyn, de Villiers
Who?: Ingram
Prediction: Starts with "ch" (it's champions)
Best XI: Dilshan, K. Perera, Jayawardene, Sangakkara (wk), Chandimal, Mathews (c), T. Perera, Kulasekara, Herath, Malinga, Eranga.
Form: LWLWW
Key Players: Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Kulasekara
Person I Forgot to Include in the XI: Mathews
Prediction: Group stage. Not sure why.
Best XI: Gayle, Charles, Bravo Jr., Sarwan, Samuels, Bravo Sr. (c), Pollard, Ramdin (wk), Sammy, Narine, Rampaul, Roach.
Form: WWWLL
Key Players: Gayle, Narine, Rampaul.
Your Daddy: Sammy
Prediction: Will be lucky to get out of the group stage with their erratic (barring Rampaul) pace attack.
Australia
Best XI: Watson, Warner, Bailey, Clarke (c), Voges, Wade (wk), Marsh, Faulkner, Starc, Doherty, McKay.
Form: WWWWW
Key Players: Watson, Clarke, Starc.
Punchable: Watson
Prediction: Semis. Good enough to get past the Kiwis and Lankans in their group and maybe even beat England to group leader.
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| Shane Watson, in his other role as Jaime Lannister. |
England
Best XI: Cook (c), Bell, Trott, Root, Morgan, Buttler (wk), Bresnan, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn.
Form: LWWLW
Key Players: Cook, Morgan, Swann, Anderson.
Slappable: Broad
Prediction: Semis. See Australian prediction for more.
India
Best XI: Dhawan, R. Sharma, Kohli, Karthik, Raina, Dhoni (c)(wk), Jadeja, Ashwin, Pathan, B. Kumar, Yadav.
Form: LWWWL
Key Players: Kohli, Dhoni, Bhuvi
Mustachioed supervillains: Dhawan and Jadeja
Prediction: Group stage or finalists. Good enough to beat Australia/England in the semis to set up a final with South Africa/Pakistan... but only if they don't get eliminated by them early on.
New Zealand
Best XI: Guptill, Ronchi, Williamson, Taylor, Elliott, B. McCullum (c)(wk), Franklin, Vettori, Southee, Mills, McClenaghan.
Form: WLLWL
Key Players: Guptill, Taylor, Southee.
Not Trent Boult: McClenaghan
Prediction: Group stage. Dark horses, etc.
Pakistan
Best XI: Farhat, Jamshed, Hafeez, Shafiq, Misbah (c), Malik, Akmal (wk), Riaz, Khan, Ajmal, Ali.
Form: WTWLW
Key Players: Jamshed, Misbah, Ajmal.
Akmal: Kamran
Prediction: They just tied with Ireland and then barely escaped with a 2 wicket win. Sooo... champions, I guess?
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| Kamran Akmal, immortalized in his trademark pose by Madame Tussaud in 1780. |
South Africa
Best XI: Amla, A. Peterson, Ingram, de Villiers (c)(wk), Duminy, du Plessis, McLaren, R. Peterson, Steyn, Morkel, Tsotsobe.
Form: WWLWL
Key Players: Amla, Steyn, de Villiers
Who?: Ingram
Prediction: Starts with "ch" (it's champions)
Sri Lanka
Best XI: Dilshan, K. Perera, Jayawardene, Sangakkara (wk), Chandimal, Mathews (c), T. Perera, Kulasekara, Herath, Malinga, Eranga.
Form: LWLWW
Key Players: Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Kulasekara
Person I Forgot to Include in the XI: Mathews
Prediction: Group stage. Not sure why.
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| Angelo Mathews, seen attempting a "hadouken". |
West Indies
Best XI: Gayle, Charles, Bravo Jr., Sarwan, Samuels, Bravo Sr. (c), Pollard, Ramdin (wk), Sammy, Narine, Rampaul, Roach.
Form: WWWLL
Key Players: Gayle, Narine, Rampaul.
Your Daddy: Sammy
Prediction: Will be lucky to get out of the group stage with their erratic (barring Rampaul) pace attack.
