You better watch out guys!

The teams participating in the World Cup have begun stretching themselves in earnest in their search to conquer the ultimate one day prize. An upset was created as the warm-up games began with Bangladesh getting the better of New Zealand. The Black Caps turned up in the Caribbean after crushing the Australians in a three match series. Although not at full strength, the powerful Aussies were well and truly beaten, giving Stephen Fleming’s team the tag of being the outsiders who could be the champs. At least temporarily, those hopes took a denting when Bangladesh brought them down to earth in a closely contested game. Not much prominence has been given to the Bangladeshi’s. In particular, because they have not performed with exception in recent encounters, but also because they are drawn with India and Sri Lanka in the opening round.

Their victory in this game is creditable because they played consistently good cricket against a full strength opposition. A knock of 88 by Jacob Oram gave the Black caps a score to bowl at 224. In the end it proved to be inadequate with their opponents reaching the target with six balls to spare and two wickets standing. A big win for Bangladesh and it will also be a huge confidence booster for them.

This victory will also be a reminder to India and Sri Lanka that they cannot relax a moment when they meet their lesser fancied Asian neighbours. In fact Habibul Bashar and his team will know they have nothing to lose and the pressure of “must win” will be on their opponents. A loss could mean curtains for one of these teams who are amongst the fancied lot.

A team that is in the same boat as Bangladesh is Zimbabwe. They had the pleasure of batting the entire fifty overs against the Australians and only losing six wickets. They could get nowhere near the 290 runs made by their opponents falling well short by 106.

The Australians played the best available unit. They used as many as eight bowlers, understanding they are not yet completely settled with their combinations after their side was affected by injuries and Damien Martyn’s retirement. They will still hope for Andrew Symonds to take his place in the side. His loss is a definitely a big one for them and there is simply no replacement.

Another team that has done a lot of tinkering with their line-up has been the Indians. In their game against the Dutch they had Sourav Ganguly and Virendra Shewag at the top with Robin Utappa, the regular opener coming in at number three. This trio was followed by the best two Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Following them were powerful strikers Yuvraj Singh and M.S. Dhoni a line-up much different to what was played against the Sri Lankans.

They squeezed-in five bowlers too. Pathan, Sreesanth, Patel, Kumble and Haribajan make up a combination of variety, experience, blended with talented youth. Add part timer Yuvraj and Tendulkar and another batsman Karthik, it makes up a very powerful outfit.

In this part of the world, the burning question which cannot be avoided these days is, how will Sri Lanka fare? In a recent radio interview Aravinda de Silva was heard to say that he felt this is the best team to compete in a world cup! His views suggested that he rated this lot higher than the winning team of 1996, when he was the deputy and a major contributor.

I agree with Aravinda’s valued opinion. Compare the two sides man for man this side will pip the scales. The experience that this side carries is huge. Jayawardena, Sangakkara, Jayasuriya, Atapattu, Vaas and Muralitharan lead the way. Arnold, Dilshan and Fernando have also been around in the international circuit for quite a while. Throw in the youthful capabilities of Tharanga, Malinga, Mahroof, Silva and Bandara, it completes a dynamic side.

The important factor is to perform consistently well for six weeks and beat most of the major team. That was a challenge that the team of 1996 did not have to face. They had a lesser number of games. Yet, they demolished every side that they encountered. That will be the requirement once again. We wish them every success. Millions will burn the midnight oil to watch and cheer each step of the way.