Well, after Bangladesh's shocking win over India and Pakistan's world cup exit, we can say that anything can happen in the game of cricket.
Bangladesh, have become a strong team with high confidence after their victory over New Zealand (in the warm-ups) and India. Will they beat Sri Lanka and make it to the Super 8's?? I have seen them bowl superbly against India. They also have a good batting line-up, capable of scoring 250+ while playing with any team.
India are playing just as expected. They are taking their time in getting "settled-in" with the conditions and the pitch and they have played well to beat Bermuda in the previous game. However, they do not have the bowling attack as that of Sri Lanka or any of the top 6 teams (other than India) in the world cup. They have an excellent batting line-up to bat and post a big total... but will they be able to restrict their opponents??
South Africa are definitely the favorites to win the world cup. They are unbeatable and they are surely better than the Aussies in their bowling attack with Pollock, Ntini, Kallis and Hall. They have the best fielding side in the world. The main concern is their batting... Will they be able to keep their consistency in their batting when playing against Australia?? I'm sure Gibbs, Kallis, Smith and Boucher would be keen to continue their fine form after their good game against Scotland and Ireland.
Australia... well, they have definitely started out well in the world cup so far... They have a good overall batting, bowling and fielding team. However, they are no longer the invincible team that used to be a year ago. They are quite vulnerable against some of the top teams like New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, we all feel that Aussies are still the favourites to reach the finals and win the world cup this year.
New Zealand players are the most confident of the teams competing for the world cup this year. With 8 batsman and 7 bowlers in the team, there is no way this country can lose in the group stage of the world cup. This team has an excellent opportunity to come onto the semi-finals and compete against the South Africans and the Aussies.
Sri-Lanka, have started their mark with a big win over Bermuda in the world cup. Malinga seems to be in terrific form with the ball alongside with Vaas and Maharoof. However, Murali has been pretty quite so far with the ball and has not really bowled any magical deliveries as yet. But we may expect Murali to fire in the match against India. Batting seems to be of no concern for Sri Lanka. With Chamara Silva on their side, Tharanga, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Sangakkara can play their natural aggressive game any day.
Ireland have come as a surprise package in the world cup. They have a very high chance of making it big for the world cup by entering the super 8's. They have a brilliant bowling attack with Mc Callan, Botha, Johntson and Rankin. They have some good batsman like Bray, O'Brien and the captain Johntson. Do they have what it takes to enter the semis??
England are the under-dogs to win the world-cup. K.Peterson, Collingwood, Flintoff, Vaughan and Bell are the good batsman who have the capability to score runs for the team. After their performance against New Zealand, they really need to get settled to the West Indies conditions so that they can make it big in the semi-finals.
West Indies are not really among the the top teams to qualify for the semi-finals. Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle haven't found their form as of yet. However, Lara, Sarwan and Samuels are looking good with the bat. Their main concerns are their bowling attack and their fielding. West Indies bowlers are not able to produce wicket-taking deliveries. They really need to start concentrating in the field so that they can play their best in the super 8's. They have to remember: A good fielding team is a good cricket team.
My conclusions from the team performances:
Who will come to the Semi- Finals:
Australia
South Africa
New Zealand
India/Sri Lanka
Who will come to the finals?
Its all between Australia / New Zealand / South Africa.
Who will win the world cup?
I feel South Africa should win the WC. They have had some bad luck in the past.. but they definitely deserve to win the world cup this year.