And breathe. The first few days of the Cricket World Cup have been a bit of a whirlwind, filled with unpredictability (not if you’re England), excitement (not if you’re England) and stunning batting (James Taylor aside, not if you’re England).
But what have we learnt from the first few days of this year’s tournament? Well, we have learnt that Australia and New Zealand are FAR AWAY! As a result, late night and early morning viewing sessions are a must but, so compelling has the action been, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
We have also had it confirmed that Australia and New Zealand are good. Really, really good. The Aussies completed a 16th win in their last 17 matches against the English in all competitions, thanks mostly to a stunning hundred from Aaron Finch in Melbourne. England never really got close to reaching the target, due to another spectacular collapse.
As for New Zealand, they thumped Sri Lanka in their opener, before limping over the line against Scotland. Yeah, that Scotland game was a bit of a weird one, as they ran the co-hosts pretty close in the end, but with two wins from their first two games, progress to the quarter-finals is pretty much assured for the Kiwis. With power in their batting line up and variety in the bowling department, expect them to go deep into the tournament.
Elsewhere, India beat Pakistan in one of the biggest grudge matches in the sporting world. Virat Kohli, a man who seems to be perpetually in form in One-Day Cricket, scored yet another hundred to give the champions the perfect start to their campaign. India have struggled on Australian soil of late but, if they can get to the knockout stages, their experience may see them go all the way. Unless they play Australia. In which case, scrap that.
And how can we finish without talking about Ireland? Ahh, Ireland. Always underrated, always undervalued, but they continue to produce shocks in the sport’s biggest tournament. Past victories over Pakistan and England ought to have served as a warning to the West Indies, but they were unable to overcome the men in green. A place in the last eight is now a real possibility for the Irish, can they do the impossible?
And there you have it. With this year’s competition already off to a flier, you have no excuse to miss too much of this brilliant event. Except sleep. And work. But put those aside for one minute, practice your ‘sicky’ voice and get the sofa booked for the next few weeks – you should have no trouble reserving a space during the small hours!
