Fourteen teams are set to battle it out in three countries over six weeks in almost 50 matches for the right to be named ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champions.
The tenth ICC Cricket World Cup takes place largely in India, who host 29 matches, along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who host 12 and eight games respectively.
The 14 sides have been split into two groups of seven and will each play six matches against the other teams in their group, with the top four sides qualifying for the quarter finals. Here's the Red Bull guide to the teams...
GROUP A
Australia: Boasting the best record of any nation in the competition and looking for a fourth consecutive World Cup win, Australia have sprung something of a surprise by dropping ‘Mr Cricket’ Mike Hussey.
Despite averaging over 50 in ODIs, Hussey’s middle order place goes to Callum Ferguson, but it’s in the bowling department where the number one ranked ODI side may struggle in Asian conditions.
The out and out pace of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait might not be as effective on these pitches and their spin department looks average at best with the unproven Jason Krejza and Steve Smith as their slow bowlers.
Prediction: Quarter finalists
Pakistan: Always an unpredictable side in any form of the game, Pakistan cricket has been blown apart by allegations of corruption in recent times, but they are former World Cup winners and also finalists in 1999, as well as T20 champions in 2009.
Their have arguably the best bowling line-up in the tournament, even without the banned Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, with Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar to complement an array of spinners.
With the experience of Shahid Afridi, Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, their batting looks decent too, so don’t rule Pakistan out. They could just as easily fail to make the quarters amidst a sea of in-fighting, but they will be interesting to watch whatever happens.
Prediction: Quarter finalists
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New Zealand: The Kiwis should make the quarters, but they look one of the most vulnerable of the so-called ‘Big Eight’ – due largely to their awful record in the subcontinent lately.
That said, their home record isn’t much to write home about recently either – they just lost their ODI series against Pakistan and the root cause of their problems stems from their batting – or lack of it.
None of the New Zealand top order batsmen average much over 30 in the last two years and as a result, they’ve won just 13 of their 41 matches in that time. They rely on Ross Taylor to get them off to a good start and too often he gets out early, putting them on the back foot.
Prediction: Quarter finalists
Zimbabwe: Cricket in Zimbabwe is still very much in the recovery phase following their self imposed exile from Test cricket and their recent tour of Bangladesh resulted in a 3-1 ODI series defeat.
Prior to that, they were thrashed 3-0 by South Africa in the ODI series there and their odds of 500/1 (Source: Betfair) suggest that currently their status is that of also rans.
They defeated Ireland and the Netherlands in two warm-up matches in Dubai though and in opening batsman/wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, they possess a player of genuine international class. He needs to fire for them to stand a chance of making the last eight.
Prediction: Group stages
Sri Lanka: The last time that the World Cup was held on Asian soil the winners were Sri Lanka and they are many people’s favourites to do so again in 2011 with home advantage and conditions in their favour.
The world’s third ranked ODI side have been in good touch ahead of the tournament with an ODI series win over the West Indies and this World Cup will be the last time that the world’s leading Test wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan will turn out for Sri Lanka in international cricket.
Sri Lanka have a younger side than in recent campaigns, but the batting looks strong with Upal Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top of the order, while skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have clocked-up over 600 ODIs between them.
Prediction: Winners
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Canada: Rated as 1000/1 outsiders, the Canadian side were beaten convincingly by Afghanistan in a warm-up game in Dubai last week. This just about sums up the chances of a side that play most of their cricket against the might of the Leeward Islands and the United States.
They’ve won one match in the World Cup previously – beating Bangladesh in 2003 and they will do well to perform a similar feat here.
Prediction: Group stages
Kenya: Also rated as 1000/1 outsiders, Kenya’s recent form shows wins over Ireland and Afghanistan in the warm-up games, but lost every match to the Baroda and Gujarat Cricket Associations on their recent tour of India.
They do have 41-year-old all-rounder Steve Tikolo, who will be playing in his fifth World Cup and they reached the semi finals in 2003, but this is a huge step up in class for this Kenya side.
Prediction: Group stages
GROUP B
England: Andrew Strauss’s men ended their historic Ashes tour on a sour note with a comprehensive drubbing at the hands of Australia in the one-day series and to make things worse, they have key players missing the tournament through injury.
Key middle order batsman Eoin Morgan is out with a broken finger, while doubts linger over the fitness of Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Paul Collingwood and Ajmal Shahzad, though Stuart Broad does return.
This combined with their distinctly average World Cup record and status as the fifth ranked side in the ICC One-Day International ratings, means England are behind the likes of India, Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa with the bookies to claim a first World Cup victory.
Prediction: Quarter finalists
India: The hosts and 3/1 favourites to claim their second World Cup title have no obvious weaknesses other than the pressure caused by the weight of expectation from their fanatical home support.
Ranked at number one in Test cricket and two in one-day cricket, India look sure to progress to at least the semi finals, but they were defeated by group rivals South Africa in the ODI series between the two last month.
That series took place in South Africa though and India are a different proposition at home. With Sachin Tendulkar seemingly better than ever, the little master is sure to improve on his overall World Cup run scoring record, which currently stands at 1796 at an average of almost 58.
Prediction: Finalists
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South Africa: Always there or thereabouts in major limited overs tournaments, the world’s number four ranked one-day side have developed a worrying habit of falling at the semi final stage of World Cups.
This represents a last chance for skipper Graeme Smith to win a major tournament, as he will relinquish the captaincy at the end of the World Cup – probably to T20 skipper Johan Botha.
Their batting relies on Smith, the vastly improved Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, who averages over 40 in both Tests and ODI’s and in Dale Steyn, they have the world’s number one ranked Test bowler.
Prediction: Semi finalists (again)
West Indies: A pale shadow of the force of old that won two World Cups in the 1970s, the current Windies team are ranked ninth in ODIs (behind Bangladesh) and seventh in Test matches.
They have had a shocking run in ODIs since August 2008 in which time they haven't beaten a Test side in a one-day game since June 2009. They were also hindered by their entire first-choice team going on strike for almost six months from July 2009.
The Windies still possess batsmen of the quality of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwa and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who all average around 40 in one-day cricket, plus the promising Darren Bravo, but their bowling has been a weak link for a while.
Prediction: Group stages
Netherlands: Arguably the Netherlands’ finest cricketing moment came when beating England at Lord’s in the World T20 Cup in 2009, but otherwise their successes at the higher echelons of the game have been few and far between.
Playing in their fourth World Cup, they are yet to progress beyond the group stage, but in Tom Cooper they possess a batsman who plies his trade in South Australia and who has made a fine start to his ODI career, averaging 65 from his first 10 games.
On the bowling front, Dirk Nannes is their most well known paceman, having become a limited overs specialist in recent years, playing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and is renowned as one of the leading T20 bowlers in world cricket.
Prediction: Ones to watch for the odd shock, but out in the group stages
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Ireland: The Irish side caused a shock in 2007 by beating Pakistan and Bangladesh to reach the quarter final stage and they qualified again this time by winning the ICC World Cup qualifier.
Having previously represented England, star batsman, Ed Joyce has received special dispensation to play for Ireland again from the ICC in this tournament and their hopes of posting decent scores rest largely with him and skipper William Porterfield.
Ireland’s recent results have been poor, with a series defeat to Zimbabwe last autumn and losses to the same opposition and Kenya in warm-up games in Dubai.
Prediction: Group stage exit with a possible shock within their capabilities.
Bangladesh: The joint hosts shouldn’t be dismissed lightly, particularly on home soil, after excellent recent ODI form, including a 4-0 home series win over New Zealand in the autumn.
Bangladesh scored wins over India and South Africa in 2007 and are much improved since then and in Worcestershire all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan they possess an extremely talented player who has 129 wickets at 28.80 and 2834 runs at 34.98 in ODIs.
Skipper Al Hasan believes that his young side could cause a few shocks this year and he could well be right, as I expect them to confound odds of 60/1 and reach the last four and who knows from there?
Prediction: Semi finalists
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