Cricket World Cup 2011 : A Preview

There's perhaps no better time than now to have a Cricket World Cup in the One Day International (ODI) format. Cricket World Cup 2011 comes amid concerns over falling spectator enthusiasm for ODIs in the face of a T20 cricket surge. The 2011 edition of the Cricket World Cup doubles up as a bookmark in ODI history for how it could shape the future of the format and possibly effect a shift in power equations among top cricketing nations.

Australia In Cricket World Cup

The ODI series loss to England couldn't have come at a worse time for the Australians. Ricky Ponting's men looked downbeat in the first two matches before striking form and gaining respect in the final scoreline. Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger will play foil to Brett Lee in pace. Shane Watson will probably see the tournament as the stage to gather full steam in a line-up with Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey. The team's bid at the world cup runs largely on the famed Aussie spunk. It still ranks as tournament favourite but recent lows make it tougher.

England's World Cup Chances

A change of attitude has marked England's rise as T20 world champions. Andrew Strauss and his men have provided ODI cheer, downing Australia in the home series. Strauss will want England to enter the tournament on the high, firing with the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan. The new spunk is likely to help but sustaining the kill all through will be the challenge.

Dhoni's India Stake World Cup Claim

It has been a mixed bag for India this year, the low point being a backfired experiment with young stars in the Zimbabwe tri-series. M S Dhoni, however, has returned to the helm and the impressive Asia Cup win could fire his men on. With Sachin Tendulkar around, Suresh Raina emerging as a feared hitter and Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ranking high, the batting looks solid. The absence of a toe-crushing speedster could be a concern.

South Africa -- a side that stops short of excellence on the big day -- are default contenders as well. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis continue to be the batting mainstays. The brilliant Dale Steyn and the potential of J P Duminy as a late-order smasher will be critical factors in the Proteas' campaign.

Pakistan banks on the brilliance of its young, gifted players as they set out to repeat 1992. The Akmal brothers -- Umar and Kamran -- are peaking and with the likes of Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt and Shahid Afridi in the order, the side looks on course.

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara would want his crisis man, Mahela Jayawardene, to run the blazing form along with promising hitters like Angelo Mathews. The talks about closing gaps between top nations could end up as talks and nothing more, considering the hot-cold form of West Indies and New Zealand.