ICC to showcase its showpiece By Elmo RODRIGOPULLE The International Cricket Council (ICC) will proudly showcase its showpiece - the 10th Edition of the 2011 World Cup in the sub continent from February 19 to April 2. The countries billed to conduct the mega event are India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan too would have been a party conducting this mega event, but the uncertain security situation there made the ICC to sadly skip Pakistan. However, the ICC has not forgotten or isolated Pakistan. The ICC has promised that they will get the money that they would have got had they too conducted part of the World Cup. Venues ready India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all licked their venues that will be hosting the games into shape and when the umpires call 'PLAY' in the curtain raiser in Bangladesh, it will be like the perennial Caribbean Calypso - 'cricket luvr'ly cricket in the subcontinent where I saw it'. The 2011 World Cup promises to be one, if not the best conducted in its history. The ICC believed in the three countries conducting the tournament and has backed them to the hilt although there were false alarms that some of the venues would not be completed in time. The countries contesting for the richest prize money in the game - Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands - have all named their 15-man squads. In action The cream of cricketers will be seen in action in the "cowboy game' and once they get into their coloured pyjamas, and get the action going, it will look like a rodeo. The countries will sport diverse colours and under lights the cowboys will look attractive and the action will be heart- stopping. The umpires too will be in colours and with the usual red ball being discarded for a white one, it will be cricket with a difference and the style of game will capture the attention and interest of the action starved spectators and the billions taking in the action on television. When this 'cowboy game' is spoken or written about one must not forget the man who brought about this cricket renaissance Australian business tycoon - Kerry Packer. Not only did Packer bring about a cricketing renaissance, he also pioneered the art and showed the cricketers the way of making big money and today some of the players are millionaires and the game has become a livelihood and a way of life. The talk whereever cricketers or cricket fans gather is - who will win the plum? Will it be Australia for the third time in a row, or will it be England, South Africa or New Zealand who have never laid their hands on this silverware? Many permutations and guesses will be made. Some will even seek the help of soothsayers and some will even invoke the blessing of the gods to help their teams triumph so that the big money they have placed as bets will bring them big money. Funny game Cricket is such a funny game. No one can predict its outcome. One can hazard a guess and that's it. Who the ultimate winner would be known only known after the final ball is bowled at the final at the Wankhede Stadium in India. Australia are the reigning champions with three wins in a row, in South Africa in 2003 and in the Caribbean in 2007. Although they experienced a disastrous Ashes Test series against England in Australia, they will again take the field as favourites. Knowing full well that the World Cup is a theatre of war, the Aussies, who are smarting after the thrashing by England, are out to regain their former cricketing glory, although this is a different ball game. They have fronted up their battle-hardened veterans of war. You can't go to war with a set of green horns. Prestigious trophy West Indies, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka have all won this prestigious trophy and of the cricketing giants still to lay their hands on this trophy are England who gave the game of cricket to the world, South Africa and New Zealand. How they must be yearning to hold aloft that trophy? In form England and South Africa have a good chance of realising their dream. Their teams comprise some of the best men with the needed credentials in this style of play and if they play true to form and withstand the pressure, then Andrew Strauss or Graeme Smith should proudly stand on the podium holding aloft the trophy that has eluded them since the inception of this game. With the 2011 World Cup being played in the subcontinent, the general consensus will be for many to wager on India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka to win again with Bangladesh being the outsiders. Tremendous pressure But what can stop any of these teams winning the cup is the tremendous pressure that will be heaped on them by their supporters. Pressure can make the best of individuals or teams crack and succumb. When the World Cup was held in the subcontinent in 1987, India was fancied to repeat their performance when they won the Cup in England in 1983. But the home pressure was too much for them to withstand and they tumbled out of the tournament, disappointing their millions of fans. In this aspect Sri Lanka was lucky because they had to play the final against Australia in Lahore, Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup and was fortunate to have the support of all Pakistanis. My money is on Australia to make it three-in-a-row with my side bets on either England or South Africa.