Experience packed teams set for final ICC Champions Trophy

The final 50-over Champions Trophy to be conducted by theInternational Cricket Council promises to the best ever conducted if the enthusiasm among the countries participating and the ICC s is an indication.It will be played in England, the home of cricket, next month. Countries contesting the trophy are Sri Lanka, England, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa. Australia are the reigning champions. Sri Lanka too were on the winning podium when rain which washed out the final in Sri Lanka, saw the home country and India sharethe trophy.

It was in England that this tournament was given birth to and it is right that it will have its finale also in England. The ICC has made arrangements to give it a fitting farewell.Big crowds are expected to soak in the thrills at matches

to be played in Cardiff, Birmingham, Nottingham and Kennington Oval.Surprisingly the final will be played in Birmingham and not at the famed Kennington Oval.

Countries have named squads

All participating countries have named their squads. Although some of the cricketers of teams participating are figuring in the Indian Premier League, the rest of the players are hard at training to get their acts right in the middle.Knowing the conditions in England which favours seam and swing, all teams have packed their teams with bowlers able to make the ball wobble about, but have not ignored the spin departments.Stars who could have lit up the cricketing firmament in England such as Kevin Pietersen, Sahid Afridi and Jacques Kallis will be missing.Pietersen is out recovering from injury, while Afridi and Kallis have been omitted owing to poor form.Australia is the reigning champions and though their rankings in the limited over games have dropped in recent times they are determined to continue to hug the trophy and have named a formidable squad to see them through.The Aussies will miss Ricky Ponting and the high scoring Michael Hussey. Both have quit the big time game and their influence will be badly missed by Captain Michael Clarke.

Cricketing terminators

But the Aussie selectors have given Clarke a team of cricketing terminators who can demolish any opposition and bring back the trophy.Clarke as usual will lead from the front and inspire the Aussies.The Aussies are famed to revel in the Limited-over bashes and it should be no different this time round. The selectors have infused some young blood and Clarke has welcomed them.A batsman with the penchant for big hitting George Bailey will be Clarke’s deputy. Bailey has proved his hitting abilities and should strengthen the batting and be an ideal deputy to Clarke with his Twenty20 experience as captain.According to Chief Selector John Inverarity, the Champions Trophy is another important step in their aim to get back the number one ranking. The Aussies have won this trophy twice before.The surprise in the squad is Mitchell Marsh brother of Shaun and son of former Aussie opening batsman and one time Sri Lanka coach Geoff Marsh. Just 21 he has been sent, probably on a learning experience.The new man in is fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile.

England go for Ravi Bopara

England who have won the Twenty20 World Cup under Paul Collingwood, have never laid their hands on the 50-over World Cup, and will be hitching to win this trophy.Being the hosts and well versed in the conditions, and in their endeavour to win they have picked a squad that can deliver. It will be great disappointment if their lions fail to devour all opposition this last time round.New skipper Alastair Cook has done a good job since taking over the reins from South African born Andrew Strauss. Primarily a longer version game batsman, left handed Cook has accustomed well to the ‘cowboy’ game.Batting all rounder Ravi Bopara is the only surprise inclusion. Bopara has failed to live up to his potential and maybe this is the opportunity he has been waiting for. The England camp is happy with the return of Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann after injury.The man to watch in their batting is Irish born belligerent left hander Eoin Mogan. Morgan is a blaster when he gets going and hits the ball with ferocious force. He is one of the successes in the Indian Premier League.

Safety first by Lankan selectors

The Sri Lankan selectors have gone for a safety first method and picked a team with all their old war horses. The selectors should have indulged in a bit of aggression and plonked in a couple of promising youngsters.Hopes are that the old hands will deliver. But none of the old hands such as Tillekeratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayewardene, Kumar Sangakkara and captain Angelo Matthews have been making big runs in the IPL.However the squad looks nicely balanced. The only surprise is the recalling of left-arm medium pace bowler who has the ability to get the ball to wobble about both ways Chanaka Welegedera. The selectors have taken a risk in including him because he is injury prone, especially with his hamstring.Allrounder Thisara ‘Panda’ Perera is the only player keeping the Lankan flag flying in the IPL and its hoped that he will carry this form with him into the ICC Champions Trophy.

Afridi dumped from Pakistan squad

Surprisingly Pakistan cricket is riddled with controversy and owing to this their game in all forms is not what it should be. They are oozing with talent. But match fixing allegations and internal fighting has not helped take their game to the top.Now comes the news that Sahid Afridi and Umar Akmal have been benched for want of form. Afridi and Akmal are brilliant willow wielders when in form. But the selectors have gone for form players and so both miss out.Afridi alleges that skipper Misbah Ul Haq has a hand in his dropping which Misbah denies. Misbah has been too defensive a captain and the Pakistan selectors would not have been faulted if like the West Indies they went to England with a new captain.

India also dump senior players

India who will be strong contenders for the trophy have sidelined three formidable players in Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh. The selectors have had the courage to be different and have slotted in some young and aggressive players.Led by that dasher Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the selectors have given him some youngsters who are shining in the IPL. Sehwag, Gambhir and Singh have been flops in the IPL and the selectors have played the right stroke in leaving them out.India is the reigning World Champions and they have the flair and the aggression for this style of game and if their players hit the right pitch they could push aside all opposition and take home the trophy.

Bravo new West Indies captain

The West Indies selectors have taken a bold step by relieving regular skipper Darren Sammy and replacing him with the dashing and daring all rounder Dwaynne Bravo.Bravo is hitting it big in the IPL and this would have prompted the selectors to give him a go and retain Sammy in Twenty20 as captain. Sammy is in the squad and should help Bravo with his experience when faced with situations.The player the crowds will be yearning to watch will be ‘man mountain’ Chris Gayle. If and when he gets his act going, strokes flow from his bat like sparks from a welders gun. Pity that the South African selectors were forced to drop their reliable allrounder Jacques Kallis from their squad to England.Kallis too is suffering poor form in the IPL.It is said that Kallis requested to be kept out for personal reasons, But that is further from the truth. In comes Jean Paul Duminy who has recovered from injury.The player to watch in the SA squad is right hander Abraham de Villiers who can frustrate and take any attack to the cleaners. The bearded Hashim Amla who is known for his consistency will also need watching.New Zealand will be only team who would have had a feel of English conditions because they will play a Two-Test series against England before stepping out in quest of the ICC Champions trophy.

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