Cricket World Cup / Editor / 11 March 2007 / Leave a comment

The eagerly-awaited World Cup is set to be one of the most interesting tournaments in the competition's 32-year history. This is not just due its open nature - the eight major teams all have a decent chance of success - but also because of the improved format.

This tournament is the biggest and longest ever, with 16 teams participating in a competition that lasts for a month and a half. The teams have been split into four groups and seeded according to their world ranking when the schedule was announced. Consequently, recently-installed world number ones South Africa, who have made great strides on the one-day game recently, are seeded fifth and find themselves in a group with Australia.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eight stage (level teams will be divided by applying the number of wins and then net run rate) where each of the qualifiers play the others, apart from the team that they faced in the group stage.

Points are carried forward from the group stage, meaning each of the early games is important, and the top four placed teams after this phase will become semi finalists. The top placed team will play the fourth and the second will face the third at that stage before the last two surviving teams face off at Bridgetown, Barbados on April 28th.

If the new format has become a little long-winded, due to the inclusion of six associate teams, it is at least less complicated than recent tournaments. The 1999 and 2003 tournaments were so ill-conceived that non-cricketing factors played a huge part in deciding who would contest the Super Six stage.

Teams carried forward group points won only against fellow qualifiers, so in 1999 Zimbabwe progressed as group winners because their defeats came against eliminated teams. Washed out matches also skewed the groups last time around, which were also affected by various teams boycotting their matches in Zimbabwe.

This unnecessarily complicated format has been tweaked, so the second round qualifiers will be there on merit this time around. If one of the minnows makes it through, like Kenya did in 2003 by reaching the semi-finals, it will be because they have upset one of the big boys.

The lesser teams will undoubtedly be desperate to cause a tournament upset, with Ireland pushing South Africa in a warm-up match and Bangladesh upsetting New Zealand in another. The Tigers are of course a Test playing nation, but it will nonetheless be a surprise if the 'big eight' were not the teams who did battle in round two.

The associate teams will want to justify their inclusion and prove doubters like Michael Holding wrong. The West Indian legend questioned the involvement of debutants Bermuda, who managed just one win in the associates' recent World Cricket League.

They face a Sri Lanka team that bowled out Canada for just 36 in 2003, and despite some of the minnows showing improvement since the last tournament, punters can expect some one-sided fare to be served up. Sri Lanka trade at 1.01 to beat Bermuda in that group B clash.

Each group's matches are played at one venue. The teams who reach the Super Eights will have played three matches on one ground and will have to adjust to new conditions as they island hop in the second phase and latter stages.

England are based in St Lucia for the group stage, where they have lost on both previous visits, while the West Indies will play their group D fixtures at Sabina Park, where they have lost five of their last six one dayers.

The hosts were hammered by India in a warm up match at the new Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica on Friday, and they will hope that the curse of the hosts does not strike again. Local supporters and commentators have been talking up the West Indies' chances, but another defeat against Pakistan in the curtain-raiser on Tuesday would seriously harm their hopes of becoming the first outright host nation to lift the trophy.

Many of the eight venues have been recently built or refurbished, so there is some speculation about how the pitches will play. Spin has been highlighted as an important factor, although England are unlikely to find a pitch as sluggish as the one that they used in St Vincent for their preparations.

The warm up matches have been relatively low scoring, with India's 300 for nine against the Netherlands being the highest total to have been posted. Players might have taken a more sedate approach in adjusting to conditions, but the mammoth scores that have been predicted might not materialise.

The players will not have to contend with floodlights in this tournament, as all of the matches are played during the day. Matches were first played under lights in 1992 - a revolutionary tournament that also introduced coloured clothing and a white ball - and it is something of a throwback to see this tournament contested in daylight.

This will help nullify any perceived advantage in winning the toss, and it also makes the tournament easier to follow for English fans at home. All matches start at either 13.30 or 14.30 GMT and supporters also have the advantage of knowing the Super Eight schedule in advance.

The second round seeding is the same as that used in the group phase, with no notice taken of whether a team finishes first or second in their group. For example, England will remain team C2 in the Super Eight fixture list, even if they beat New Zealand to the top in that group.

Should Kenya or Canada qualify from group C instead of England, they will take England's place as team C2 in the second round. The final and perhaps crucial Super Eight match, at Barbados on April 21st, will therefore be between the West Indies and England, as long as they progress from their groups.

Weather problems should not hit this tournament, but there is a reserve day for every match in case rain does appear. A match is deemed complete if 20 overs have been played in each innings, but should this not happen, the game will be completed the next day.