Cricket: England must make fast start

DEREK PRINGLE'S RISING STARS TO WATCH AT THE WORLD CUP

TODAY SEES the start of the seventh World Cup and the fourth to be held in England. It is the biggest and richest yet, with 12 teams competing over 42 games for a prize fund totalling $1m (pounds 617,000). For their part the organisers have promised a carnival of cricket in which South Africa and Australia are the favourites. England, who open proceedings with their match against Sri Lanka at Lord's, can also do well, but they must hit the ground running or risk an early bath.

Interesting word, carnival. When broken down into its latin constituents carne and vale, it means farewell to the flesh. Typically, carnivals take place immediately prior to Lent and, while only millennium doom-mongers would claim cricket in England is about to be crucified on the cross, it is certainly at a crossroads. If the youth of this country are not to become immune to cricket, Alec Stewart's side need to put on a spirited show and, while it may be too much to expect of them to return to Lord's on 20 June, they must at least make the semi-finals.

Providing the weather does not interfere too much, the time of year should suit the hosts, though South Africa, along with Australia, India, New Zealand and the West Indies, all have bowlers capable of exploiting juicy pitches. Steve Waugh was only being mildly diplomatic when he said eight or nine teams could win the Cup, and tosses will be important. Unless a heatwave arrives by the weekend, bowling first is the likely option of those calling correctly.

The early-season slot, which will perhaps test both batsmen and spectators alike, was purely a televisual decision and one apparently taken in order to avoid the other main sporting events of the year such as Wimbledon and the Rugby World Cup. Sadly, Manchester United's bid to conquer all will probably obliterate the early matches anyway.

The format - two groups of five matches for each team with the top three going through to a second stage (the Super Sixes), where a further three matches decide the semi- finalists - is pretty fair and will favour consistency. With those qualifying for the second stage taking the points they scored against the other successful sides in their groups with them there is no room for complacency, and sides scraping through the group stage in third place will have it all to do.

England know this, but recent evidence suggests they tend to find their best form and format when looking uphill. This time, a disheartening tour to Sharjah and a niggling pay dispute with their masters has further steepened the slope, though a win today over Sri Lanka in front of a full house at Lord's will do much to improve the aspect. All things are possible when a team gets on a roll and England must quickly round off their rough edges if they are to feature in the later stages.

As a side who have been plotting world dominance from the moment they were allowed back into international cricket, South Africa are favourites and rightly so. Since the last World Cup, Hansie Cronje's team have lost just 16 of their 76 one-day internationals. It is an extraordinary record, and while some sides resign themselves to losing the odd one-dayer, South Africa take each one as though it might be their last. It is an intensity that has cost them dear at vital stages in the past although, unlike Australia, who have been on the go since October, they have rested well.

Typically, preparation under Bob Woolmer has been thorough but, by leaving nothing to chance, the South Africans sometimes fall prey to opponents chancing their arm. During the previous World Cup all was proceeding to plan until a gem of an innings from Brian Lara knocked them out of the quarter-finals. There are no knock-out stages until the semi-finals this time but, as a team whose brilliant fielding and disciplined bowling allow them to play the percentages, they remain vulnerable to the flair factor sometimes needed to win the big games. Nevertheless, in Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock they have two of the best bowlers in the competition, a strike battery re-inforced by seam bowling all-rounders and surrounded by a ring of steel in the field.

Australia's Ricky Ponting may hit the stumps more often, but Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs are athletes unafraid to dirty their trousers, and many a batsmen will be terrified of taking singles or "going aerial" while they are in the vicinity.

South Africa's batting, once their achilles heel, has improved to the point where only Donald can be considered a non-contributor. All of their top six average above 30 in one-day cricket and recent experiments with the wicketkeeper Mark Boucher as a pinch-hitting No 3 may add some impetus to the early overs.

Australia more or less match them but, presuming they play their best pace bowlers, will have a longer tail. While all of their batsmen have played in England, they did not excel in the Texaco matches - also scheduled in May - last time they were here. In addition, recent scraps with the West Indies will have drained them, and they run the risk of meeting South Africa in the semi-finals should they slip up more than once.

While these two southern hemisphere teams remain the most likely to lift the trophy, Pakistan are the side both fear meeting in the semi-finals. Like a defrosting vindaloo, flair players such as Ijaz Ahmed and Shahid Afridi tend to alternate between hot and cold without a sensible temperature in between. If Pakistan can find the highs, without the corresponding lows, no team can live with them. However, with squabbles never far from the surface and a match-fixing inquiry hanging over the heads of several leading players, it is a mighty big "if".

Before all-round efficiency became the ideal, one-day matches were usually won by a spark of individual brilliance. They still are, of course, which is why with Lara and Sachin Tendulkar in their line-ups, no-one can write off the West Indies or India, especially as both have potent new ball attacks to boot.

Neither can New Zealand be discounted, especially if cold and damp conditions prevail. Mind you, although I fancy them to do well, everything will have to click if they are to exceed their status as party- poopers to some of the more fancied sides in the group stages.

Zimbabwe, despite their shaky form in the practice matches, have a habit of embarrassing England. Providing their batsmen find some form soon, they will be looking to widen their circle of victims, as will Kenya, whose win over the West Indies in the previous World Cup is already a part of Nairobi folklore. As potential wooden-spoonists, the crunch match for Scotland and Bangladesh, despite the pair performing well in the preamble, will surely come when they play each other.

With the song launched but not yet released (apparently something to do with the cunning marketing of records), and two billion couch potatoes worldwide ready for the off, it is time to play up and play the game. Like Euro 96, the next five weeks are set to be a fantastic time for sport in this country. But if England expects, as it is wont to do on occasions like this, it should not, perhaps, expect too much.

ANDREW FLINTOFF (ENGLAND) AGE 21

The great hope of England. The home crowds will expect Flintoff to set the tournament on fire. A striker of fearsome power, Flintoff will find that batting in the middle-order, where run rates climb, can sometimes be a difficult place for an inexperienced player. So far, he appears unfazed by this predicament. Bowls a heavy ball and should gain from the experience irrespective of where England finish.

JACQUES KALLIS (SOUTH AFRICA) AGE 23

An all-rounder of extraordinary potential, Kallis is only just about hitting his stride with both bat and ball, though his strike rate(100 runs every 67 balls) is still on the low side for a leading batsman. Like all top order batsmen, he dislikes the hard work involved in bowling. His stint at Middlesex has given him knowledge of English conditions which will help his brisk swingers and feed his hungry bat.

STEVE TIKOLO (KENYA) AGE 27

As the best of the underdogs, Kenya will be looking for Tikolo to put the frighteners up opposition bowlers. A powerful striker, in the last World Cup he scored 96 against the eventual champions Sri Lanka. Although he has a tendency to become impatient when bowlers tie him down, a spell in club cricket for Swansea means conditions will not be too alien. A fine fielder, he also bowls off-breaks.

AZHAR MAHMOOD (PAKISTAN) AGE 24.

An all-rounder who hails from Islamabad, Azhar's more orthodox swing and seam bowling should complement the unusual skills of Wasim Akram and the express pace of Shoaib Akhtar. A batsman who enjoys playing innings under pressure, Azhar could well feature in any tight finishes Pakistan have. A natural athlete, he is one of the better fielders in the Pakistan side. In one-day cricket a player of Azhar`s versatility is priceless.

ADAM GILCHRIST (AUSTRALIA) AGE 27

Replacing a legend such as the wicketkeeper Ian Healy is never an easy task, but Gilchrist has managed it with aplomb. Not yet in his predecessor's class as a keeper, the willowy left-hander more than makes up the shortfall with his batting, and his 154 against the world champions Sri Lanka in January is the highest by any keeper. With four other one-day centuries to his name, expect some explosive starts if the conditions allow.

HENDERSON BRYAN (WEST INDIES) AGE 29

A late starter, I had the pleasure of captaining Hendy in a cricket festival in Barbados six years ago. Impressed by his strong bowling action and powerful strokeplay, I was surprised to find that the Barbados selectors had never considered him for inter-island cricket. Clearly a re-think has taken place and Bryan celebrated his one-day debut against Australia recently with an impressive 4 for 24, a haul that could be repeated if he quickly finds an English length.