It is here again!

The time to - wear your greens, calculate your if and but scenarios, go through high level thrills and some heartbreaks, build your fantasy teams, place your bets, tune into your favorite sports channel, follow The Pavilion religiously, participate on numerous forums on whatsapp and all other social media, wave your flags, and support team Pakistan - is here again!

This time comes every 4 years and it is here again.

It is time for the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup!

It seems like yesterday that a few of us were gearing up to fly down to London to follow Pakistan at the World Cup. The 4 years since have flown by.

There have been two T20 World Cups between the last edition in 2019 and this ODI World Cup.

But this time that comes every 4 years is when the cricket frenzy reaches its peak.

Pakistan's cricketers landed in Hyderabad last night and received a very heartwarming welcome with fans out in big numbers cheering them from the airport all the way to the hotel.

Pakistan's campaign starts tomorrow with a warm up match against New Zealand, followed by another warm up game against Australia next week.

A week from now is when the actual World Cup starts with a repeat of the World Cup 2019 Final.

Whatever has happened over the past 4 years is now irrelevant. All teams have done their preparations and they all now start off with a clean slate.

It doesn't matter who is ranked #1, who was ranked #1, who won what when, nothing really matters.

All that matters is the performance on the day and Pakistan is ready for the challenge.

I reckon this is Pakistan's strongest World Cup team since 1999.

This century has not been too good for Pakistan in ODI World Cups with only one semi final appearance out of 5 World Cups. In 2019 they missed out narrowly due to Net Run Rate.

I know I said that all the past is irrelevant and nothing really matters now, but one thing that I and many other Pakistan fans continue to relate to is 1992 - the only time Pakistan won an ODI World Cup.

It has been over 30 years now, but those memories are still fresh in my mind.

Every World Cup campaign a number of similarities are floated around by Pakistan fans comparing the now to what happened in 1992.

Already there are a few regarding the 2023 World Cup!

So since no one has really dared to initiate this list, here goes ...

1. Babar Azam is the first unmarried captain to lead Pakistan at a World Cup, since Imran Khan in 1992.

2. 1992 was Imran Khan's third World Cup as captain, following 1983 and 1987. This is also Babar Azam's third World Cup as captain, following T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022.

3. In 1992, Pakistan's premier right arm fast bowler - Waqar Younis - got injured and had to miss the entire tournament. In 2023, Pakistan's premier right arm fast bowler - Naseem Shah - is injured and has to miss the entire tournament.

4. Pakistan entered the 1992 World Cup as the #2 ranked ODI team. Pakistan are entering the 2023 World Cup as the #2 ranked ODI team.

5. In 1992, the host nation - Australia, was the #1 ranked ODI team and tournament favorites. In 2023, the host nation - India, is the #1 ranked ODI team and tournament favorites.

What else?

Feel free to add to the list ...

Because, 1992 me bhi ...

PAKISTAAAAAAAAAAN ZINDABAAAAAAD !!!

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Pakistan started off the Asia Cup as favorites and ended the tournament as an embarrassment. They had an easy win against Hong Kong, barely scraped through against Afghanistan and faced embarrassing losses against India and Bangladesh.

When you go back in history and think of all those times when Pakistan entered the tournament as favorites, I don't think you will find any tournament where they actually lived up to the tag.

World Cup 1987, World Cup 1996, World Cup 1999, World T20 2010, Asia Cup 2018 and so many more.

At the same time, take a look at the tournaments they won and it was those where no one gave them a chance at all.

World Cup 1992, World T20 2009, Asia Cup 2012, Champions Trophy 2017.

There are so many bilateral series and triseries that have gone the same route for Pakistan.

Why then even give Pakistan the tag of favorites?

We were so confident about the Asia Cup. The fans, the team, the odd makers, everyone thought the tournament was Pakistan's even before it began.

I guess a combination of Pakistan's Champions Trophy win, 'home ground' conditions in the UAE, and Pakistan's recent decimation of Zimbabwe 5-0 resulted in everyone feeling that Pakistan was a great ODI force.

When in fact they really are not.

Pakistan is currently ranked 5 in ODIs and just last year they won a global ODI tournament involving the top 8 ODI sides in the world, but that Champions Trophy win was an exception amidst an abysmal run in ODIs.

If you take a look at 3-year ODI performances of the 10 teams that will be playing the ICC World Cup in 2019, Pakistan's W/L ratio is at the bottom half of the table.


Sure, one can say that Pakistan has won more ODIs than they have lost during this period and this cannot be termed as abysmal.

But delve a bit deeper into this record and you will realize that 26 out of those 32 wins have come against Sri Lanka, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Hong Kong, which are teams ranked 8-12 (all below Pakistan) and a team that does not even have ODI status.

That leaves matches against the top 4 ranked ODI teams - England, India, New Zealand, South Africa - plus Australia and Bangladesh.

Take a look!


6 wins in 31 matches over 3 years!

That is a success percentage of 19%.

PATHETIC!

Now if that is not abysmal, I do not know what is.

Plus, 3 out of these 6 wins came in the Champions Trophy last year. Signs of improvement? Maybe so, but then we were blanked 5-0 in New Zealand earlier this year!

So no. We are not a good ODI team.

We recently reached the top in test cricket. We leveled a test series in England this year. We are the current number 1 T20 team. But when it comes to ODIs, we are at the middle of the table with a pathetic record against the top 7 ODI teams.

We have not beaten Bangladesh even once since the last ICC World Cup in 2015.

And here we were thinking we were the favorites to win the Asia Cup.

Quite delusional, aren't we?

This brings me to World Cup 2019.

The round robin format means to qualify for the semifinal a team will have to win, at a minimum, 5 out of its 9 matches. Even then it may not make it. 6 wins might guarantee a spot.

Who will these 5-6 wins come against?

Think about the opposition Pakistan will face.

On one hand you would think about the matches that you should win, i.e. the bottom ranked teams - West Indies, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Pakistan have not beaten Bangladesh in the past 3.5 years and have lost 4 consecutive ODIs to them. And they just scraped through against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup.

Are these 4 games sure wins for Pakistan? Definitely not.

For a minute consider that Pakistan does manage to win these 4 games. It then still has to win 1 or 2 games out of the matches against India, Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand - teams against whom Pakistan has won only 6 times in 31 games since 2015.

Do we really think we are among the top 4 ODI teams or capable of being among the top 4 at the ICC World Cup in 2019?

While Afridi was at his peak bowling form during 2010 and 2011, I thought this was inevitable. I was sure that he would be playing till the 2015 World Cup.

There is an interesting question on Cricinfo, which asks:

"Is the World T20 on par with the World Cup?".

Cricinfo presents two arguments, for and against, and asks the fans to comment. You can give your view right here, but honestly the only argument for ODI cricket that is making sense is that it has some history associated with it.

And history means old. In the past. Done and dusted with.

The last time I truly enjoyed the World Cup was in 1999. There have been 3 World Cups since then and they have barely been exciting.

On the other hand, this is the 4th World T20 in the last 5 years and each edition has been the most entertaining show put on by the ICC ever.

Solely my opinion ofcourse. But here are 10 reasons why I think that the World T20 is not at par with the World Cup, it is beyond par and a far better tournament.

Number 10: The Cheerleaders.
No seriously!. We all love the cheerleaders.

For years and year we wondered why was it that girls danced only for men playing basketball, football, or baseball. What about cricket?


Apparently it wasn't exciting enough and no woman wanted to sit around for 8 hours (or 5 days) waiting for a boundary or a wicket to step up and shake a leg.

But T20 Cricket provides that opportunity almost every over. And on good days, multiple times during an over!

There are no cheerleaders in the World Cup. In the World T20, there are plenty.

Number 9: The Minnows.
The World T20 provides a platform for the associate nations to shine. There is no question that the associate nations like Ireland, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Kenya and others are way more competitive in T20 cricket than they are in ODIs.


Such is the nature of the game that plenty of fans fancied Afghanistan and Ireland to upset India and Australia respectively during yesterday's matches. Moreover, many believe that Bangladesh can topple New Zealand and Pakistan!

No such thought would even be entertained at the World Cup, where the minnows go through bashing after bashing in a series of meaningless matches.

There's a case for including more associates in future World T20 tournaments, and a very strong case. Teams like Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, USA, Hong Kong can surely be playing this tournament.

Number 8: Meaningless ODI Cricket.
The ICC restricts the number of T20 internationals that teams can play during a bilateral series and during a year, keeping the total number of T20Is played at a low level as compared to ODIs, which are played in abundance.

Meaningless bilateral ODIs have pretty much taken the charm of ODI cricket away. There are so many ODIs played during a year, which have no meaning or purpose, that by the time the World Cup comes around the first thing we wonder is when the first month and a half will end so we can get to the business end of the tournament.

T20 cricket is largely played at the league/club/domestic level so the appetite for international T20 remains large.

Number 7: The Duration.
The World T20 lasts for a total of 20 days. 25 if you count the warm ups, which are just as exciting as the actual game.

Watch Pakistan vs India from 2009 or from two days ago and there would be nothing about the games that would say "warm up".

Plus in those 20-25 days, there is not a single day of meaningless games of cricket. There is no single day on which any one can confidently say that this team is going to win. There is no single day on which we can miss the action because it all counts for something.

The World Cup lasts for over 50 days, and 75% of the days are completely meaningless, which hardly have any bearing on the composition of the Super 8s or 6s or quarterfinals. Boring!

Number 6: Australia doesn't win the World T20.
It is a big reason honestly. The Australians will not like this, but one reason why the 2003 and 2007 World Cups were pointless was because it was quite clear that Australia will win them even before a single ball was delivered!

The ICC might as well have given the trophy to Australia without holding the World Cup.

What's worse is that the Aussies didn't even try to make it exciting by losing a match or two. They just marched along winning match after match and lifted the trophy in the most robotic manner possible. They need to learn a thing or two from Pakistan!

When it comes to the World T20 though, Australia lose in the semis, they exit in the first round, and they make the final in the most exciting manner ever but lose.


Now that makes it exciting!

Number 5:  The Competition.
Not only are the minnows more competitive, the relatively stronger teams also compete more fiercely in T20 cricket.

Its a fire cracker of a game with very little margin of error due to the shortened time. Majority if T20 games provide a clearer indication of the side that will win during the last 4-5 overs. While in ODIs, majority of the game are predictable. With half of them you know the winner before the match even starts, and with the rest you know after the first innings.

The intensity among cricketers is at all time highs during T20 games. Even more so during the World T20 games.

Not that the intensity is not there during the World Cup, but there are so many games during which the players can switch off. During the World T20, you can't switch off for even a minute!

Number 4: It is always Wide Open
Not many people predicted India to win the World T20 in 2007. Or Pakistan in 2009. Or England in 2010.

Nor can many people pick one team that they think will win it this year.

That is how open the World T20 typically is. It is really any body's cup. And this year it is being touted as more open than previously. Probably so.

How often do you see that happening in the World Cup?

Australia. Australia. Australia. India. Well not the 1999 one, but every World Cup since then was pretty much called out and predicted by the majority well before the opening ceremony.


Number 3: It is a World Cup Damn it!
I'm not too sure why the ICC shies away from calling it the T20 World Cup, because it is a damn World Cup. Its not the ODI one, sure. But it is a T20 World Cup where all the cricket nations are competing for T20 supremacy.

Are England not the T20 defending champions? Are India and Pakistan not the former T20 champions?

You only become a champion if you win a World Cup.

So sure the World T20 sounds good as a brand and has a good ring to it, but it really is the World Cup.

That really nullifies the question!


Number 2: History will be made...
So the biggest argument that the World Cup has going in its favor is that it has history associated with it. Almost 40 years of it.

That's a long time compared to the 5 years of history that the World T20 has, but so what really?

History will be made. And a lot of it has already been made.

India will always be remembered as the first ever T20 champions. Misbah will always be remembered for playing that ill-fated scoop in the epic India vs Pakistan final in the first World T20. Shahid Afridi will be remembered for championing a successful 2009 campaign for Pakistan. And the World T20 2010 will go down in history as the first ever major tournament won by England, the inventors of the game.


All this is history.

So what history is the World Cup boasting about? Sure there's a lot, but doesn't mean that the World T20 doesn't have one.

Number 1: The Global Footprint.
If cricket is to expand into new global markets, then T20 cricket is the way to do it, and the World T20 is the platform to showcase the new countries on.

The largest World Cricket event that has taken place thus far is a 16 team World Cup and it was full off meaningless one-sided ODIs that hardly anyone paid interest.


A World T20 with 16 teams, or even 20 for that matter, can be an exciting event. I reckon that 10-15 year down the line the World T20 can even be a 32 team event ala FIFA World Cup.

That is when one will be able to say that cricket has finally established its global footprint.

With a 120+ years history, it is about time it does!

T20 Cricket is the way to go and the World T20 is the platform to promote it to the world.

At par with the World Cup? Way beyond!

The first ever ICC World Cup Final between two host nations.

The third ICC World Cup Final for both teams.

An ICC World Cup Final between the two teams that lost in the Final to Australia during the last two World Cups.

An ICC World Cup Final involving the highest ODI run scorer and highest ODI wicket taker in their last ever ODI*.

There couldn't have been a bigger World Cup Final than India vs Sri Lanka.

Well yes there could have if it was Pakistan vs India, but with the presence of Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan, it makes it a Grand Final.

I watched Sachin make his debut 22 years ago when he toured Pakistan and faced a bowling attack comprising of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Aqib Javed. He lasted only 2 balls and lost his wicket to Waqar Younis.

For the next 22 years, however, he tormented bowlers the world over, notching up century after century.

He now stands on 99 international centuries - 48 in ODIs and 51 in tests. The stage is set for him to bring up his 100th international 100 in a World Cup Final.

The last time Sachin was there, he didn't last too long as McGrath got the better of him.

That was Johannesburg, but tomorrow it will be in his home town - Mumbai!

The stage could not have been better set for the greatest batsman ever to play the game.

A World Cup victory is really the only thing missing from Sachin's overflowing list of achievements. It is the one thing that has remained elusive throughout his 22 year career and something he so dearly wants to achieve.

It is time for India to return all the favours he has done them for the last 22 years!

Sri Lanka will be tough to beat, but I really think that there will be no stopping India tomorrow.

Considering that Muralitharan already has a World Cup victory under his belt, its only fair that Sachin ends up on the winning side tomorrow.

And then at least we will also be able to say that even Pakistan had a hand in helping Sachin Tendulkar fulfil his dream, as it probably would not have happened had he been caught on 27.

For me, its not about India or Sri Lanka tomorrow... to hell with the saying that "its a team game" ..

Tomorrow is all about Sachin Tendulkar, his 100 international centuries, and his first ever World Cup title.

I was told that I have been "awfully quiet" on the subject by someone today. I think otherwise, considering my activity on Facebook, but yes what was missing was a post. After all it is the grand daddy of all cricket matches and I really should have posted at least once on each day leading up to the match, but it was also the last week of my MBA program, which kept me tied up till last night.

The MBA is over now. The World Cup will be as well soon and life will come to a stand still. Come 3rd April, I wouldn't know what to do with my day... but before that, all my thoughts on the match that is just 7 hours away!

Pakistan have never lost to India in Mohali in the last two decades.

Pakistan successfully chased 320 odd in the last ODI between them at Mohali.

Pakistan has a better overall record against India.

All this will matter for little when the two teams step on to the field to battle it out for a spot in the ICC World Cup Final 2011.

Before I go on about this grand daddy of a match, I just want to mention the neglected Sri Lankans who have sort of made history. They have become the first Asian team to make it to the ODI World Cup Final for a second successive time - if you are forgetting, they were finalists in 2007 also!

Plus, the Sri Lankans will be a part of the first ever All Asian World Cup Final on Saturday! This is big!

Who the Lankans will face is another question altogether.

Pakistan or India?

Surely, this has got to be the most important Pakistan vs India cricket match ever. In the history of cricket. Hell, in the history of sport.

Yes there have been a World T20 final, a World Cup quarter final, numerous Sharjah Cup finals, AustralAsia Cup finals, Asia Cup finals, and various other important Pakistan vs India games.

But... it really hasn't ever been bigger than this.

Its the World Cup and its for a spot in the final!

The frenzy around this match has been crazy... There have been so many pictures, videos, comments around this match that it has really been hard to follow. I have to say though that some of pictures and comments that have come out of this frenzy have been pure genius.

I don't remember this type of hype for any Pakistan vs India match. Or maybe its just the power of the social networks that I now see the hype from millions (well not really but...) of people than from a select few before Facebook, Twitter, & Blogger became a part of our lives.

The power of the social networks is such that I've witnessed random banter between my Indian and Pakistani friends who don't know each other at all.

The beauty of cricket I say. Moreso the beauty of Pakistan vs India and the power of Facebook!

The match is 7 hours away and people all around the world are eagerly waiting in anticipation. As am I.

Both sides have got the talent to win the game, but at the end of the day it is really going to be a battle between Pakistan's bowling and India's batting. In Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, Pakistan have two of the leading wicket takers in the World Cup, while Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh are among the leading run scorers.

But then most Pakistan v India battles have been the same - always our bowling, against India's batting.

The odds, however, are stacked in India'a favour. As they should be. They started the tournament as one of the favourites, they are playing at home, and on paper are the strong side.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have done what Pakistan does best - Forgot about Ijaz Butt, the hopeless PCB Chairman, the revolts and dressing room politics, the spot fixing scandal, and all the off-field issues that plagued them for the last 3-4 years and just turned up on the field to play the kind of cricket they excel at - fearless and aggressive.

For me, this is due to the one and only Shahid Afridi!

He has led from the front, bowled like a true champion, and marshalled the troops like a battle hardened general. He plays the game with intensity and passion and he has managed to instil that in every single member of the squad.

The fact that he has been successful with the ball has helped as the boys in green have rallied around him.

How Afridi performs tomorrow will be key to how successful Pakistan will be.

Very few (the eternal optimists like me) expected Pakistan to get this far, and they have only managed to do so because they feel they have a lot of points to prove to the world.

Undoubtedly, Pakistan will take the field with the same intensity as they have so far in this tournament. Maybe even more considering its against India. Their most experienced batsmen in Younis Khan, Misbah, and Afridi average more against India than they do in their careers so surely their game will be a notch higher than it has been.

And if Afridi roars early, it will be very hard for India to beat Pakistan.

India, on the other hand, have been driven by very different reasons. Besides the fact that they have one of the strongest batting line ups in the world and one of the shrewdest captains, Sachin Tendulkar has been the driving force behind India's success.

The God of Indian cricket... no, I mean the God of cricket is playing his last World Cup and it is no secret that he really wants to have a World Cup winning medal on his wall before he hangs up his boots.

Sachin has given so much to Indian cricket, that it is only fair that the men in Blue give their best to give Sachin the only thing that has been missing from his awesome career. Yuvraj even mentioned that his motivating force for this World Cup was a "special person". Undoubtedly that is Sachin.

The fact that the World Cup final will be played in Mumbai in front of Sachin's home crowd, makes the stage all the more bigger, and this semi final all the more important!

As most people know, I am a huge Sachin fan, and as a pure cricket fan I would love to see Sachin score his 100th international century in front of his home crowd and lead India to a World Cup victory in probably his last ever ODI.

He is a true star and he deserves it and India will be driven to make Sachin's dream come true, which is what will make it all the more tougher for Pakistan.

Shoaib Akhtar has at most two international games left to play in his career. Not that that is a reason for why he should take the field against India, but that is a major reason behind why he will give it his all.

And Shoaib Akhtar's all is a lot to send shivers down the Indian batsmen on a Mohali pitch that is probably the bounciest Indian pitch there is.

Mohali is being touted as a pitch that will favour the faster bowlers and one that will not be that helpful for spinners. Considering this, I think it is imperative that Shoaib Akhtar plays.

The fact that it will be his last ever match against India, will make him play out of his skin, and I believe he can have a huge impact on the game if given the chance.

News is that he will not play, but I really think that Afridi should pencil him down on the team sheet and mention it at the toss.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - this is the best chance either team has to win a World Cup.

India has never had a stronger ODI team than they have had since MS Dhoni took over.

As for Pakistan, Afridi is the only captain that can make the players rise above all expectations and perform like a unit. He has done it year after year in domestic cricket leading several Karachi sides to finals and wins in various tournaments.

Those who have followed Pakistan's domestic cricket know what I'm talking about, and I am so damn pleased that the world is witnessing that now through Pakistan's charge at the World Cup.

I would love to see Sachin's dream come true, but what I would love to see more is Shahid Afridi lifting the World Cup trophy on Saturday!

Yes that is my heart speaking, but then when it comes to Pakistan vs India, it can only be thought of with the heart. The mind goes numb, the diplomats inside everyone take a hike, and emotions get the better of everyone. Me included.

People can say as much as they want that "it is just a game of cricket", but we all know that it is not just that. It is so much more than just a game.

Even moreso when it is a World Cup semi final.

Most of the fans from either side are saying "doesn't matter if you lose the final, don't lose this match".

Hell with that man! Don't lose this or the final... Go for Gold Greens!!

Think about it.

Pakistan have got the team that can go all the way.

I'm not too sure why I am often met with laughs and sarcasm when I speak up Pakistan's chances of winning the world cup - I really do think they can.

Yes the team has been through an utterly disappointing phase over the last year or so with all the drama surrounding it. But then again, when has drama and the Pakistan cricket team not gone hand in hand?

We have always had drama, and yet we have produced match winning performances to out perform the best on our day.

The win in the series against New Zealand was surely a confidence booster, but besides that there seems to be a lot of harmony within the team - or atleast that is how the media is projecting it.

And as someone said the other day - "A united Pakistani outfit is a really dangerous team".

How true!

Its not only the Pakistani media that is buzzing, the fans are as well. A friend of mine created a group on Facebook called "The Boys in Green" and the group has crossed a 1,000 members in only 48 hours!

You just need to hop on to the page and go through the various videos dedicated to the Pakistan team that are being shared and it will give you an indication of the hope that people have for this World Cup.

The Pakistani fans have dared to dream again... and I see no reason why the dream may not be realised.

Just take a look at the team.

In Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan have got an opening combination that is as good as any that they have had in the recent past. Hafeez is probably in the form of his life, While Shehzad has come back to international cricket with a bang. The boy is good. He had a super domestic season last year and he has maintained his form in the international arena. What a stage the World Cup is for Shehzad to shine.

Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq, and Umar Akmal provide for a solid middle order. Younis will be key and considering that he has many points to prove, he is sure to perform. Misbah, like Hafeez is also going through a purple patch - He has had one of the most consistent runs in ODI cricket since making his comeback late last year. What a time it is for Misbah to maintain that form on a global stage. While Umar, as we all know, can rip the heart out of any bowling attack when he gets going. It is the perfect mix of experience and youthful aggression in the middle for the Greens.

The best part is that Asad Shafiq can walk in to the team and ably replace either one of them. Finally we have good promising young batsmen that are eager to get going.

The top 5 With Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, and Abdul Razzaq in the batting line up should give many teams a scare. No captain or bowler would want to see these players walking to the crease in the last 15-20 overs of an innings.

The more I think about it, the more balanced the Pakistan team looks.

The bowling is a worry, but all of them - Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, and Junaid Khan - have something to prove. And Pakistanis are best at doing just that - proving people wrong!

Shoaib needs to show the world that he's still got it, Gul and Wahab need to prove that Pakistan can rely on them in the absence of an illustrious banned duo , while Junaid is probably still pinching himself to believe that he is actually playing in a Cricket World Cup for Pakistan. Junaid is an exciting pacer and he has a proven domestic record - his performance in the warm up game showed what he is capable of and if he manages to get a spot in the starting XI, I'm sure he will not disappoint.

The spin department is as strong as ever with Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman both being wicket taking bowlers. With both of them competing for one spot in the XI, they are sure to give their best when given the chance.

Healthy competition within the ranks is always good, and Pakistan finally has that.

So then, would you again think that its just typical Pakistanis being optimistic and dreaming?

I don't think so.

I think its real. Like I always do.

We had star studded teams in 1996, 2003, and 2007 and we all know how those campaigns ended.

Pakistan's best campaigns have been with teams that have included new faces and players just making their mark in international cricket. We saw it in 1992, and we saw it again in 1999.

And I believe we can see it in 2011!

The ICC have announced the groupings for the next 20-20 world cup to be held in 2009. When I first saw the headline, I thought to myself, already? But then something else struck me - there are going to be as many as 5 cricket world cups in the span of the next 4 years. The list is:

1. ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan 2008
2. T20 World Cup in England 2009
3. ICC Champions Trophy in West Indies 2010
4. ICC Cricket World Cup in Pakistan, India, SL, Bangladesh 2011
5. T20 World Cup in ? 2011

And this will continue...

I have never believed that there is anything such as "too much cricket". The more the cricket the better, and I love watching it. I never feel overloaded, in fact at times I feel there isn't enough. I understand that it takes a toll on the players, but then it provides a chance for new players to emerge and also the opportunity for specialized players to develop.

Despite that, 5 world cups in 4 years, isn't it a bit overwhelming? And its not gonna stop, these cycles will continue...