Week 1 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 was as exciting as it could get. It had everything true cricket lovers would have hoped for. The week started with the opening clash between West Indies and Pakistan. In a close encounter, West Indies managed to beat Pakistan by a handsome 54 runs. This loss meant Pakistan will have to beat the other two teams in its group to reach the Super 8 stage.
In another big encounter of the week, New Zealand beat England by 6 wickets. Kiwis looked confident right from the start but the English were out of sorts. In the meanwhile, the other matches of the world cup between the biggies and the first timers ended with expected results. The biggest upsets, however, came right at the end of the week with three shocking results. Two of them being scored by a non test playing nation, Ireland. Ireland tied their first match with Zimbabwe and a few days later, demolished Pakistan to reach the Super 8 stage. Ireland bowled out Pakistan for 132 and defeated them by 3 wickets margin. Last year’s runner up, India, got off to a devastating start at this world cup. India were thrashed by Bangladesh in their first match. India failed to play good cricket while Bangladesh displayed outstanding play. The match ended with Bangladesh beating India by 5 wickets.
The week rounded off with the sad news of untimely demise of Pakistani coach, Bob Woolmer. Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room the day after Pakistan was humiliated by Ireland. He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead by the doctors. This is indeed a sad and shocking news for the cricketing fraternity and a huge loss for cricket. In other news, Pakistani captain Inzamam announced his retirement from ODI matches after World Cup.
The coming week (20th to 26th of March 2007) will have the following matches to watch out for -
- 23rd Mar - India v Sri Lanka (Trinidad & Tobago)
- 24th Mar - Australia v South Africa (St. Kitts)
India will also play Bermuda on 19th March 2006. India will have to win both their group matches by big margins in order to make it to the next round.
