Twenty20 squads have no room for test players...

...unless of course you're Ricky Ponting, or some other batsman of that calibre. And I agree with this sentiment. In order to succeed in Twenty20 cricket, squads need to be picked that include young, aggressive batsmen that have experience in the twenty over format. England, recently picked their team and included only their 20 over specialists. It is pointless to include test players or even ODI middle order batsmen. I disagree with the idea that a good batsman is a good batsman over the course of 100 overs, 50 overs, or 5 overs. Not true at all.

I'd much rather have Shahid Afridi bat for 12 balls, then Mohammad Yousuf bat for those 12 balls in the shortest format of the game. England plays the most twenty20 games in the world today, and have selected players that have the most experience. Regardless of how good an international star is, or his career statistics, this format of the game is best suited to strokemakers and bashers.

The Pakistani squad for the Twenty20 WC just got selected and Mohd. Yousuf wasn't included. I think its a great squad! Osman Samiuddin over at Cricinfo was more than a bit peeved at this decision however. He writes...

From this they took a not inconsiderable leap and concluded - on what basis is still not clear - that Misbah-ul-Haq (ostensibly the replacement) might do the job better than Yousuf has been doing over the last year. Perhaps Misbah's impressive domestic Twenty20 average (just under 50) got him the nod over a man with over 14,000 international runs, 35 international hundreds and just off a patch so purple, popstar Prince would have been jealous.

Needless to say, that's convincing enough for me. Misbah has average of 50 in this version of the game, has played dozens more games and is reputed to be the most sold batsman in Pakistan's domestic scene. Yousuf is not cut out for 20 over cricket. We don't need someone who has a strike-rate of 100. We need batsmen with S.R's over 150 or 200. And Misbah has a shot at international cricket way too long ago. That really can't be reason enough to discount his ability. That was years ago and only a few games. Give the guy a chance!

As far as Razzak being knocked out. Well, this was a decision that finally makes sense. Pakistan cricket should be about winning games using the best players at our disposal. Why should stars of yesteryear be selected purely on the weight of their statistics. That's unfair to the current players, unprofessional and undeniably stupid. Fawad has his ODI shot and admittedly bungled it. Big deal. It was only one game. This kid has had such a tremendous year in domestic cricket that he deserves few more shots at the top level.

In any case, Twenty20 is any ones game on any one's day. Zimbabwe have as good a shot at winning this World Cup as do South Africa. Selection in this format is much less of a gamble than it is in test cricket. It's meant to be a fun format, for the crowds, so why bother getting worked up about selections? Just choose great fielders, accurate bowlers and aggressive batsmen. That's it. And if predictions are anything to live by, I feel that the Twenty20 cup will save the game and give it that breath of fresh air that it so desperately needs.

Fake Cricinfo frontpage during the World Cup 2011

I've certainly been uploading a lot of fake headlines today! Anyway this was hilarious. The good folks at the Cricinfo commentary team for todays SL-WI game referred us to this Indian cricket forum where this picture was uploaded. Brilliant.

I miss the India-Pakistan Sharjah games

Yes, I know its completely besides the point, but its my party and I'll cry if I want to.

I loved watching those killer games on TV. Seemed like Sharjah was the perfect avenue, home ground to neither side, and electric crowds, though it seemed like there was always more Pakistani support. Indian fans though must have loved those epic ODI battles too. Remember all those banners that fans used to put up? "Hey Pakistan, It's not Friday anymore.." and so on! Stuff like that?
Too bad gambling and match fixing took Sharjah completely off the cricketing radar. I really hope we can start playing there again. Did you know that that stadium at Sharjah has hosted the most ODI's in the world? I think I'm right. I could double check, but that would involve me doing work. Can somebody double check for me? I will give you an awesome gift.

Plus, this way I can also see if people are still reading my blog!

Anyway, I haven't written in a while, but that's mainly because I have been a bit disillusioned by cricket in general. The loss of our coach, the issues of throwing matches surfacing again, and the plague of crowd trouble in India and Pakistan is disturbing. But rather than be docile and depressed about it, I want to enter into a healthy debate with my readers and will be addressing these issues over the next few days.

India on its way out

Bloody hell. Yuvraj just got run out as I was starting to blog about this game. And now Dhoni is out...to a straighter one. Agarkar just walked out.

My goodness. India is on its way out of the WC. This is fucking unbelievable. A WC without India or Pakistan....

It was totally Yuvraj's call. Dravid should have run. Dhoni was plum. Sehwag got out to a freaking good delivery. India have been outplayed thus far. I didn't see how Ganguly, Uthappa and Sachin got out...

I'll watch the replays...

UPDATE 1

India 157-7
Dravid just spanked Malinga for 17 runs. From cricinfo

36.6	Malinga to Dravid, 1 run, fullish, driven to mid-off, the bat-face shut a bit and hence he didn't get power or timing. He was aiming to drive it straight.
36.5	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, oh ho! Another one. Smashed through backward point. Short and outside off stump, Dravid leans back and cuts it past point.
36.4	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, brings up his fifty in style. A fierce flick behind square. Full and on the legs, he leant forward and flicked it in the air. Three fours in this over. Dravid is carrying on the fight and the Indian hopes.
36.3	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, Full and well outside off stump, slashed away to third man. It takes a bit of outside edge and runs to the boundary. Dravid is on 49.
36.2	Malinga to Dravid, no run, on the off stump line, pushed to cover
36.1	Malinga to Dravid, FOUR, full and just outside off stump, Dravid cuts it late, ala Arjuna Ranatunga. Delectable late cut.

OH!! It's over! Dravid just got out...He had no choice. He had to speed up the run chase....

Awesome video of Zaheer Khan and a lucky, embarassed fan

This is cute!

India's looking good...

Sachin just smashed his 41st ODI century, Ganguly's back with a vengeance, their opening conundrum's been solved, and the bowlers are getting wickets...

All in all, India after a poor couple of months in the middle, are getting back to where they were a year ago, in more ways than one. Not only are they back to their winnings ways, but the squad shuffling of the past few months seems to have come full circle. They're back to the Ganguly opening, Sachin in the middle, with Zaheer and Agarkar opening the bowling. I, for one, am very excited to see Ganguly back.

In this upcoming World Cup, where there is no clear cut 2nd best team, India, in my opinion, are looking pretty cohesive and tough. Thus the upcoming Ind-SL, along with the Pak-SA ODI series, will give us a clue and perhaps enable us to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the four '2nd best' teams, one of which is most likely going to battle in Australia in the World Cup final in a couple of months.

Criticism on Dravid unwarranted

From Cricinfo.com...

Bhupinder Singh Sr, the North Zone representative in India's selection committee, has come down hard on Rahul Dravid, saying that his "mind was not on the game" during India's recent tour against South Africa.

This was only the second time in his career that Dravid had gone thorough a three-Test series without managing a half-century, ending with a poor average of 20.83. "I just feel that Dravid's mind was not on the game," Bhupinder told Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid. "Maybe the poor form of the top order was affecting his confidence. We all know what he is capable of and lack of runs from his bat definitely wasn't helping our cause.

"Dravid is like a bedrock on which our batting revolves. He looked a far cry from the kind of batsmanship we are used to seeing from him. In fact, the whole batting department was a big disappointment."

Former India allrounder Roger Binny was also disappointed with Dravid's efforts. "Rahul has been one of our batting mainstays over the years," he told the same paper. "I have never seen him struggle like he did in South Africa. He seemed to get himself into a rut. In our playing days, we had Sunil Gavaskar, who would go on to play a long innings once he is well settled. Ditto for Dravid. If he gets his eye in, he's difficult to get rid off. But he was really struggling in South Africa."

What nonsense! Agreed, the batting on the whole, was exposed by the South African bowlers, but it wasn't easy going for the South African batsmen either. All 3 games resulted in 3 outcomes, and the bowlers on both sides caused the most damage and held the upper hand throughout most of the sessions.

It was a tough series. They battled hard, won their first test match in South Africa, and that on its own is a remarkable achievement. India, or any other team, can't be expected to win every single test match they ever play. It's a sport, and the team that wins sessions wins the test match, and South Africa dominated several sessions in the 2nd and 3rd test match.

Its a bit silly to blame the best batsman in the side for his not scoring like he usually does. An average is an average after all. He will sometimes score higher, sometimes lower. He will get bowled on 0 once in a while. Dravid has time and again, rescued India and been the team anchor for the past few years. He had a bad series, and he will surely pull out of it. Everyone is entitled to an off series.

I'm also not too impressed with how the Indian selectors are communicating their skewed views through the media. Its irresponsible. Secondly, how is their advice constructive? Shall they rest Dravid for the next few series? Lets him contemplate life and his batting? Everyone knows it was the entire team's batting in the end that made the difference. It was on South African tracks away from home. Those are tough series and poor performance during it can't be the basis for criticism for someone of Dravid's calibre. It has to be a string of performances. If anything, Sehwag and Tendulkar's roles need to be re-evaluated.

What Pakistan can learn from the Indian South African tour

I watched India battle South Africa with great interest, as Pakistan plays them later this week. some things came to mind as I watched or read about India's performance against the Proteas.

1. Most importantly, South Africa can be beaten in their own backyard. India overcame the odds. Though Pakistan has already beaten South Africa in South Africa once before, the overall balance of power lies heavily in favor of the South Africans. Pakistan have beaten South Africa just twice and lost 5 test matches. As far as ODI's go, Pakistan has beaten them 13 times and lost 29 times. South Africa has always been a really tough team for Pakistan to overcome. But Pakistan should have faith in the news that their neighboring country has managed a victory.
   
2. 3 test matches and 3 results. So they will bowl us out. Thus Pakistan needs to charge at them early on. There is no point playing stock bowlers or all rounders. Without Razzak, there is no one else who could possibly take wickets. Malik is more a batsmen then a bowler. Asif, Gul and Rana need to emulate Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan's performance.
   
3. Play 6 specialist batsmen. Pollock and Ntini WILL bowl us out. Generally speaking, the IND-SA series was low scoring. Prince playing at number 5 or 6 turned out to be the biggest difference between the sides with his late order mustering of the tail. Asim Kamal, on our end, is the sort of player who puts a price on his wicket and gets these kinds of runs. He must play.
   
4. The openers really need to dig in. The opening partners ships in the Ind-SA series set the tempo for the innings. And they need time to adjust to the conditions. India's faith in Jaffer paid off. Pakistan shouldn't rotate the openers, but should strive to keep the consistency at the top of the order.
   
5. No one will underestimate Ntini and Pollock, but Steyn and Nel are a handful too. Attack Nel especially. I just don't like him.
6. The Kallis and Pollock factor. A factor because they will cause a selection dilemma for Pakistan. Their presence gives South Africa 5 genuine bowling options. So should Pakistan choose 6 batsmen or 5 bowlers? India bowled out South Africa convincingly only in the first test. This might persuade the selectors to perhaps insert an all-rounder instead of a batsmen. Though I believe Asif, Rana, Gul, and Kaneria, at this point in time are better bowlers than Khan, Sreesanth and Kumble on bouncy wickets. I believe it'll be a good choice to have faith in these 4, go with 6 batsmen, and bowl Hafeez if necessary.
   
7. South Africa bat deep. Boucher and Pollock are no tailenders. They put up several important partnerships against India. Pakistan need to make sure they have the bowling firepower to blow these guys out. I never thought I'd say this, but we really miss Razzak right now. His 1 or 2 wickets and 15 overs per inning are very crucial as they allow the front-line bowlers to rest.
   

The bounce will hurt Pakistan and I expect all 3 tests to have results and Ntini and Pollock to have a bunch of wickets. But we have in Bob Woolmer, a South African with an intimate knowledge of the country. Its his country and he knows what to expect from the pitches. He's done a great job for Pakistan already, but if he muster together a series victory here, it would probably rank as his best. It'll be interesting to see if Mohammad Yousuf can continue his run.

I'm a bit skeptical that Pakistan will pull of an outright victory. I feel that South African bowling surpasses our resources. Nevertheless, I'm still of the opinion that this will be very close series in my opinion based as Pakistan's batting is better as of late.

Ganguly's comeback

With any other player on the comeback trail, so much attention would seem unwarranted. But this is Saurav Ganguly, a man who inspires and infuriates. I read with great interest how he showed up to practice straight from the airport. How he interacted with the team, how he started practicing. I read with fascination about the 17 year old South African under-19 bowler who bowled at him in the nets. Usually one couldn't be bothered with the fine details of Ganguly's every movement, but these are not usual circumstances.

The story became even more dramatic when he grinded out 83 in his first tour game back. Some observers claimed that he was at his best. Definitely a great start, seeing as the top order failed. The second innings brought it all down to earth, however, where he lasted only a couple of deliveries and scored nothing.

Well, its still interesting to note how everyone is following his every movements. How Greg Chapell greeted him, how the players high-fived him, or did anyone hug him? What did the coach say about him after his 83? Did he change his stance or something?

Such details! But so interesting nevertheless...

He's a shoe-in to play in the first test match after his performance in this game. That's going to be the real test. Sadly Ganguly has not had the immense star power than Tendulkar has enjoyed, and as a result he has been asked to prove a lot more. Tendulkar, in my opinion, has been far from stellar this past year. Yet Tendulkar is on a different plane, and is assessed on a different level. It's unfair, but as an outsider, it seems that Ganguly thrives in situations like these.

The cricketing world is eagerly awaiting the first test match against South Africa. All eyes will be on Saurav. Will he deliver?

Could Ganguly return?

Well, if the media reports are to be believed, Saurav Ganguly could return to the Indian team. The Indian teams recent decline in form, injuries and inexperience in this current squad means the selectors must be forced to reconsider Ganguly. From CricInfo...

India's stuttering form in the one-day arena may have an unlikely beneficiary: Sourav Ganguly is in line for a recall to the Test side, nine months after he was jettisoned followed the resounding 341-run defeat at Karachi.

Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir and VRV Singh are likely to be named in the squad for the Tests when the selectors meet on Thursday and, with Rahul Dravid not certain to play in the opening Test, Ganguly could join VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar in the middle order for what is likely to be a tremendous test of India's batting resources.

Wealth of experience is being considered an asset after Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia failed to make the transition on the bouncier pitches in South Africa. Ganguly has one Duleep Trophy century to his name this season, and the team's think-tank and the national selectors also reason that his will to succeed after all the travails of the past 18 months will inspire him to rediscover the sort of form that he last showed on the arduous tour of Australia three years ago.

If he does does return, there will certainly be some friction between him and Greg. I also don't know how the current players would take to his return. THere has to be some bad blood. These players were quiet while they watched their captain get sidelined by the administration.

One thing is for sure, there would be nothing more exciting then a blazing Ganguly century against a strong South African attack! This poor guy must be so pissed at the BCCI's mistreatment of his career, that he must be aching to perform. Ganguly has overcome hurdles before. He certainly has my support and I really hope he gets selected and lets his bat do the talking.

So much for the Asian teams...

From a Pakistani point of view, not much to say except its amusing that none of the semi-finalists are from the Subcontinent. This aspect of the story has been covered often enough this past week. Barry Richards pretty much sums it up...

"These are delightful pitches the curators have made. I would give them all medals because they've brought the zip back into the One-day game. All batters, but especially those from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, have failed in this acid test of technique and temperament. I've enjoyed watching them flinch in bowler-friendly conditions. Their inability to adjust has been shocking."

The semi's should be very interesting though. I think South Africa has a chance of beating Australia....

Champions Trophy: India vs England - India win, but not very convincingly

I thought India bowled extremely well. Pathan was right on the money and Munaf was quick. Definitely wasn't the best of pitches, and the ball kept rising and sinking at times. However England's first 3 batsman feel to LBW's, which indicates poor form and technique rather than anything else. I felt Ian bell's LBW was extremely unfair. Darryl Harper made a mistake as the ball was going about 6 or 7 inches above the stumps.

As far as Flintoff goes, I think its silly to waste a batsman like him by sending him one down. He is not anew ball batsman and Munaf and Pathan exploited his nervousness.

England is such a weak side on paper. Owais Shah or Alistair Cook should have been in the side. Dalrymple and Yardy are decent players, but they certainly don't seem like the kind that can score the big runs when it matters.

This is a terribly weak England side. They really need to figure out their technique before they match Australia. The Aussies will not just try to beat them, but they will make every effort to humiliate the English by thrashing them convincingly. There is no doubt in my mind, that Australia will retake the ashes unless things improve drastically for England.

As far as India goes, I fell asleep after they bowled out England, so I can't vouch or comment on their batting. But I was impressed with Dravid's field settings in particular. Munaf bowled well and the rest of them did not try anything funny or fancy. They kept their line and length, kept things tight, and waited for the English batsman to make mistakes. It was easy to see that England had lost all hope while they were batting. Perhaps they should have played out their overs and made the most of the game, but towards the end, they just kept throwing their wickets away and getting caught out on long on.

I also thought it was a cool decision by Dravid to bowl first. He said that since they were playing 2 spinners, it would be easier to grip the ball in the first inning rather than deal with the dew at night. That's pretty sweet reasoning.

During the game, it was also funny how the camera kept focusing on Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. I know they are celebrities and all, and they have to be different. But what the hell are they wearing. Shahrukh, especially, looks so cheap...

Pakistan and India most misbehaved teams in World Cricket

What a rubbish report.

Pakistan and India are also the worst-behaved sides with 53 and 44 reports, ahead of South Africa (41) and Australia (38). That the West Indies have received just 13 reports confirms the widely held belief that, despite their at-times sorrowful playing form, they have a deep-rooted respect for the way the game should be played.

More proof that umpiring is biased. Australia is without a doubt, the worst team in terms of behaviour. Yet, they are never fined or pulled aside for dissent as much as the South Asian teams...

Inzy is the most reported captain, while Lara the least. Hmm.

The rest of the story as reported...

TEST skipper Ricky Ponting remains a minor-league miscreant in world cricket compared to Pakistan's controversial Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Inzamam, who was once described as a "potato'' by a Canadian spectator, and feisty Indian captain Sourav Ganguly are officially the worst-behaved players of their generation, according to an ironclad source ... the International Cricket Council's code of conduct rap sheets.

Since the code was introduced under the supervision of match referees in 1992, Inzamam and Ganguly, whose international career appears to be over, have been reported 12 times each, seven times more than Ponting.

Pakistan and India are also the worst-behaved sides with 53 and 44 reports, ahead of South Africa (41) and Australia (38). That the West Indies have received just 13 reports confirms the widely held belief that, despite their at-times sorrowful playing form, they have a deep-rooted respect for the way the game should be played.

It starts with captain Brian Lara who, for all of his occasionally selfish and disruptive ways off the field, is renowned for accepting the umpire's decision. Lara is not perfect - he has one dissent charge for disputing an umpire's call against England - but generally accepts what he gets.

Inzamam, a normally self-contained man who spent the first decade of his career not saying boo, has a series of dissent charges, starting with an incident in Canada when he stormed into a crowd wanting to throttle a spectator who called him a "potato''.

He talks slowly and quietly and for the first half of his 14-year international career often used to say little, claiming he knew little English. That amused former captain Wasim Akram, who once laughed outside a hearing and said, "he understands every bloody word that is said''.

Speaking through an interpreter in Hobart in 2000, Inzamam said: "I am a very humble man, even in my own house.'' But he knows how to find controversy. His most high-profile crime is his recent decision not to return to the field on the fourth day of the fourth Test against England at The Oval.

Ponting's most recent indiscretion was when he questioned a wide call by Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf in Malaysia recently and was fined $4900. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has expressed concern at a stream of Australian reports over the past year.

"My strong feeling is that the bar has been raised a little bit by the ICC over the last 18 months,'' Sutherland said.

Pakistan vs. India March 2005

I just found an old article I had written up on omarhaq.com a year ago. Crazy....Here it is

A Pakistani View

And so it begins...Pakistan in India - Series Previewby Omar Haq


Here we go again. Cricket's fiercest rivals, Pakistan and India are about to face each other for their second series in less than a year. After a stagnant period, during which politics imposed itself into the equation, it seems like these two nations are competing against each other quite a bit now. But does that make it just another routine series? Does the banner of ‘friendship’ quell the impassioned emotions of more than a billion strong? Not so, my friend! More eyes will be glued to this series than any other competition in town. Kids will be tossing their schoolbooks; grandmothers will be dropping their knitting, and me? Well, here in Boston, the games start early in the morning and my colleagues know that in the schema of my life, cricket is all absorbing, encompassing me with its every stroke. So I’ll be up late too and probably skipping work! It promises to be another epic encounter between these two cricket obsessed nations and I can’t wait for it to start. The players have changed, the power of balance, which so heavily favored Pakistan in the past, has shifted, and another chapter in this saga about to be written.

I'll get straight to the point. Contrary to media reports, I don't believe the Indians hold the upper hand...by a lot. I do agree they are the favorites though. Their batting line up is spectacular. Dravid is unbeatable; Tendulkar, not in the best of form, is still a man with more centuries than any man on earth; Sehwag, when he gets going, will smash the inexperienced Pakistani bowlers over cover, over point and well over the ropes. Laxman, Ganguly, Kumble, Zaheer, Pathan…are all match-winners. We, on the other hand, have been playing with an off-break bowler at one down position (Malik) and up to three allrounders saving our skin up the order. With Shoaib out, do we have the batting prowess or the bowling penetration required to match up to India? Our batsmen have achieved nothing brilliant this past year to be proud of. But then why am I still quietly confident? Why are the Indian players themselves careful in their comments to the media? Why not exude over-confidence? Surely past results, and I mean the last five years only, put India in a favorable position.

The reason is this: Pakistan is just as unpredictable as ever and as a result pretty dangerous as the underdog. Adding some fresh faces to the fold gives India every right to be hesitant. Every outbound Pakistani squad, it seems, has that one guy who has nothing to lose, everything to gain and with only one chance to prove it. That spells danger! Salman Butt popped out of the woodwork and led Pakistan to an ODI victory late last year with a smashing century spoiling India’s jubilee match. Then Umar Gul made the Indian top order dance (as did Balaji and Pathan to us) in the last series. That one ball he bowled to Laxman, which straightened after hitting the wicket is still etched in my memory. Breathtaking ball and I wish he and Shabbir Ahmed were around.

It is this ‘potential’ that has been mentioned more often than not when describing the Pakistanis. Now can these ‘one-hit wonders’ deliver and prove to be consistent? Let's take the opening for example. We have not seen stability with a pair since Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar retired. Farhat came with a bang and soon departed without a fuss; Hameed, who can only play flashy cover drives, is laying low on the sidelines and is another unlikely start for the first test. Salman, the most consistent of the bunch, also lacks patience and gets out cheaply.

The batsmen on the whole also seem to have never heard of the seaming ball. Balaji and Pathan embarrassed us in Pakistan, while McGrath’s very sight scared the living daylights out of our fragile lineup. This I believe is our batting’s biggest technical weakness. Our surprising inability to play seam and swing at this level of international cricket is an incredible deficiency and a big wound which other countries are happily taking advantage of. The second batting issue that I have is that our batsmen are constantly in the ODI state of mind, which has ruined their ability to play for long periods of time. Patience is a word that is not in our dictionary anymore. Although I think the test series will be hard fought, I believe the difference between the two sides is India's ability to occupy the wicket, camp, and accumulate runs while wearing down the bowlers.

Pakistan needs to get those early wickets and prevent the Indian strokemakers from getting big scores. If Sehwag, Laxman, Ganguly, Tendulkar or Dravid get going, it’s pretty much curtains for the inning in question. Rana, who’s been so impressive in Australia, really needs to lead from the front. He is a clever cricketer and a tough competitor and needs to be aggressive throughout. His strategy should be to bowl along a consistent corridor, with quick, seaming, shortish deliveries. Tall order, but I know he can do it as he showed us in Australia. If the ball is moving off the wicket, then Pakistan needs to capitalize on that as Indian batsman seldom make mistakes. Apart from that, only great fielding and passion on the field can help us. I still have no clue how to get Dravid out!

As for the ODI's, I am convinced that our squad, which is so accustomed to the one day format, will prevail. Pakistan will, as usual, play more batsmen stretching the allrounders to Afridi at number 9. This volatility down the order especially in the last 10 or so overs is something India does not possess. Bhaji can hit once in a while, but if Pakistan can pierce the armor till Yuvraj, then we can expose the Indian tailenders and keep things quiet till the end. I am not very fond of past statistics when it comes to these two sides, but we have beaten India in the past 4 ODI’s…convincingly. But predictions can only go so far. Let the games begin.