Well, we've got through Week One of the 2011 World Cup and at last all the teams have seen some action. Already it feels like we, like Virender Sehwag at the wicket, are in for a long slog. Don't get me wrong, there have been some terrific performances and I'm sure there'll be plenty more, but the tournament hasn't really yet caught fire.
Mr Sehwag provided some opening match fireworks as India showed what they are capable of against Bangladesh, and we have seen some excellent innings from Kohli, AB De Villiers, Jayawardene, Sangakkara and even Andrew Strauss. Perhaps the batting performance that set the pulse racing the most was from the Flying Dutchman Ryan Ten Doeschate. While the other Associate nations were being flattened, his 119 in 110 balls raised expectations of a genuine upset which might have enlivened the first week. However, England managed to hold their nerve, if not their catches, and break the Netherlands' hearts at Nagpur.
All the pre-tournament favourites have looked in ominous form, although none have been truly tested. There have been only two fixtures involving the top 8 Test sides and even they proved to be sadly one-sided as South Africa beat the West Indies and today Australia made short work of neighbours New Zealand who in turn had crushed poor Kenya earlier in the week.
So who is my Player of the Week? For me, four players have been truly outstanding. Virender Sehwag is always an entertainer and anyone who can boast a strike rate of more than a run a ball over more than 200 ODIs is a bit special. To hit a career-best 175 in the pressure-cooker situation of a World Cup opener in Bangladesh shows he is a cool character, too. I've already written about Ryan Ten Doeschate and he, too, is a proven match-winner in one-day games, although with the Netherlands he is rarely on the winning side at World Cups.
Shane Watson has come into this competition on the back of some fine all-round performances for Australia against England. In the first two matches here, he has passed fifty on both occasions, bowled a few tidy overs with one wicket and been his usual busy self in the field. Forget Ponting, Clarke or Hussey; Watson could yet be Australia's biggest single weapon in their challenge for an amazing fourth successive World Cup triumph. However, my Player of the Week is a bowler: Mitch Johnson. He may not have faced the best batting line-ups but against Zimbabwe his two spells as first-change proved critical, netting him an analysis of 4-19 in 9.2 overs. He then captured another four wickets in the victory over New Zealand, getting Ryder and Franklin caught behind in the same over and finally ending McCullum's late-order resistance to give his side a relatively easy run chase. OK, so he has undoubtedly been assisted by Brett Lee and Shaun Tait softening up the openers but Johnson has focussed on line and bounce rather than the vagaries of swing, with excellent results. He has largely left the wayward wides to the Kenyans and helped the Aussies to a couple of wins and pole position in Group A.
This weekend will see perhaps the first big game of the World Cup, as India take on England at Bangalore. Let's hope we are in for a classic because there haven't been any edge-of-the-seat climaxes so far. Pakistan may also be feeling confident and that's something they seem to need to succeed. However, Sri Lanka must be favourites to retain their 100% record tomorrow in their game against Shahid Afridi's men. Later in the week, could the Netherlands upset the Windies, who struggled to make an impression against the South Africans? If Gayle survives the first over, he could compile a huge innings but Roach, Bravo et al need to keep Ten Doeschate quiet. Roll on Week Two!
