Cricket Legend's Last Chance To Win The World Cup

[cinderella man]

[img]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_india.jpg[/img]
Sachin Tendulkar, India
You need far more space than a photo caption to do justice to the legend that is Sachin Tendulkar. The 37-year-old doesn't just have more nicknames than any other player (the Little Master, God of Cricket, Master Blaster, Tendlya, to name but a few) but has broken more records too. He's the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket, the only man to score a double century in ODI cricket and is on the verge of scoring 100 centuries. In fact, all that's missing from his resume is the title of World Cup winner.
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_australia.jpg[/img]
Ricky Ponting, Australia
Ricky Ponting is unaccustomed to failure when it comes to the cricket World Cup. The current captain of the Australian side has been part of the winning side for the last three tournaments (1999, 2003, 2007). "Punter" was man of the match in the 2003 final, as his 140 not out comfortably saw off India. And if the 36-year-old did something similar in this April's final in Mumbai, it might not go down well with the locals but it would cement his place among the greats of the game
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_safrica.jpg[/img]
Jacques Kallis, South Africa
Kallis is an all-rounder, which makes him equally proficient with bat and ball, as proven by the fact that the 35-year-old is the only cricketer in history to score over 10,000 runs and take 250 wickets in both one day and Test match cricket. Kallis is one of only four players in Test history (after Sir Donald Bradman and before Mohammad Yousuf and Gautam Gambhir) to hit a century in five consecutive matches. But his eye is currently on the one day game though South Africa will have to shake their unwanted tag of "chokers" if he's going to bow out a World Cup winner.
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_sri_lanka.jpg[/img]
Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka
Love him or hate him, it's hard to deny that the 38-old-year Sri Lankan has made his mark on cricket. The right-handed spinning slow bowler retired from Test cricket in 2010, dramatically taking his 800th and final wicket from his last ball in his final test match (no wonder Wisden has rated him the greatest ever Test match bowler). What's more, nobody has taken more one day wickets either (519 at the time of writing) but he'll forever be dogged by his controversial bowling action. Though cleared by the International Cricket Council, Murali has been unable to shake the suggestion that he throws the ball. Irrespective of the arguments, what's indisputable is that he's already a World Cup winner (1996) and is seeking similar success in 2011.
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_pakistan.jpg[/img]
Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan
You'd be hard pressed to find a cricketer (or indeed a sportman) with a cooler nickname than the Rawalpindi Express. But fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar fully deserves the moniker, as he's been running in like a train for the best part of 15 years, even setting a world record when bowling the fastest ever delivery of 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h) against England in 2010. Although he's been embroiled in drug scandals and accused of not being a team player, he's a pivotal part of Pakistan's attempt to win a first World Cup since 1992, and the 35-year-old has said this will be his last one. The Rawalpindi Express is approaching its final stop.
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_windies.jpg[/img]

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies
The 36-year-old Chanderpaul probably never received the acclaim he was due, being kept out of the limelight by his former teammate, the sublime Brian Lara. But the fact is that the obdurate left-handed batsman remains a cherished wicket to take: not for nothing is he one of only six players to have gone 1000 minutes in Test cricket without losing his wicket. And along with the great Sir Donald Bradman, he's the only batsman to have averaged more than 100 in consecutive years. A World Cup victory would be the icing on Chanderpaul's cake.
[img width=611 height=404]http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/cricket_world_cup/cricket_world_cup_nz.jpg[/img]
Scott Styris, New Zealand
When it comes to cricket, New Zealand always seems to be overshadowed by their neighbors, Australia. But in the case of the 35-year-old all-rounder Styris, at his peak, he could quite easily have got into either side, such was his talent with bat and ball. Styris has scored centuries for fun, broken the New Zealand record for best ever one day bowling figures and will always be able to say that his maiden Test wicket was that of a certain Sachin Tendulkar.

[man for the society]

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[StoneCold]

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