Wicketkeepers vital for top teams

Wicketkeepers will have a big role to play in the World Cup and it might even be the single-most important factor in such a long tournament.

The man behind the stumps is capable of controlling goings-on, the one who can chip in with field placements too. All good teams need a top-class wicketkeeper in One-Day cricket nowadays and so it is going to be in the Caribbean islands.

The position of the 'keeper is such that he is in the best position to come up with suggestions and that is important for any team. It is not just the balance that he can lend to the side by batting well and being safe with the gloves but also the intelligence and strategy he can bring to the team.

With a campaign that is going to last a month and a half, it is going to be difficult to maintain intensity. The wicketkeeper has to keep himself very fit and the support staff too has to work hard to keep him in peak fitness. Wicketkeepers will have to remain fresh through the tournament and being stress-free for such a long time may not be easy.

As of now, we have some very good wicketkeepers going into the World Cup, who are giving their team a lot of confidence. New Zealand's Brendon McCullum has recently shown his prowess with the bat in wins over Australia while England's Paul Nixon too has brought freshness to his team.

Our very own Mahendra Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik too have shown great courage in batting apart from wicket-keeping skills. Aussie Adam Gilchrist has been a force for long and Kumar Sangakkara has his own strengths. Then there are Kamran Akmal of Pakistan and Mark Boucher of South Africa who have been utility players in the past and capable of doing their own bit for their respective teams.

So, we have a host of wicketkeepers who are capable of making this a memorable World Cup.

Things, however, are much different from our days, when it was a matter of just 8-9 days. Now, the World Cup stretches to almost two months and that can be really taxing. Keeping the momentum going for so long is not easy and fortunes can change at any stage.

The weather in the West Indies too might hold the key at times and a good run can suddenly change with some bad luck. Also, injuries can be crucial in such a long tournament.

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