World Cup Opener

So the big event has begun!

The first round is difficult to be excited about, with too much minnow bashing in prospect. But these matches have thrown up huge upsets in the past and do get newer teams into the fold. The Windies came out on top in the clash-of-the-mercurials opener with Pakistan. Marlon Samuels is a great talent and seems to have gotten over his inconsistency.

I am kind of sick of all the predictions for semi-final berths, so let's not go there unless some of you are just dying to tell. Almost everyone expects India to be in the semis though and the team has a lot going for it in terms of experience, class and balance. This Cricinfo feature lays out the statistics. Really mind-blogging, those numbers for India.

Tail piece: I couldn't get down to blogging for the last few days because of a journal paper I'm working on. The thing was stuck in my throat for a long time, but finally beat it into some shape for a decent first draft. I don't like to boast, but this paper of mine destroys the theory of relativity and disproves the existence of gravity.

Sam and I are setting off tomorrow to see the Grand Canyon, just in time to get something out of spring break. Will put up some pics if we manage to capture something special. Also maybe a travelogue of sorts.