Kenya the host favourites

Kenya

Ravi Shah: genuine class © Eddie Norfolk

After several years of bitter internal disputes, Kenyan cricket is again on the up, and recent results have shown that they are one of the leading Associates. They have home advantage - which will be a factor as Nairobi is more than 5000 feet above sea level - and come into the tournament on the back of victory in the Mombasa Tri-Series. They lost the dead rubber to Canada, but privately that result was welcomed by many as it served to give the side a wake-up call. The other oddly pleasing thing in Mombasa was the failure of Steve Tikolo with the bat. Too often, Kenya have relied on him to get them out of trouble, but this time the other batsmen more than made up for his lack of runs. The batting has a more robust look, helped in no small way by the return of the classy Ravi Shah, and the bowling is firing and balanced.

Man to watch
Ravi Shah - genuine class outside the top flight

Young gun
Tanmay Mishra - a batsman with all the shots allied to the arrogance and fearlessness of youth

Out of sorts
Maurice Ouma - three failures at the top of the order in Mombasa means that he has to succeed in Nairobi if he is to go to the Caribbean.

Prediction
Anything other than the final will be unacceptable. The favourites.

Ireland

In form and peaking at the right time, Ireland have benefited from a couple of warm-up matches in South Africa, against Eastern Province, which should help them hit the ground running. They have strength in depth, too, with eight of the team that lost to Scotland in the ICC Trophy 2005 in the squad - one studded with promise and class. Led by Trent Johnston - a hard-hitting allrounder with a follow-me style of leadership - the squad boasts a gifted batting lineup, with Niall and Kevin O'Brian joining Eoin Morgan as a triplet that could really hurt Kenya, the hosts and favourites.

Man to watch Andre Botha. Cracked 52 against England at Dublin last summer.

Young gun - Eoin Morgan An immensely gifted strokemaker and another Irishman spotted by, and contracted to, Middlesex.

Out of sorts Peter Gillespie is a key figure in the lower-middle-order but needs to hit the ground running

Prediction A place in the final and, if their batsmen fire, anything is possible

Canada

Old, but still good - John Davison © Eddie Norfolk

Their build-up for this event has hardly been ideal, and a lack of preparation contributed to them forfeiting an ODI in Mombasa. Although they won only one game in the Tri-Series, they showed more than enough in the other games to suggest that if their big guns fire together at the same time, they could surprise a few people. With five matches in seven days, the fact they have an old squad (six of the 15 are over 35 and two over 40) may well count against them. Their batsmen are more than capable of posting large totals, but their fortunes could rest on whether their bowlers can back them.

Man to watch
John Davison - so much depends on his performances with bat and ball

Young gun
In such an old squad, young is a relative term, but 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai would find a place in any of the sides

Out of sorts
Anderson Cummins - what possessed the selectors to call-up a 40-year-old former West Indies fast bowler is a mystery, but he unsurprisingly struggled in Mombasa

Prediction
Too much depends on too few. Bottom three.

Scotland

A side with a good mixture of experience and plenty of promise from the younger players, but they've lacked consistency in recent months. Their first one-day series away from home, in Bangladesh last December, was forgettable: played two, lost two and were limply bowled out for 153 and 132. They did, however, show promise in the Tri Series at Mombasa - largely thanks to the return of Ryan Watson who missed the second one-dayer against Bangladesh with a fractured cheekbone. A very fine 117 guided his side to a tense two-wicket win over Canada but they were beaten easily, twice, by Kenya. A lot rests on Dougie Brown's shoulders.

Man to watch
Dougie Brown. He coached Namibia in the 2003 World Cup and is back as a player - aged 37. His experience in one-day cricket for Warwickshire and England will be invaluable.

Young gun
Just 20 Navdeep Poonia is a gifted and powerful strokemaker. He's on Warwickshire's books, too. Struck a fine 73 from 68 balls against Canada in the Tri Series.

Out of sorts Gavin Hamilton, a pivotal player for Scotland's middle-order, struck 46 in their loss to Kenya in the 4th match of the ICC Tri Series. Needs time at the crease.

Prediction
Third if their batsmen put runs on the board. Fourth if they don't.

Bermuda

Big task for Bermuda ©Cricinfo Ltd

Bermuda have really struggled to deliver since the euphoria of them qualifying for the World Cup died down. A one-day whitewash in Mombasa last November attracted widespread criticism, not least because the side were slammed for being unfit and mentally unprepared. While Gus Logie, the coach, has tried to turn things around, reading between the lines even he seems worried about the task in hand, and poor results in warm-up matches in Trinidad have hardly helped boost morale. They will also suffer from a lack of time in Kenya, as they only arrived three days before their first match, and they may well take one or two games to adjust.

Man to watch
Dwayne Leverock - in a game increasingly dominated by fitness, he is a sign of hope to all overweight cricketers. But make no mistake, he is a match-winning bowler in one-dayers.

Young gun
Malachi Jones - 17 years old, he showed some signs of allround promise in his debut series at Mombasa

Out of sorts
Steven Outerbridge - still a youngster at 23, but has yet to make any impression with the bat in internationals

Prediction
One senior observer said that there are five sides here who have a realistic chance of winning the tournament. Bermuda are the sixth, and it is hard to argue with that view.

Netherlands

A young side, the Netherlands have enjoyed a productive 12 months - largely thanks to Ryan ten Doeschate, the young allrounder who has been prolific with bat and ball. He almost single handedly beat Canada in the ICC Intercontinental Cup last December, with a match haul of seven wickets and a magnificent, unbeaten (and decidedly brisk) 259. It isn't a one-man team, though. Following a poor performance in the ICC Trophy in 2005 the selectors chose for youth over experience. However, Tim de Leede, the 39-year-old former captain, is still going strong and will be a useful ally for Joeren Smits to have.

Man to watch
Ryan ten Doeschate. A cut above the rest and the tournament's matchwinner.

Young gun
Alex Kervezee. Made his debut aged just 15 in 2005 and was snapped up by Worcestershire in 2006.

Out of sorts
Bas Zuiderent has been short of his best. Opening the innings, his success could determine Netherlands'.

Prediction
A lot depends on ten Doeschate. If he bats as commandingly as he did last year, Netherlands will prosper.

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