By Matthew Allen
BBC Sport Online
Pakistan confounded the expectations of neutral observers by lifting the World Cup in Australia in 1992.
But Asian cricket fans must be fearing the worst ahead of the World Cup, with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka appearing to have lost form at the worst possible time.
India were being hailed as strong contenders to lift the trophy after beating England in July’s NatWest tournament and reaching the aborted ICC Champions Trophy final in September.
The emergence of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif seemed to signal an embarrassment of batting riches unrivalled by any other country.
Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup in Asia
But the acclaim proved to be short-lived as India were beaten 4-3 in a home series against the unfancied West Indies last month.
The loss highlighted just how much they rely on individual key players, particularly star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who was out injured.
And it left coach John Wright bemoaning the lack of a world class seam bowling all-rounder in the mould of Kapil Dev.
Their final preparations before the tournament are already coming unstuck on the damp green-top wickets in New Zealand, in the Test matches that precede the one-day series.
India fared badly in their last one-day tournament in South Africa, losing to the hosts in the final and against Kenya in the qualifying stages of the triangular series in October 2001.
Recent results will not persuade their millions of fans that things will be any different in February and March next year.
Sri Lanka, who faced India in the Champions Trophy final, look even less likely to make an impact in South Africa.
India rely heavily on Tendulkar
They lifted the World Cup after playing in familiar conditions in 1996, but are notoriously bad travellers, particularly on fast, bouncy wickets.
They were thrashed 4-1 in a limited-overs series when they visited South Africa in December, and were completely out-played in the first two matches of the VB Series against England in Australia.
Sri Lanka are more than a one-man team, but their over-reliance on star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has been blamed in some quarters for hindering their progress.
**Pakistan are the Asian side best equipped to fare well on the alien pitches. **
They mastered similar conditions in Australia during their World Cup winning year of 1992.
Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis give them the firepower that India and Sri Lanka can only dream about, but they remain as enigmatic as ever.
Fresh from hammering Zimbabwe 5-0, the near full-strength Pakistan side suffered a 4-1 reverse in the one-day series in South Africa earlier this month.
Form, of course, can be temporary, and all three sides have undoubted class.
But expectations of an Asian side lifting the World Cup next year may have receded a little in the last six weeks, even amongst their own fans.LINK