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“There’s an app for everything” or so the saying goes. Well, as the World Cup enters its third week, we decided to apply that principle to its leading teams, by asking ourselves a simple question: what if a World Cup team was an App? We took into consideration history, mystery (misery in some cases), current and past performances, and this is what we came up with. Yes, there is indeed an App for everything, And when it comes to the World Cup, these are the Apps that represent each team best:
India: Facebook
Big Blue: love it, hate it, cannot do without it
No, it is not just because of the blue colour. The fact is that just as Facebook is perhaps one of the most popular Apps around, so is the Indian team one of the most popular cricket teams. Both have hundreds of millions of followers, and both sets of supporters can be moody. We wish we had a penny for every time we have heard a person curse the mighty Zuck’s social network for being a time waster and trying to dictate terms to the user (not to mention dark murmurings about trying to control the Internet), and yet refuse to uninstall it. Ditto the Indian cricket team – its supporters will curse it when it underperforms, frown at the conduct of some of the BCCI officials, and if Web purists hate Faceook’s sponsored posts, you should see how much Indian cricket purists detest the IPL, and yet, cometh the hour, both sets of supporters will bleed blue.
Pakistan: Angry Birds
Colorful, chirpy, ready for a scrap
Entertaining, innovative and always up for a fight, even if it is among themselves. Well, the Pakistan cricket team reminds us so much of Rovio’s classic game that started the whole casual gaming trend. There is something delightfully similar between the Pakistan team and the birds with their “up and at them” approach which is all heart and very little organised strategy. And of course, the general aura of grumpiness and sheer rage that accompanies each Pakistani attack fits right in with the Angry Birds’approach to their piggish opposition. And just like the game and its various avatars, the Pakistan team too tends to be a bit inconsistent, but yes, you can expect sparks every time they step on to the pitch, just as excitement is never too far every time you aim an Angry Bird at the fortified pigs.
England: Yahoo
In search of yesterday once more
Well before Google came along, Yahoo was seen by many as the Lord of all it surveyed online. Just as before the arrival of the Indian cricketing powerhouse, England called most of the shots in the game. And just as Yahoo has been trying to reinvent itself to meet the challenges of a changing Internet, so too has England been trying – a bit too hard, some think – to adjust to a changing cricketing world. The results have been mixed for both the App and the cricket team – Yahoo has made some terrific innovations in its App and England did win the World Twenty 20, but at the end of the day, both seem a tad like old emperors trying out new clothes.
Australia: Twitter
Not just play, but chatter too
The micro blogging network is not everyone’s cup of tea. And well neither are the Aussies. Many think that Twitter is capable of great utility, but find the level of abuse on it very disturbing – and the sentiments of many cricket fans is exactly the same towards the Aussie cricket team. Yes, they play fantastic cricket, but is the lip service and sledging necessary? And just as the micro blogging network, the Aussies too tend to work at the rate of knots – be it batting or bowling, speed is the order of the day. Updates are rapid too, with personnel being shunted in and out, and almost everyone has an opinion, often harshly expressed. Yep, just like Twitter. And the rivalry between Twitter and Facebook is getting to be as epic as between India and Australia too!
South Africa: Temple Run
Awesome, but always teetering on the edge
Fantastic, amazing, brilliant…and prone to go off the edge when you least expect it to. Yep, we could be talking of the addictive never-ending running game or the South African cricket team. Both have their followers, and both are superb on paper, and yet there are times when they end up leaving their supporters gnashing their teeth – the Proteas with their penchant for choking at crucial times during a match, Temple Run with its penchant for sometimes lagging, and of course, suddenly opening a new place for its pursued hero to fall off!
Sri Lanka: WhatsApp Messenger
Not always great, but always there
Small, compact and yet seemingly omnipresent. That’s WhatsApp Messenger and well, the Sri Lankan cricket team as well. The cricketers from the Emerald Isle might be considered as a bit predictable but then their score heavily and defend stoutly theory has been serving them well for quite a while, just as WhatsApp “we just deliver messages” system has served it. And just as WhatsApp seems to be the first App that many people download, the Lankans inevitably get invited to most cricket tournaments. And just as Facebook and WhatsApp are close, so are Sri Lanka and India – we don’t think any two teams have played each other as frequently as these two have over the past 2-3 years.
New Zealand: Opera
Small, innovative and very fast
It is not the most famous App around, but Opera has come out with some very neat innovations, ranging from tabbed browsing to speed dialling websites. And well, that is New Zealand in cricket too. Never the uber power but always very competitive and more than ready to innovate, from using Mark Greatbatch to open the batting in 1992 to using slow bowlers to lethal effect in 1999. The Kiwis will never be favourites but will always grab attention and try their best. Very much like the Opera browser – not the first download in many people’s lists, but one that they get addicted to over time.
West Indies: Instagram
Now on colour, now off colour!
Oh yes, the men from the Caribbean are colourful and entertaining indeed, but just as in Instagram, you never really know which filter will work best, you do not really know which version of the Windies will turn up at a match. Will Gayle light up a match like an X-Pro II filter, or will it turn out to be a monochrome Inkwell day, with nothing special? A team that everyone loves, just like the App, but which does not always deliver consistent results, again like the app.
Zimbabwe: Foursquare
It’s all about location…where are we?
Remember how Foursquare – the App that let you check into places you visited on your phone – was a rage a few years ago? Well, the Zimbabwe team reminds us a bit of that App. Like the App, it had seemed a very promising side a few years ago. And then seemingly lost its way. And just as Foursquare was split into two Apps – Foursquare and Swarm – so too was the Zimbabwe team after the 2003 World Cup. Neither the App nor the cricket team have been quite the same since, although it would be very foolish to write them off.
Bangladesh, UAE, Scotland, Ireland: Messaging apps
Always popping up
Well, this foursome tends to keep popping up and trying to move up the App ladder, just as messaging clients keep emerging and try to take on the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts. They are all capable of doing their bit in certain departments but so far are just a step away from the big league – yes, that applies to the teams as well as the Apps. They may not be the real deal yet but you ignore them at your peril, for sometimes – sometimes – they are quite adept at embarrassing the big guns!
- See more at: If World Cup 2015 teams were Apps | The Indian Express
India: Facebook
Big Blue: love it, hate it, cannot do without it
No, it is not just because of the blue colour. The fact is that just as Facebook is perhaps one of the most popular Apps around, so is the Indian team one of the most popular cricket teams. Both have hundreds of millions of followers, and both sets of supporters can be moody. We wish we had a penny for every time we have heard a person curse the mighty Zuck’s social network for being a time waster and trying to dictate terms to the user (not to mention dark murmurings about trying to control the Internet), and yet refuse to uninstall it. Ditto the Indian cricket team – its supporters will curse it when it underperforms, frown at the conduct of some of the BCCI officials, and if Web purists hate Faceook’s sponsored posts, you should see how much Indian cricket purists detest the IPL, and yet, cometh the hour, both sets of supporters will bleed blue.
Pakistan: Angry Birds
Colorful, chirpy, ready for a scrap
Entertaining, innovative and always up for a fight, even if it is among themselves. Well, the Pakistan cricket team reminds us so much of Rovio’s classic game that started the whole casual gaming trend. There is something delightfully similar between the Pakistan team and the birds with their “up and at them” approach which is all heart and very little organised strategy. And of course, the general aura of grumpiness and sheer rage that accompanies each Pakistani attack fits right in with the Angry Birds’approach to their piggish opposition. And just like the game and its various avatars, the Pakistan team too tends to be a bit inconsistent, but yes, you can expect sparks every time they step on to the pitch, just as excitement is never too far every time you aim an Angry Bird at the fortified pigs.
England: Yahoo
In search of yesterday once more
Well before Google came along, Yahoo was seen by many as the Lord of all it surveyed online. Just as before the arrival of the Indian cricketing powerhouse, England called most of the shots in the game. And just as Yahoo has been trying to reinvent itself to meet the challenges of a changing Internet, so too has England been trying – a bit too hard, some think – to adjust to a changing cricketing world. The results have been mixed for both the App and the cricket team – Yahoo has made some terrific innovations in its App and England did win the World Twenty 20, but at the end of the day, both seem a tad like old emperors trying out new clothes.
Australia: Twitter
Not just play, but chatter too
The micro blogging network is not everyone’s cup of tea. And well neither are the Aussies. Many think that Twitter is capable of great utility, but find the level of abuse on it very disturbing – and the sentiments of many cricket fans is exactly the same towards the Aussie cricket team. Yes, they play fantastic cricket, but is the lip service and sledging necessary? And just as the micro blogging network, the Aussies too tend to work at the rate of knots – be it batting or bowling, speed is the order of the day. Updates are rapid too, with personnel being shunted in and out, and almost everyone has an opinion, often harshly expressed. Yep, just like Twitter. And the rivalry between Twitter and Facebook is getting to be as epic as between India and Australia too!
South Africa: Temple Run
Awesome, but always teetering on the edge
Fantastic, amazing, brilliant…and prone to go off the edge when you least expect it to. Yep, we could be talking of the addictive never-ending running game or the South African cricket team. Both have their followers, and both are superb on paper, and yet there are times when they end up leaving their supporters gnashing their teeth – the Proteas with their penchant for choking at crucial times during a match, Temple Run with its penchant for sometimes lagging, and of course, suddenly opening a new place for its pursued hero to fall off!
Sri Lanka: WhatsApp Messenger
Not always great, but always there
Small, compact and yet seemingly omnipresent. That’s WhatsApp Messenger and well, the Sri Lankan cricket team as well. The cricketers from the Emerald Isle might be considered as a bit predictable but then their score heavily and defend stoutly theory has been serving them well for quite a while, just as WhatsApp “we just deliver messages” system has served it. And just as WhatsApp seems to be the first App that many people download, the Lankans inevitably get invited to most cricket tournaments. And just as Facebook and WhatsApp are close, so are Sri Lanka and India – we don’t think any two teams have played each other as frequently as these two have over the past 2-3 years.
New Zealand: Opera
Small, innovative and very fast
It is not the most famous App around, but Opera has come out with some very neat innovations, ranging from tabbed browsing to speed dialling websites. And well, that is New Zealand in cricket too. Never the uber power but always very competitive and more than ready to innovate, from using Mark Greatbatch to open the batting in 1992 to using slow bowlers to lethal effect in 1999. The Kiwis will never be favourites but will always grab attention and try their best. Very much like the Opera browser – not the first download in many people’s lists, but one that they get addicted to over time.
West Indies: Instagram
Now on colour, now off colour!
Oh yes, the men from the Caribbean are colourful and entertaining indeed, but just as in Instagram, you never really know which filter will work best, you do not really know which version of the Windies will turn up at a match. Will Gayle light up a match like an X-Pro II filter, or will it turn out to be a monochrome Inkwell day, with nothing special? A team that everyone loves, just like the App, but which does not always deliver consistent results, again like the app.
Zimbabwe: Foursquare
It’s all about location…where are we?
Remember how Foursquare – the App that let you check into places you visited on your phone – was a rage a few years ago? Well, the Zimbabwe team reminds us a bit of that App. Like the App, it had seemed a very promising side a few years ago. And then seemingly lost its way. And just as Foursquare was split into two Apps – Foursquare and Swarm – so too was the Zimbabwe team after the 2003 World Cup. Neither the App nor the cricket team have been quite the same since, although it would be very foolish to write them off.
Bangladesh, UAE, Scotland, Ireland: Messaging apps
Always popping up
Well, this foursome tends to keep popping up and trying to move up the App ladder, just as messaging clients keep emerging and try to take on the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts. They are all capable of doing their bit in certain departments but so far are just a step away from the big league – yes, that applies to the teams as well as the Apps. They may not be the real deal yet but you ignore them at your peril, for sometimes – sometimes – they are quite adept at embarrassing the big guns!
- See more at: If World Cup 2015 teams were Apps | The Indian Express
