Andrew Charles Hudson made his one-day debut in the 1991-'92 series against India -- and partnered Gary Kirsten through a career that ended 89 matches and 2599 runs (average 29.41) later, against Sri Lanka at Lahore, in the Wills Quadrangular of 1997-'98.

Hudson spoke to Ashish Magotra about, what else, openers. And other matters to do with the first World Cup to be held on African soil. Excerpts:

Who would you pick as the openers to shine in this World Cup?

Australia's opening pair of Mathew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist has been in wonderful form. The conditions here are similar to Australia, and I see them as having a great tournament.

India certainly has a star pair in Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, if Tendulkar decides to open that is. India might take the view of keeping its best batsman down the order to preserve him for later in the innings.

England has Marcus Tescothick and Nick Knight, both of whom look in good form, they gave their team several good starts in Australia recently.

I like our Herschelle Gibbs, he can defend when he wants to but he is essentially a wonderfully attacking player, a delight to watch when he is going.

But I also think that if guys bowl in the right areas here, the openers are going to struggle against the new ball in most games.

You mentioned Ganguly and Tendulkar, how about Virender Sehwag who seems set to open for India?

He has scored runs here in South Africa before. He is a very attacking player, has the potential to take attacks apart but he can lose his wicket just as easily. But if he is batting on 20 and beginning to look set, then the fielding captain can start to worry.

Would you see the trend of trying to maximize scoring in the first 15 overs as being effective here?

The 1996 World Cup added a whole new dimension to the game, but in South Africa you have to balance it -- you have to attack, but you can't afford to lose too many wickets either. Our team is lucky in that respect because it has a long batting lineup, but teams with shorter lineups will have a problem. Anywhere from 60-70 runs with just one wicket down in the first 15 overs will be good in these conditions.

How do you recommend that openers bat?

Be selective. That is the way to go. Keep the good balls out and attack the bad ball with gusto. I think a lot of the Indian players tend to play that way. All or nothing -- that is the key.

Do you foresee an Australia-South Africa final?

No, not necessarily. I think a number of teams can do well. India has superb players and despite the bad series in New Zealand, you can never rule them out.  Pakistan are a very talented team and I think when they are hot they can beat anyone. West Indies are coming good, they seem to get better and better with each passing match. Vasbert Drakes and Nixon McLean know the conditions very well and Brian Lara will have a lot to prove. New Zealand are always in with a chance -- in recent tournaments they have always been in the semis or thereabouts. South Africa face the pressure of playing at home -- if the side can fight that, it will be interesting. So I do think there will be upsets, and that makes for an interesting tournament.

And finally, what is your take on the opening game against the West Indies?

I don't like to be negative. SA has the team to win and if we follow logic and deduction, SA should win. But the West Indies are coming into this fixture with nothing to lose. The home nation will be under enormous pressure to get its Cup campaign off to a good start. In 1992, SA had just arrived on the international scene and we beat the Aussies, rather we whipped them. So you can't take anything for granted.