Player of the Match James Pattinson

India could have been sniffing a probable victory last night after reducing Australia to 179/8, even though Michael Hussey remained a big threat to their chances as long as he was at the crease. However, one amazing 43-run partnership for the last Australian wicket demoralized India to such an extent that even a modest target of 292 seemed like 492 for a batting line-up having more than 50,000 runs to their credit.

Hussey only 10 runs to his overnight score of 79 as he was dismissed by a snorter from Zaheer Khan outside off-stump but James Pattinson was able to post his highest first class score in the innings of 37 where he demonstrated wonderful technique for a tailender, much like Ishant Sharma did for India in the first innings. While his partner in crime, Ben Hilfenhaus played two cracking strokes as well which frustrated the Indian bowlers.

But the Aussie bowlers continued from where they left off in the first innings as the pitch was deteriorating. The Indian batting collapsed like a pack of cards as the top order struggled against the pace of Pattinson, swing of Hilfenhaus and the seam movement of Siddle. Dravid was trapped beautifully by an inswinger from Pattinson which was bowled at a tremendous pace and that was perhaps the last nail in the coffin of the Indian batting as he is the man in form this year.

Gambhir’s problems outside off-stump continued as he gave a regulation catch to Ponting at second slip off Siddle’s bowling. While Laxman’s poor run at the MCG continued and Kohli failed yet again. Sachin Tendulkar gave the Indian fans a lot to cheer about but Siddle played spoilsport yet again by picking his wicket at a key juncture of the match. At 81/6, India were already staring now the barrel and it was just a matter of time before the match ends.

Dhoni and Ashwin fought hard for India but there was no big partnership to be seen and that cost India dearly as the tailenders could not survive for long. There is some promise in the batting line-up but Australia’s quickies are in red hot form and it was close to impossible to stop their march as they picked wickets at regular intervals.

India have a lot to work on if they are to pose any challenge to this underrated Australian team come Sydney.

Playing in true spirits, I’ve always admired some players. But what hurts my sentiment for this game is the way the beautifying effect has been just torn apart by certain players lacking basic sportsman spirit, money and the politics.

Rest aside, getting politics into cricket, just doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Despite being a ‘gentlemen’s game’, cricket and controversies always go hand in hand. Cricketers and their boards are constantly getting engaged in the mind games and the politics of the game.

Spats between cricketers and their respective boards have been going on since a long while. Right from Greg Chappell-Sourav Ganguly which gave rise to the fact that cricketers are mere employees for the board and nothing more. Chappell’s spat with Ganguly not only saw the worst spat ever occurred between a coach and a player but also showed how a player of caliber like Ganguly was treated in India. BCCI, being the most powerful and financially well-off cricket boards, has its own set of rules and treats players basically like slaves. But what weakens BCCI’s power is the fan base in India. Cricket being considered as a religion, the fans would just protest against BCCI if there’s anything going against a high-profile cricketer. Though media can always turn out to be the culprit.

Nevertheless what people fail to understand, is that politics is everywhere and to think that it’s only in India is just naïve. WICB-Chris Gayle, CA-Simon Katich, PCB-Shahid Afridi and it goes on and on to prove the fact that other boards do get engaged in politics too and it’s just that it hasn’t been openly talked about.

Axing senior players like Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, what kind of team were they ever going to make? Others kept aside, Chris Gayle was on a mission to prove the board officials what they were missing on. And what he does is in style! Smashing sixes all over the ground in the just-concluded IPL, he was like a tornado coming towards the other teams. And this obviously infuriated WICB officials that he chose to play for IPL, instead of waiting for WICB officials to respond. Keeping him out of the current squad against India made the matters worse with WIPA supporting Gayle too. As the war of words goes on, who would axe senior players like them without even disclosing it in front of them? Politics plays its role.

Being in India, would you ever think of removing Sachin Tendulkar or for that matter any player who’s in his prime form with just the matter of fact that age is not by his side? That’s what exactly Australian cricket board has done! Scoring with an average of around 50 after his return to international cricket, no-one had ever thought of him being axed. Being in as many as 17 century partnership at the top after his return, Australia’s opening partnership was the most stable and effective. And the reason been given, ‘We want to forge a better opening partnership for Ashes 2013’. Is this a reason to give, when Katich has better averages than anyone else in the team after his return to international cricket? Why would you want to get rid of one of your best players? Just a bit baffled!

Even Stuart Clark was treated in a very much similar way, though he didn’t protest as such. And if two players are talking about this, there has to be some problems on the other side. And i’m sure there will be more players, just going against CA will make life worse for them.

Though PCB-Shahid Afridi tussle has been two-sided, where just because of stripping him from captaincy, Shahid Afridi decided to quit international cricket. Later again he was in a war of words with PCB and coach Waqar Younis which made the matters worse. Pakistan already at a point where their cricket doesn’t look like being stable any-time soon, with his retirement it looks even more awful. Being a two-sided mistake, you cannot just comment on what is it all about.

But what surprises me is that the board officials consider their players as mere contracted players and basically slaves who are supposed to do whatever the board wants when under contract. The politics played is intense and can’t get through it. Though the entire thing isn’t out, but what matters is all this is just affecting the game.

On top of that, with match-fixers and bookies all around, it makes worse. Even the fact that players favoring club over country hurts, but then it’s their own decisions though.

Cricket is to get back to the way it was, when there were no tussles, when every-one played their heart-out to represent their country, when match-fixing was never even a word in dictionary.

Ponting was not wrong, but Sachin was right!

Something that began way back in 2003 when Adam Gilchrist walked in the semi finals in Sri Lanka, the spirit of the game has come into question especially since two of the generation’s greatest cricketers went their own ways in what they believed to be right.

But has this always been the case?

Indubitably with Ponting, the Australian captain was never the one to walk, it was the umpire’s decision that set him moving. Ponting was pretty candid in admitting the same too. He said “There were no doubts about the nick, I knew I hit it, but as always I wait for the umpire to give me out. That’s the way I’ve always played the game.”

However, the conundrum here is with Sachin. Sachin has not been the alter form of God, all the time, at least when it comes to walking. In the decisive Commonwealth bank first final down under in 07-08 season, Sachin nicked one straight through to Adam Gilchrist. Replays confirmed Sachin had indeed got a nick.

Another instance of the same, was the IPL final. Sachin nicked one through to Dhoni and despite the latter’s regressive appealing, Tendulkar looked the other way playing down the incident. Once again, replays suggested that Sachin had hit the cover of the ball, yet, stay put. It is hard to lay forth anything in the great man’s defense, despite this, his act against the West Indies was indeed laudable.

He is human after all, the best the world will ever see. Never showcase out one’s weakness by comparisons, for statistics don’t add up equivalently to the titles won. That’s something that truly does lie by Ponting’s side.

Kapil Dev won the World Cup in 1983 as India captain , the same being the only instance. He turned out for his last Test match in Hamilton. He finished the Test with just 2 wickets to his name, but had the world record of 434 Test wickets until Courtney Walsh broke it a few years later. He also was a part of the ‘elite’ club as he hit 5248 runs in his 131-Test career. Although Stephen Fleming, one of New Zealand’s all-time best skipper, made his Test debut in this game and scored 92, it was an emotional farewell for Kapil, who would still be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced.

This day, ’03 would have hurt more than 1994, as Sourav Ganguly had a golden opportunity to become only the second captain after Kapil to lift a World Cup. But India ran into a steam engine, an in-form Australian unit in the final.

Ganguly though seemed to have lost the plot at the toss itself, when he astonishingly decided to put Australia into bat on a flat Johannesburg pitch which was a little moist, due to overnight rain. A brave decision had boomeranged big time. Zaheer Khan, the then-young fast bowler bowled a shambolic first over, giving 15 runs and the game was going in Australia’s favour.

A good start by openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist set the platform for one of the best ODI innings played ever in cricketing history, let alone World Cups. And that came off the bat of Ganguly’s counterpart, Ricky Ponting who scored 140 runs off 121 balls. He played with such audacity that no Indian bowler was spared off this blitzkrieg. But one cannot forget the contribution of Damien Martyn who hit 88 runs of 84 runs, ably supporting Ponting, despite having a broken finger.

India’s fate was sealed by the end of 50 overs as Australia scored 359/2, the highest total in a World Cup final. Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run-getter of the competition gave India a lot to cheer about with the first boundary he hit, but the next ball he was tamely dismissed by Glenn McGrath. Wickets kept falling at one end despite Virender Sehwag putting up a brave fight, scoring 82 runs off 81 balls. The target was always out of reach for India and a rain break in between did not help much. India crashed out for 234, giving Australia a comprehensive 125-run victory and the World Cup title for the second consecutive time since 1999. Ponting led his men to world domination, just a year after taking over as ODI captain. And this enhanced Australia’s power to become ‘world-beaters’.

Also, today is the birthday of former England captain Michael Atherton who would be duly remembered for his famous tussle with Allan Donald in 1995-96 in South Africa, and his steadfastness with the bat in that series. ‘Athers’ as he fondly referred as, is currently on the commentary team with Sky Sports. And today is also the 9th death anniversary of Ben Hollioake, the English cricketer who expired due to a car accident in Perth, which left a deep impact on the entire team as he was one of the loved and popular members of the team.

In 2001, India locked horns with Australia yet again at home. But on this day, India won the deciding Test at Chennai by two wickets and thus, the series 2-1. Who would have ever thought of an Indian comeback after Australia won their 16th consecutive Test match at Mumbai by 10 wickets? However, the passionate and young Harbhajan Singh bamboozled the Australians with 32 wickets in 3 Tests, and there could have been no better end to the match with Harbhajan hitting the winning runs off Glenn McGrath as the world champion team led by Steve Waugh was stunned. March 22 could be credited for the beginning of an exciting India-Australia rivalry which has been maintained throughout a decade.

Also this day marked Sri Lanka’s entrance into world cricket as a superpower. They won a Test series for the first time overseas that is against New Zealand. In a span of one year, they won the World Cup.

In 2009, the England women’s team could achieve what the men could not. Winning a 50-over World Cup. They beat New Zealand by 4 wickets in the final at Sydney.

Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli

Not often does a team selection prove to a match winning decision. But the one to play Suresh Raina ahead of Yusuf Pathan proved to be a real masterstroke as the left hander held his nerves following some anxious moments for India and saw the team home in the company of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.

All along the tournament, Indian skipper M S Dhoni has been criticised for a number of his decisions and team selections. So it is only fair that he gets his share of praise for the decision to play Raina ahead of Yusuf. And his logic for the decision showed his cricketing acumen in good light. At the post match conference, Dhoni explained, “Since we were falling short of playing 50 overs we thought playing Raina would be a better option than Pathan if we had to play out 50 overs.” Of course all the 50 overs weren’t needed, but Raina’s knock was more than enough to justify his skipper’s decision. The partnership between Yuvraj and Raina killed any hopes Australia had after they got a couple of quick wickets to put India under great pressure.

It wasn’t an easy chase for India considering the conditions weren’t the most favourable under lights. The failure of Virender Sehwag did not help matters, but gritty half-centuries by Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir did. Both Tendulkar and Gambhir batted with a great sense of occasion as India went about chasing the challenging target in a calm manner. That was until Australia hit back with some well-earned strikes and evened the match out. Tendulkar got a wonderful away going delivery from the erratic Shaun Tait while Gambhir who was looking good for a lot more fell after an atrocious mix up with Yuvraj. However, the latter did well to hold his nerves. His found solid company in the form of Raina and two never looked back once they were in.

In the end, India won easily. But it wasn’t as simple as the eventual scorecard suggested. Australia dug out hard batting first after winning the toss. Brad Haddin registered an attacking half-century after the early loss of Shane Watson. But, it was Ricky Ponting’s hard fought century that set up Australia’s challenging total. It wasn’t by any means a return to form knock. He did not time ball well and most of his strokes were edgy ones. Yet, like a true champion, he did not throw is wicket away and kept the scoreboard busy. As his innings progressed, he managed to find the boundary on a few occasions and managed to clear them too. But, it was nowhere as fluent as the 2003 World Cup knock at Johannesburg, from which Ponting had derived inspiration prior to this big clash. Still, his bloody-mindedness was enough to keep him going as he went on to score one of the toughest hundreds of his career and without doubt his last in the World Cups. He found some able support in David Hussey, whose cameo was instrumental in Australia getting those extra runs. Like Dhoni, Ponting also made the decision to bring in the other Hussey ahead of Steven Smith and, although at the end of the day, it wasn’t a match-winning choice, David justified the decision with some big hits towards the end.

Even as it was the Yuvraj-Raina partnership that was instrumental in India’s pulsating win, there was a number of other contributions from the bowlers that should not go unnoticed. Zaheer Khan once again struck with the old ball when Australia were looking to consolidate on the solid platform laid by Haddin and Ponting. He bowled to beautiful slow swinging deliveries to fox first Michael Hussey and soon the woefully out of form Cameron White as India made a comeback into the game.

Man of the match Yuvraj was once again among the wickets with the ball. It was he who ended the dangerous looking knock of wicket-keeper Haddin and also accounted for Michael Clarke, who has an excellent record against India, to keep the bowling side in the game. Also, Ravichandran Ashwin yet again proved his worth as a spinner. Dhoni handed him the new ball for the second time in succession and he did not disappoint, cleaning up the big-hitting Watson just as he was beginning to open up. Later in the innings, his dismissal of century maker Ponting also aided India as he would have cut loose and given further trouble for India. Of course, Ponting was responsible for his own undoing, going for a reverse sweep, which he has probably never attempted in his career. Even so the fact is that Ashwin has a knack of picking up crucial wickets and his selection has certainly bolstered the Indian attack to an extent.

What they desperately need now is for Harbhajan Singh to find form. If he can get among the wickets, the Indian bowling wouldn’t look as bad as many have been describing it. Ditto with Munaf Patel, whose body language is really exasperating and, like on Thursday, if he doesn’t perform well it can have a really bad influence on the team. The puzzle needs to be solved soon since India face Pakistan next in the semis and they need to be at their very best for that mouth-watering prospect.

For Australia, it was a clear cut case of time catching up with them. They had dominated the World Cup for the best part of a decade and gave it their all against India. But, the fact that their best was behind them was evident in the losses to both Pakistan and India. Their rebuilding phase will continue and until then world cricket will be as open as it has even been in the past two decades. For a change, cricket fans are happy that this is not turning out to be another one-sided tournament.

Key moments in India-Australia clash

Shane Watson’s early dismissal by Ashwin

Ponting’s hard-earned ton

David Hussey’s wonderful cameo

Zaheer Khan’s important strikes with the old ball

Sachin and Gambhir’s well-compiled half-centuries

Dismissals of Gambhir and Dhoni in quick succession

The match-clinching partnership between Yuvraj and Raina

India

Strengths: The top order batting is undoubtedly India’s greatest strength. In Sachin Tendulkar, they have the best batsman in modern day cricket. Add to it the exploits of Virender Sehwag. If Sachin and Sehwag fire like they did against South Africa, India would be greatly advantaged. The good part is that both are among the runs and have looked exceedingly fluent during their stay at the crease. Yuvraj Singh’s return to form and consistency in the series also has been a great relief for the Indians. If anything, he is only playing with a greater sense of maturity. While his batting has been excellent, his left arm spinners have been more than an added bonus to the team. In fact they have even resulting in game changing moments. It has helped that Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir have also been among the runs, even though it has to be said that the latter has had an average tournament by his standards. Hopefully, he will come into his own against one of his favourite opponents – Australia.

Weaknesses: At the start of the tournament, the Indian batting line up was declared by many cricket pundits as the best in the tournament. Unfortunately, that hasn’t quite turned out to be the case. While Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj have done the bulk of the scoring, the lower order has struggled miserably, particularly in the power play overs. On three occasions now, the lower order has collapsed without a semblance of resistance and two occasions it cost them badly. The likes of Yusuf Pathan, and Suresh Raina (whoever plays) have to show greater application for India to maintain momentum in the latter overs. And not least of all, M S Dhoni needs to score some runs. His batting has been on the constant decline ever since he has taken over the captaincy. To be fair to Dhoni, he hasn’t been the only Indian captain to suffer a slump since taking over as skipper. However, he still needs to lead from the front and come up with something inspirational for the team, if not with the bat then at least behind the stumps. It is about time for Dhoni to do something significant.

The other major weak point in the Indian team is, of course, their bowling. Zaheer Khan has been sensational, especially with the old ball. However, he has had little in the form of support. Harbhajan Singh has been off colour for most part of the tournament. Khan would want Singh to put up an improved performance and back him. Munaf Patel too, while he has done well, needs to bowl with a greater degree of consistency and accuracy. Having seen both Piyush Chawla and Ravichandran Ashwin, it is clear that the latter is a better bet and India would do well to continue with the off spinner else they would be further weakened in the bowling department. A lot will also depend on the amount of improvement they show on the field, if any.

Opposition: Australia are known to raise their game by notches in bigger clashes and, unless India manage to do the same, the tournament could be all over for them.

Threats: The pressure of playing at home would be immense on India. Although they are used to it, Australia would put additional pressure on India by going hard at the Indians with the mouth as well. They have already begun the war by Mitchell Johnson claiming that they would go hard at Sehwag – in the rib cage. How they handle this could go a long way in deciding the eventual result. It will be an intriguing battle nonetheless.

Australia

Strengths: The Aussies have a couple of genuine match winners in Brett Lee and Shane Watson. If both manage to perform to potential, Australia’s chances of victory would be augmented to a great extent. There are a couple of others too like Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke, who are possibly the most dangerous middle overs pair in limited overs cricket. India would have a tough task stopping the duo if they get their eyes in. While Hussey is adept at rotating the strike and going for the big hits towards the end, Clarke can pierce the gaps with precision and find the boundaries at will. The running between the wickets and fielding of the Australians is also much more superior compared to the Indians, which gives them a distinct advantage.

Weaknesses: Unlike yesteryears, there are indeed a couple of weaknesses in the present Australian team. The biggest problem for them is that skipper Ricky Ponting has not been among the runs at all. Of course he has got the backing of the team, but he will need to deliver against India else the axe might well fall on him. There are definite question marks over the performance of a few others too. Cameron White, who has turned into a big hitting specialist, hasn’t quite been performing up to expectations of late. And he hasn’t done much in this World Cup as well. Like Ponting the team management is backing him as well to turn things around. Time is running out though. Further, in Shaun Tait, they are always playing with a double edged sword. No one can predict what he will dish out against India. The spin department also is a concern as they don’t have a quality spinner although Jason Krejza has done a decent job.

Opposition: India would be playing at home and the crowd might just inspire the Indians onto greater things. It has been proved that this Aussie team doesn’t have the same mental aptitude as some of their previous teams.

Threats: The Aussies would be going all out at India without doubt, but an over aggressive approach could well backfire on them as this Indian side has the talent to thwart them.

Despite the loss, the Aussies would be confident going into the quarter finals against India at Ahmedabad, on Thursday. However, they need a few things to go right for them on that day else they could struggle against India, who themselves have a number of problems of their own. First and foremost, their captain Ponting needs to get among the runs. It has been a while since Ponting registered a big score and there cannot be a bigger occasion that the knockout phase of the World Cup. Also, the times have changed since the days he used to struggle on the subcontinent wickets, or perhaps the pitches themselves have changed to reduce Ponting’s woes. Whatever be the reason, his great record against India should inspire him to roar back to form. Add to it, his one time nemesis Harbhajan Singh isn’t the threat he once used to be, even on Indian wickets. And so, the Australian captain would be desperate to set things right against India.

If Ponting fires, a lot of Australia’s woes would be automatically reduced. But, that would be far from easy as he would be under extreme pressure from all corners. It would be intriguing to see how Ponting responds in such a situation. He is a great player no doubt, but aspersions have been cast over his leadership abilities following the team’s declining fortunes in recent years. One loss against India and, who knows, it could be the end of the road for Ponting as both captain and player. The Aussie selectors are known to take such harsh decisions so no one would be surprised if something like this transpires.

Apart from Ponting, one time all rounder Cameron White’s form is another major cause of concern for Australia. While his bowling no longer inspires confidence in anyone, even his batting hasn’t been special in this series. Still, the team has been backing White to perform since he has come up with some exceptional innings in the past, or to be fair they don’t have an option since there isn’t anyone else as explosive in the squad. But, it is about time White shapes up to the challenge. Like his skipper, a loss against India might well put the much younger White’s career in jeopardy, if he does not lift his performance.

Even as a couple of batsmen need to set their act right, improvements are needed in the bowling department too from an Australian point of view. The good news first though. Brett Lee has been exceptionally good in the tournament and has kept his side in the hunt throughout. Very few gave him a chance to make a comeback, leave alone do well, following a career-threatening injury. But, the fact that he has not only returned to one-day but has also reclaimed his spot as the number one strike bowler in the team stands testimony to his dedication and desire to do well for the country. Bowlers from some of the other countries must take a leaf out of Lee’s book and inspire themselves to greater things despite having gone through dreaded times. Lee has been fantastic with the ball in the tournament and nearly pulled off a win for his side singlehandedly against the Pakistanis.

Even though a majority of the blame for the defeat against Pakistan must be taken by the batsmen, the bowlers too could have done a better job, and this applies to the rest of the series as well. In spite of a number of years of experience, left arm seamer Mitchell Johnson remains unpredictable as ever. Not long ago, he was at the peak of his game only to fall ludicrously. He rose again from the ‘ashes’, but is yet to regain the control to be termed as reliable. The Aussies would be desperate for an improved performance from Johnson as it would help Lee build up further pressure. Johnson wasn’t bad in the losing effort against Pakistan, but he needs to be a bit more penetrative.

A lot cannot be said in praise or criticism of the other pacer in the side, Shaun Tait, since he has been earmarked as the ‘lottery’ bowler by the Aussie camp. Like in the 2007 edition, there will be days when he will fire and come off like a raging bull and, on other days, will be treated like a leopard that has lost its habitat. The issue for the Aussies is that, unlike 2007, they don’t have a Glenn McGrath at the other end, who can keep things extremely tight and force the opposition to go after Tait, losing their wickets in the process. This is why the performance of Johnson will be all the more important. He needs to keep things extremely tight even if the wickets aren’t falling in his kitty as even Lee is an out and out attacking bowler and is bound to go for a few runs at times.

The spin department is also an Achilles’ heel for the Australian camp. Jason Krejza is an earnest bowler, but even Shane Warne struggled against top quality batting on the sub-continent wickets. And so, it would be unfair to expect miracles of Krejza. He has been doing a decent job so far, and anything coming out of him against India should be a surprise bonus. Steven Smith hasn’t had much to do either, raising further doubts about Australia’s chances of retaining the World Cup.

In spite of all the issues surrounding the side, the Aussies can be expected to lift their game, come Thursday. So India better be on their toes, else they will be caught off guard.

Group A has panned out as expected, the International teams have decimated the Associates. Canada, Zimbabwe and Kenya have only ratified the ICC’s decision of streaming down the number of teams for the next world cup down under. Kenya have been the most impressive of the Associate teams as far as Group A is concerned, improving considerably with every game.

Here is a look at how the top 4 teams have gone (Group A) and what lies ahead:

Australia

- The defending champions came into the tournament on the back of a drubbing that they offered the Poms after an embarrassing defeat in the Ashes. Australia have a lot of things going for them this tournament, decent batting order, potent attack and fabulous fielders.

- However, a few obvious gaping holes do lie in between. Their batting has been suspect this tournament, despite the 320 odd that they scored against the Kenyans. Both the openers have looked sublime but the middle order has not been able to keep the score board ticking. Michael Clarke was an exception today, but, Ricky Ponting and Cameron White have been in woeful touch with the bat. Ponting has still snuck through but White’s form has been real cause for concern.

- On the positive note, Michael Hussey has returned to the Australian side giving the batting much needed potency in the middle order. Hussey always seems to have a calming influence about himself that invariably rubs of on his peers.

- All the talk about the Australian bowling being the best in the tournament, the three pronged pace attack looked ordinary against Kenya and could be exposed against better oppositions in the quarter finals if they fail to hit their lengths. Having said this, I personally do believe that if the bowlers hit their straps soon, the oppositions may be in for some contest. Add to this, their bowling has the best strike rate across all teams this world cup. Australia’s bowling should improve over the next week.

Sri Lanka

- The last time the World cup was staged in the sub continent, it was the Lankan tigers who walked away with the trophy. Arjuna Ranatunga inspired the Rest of the World as he enabled Sri Lanka announce themselves on the World stage.

- 15 years later, the World cup is back in the sub continent and you would not bet against the Lankans, they are wily at home and looked determined like never before. Muttiah Muralidaran is sure to hang his boots up with the closure of this tournament and would look to bring home the cup after 15 elusive years.

- The Lankan top order looks solid, with Tillakaratne Dilshan taking them of to blazing starts on a regular basis. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene provide the perfect foil in the middle order. It is their lower order batting that is a little questionable, Angelo Mathews does not look good enough to provide the impetus at the fag end of the innings on a consistent basis. They rely on other bits and pieces cricketers in Thisara Perera and co to do the job.

- Nevertheless, you cannot discount them. Just a reminder, Sanath Jayasuriya was an unknown commodity too in 1996, so you never know with the Lankans.

- Their bowling seems very steady with Lasith Malinga and Muralidaran leading the pack. Sri Lanka should make the semi finals and stand a very good chance this tournament if they can sort out their late order batting.

Pakistan

- The only consistent thing with Pakistan is inconsistency. On paper they look a very balanced unit, one that opposition teams must really take seriously. But which Pakistan you get on the day, can never be told. It is a well documented fact, Pakistan on their day can beat the chickens out of their opponents.

- They have looked impressive this tournament barring the outing against New Zealand where they threw away their position of strength and ended up being battered like one of the minnows.

- A steady top order lead by Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq is followed by a flamboyant middle order in Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi with Abdul Razzaq providing the finishing touch. Perhaps the most efficient lower middle order across all teams, Pakistan is sure a team to watch out for.

- The bowling complements their batting perfectly, 2 front line seamers backed by a steady Razzaq and useful spinners in Afridi and Rehman to do the job. However, Pakistan’s biggest issue for many years now, has been their fielding. The fielding fails to give teeth to the bowling and they tend to put down a couple of catches, least, every match.

- Contenders this year, if only they can shave of the slack and unprofessionalism, Pakistan may just do what they did in 1992.

New Zealand

- New Zealand, workman like, have been very industrious in the way they have gone about things. Nothing flashy in their cricket, steady and stable.

- One feels for New Zealand, with a population under 50 lacs, it must be hard to find full time professional cricketers.

- It has to be Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor who have got to do the bulk of the job with the bat, if New Zealand stand any chance this world cup. Daniel Vettori, by far is their most proficient and experienced player.

- A lot of things have to go wrong for other teams and a lot right for NZ if they have to proceed any further than the quarters this World cup.

- The lack of a game changers with both bat and ball is a huge problem for the Kiwis. They will have to make do without them or hope young guns in Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson come to the fort.
- A good side in decent form but may find it difficult to proceed ahead of the quarter finals.

Canada batted first after they had won the toss and opened with Hiral Patel and John Davison. It was a surprising move but probably brought about because it was going to be Davison’s last international game for the Canadian side.

Canada started off very well, as the pair went after the Australia pace duo of Shaun Tait and Brett Lee from the word go. Davison smacked three boundaries in his innings of 14 before he was consumed by Lee but that hardly stemmed the run-flow as Patel went smacking the opposition bowling.

41 came off the first four overs and by the time the first Powerplay was up, the side had got to 77 for the loss of one wicket – just six short of the World Cup highest this year.

It was the half-century and the ensuing dismissal of Patel that brought an end to the scoring rate. Surkari began slowly and Ashish Bagai, at the other end, did his bit to resurrect the innings as well as the pair added 68 for the third wicket.

At 150/2 in the 29^th over, there were visions raised of a chase of more than 300 but that was stalled by the bringing back of the quicker bowlers.

Tait got the wicket of Bagai for 34 and that spelled the start of a capitulation that saw the side lose five for 19. Lee was the other wrecker as he blasted through to a four-wicket haul even as the Canadians were bowled out for 211 in the 46^th over from their position of great strength.

In reply, the opening partnership of Shane Watson and Brad Haddin were a picture of stark contrast. They did not open their shoulders until they had settled down considerably and when they did, there was no looking back. Both got to their respective half centuries and then blasted a total of six sixes in all, apart from the boundaries.

The pair added 183 for the first wicket in just the 28.3 overs before Haddin missed his century – dismissed for 88 – and this was soon followed Watson being sent back for 94. Ricky Ponting pottered around before getting out for 7 but Michael Clarke and Cameron White saw the side through to an easy win with 15 overs to spare.

With this win, Australia now have nine points from five games. It means that irrespective of the result of their last game in the group stage against the Pakistani side, they cannot finish fourth in the group. If they beat Pakistan, they will end at the top of the table whereas a loss would mean that depending on the result of the New Zealand-Sri Lanka game, they could end up either second or third. In all probability they would end third given their net run-rate.