Cricket Tournaments

South Africa

What can one say about the South African cricket team. For the fifth World Cup in a row, they got felled in the knockouts when everything seemed to be going their way. Against a New Zealand side with limited ability, they were always the favourites. And for almost 75 overs of the game, they played like that but a disciplined bowling effort and their usual brilliant fielding was enough to upset the Proteas’ applecart. Dejection was writ large on the face of skipper Graeme Smith, who was retiring from one-day cricket, but it was the loss against the Kiwis that undoubtedly hurt him more. Unfortunately, South Africa have only themselves to blame for they were cruising at one stage, but it all came down like a pack of cards.

The wicket of Jacques Kallis was without doubt the turning point of the game. Until then, they were cruising and Kiwis needed something special to be back in the game. All of a sudden, Kallis in an effort to break free went for the big hit and perished thanks to an awesome catch on the boundary by Jacob Oram. Only a man of his ‘height’ could have pulled it out. After that, the rest just could not handle the pressure cooker situation and cracked. The bad aspect from South Africa’s point of view was that a number of their batsmen got starts, but not one could go on to register that match-winning effort. Among the culprits were captain Graeme Smith, Kallis and AB de Villiers — all experienced enough to absorb the pressure of the situation, but unable to do so. It did not help that Hashim Amla had a rare failure.

Despite the Proteas’ hara-kiri, credit must be given to the Kiwis for the manner in which they kept up the pressure once they saw an opening. Their bowling wasn’t sensational by any means, they hardly possess the attack to do so. But, what they did well was to maintain a tight leash on the South African batting once they found an opening post Kallis’ exit. There were too men in particular who did exceedingly well with the ball for the Kiwis. Jacob Oram, bowling his medium pacers was on target on most occasions. He bowled a tight line and length and just did not allow them to break free. And every time the South African batsmen tried to break the shackles, they perished one after the other.

Off spinner Nathan McCullum was the other star with the ball for the Kiwis. He typified South Africa’s woes against slow bowling as three men fell to him. Between McCullum and Oram, they captured seven wickets, including some key ones like Amla, Smith and not least of all JP Duminy. The latter, who has been known to be a great finisher, too felt the heat as he played an atrocious shot to revive the Kiwis further. And the final nail in the over arrived rather soon for South Africa’s comfort. de Villiers, always lighting between the wickets, responded to an attempted quick single call from Faf du Plessis, which was never there. And it was proved by the fact that even de Villiers ended up way short of the crease despite diving full length. Was it pressure? There wasn’t much until a few moments back, but South Africa self-destructed to change things around. The pitch wasn’t playing any great tricks, but was only offering a hit of turn. Yet, South Africa batted like it was a minefield. Fauf du Plessis did try to make amends for his big-match blunder, but while there were glimpses of hope courtesy some big hits, it was too little and too late.

Unlike their batsmen, the South African bowlers did a much better job. Opening the bowling, Robin Peterson once again got the early breakthrough, read the wicket of the dangerous Brendon McCullum. And when Dale Steyn fooled Martin Guptill with a well disguised slower one early on in the innings, it seemed all one way traffic. Some even had thoughts of a game akin to the West Indies-Pakistan quarter final. But while Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor took their time while rebuilding the innings, their approach wasn’t as negative as the one shown by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul the other day. Neither Ryder nor Taylor went for too many big hits and were content rotating the strike. The thoughts of another middle and lower order collapse akin to the one against Sri Lanka must have definitely crossed their mind, which made both the usually free scoring batsmen adopt a cautious approach. As a result, New Zealand did have wickets in hand but not a score that was challenging by any means.

Owing to their wait and watch approach, when they eventually tried to break the shackles both Ryder and Taylor fell and New Zealand found themselves in no man’s land. Thanks to a sensible cameo by the impressive Kane Williamson, the Kiwis managed to end up with a somewhat respectable total. But without doubt, at the halfway stage, South Africa held the aces thanks to their impressive showing with the ball. Steyn was once again among the wickets at the start. Irman Tahir’s impressive tournament continued as he picked up both of the big scalps of Taylor and Ryder and, towards the end, Morne Morkel returned to damage the good work done by New Zealand in the middle overs, by picking up wickets at will. The game was now South Africa’s for the taking. And, midway through their chase, all seemed to be going according to plan. How the panic button got switched on will remain a mystery.

Key moments

Early loss of New Zealand openers

Rebuilding partnership between Ryder-Taylor

Tahir’s double strike

Morkel’s triple success

Amla’s early dismissal

Loss of a well set Smith

Oram’s brilliant catch to get rid of Kallis off Southee

de Villiers’ run out at a crucial juncture

End of du Plessis’ resistance

This day would be remembered for two famous cricket matches in two different continents. One was in the West Indies and the other in South Africa.

The year was 2000. West Indies was playing Zimbabwe in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This was the first Test match for Jimmy Adams as West Indies captain. However, the hosts were on the verge of being humiliated as Zimbabwe needed only 99 runs to win in the second innings. But Franklyn Rose, the Windies pacer had other ideas. From 47/3, Zimbabwe collapsed sensationally to 63 all out and it was a record that for the first time a team failed to reach a double-figure target in Tests.

Three years later, India clashed with minnows Kenya in the World Cup semifinals in Durban. Kenya were having a magical run in the tournament but they had to defeat a resurgent India, if they had to play Australia in the final. This though did not happen. Sourav Ganguly had a field day. The Indian captain won the toss and elected to bat first in damp conditions. And then, he took charge and smashed an unbeaten 114-ball 111, which included 5 fours and 5 sixes. It was his second hundred in the World Cup 2003 and incidentally both of them were against Kenya. He was well backed by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 83 and India posted a total of 270/4 after 50 overs. Kenya were never in the game as a dismal batting performance followed. Barring skipper Steve Tikolo’s fifty, none of the Kenyan batsmen showed application at the crease and as a result Kenya were bundled out for 179, giving India a comfortable 91 run victory and a shot at the World Cup for the first time since 1983.

On this day, the flamboyant South African all-rounder Nicky Boje was born as well. He was a left-arm orthodox bowler who could bat as well. His moment in the sun was when his all-round performance helped South Africa beat India in the Bangalore Test in 2000, giving his team their first Test series win in India. But soon, pandemonium was to follow as Boje was accused of match-fixing in the ODI series against India alongside captain Hansie Cronje and batsman Herschelle Gibbs. After 2003, he clinged on to a place in the national side but without much success. He retired from international cricket in 2007, before joining the unofficial Indian Cricket League. But he still remains an integral part of the Warriors team in the South African domestic competition as he was last spotted playing for them in the Champions League 2010.

There is no great history as such to South Africa-New Zealand battles. Nothing when we compare India-Australia, Australia-South Africa and, in recent times, India-South Africa. However, this is the World Cup quarter final and both teams would be vying for a spot in the desired last four and, who knows, a tough contest and we might just see the beginning of another tough, long-drawn battle. On paper and talent wise as well the Proteas are much much superior to the Kiwis. However, even with Stephen Fleming gone and brigade of trustworthy men like Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Cairns, the New Zealanders cannot be taken lightly. After all to fight with the limited ability at their disposal is in their genes. Even so South Africa would begin favourites. Presenting the SWOT analysis of New Zealand vs South Africa.

South Africa

Strengths: South Africa’s biggest strength is undoubtedly the fact that they have in their midst the best fast bowler in world cricket. Dale Steyn is a sensational bowler and even if he has a half good day he can blow the opposition away. The game against India was a perfect illustration. He was taken apart by Sachin and Sehwag in his initial spell, but came back to destroy the remainder of the Indian batting line up and turned the game on its heels. The Kiwi batsman would have to be wary of him else he could do the same to them. Steyn’s presence also gives this South African side a definite edge over the previous ones, who were also tipped as favourites, but failed on each and every occasion.

The good thing for Steyn is that he has found great support and an able ally in Morne Morkel. Also quick in pace, Morkel has cemented his place in the side over the last year with some excellent spells of fast bowling and has only augmented his reputation with some impressive performances in cricket’s premier tournament. The Steyn-Morkel combination, if on fire, can be too much to handle for the Kiwis.

The surprise element in this tournament as far as South Africa are concerned has been the impressive performance of left-arm pinner Robin Peterson. The latter has been part of the Proteas’ set up for a number of years now, but has never been more than a bits and pieces player. However, this World Cup has changed that all. On pitches supportive to his kind of bowling, he has found success both while opening the innings as well as in the middle overs. What’s more, he is even contributing with the bat at key moments. Add to it, they have former skipper Johan Botha as well who has also done his bit whenever given the opportunity, which makes South Africa a completely dominant outfit.

There’s much to be happy about in the batting department as well. Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers have all been among the runs and looked fluid at that. Their fielding has always been a strong point, yet it deserves a mention.

Weaknesses: One of the major worries for the South Africans is the form of their skipper Graeme Smith. He has looked totally scratch even as the other around him have gone around scoring merrily. Someday or the other the in-form batsmen are bound to have a bad day, like the one against England and if Smith doesn’t rise up to the occasion then they could be in deep trouble. Also, they have a tendency to struggle against slow bowling and if New Zealand can find a way out here, they could have an opening into the game.

Opposition: It is a given that the Kiwis are less talent of the two sides. However, they are still capable of making up somewhat given their battle-hardened nature. The Proteas thus shouldn’t be overaggressive or the move could backfire.

Threats: Although South Africa managed to chase down India’s big total, they haven’t been completely ridden of the chokers’ tag. It is something that mentally may still weigh heavily on them. And this is one aspect where South Africa can be put under pressure if the Kiwis are good enough to do so.

New Zealand

Strengths: Having limited ability, the positives of this New Zealand side are also bounded. Still, they can be used to deadly effect as was evident against Pakistan. Think of the game against Pakistan and Ross Taylor’s destruction immediately comes to mind. The immensely talented stroke maker could put all the Proteas’ plans to nought if he comes of. Further, in Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill they have two men who have hit form at the right time. Of course, most of their big knocks have come against lesser sides, but that is no discredit to them. Also , there is no doubting their ability as well. The Kiwis don’t lack in all-round talent too. In Jacob Oram and Scott Styris they have two class batsmen who can also do a reasonable job with the ball.

It doesn’t even need to be mentioned that, If fit, Daniel Vettori could be the trump card for the Kiwis considering the conditions, which should suit his style of bowling. Finally, there are two aspects that give the New Zealanders a slight edge if one can say so. The Kiwis haven’t lost to South Africa in the World Cup since 1999 and, as Hamish Bennett’s replacement in the event pointed out, they have made it to the World Cup semis on as many as five occasions.

Weaknesses: The Kiwis are mentally strong no doubt, but at times outrageous talent can outshine mental aptitude. This explains why the Kiwis have never made it past the semis. In 1992, Inzamam-ul-Haq blasted them out when it seemed they would easily make it to the summit clash. In 1999, too Pakistan were too good for them. And so, it could all depend on how badly South Africa want to win and amount of ruthlessness in their game.

Opposition: South Africa just look much more superior and well-balanced on paper. And if they perform to potential, the Kiwis won’t be able to do much despite their best efforts.

Threats: New Zealand haven’t been having a good time of late on the subcontinent. They were blanked by both Bangladesh and India. If a few things go wrong, the haunting memories could be back as well.

In a scintillating chase which swayed all through, South Africa snuck through, holding their nerve as they beat India in a close tie at Nagpur. Group B gets increasingly interesting with each match making it harder to predict the 3rd and the 4th spots leading into the knock outs. After a thwarting defeat against the West Indies at home, the Bangladeshis looked all but out. But, a fabulous turn around against the English has ensured they too are in with a chance for the quarters. England looked scathy in that encounter and Strauss and co need another “comeback” to stand a chance of going any further this World cup.  
Despite India’s loss to South Africa last evening, nothing has really changed as far as those two teams are concerned and they should make it through to the quarters comfortably. West Indies meanwhile are on an uphill, a solitary win against England or India would see them through as well. Even if they go on to lose both their remaining fixtures, a high NRR (Net Run Rate) serves them in good stead as they look likely to progress to the next round.

India, are currently leading the pack and are cruising their way into the knockouts. Netherlands, despite an impressive start stand no chance this World cup and must improve considerably if they want to make another World cup appearance. Ireland on the other hand, have played laudable cricket but still find themselves in a precarious position. However, they still do stand the tiniest of chances of going through. For that to happen, the Irish have to win and win with huge margins against both South Africa and Netherlands. Despite this, England and West Indies’s results need to go in their favour too. Highly unlikely, I would say.
The real race is between England and Bangladesh. England are a point ahead but are a match short and a win for England still may not do the trick for them, theoretically at least.
Theoretically speaking, even India, West Indies and South Africa may miss out. Here’s how:

How can India be eliminated?
Albeit only in theory, this indeed is a possibility. For this to happen, WI must down India, England must beat WI (with a big margin), Bangladesh must beat RSA, RSA must beat Ireland and Bangladesh must beat the Netherlands.
With this, the WI will top the group with 8 points followed by Bangladesh and South Africa with 8 each and England with 7 (Higher NRR than India).
Only in theory, nevertheless, cricket’s a funny game.

How can West Indies be eliminated?
Not many would have even thought that the West Indies would progress to the 2nd round of the World cup but an impressive couple of weeks and a few star performances has made this happen.
The WI should qualify to the next round but again, could be eliminated. For this to happen, India must beat WI, England must beat WI, Bangladesh must down South Africa and Bangladesh must beat Netherlands.
With this, India will top the group with 9 points, followed by South Africa and Bangladesh at 8 points each and England with 7 points.
The way WI cricket has gone over the past decade, this sure is a possibility.

How can South Africa be eliminated?
One of the favourites to lift the trophy, South Africa too might find themselves out before the knockouts.
For this to happen, WI must beat India, England must beat WI, Bangladesh must beat South Africa, Ireland too must beat South Africa and Bangladesh must beat the Netherlands.
With this, the Windies and Bangladesh will end up with 8 points, closely followed by India and England at 7.
This seems highly unlikely as South Africa must lose to Ireland. Nevertheless, K O’Brien may just have different ideas.

How can England be eliminated?
England after a huge Ashes win have failed to discover form in the One day format. A loss to WI might spell doom for the English
However, a win would not guarantee them a spot either as if India may end up with a better NRR or more points if they beat WI.
Spots are up for grabs. All the action is happening in Group B. The quarter finalists from Group A is a no brainer. I would still have my money on England making the last 4 (from B) with India, RSA and Windies filling up the rest.
Nevertheless, an interesting week lies ahead and England and Ireland will be hoping a lot of other results go their way too.

The Irish were confident of putting up a tough fight against the South Africans on Tuesday. In fact there were even thoughts of upsetting the South African applecart. And while Ireland were exceptional with the ball and in the field, their limitations with the bat were clearly exposed against high quality bowling. In fact, they failed to win the big moments with both the bat and ball and therein lay their undoing. After putting the South African batting under tremendous pressure thanks to some excellent bowling and claiming half their side for just over 100, Ireland had a great chance to restrict the South Africans to a below par total. However, they weren’t good enough to finish off the good work as the Proteas fought back and regained control. Still, there were in with a chance when they came out to bat. However, the partnerships never came for Ireland as they kept losing one wicket after the other and soon the match as well. In short, the South Africans were too good for the fighting Irish.

The turning point of the game came when Jean-Paul Duminy and Colin Ingram joined forces in a solid, counter attacking alliance that not only resurrected South Africa, but also put them on top. Till that point, Ireland held the upper hand distinctly. The bowlers maintained a tight line right from the start and were rewarded deservedly. Boyd Rankin, Trent Johnston and John Mooney kept things extremely tight at the start, frustrating the South African top and middle order. Even George Dockrell and Paul Stirling supported them exceedingly well as Ireland built up the pressure with some excellent fielding as well. Soon, the results were there for all too see. Even the South Africans panicked as their main men skipper Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis felt to brilliant pieces of fielding courtesy run outs. Even the persistent Hashim Amla struggled in the wake of the Irish challenge and succumbed. And, if not for the Duminy-Ingram partnership, Ireland might well have managed to pull off the upset they so desperately wanted to.

The feature of the association between Duminy and Ingram was their positive intent. No, they did not slog their way out of trouble, but ensured that the free flow of runs never stopped. They were severe on all the bowlers as they went about their rescue act. Impressively, unlike the previous batsmen, none of the two looked in any sort of trouble during their counter attacking partnership. And, they never looked like getting out as well at any point of time. By the time that they were dismissed, the South Africans had wrested back the advantage conceded earlier in the day. Former skipper Johan Botha too played his part with a pleasing cameo. The only bitter part about it all was that Duminy missed his well deserved century by just a solitary run. But, all credit to the left-hander, who went for the big shot and sacrificed his wicket for the team’s cause, leaving aside personal glory.

Once South Africa had posted a challenging total, they were always going to have the upper hand. However, Ireland still had a slim chance to surprise them if someone could come up with a Kevin O’Brien type magical knock. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort was on offer as the penetrative South African bowlers stream rolled past the Irish batting line up and, in the process, progressed into the quarter finals. If Dale Steyn made all the difference against India, it was his partner Morne Morkel turn to shine against Ireland. He claimed both the openers in quick succession with his pacy deliveries and not soon after it began, the Irish challenged had derailed.

The South Africans would also have been mighty pleased with the fact that Kallis got among the wickets. He was due for some and it came against Ireland. In the spin department, left-armer Robin Peterson impressed yet again. He is turning out to be a real asset to this South African outfit and has even managed to replace Botha as the first choice spinner thanks to his better batting abilities. Having said that, Botha too has been doing a commendable job whenever given the opportunity. In short, all seems well in the South African bowling machinery and all they need to do now is to get their act completely right with a bat. They have a faltered on a couple of occasions, but someone or the other has thankfully put their hands up and rescued them from trouble. Smith, first and foremost, needs to get among the runs. And Morne Van Wyk, while he has looked impressive, needs to register bigger scores if he going is bat up the order. The good thing is that they still have one match left against Bangladesh to put things in order. Rest all seems fine for the South Africans as they now wait to know who they play in the quarter finals.

For the Irishmen, the tournament has been a clear cut case of what might have been. In every game they had opportunities to create an upset, but they only managed to pull it off in one game, with that superb chase against England. That said, the fact that they have managed to compete in each and every game in the tournament so far is that good thing in itself. Irish cricket is at a stage where they are learning new things with every passing match. And with the kind of ability and determination they possess, they can pull off the odd upset like the one against England at Bangalore. In hindsight, the win against Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup was no fluke. Irish cricket has a long way to go, but there are no two ways about it that they are on the right track. With experience and exposure they will only get better if they keep performing with the same spirit and enthusiasm. The good news for Ireland fans is that they have one more game left to make an impression.

South Africa had no difficulty in crushing Ireland by 131 runs in the 34^th game of the ICC World Cup 2011 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing 272 for a win, Ireland were bowled out for 141 and JP Duminy was declared the man of the match for his superb resurrection.

273 was going to be tough cookie to crack and when both openers, William Porterfield and Paul Stirling departed for 19, the task became only stiffer. There were starts from all the batsmen in the top-order but only one – Gary Wilson – managed to get to more than 20 as the rest of the side capitulated to the spin of Robin Peterson. Morkel picked up three wickets as well to end the Irish hopes.

Robin Peterson was clearly the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul that also included the wicket of Kevin O’Brien.

Earlier South Africa were off to a flying start thanks to the decision by Hashim Amla to take the attack to the opposition. Amla cracked a boundary and a six and looked good for much more before he cut the ball to the third-man where the fielder took it cleanly to send him back.

Graeme Smith added 28 for the second wicket with Morne van Wyk and at 52/1 the side looked good. Van Wyk looked every bit the batsman that one had come to associate him with in 2007 as he slammed seven fours and a six in his 42 but his dismissal led to a mini collapse that saw the side capitulate to 117/5.

Jacques Kallis was run-out and as was captain Smith, while Faf du Plessis edged one to the slips.

However, any hopes that the Irish have of stunning the South Africans, evaporated pretty soon when the JP Duminy piled on a good-looking 99 with Colin Ingram (46). This was Ingram’s first ever World Cup game and he looked very good for the time he was at the crease. The boundaries were easily found his knock came off only 43 balls.

In the end, Duminy fell short of his century by a run but in partnership with first Ingram and then Johan Botha, had done enough to take the score to 271/7 in their 50 overs.

The win ensured that the South Africans became the first side from their group to make it to the quarter-finals. They now play Bangladesh in the last group game of the tournament in a bid to ensure that they finish atop of the points table. On the other hand, Ireland have now been knocked out of the tournament despite having one more game to be played against Netherlands.

If South Africa beat Bangladesh, they will end the group with ten points from their six games and unless West Indies can beat both, England and India, they will be at the top of the table. This will mean that South Africa will take on the number four placed side in the other group, which could still be any one of New Zealand, Sri Lanka or Pakistan. Assuming that Australia should easily beat Canada in tomorrow’s game, they will not end in the fourth position and that could mean that South Africa will not meet Australia in the quarter-finals.

South Africa

Prior to the game against South Africa, India were unbeaten in the World Cup. However, that was in no way an indication of their prowess in the tournament. After all, they laboured their way to beat Bangladesh, Netherlands and Ireland, hardly enough to inspire confidence in the team. Also, against England, they just about managed to tie the humdinger despite putting up a mammoth total on board. And so, it was the loss against the Proteas that put things into perspective for MS Dhoni and his men. It was a performance that shocked the entire nation, particularly the manner in which the middle and lower order of the Indian team capitulated when there was no pressure at all. In fact, they were on top of the South Africans until them, and should have shut the door on them. Instead, they threw it all away and allowed South Africa to come back. From thereon, India were always playing catch up.

The problem areas

Power play batting

For the second time in the tournament, India made heavy weather of the power play overs and allowed to opposition to come back into the game when, ideally, they should have edged ahead. Against England they somehow managed to escape with a draw. But, clearly, the lessons weren’t learnt. As Dhoni admitted after the loss against South Africa, the batsmen need to stop playing to the galleries. And he was right. The power play doesn’t mean that you have to go hammer tongs after every ball. If only the batsmen had shown restraint, India would have been in an extremely strong position in the game. In fact, they could have even batted out the Proteas. Some of the strokes played were rash to say the least. And though Dhoni did not name the men ‘who play to the galleries’, the shots played by Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan certainly made the message clear. Having been bitten twice, it is about time India learns their lessons else they will have to face further embarrassment. The likes of Kohli and Pathan need to be more consistent for India in the middle order. Having said that, Dhoni also needs to share a part of the blame for the debacle. Too much chopping changing doesn’t always benefit the team. And sending Kohli and Pathan up and down the order consistently hasn’t done wonders for either of the batsman or the team. To be fair to the Indian skipper, this is a strategy that has done wonders for India in the past. But, now that it hasn’t worked in this tournament, it is something which should be shunned unless under extreme circumstances.

Set players must bat through

In both the games against England and South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir registered centuries and half-centuries respectively. But, on both the occasions the two fell in the power play overs. This is something which hurt India in a big way in both the games. In the game against South Africa, in particular, their loss proved to have a devastating effect. Here again, India need to learn their lesson. At least one of the set batsmen needs to bat through the 50 overs and the rest can bat around them and then may be the runs could flow a lot more smoothly. With both Tendulkar and Gambhir falling in quick succession against South Africa, India suddenly found two new men at the crease. And, that is the least ideal thing they needed. Once that happened a team like South Africa wasn’t going to let the advantage slip. Unlike India, they strangled India thanks to a superb match winning spell by speedster Dale Steyn. The fast bowler had a torrid time against Sehwag and Tendulkar. However, once he came back, he was a totally different bowler and the Indians just crumbed under the pressure. This is something they need to beware of in the future games.

Bowling woes

Apart from Zaheer Khan, the Indian bowlers have struggled to make any kind of an impact. Of course, Harbhajan Singh did make an impact and got among the wickets. But, he still isn’t at his best. Even so, India can expect Khan and Singh to deliver in crunch situations. But, it is the others who are the worries. Ashish Nehra bowled the last over against South Africa. And it was such a bad one under pressure that immediately his place in the team is under the hammer. Of course, it would be highly unfair to blame Nehra for the loss. But, with the kind of experience he possesses and the fact that the Proteas’ lower order batsmen were at the crease, he should have done a lot better. His talent cannot be doubted for sure, but questions ought to be raised about his temperament when the heat is on. And the signs weren’t great against South Africa. Munaf Patel too hasn’t been consistent enough to inspire confidence, although, on current form, he seems a safer bet compared to the left-arm seamer. The problem with the pace attack is that they don’t have much options left. Look who is in the reserves, the one and only S. Sreesanth. And the way the Kerala paceman performed against Bangladesh as well as his up and down consistency, would mean having him in the team would be a risk, Dhoni probably cannot afford now. Another major issue is that the Indian attack doesn’t have an out and out fast bowler. See what Steyn did to the Indians the other day. If only India had someone in the similar would, their worries would have been reduced to quite an extent. However, there is no point in pondering about what isn’t there. The fact is that Dhoni has to make do with the resources at his disposal and utilize them to the best of their ability.

The (Ash)win question

This is the query on every Indian’s minds. Why isn’t Dhoni trying out off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. It is not as if the offie is going to work a miracle or something. But, Dhoni has tried out everyone and Ashwin too deserves a chance on the same count. Hopefully, that opportunity will come against West Indies.

The only positive for the Indians to come out of the shocking loss to South Africa is that it came at the perfect time. They still have one game to go against West Indies before the quarter finals, to which they are most likely to make it unless some crazy calculations upset everything. The Proteas humbling should serve as the wake up call for the Indians.

England's Team Celebrate after defeating South Africa in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Even as India were battling Ireland on one hand, England pulled off nothing short of a major upset against South Africa, considering their shocking defeat against the Irish. And what the Englishmen’s victory over the Proteas has ensured is that the battle for top spot in Group B remains wide open. It wasn’t a convincing performance from England by any stretch of the imagination. However, a crumbling pitch and below par batting effort combined by some good under pressure bowling from England saw the game tilt in the bowling side’s favour. It is a win that will give England some much-needed confidence following two winless games.

Things did not look great for England at the start of the game when they kept losing wickets on a difficult pitch. But to their credit, they fought back well with the ball to resurrect their World Cup hopes. England’s win can basically to credit to a few hard-fought performances under pressure. With the bat it was Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara, who played saviours for the Englishmen. Had it not been for the duo, England wouldn’t have been in with a chance at all irrespective of the nature of the pitch. In hindsight, both Trott and Bopara assessed the conditions perfectly as they went about rebuilding the innings in the perfect manner. Not going for the big shots, Trott and Bopara steadied the England innings by rotating the strike and picking up all the runs on offer. It was their effort that England at least had an outside chance of going for victory. However, one shouldn’t forget Graeme Swann’s effort with the bat as well. Getting away some crucial boundaries in the final power play overs proved to be highly decisive for England as they ended by winning by a mere five runs. The off-spinner’s contribution with the bat has often been underestimated, but on this occasion he deserves credit for his handy knock.

If Swann played his part with the bat, he did a commendable job with the ball as well, getting the better of opposition skipper Graeme Smith with a wonderful delivery that did enough to take the gloves of Smith and land into a safe hand behind the wickets. Even as Swann bowled, it were Stuart Broad and James Anderson who did the bulk of the damage. England needed Anderson to get among the wickets sooner rather than later. And thankfully for them, he found his bearings as he managed to find some reverse swing midway through the innings and gave his team the crucial breakthroughs that kept them in the game. From England’s perspective, hopefully Anderson will bowl with a renewed vigour in the future games ahead.

If Anderson gave England a foot in the door, it was Broad to broke open the door to victory. Like Anderson, he also used the moving ball to great effect as the Proteas crumbled under the ever growing pressure. Not only did Broad keep getting wickets at regular intervals, but also maintained a tight line and length, maintaining the pressure throughout. This was an absolutely essential aspect of his bowling as England weren’t defending a huge score and hence needed to keep the runs down to the minimum.

Even though the bowlers took England to victory, it was apt that the man of the match award went to Bopara. On a bowling pitch, his effort was a definite standout. Coming in as a last minute replacement for Eoin Morgan, Bopara has performed credibly for his team in the World Cup. Against Netherlands, it was his cameo that took away the pressure they were placed under. And, against South Africa too, he stood amidst the ruins. Speaking of Morgan, there is further good news for England as he himself will now be flown in as a replacement for the injured Kevin Pietersen, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. While Pietersen’s injury is not the best piece of news to come out of the English camp, it might well be a silent blessing in disguise for them as Morgan is just the kind of player England need to shore up their eleven. And if they can show further improvement in their bowling and fielding, the English will still be a force to reckon with, the disaster against Ireland notwithstanding.

If the win did a lot of good for England, the loss should serve as a timely wake-up call for South Africa who, until then, were firmly entrenched on top of the table. The defeat has pushed them right down to number four. Of course they will not stay down there for long and should make it to the quarter finals. However, it was their inability to chase down a moderate total against a team low on confidence that should worry them. True, the conditions were extremely difficult and the bowlers were on top once they got through the cream of the batting. However, this is where top teams are adept at battling adversity.

To win the World Cup should be able to perform and overcome the worst of conditions. This is where Australia were so good at their peak. South Africa, unfortunately, have often crumbled in such situations, which explains why they are yet to lay their hand on the coveted trophy. Four years back they succumbed to Bangladesh on a pitch that assisted their spinners, and here again they faltered to battle the tough conditions. It is not so much their so called choking habit but the inability to perform in challenging conditions despite having all the talent in the world that has proved to be the bane of South African cricket. And that needs to change if they want to be crowned as the number one team in the world.

The upcoming games will give us clear idea of how far South Africa have progressed in the abovementioned aspect over the years. And, it was also play a major role in determining how far the Proteas progress in this tournament.