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MARCUS HOOK'S WORLD CUP DIARY 2007

Monday 12th March: Opening ceremony
To be honest I didn't find the World Cup opening ceremony particularly inspiring. Was it me or did it appear on television as though somebody had forgotten to pay the electricity bill? I hope they aren't planning to have any day/night matches at Sabina Park. Much of the ground was shrouded in darkness. At one point I thought Paul Nixon was Darren Lehmann; which had me worried as I hadn't questioned Lehmann's inclusion in the Aussies' World Cup squad in my preview for the Oval World website. At least the dusky setting allowed us to see the fireworks in all their glory. Also, in keeping with the theme tune for this World Cup - the one that goes: "Life is a carnival" - it was nice to see an array of carnival costumes. But as for the speeches… I have never met Tony Cozier, so I don't know what the bloke's really like. He said all of the right things, but, as usual, he did not seem to be speaking with total conviction. And what of the cricketer's oath, read out by Brian Lara? I'm sure Lara will respect it, but l can think of a few characters who probably won't. It'll be interesting to see if this World Cup produces any villains. Finally, how can I get this Life Is A Carnival jingle out of my head? If it doesn't go soon I'll have to dig Nina's 99 Red Balloons out of my record collection.

Tuesday 13th March: West Indies v Pakistan
The curtain raiser produced the result everyone, except Pakistan that is, seemed to be craving. After a slow start by the West Indies, Marlon Samuels confirmed his reputation as a clean hitter by making 63 in 70 deliveries. When he went, caught on the long-on boundary, Dwayne Smith smashed a vital 32 from just 15 balls. Smith followed that up by removing Mohammad Yousuf and then Inzamam-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal in consecutive balls to finish with figures of 3-36. Dwayne Bravo also got in on the act by polishing the visitors off with three wickets of his own. Bob Woolmer cannot have been very pleased with Pakistan's performance, but I have to question the inclusion of Danish Kaneria in place of the suspended Shahid Afridi. Kaneria offers nothing with the bat and, with the ball, has no record to speak of in one-day cricket. Someone who does is Naved-ul-Hasan, but he was out of sorts today. That was hardly a surprise, however. Yesterday, I put money on him being the tournament's leading wicket-taker! I hope Mike Hussey, who I have backed to be the top run-scorer does better job of opening his account against Scotland tomorrow.

Wednesday 14th March: Australia v Scotland & Canada v Kenya
Scotland had the audacity to put the reigning World champions into bat today. It did not pay off, though. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden put on 91 for the first wicket and Ricky Ponting recorded the first hundred of the tournament. It took the Aussie skipper just 85 balls and included four sixes. Mind you, he got a life on 23. Needless to say, Mike Hussey did not justify my financial investment, but his fellow Western Australian, Brad Hogg, made up for it by clubbing forty off 15 deliveries. Needing to make 335 to win, the Scots were reduced to 42-5 by Glenn McGrath. Other than Shaun Tait, all of Australia's bowlers prospered against the Scots, who were eventually dismissed for 131 with almost ten overs to go. In England's group, Kenya beat Canada in a game that will live as long in the memory as, no doubt, the edition of Relocation, Relocation that clashed with it on Channel 4. Away from the action, James Anderson broke the little finger on his bowling hand during today's fielding practise and is said to be a doubt for Friday's Group C clash with New Zealand.

Thursday 15th March: Bermuda v Sri Lanka & Ireland v Zimbabwe
In my preview of Zimbabwe's World Cup chances I suggested that it would hardly be a surprise they were to slip up against Ireland. But with only 19 runs needed from 39 balls and five wickets in hand, the Zimbas appeared to be on course for certain victory. What a turn-up it was, therefore, that the game should end up a tie. Ireland began tentatively, slumping to 44-3 and then to 89-5, but thanks to an unbeaten 115 by Jeremy Bray, they gave their bowlers something to bowl at. Vusi Sibanda anchored the Zimbabwe innings and had he not trodden on his stumps in the 29th over, the eventual outcome could have been all together different. But the luck was with the Irish. Brendan Taylor was run out backing up and Gary Brent was a little unfortunate to be given leg before to one that appeared to be going down. Ultimately, though, the Zimbabweans bottled it. In today's other match Bermuda proved to be ideal warm-up fodder for Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene cashed in by making 85 after being put down at slip first ball. Sri Lanka's skipper was also dropped at backward point shortly after reaching fifty. On both occasions, the portly Dwayne Leverock was the offending fieldsman. Bermuda's embarrassment carried through to their batting, which was well below par.

Friday 16th March: Netherlands v South Africa & England v New Zealand
An unbeaten fourth wicket partnership of 138 between Scott Styris and Jacob Oram handed England their tenth defeat in 13 World Cup matches against Test opposition today. Things were looking very healthy when Craig McMillan lofted Monty Panesar's second ball into the hands of Jamie Dalrymple at deep point. But from being 72 for four the Kiwis dug in. When Oram edged Plunkett through where a slip should have been posted in the 26th over and Kevin Pietersen dropped a regulation chance at short extra cover off Styris six overs later, I decided the game was as good as lost and turned over to watch Comic Relief. Looking on the positive side, it was encouraging so see Paul Nixon and Liam Plunkett put on a run-a-ball unbeaten 71 for England's eighth wicket. But if Nixon had gone early on, as he should have done, lbw to the bowling of Shane Bond, Plunkett would almost certainly have run out of partners and I would have been able to pick up Comic Relief from the start. In the other of today's matches, between South Africa and the Netherlands, Herschelle Gibbs belted six sixes in an over off the bowling of Daan van Bunge to enter the record books as the first batsman in history to hit six sixes in an over in one-day cricket. Needless to say the Proteas swept the Dutch aside with absolute ease. Between them, the South Africans clubbed the most sixes ever in a ODI innings to rack up 353 for three off forty overs, which proved to be 221 runs too many.

Saturday 17th March: Bangladesh v India & Ireland v Pakistan
A day of real surprises. Having put money on India to win the World Cup, they now need to beat Sri Lanka on Friday to keep my investment alive. But the biggest surprise of all was Ireland's victory over Pakistan, which fittingly coincided with St Patrick's Day. If one were describe Pakistan's batting as cavalier it would be flattering. It was like the 1999 World Cup final all over again, as a procession of Pakistan batsmen came and went. It seemed as though the Pakistanis felt it didn't matter how badly they played, there was no way Ireland could possibly win. The rot began when Mohammad Yousuf chased a wide ball. Inzamam-ul-Haq tamely dabbed Andre Botha to slip, as did Imran Nazir. With the O'Brien brothers combining to dismiss Shoaib Malik, Pakistan were 72 for six. Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood looked as if they might come to their side's rescue, but both were caught off lofted pulls. Not the sort of shots to be playing with twenty overs still to negotiate. The fulcrum of Ireland's reply was Niall O'Brien, who batted better than ever I can remember him doing for Kent. Azhar was unlucky not to have William Porterfield LBW, but the umpire was conned into giving Botha out caught at short leg off Mohammad Sami. It did not prove to be a talking point simply as Pakistan hadn't given themselves enough runs to play with. In the other game, Bangladesh's Mashrafe Mortaza took four wickets and then watched his batsmen chase down India's woeful 191 with nine balls to spare.

Sunday 18th March: Australia v Netherlands & Canada v England
Today's events were overshadowed by the news that Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, was found unconscious in his hotel room and later died in hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. One can hardly believe he is no longer with us. After both of Pakistan's defeats in this World Cup he looked disappointed, but by no means apoplectic. By all accounts, however, he suffered a heart attack and is now dead at the age of just 58. The way England played today - they beat Canada, though hardly convincingly - it seems ever more likely that Duncan Fletcher is a man on his way out. Woolmer, who never fulfilled his promise as a Test player (due to him throwing his lot in with Packer and, after that, rebel tours of South Africa), was tipped to succeed Fletcher. Sadly, we will never know what heights he might have taken England to, particularly in one-day cricket. The other talking point today was the disciplinary action taken against Andrew Flintoff, who got into difficulties in a pedalo after first becoming somewhat tired and emotional. It's one thing to be drunk on an open-top bus, it's another thing to be three sheets to the wind alone on a pedalo on the sea. When I first heard about it, I was right behind Fletcher's decision to make an example Flintoff, even though other players also broke team rules. My only reservation was that England could afford to be without him for today's match, but the fact that Flintoff has also been stripped of the vice-captaincy tells us all where he stands in Fletcher's eyes. Meanwhile, Australia march on following their brutal dismantling of the Netherlands.

Monday 19th March: Bermuda v India & West Indies v Zimbabwe
India did what was required against Bermuda today - firstly by posting the highest total in World Cup history and then registering the competition's biggest ever winning margin. A big win was crucial, because, assuming they beat Sri Lanka on Friday, things in Group B could well come down to net run rate. In the day's other contest, the West Indies overcame Zimbabwe with 13 balls to spare. The way Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell ran in with the new ball, it's no wonder that Ian Bradshaw can't get a look in for the West Indies. Given the quality of the opposition, it seemed as if Brian Lara opted to give Marlon Samuels an opportunity to show what he could do with the ball. On today's showing, however, Samuels still appears to be a potential weak link. The highlight of the hosts' response was Chris Gayle launching successive sixes off the first three balls of the fourteenth over. Unfortunately he could not repeat Herschelle Gibbs's exploits; but the way Tawanda Mupariwa brought things back with his last three balls was quite impressive. He and Sean Williams did enough today to suggest that the future of Zimbabwe cricket is not as bleak as it might otherwise seem. In Woolmer's absence, the wheels appear to be coming off the Pakistan machine. Inzamam announced his retirement from one-day cricket (though I don't know why he warranted the attention of three bodyguard-looking types as he got into the lift after the press conference). In addition, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Naseem Ashraf and the national team selection committee also tendered their resignations in the wake of their country's shock defeat to Ireland.

Tuesday 20th March: Scotland v South Africa & Kenya v New Zealand
It was my sister's birthday today. I won't reveal which one, suffice to say it was one of those landmark ones. It meant, however, that the only cricket I got to see this evening was the BBC's highlights package, which, at 11.15pm, started a bit earlier than normal. With both matches following form, events off the field have continued to take prominence. The cricket world is still coming to terms with the death of Bob Woolmer, plus there was the revelation that two of England's coaching staff - Kevin Shine and Jeremy Snape - were also involved in the "shenanigans" (as Freddie would term it) that led to Andrew Flintoff losing the vice-captaincy. The whole episode tells me two things - Duncan Fletcher has lost the respect of the England camp; and that he players are treating the World Cup like they would an end of season club tour. Their odds on winning the competition have lengthened accordingly. One team whose star is in the ascendancy is New Zealand, who made Kenya pay for some sloppy cricket today. Ross Taylor struck an attractive 85 off 107 balls, but, worryingly for the Kiwis, pulled up with a hamstring injury and needed to bat with a runner. With Fleming, Styris and McMillan also chipping in with fifties New Zealand posted an unassailable 331-7. In reply, the Kenyans slumped to 29-4, at which point the umpires should have called a halt to proceedings. In the other clash, Scotland's total of 186-8 was never going to be enough to tax South Africa, but the Scots were indebted to Dougie Brown's late assault, which enabled his side to collect 55 runs off the the last five overs.

Wednesday 21st March: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka & Pakistan v Zimbabwe
With the police authorities in Jamaica now treating the death of Bob Woolmer as suspicious, the former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has claimed that Woolmer was murdered as part of some match-fixing plot. It's not the first time Sarfraz has come out with something sensationalist and particularly unfeeling, and I'm sure it won't be the last. When I originally heard the news about Woolmer, the image of him consoling Imran Nazir after the opening match defeat to the West Indies leapt into my mind. It was fitting, therefore, that Nazir came of age as a Pakistan player today, hitting a thoroughly entertaining 160 off 121 balls in the 93-run victory over the hapless Zimbabweans. Tawanda Mupariwa once again looked the pick of Zimbabwe's attack, but the result means that both sides are now heading home. As expected, Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh. Looking at the Sri Lankans in the field, it seems as if I might have under-estimated their chances in this World Cup. As well as holding on to some decent catches, they pulled off two run outs. Mahela Jayawardene pounced at short fine leg to run out Habibul Bashar and, to finish things off, Tillakaratne Dilshan swooped in from mid-wicket to run out Syed Rasel. I also can't see many batsmen taking liberties against the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, who conceded just 15 runs in nine overs today and claimed the wicket of Saqibul Hasan with his doosra. Their showdown with India is now pivotal. If Sri Lanka were to win it, there would be every chance of them reaching the semi-finals, from where anything can happen.

Thursday 22nd March: Netherlands v Scotland & Canada v New Zealand
Speculation that Bob Woolmer did not die of natural causes was all over the morning papers. The Sun's John Etheridge put his name to a story entitled 'Killed By Pakistan Cricket'. In it, he claimed that if Woolmer had not taken the job of Pakistan coach he would still be alive today. The article was somewhat un-Etheridge-like, which got me wondering whether something very sinister actually did happen last weekend. Later, a story on the Daily Telegraph's website claimed that some of Woolmer's bones were broken and that his neck had been badly bruised. When I turned on the BBC's highlights programme, I was not, therefore, completely taken aback by the ghastly news that Woolmer's death is now being treated as murder. As Jonathan Agnew said tonight, this throws the future of the tournament into doubt. It is no longer a case of carrying on because "that's what Bob would have wanted." It is widely known that Jamaica is a dangerous place. I was first alerted to this when I read an article by Ian Wooldridge a few years ago, in which he said he would never go to Jamaica again unless ordered to by his editor. Indeed, just what the press have to put up with there was brought home to me when Graham Morris, the cricket photographer, told me that within an hour of checking into his hotel in Kingston in 2004 the telephone in his room rang and his welcome to the island was the first of many death threats. In the circumstances cricket holds no real interest, not just because it was another day of no real surprises. New Zealand's Brendon McCullum hit the fastest half-century in World Cup history - just a week after Mark Boucher's 21-baller against the Netherlands broke the previous record - as the Kiwis racked up 363-5 against Canada. Scotland were tame in defeat, but after collapsing to 39-5 their eventual total of 136 did show some sort of backbone.

Friday 23rd March: India v Sri Lanka & Ireland v West Indies
I felt sick to the pit of my stomach when I read this morning's papers. As there were no signs of forced entry to Bob Woolmer's hotel room, it is suspected that he knew his killer. In a worrying development, it was reported that the police were going to interview the entire Pakistan team and management. It has truly been a sad week for cricket, perhaps the saddest I can ever remember. Five years ago to the day we were all stunned by the news of Ben Hollioake's death. Heaven knows how my heart aches even now, but this goes so much wider. The outcome of today's matches was secondary, even though India's defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka almost certainly means they are out of the competition. For once, Upul Tharanga looked good against the new ball and Chamara Silva struck his third successive half-century for Sri Lanka. In reply, India were going along nicely until Sourav Ganguly threw his wicket away. Sachin Tendulkar, who was beaten for pace by Dilhara Fernando, failed to trouble the scorers. But, for me, the real turning point came when Yuvraj Singh was needlessly run out. Shortly afterwards the contest really was as good as over - the much lauded Mahendra Singh Dhoni not even waiting for the umpire's LBW decision as he recorded his second duck in three innings. In what was, in effect, an early Super Eight game the hosts brushed aside Ireland. Ian Bradshaw had a good first game of the tournament, while Marlon Samuels - who, again, batted brightly - continued to look like the weak link in the West Indies attack. Next up for the Windies, it's Australia. What a contest that promises to be.

Saturday 24th March: Australia v South Africa & England v Kenya
This morning Michael Vaughan came out and said he believes match-fixing is still going on in international cricket. He said: "There are bad things I've seen in certain passages of games." Is referring to Pakistan's defeat against Ireland, I wonder? When you view it with a sceptical eye, one would have to conclude that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Imran Nazir's crucial dismissals were pretty tame. In contrast, there was no quarter given in today's showdown between Australia and South Africa. Matthew Hayden teed things off by hitting the fastest century in World Cup history. With Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke also contributing nineties, the current holders set the new number one rated team a target of 378. South Africa were on course to get it until A.B. De Villiers was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Shane Watson at deep square leg. That gave the Aussies their first breakthrough in the 21st over. They didn't look back after that. It was an awesome performance, which confirmed it will take something very special to deny Australia a World Cup treble. There was also no suspicion of England's convincing victory over Kenya being fixed. Thanks to a delightful 75 from Ed Joyce and an unbeaten Kevin Pietersen half-century, England romped home with ten overs to spare. James Anderson, Andrew Flintoff and Monty Panesar led the way with the ball, but one could argue that we know what they are all capable of. With Ravi Bopara being given just one over, it is impossible to tell whether he represents a better all-round option than Jamie Dalrymple. Also, Ian Bell's habit of getting out after making a start continues. In his last 17 ODI innings the Warwickshire batsman has reached double figures on 13 occasions, but has gone on to make fifty just three times.

Sunday 25th March: Bangladesh v Bermuda
As anticipated, Bangladesh proved too great a handful for the ultimate whipping boys, Bermuda. However, I felt that as there was still something riding on the outcome, it was a bit uncalled for to turn the game, in effect, into a Twenty20 contest just so that everyone could have a day off tomorrow. When the match did get underway, it was not long before the Bermudans were in trouble at 11 for three, with David Hemp being caught square on the off-side for a duck. This tournament has not been the ideal limber-up to the new season in England for the Glamorgan skipper. Saleem Mukuddem caused a very slight flap in the Bangladesh camp when he accounted for Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed and Shahriar Nafees, but once Mukuddem's five overs were spent there was only ever going to be one victor. New Zealand's World Cup chances were dealt a blow today, with the news that Lou Vincent will be taking no further part. The Kiwis can ill afford losing the services of their 28-year-old opener to a broken wrist; inflicted by fellow team-mate Shane Bond during a net session. Peter Fulton is being tipped to replace Vincent at the top of the order, but that inevitably leaves the Kiwis exposed lower down. Hamish Marshall has been called-up. Although his recent record in ODIs is modest - he averages 9.11 from his last nine innings - Surrey fans will no doubt recall him making an unbeaten century under lights for Gloucestershire at the end of last season.

Tuesday 27th March: West Indies v Australia
There can have been few better World Cup innings than the one Matthew Hayden played today for Australia. Written off as a one-day batsman last year, the veteran Queenslander was the fulcrum of the visitors' massive total of 322-6; which will take some beating tomorrow (weather permitting). Hayden's second successive hundred contained 14 fours and four sixes, including a one-handed effort off a ball that Marlon Samuels got to turn away from the tall left-hander. Chris Gayle's off-spin came in for some punishment, but Jerome Taylor, who had previously gone at 4.17 per over, conceded 67 off his ten. It's reassuring to learn that I'm not the only one who believes Duncan Fletcher should be replaced as the England manager. The editor of Wisden, Matthew Engel no less, has also said it is time for a change. One piece of good news - if you can call it that - is that Kevin Pietersen has knocked Mike Hussey off the top of the one-day batting rankings. This, of course, is due, in part, to the fact that I have money on Hussey being the tournament's leading run-scorer. So far he has "amassed" just eleven runs in three innings. But coming back to Pietersen, and Fletcher for that matter, why do England continue to bat Pietersen at number four? In one-day cricket, surely it makes sense to give your best batsman the chance of facing the full quota of overs. In today's edition of the Times there was a picture of Pietersen and Paul Collingwood perched on a precipice overlooking Kaieteur Falls in Guyana. If it had given way beneath them, England's prospects in this World Cup would also have plummeted.

Wednesday 28th March: West Indies v Australia & South Africa v Sri Lanka
By the time I arrived home from work the held over contest between the hosts and Australia was all but done and dusted. Judging by the highlights, Shivnarine Chanderpaul copped a stinker of a decision early on, but thereafter some of the shot selection bordered on the brainless. When Brian Lara went, leaving the West Indies 156-6 in the 36th over, the writing was on the wall. Australia have won their first four matches by an average margin of 154.5 runs, which is emphatic by anybody's standards. The new series of The Apprentice - the best non-sports programme on television bar none - started tonight, which left me with a decision to make. Should I watch the end of the Sri Lanka v South Africa contest or watch sixteen cut-throats attack the first task of the third series, which turned out to be selling coffee? With South Africa seemingly on course for a comfortable victory, I chose the latter. Imagine my surprise, then, when I heard that Lasith Malinga had almost pulled the game out the fire for the Sri Lankans by claiming four wickets in as many balls; the first time such a feat has ever been achieved in international cricket. The Proteas just needed four to win with five wickets in hand when Malinga went to work. At the start of the South Africans' response, Graeme Smith looked mightily relieved to have dug out the first ball he received from Malinga; whose action makes him one of the most difficult bowlers for new batsman to pick up. The key to the match was Smith's second-wicket partnership of 94 in sixteen overs with Jacques Kallis. If Mahela Jayawardene had given Farveez Maharoof a second slip early on, Kallis would be been back in the pavilion with just six to his name. Instead, the history books will say that he top-scored with 86.

Thursday 29th March: West Indies v New Zealand
It emerged today that there could be an Al Qaeda link to Bob Woolmer's murder. Following on from the news that, thanks to the Pegasus Hotel's CCTV system, the police in Jamaica have been able to identify all of the people entering and leaving the corridor on the same floor as Woolmer's room, some reports allege the Pakistan coach was visited by Indian bookmaker Kamal Chaddha and the two had got into an argument. Chaddha, who has since disappeared, is said to be a known associate of Dawood Ibrahim, who is wanted for supplying funds to Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, the West Indies were in action for the third day running. However, judging by today's performance their batsmen need to work on their technique with the likes of Malinga and Muralitharan to face next. The toss probably did have a big say today, but the hosts played the extra batsman (although you wouldn't have known it). As the Aussies have shown, big totals aren't all about fours and sixes. New Zealand eased home with more than ten overs up their sleeves. It was noticeable that the West Indies didn't have much backing from the crowd for the simple reason there wasn't one. Apparently, this is due to the ICC's ticket pricing policy. Perhaps the ICC put one of Alan Sugar's apprentices in charge of it. What Antiguans there were, were too busy watching Gravy and the sideshows when Daren Powell broke through Peter Fulton's defences second ball! With Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka expected to finish top of the Super Eight table (in that order), games like today's one could well have a bearing on who joins them in the semi-finals.

Friday 30th March: Ireland v England
England completed their warm-up programme today by beating Ireland. Once again, Michael Vaughan's men were less than convincing, but a win's a win. With 94 runs coming from their last ten overs, England finished with a respectable 266-7. Against Canada, their last ten overs produced 98 runs, so there isn't a problem with how they finish, it's just how they start. When England last did well in a World Cup tournament, way back in 1992, Ian Botham was promoted up the batting order. Perhaps Vaughan should consider making Andrew Flintoff or Kevin Pietersen his opening partner. One of the plus points today was Vaughan bringing himself on to bowl, which he did to good effect. I reckon the idea occurred to him when he saw the metronomic Kyle McCallan tie up one end. McCallan finished with 1-38 from his ten overs; accounting for Pietersen, who became bogged down. However, the pick of the Irish attack was Boyd Rankin, who will be playing for Derbyshire this summer. England's attack could do with some cutting edge. In the end, the game nearly went the full distance. I can't help feeling that if Ireland had been chasing over 300, they would have taken more risks and got bowled out for around 175. Another change to the batting order worth considering would be to switch Bell and Bopara around. Bopara will either come off or he won't, whereas it would be better to have Bell around if England lose early wickets. Meanwhile, Ian Chappell has come out and said he believes India's Sachin Tendulkar should retire from international cricket. I wonder what that does for Tendulkar's relationship with the India coach, Greg Chappell, who is, of course, Chappell's brother.

Saturday 31st March: Australia v Bangladesh
Matthew Hayden failed to maintain his century-making run today, but, then, he and Adam Gilchrist were only chasing a winning target of 105. With the match reduced to 22 overs per side, Ricky Ponting chose to insert Australia's opponents for once. Now, is it my impression, but is Ponting talking faster than ever? At both the coin toss and the awards ceremony, it was hard to make out what he was saying he was talking so quickly. As expected, Glenn McGrath became the leading wicket-taker in World Cup history today, by capturing the wickets of Shahriar Nafees and Aftab Ahmed. But, in truth, Bangladesh's top order really had no idea how to pace their innings. From that perspective, they were not helped by the local mopping up arrangements. Antigua only has one Whale, and that broke down and had to be towed by the heavy roller. So, in an attempt to speed things up, some of the ground staff were issued with sponges! The Australians hardly broke sweat today, though. The only downside from their point of view was seeing the injury-dogged Shane Watson limp off with a torn calf muscle. With their plethora of stars, it's easy, perhaps, to dismiss the part Watson plays. Lest we forget, it was his running out of AB de Villiers that turned Australia's clash with South Africa on it's head. Finally, I see Ireland's Boyd Rankin hopes to be a regular for Derbyshire this summer. He will have to work on his fitness, though. He only managed seven overs yesterday, before retiring with cramp.

Sunday 1st April: West Indies v Sri Lanka
On the day a memorial service was held in Lahore in memory of Bob Woolmer, the tournament hosts discovered that their opening day victory against Woolmer's Pakistan side was merely a false dawn. The fact that of the Pakistan players have had their central contracts suspended appears to be unrelated. However, the West Indies' form does suggest that Group D was by far the weakest. Meanwhile, the theories as to the circumstances of Woolmer's death continue to emerge. The latest range from him dying of natural causes and falling on to the edge of his bath (which would explain how he came to break a bone in his neck) to him being poisoned. A number of the Sunday papers have criticised the lack of spectators so far in this World Cup. Most scathing of all was Scyld Berry, who wrote in the Telegraph: "Most matches have been occasions devoid of vitality or colour - not 'occasions' at all. Hospitals in Britain should seriously consider asking the organisers of this World Cup to take control because they are world-class experts in creating sanitised, indeed sterile, environments." On the pitch, Sanath Jayasuriya's inspired run continued. He has now made five centuries in 23 ODIs. During the same period he has only gone past 35 on four other occasions. Things began to unravel for hosts when Jayasuriya was joined by Mahela Jayawardene. The West Indies resorted to ensuring that Jayawardene kept the strike, until, that is, he cut loose as well. Jayasuriya and Jayawardene's third wicket alliance was worth 183 in 30 overs; which was almost as much as Brian Lara's men managed in total. Lara's own contribution was curtailed by a quick piece of work by Kumar Sangakkara and Simon Taufel's anything but quick deliberation over a variety of slow motion replays.

Tuesday 2nd April: Bangladesh v New Zealand
Today, I did something I never thought I'd do during this World Cup. I put money on England to win the tournament. The odds were 17-1, so I only risked a couple on quid on it. But if England do manage to beat Sri Lanka (it's a big if, I know), then they will be facing Australia, who are virtually guaranteed to make the last four, followed by Bangladesh and West Indies, who now have nothing to play for, save pride. So, England's crunch Super Eight matches are against the Sri Lankans on Wednesday, and South Africa in a fortnight's time. In effect, therefore it's a 17-1 bet on them winning two games to reach the semi-finals; after which it's in the lap of the gods. But just when I get a positive vibe about England's chances, I see all of the players have been given the day off because the wives and girlfriends have flown into town! On the pitch, Bangladesh didn't really get going until the last pair came together, managing just 174 with Michael Douglas, sorry I mean Scott Styris, picking up 4-43. In reply, Stephen Fleming played wonderfully, as did Hamish Marshall who, as I said in this diary, is not the mug with the bat his recent ODI record would suggest. Fleming had a couple of minor scares early on, nearly being caught at mid-off and then edging one past his off stump for four. After that, however, he never looked back, guiding his team to victory with more than 20 overs to spare with an unbeaten century. Not for the first time, it was noticeable how few spectators there were at today's contest. They should make it official, the ICC could not organise a beer tasting in a brewery. I reckon last year's Sanford Twenty20 tournament, to which the West Indies played host, had bigger crowds.

Tuesday 3rd April: Ireland v South Africa
I popped down to the Oval today to interview the Surrey manager, Alan Butcher, for the Croydon Advertiser. Afterwards I had a chat with Nathan Ross, the club's press liaison man, who, for those who don't know him, is as Australian as they come. To my surprise he was worried about the Aussies' chances in the World Cup. He reckoned that if Hayden and Gilchrist continue making all of the runs, Australia could go into the last four with an untried middle order. If they came up against Bond or Malinga, it would just take a bit of a collapse and the Aussies would be exposed. As a theory it carries some weight, but I don't think there are too many people who can see the trophy heading anywhere other than down under again. On the pitch today, it was Ireland versus South Africa, or as some said South Africa versus South Africa. As a contest it was never likely to set the pulse racing, especially given the focus on tomorrow's pivotal clash between England and Sri Lanka. The match was reduced to 35 overs per side. Shaun Pollock was unerringly accurate with the new ball, but even after he had been seen off the Irish failed to make a competitive total. Ireland had some early joy when AB de Villiers was caught at backward point before scoring, but with Jacques Kallis leaning into some full blooded off-side strokes the Proteas were soon off and running. Had it not been for Trent Johnston taking a brilliant return catch, Graeme Smith could well have accompanied Kallis through to the conclusion. Kallis very nearly became a caught and bowled victim himself and looked somewhat fortunate to survive an lbw shout from Andrew White, but South Africa ran out comfortable winners.

Wednesday 4th April: England v Sri Lanka
Tonight's instalment of The Apprentice coincided with a fitting finish to a match that looked pivotal to the semi-final picture; and so, in that regard, didn't disappoint. Unlike some, I had every faith in Ravi Bopara and Paul Nixon, even though they needed 49 off the last five when I turned over to watch Alan Sugar set the contestants the task of coming up with a novelty dog item. Watching the highlights, therefore, when Bopara reverse swept Muttiah Muralitharan for six and then four to make the equation 19 off two, I suppose it was hard to understand how Sri Lanka managed to win. Some will say that Dilhara Fernando was out of order to pull out of bowling the final delivery, but there was no problem with the over-rate and the move ultimately made Fernando's mind up in terms of where to aim the last ball. In hindsight, Michael Vaughan's decision to put Sri Lanka into bat was probably a mistake; but, when they happened, it was clear that Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen's dismissals were critical moments in the game. Neither need lose any sleep over the way they got out; nor should Paul Collingwood, who was trapped leg before by Fernando. However, the less said about Andrew Flintoff's departure the better. It isn't working for him with the bat. Perhaps England would be better served if the Lancashire all-rounder moved up to open with Vaughan. Anyway, there's now a two-day break for Easter. One hopes the England squad will use it to mastermind a fourth victory on the trot against Australia. With the WAGS around, however, I have my doubts. The Aussies and Kiwis, on the other hand, have made it public that they won't be entertaining such distractions until the tournament is over.

Saturday 7th April: Bangladesh v South Africa
Let's hope nobody looks at today's result and accuses the teams of match-fixing. It was just what the competition needed. The only thing I could question was South Africa's decision to bat first. Mohammad Ashraful's innings was absolutely superb, although he should have been given caught behind off Graeme Smith in the 29th over. If only umpire Mark Benson had heard the massive nick, who knows how things might have turned out? Ashraful played the scoop sweep to perfection. Thanks to him, and, to no small degree, Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh went from 181-6 after 43 overs to 251-8; thus ensuring that they went into the second half of the match with momentum on their side. Andre Nel picked up his first ODI five-fer, but Makhaya Ntini showed that he really doesn't have a slower ball and Charl Langeveldt was expensive for the first time in a while. With the bat, the Proteas showed that they haven't shrugged off their "bottlers" tag. Only Herschelle Gibbs, on one leg, did anything to speak of. Kallis's dismissal was embarrassing for a player of his ilk. Justin Kemp wasn't in two minds as much as in three. Mark Boucher hit a wonderful six and, for a moment, one thought here is the man who's going to win it for South Africa; but then he too holed out. Hats off to Dav Whatmore, who has done a great job with Bangladesh. Perhaps he's the man, rather than Tom Moody, capable of rejuvenating England as a one-day force. One shouldn't forget, also, that the Tigers are mourning their former team-mate Manjural Islam, who was killed in a road accident a few weeks back. It wouldn't surprise me if Bangladesh cause another upset before the tournament is over. After all they're yet to meet England and the West Indies; in actual fact the two teams that can take new impetus from today's result. The word coming out of the England camp is that Andrew Strauss will open against Australia. But why? Strauss's recent ODI record is desperate (just one score over 28 in his last 11 innings). Even if he does get a score he'll use up overs that Pietersen, Bopara, Collingwood and Nixon would all make better use of. I cannot see Strauss making any difference whatsoever and, if anything, England will miss Joyce in the field.

Sunday 8th April: Australia v England
For once, England's lack of runs couldn't be blamed on their top order, though that was probably because Vaughan and, as I predicted, Strauss, barely inconvenienced the scorers. Today should have belonged to Kevin Pietersen. At the start England would have taken him scoring a hundred, but they wouldn't have taken a total of 247 on what looked like the best pitch for batting so far. Pietersen became the first batsman in the tournament to make a century against Australia. With Ian Bell hitting 77 off 90 balls, the third-wicket produced a stand of 140. Crucially, the last twenty overs of England's innings produced just 81 runs. Pietersen was dropped on 50 and 63, but he deserved his luck. Things became a bit heated during his knock, which I never regard as a totally bad thing. It shows that both sides are genuinely competing. Ricky Ponting said afterwards that the match was closer than it looked. Come on, Hussey and Hodge weren't even called upon to bat. Then again, Ponting's Australians haven't exactly been tested so far, so I guess, relatively speaking, today's contest probably felt close. Michael Vaughan's verdict was: "We are very, very close to being a really good one-day team." Who's he kidding? If you haven't got a proven partnership breaker - a Bond or a Malinga if you like - then you are nowhere near being a really good one-day team. That said, who knows the significance of umpire Billy Bowden not deciding to give Matthew Hayden out lbw in the first over of the Aussies' reply. The other day Bowden was spotted in the crowd by the TV cameras brandishing a white stick - now we know why. As well as Flintoff bowled it could not make up for yet another failure with the bat on his part.

Monday 9th April: Ireland v New Zealand
As disappointing as England's defeat to Australia was, it seems to have made little difference to their chances of winning the tournament by dint of Bangladesh placing a spanner in the works when they beat South Africa. Having backed England at 17-1 the other day, I see today that their price is now 18-1. They have to win their three remaining matches comfortably, but if they keep positive, anything's still possible. At yesterday's game Prince Harry was seen with his attractive girlfriend Chelsy Davy. No doubt she is attracted to the Prince's stunning good looks. But seriously, I thought he was supposed to be in training for a tour of duty in Iraq. It seems the British army have the same approach to training as the England cricket team - just when it really matters, they give themselves a break. On the domestic front it was good to see Marcus Trescothick making a double-century in a warm-up game for Somerset. Okay, so the opposition was Devon, but on the evidence of this World Cup, England need Trescothick back. As the competition bade farewell to Guyana and looked ahead to warm welcomes in Grenada and Barbados, New Zealand batted with authority, apart from a shaky period either side of the rain break. Peter Fulton led the way with a mature 83, but Brendon McCullum and James Franklin's 71-run and seven over alliance provided the icing on the cake for the Kiwis, who took full advantage of Andre Botha's absence. In response, the O'Brien brothers put Ireland back in contention after they made a dodgy start, but when the siblings were separated, in the 29th over, the outcome was all too predictable. New Zealand needed only nine more overs to wrap things up, as the last seven Irish wickets mustered just 24 runs.

Tuesday 10th April: West Indies v South Africa
South Africa put their defeat to Bangladesh well and truly behind them today by effectively ending the West Indians' hopes of reaching the last four. Thanks to a maiden one-day international hundred from AB de Villiers - an innings of 146 that included five sixes on what appeared to be a bigger than average ground - and half-centuries from Kallis, Gibbs and Boucher, the Proteas racked up a massive 356-4. It was always going to be a tall order, but before the West Indies' openers, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, had even faced a ball, Tony Cozier really laid into the attitude of the host team. Apparently, at various times throughout the tournament, a number of their players have been seen out until all hours of the morning the night before a game. It is well known on the circuit that the West Indies' players enjoy a party as well as female company. Nevertheless it was very unlike Cozier to be openly critical of the West Indians live on television, as opposed to in print. He also criticised their levels of fitness - they no longer have a fitness guru - and fielding, which, according to Cozier, the team are paying hardly any attention to in training. In short he felt that by failing to prepare the West Indies had prepared to fail. To their credit, Devon Smith and then Ramnaresh Sarwan gave it a really good go, but the truth of the matter was that the hosts' chances had been earlier undermined by their wayward bowlers. By this time tomorrow, England might, in effect, also be out of the World Cup. Duncan Fletcher has said that Michael Vaughan will play come what may. One thing you can't accuse Fletcher of is disloyalty. However, having his favourites could well end up being Fletcher's downfall. Rumours that Tom Moody has been lined-up as the next England manager aren't going away. Moody is said not to have decided yet about staying on as Sri Lanka's coach.

Wednesday 11th April: England v Bangladesh
After the announcement yesterday that players will be able to refer decisions to the TV umpire in this season's Friends Provident Trophy, Dickie Bird has apparently predicted that umpires will become glorified hat stands. Judging by the number of lbw decisions they have been giving in this World Cup - or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, not giving - they've become glorified hat stands already. I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of run outs or stumping appeals that haven't been referred to the third umpire during this tournament. On the pitch today, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss played as well as I can remember them doing of late, although both failed to capitalise on decent starts. The departure of Kevin Pietersen felt like a turning point, but nowhere near as much as when Andrew Flintoff and Ravi Bopara fell to Mohammad Rafique in the 32nd over with 33 still needed. Needing to hold on, the two Pauls - Collingwood and Nixon - took no chances guiding England to victory with just five and a bit overs to spare. Earlier, having been put in, Bangladesh slumped to 65-6 before recovering to post a target of 143 thanks to Saqibul Hasan's unbeaten 57 and a total of ten wides. Sajid Mahmood may have carried off the man of the match award, but, for me, the pick of England's attack was Monty Panesar. Finally, I was extremely impressed with the refurbished Kensington Oval. Its facilities look a match for any cricket ground in the world. It's just a shame that today's wicket wasn't a particularly good one for one-day cricket.

Thursday 12th April: Sri Lanka v New Zealand
Today, the illusion that New Zealand are one of the best teams in this World Cup was destroyed by Sri Lanka. Prior to this contest the Kiwis hadn't come up against any of the other three sides expected to make the semi-finals. One hopes it was just a bad day at the office, for England could do with New Zealand bouncing back against South Africa on Saturday. Had it not been for Scott Styris's unbeaten 111 off 157 balls the Kiwis' confidence would now be totally shot. As it is, the bowling of James Franklin and Mark Gillespie, which failed to complement that of Shane Bond today, must be a big concern. As I thought, Lasith Malinga wasn't missed by Sri Lanka. Farveez Maharoof, who I thought was unlucky against South Africa, came back into the side and it was business as usual with both Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan right on the money again. However, it would be wrong of me to suggest that Malinga is surplus to requirements. Should the Sri Lankans go head to head with Australia in the final or semi-finals, he could hold the key to them winning the tournament. The prognosis is that "the Slinga" will be fit again by then, though I find it hard to believe it takes a fortnight to get over torn ankle ligaments. Meanwhile, the fall out of Pakistan's exit continues. Umar Gul has been told he cannot honour his contract to play for Gloucestershire this season, while Danish Kaneira and Younis Khan are also said to be unlikely to turn out for Essex and Yorkshire. Yorkshire are playing Surrey next Wednesday, so let's hope it takes Younis at least a week to smooth things out with his Board.

Friday 13th April: Australia v Ireland
It may have been Friday the thirteenth, but the World Cup saw no mishaps. But let's face it, today's fixture was never likely to yield any surprises and, in truth, it wasn't a contest. Everything was all done and dusted soon after I arrived home from the office. Despite the match finishing in half the time, Sky tried their best to hold on to the viewers' attention by discussing the merits of a team like Ireland qualifying for the Super Eights. Paul Allott described today's fixture as an Eights match that had nothing super about it. He went on to say that the ICC needed to look at how Ireland could qualify from the group stage; adding that future tournaments should be arranged in such a way that the same thing cannot happen again. But I had to agree with Charles Colville - which must be something of a first - when he said that everyone knew the score, except India and, to put it mildly, Pakistan, just did not follow the script. On the pitch, my man, Mike Hussey, got some runs under his belt; but I kissed goodbye to my bet on him finishing as the tournament's leading run-scorer a long time ago. But other than Hussey's unbeaten 30, today's game was completely irrelevant. Turning to the papers and the web, Mark Ramprakash has quite rightly blamed Duncan Fletcher for England's indifferent showing so far in the tournament. I'm sure Mark feels that even if Fletcher stays on as manager, nothing he says about him will spoil his chances of a Test recall. Ramprakash has also said he thinks Andrew Flintoff should open for the batting for England. It just goes to show that great minds think alike (see my diary entries dated 30 March and 4 April).

More soon...

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