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MARCUS HOOK'S WORLD CUP DIARY 2007 (PART TWO)

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.


Graeme Smith drives on his way to
making 91 off just 65 balls against
Scotland

A Pakistan fan at today's match		 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.


Scotland's Ryan Watson is caught
and bowled by the Netherlands'
Tim de Leede

Is this how we will remember the
Little Master? Sachin Tendulkar is
cleaned up by Sri Lanka's Dilhara
Fernando		 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.


AB de Villiers is run out by a direct
hit from deep square leg as the
game turns in St.Kitts

Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim and
Mohammad Ashraful celebrate during
their team's win over Bermuda
 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.


The cream of England's batting
perched on a precipice overlooking
Kaieteur Falls

Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga celebrates
taking the wicket of Makhaya Ntini,
his fourth in as many balls		 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.

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