MARCUS HOOK'S WORLD CUP DIARY 2003

Sunday 9 February: South Africa v West Indies
First day, first match, first upset. In the preview I put on ovalworld-online.com I questioned whether Brian Lara was in the right sort of shape for this World Cup. Well, today I think I got my answer. His 116 guided the West Indies out of trouble and to the respectability of 278 for five, which was always going to take some getting under lights. But how many of the South Africans brought about their own downfall? Also, how might things have turned out had Jacques Kallis held that half chance at second slip early in the great man’s innings? Lance Klusener made up for his poor showing with the ball, but after getting his side into a position where they needed 14 off the last two, one could argue he too was guilty of going for glory. In the lead up to the competition a number of observers had put the West Indies down as their dark horses, me included; though certainly not to win it. I felt they were capable of sneaking into the semis, but now, well, who knows? The hosts represent a huge scalp. Sri Lanka are not the side they were in 1996 and the Kiwis are yet to win a one-day international on South African soil. One thing is for sure, today’s result makes tomorrow’s Pool B contest a ‘must win’ for both teams. Despite an indication that England were going to announce whether they would be going to Zimbabwe, no decision was forthcoming. Although I cannot possibly put myself in the shoes of the players, if there is a chance that the people of Harare will take to the streets on Thursday, I wouldn’t want it on my conscience if things turned ugly.

Monday 10 February: Sri Lanka v New Zealand and Zimbabwe v Namibia
Andy Flower and Henry Olonga’s black armband protest against Zimbabwe's plight, made during today’s game against Namibia, took a lot of bottle. I hope they will not get leant on because of it, either by the ICC, the ZCU or, above all, those friends of Robert Mugabe who have a habit of popping around in the middle of the night. Craig Wishart’s unbeaten 172 against the team which seems to have more burgers than MacDonald’s was truly awesome. I know it’s a bit early to get carried away, but his clean hitting would have got runs against any attack. Perhaps this tournament has come at the right time for the 28-year-old. Watching the match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, I found myself wondering whether the art of keeping wicket was dead. Sides that bat all the way down are obviously better equipped for the one-day game, but what is the benefit of playing batsmen who can keep in place of keepers who can bat? If Lou Vincent had held one of chances offered by Sanath Jayasuriya perhaps the result would have been different. Scott Styris was one of the unfortunate bowlers. If he had captured the wicket of Sri Lanka’s captain in addition to making an amazing 141 off 125 balls the man of the match adjudicator would have been out of a job. When Stryris opened the 46th over with his sixth maximum the thought that New Zealand could still win it popped into my head. But, next ball, he was caught at deep square leg and that was that. In the final analysis the wicket of Cairns was crucial, as was Astle’s probably. If either had shown a bit more presence of mind the Kiwis would not now be contemplating a trip to Nairobi. Talking of which, England still have not reached a decision over the Zimbabwe game. Consequently, I am now starting to get fed up with the whole sorry saga.

Tuesday 11 February: Australia v Pakistan and Bangladesh v Canada
Now we know why the Aussies are so good – they’re all on performance enhancing drugs! But seriously, the news that Shane Warne has failed a drugs test appears to have robbed the World Cup of one of its star attractions. The 33-year-old leg spinner is said to have taken a fluid-reducing diuretic given to him by his mother. The fact that the one he took, Moduretic, is also used by athletes to cloak drug use could mean that Warne is looking at a lengthy ban; which throws his obligations to Hampshire into some doubt. Diuretics are often prescribed for weight loss, but Warne insists he did not take it for that purpose. Why then did he take the tablet at all? Moreover, why didn’t he find out if it was on the list of banned substances? Events off the field overshadowed the cricket when it was also announced that Thursday’s match between England and Zimbabwe is definitely off. In an effort to get the fixture moved England will apparently give some more evidence to the ICC’s technical committee, but I cannot see it happening somehow. On the pitch, the only contest of any consequence was the Australia-Pakistan clash at Johannesburg, in which Pakistan started brightly. But, having accounted for Gilchrist, Hayden and Martyn inside the first eleven overs to reveal what appeared to be a brittle lower order, Andy Symonds came to the fore with a superb 143 off 125 balls. Had it not been for the absence of Bevan, Lehmann and Warne, it is unlikely that Symonds, Hogg and Harvey – who added in 124 in 17 overs between them – would have got a game. Andy Symonds has always been a dangerous player. In both of Surrey’s meetings with Kent last season the Queenslander was guilty of throwing his wicket away. Had he pressed home the advantage he built up in the first innings at Canterbury, the outcome there may well have been very different. As someone who placed a fiver on Pakistan winning the tournament, I was not exactly to see Wasim Akram berating his fieldsmen, not to mention Waqar Younis resorting to bowling beamers. Should India fail to cause an upset on Saturday, I can easily see the Aussies going through the whole tournament without dropping a game.

Wednesday 12 February: South Africa v Kenya and India v Holland
Having been cleared earlier today of racially abusing Adam Gilchrist, now Pakistan’s Rashid Latif is threatening to sue the Aussie keeper. Just what is the game coming to? I am a firm believer that what is said on a cricket field should stay on the cricket field. That’s why I thought it was so refreshing on Ben Hollioake’s international debut in 1997 that he described his exchange with Glenn McGrath as simply “him bowling and me batting.” After Canada’s surprise 60-run victory over Bangladesh yesterday, there were no such upsets today. South Africa’s ten-wicket win over Kenya was achieved with more than 28 overs to spare. The ominous news for their opponents was that Herschelle Gibbs – who struck 87 in 66 deliveries – seems to have found his range. Apart from Jonty Rhodes sustaining a broken hand in the field, which sadly puts him out of the rest of the tournament, the only thing that will be of concern to the hosts was a somewhat lacklustre three-over spell from Jacques Kallis. In the other match, India failed to make use of all their overs. All-rounder Tim de Leede took four for 35, including the prized wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, as the star-studded Indian batting line-up played rather too positively against some accurate Dutch bowling. But that was before Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble put their side’s total into a certain amount of context.

Thursday 13 February: West Indies v New Zealand
With no England-Zimbabwe game only one contest took place today, but what a turn up for the books it was! After their opening matches, most people would have made the West Indians favourites. Apart from McCullum and Adams’s late charge, which saw 53 runs come off the last 43 deliveries of New Zealand’s innings, everything was going more or less to plan for the West Indies until, that is, Andre Adams took three wickets in 15 balls. Sandwiched in between these was the crucial run out of Brian Lara. With just one stump to aim at, you cannot tell me Lou Vincent took aim before arrowing the ball in from the mid-wicket boundary. It was a real 100-1 chance, but the kind that has turned tournaments in the past. A feature of the West Indies’ performance on Sunday was Powell and Sarwan clouting runs down the order. This time it was Sarwan and Jacobs who fought back. But, coming together at six wickets down with 162 needed off thirty, it was asking a bit too much. I was far from pleased to see headlines on the internet like ‘White scare for England’ and ‘D-day for White’ today. How can England get to this point and not be sure of the guy’s fitness? They left it as late as possible before confirming he would take his place in the squad. Now we might have to send for Adam Hollioake again. Whatever one thinks of the Craig White, he could be a crucial player for England. After not playing today, as it is they face an uphill task. I just wonder whether the Yorkshireman has been totally honest as to the extent of his injury.

Friday 14 February: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
So, who has got Chaminda Vaas in their Oval World fantasy team? Yep, that’s right – me! Bangladesh continued to do themselves no favours. Their record since being granted Test status is not exactly flattering. So, to lose tamely to both Canada and now Sri Lanka, one wonders whether they are capable of overcoming the Kenyans, who hinted against South Africa that they are capable of putting runs on the board. After today’s match Sanath Jayasuriya highlighted the deficiencies of his support bowlers, but as I wrote in my preview there is basically little he can do about it. Instead of blaming his tools, it is a question of how the Sri Lankan captain combines the potency of Vaas and Muralitharan with what else is at his disposal. Since the Aussies have asked whether they can call in a replacement for Shane Warne, I guess the chances of him being allowed to play again before the tournament is over are pretty slim. Actually, I really ought to word that a bit better. But, thinking about it, no!

Saturday 15 February: Australia v India and Kenya v Canada
I was not in the least surprised to hear that the ICC had turned down England’s appeal and awarded all of the bonus points available from their fixture in Harare to Zimbabwe. After the events of the past few weeks, the ICC would have looked fairly stupid if they had done anything else. I am glad England have chosen not to take the matter any further. Perhaps, now, we can get on with the cricket. At the end of the day, our boys can be proud that they have ignored the financial consequences and made a moral stand; which is more than anyone else is likely to do. I just hope there are no repercussions for this summer’s Test and ODI fixture list. The county game cannot afford a revenue shortfall of £2 million let alone £10 million. In the first of today’s games India started positively against the Aussies, making 41 off the first seven before Jason Gillespie caused the wheels to come off. One wonders whether Rahul Dravid would get in the side if it were not for his keeping. One run off 23 balls at number four in the order would have set the Indians back regardless of how the others did. But, again, the Aussies were in a class of their own. To think that Andy Bichel hasn’t even had a game yet just serves to underline their supremacy. Assuming India and Pakistan progress to the Super Six along with Australia, Ricky Ponting’s men are effectively through to the semi-finals! In the other match played today Canada’s Ian Billcliff was impressive once more, but even though Kenya ran out narrow winners the player who really caught my eye was another Canadian – John Davison, who took three for 15 in his ten overs with his off-spin after stroking a quick 31 to open up proceedings.

Sunday 16 February: South Africa v New Zealand, England v Holland and Pakistan v Namibia
The news that Nasser Hussain is considering his international future doesn’t come as a surprise, nor does it worry me particularly. A journalist quite close to Hussain told me halfway through last season that, with a young family, this could well be the England skipper’s last winter away from home. But it makes for a great story if you are scoop monger. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that New Zealand had beaten South Africa by nine wickets. When I left the pub half an hour before the Palace-Leeds FA Cup tie kicked off, all I remember seeing was the ball flying to all parts off the flashing blade of Herschelle Gibbs. If life was fair, an innings of 143 at more than a run a ball should be rewarded with victory. I do like the look of Scott Styris, though. To concede just 44 in ten overs in the face of such an onslaught was some achievement. If tonight’s highlights are anything to go by it was Stephen Fleming’s day. As well as being dropped on 54, the ball always seemed to be in the right place for him to hit. It was either a case of undisciplined bowling, bad field placement or possibly both. Despite a crowd of 35,000, you could hear a pin drop at times. The result means there is a good chance the Kiwis won’t need to play Kenya after all, and to go into the Super Six looking really secure they could do with Sri Lanka losing to the hosts on 3 March. Now, just where would England be without Jimmy Anderson? Sure, the absence of Darren Gough is a blow, but would the Yorkshireman have produced a better opening spell? Regardless of the opposition, four for 25 in ten straight is a superb effort, not to mention being the best World Cup figures by an Englishman for more than twenty years. I was relieved to see Craig White getting through his ten overs against Holland. It was also nice to see Knight and Vaughan get some runs under their belts, but the manner of Trescothick and Flintoff’s dismissals did little to suggest that England are likely to win their last three Pool A games. Today’s other Pool A fixture saw Pakistan blow Namibia away, though not before they had made heavy work of 255 for nine. Like India on Wednesday their batsmen were guilty of trying to force the pace. Talking of pace the Pakistanis needed just two bowlers, apart from four deliveries from Saqlain Mushtaq, to polish off the Nambians. The way Wasim Akram is bowling right now, I just hope England win the toss and bat first in this Saturday’s day-nighter at Cape Town.

Tuesday 18 February: West Indies v Bangladesh
Four wides in the opening over and a couple of no-balls to start the next set the tone for hapless Bangladesh, who came up against the West Indies at Benoni today. The result was never in doubt until, that is, the rain arrived to spare their blushes. It was really hard luck on Carl Hooper’s men. I hope the loss of two points doesn’t come back to haunt them. One thing is for certain, South Africa won’t be complaining. Having heard how one or two of the Surrey players reacted to the things they read on the Oval World messageboard last season, I wonder what they made of Mohammad Kaif’s house being vandalised and effigies of Sourav Ganguly being burnt throughout India following Australia’s emphatic win on Saturday? With rain forecast for tomorrow’s match in Port Elizabeth, England will be hoping the weather doesn’t deny them the opportunity to score an easy victory. India have got a crucial game against Zimbabwe in Harare. England could really do with that one being rained off. I don’t suppose it will be, though. One thing is certain, neither Neil Mallender nor Peter Willey will not be officiating, since both have chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with the England players by boycotting Zimbabwe. Anyway, I guess I’d better get some of this diary uploaded on to the website before people start wondering whether I have gone into hibernation. Well, it has certainly been cold enough the last two nights. Brrr…

Wednesday 19 February: England v Namibia, Sri Lanka v Canada and Zimbabwe v India
England completed their World Cup warm-up today with a 55-run win over Namibia, though for a period of six or seven overs their opponents were ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. With rain apparently threatening, it could have ended embarrassingly for Alec Stewart’s men. But these non-Test playing nations seem to rely heavily on one or two key players and after J.B.Burger went to a good catch by Collingwood at cover point England coasted home. Following the stick I gave Ronnie Irani in the preview I wrote on the tournament, even I have to admit that Stewie’s decision to hold him back took some fathoming. Perhaps Alec was preoccupied with the prospect of wrapping up the man of the match award for his innings of 60 off 77 balls earlier. Even though Andy Flower had been told by the ICC not to wear a black armband, the Zimbabwean sported wristbands for the first time ever today. When Henry Olonga – who was strangely demoted to ‘twelfthers’ duties – was clocked wearing a pair of the same colour, it was evidently no coincidence they were black. The pair could well find themselves in increasingly hot water before long. With the bat, Flower, like most of his team-mates, looked out or sorts. The left-hander took more than an hour over his 22. Zimbabwe simply had no answer to Sachin Tendulkar’s 81. However, India’s decision to replace Anil Kumble with Ashish Nehra seemed somewhat harsh on the wily leg-spinner. The less said about the Sri Lanka-Canada clash the better. With the game not even lasting two hours (including the break between innings) it was a foretaste of this summer’s 20:20 competition; for which the ECB is yet to identify a sponsor – well, what a surprise! I agree with Gary Sutton that the ECB should approach the makers of Andrex.

Thursday 20 February: Australia v Holland
A helicopter was needed to ensure today’s game at Potchefstroom reached a positive conclusion. I was reminded of the time when the John Player League trophy was delivered by helicopter. Now, those were the days. The Dutch can be proud of their performance, even though they did record their lowest total in World Cup history. After eighteen overs Australia had only managed 67 for one, but thanks to Damien Martyn they ended up with an unassailable 170 for two off the agreed 36 – with 47 runs coming in the last eight. I have to admit to being a bit miffed that two of the three Aussies in my Oval World fantasy side were conspicuous by the absence today. Still, Matthew Hayden earned ‘Inner City Sumo’ (anyone else out there like ‘I’m Alan Partridge’?) a much-needed 14 points. It was sad to hear that Zimbabwe’s Henry Olonga has been given his marching orders by Takashinga Cricket Club. The Mugabe regime is held in such fear, clearly not everyone is prepared to stand up and be counted. Takashinga’s press statement accused Olonga of bringing the game into disrepute and of compromising the objective of embracing ethical standards. Only one side is showing any standards and I’m afraid it isn’t Takashinga Cricket Club. I now believe even more that England did the right thing by boycotting the game in Harare. The only thing that they could have done is handled the affair better. I’m not having a go at the players. They were obviously backed into a corner by the ECB, who were more worried about the compensation and knock-on effects for this summer’s international fixture list. It would appear that England won’t be alone. Kenya are set to record their second win of the tournament tomorrow, since New Zealand have chosen not to travel to Nairobi.

Saturday 22 February: England v Pakistan and South Africa v Bangladesh
The news that Shane Warne has been banned from all cricket for one year dominated the day’s events. Some say it is harsh and others (including a senior figure in the World Anti-Doping Agency) are saying it isn’t harsh enough; all of which means the panel probably got it about right. Warne has vowed to appeal, but should he lose he faces an even longer lay-off. Given the competition to get into the Australian side, maybe it is a risk worth taking. In a year from now Nathan Hauritz or Brad Hogg could have cemented their place in the team. Closer to home the news means that Hampshire are without a key player and now need to think seriously about who will lead them this summer. I don’t envy them in their search. As I wrote on Monday, it was crucial England won the toss in Cape Town. The ball moved around prodigiously under the lights, but our bowlers still had to put it in the right places, which, once again, Jimmy Anderson did better than anyone. The middle stump yorkers he produced to put Yousuf Youhana and Saeed Anwar back in the pavilion were as close as you can get to being unplayable. Reducing the Pakistanis to 17 for three was crucial to the outcome. To think Anderson hadn’t even played county cricket a year ago, the guy probably has to pinch himself at times. However, it was also a case of yet more injuries for England. To add to Blackwell’s sore back, Hussain and Vaughan could be doubts for Wednesday’s all-important clash with India. Another sobering element to today’s contest was Shoaib Akhtar’s late flourish with the bat, which put the quality of our support bowling into perspective a little. Thankfully Paul Collingwood’s unbeaten 66 in 73 deliveries – not to mention a useful 30 off 34 from our Alec – meant that Shoaib’s fireworks added up to nothing more than a bit of entertainment. His breaking of the 100mph barrier was similarly invalidated by figures of one for 63 in nine overs. In today’s other game Bangladesh were on the end of another hiding, this time against South Africa who registered their second win whilst blooding their lesser lights Andrew Hall, Robin Peterson and Monde Zondeki. Jacques Kallis played, but even against a soft target like Bangladesh he couldn’t manage anything more than a passable five overs for 19.

Sunday 23 February: West Indies v Canada and India v Namibia
Both of today’s matches set the likely tone for the week ahead. Apart from the England-India tie on Wednesday and Sri Lanka versus the West Indies two days later, there aren’t many evenly balanced affairs to look forward to this week. The Indians did a thoroughly professional demolition job on Namibia, which will hopefully put out a few bonfires back home. Danie Keulder’s low catch at short mid-wicket to see the back of Sehwag was soon forgotten when Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly put on 244 for the second wicket. After failing to cash in against Holland, the pair both found their range. The Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar is lucky to still have a right ear after a straight drive by Tendulkar missed his head by a matter of inches. When their turn came the Namibians were never in the hunt. After losing wickets at regular intervals the tail succumbed to Yuvraj Singh of all people. Now, I told you Canada’s John Davison was a little gem. I gather he has been attempting to make his name in Australia, but has not commanded a regular place in either the Victorian or South Australian sides. Perhaps, after making the fastest century in World Cup cricket history, it is time for him to make an Ian Ward-like return. The way the lean right-hander went to his hundred – advancing on Mervyn Dillion and straight driving arguably the best bowler in the West Indies team for six – was one of the moments of this World Cup. It took an acrobatic catch in the deep to dismiss the opener for 111. The catcher, Vasbert Drakes, then returned figures of five for 44 to wrap the Canada innings up. The West Indians needed a little more than twenty overs to reach their objective, with everyone other than Chris Gayle (who has the misfortune of being in my fantasy team) enjoying themselves. Wavell Hinds shared in two fifty partnerships, both of which were posted in just 28 balls. Hinds’s own half-century took 24 balls, which was bettered by one delivery by Brian Lara, who went on to make a majestic 73. But, for me, the one to watch out for still Ramnaresh Sarwan. Perhaps he will be the difference on Friday. With all of the mediocrity in store, it really is tempting to look that far ahead.

Monday 24 February: Zimbabwe v Australia and Sri Lanka v Kenya
Me and my big mouth! Kenya’s 53-run victory over Sri Lanka was a real turn up for the books. Coming on top of New Zealand’s decision not to play in Nairobi, perhaps the unthinkable prospect of Kenya progressing the Super Sixes is no longer so unfeasible. Sanath Jayasuriya said afterwards it was one of the worst matches he has ever been involved in. His comments could well sum up the mood in the Sri Lankan camp right now, especially with clashes against the West Indies and South Africa just around the corner. His batsmen simply got too bogged down and when a push was needed Sri Lanka’s tail proved to be longer than ‘War and Peace’. Collins Obuya’s return of five for 24 was the best ever by a Kenyan bowler. The writing was on the wall when the 21-year-old leg-spinner dismissed Kumar Sangakkara and Aravinda de Silva in consecutive overs. The man who took the two all-important catches, Kennedy Otieno, also enjoyed a good match having earlier clouted 60 off 88 balls, including two sixes off Chaminda Vaas. Thankfully, Zimbabwe didn’t follow Kenya’s lead and cause me to wear even more egg on my face. The Aussies cruised to a relatively comfortable seven-wicket win in Bulawayo, with Adam Gilchrist’s 61 in equal time providing the impetus. Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann rounding things off with an unbeaten fourth wicket stand worth 92 in 15 overs. It would be fair to say that Australia did not have it all their own way today, though. Brett Lee came in for a bit of tap, particularly from Heath Streak. Andy Blignaut looked no mug with the bat either; dishing out some punishment of his own to Gillespie and Hogg. If they bat like that against Pakistan next week, even if England manage to overcome India on Wednesday, their future in the tournament is far being assured.

Tuesday 25 February: Pakistan v Holland
The only notable thing about today’s contest between Pakistan and Holland at Paarl, which Pakistan won by 97 runs, was Wasim Akram capturing his 500th wicket in one-day internationals. I see he has now become a target for Hampshire, certainly as their second overseas player and maybe even as their captain. As good a player as Wasim is, though, I really cannot see him getting through a whole season of county cricket. As Graham Gooch said on tonight’s World Cup Centre on Sky Sports 3, he would enjoy bowling at the Rose Bowl, but may not be so keen on the away games. Charles Colville then showed his depth of knowledge by asking Mushtaq Ahmed whether he was looking forward to playing Hampshire on a regular basis this summer. But Mushtaq had to point out that Sussex and Hampshire are in different divisions of the County Championship! One cannot overstate the importance to England of tomorrow’s game at Durban. If they beat India, just one look at who is likely to progress from Pool B suggests they stand a very good chance of reaching the semi-finals. Should the lose, however, it is as good as certain they will be flying back to Heathrow next week. Dave Evemy and I were discussing what an important player Paul Collingwood has become for England. With Michael Vaughan doubtful, Collingwood, Stewart and Flintoff will have to perform with the bat tomorrow. I was interested to see that the Durham player has been basing his game on Graham Thorpe’s. Following the announcement Thorpe made today, perhaps he will have to make way when the Surrey left-hander returns to the England fold. It is good for the game of cricket that Thorpey believes he is ready to play again. But I wouldn’t mind betting Fletcher and Hussain will be looking for reasons not to pick him – as seems to be the way of things where Surrey players are concerned – so we can probably look forward to Graham proving a point at the start of the new county season.

Wednesday 26 February: England v India and New Zealand v Bangladesh
There is no question about it. Day-nighters make the tournament a bit of a lottery. I wonder what the Sri Lankans think of them? They need to win their next two to progress to the Super Sixes and both games will be played under lights. At the end of the day I guess you just have to be philosophical about it. After all, has anyone ever won a World Cup without experiencing a degree of good fortune? One take on England’s 82-run defeat in Durban tonight was that it could have been an even more convincing win for India. I actually thought we batted extremely well in the conditions, which made Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath look like world-beaters. The key wicket for me was Collingwood, who went to an absolute jaffer just when he and Flintoff looked as though they might turn things around. Andy Flintoff’s all-round contribution was another encouraging thing to come out of today’s game. Even if England do bow out of the competition on Sunday, as now seems likely, a number of players will be able to say they put their hands up at various times. One who hasn’t yet, though, is Andy Caddick, who, despite finishing with the best figures allowed India to get off to a whirlwind start. Tendulkar and Sehwag brought up the fifty in the ninth over. In comparison England were 19 for two at the same stage. Today’s other fixture between New Zealand and Bangladesh at Kimberley was less eventful than a night out with Chris Cairns, who’s unbeaten 33 in 21 balls carried his side to victory with more than sixteen overs to spare after Bond and Oram had cleaned up with the ball and McMillan had played himself back into form with the bat. But I agree with Stephen Fleming, the Kiwis’ captain, when he says that reserve days should be built into the schedule in future. If you are playing someone as awful as the Bangladeshis, the last thing you would want to do is share the points due to an abandoned match.

Thursday 27 February: South Africa v Canada and Australia v Namibia
Just how one-sided can a match get? Australia’s margin of victory over Namibia was the largest ever recorded in a one-day international, and Glenn McGrath’s return of seven for 15 in seven overs was the best bowling performance in World Cup history. There were probably more records broken, but what must be worrying for England is that the Aussies could have compiled an even bigger total had they not felt sorry for the Burgermen. The result puts Australia on course to win a record twelfth consecutive one-day international on Sunday. With Ricky Ponting reported as saying: “Bring on England” you wouldn’t bet against them doing it either. Canada refused to wilt in the face of South Africa, though. In fact, come the end of today’s other match, it was probably the spectators who were wilting due to Ishwar Maraj putting in a Graheme Clinton-like performance for the minnows. The beneficiary of four missed chances, Maraj eventually reached his half-century in the 48th over and finished the game unbeaten on 53. It was good to see Boeta Dippenaar getting amongst the runs for the home side, especially as the 25-year-old has the misfortune of being in my fantasy team. In fact when you think that Jacques Kallis is also in my squad, Makhaya Ntini must be playing out of his skin to be overcoming his association with ‘Inner City Sumo’. But seriously, today’s result still leaves the Proteas needing a minor miracle in order to stay in the competition. By my reckoning two things have to happen. Firstly tomorrow’s game at Cape Town needs to be rained off, then, on Tuesday, Kenya need to overcome the West Indies. Even then it all comes down to who wins the toss when South African meet Sri Lanka under lights at Durban on Monday. Like England, the time has probably come for them to start planning for the English summer.

Friday 28 February: Sri Lanka v West Indies and Zimbabwe v Holland
It just wasn’t the West Indies’ day today. After losing Wavell Hinds and Brian Lara early in their reply, Ramnaresh Sarwan was just getting into his stride when he was felled by a Dihara Fernando bouncer in the fifteenth over. When he returned from hospital, defiantly sporting a cap rather than a helmet, his side needed 60 off 47 balls with only three wickets remaining. It seemed improbable, but the self-belief shown by the 22-year old nearly carried the Windies home. What happened while Sarwan was being taken to Claremont Hospital and having stitches inserted behind his left ear shaped the outcome. The player had hardly left the pitch when his captain fell leg before to his first ball. After the West Indies staged something of a recovery the departure in rapid succession of Chris Gayle, Ridley Jacobs and Ricardo Powell left them in a state of shock. A controlled 65 from Shivnarine Chanderpaul then went some way towards salvaging things, but Sanath Jayasuriya always seemed to have one of two aces up his sleeve. Chaminda Vaas – who had earlier helped add an unbeaten fifty runs in 42 deliveries for Sri Lanka’s seventh wicket – and Muttiah Muralitharan took a combined five for 48 in twenty overs. With 16 needed off the last two the latter put the result beyond doubt by only conceding a couple off his final over. Despite ending up on the losing side Ramnaresh Sarwan, who’s 47 took just 44 balls, finished the real winner on the night. In today’s other game at Bulawayo, Andy Flower showed, yet again, that he is far too good to be considered for the chop. The left-hander made 71 off 72 balls against the Dutch before Andy Blignaut and Heath Steak proved their assault on the Aussies on Monday was no flash in the pan. Zimbabwe ran out convincing winners and now look to have a good chance of making the last six. But there seems no let up in the intimidation of Henry Olonga, who did not play even though Douglas Hondo was carrying an injury. Olonga was allowed to take the field as twelfth man, however, and had a hand in Hendrik-Jan Mol’s downfall four overs from the end.

Saturday 1 March: Kenya v Bangladesh and Pakistan v India
Today I joined an estimated two billion people as I sat down to watch India play Pakistan. Coronation Street eat your heart out! Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat, but, as well as Saeed Anwar played to record his 20th one-day hundred, I could not help thinking his side finished twenty or thirty runs short. One reason was the absence, yet again, of Saqlain Mushtaq, who had been discarded in favour of playing the extra batsman. It seemed a strange decision given that Saqlain had batted as well as anyone against England a week ago. Then, when I saw that Sachin Tendulkar needed another 83 runs to pass 12,000 in one-day internationals, I knew Pakistan were in trouble. The pitch was an absolute belter, as was Tendulkar’s innings of 98. His fifty took just 37 deliveries. The punishment he meted out in Shoaib Akhtar’s opening over was sufficient to put the Rawalpindi Express out of the attack. But Shoaib had the last laugh when he returned to account for his adversary with a brute of a delivery which rose so viciously not even the great master could control it. When Tendulkar departed India still needed 98 to win with their last two form batsmen at the crease. Pakistan failed to make any further inroads, however, and the Dravid-Singh alliance carried their side to a convincing victory and through to the next stage. But due to Pakistan’s tardy over-rate the first side to be confirmed in the Super Sixes was Kenya, who beat Bangladesh by 32 runs at Johannesburg. Should New Zealand and Sri Lanka also progress from Pool B, the Kenyans amazing story may well continue, since Steve Tikolo’s men have taken four points off both. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s future involvement appears to hang by a thread. I may as well say goodbye to that fiver I put on them at the start of the tournament. Oh well, Heather wouldn’t have enjoyed the night out I would have treated her to with the winnings.

Sunday 2 March: Australia v England
What do you have to do to beat these Aussies? Even if England do manage to scrape through to the next stage, I doubt they will have a better chance than the one they let pass today. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Perhaps we could have scored a few more runs and maybe we should have ‘lost’ a few overs from Michael Vaughan in the middle of Australia’s innings – at least when Vaughan is bowling he is not fielding at mid-on! – and kept Craig White back for an over or two at the death. But trying to pinpoint what decides tight one-day games is the ultimate in splitting hairs. Basically, England didn’t do much wrong. Assuming this was their swansong, they can proudly say they were the only team to really ask questions of Australia. There will no doubt be a bit on an inquest into why Jimmy Anderson, rather than Andy Caddick, bowled the all-important penultimate over with the Aussies needing 14 to win. Given the choice at that stage, I would have done exactly the same thing. Afterwards Nasser Hussain admitted it was purely a judgement call. But then he said something a bit odd. He accused Caddick of being one-paced. If he thinks that, why didn’t he bowl him through at the start when the big man could have exploited the extra lift of the new ball? It wasn’t as though he was getting collared, unlike against India. When Andy Caddick was initially taken off his figures were four for 29 off eight overs. But, instead of bemoaning our luck, you have to hand it to Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel who saw their side home with an unbeaten partnership of 73 in 12 overs. Of course, it was Bichel’s second spell in the limelight, after taking a career best seven for 20 with the ball. In the final analysis, England were 66 with loss after nine when the Queenslander was introduced and less than nine overs later they were 87 for five. It says it all really – and who described Andy Bichel as underrated in his tournament preview? I thank you. Looking ahead to Tuesday all of England will be willing on the Pakistanis to beat Zimbabwe. I can’t see it happening somehow. Pakistan don’t stand a realistic chance of qualifying for Super Sixes and, therefore, will have little to play for. If they bat first they have got to make 300 before bowling out the Zimbas for just over a hundred. Alternatively, if Zimbabwe bat first and make in the region of 200, the Pakistanis will have to knock them off at nine an over. Perhaps the only sensible thing for me to do is to back the Zimbas to win it. At least I’ll get back the fiver I put on Pakistan winning the World Cup a few weeks ago.

Monday 3 March: New Zealand v Canada, South Africa v Sri Lanka and Namibia v Holland
South Africa’s last World Cup came down to making a single and so did this. If Mark Boucher had taken a run off the last ball of the 45th over, instead of patting it to mid-wicket thinking his side was ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis rule, it would be the South Africans, rather than the Kiwis, going forward from Pool B with Sri Lanka and Kenya. That said, if the game had gone the distance, I would have backed the Sri Lankans to scrape a win. They still had enough overs from Vaas, De Silva and Muralitharan up their sleeve to make life difficult for Boucher and Klusener. But playing on in the rain, with a slippery ball, would have done them no favours. So, to be fair to both sides, the umpires – who in my view are the best two in the world – quite rightly took the teams off. It is not the best way to go out – is there ever? – but at the end of the day who did South Africa actually beat? Bangladesh, Canada and Kenya. Their bowlers had no answers when Lara, on the opening day, Fleming and Atapattu, here, got in and played three of the classiest innings the competition has so far seen. It all means that, yet again, winning the Cricket World Cup has eluded the tournament’s host nation. What is worrying is that March and April is the rainy season in Southern Africa, so Messrs Duckworth and Lewis might be in line for even more royalties as the competition reaches its climax. In today’s other matches Holland beat Namibia (that’s all you basically need to know) and New Zealand trounced the Canadians; though not before John Davison struck an entertaining 75 off 62 balls and the Kiwis slumped to 32 for three in reply. But thanks to Scott Styris and Chris Harris they comfortably overtook their opponents’ 196 with twenty-seven overs to spare. It is sad to think today will be the last time most of us will see Davison, who hit three of the biggest sixes you will ever see in the space of five balls from Jacob Oram. Perhaps, as he is from North America, he should think about taking up baseball.

Tuesday 4 March: West Indies v Kenya and Zimbabwe v Pakistan
For anyone who is a fan of England, today’s events had little to do with the cricket being played; or in the case of the Zimbabwe-Pakistan encounter the cricket that was trying to be played. When the match in Bulawayo was abandoned due to a mini cyclone, Nasser Hussain, England’s defeated captain, announced that he was stepping down from the one-day job. He said he wants to continue as Test skipper, though. I’m of the belief that having two captains isn’t practical, unless the plan is to blood a new one to take over from the other in both codes of the game. That is certainly my interpretation of what the Aussies are doing with Ricky Ponting. If, as I suspect, Australia win the World Cup, I cannot see Steve Waugh continuing as their Test skipper. Returning to Hussain, though, I am in rare agreement with Ian Botham that the Essex man has also gone as far as he can as our Test skipper. We haven’t all got short memories and the way England were led in the first two Ashes Tests at the end of last year undermined their whole campaign. I acknowledge that Nasser Hussain has taken England forward – particularly on the recent excursions to the Asian sub-continent – but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to justify his selection apart from anything else. I also think he would do well to return to county cricket with Essex, who are now a top flight side once again, and see how standards have been improved by having promotion and relegation. In today’s other World Cup game the West Indies beat Kenya at a canter with Chris Gayle making 119 and Vasbert Drakes taking five for 33. Yet, because the Kenyans will start the Super Six with ten points, it will now take something very special from New Zealand and Zimbabwe to deny them a place in the last four where they would probably meet the tournament favourites.

Friday 7 March: Australia v Sri Lanka and India v Kenya
I cannot help feeling that the Super Six could end up being the World Cup’s equivalent to the pace car in Formula One. I hope I am proved wrong, but I can easily see this phase becoming a procession where nobody trades places. I had high hopes that the game between the best team in Pool A and the best team in Pool B would be a contest to remember. Alas, it seems there is no stopping the Aussie bandwagon. Brett Lee, who had been largely quiet prior to today, bowled with accuracy and pace and unsettled all of the Sri Lankan batsmen except Aravinda De Silva. De Silva did his best to make up for the loss of his captain to a suspected broken thumb by making 92 off 94 balls, but it was not enough compared with Australia’s mammoth total of 319 for five. Watching the highlights of Australia’s innings, as Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting ran riot I sat there wondering whether there was any more annoying sight in cricket than umpire Billy Bowden signalling six and four. Then it struck me that if New Zealand fail to go all the way, Bowden could be standing in the final at Johannesburg. Call me old-fashioned, but umpires should operate with quiet efficiency rather than seek to bring attention upon themselves. In today’s other encounter, we nearly had a turn up for the books, but five overs from the end, while Yuvraj Singh was being treated for cramp, it was clear that the Kenyans did not believe they could win even though India still needed 23. Their body language suggested they had played all their cards and were content with pushing India close; the wicket of Sourav Ganguly, who made 107 in 120 deliveries, proving to be one scalp too many.

Saturday 8 March: Zimbabwe v New Zealand
On the day that South Africa’s Allan Donald chose to announce his retirement, New Zealand won the battle of the Super Six outsiders at Bloemfontein with 16 balls to spare thanks to a fourth-wicket partnership of 121 in 24 overs between Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns. Sixty-two of Zimbabwe’s respectable 252 for seven came in the last three overs as Heath Streak and Sean Irvine tucked into the bowling of Harris, Vettori and, lastly, Adams with gusto. But having earlier lost two of their most influential batsmen – Andy Flower and Andy Blignaut – to needless run outs it was never likely to be anything more than an adequate target on a slow yet benign pitch. I was a bit worried when Heather suddenly came out with: “Is 102 for 23 a good score?” What she meant to ask was what did I think of Zimbabwe’s 102 for five after 23 overs. “Not bad, but they will do well to win now that Andy Flower is out. Why do you ask?” I said. “I’m just interested,” came back the reply. Imagine, then, my concern when tonight she asked: “Why are Arsenal taking Thierry Henry off?” Even she could see the flaw in Arsene Wenger’s tactical switch and soon afterwards Chelsea pulled the FA Cup quarter-final back to all-square, much to my annoyance. Either this means Arsenal need to find themselves a new manager, or I might have to take up yet another obscure interest in order to safeguard my independent lifestyle!

Monday 10 March: India v Sri Lanka
‘Play to your strengths’ is a motto that should be written up on the whiteboard in the Sri Lankan dressing room. I found it hard to fathom why anyone, except New Zealand perhaps, would put India into bat after winning the toss. As a game plan, giving Muttiah Muralitharan a worn pitch and hoping that a big score could be followed by Chaminda Vaas making early inroads had to be the way to go if you we’re in Sanath Jayasuriya’s shoes this morning. I can only assume he did not want to risk further injuring himself batting, which would have meant not being able to take the field as captain. Instead, the early wickets that Vaas normally produces failed to materialise and India effectively had the game wrapped up by the end of the 26th over, which was bowled by Jayasuriya and which disappeared for sixteen. At the end of it India were 152 without loss and, it seemed, both Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were on their way to hundreds. That they failed to reach them was a credit to the way Sri Lanka then redeemed themselves, only to end up looking like a non-test playing nation as they collapsed to 15 for four and eventually 109 all out in reply to the Indians’ 292 for six. Sourav Ganguly only used three bowlers, of whom the pick, Javagal Srinath, accounted for four out of the top five. The Indians are now certain of a place in the semi-finals. For Sri Lanka much seems to rest on the fitness of their skipper.

Tuesday 11 March: Australia v New Zealand
Before today’s match a number of people were saying that if anyone could unsettle Australia, New Zealand could. But as we saw on Saturday, New Zealand’s bowling lacks durability over fifty overs. Shane Bond was inspired, taking six for 23 and helping to reduce the Aussies to 84-7. But the last eleven overs of Australia’s innings went for almost ninety runs, which in the final analysis was ninety runs more than the Kiwis could afford to concede. The architects of Australia’s fourteenth one-day victory in succession were Andy Bichel and Michael Bevan. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. The pair repeated their exploits against England, adding 97 in 21 overs. It would be churlish to suggest that the chance Bichel gave on three to backward point turned the match. It was a near impossible catch. But as much as the gods were on New Zealand’s side when Brian Lara was run out on the same ground nearly four weeks ago, they deserted them at the wrong time today. In reply, the Kiwis, so often better when they are chasing a score rather than defending one, failed to preserve early wickets. With the departure of Chris Cairns, to a catch on the third man boundary, it mattered not that they still had more than 35 overs in which to score the winning runs.

Wednesday 12 March: Zimbabwe v Kenya
Thanks, in part, to New Zealand, the Kenyans continue to be the tournament’s surprise package, winning today by seven wickets with exactly twenty-four overs to spare. Even though he took six for 28 the last time he faced them, Henry Olonga – making only his second appearance in the World Cup – was unable to exploit the conditions in Bloemfontein as Kenya’s Martin Suji had done. Olonga also contributed nine runs in no-balls and wides to render his opponents’ chase even less demanding. Along with all the trouble his political stand caused, you cannot see him playing again for Zimbabwe for quite some time. I’m sure they would also like to jettison Andy Flower, but since he’s their best batsman, they need him more than he needs them. Last Sunday, however, on Radio Five, I heard Alistair Campbell say that Flower has recently pledged his allegiance to Essex and South Australia. It could well be, therefore, that the 34-year-old left-hander has already decided where his future lies. Changing tack completely, I thought it was a joke at first, but when I see the likes of Richard Hobson and David Hopps putting their names to a story, I know it must be true. They have learnt that the USA will be given automatic entry into the next World Cup in the West Indies in 2007, possibly as minor co-hosts. Worryingly there’s already some talk of a match being played at Disneyland – which is where the Kiwis’ hopes of making the last four could belong by this time on Friday.

Friday 14 March: India v New Zealand
D-day for New Zealand could not have got off to a worse start. After losing the toss, they slumped to 38 for three in the ninth over. It wasn’t exactly according to the script. When Stephen Fleming departed for thirty, 50 minutes later, the game was as good as over. Thanks to Jacob Oram his side limped through to 146 all out, but Zaheer Khan’s return of four for 42 meant that wickets fell at regular intervals. India made an indifferent start themselves, but an assured fourth wicket stand of 129 in 36 overs between Mohammed Kaif and Rahul Dravid saw them reach their objective with more than nine overs to spare. Dravid, criticised himself for his keeping in this World Cup, was dropped by Brendon McCullum after giving a routine chance, on one, off the bowling of Shane Bond. What could have been 22 for four remained 22 for three and the former Kent man never looked back. In the end the Kiwis’ inability to bowl sides out may prove too great a flaw in their makeup to warrant a semi-final berth. Bond, who’s 17 wickets at an average of 17.94 has been a plus point, was not employed fully. Harris and Vettori kept things tight, but were unable to make the breakthrough that would almost certainly have heralded his re-introduction for two final desperate overs. Australia’s semi-final opponents will be confirmed tomorrow when, no doubt, the whole of New Zealand will become Zimbabwe fans for the day.

Saturday 15 March: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka and Australia v Kenya
When Zimbabwe set off like a train in reply to Sri Lanka’s 256 for five, I thought the Kiwis were going to sneak through to the semi-finals after all. After the eleventh over the Zimbas were 59 for one. With Andy Flower plus their big-hitters Blignaut and Streak to come I thought, wrongly, they would canter home. Instead, Sri Lanka relied on spin to do the damage. Not the spin of Muralitharan, though, but the spin of Sanath Jayasuriya – who took three for 30 – and Aravinda De Silva. Earlier, Marvan Atapattu again batted brilliantly to reach his tenth ODI hundred. Although his innings was not in the same class his one against South Africa, it ensured wickets were kept back for a late charge, which saw 73 come off the closing eight overs. In today’s other, and final, Super Six game, Australia won with nearly nineteen overs to spare – though not before Aasif Karim put the cat amongst the pigeons. Karim, who’s other claim to fame was as a Davis Cup tennis player, took the wickets of Ponting, Lehmann and Hogg without conceding a run. His figures of three for seven probably represent the performance of the World Cup by a bowler against Australia. Had Adam Gilchrist not already blasted 67 off 43 balls, the left-arm spinner’s spell could have had more significance. Off the field there were conflicting stories regarding Shaun Pollock’s departure as South Africa’s captain. Initially, it was reported that Pollock had tendered his resignation, but it had been refused. Then came the news that the UCBSA had relieved him of it with immediate effect. It all sounded a bit like the time when Ian Botham resigned as England captain in 1981 and Alec Bedser, the then Chairman of Selectors, told the press he was going to sack him anyway.

Tuesday 18 March: Australia v Sri Lanka (1st semi-final)
I’d given up hope a long time ago of seeing a batsman walk in this World Cup. Imagine my astonishment, then, at seeing an Aussie of all people setting a precedent. It’s typical that the player in question, Adam Gilchrist, happens to be in my fantasy side. I am just 50 points behind my brother, and if he finishes above me he won’t let me forget it. Man of the match, not for the first time in this tournament, was Andy Symonds, who batted with composure and, when required, brutality, to push his side’s total past 200. Yet again at Port Elizabeth that proved too high a mountain for Australia’s opponents to climb. Having just three specialist bowlers did not seem to make any difference to Sri Lanka in the field, which either tells you something about the bowling of Jayasuriya and De Silva or the dearth of new talent coming through. Pulasthi Gunaratne, one of three players not in the side for his batting, had 60 runs taken off his eight overs. Sri Lanka, in reply, batted irresponsibly except, perhaps, Marvan Atapattu who needed a 99.48 mph thunderbolt from Brett Lee to penetrate his defences and Aravinda De Silva who was run out by yet another superb piece of fielding. Is it me, or do the Aussies always produce a direct hit when it matters? It’s frightening to think they barely missed Damien Martyn today, not to mention Gillespie, Warne and Steve Waugh, who has somewhat surprisingly been confirmed as Australia’s captain for the forthcoming Test series in the Caribbean. The other piece of off the field news was Shaun Pollock claiming he would never have walked away from the South Africa job. He added, however, that following what happened with Hansie Cronje – the man who loved the Caymen Islands for more than just its long sandy beaches – the power of the South African captaincy had diminished to such an extent that he often felt undermined.

Thursday 20 March: India v Kenya (2nd semi-final)
A match to live long in the memory – I’m kidding, of course! As soon as Sourav Ganguly won the toss, it was obvious what the outcome of today’s second semi-final would be, even more so when India racked up a total of 270 for four. As when India played England, the Kenyan batsmen simply had no answers under the Kingsmead lights to the swing and seam of Zaheer Khan, Srinath and Nehra – increasingly so when the left-armers went around the wicket, which might be something they were working on for the final. Strangely enough, the season Brendon Julian was at Surrey, I always thought he looked more dangerous bowling around the stumps than over them. One thing that will live a bit longer in the memory will be Ganguly’s five sixes – the last of which took him to his third hundred of the tournament in 108 balls. Tendulkar should also have had a hundred, though he made up for it by taking two for 28 with his leg-breaks, which he seemed to be deploying primarily to spare Rahul Dravid taking the ball in his left hand. Dravid’s sore finger won’t be the only thing India will be worrying about going into Sunday’s final. The key battle will be between their top order and the Aussies’ attack. But, whichever way I play the game in my mind, I can only envisage one outcome and, in a sense, it would be unjust if Australia didn’t carry off the title.

Sunday 23 March: Australia v India (final)
People say you never remember who comes second. But you do if the losing finalists fail entirely to give a good account of themselves. Let’s not beat about the bush, India were humiliated today. They say, at least the Italians I know say, Italian football was hit hard by the 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the 1970 World Cup final. No matter that many regard that Brazilian side as one of the finest in history. At Lord’s four years ago Pakistan failed to come to the party and have been destabilised by in-fighting ever since. Likewise, for India, who found to their cost that the big occasion simply makes the Aussies even more fearsome, the next few years will be ones of decline or, possibly, just possibly, they will come through it a hardened and more rounded side. But they need to find some bowlers from somewhere and hope the likes of Sachin Tendulkar choose to play on into their mid-thirties. The pre-match analysis reckoned the key battle would be between Tendulkar and Brett Lee. As it turned out Lee didn’t even get to bowl to the little master, who top edged the fifth ball of his side’s reply back to Glenn McGrath. Virender Sehwag survived being caught off a no-ball on four to make 82. Apart from him, though, the rest of the Indian batsmen went on a work to rule in protest at their bowlers’ ineptitude. Seventeen overs into their chase rain forced the players from the field. Had the teams not got back on, the farcical ruling that the game should be replayed – something else to look before the next World Cup – would have been put into operation tomorrow. Thankfully, cricket’s credibility stayed intact and Australia’s record total of 359 for two remained the target to beat. The Indians just about managed to muster 234. It is hard to imagine England playing as badly. Let’s not forget that the only teams they lost to in this World Cup were the eventual finalists. Nasser Hussain’s men can be proud that they lived with the incomparable Aussies for ninety-eight of the 99.4 overs bowled in Port Elizabeth three weeks ago. For the Indian seamers, daytime in Johannesburg proved to be a far cry from operating under the lights at Durban. The way the ball veered in the first couple of overs appeared to justify Sourav Ganguly’s decision to bowl first. But with his bowlers allowing over-eagerness to creep into their game, the Indians were soon leaking runs like a collander with a whole in the bottom. By the end of the eleventh over it wasn’t the fifth bowler Ganguly was worrying about, but who was his first choice. Ashish Nehra later claimed that dubious honour, simply because he gave away less than six an over. If I could choose what sort of player to be like, call me a heathen, it wouldn’t be Sachin Tendulkar, it would have to be Ricky Ponting. His 140 from only 121 deliveries ended up being the sort of innings one only expects to see when Alistair Brown gets going. Ponting’s second fifty took just 29 balls, the next forty 18 deliveries and all of his record eight sixes came after he had passed the half-century mark. He led Australia, the back-to-back World Cup winners, unbeaten through the whole tournament. Like the 1970 Brazilians they are recognised as being the best in the world. Today they enjoyed their 17th consecutive win in one-day cricket. Now they move on to the Caribbean where they are 2/7 favourites to win the Test series against the West Indies. If there’s such a thing as a sure bet, they’re it.

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