West Indies drop vice-captain Nash

West Indies have dropped their vice-captain Brendan Nash and recalled Kirk Edwards for the second Test against India, which begins on June 28 in Barbados. Marlon Samuels, who missed the first Test in Jamaica, is likely to play in the middle order instead of Nash. 

Nash came into the Test side without match practice and made 1 and 9 at Sabina Park, where West Indies lost by 63 runs. He has scored only 53 runs in his previous six innings and been dismissed in single digits five times. 

"It is clear that Brendan has been struggling for form for some time and we want to give him a chance to take some time away from international cricket and work on his game," Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors, said. "Brendan is a mentally tough cricketer and we are sure that he will be able to overcome the challenges he is now facing and come back strong." 

Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler and commentator, told ESPNcricinfo he wasn't surprised by the axing, though he thought Nash might have got one more chance. 

"It's difficult for Brendan. It's been a like that for a while now. Nash doesn't play the ODIs and doesn't get much cricket in between," Bishop said. "I know he is a hard worker, very professional and will definitely go to the nets and work on his game. I suspect it will be Samuels who will play and not Edwards. Samuels has shown that he can make a contribution to this team. There might be also an option of playing five bowlers on that Barbados track. Time will tell." 

In the absence of Chris Gayle, and now with the exit of Nash, the responsibility on Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan increases. "Shiv has the ability ... I won't say he was careless in getting out in the Test match. One bounced on him and one hit a crack. He will go back and work hard and will lead this West Indies batting line-up. He is the one guy who can play the Dravid-type innings. 

"Good teams have a senior core, who set a trend. Chanderpaul and Sarwan have to set that trend, particularly Sarwan. He is still relatively a young player and at the prime of his career." 

MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, didn't want to comment on the continuing absence of Gayle. "I think that's a situation for the selectors to decide who they can pick for their team," he said. "I won't say this West Indian side is a weaker side. If you look at the talent they have in their top six or seven batsmen, then they are equally matched with the current Indian team you know, who all are over here". 

West Indies squad : Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh (wk), Darren Sammy (capt), Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach, Kirk Edwards.

Agreement on DRS after Hot Spot is made mandatory

The ICC's chief executives' committee has unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all international matches. The mandatory terms and conditions for the DRS that have now been recommended to the Executive Board for approval on Tuesday will now consist of "thermal imaging" and "sound technology" with the "ball-tracker" having been removed from the ICC's original compulsory list of DRS technologies. 

This means that India will, for the first time since 2008, be agreeable to using the DRS in a bilateral series when it tours England from July onwards. 

However the DRS used in the England-India series will be without the Hawk-Eye ball-tracker which means line decisions for lbw appeals cannot be referred. For example, if the ball pitches outside leg stump and the batsman is given out lbw, the lack of ball-tracking technology means he cannot question the decision. On the other hand, if a batsman is given out lbw and he thinks there is an inside-edge involved, he can get the decision reviewed since Hot Spot can resolve whether there is an edge. 

Hot Spot, the "thermal imaging" technology now available and made mandatory in the DRS, will mostly be used for close-in catches and edges. 

The committee also decided that the continued use of the ball-tracking technology as a decision-making aid, will depend on the bilateral arrangement between the participating teams. 

A decision about how the cost of using the DRS technology would be divided will be taken later. Last week, BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah had said that the cost of using the DRS was as high as $60,000 per match. According to the ICC, however, that figure is close to $5000 per day, with a maximum of $25,000 being spent on DRS per Test.

Pakistan end Australia's run to finish top

Pakistan were the last team to overcome Australia at a World Cup and it was they who brought Ricky Ponting's 34-match unbeaten run to an end with a four-wicket victory in Colombo to secure top spot in Group A. An impressive display in the field laid the foundations as the reigning champions were bundled out for 176 on a difficult surface, their lowest total in a World Cup since 1992, and despite a mighty effort from Brett Lee Pakistan were guided home by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq. 

Despite not having either team's progression at stake, the final group positions determine quarter-final opposition while momentum is also a factor. Both teams were hyped for the contest, and it came to an early head when Umar and Brad Haddin almost came to blows in the field. Australia were desperate not to relinquish a proud record dating back to May 23, 1999. 

After their batting subsided with 20 balls unused, Australia's only chance was to bowl Pakistan out, but in the event it required Lee himself to do most of the damage. He removed both openers in a fiery new-ball burst before returning to claim Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in 23rd over, leaving Pakistan wobbling on 98 for 4. 

However, support for Lee was too late in coming which didn't leave enough runs for Australia to play with. Mitchell Johnson had Asad Shafiq taken at slip off the glove for a composed 46 and Shahid Afridi brainlessly carved to long-on against Jason Krejza. Surprisingly, Lee wasn't immediately recalled with 34 runs still needed and by the time he came back the target was down to 10. Umar played one of his most composed innings yet, and Razzaq finished the chase with consecutive boundaries.

Lee could easily have removed Kamran Akmal in the first over of Pakistan's reply, while in his second over he squared up Mohammad Hafeez and made good ground to take the return catch. With attacking fields set by Ricky Ponting, further boundaries were notched up by Kamran and Shafiq, who had to battle some pain after twisting his ankle, but Lee kept his side in the match singlehandedly. 

After being carved over the covers he thundered a rapid delivery into Kamran's pads and this time he was given out by Marais Erasmus with the review unable to save him. However, Ponting knew he had to save some of Lee for later and his spell ended after five overs which released the pressure on Pakistan. 

Shafiq, who showed his composure against Zimbabwe in his first World Cup outing, played another mature hand knowing that the required rate was always in hand. Both he and Younis had a few nervous moments - with the pair edging through a vacant slip cordon - but together they took the requirement below 100. Eventually, though, Younis flashed once too often outside off and gave a simple catch to Brad Haddin, and from the very next ball, the match was back in the balance when Misbah, the other half of Pakistan's experienced middle order, hung his bat out at a Lee outswinger.

Umar wasn't going to fiddle his way towards the target and drilled his fifth ball through the covers, but to his immense credit he throttled back to play a very mature hand. He picked the right moments to attack, including a six off Krejza, and didn't panic after Lee's rapid inroads. It helped that he had the experience of Razzaq at the end to see them across the line.

Australia have been saying how they wanted a test after easing through most of the group stage but the batting wasn't up to it on a difficult surface that offered spin and a touch of uneven bounce. Two batsmen desperate for a substantial innings, Ponting (19) and Cameron White (8), both struggled leaving the lower order exposed to an attack that had all the bases covered on a surface offering spin and reverse swing. 

Pakistan had an early scare when Gul pulled up at the start of his second over with a knee problem and needed attention from the physio. Whatever treatment was provided worked wonders because he produced a lovely nip-backer to beat Shane Watson's ambitious drive. Ponting has been scratchy during the tournament and was again unconvincing with his first boundary came from a fortunate top-edge after he was comprehensively beaten by a Wahab Riaz bouncer. 

Not for the first time spin brought his downfall when he tried to cut Hafeez, who produced a superb 10-over spell for 26, and got a thick edge that Kamran did well to take in the webbing of his right glove. However, it was originally given not out and the DRS was needed to overturn the decision in Pakistan's favour. Meanwhile, as the players waited for the TV umpire, there was an altercation between Haddin and the Pakistanis.

Haddin has been consistent during the tournament without reaching the three-figure score the top order needs and he couldn't convert here when he pushed at a delivery from Wahab Riaz. Misbah missed an opportunity to run out Michael Clarke but made no mistake when his next chance came around when his throw to Kamran found White short after a laboured stay. 

In Clarke and Michael Hussey, Australia had two of their in-form players together but even they found scoring tough as Afridi mixed up his bowling options. Razzaq was held back until the 35th over and made an immediate impression when Clarke missed an ugly heave against a well-disguised off-cutter which trimmed the off bail. 

Hussey couldn't perform a rescue-act, either, when he chipped a simple catch to midwicket and the innings was coming off the rails as Razzaq produced a nippy delivery to find Johnson's outside edge. It left the tail to cope with Gul and Afridi which proved too much, but Australia weren't many short of a matchwinning total. The quarters and semi-final will be fascinating viewing if the pitches are anything like this surface.

Waqar not looking beyond Australia

Pakistan may have qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 1999 but their coach Waqar Younis is not prepared to look beyond their final group game against Australia just yet. Pakistan slipped to second place in Group A after a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Pallekele on Monday, but could still finish in any of the top four positions depending on what happens against Australia, and in other games.

Waqar said he wasn't thinking about whom his side might play in the quarter-finals. "Right now we are thinking of only Australia," Waqar said. "If you win that game, then your morale will be such that you won't worry about any team you play."

Barring a shock loss to Canada, Australia will go into Saturday's game on a 34-match unbeaten streak in the World Cup, stretching back to the 1999 tournament. Their last loss, in fact, came against Pakistan, at Headingley. Ricky Ponting's team is the only unbeaten side in this tournament.

"You have an option [whereby] you could play the No. 4 team [from the other group] whose morale will be down," Waqar said. "But momentum is very important and necessary. Australia are such a big team, world champions, and they haven't lost for ages. That is an opportunity. If you beat them, you leave a mark. You can look at the next matches and teams will think twice about playing against you. The bigger thing is the momentum of beating the world champions and the confidence it gives you. That game is important."

As Sri Lanka did against Australia in a game that was eventually washed out in Colombo, Pakistan might consider playing a spin-heavy attack, though with Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez already in the XI, they are pretty well stocked.

"The strategy will be very similar," Waqar said. "Try to play 50 overs first, pile up a big total, that's the key. And then, when you look at bowling sides around the world, I think we have a fairly good bowling side. If we can put a handsome total, we stand a good chance of winning that match. Or if we bowl them out cheaply, we have a good chance of chasing it."

There remained, Waqar insisted, further room for improvement within the side and part of his concern was directed specifically at two young batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Shehzad failed for the fifth match running, stumped trying to slog Ray Price. He now has 44 runs in the tournament and is a prime candidate for the axe.

"We're thinking of building an opening partnership, that is the first point," Waqar said. "It was a rash shot from Shehzad. It wasn't really required at the time. But don't forget he is a youngster, he is only 21 and brand new in this arena. It's not easy sometimes. In the heat of the moment you play silly shots and that's how you learn cricket. He's probably learnt a big lesson today that when the team needs you at the wicket, you should stay."

The more cutting observation was for Umar, who was for the second time in his short career, the subject of speculation about faking an injury to support his elder brother Kamran. Umar didn't play against Zimbabwe and when Waqar was asked about the reasons behind it, he smiled, waited and said, "He has two or three problems." He pulled back immediately, clarifying that there was a finger injury as well as an ankle injury picked up during a football session, but the comment will only fuel talk that the team management is not happy with Umar's attitude.

Strauss, Swann suffering from stomach bugs

Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann missed training in Chennai on Tuesday after being laid low by stomach bugs, though both are expected to be fit in time for England's must-win match against West Indies on Thursday. 

Strauss is also England's leading run-scorer in this World Cup with 298 at nearly a run-a-ball, while the first-choice spinner Swann is their joint highest wicket-taker with nine.

England batsman Jonathan Trott, however, was keen to emphasise after the practice session that both unwell players would recover in time for the West Indies match, which England must win to have a chance of making the quarter-finals. 

"They are two key players in our side, in anybody's side they would be, especially with Andrew being captain, but I'm fully confident they will be alright," Trott said. "These things are usually 24-48 hour things. I'm glad it happened sort of now and not tomorrow. Hopefully they will be alright tomorrow for training"

Trott himself hasn't been at full fitness over the past couple of days. "Two days of fever, I'm not quite sure what it is," he said. "Feeling a little better today, not quite a 100%, but its good to have had a bit of running and some exercise under my belt today. " 

England have already lost two high-profile players since arriving in the subcontinent, with batsman Kevin Pietersen returning home for hernia surgery and Stuart Broad picking up a side strain. They play their final league match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they pulled off a comeback win over South Africa nine days ago. That result has kept them in contention for a quarter-final spot despite shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh.

Botha and Munaf in as India bat

On a hard surface, MS Dhoni chose to bat in an enticing encounter in a Group B game against South Africa in Nagpur.

"There might be some assistance early to the seamers but it should turn out to be a good batting track," Dhoni said at the toss. Graeme Smith said he too would have batted had he won the toss.

Both teams made just one change: India replaced Piyush Chawla with Munaf Patel as they went in with a three-pronged seam attack. South Africa rested Imran Tahir, recovering from an injury, and brought in Johan Botha.

India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (wk/capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Munaf Patel

South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Morne van Wyk, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel

Shafiul stars as Bangladesh seal thriller

Shafiul Islam raised Bangladesh's World Cup campaign from the dead, as he turned yet another astonishing contest on its head with a breathtaking assault in the batting Powerplay to leave England stunned by their fifth cliffhanger in consecutive contests, and facing their own make-or-break encounter with West Indies in Chennai next week.

In another unbearably tense finale, Bangladesh's ninth-wicket pair of Shafiul and Mahmudullah transformed a futile situation with a glorious blaze of strokeplay, as they turned an asking rate of 57 in 62 balls into an emotional victory with an over to spare. The honour of the winning hit went to Mahmudullah, who belted a Tim Bresnan full-toss through the covers for four to cue pandemonium among the most passionate cricket supporters in the world, but it was Shafiul's refusal to accept defeat that ultimately paved the way for glory.

On a sluggish track in which runs had, for the most part, to be grafted, England batted first and were bowled out for 225 - a total that was no better than par, and which owed everything to a chalk-and-cheese stand of 109 between Jonathan Trott and the fit-again Eoin Morgan. In reply, however, and in dew-laden conditions that made the ball tricky to grip - particularly for their cantankerous spinner, Graeme Swann - Bangladesh were on cruise control at 155 for 3 in the 31st over, before a calamitous run-out gifted their opponents a way back into the game.

The man who had the game in the palm of his hand was the eventual - and rightful - Man of the Match Imrul Kayes, the less-vaunted of Bangladesh's opening batsman, who slipstreamed Tamim Iqbal during a captivating 38 from 26 balls that put Bangladesh firmly ahead of the run-rate, before settling down to play the holding role with a chanceless 100-ball 60.

Chanceless, that is, except for his sketchy running between the wickets. For it was his ill-advised decision to take a second run to deep square leg that ended a fourth-wicket stand of 72 with Shakib Al Hasan that looked to have broken the back of England's resistance. In the next five overs, as Bresnan and Paul Collingwood applied the emergency brake, Bangladesh were limited to seven singles before Shakib - gasping to lift the tempo after a doughty 58-ball innings - aimed a loose sweep at Swann and was bowled for 32.

Mushfiqur Rahim had been virtually strokeless since the run-out, with two runs from 18 deliveries before the re-introduction of Ajmal Shahzad persuaded him to drive expansively through the covers. But one ball later he edged a beauty on off stump through to Matt Prior, and before another run had been added, Shahzad produced another superb delivery to take out Naeem Islam's off stump for a duck.

It was a near-replica of the delivery that had earlier sent Raqibul Hasan on his way in the same manner, and with eventual figures of 3 for 43, Shahzad was England's most successful bowler of the day. In between whiles, however, his line had been all over the shop - a performance that too many of his team-mates had been willing to emulate, not least James Anderson, who had borne the brunt of Tamim's early onslaught, and later served up a dreadful nine-ball first over of the batting Powerplay - including five wides first-ball - to give Bangladesh real belief in the closing stages.

That belief had been ignited by the swinging blade of Shafiul, who turned a bad day for Swann into a dreadful one by leathering his final over for 16, including the only six of the day, over wide long-on. Up until that point, Swann had been more preoccupied with the wet and slippery ball, with Andrew Strauss forced to intervene during a heated row with umpire Daryl Harper, but those blows brought the requirement down to 39 from 48 balls, and brought an abrupt halt to the flow of disgruntled fans who were trooping out of the stadium.

This was the day that Bangladesh had been rehearsing for all through 2010. They got to know England's cricketers and strategies through the course of back-to-back series at home and away, and having ended their run of 20 consecutive defeats with a tight victory at Bristol in their last-but-one encounter in July, they knew they had what it takes to spring a surprise. But, having collapsed in a heap to be bowled out for 58 in their last World Cup fixture against West Indies, the chance to start from the position of rank outsiders seemed to suit their purposes every bit as much as the favourites' tag unsettled their opponents.

With the honourable exception of the fit-again Morgan and the unflappable Trott, England simply did not look comfortable at any stage of the day. After losing the toss and being asked to set the agenda, they shipped three tame wickets in the space of their first 17 overs, as they dribbled along to 53 for 3, and though Trott was admirable in grinding out a 99-ball 67, it was Morgan's departure for 63 to a fine catch by Kayes at backward square that derailed their ambitions of a 250-plus total. Their batting Powerplay once again proved problematic, with 33 runs and two wickets coming in five overs, and from 162 for 3 with 11 overs remaining, England were bowled out for 225 with two balls of their innings remaining.

The left-arm spin of Abdur Razzak was especially impressive. It was he who stunted England's ambitions with his first-ball removal of Matt Prior (who produced one of the doziest dismissals of the tournament to date, when he set off for a single with the ball already nestled in Mushfiqur's gloves) and he did not concede a single boundary until Ravi Bopara larruped the third ball of his final over through the covers. Even then, Razzak had the last laugh, as two balls later Bopara tried the same trick and picked out Naeem Islam in the covers.

It was Razzak's earlier spell that set the tone, however, as he and Naeem squeezed all ambition out of England's top-order in a boa-like alliance that resulted in 19 singles and nothing else between overs 7 and 17. Strauss reclaimed his status as the tournament's leading run-scorer in the course of his 31-ball 18, but the fluency that had been the hallmark of his previous performances was nowhere to be seen as he eventually took on a cut shot that was too close to his body, and skidded a fast edge to Junaid Siddique at slip. And then Ian Bell, nominally England's best player of spin, produced a timid aberration of an innings, which ended with a flaccid flick to short midwicket off Mahmudullah.

England's own trump spinner couldn't come close to matching the efforts of Bangladesh's quartet. Right from his first over, Swann was troubled by the dew-sodden ball and struggled to locate the flight, line and length that had proved so devastating in a similar situation against South Africa last week. England regained a small measure of control when the umpires agreed to a ball-change after 21 overs, and Swann was instantly in the thick of things with a tidy fourth over that went for two runs. However, the more notable aspect of the over was Swann's petulance when called for a leg-side wide that might have brushed Shakib's pad. Aside from the extra run, it was a sign that England were getting very seriously rattled.

In the final analysis, however, there could be no quibbling with the result. The only reason that England were even given a chance of victory was that both sides knew of Bangladesh's tendency to collapse under pressure. Sure enough, the choke when it came was dramatic and could have been game-changing, but thanks to the guts of Shafiul and Mahmudullah, justice was served in the end.

Last week Bangladesh were being showered with brickbats - literally - after a spineless surrender in Dhaka. This evening those same players will be garlanded by a jubilant nation, and with a match against Netherlands still lying in wait, they now have a real chance to propel themselves to the quarter-finals. England, meanwhile, must ride the rollercoaster for the sixth match in succession. Another slip-up, and this time it really will be the end.

Pollard and Smith power Windies to victory

West Indies opener Devon Smith made a maiden century but his effort was overshadowed by Kieron Pollard, who bludgeoned a limited Ireland attack all around Mohali to muscle his side to a tall total. Pollard's effort helped to quell the criticism over his lack of performances at the international level, and gave West Indies their third win in four matches, putting them in prime position for a quarter-final spot. 

A fluent Ed Joyce steered Ireland's sprightly reply but they lacked the spark needed to chase down the substantial score, though for the fourth match in a row they showed they aren't out of their depth against top teams. They kept fighting even when hopes of a victory were lost, reducing the margin of defeat to 44 runs and ensuring that their net run-rate didn't take too big a hit. 

The decision to replace the injured Chris Gayle with bowling allrounder Andre Russell meant West Indies had a long tail, and no batsman of note below No. 5. That meant Ireland would have been the happier side when West Indies crawled to 142 for 3 by the 35th over. The batsmen gambled by taking the batting Powerplay then; a wicket at that stage could have scuppered the innings, but Ireland couldn't make the vital breakthrough and were helpless as the power of Pollard helped ransack 55 runs in five overs to shift the balance of the game. 

Ireland had two opportunities to remove Pollard in the Powerplay: John Mooney narrowly missed a direct hit from square leg when Pollard had given up hope of making his ground in the 37th over, and Gary Wilson shelled a catch at long-on after hurtling across to get to a skier in the next over. 

Over the next 45 minutes Pollard made them regret those misses with his now familiar brand of hitting, mainly muscling boundaries in the arc between long-on and midwicket. Boyd Rankin, Ireland's quickest, was brought in to handcuff Pollard, but his short ball was walloped to midwicket and an attempted yorker was pummeled down the ground. Rankin was rattled by the ferocity of the second hit, muttering to himself as his fractional mistake was punished. 

A drive to midwicket in the 42nd over brought up Pollard's half-century off 35 balls - he celebrated by kissing an arm band bearing the injured allrounder Dwayne Bravo's number - but he was just warming up. The wickets tumbled at the other end, but there was no stopping Pollard, who capped a frenzy of hitting with 20 runs of an O'Brien over, which included a monstrous one-handed six that easily sailed over deep midwicket.

O'Brien had taken four wickets for the first time in his one-day career, but the Pollard assault ruined his figures. Pollard was also in line for the second quickest World Cup hundred -after O'Brien's epic against England last month - but fell attempting a six over long-off. 

The pyrotechnics at the end made up for a dull start to the match in front of a nearly empty stadium when the West Indies openers treated the dibbly-dobbly attack with undue caution. There were only six fours in the first 15 overs on a track that, despite plenty of grass, afforded little movement for the seamers. 

West Indies were dawdling at 3.5 runs per over when O'Brien struck in the 25th, getting Chanderpaul first, and Darren Bravo for a duck three balls later. Smith persevered and he stepped up his strike-rate in the Powerplay with a series of fours, reaching his hundred in the 39th over. It didn't thrill the watchers, but for a side which has only managed four centuries in their last 28 matches, it was an important innings. 

Soon after, Kevin O'Brien struck twice in an over for the second time, though that didn't stop the runs. Puzzlingly, Ireland used their best bowler, left-arm spinner George Dockrell, for only three overs. 

 

Ireland's chase got off to a terrible start as Paul Stirling's poor World Cup continued, dismissed in the second over. Joyce walked in and caressed his first two deliveries for four and Ireland sprinted to 35 for 0 in five, before Darren Sammy reeled off three maidens in a row and, combining with the pacy and accurate debutant Russell, created the pressure that led to William Porterfield's dismissal. 

Joyce and Niall O'Brien steadied Ireland, adding 44 trouble-free runs before Niall played down the wrong line to Sulieman Benn. Joyce and Wilson then forged the biggest partnership of the innings to keep Ireland afloat, but just as Wilson picked up the pace with a huge six and two reverse-swept fours, Joyce was dismissed. Kevin O'Brien fell to a spectacular diving catch from Pollard and with that Ireland's hopes were washed away. 

A controversial lbw decision by umpire Asoka de Silva, which wasn't reversed on referral, ended Wilson's stay in the 42nd over, but by then Ireland were hurtling towards their third defeat, and now need two wins to qualify for the next stage.

Dilshan, Tharanga take Sri Lanka into quarterfinals

When Elton Chigumbura chose to bowl in Pallekele, to avoid his spinners having to struggle with a dew-soaked ball, little did he think his team would fail to take a wicket for 44.3 overs. But Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga batted forever, notching up the first double-century opening partnership in World Cup history, and their hundreds set up Sri Lanka's victory, officially securing their place in the quarter-finals.

The result was a foregone conclusion once Sri Lanka scored 327 but there was a flutter of hope in the Zimbabwe camp when Brendan Taylor was at the forefront of the pursuit. He combined orthodoxy and innovation during an aggressive half-century, taking advantage of a wayward Sri Lankan pace attack. The hosts gathered themselves, though, and struck twice at the other end after a century opening stand. Taylor eventually departed for 80 in the 25th over, and with him ended Zimbabwe's improbable chances.

The struggle of Zimbabwe's batsmen was in contrast to the ease with which Dilshan and Tharanga had entertained a packed house. They started at top speed, taking 84 of the first 11 overs by playing a shot a minute, and then shifted to a lower gear, bleeding Zimbabwe steadily and so easily through the middle overs. There were regular bursts of acceleration later in the innings and a concerted push during the final ten overs. At no stage were they bothered and rarely has a bowling performance looked so toothless - Chris Mpofu's shout after striking Tharanga's pad with the first ball of the game was the only appeal against the openers. Tired shots, rather than incisive bowling, brought about the dismissal of Tharanga and then Dilshan, and more middle-order wickets fell as batsmen came, swung and pushed the total beyond 300.

Tharanga threaded the fourth ball through point with a square drive and Sri Lanka were away. For the first time in the tournament Chigumbura did not use Ray Price with the brand new ball and gave the second over to Tinashe Panyangara. It was a costly decision as Dilshan ran amok, driving the full balls, and cutting and pulling the short ones to take 18 runs off the over.

There was no let-up in Sri Lanka's pace during the mandatory Powerplay, off which they scored 77. Dilshan and Tharanga slashed through point, pulled through square and then drove when the length was too full, punishing everyone who bowled at them. When Price was brought on in the fifth over, Dilshan skipped down and drove him inside out through cover.

Not until the 12th and 13th over was there spin from both ends and then Price bowled the innings' first maiden. The spin trio of Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer began to exercise more control over the run-rate, which dipped below six for the first time in the 19th, but they failed to take a wicket. Tharanga and Dilshan seamlessly shifted to a lower gear and focused on accumulation.

Zimbabwe's spinners had conceded only 76 runs off 17 overs when Chigumbura gave pace another run by bringing himself on. Dilshan slapped a wide offering through cover to move to 99 and then reached his century off 95 balls, his first in World Cups. Panyangara returned and Tharanga immediately lofted over mid-off and pulled past fine leg. Sri Lanka took 30 off overs 31-33.

Tharanga and Dilshan broke Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti's World Cup record of 194 for the first wicket and then became the first openers to score hundreds in the same World Cup innings. They reached 200 in 33.4 overs. During the batting Powerplay, taken in the 41st over, Tharanga's inside-out play through cover was exquisite. With the highest opening partnership in ODIs - 286 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tharanga at Headingley 2006 - within striking distance, Tharanga holed out to deep cover, bringing Zimbabwe some relief. Dilshan followed in the next over, leaving the finishing touches to his well-rested team-mates.

As impressive as Sri Lanka's display was, Taylor played some of the best shots of the game. Using Malinga's pace, Taylor flicked a low full toss to the backward square-leg boundary, pushed a wide one through covers and chipped a short one over Kumar Sangakkara's head. There was only touch and timing in those shots, no power. Taylor got to his fifty off 39 balls and carried on batting aggressively.

Muttiah Muralitharan came on only in the 16th over, after the bowling Powerplay was completed, and in the 20th he spun a doosra on to Regis Chakabva's off stump, ending the opening stand on 116. Tatenda Taibu was bent on reverse-sweeping Murali whenever he could, and got away with it. He didn't get away with edging Angelo Mathew though, and Sangakkara dived to his right to take the catch inches off the ground.

Those two wickets set back Zimbabwe's chase considerably, and Taylor's dismissal was the definitive blow. On 80, he chipped a slower ball from Angelo Mathews straight to midwicket and the contest was over. Dilshan returned to torment Zimbabwe, picking up four batsmen - his finishing touches on a terrific game. And Murali, playing his final ODI in front of his home crowd, took the final wicket.

Amla insists India are under pressure

Hashim Amla, South Africa's opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday. "Being at home comes with a lot of expectation," he said. "I don't think the pressure is on us as much as it is on India."

South Africa and India's match is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the group stage, the juicy steak everyone has been looking forward to after three weeks of appetisers and the occasional chicken dish, still a main, but not the red-meat one. England have served up most of the white-meat, advertising fifty-over cricket with three delicious roasts so far, one where they got burnt by Ireland, one where they returned the favour to South Africa, and that tie with India - cooked just right.

Now it's time to sample one of the dishes that is considered a speciality in this tournament, two of the favourites, blended in one stadium. The teams have been on this menu before, little more than a month ago, when South Africa beat India 3-2 in a closely fought ODI series in South Africa. The ingredients were completely different, with pitches that favoured the local seamers being the biggest change. "We do take confidence from knowing that we've beaten India on our home ground but we are not naïve to think this will be the same," Amla said.

Nagpur's kitchen caters to other tastes entirely, with a pancake of a track that promises runs that will drip like an overflowing pot of honey. South Africa have sipped from those fountains before. Dale Steyn helped himself to 7 for 51 in the Test match and Amla scored his career-best 253 not out in February last year. "The last time I was here I had a good time," Amla said, holding himself back from licking his fingers or lips, which is what he may have needed to do given the aftertaste this venue must have left in this mouth. "We know the scores are generally quite high here, if I can score the same amount of runs I will be very happy."
   
The same amount may be too much to ask in a quick meal like a one-day international, but the substance of what Amla is saying is there. He hopes to spend as much time at the crease as possible, in keeping with South Africa's philosophy that at least one of their top six chefs must remain in the kitchen to marshal the rest. "You hope somebody in the top six bats a long time so others can bat around him. It is a considered effort. We want the batsmen to score the runs rather than have the tail-enders have to bat."

With the batsmen the ones that are being promised the best of the meal on offer in Nagpur, it leaves little to whet the appetite of the bowlers. India's attack has come under fierce criticism for being undercooked but Amla predicts that they will still bring their fair share of spice for the South Africans to deal with. "We rate their bowlers," he said. "Even though we won 3-2 they bowled very well in that series at home."

Although Amla referenced it himself, the snacks shared between India and South Africa a few weeks ago are still thought to have little bearing on this match. Even the way Yusuf Pathan proved himself, with a commanding innings in Centurion against short pitched bowling, is not something South Africa have pondered to any great detail. "We're not placing too much importance on individuals," Amla said, while explaining that South Africa is enjoying every meal to the fullest, tasting each dish before going on to the next.

They still know that on Saturday, the VCA will be a pressure cooker but Amla thinks that South Africa are not the ones who need to be worried about getting cooked to pulp. "We've played in front of big crowd before, it may take five or six overs to get used to the noise factor but it will be a lovely atmosphere." The dessert, for many, will be if these two meet in the final in three weeks time. It may make all the finger food in between worth it, particularly if they dish out a tasty course this time around.

Michael Hussey savours unexpected call-up

Michael Hussey qualified to be a teacher, but he's so level-headed it's hard to imagine him ever raising his voice at a student. So when he was ruled out of Australia's World Cup squad and spoke out strongly about why he felt he deserved to be picked, it was extra noteworthy. The man who doesn't sledge and doesn't criticise was not going to be silenced on this occasion. 

But the selectors had made their decision. Hussey was recuperating from surgery for a serious hamstring injury and with Ricky Ponting also recovering from his broken finger, the Australians were unwilling to risk taking two batsmen who were not fully fit. One month later Hussey has his opportunity, courtesy Doug Bollinger's ankle injury, and he's pinching himself ahead of Sunday's match against Kenya in Bangalore.

"I pretty much thought I wouldn't get another chance to play in a World Cup," Hussey said. "That was doubly disappointing because I had set myself the goal coming in to this year to be involved in the T20 World Cup, the Ashes and the World Cup. They were my three big goals to be part of those teams. When I was ruled it was a pretty bitter pill to take, but unbelievably I find myself here, so it's great news. 

"I found it pretty difficult to take for a while, but I then used all that energy and emotion to rehab and get better as fast as I could. The rule, we thought, was that if there was an injury I couldn't be the one to come in and replace. I don't know if the rules changed or if we misinterpreted them, but it was good news from my point of view to think that there was still a glimmer of hope that I could still be involved." 

Hussey had been focused on getting fit for Australia's one-day tour of Bangladesh, which immediately follows the World Cup. Now he finds himself parachuted in to the middle of a campaign that has started well, with victories over Zimbabwe and New Zealand, before the much-anticipated clash with Sri Lanka was washed out in Colombo. 

Victory over Kenya would confirm Australia's place in the quarter-finals, but their goal is to finish at the top of the Group A table, to give them the best chance of facing a weaker opponent in the sudden-death rounds. And as the business end of the tournament approaches, it will be important for Hussey to rush straight into the side and get acclimatised to the subcontinent conditions. 

It could be Hussey's brother David, or Cameron White, or Steven Smith, who makes way, but whatever the case, there will be plenty of attention on how Hussey performs. He said he had been overwhelmed with the positive feedback to his call-up, but all the same, the month-long debate about his place in the squad means that a couple of failures might not go down so well. 

"I don't want to try to put any extra pressure on myself," he said. "Similar to the Ashes, there's always so much speculation and so much pressure and so much hype and all of the distractions around the team. But for me I just try to put all of those things out of my mind and concentrate on what's important and that's doing my job in the team." 

And at 35, Hussey has no plans to call an end to that job just yet. Last year, he told ESPNcricinfo that his plan was to fight for a place in the World Twenty20, the Ashes and the World Cup, and then reassess. Now, he's starting to cast his eyes beyond the last one of those major events. 

"I'm pretty keen to keep playing," Hussey said. "The key factors for me are am I still contributing to the team, am I enjoying the contest out in the middle, and if I'm still enjoying playing for Australia and doing all the travel and the training and still trying to motivate myself to get better. At the moment I still feel like I'm ticking all those boxes. While I'm doing that I want to continue to play. It took me so long to get just one game for Australia, so I don't want to pull up stumps on anything too soon." 

Of course, there is a career in education he can eventually fall back on. But for now, there are plenty of opponents he'd still like to teach a lesson.

Vettori to miss Canada game

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, will miss his team's next game against Canada on March 13 because of a knee injury. Vettori hurt his right knee during the game against Pakistan and is now hoping to be fit for New Zealand's last league game against Sri Lanka on March 18 in Mumbai. 

"At the moment Dan's staying with us," opener Martin Guptill said. "I think he is probably going to miss the next game. But he is staying with us for the rest of the tournament which is good for us." Guptill said the team had not decided who will take Vettori's place yet. "Not too sure what they are going to do. We haven't had a selection meeting yet. The decision will be taken tomorrow." 

Vettori's movements appeared to be seriously restricted after a diving effort for an attempted catch at mid-on in the sixth over of Pakistan's innings, and two balls later he limped slowly from the field. At the time, he struggled to walk around the boundary, being helped along by the support staff, and had ice treatment in the changing room while the vice-captain Ross Taylor oversaw the 110-run win. 

Ellery Tappin, the New Zealand media manager, said Vettori had strained a ligament in his right knee. "It's not a tear or something significant. He is targeting the Sri Lankan game."

Australia's pace will be a big challenge - Waters

Seren Waters might sound like the name of a peaceful spa retreat in the rainforest, but he'll need every bit of his inner calm on Sunday when Shaun Tait is bearing down from 22 yards. As Kenya's opening batsman, Waters has the task of deflecting Tait's 150kph-plus offerings, and if he survives that he'll be rewarded by facing Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Serenity now. 

"I don't think there is another attack in the world comparable to that," Waters said. "They've got three of the quickest bowlers in the world and they're coming one after the other, so there's no real respite. It's going to be an experience." 

An experience is one way of putting it. At the very least, it's something to tell his classmates when he heads back to Durham University, where he is studying human geography and has a full schedule of exams waiting for him in the middle of the year. 

Waters has played for Surrey's Second XI but his cricketing future, like many of the Kenyan players, is in some degree of limbo. The ICC's decision to cut the next World Cup to ten teams means that even though Waters is only 20, he is well aware that this could be his first and last 50-over World Cup. 

However, there may be a place for Kenya at World Twenty20 tournaments in the future, and if that happens then Waters will appreciate the experience of facing the likes of Tait. He nominates Shoaib Akhtar as the fastest bowler he has ever faced, having played Pakistan earlier in this competition, and is looking forward to testing himself against the Australians. 

"Throughout the tournament all of us have faced bowlers we've never faced before," Waters said. "We came up against [Lasith] Malinga, who is unique in what he does, and [Muttiah] Muralitharan. Facing Australia is going to be a big challenge, because three bowlers that are bowling about 150kph consistently is something that none of us will have ever faced before." 

The reality is that nothing is expected of Kenya on Sunday. They have played poorly in every match so far, even losing to Canada, and they face the very real prospect of completing a World Cup without winning a game for the second time in their history. In that environment, even a competitive effort against Australia would be seen as a victory of sorts. 

"The three Test nations we've played we haven't really come close to giving them a game, so we'd hope to give Australia a good game," Waters said. "Winning would be something you'd probably dream about. Realistically, having seen the way we've played so far it's probably something not many people are expecting. But to give them a good game is our target. Throughout my childhood they've been the best side in the world, so the opportunity to play them in the World Cup is pretty special." 

Adding to the challenge for Kenya, their most experienced player, Steve Tikolo, didn't train in Bangalore on Friday due to illness. The Kenyans have relied heavily on the veteran Tikolo over the years, but their future lies with young men like Waters. And Sunday's match looms as the biggest test of his short career.

Morgan ready to step into the breach

Eoin Morgan is all set to become only the fourth player to have represented two countries in World Cups. His has been as interesting a story as the club of three he joins: Kepler Wessels, Anderson Cummins and Ed Joyce. When he played in the West Indies for Ireland four years ago, he - and all his Irish team-mates for that matter - knew that Ireland was just a milestone along the way. The destination was always England. 

Four years on, having fulfilled his dream of playing Tests for England, Morgan had to live with the disappointment of missing out on the other, the World Cup, with a broken finger. Two weeks into the World Cup, when Morgan was planning to go for a Champions League football match later in the week, he got a call from coach Andy Flower. Kevin Pietersen was injured. Morgan was needed. Champions League games can wait. 

"Obviously a call from Andy couple of days ago was a great feeling," Morgan said before his first training session in the World Cup. "I have been part of the squad in the past. To come back in, and be part of the World Cup is very exciting." 

Morgan almost didn't make it, for the first diagnosis on the finger that he damaged during the one-day series in Australia was that it would need surgery. "The first day I arrived back in London, I saw a specialist," he said. "The first analysis was that we needed an operation, but we wanted to wait a week to see what the progress was, healing and all. After a week, he changed his diagnosis, and from there it has healed quite nicely. It's pretty strong at the moment." 

The recuperation time has been spent in training with Middlesex, and in many ways it has come as a welcome break from a tiring schedule. During that down-time, he watched Ireland, the team he last represented, beat England, the team he now represents, and refers to as "we" Mixed emotions there were none. "It was an outstanding innings by Kevin O'Brien. I was pretty distraught that we lost, and didn't get the result that we wanted. Ireland played really well." 

Morgan hasn't batted much at all during the break, but he doesn't feel concerned about it. "Personally I don't feel sort of undercooked or underprepared," he said. "I feel very fresh. After nets for a couple of days, my preparation will be pretty similar to what it has been in the past. So I feel ready, yeah." 

As expected, Morgan will walk into the side, and return to his favourite No. 5 position, from where he has scored two of his three England hundreds and averages 52.46 as opposed to 40.00 overall. "I mean I have been very successful at No. 5 in the past," he said. "So it's my favourite position to bat. I find coming in the middle overs, being a left-hander and playing spin okay, it's one of the better parts of my game. Yeah I love batting at No. 5." 

Being a good player of spin, Morgan brings value to the middle order. Moreover, this is his fourth trip to Bangladesh, which means he shouldn't need much adjustment. "The conditions are always challenging here," he said. "There is different bounce, there is turn in the pitches. The only thing I will have to adjust is to the heat. I hope I can produce some past sort of performances that I have here." 

Having had time to think about the ODI series in Australia, Morgan doesn't want to repeat mistakes he made in a disappointing series, in which he mae 106 runs at 17.66. "I didn't play that well," he said. "There have been a couple of games where I gave it away easily. I got out to bad balls. I can learn from that. It was a bad series for me." 

Even though he comes in as a result of a big loss to England, Pietersen, there is huge anticipation around the return of Morgan, who has been one of their best in ODIs over the last year or so. Morgan doesn't see that as pressure. "It doesn't really bother me. I don't dwell too much on it," he said. "I am just going to try and play the exact some role I did, and try and sort of execute my skills as much as I can. As long as England are winning, I don't care how much expectation is put on mine or anybody else's shoulders."

Sri Lanka aim to build momentum

Like all four major Test nations in Group A, Sri Lanka are on course to progress to the quarter-finals without any serious problems, and the chances of Zimbabwe providing an upset to create a modicum of the excitement witnessed in the other group is slim to none. However, for Sri Lanka it's an ideal time to produce a commanding all-round performance and build momentum ahead of the quarter-finals. 

There is a feeling that Sri Lanka haven't quite clicked yet. They have eased past Canada and Kenya - the latter thanks to Lasith Malinga's hat-trick - but came unstuck against Pakistan with an 11-run defeat. The clash against Australia was shaping up to be a cracker when the rain came and interrupted a well-paced innings by Kumar Sangakkara and denied the spinners their chance to shine. 

Zimbabwe shouldn't provide many problems having suffered a 10-wicket hammering at the hands of New Zealand in their last game. Their batting has lacked consistency and will face a tough examination from whichever combination of spinners Sri Lanka opt to field, while there's Malinga's toe-crushes to overcome as well. Ray Price and Prosper Utseya are good spinners themselves but desperately need the batsmen to back them up.

All-round South Africa wallop Netherlands

A day after Ireland's heroics in Bangalore gave the Associates a major fillip, normal service resumed in Mohali where AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla reeled off contrasting hundreds to set up a hammering of Netherlands. Peter Borren elected to field under overcast skies, but things unraveled at an alarming rate after a disciplined show in the first quarter of the match. Amla overcame a sluggish start and focused on accumulation, while de Villiers shredded the attack in a blaze of big hits that was reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs' assault in the last World Cup encounter between these two teams. South Africa's bowlers then backed up the batting with a near-perfect display to set up the fourth-biggest win in World Cup history.


Chasing 352, Netherlands' best chance of getting anywhere depended on the top order's ability to see off Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The openers played out six overs from South Africa's fastest bowlers, but Jacques Kallis ruined their efforts by snaring two quick wickets after coming in first-change. With the run-rate under control, Graeme Smith deployed his spinners on the lower order, and Netherlands sank without a trace, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs against Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson.

The margin of victory completely eclipsed Netherlands' spirited efforts with the new ball. Their steady army of seamers stuck to tight lengths, and their accuracy left Smith prodding uncertainly from the outset, unsure of his footwork and indecisive in his outlook. After 31 balls of struggle, Smith had seen enough, and lost his leg stump while trying to shovel Bernard Loots across the line. Ryan ten Doeschate then won the first round in the battle of the prolific allrounders, strangling Kallis into glancing one down the leg side through to the wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi. At 58 for 2 in the 16th over, South Africa were in some strife. Thankfully for them, their two best batsmen in recent times were on hand to revive the innings. Even their most optimistic fans, though, would not have envisaged the emphatic manner in which the tide was turned.

Restless to put the failure against West Indies behind him, Amla tried to kick off his World Cup career by disregarding the lengths, and punching on the up. He nearly paid the price in Berend Westdijk's third over, when his drive fell just short of the man at short cover. In Mudassar Bukhari's next, he mishit another forcing shot through the off side, getting an inside edge that was pouched by Barresi on the bounce. Amla tightened his approach following the two reprieves, resorting to deflections behind square, and compact drives down the ground. His first eight balls yielded three fours, but he got only one more - a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg off ten Doeschate - on his way to a vital half-century.

As he had done against West Indies, de Villiers checked in with a surge of immaculate boundaries, flicking and cutting ten Doeschate for fours in the 18th over. They were shots of intent that changed the complexion of the game, ending a period of nearly ten overs in which South Africa's only boundary was Amla's edge to fine leg. de Villiers then went on to expose Netherlands' limitations, leaving the accumulation to Amla and throwing punches in all directions. He looted boundaries in all but two of the overs between 27 and 35, pinging boundaries in a comprehensive arc from third man to midwicket, with shots ranging from the revers- sweep to the slapped flick. While his improvisation was top class, the hallmark of his innings remained the trademark crunched cover-drives whenever the bowlers over-pitched.

Netherlands enjoyed a boundary-drought between overs 36 and 41, but it was clearly a case of the batsmen calibrating their guns for a final assault. Amla strolled to one of his quieter hundreds in the 40th over, and South Africa took the batting Powerplay soon after. de Villiers began the carnage by lapping Pieter Seelar for the first six of the innings, before reaching his century off 88 balls. His next ten deliveries brought him 34 runs, as he smashed Loots for three successive sixes and then ten Doeschate for a hat-trick of fours. Netherlands managed to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession, but it was scarce solace as the Powerplay went for 69. The fields fell back for the last four overs, but that did not seem to affect Duminy, who kept getting under length deliveries to swing four gleeful sixes. Netherlands must have known they were out of the game once South Africa finished with 351. Unfortunately, they did not have Kevin O'Brien in their ranks. 

Ponting's men brace for first real challenge

The World Cup is two weeks old, but Australia's challenge is yet to really begin. Only after Saturday's match against Sri Lanka, one of the pre-tournament favourites, will we really know how Ricky Ponting's men are placed in their quest for a fourth consecutive title. Only after they have faced down Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis on home soil will the full picture begin to emerge. 

The points table says Australia have won two from two, and they've played 31 World Cup matches since their last defeat. In the light of Ireland's triumph over England, Australia's wins over Zimbabwe and an out-of-form New Zealand shouldn't be ignored, but nor did they reveal anything new about Ponting's outfit. The Tait-Lee-Johnson triumvirate are a handful for weaker batting orders, Shane Watson makes solid half-centuries, and quality spin can slow the Australians down. No surprises there. 

The two warm-ups were more instructive, coming as they did against the two favourites to win the World Cup. Australia were beaten by India and then crushed by South Africa, and in that company Zimbabwe and New Zealand look rather irrelevant. Ponting knows this clash with Sri Lanka, finalists at the previous World Cup and a team that triumphed down under earlier this season, is the big one, at least until the quarter-finals.

"It's a little bit hard to judge in the first two games, we really haven't been pushed too much in the first two games," Ponting said. "The Zimbabwe game was obviously a very easy win for us and then to bowl New Zealand out the way we did and then pick the runs off pretty easily, we weren't really tested in that game either. It's not so much what we've done in the games that I'm happy with, it's just the way we've approached every session so far." 

Seven days in Colombo has given them plenty of time to work in and, importantly, acclimatise to a more muggy heat than they experienced in India. It's seven years since the Australians have been to Sri Lanka, and although five members of the squad have played internationals there - Ponting, Watson, Lee, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin - much has changed since then. 

That includes the Premadasa Stadium, which has undergone a major redevelopment, and Ponting doesn't expect the pitch to turn as much as the Australians had originally anticipated. All the same, Ray Price and his Zimbabwe colleagues showed that facing spin is not a strength of the Australian batsmen on the subcontinent. Muralitharan, at a ground where he's taken 107 international wickets, won't be any easier to handle, and nor will the mystery-man Mendis. 

It's in those middle overs against the spinners that Cameron White needs to stand up. The selectors have been impressed with White over the past year and gave him the captaincy for the final ODI against England last month, but this summer he's been scratchy as an old record. In the past, teams had watched White walk to the crease at No. 5 and feared his fireworks; now they see a man they can manacle to the crease.

And if it's not the slow bowlers who keep White and the middle order in check, it could be Malinga. His hat-trick and six-wicket haul against Kenya was a timely reminder that Tait isn't the only source of slingy missiles in the tournament. 

"We've played a fair bit against Malinga over the years," Ponting said. "He had a great game the other day against Kenya, and he looks like he's in pretty good form. He was one of the main focuses for us in the team meeting, talking about the right way to go about playing him. His bowling in the middle overs and with the older ball is particularly good." 

There's also a question over Australia's spinners. Ponting has been talking up Jason Krejza's efforts on the tour, but even against an otherwise wobbly New Zealand, he leaked a few too many runs, while Steven Smith faces a major battle against quality batsmen like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. 

It all adds up to an intriguing tussle, and Australia's first serious contest of the tournament. If Ponting's men come through with flying colours, they can justifiably be talked about among the favourites. If not, at least they'll know where they stand.

ICC meeting in May to decide new World Cup format

The ICC will meet in May to draft out the structure of the World Cup from 2015 and beyond, incorporating an ODI league and a clause regarding promotion and relegation into the tournament that could radically alter the course, not merely of the ICC's flagship event, but the 50-over format of the game itself. The decision to trim the World Cup down to ten teams has been vehemently criticised, particularly by cricket's smaller nations, but the new structure will ensure they get some level of participation. 

The ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo that the ICC Board had to finalise its last piece of a global ODI league format and arrive at a cut-off for eligibility for the 10 teams due to take part in the 2015 World Cup. The purpose of this "cut-off" is to make both the new league, which will begin after the World Cup, and the ICC's ODI rankings meaningful. The ICC must decide how many teams at the bottom of the top ten ODI rankings will compete in a World Cup qualifying competition with the Associates to enter the World Cup. 

Lorgat said the ICC's board would decide what that cut-off should be. "Somewhere we have to make the cut-off. Who knows what that would be yet - eight or nine or seven. The cut-off means that teams ranked higher than the cut-off directly get into the World Cup. Whoever is left out, goes into a qualifier." 

Using the current ODI rankings to give a hypothetical example, should the cut-off for the next World Cup be fixed at seven, it would mean that Bangladesh and West Indies would not be guaranteed an automatic place in the next World Cup, but must play a qualifier with Ireland, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Canada and Kenya to determine which three complete the ten-team field. Lorgat said, "That's where the Associates get the opportunity. They (the Associates) have obviously been disappointed (by the 10 team World Cup) because the more teams you make, the more teams can play (in a World Cup), but that's not top competition."

The first two weeks of this World Cup have produced a tie between two strong teams, an upset by the Irish over England and a scare given to Pakistan by Canada, and Lorgat said it had proved what the ICC had always said, that there is nothing wrong with 50-over cricket. What the ICC must handle now, he said, were issues "of context, of the right contest, in other words competitive teams, and scheduling. Those are what we need to address rather than the risk of the game becoming redundant." 

Despite the explosion of Twenty20 leagues after the 2007 World Cup, Lorgat said he did not think there had ever been a risk for the 50-over format. "We've always said three formats are viable, but what I was concerned about were self-fulfilling prophecies. We need to be careful we don't create self-fulfilling prophecies." 

The ODI league will be held over a three-year cycle leading up to the World Cup in its fourth year, with the member nations playing each other at least once over that three-year period, either home or away. The 'home or away' clause gives an allowance to countries like India who continue to keep away from making commitments to host some nations, largely due to reasons of financial unprofitability. 

India, in fact, is the only Full Member nation not to have hosted Bangladesh in a Test and the last time their 2011 World Cup co-hosts played an ODI in India was in 1998 as part of a triangular ODI series. Lorgat, however, said: "We can't ignore the fact that there are only 365 days of the year. There are some series that are bigger than others, we cannot forgo the fact that members determine bilaterally how much competition they have with each other." In the ODI league, he said, "India can choose to go and play Bangladesh in Bangladesh, if they happen to lose, that's the result, but that choice is up to the members." 

Lorgat said the first few games of the World Cup - until Ireland's defeat of England - had vindicated the ICC's decision to have a ten-team tournament in 2015. He said while he understood the frustration of the Associates, the World Cup had to address a balance between competitive games and extending opportunities across cricket. "You are always going to get a diverse view in terms of what is opportunity and what is competition, because you can't have both. If you provide opportunity, you're going to get some teams who are less competitive, because you have grown the field." 

The Associates, he believed, would have a better chance to succeed in the 16-team World Twenty20 because it was a format that "lent itself to competition. There is a bit more spice in that." Fifty-over cricket, he said, made it "difficult" for weaker teams who were trying to grow and yet find a way to "compete on overy occasion." In the 50-over format, Associates, he said, "might pull a blinder once or twice but over a sustained period of time, over a length of a competition, it is unlikely they will compete as strongly as the main teams." 

The proposals being discussed by the ICC are part of a "strategic restructure" that has taken place over the last 12-18 months. The World Cup "cut-off'" decision began in the ICC's working committee and is at the moment with the "governance group" because of the impact it could have on the Full Member nations. Cutting off the bottom three from a direct entry into the World Cup may well be strongly resisted from countries like Bangladesh or West Indies, one emerging and the other struggling, who may consider it a means of reducing their global significance and ensuring that stronger, richer nations can only tighten their clique.

One thing, though, is clear. Cricket's World Cup is never going to be the same again.

A match crucial to quarter-final qualification

Chaos in Bangalore as fans rush for tickets

The problems surrounding the sale of World Cup tickets in India have descended into chaos, with police in Bangalore conducting a baton-charge on fans queuing up for tickets for Sunday's match between India and England. The 7000 tickets were sold out within three hours, officials said, leaving hundreds of fans - many of whom had queued up overnight - angry and disappointed. 

People started to queue from about midnight but soon after that were asked by the police to disperse. The fans regrouped again at around 5 am and were allowed to queue up but within the hour the crowd swelled and the queue stretched from the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue of the match, onto MG road - ironically, to the crossing named after Anil Kumble, president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association - the host organisation. 

By 8.30, when the tickets began to be issued, the chaos started to descend and soon the police swung into action. AFP reported that several people were injured and taken away on stretchers as police attempted to control the crowd, estimated at 5000. Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan, ESPNcricinfo's stats analyst, was among those who'd queued up from midnight. "The officials initially said only one ticket would be sold per person but suddenly they started to give two per head. Very soon, they said the tickets were sold out. We spotted one policeman holding ten tickets." He said the confusion added to the general sense of anger and restlessness.

The scenes were an eerie echo of the alarm sounded by the ICC in a letter to Sharad Pawar, where it said the high demand for these tickets created the "potential for chaos and physical injury when the box office sales open". 

Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler who is now secretary of the KSCA, said 7000 tickets had been sold out, adding that some of the best tickets had been taken by the ICC for their sponsors. However, he said he was hopeful that more tickets would be made available over the next couple of days and would be sold online through Kyazoonga.com, the ICC's official online tickets sales partner. 

"There is a limit to how much we can fulfil people's expectations," Srinath said. "It is a big challenge but even our hands are tied. For a match of this stature, even if you double or triple the amount of tickets for the public, it won't be enough. That's the tradition in India and we expected this mad rush." 

Srinath explained how they arrived at the number of the tickets sold to general public. "There are about 4500 [KSCA] members, and we have to give one extra ticket to them. So that's around 7000 tickets gone there. We also have corporate commitments, and we had to give tickets to the ICC. For the first time, too, all the state Associations have taken their full quota (25 tickets each) of tickets. But we are also thankful that they are sending back some unsold tickets." 

"Some more tickets are expected to be available online. We are getting back some tickets from the ICC and CAB and those will be sold online. They are also willing to sell those tickets on the day of the match. So all is not lost for the fans of Bangalore." 

There was some dark humour too. Asked whether selling tickets was more challenging than bowling for India, Srinath said, "I think bowling at the dirt track was the easiest." 

Sunday's game was switched in late January to Bangalore because of problems at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata where the match, deemed to be the marquee game of the World Cup group stage, was due to be played. 

Thursday's incidents in Bangalore follow widespread criticism of the shortage of match tickets for the general public - only 4000 tickets will be available for the final - and shoddy distribution of tickets bought online. The ICC letter to Pawar, who also heads the tournament's organising committee, warned of the problems and the potential fallout - including lawsuits by angry fans and corporate sponsors who have not received tickets.

Misbah rides on higher confidence

It is difficult to believe both that, at 36, Misbah-ul-Haq hasn't played a World Cup before and that he is playing this one at all. Such was the force of his last axing, from all three formats no less, that until circumstances thrust him into the Test captaincy last October, his career was all but over. 

Yet as the premier domestic batsman in Pakistan in the 2000s, many felt he had been treated unfairly in not being given at least one opportunity between 2003 and 2007; with Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan in the middle order during that period, however, it was difficult to see how he would get in.

But, like the best actors and boxers, he does comebacks exceedingly well. In 2007, after a four-year exile, he nearly won Pakistan a world title. In this latest return he has been even more remarkable; 65 against Kenya in Hambantota was his ninth international fifty in 12 innings across Tests and ODIs. 

The player, he said during Pakistan's practice at the Premadasa in Colombo, does not change. "I've always said it is important for any player to get some self-belief and confidence back. You start scoring runs, the team starts believing in you and people's expectations of you increase and that gives you self-belief. And as your confidence builds your performance gets better. The player actually remains the same before and after, but with confidence higher, you perform better." 

Had poker been an official pursuit in Pakistan, his face would've won him titles, so expecting him to express regret, or anger, or even blink twice, at being asked about missing past World Cups is futile. He is happy, he says, just to be playing at all. "I think whatever cricket you do play you should think about that. I am enjoying it at the moment, I have always enjoyed playing it, domestically or internationally and I only want to do what I can for the side." 

Misbah's return has fitted in seamlessly with a gradual upswing in Pakistan's batting results over the last year or so, an under-scrutinised aspect of their performances. In 20 ODIs in Sri Lanka, England, the UAE and New Zealand, Pakistan have made 250 or more 13 times. Each member of the top six has made contributions at various stages, so that the problem has been one of plenty, of pacing an innings, of arranging the order so that momentum is not squandered and stability always present. 

Misbah has come, as he did on Wednesday, mostly at five and has batted often in tandem with Younis Khan. Though the poor start then highlighted the calm the pair brings, against a better attack more oomph might be needed through the middle, an Umar Akmal breaking up the pair. Some in Pakistan, Imran Khan no less, want Misbah even higher in the order. 

"The situation as it is, with the way the batting order is, all our batsmen have scored runs," Misbah said. "Kamran [Akmal] comes in at three and he has opened, Younis at four who has mostly played at three, the openers did well scoring hundreds in New Zealand, so we're not really feeling that our batting is missing something. We've got guys scoring runs and performing. Our batting order is fine and it is a good combination at the moment. Whatever the team needs, will happen. None of the players have any issues with where they are batting and what number." 

Few attacks can match Sri Lanka's for potency or variety so Saturday, in what is likely to be an electric atmosphere, will be a comprehensive test of Pakistan. "Sri Lanka always, but especially in the last 2-3 years they have been very consistent, playing good cricket and in home conditions they are a very tough side," Misbah said. 

"To get a good first win in this kind of tournament, with most of your batsmen scoring runs and then convincingly get them out, the morale gets high and players get into touch. It is a very vital match for both sides."

Tahir and de Villiers star in seven-wicket win

AB de Villiers showed his pedigree with his second World Cup hundred, his 10th in all one-day internationals, and the fastest by a South African in a World Cup as South Africa chased down 223 at a canter at the Feroz Shah Kotla, the result sealed in the 43rd over for the loss of only three wickets.

De Villiers, who was named ODI Player of the Year for 2010, barely put a foot wrong in his knock, ticking along at better than a-run-a-ball from the start and sounding an ominous warning for South Africa's opponents in this tournament. He shared in a decisive 119-run stand for the third wicket with Graeme Smith and shut down the game by adding a further 84 in JP Duminy's company. 

South Africa's batsmen built upon the good work of their bowlers as Imran Tahir had a debut to remember, picking up four wickets and striking at crucial moments to peg West Indies back on a pitch that displayed none of the demons that led to the abandonment of the last international game at this ground in December 2009. 

A new-look South African bowling unit kept a lid on a combustible West Indies, the spinners bowling a combined 29 overs for just 138 runs as West Indies imploded to be all out for 222 when, at one stage, 270 had seemed more likely. After the spinners had kept South Africa in control for much of the game, Dale Steyn returned at the death to ensure there would be no late fightback. 

South Africa were in dire need of a counterpunch when de Villiers entered at the end of the fifth over with West Indies' new-ball bowlers in the midst of an inspired opening spell. Hashim Amla, whose 1,322 runs in the year leading up to this World Cup has made him one of the vital cogs in South Africa's one-day line-up, and Jacques Kallis both fell to sharp catches behind the wicket as Kemar Roach bowled with real pace and, continuing the trend already being set by other teams in this competition, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn shared the new ball with success. 

South Africa were 20 for 2 with that dismissal but, defying West Indies' attempts to keep the pressure on, de Villiers appeared totally in control from the start of his innings. Threading the gap between cover and point on multiple occasions, he sprinted into the 20s at better than a-run-a-ball and South Africa were soon trundling along at well above the asking rate. 

West Indies desperately needed another breakthrough and the talismanic Dwayne Bravo might have been just the man to provide it but in his third over a painful knee injury put an end to his contribution to his team's defence. Attempting to change direction mid-follow through and cut off a drive from Smith, Bravo swivelled awkwardly and immediately fell to the ground, clutching his knee. The physiotherapist was called for and Bravo was helped from the field and taken to hospital for scans. The extent of the damage will not be known until the results of those tests are in. 

South Africa marched confidently on in his absence, de Villiers bringing up a 54-ball fifty with a massive blow over wide long-on in the 22nd over and Smith providing steady support until he missed a straight one from Kieron Pollard and had his middle stump flattened five runs short of a half-century of his own. His departure sparked wild celebrations, and at 139 for 3 in the 29th over there was still a chance the chase could get tricky. There was barely a hint of nerves from Duminy and de Villiers, however, and after a short break for rain they eased South Africa home with minimum fuss, de Villiers reaching his ton from just 97 balls. 

The chase might have been rather more challenging had West Indies' batsmen been able to make more of the solid platform laid by Darren Bravo and Dwayne Smith, who helped their team weather the early departure of Chris Gayle with a 111-run partnership. Dwayne Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul showed some fight with a 58-run stand of their own but there was precious little support from the rest of the line-up. 

The thoroughness of South Africa's gameplans and their willingness to utilise unorthodox tactics was in evidence first in their decision to include no less than three frontline spinners in Johan Botha, Tahir and Robin Peterson and then when, for the first time in his career, Botha opened the bowling and soon snared Gayle with an edge to slip. 

Bravo set the early tone with a couple of deftly glanced boundaries off Steyn and brought up a 55-ball 50 in the 16th over, his third in ODIs, and celebrating the milestone with a remarkable one-handed smite over long-on off Tahir. The century stand was brought up off 117 deliveries in the 20th over, and with West Indies starting to seize the initiative Smith turned to Botha. 

Again the offspinner provided the breakthrough, slipping one past an uncertain flick to pin Bravo in front of middle and dismiss him for 73 despite a slightly desperate referral from the batsman. Tahir then took centre stage, holding a a simple caught-and-bowled chance off Smith for his first international wicket and removing Ramnaresh Sarwan before he had time to settle 

Just as the elder Bravo and Chanderpaul were starting to flow a brainless piece of running put paid to their fightback. A reverse-sweep from Chanderpaul went straight to the man at short third man but inexplicably a run was called for and Bravo was easily run out for 40, the score 178 for 5 in the 38th over.

West Indies unravelled with alarming speed thereafter, their innings sliding swiftly into mediocrity after Chanderpaul, who had upped the tempo with a couple of thumping strikes, chipped Tahir straight to Peterson at long-off. Kieron Pollard's arrival at the crease caused an immediate ripple of excitement among a decent crowd of spectators, but Steyn returned to dismiss him for a golden duck with a skidding inswinger that struck the pad in front of middle and leg. Tahir had his fourth wicket when a wild swipe from wicketkeeper Devon Thomas ended up in JP Duminy's hands, running back from extra cover, and the tail proved no match for Steyn's pace and accuracy as the innings was wrapped up soon afterwards.