Group A is anybodys game in theory, but practically it is Australia’s to lose. No way they are going to be defeated by Pakistan and Sri Lanka will rue the defeat to Pak. How the next three line up is anybody’s guess.
The dream QF matches.
Australia v India: The clash of the titans
Pakistan-South Africa; Mecurial vs consistency, a team which lives for KO matches against a team which dread them.
AK84, I think we may be talking at cross purposes here. My post (s) were suggesting that given there have been investigations into match fixing involving the Pakistani team, any match which involve that team where there are performances either far better or far worse than expected, will immediately attract speculation.
I have no comment on whether the findings coming from the match fixing investigations were correct, and have not suggested anything either way.
Can we please agree on common ground and put this to bed?
Regarding the England - Bangladesh match.
As we can see, England are now going through the now familiar “we’ve blown it” “We’ve won it” “We’ve Blown it” “We’ve won it”.
I am reserving judgement but suffice to say that, if we can actually put a bowling and batting performance together in one match, we may take some beating.
We’ve blown it. An unbroken 9th wicket partnership of 58, including a new ODI career high score for number 10 batsman Shafiul Islam gives Bangladesh victory.
You can’t give away 23 wides and expect to beat a county team, much less an international team.
Re Cicero, certainly.
England is blowing hot and cold this WC. But as said earlier all that is required is to win three games on the trot and that I think they can do.
(whose replacing Broad?).
From the humor column.
anyone surprised by that result? not me.
Anyone like to guess which England turns up to play the Windies?
Nope…me neither.
Well there goes my disappointment with Bangladesh. Engalnd sit on 5 points, ahead of Bangladesh and South Africa on 4. However England only has one more game (against the West Indies) while Bangladesh has 2 (Netherlands, South Africa) as do South Africa (Bangladesh and Ireland).
England’s point for the tie with India could end up being crucial.
Tremlett replaced Broad.
I thought Bangladesh had blown it last night- I went to bed and got a surprise with the result.
So far Australia and India are the only undefeated teams. In Group A the semi finalists are the obvious with just the order being clouded. That may come down to the Australia vs Pakistan game.
Group B-fa more complex. Windies have looked pretty good so far (except against RSA) and they could decide the semi finalists.
Wicket-keeper versus WK-batsman goes back much further though. In the 1930s there was lively debate over whether England’s glovesman ought to be George Duckworth, who was a 'keeper pure and simple, or Leslie Ames, who was a good enough batsman to make a hundred hundreds in his first-class career (a feat many a specialist batsman has never got near). But to his credit, Ames was also a good enough stumper to set wicket-keeping records, some of which are still unbroken.
Van Wyk’s having a shocker!!
I have no idea what to make of this game (RSA versus India).
The pitch looks a belter, India were 1 for 269 and all out for less than 300. I don’t believe RSA have a great batting line up but it should be competitive.
I don’t know what to make of the whole WC.
The Indian bowlings limitations are exposed again. Well done South Africa!
Another exciting game - well done South Africa. I didn’t watch the match but it sounds as if the Indian lineup is very brittle.
A good summary of the Group B situation in the sidebar to this match report. No one’s completely out of the woods yet - with it all coming down to the last few matches.
I watched most of the match. It doesn’t bode that well for India that they can be in commanding positions and not win. 1 for 269 they should have made close to 350. And then RSA were batting rather cautiously and should have been restricted. I winder if 20/20 crickt is catching up with them and they are not sure how to finish a game.
RSA- well, it is not a great side but it is efficient. Smith is becoming a passenger at the top though.
I am just hoping Australia can ease past Kenya today 
The way Australia are playing they don’t deserve to be in the quarter finals.
Well they won comfortably enough - maybe they don’t like beating up the minnows as much as New Zealand does? OH and the streak continues (33 matches and counting).
It was just a pass for Australia. I don’t see India or RSA being scared by that performance.
It is probably fair to state that they were suffering from lack of match play but I still believe their are too many passengers in the side. Those players who will perform once every six months.
Pakistan defeat Zim. Not a good performance and why the hell is Ajmal not being played?