Bangladesh vs India - Game 8

Bangladesh vs India (Group B) at Port of Spain, Trinidad

India 191/10 in 49.3 overs (Ganguly 66, Yuvraj 47, M Mortaza 38/4, M Rafique 35/3) lost to Bangladesh 192/5 inn 48.3 overs (M Rahim 56, S Hasan 53) by 5 wkts
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I am absolutely gutted! India's campaign got of to the worst imaginable start as the Bangladeshi tigers trounced their much hyped neighbors. Batting first after winning the toss, the much vaunted batting line up, considered by many as the strongest in the world, fell like flies. To collapse from 157/4 to 159/9 in the space of 1.4 overs is inexplicable. A team with such an enormous wealth of experience should know better.

Bangladesh, on the other hand have improved beyond recognition. Remember, they beat NZ in the warm up leading to the WC. At a time when the minnows are getting slayed left, right and center, this performance should silence those critics who have been questioning the inclusion of 'lesser' teams for a premier event. It's nice to see B'desh do so well, and with the 2011 WC scheduled to be held in the sub-continent, we could very well be saying hello to a new champion then.

India have a lot of soul searching to do. They didn't show any urgency while batting and their body language while bowling & fielding left a lot to be desired. Sehwag was terrible and one must really question the team management's wisdom to continue backing him on the pretext that he is only one good knock away from regaining form. Ganguly was pathetically slow at the start (he scored 5 runs in the first 10 overs) and there seemed a touch of selfishness in his play. Dravid and Tendulkar failed to rotate the strike while the lower middle order fell like 9 pins. When you are defending 191, the bowling gotta be really aggressive and fielders have to hold on to half chances but sadly, they dropped regulation catches. A few bouncers at the start of the innings, a few sledges at the b'desh batsmen and other intimidatory tactics wouldn't have hurt.

On the whole, the team looked flat on the field and gave the impression that they would have rather been elsewhere. The last 2 years have been spent in preparing for this world cup. The 'experimentation' and chopping and changing of batting order in every other ODI was done with the entire idea of making players play in different situation to see how they respond. Gosh, the fans must feel cheated to have bought into the idea.

Team India now stands in the brink of elimination as they are one defeat away from exiting this WC. Big wins will be needed against Bermuda and SL and then have to hope B'desh lose to Bermudda to harbor any hopes of qualifying. India began poorly in 2003, Pak were even worse in 1992, Aussies were struggling in the early stages of the 1999 competition. Both Pak and Aust were a defeat away from a first round exit. But considering Sri Lanka's hot form lately and B'desh determination & enthusiasm, things looks pretty downhill for the blue billion. This result was a shock of seismic proportions, but little did it prepare the cricketing fraternity for what was to follow...

Netherlands vs South Africa - Game 7

Netherland v/s South Africa, (Group A), St. Kitts

South Africa 353/3 in 40 overs (J Kallis 128*, Boucher 75*, Gibbs 72) beat Netherlands 132/9 in 40 overs (RN ten Doeschate 57) by 221 runs

Another minnow bloodbath as SA destroyed Netherlands by 221 runs. Gibbs smashed 6 sixes in an over (yes!!) and fired himself into the record books as he became the first player to achieve such a feat in international cricket. Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri had done it previously in domestic cricket. This feat leaves Kerry Packer's company, Johnie Walker, poorer by USD $1 million as they had promised to donate the amount for charity if anyone was to hit 6 sixes in international cricket. The Habitat for Humanity will be singing praises of Hershelle Gibbs for a long time to come. As for the bowler, Daan van Bunge, he will now be an answer to quiz questions across the world.

Those who missed the action, can watch the 6 sixes here

Other than this, nothing else to talk about this game. Minnow bashing continues at the World Cup and the debate whether associate teams should be allowed to take part rages on.

England v/s New Zealand - Game 6

England v/s New Zealand (Group C) at St. Lucia

England 209/7 in 50 overs (KP Pietersen 60, P Nixon 42*, Bond 19/2) lost to New Zealand 210/4 in 41 overs (S Styris 87*, JP Oram 63*) by 6 wickets.
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This was the marque match between the best two teams in Group C with the winner almost certain of topping the group and carrying 2 points into the next round. England, after being put in, batted poorly at the start until Pietersen and Bell consolidated. However, a spate of wickets in 2 overs set them back. Agent Bond and Scott Styris knocked the stuffing out of their middle order as England struggled to reach 207/9 in the alloted overs.England however were in with a great chance when they picked up quick wickets including that of captain Fleming. However, Styris and Oram (broken finger and all) eased the Kiwis past the target.

A great all-round performance by the Kiwis who look like a really balanced outfit. It was pleasing to see Bond excel with the ball. He looks in real top shape, free from any niggling injuries, which is good news for the team. Oram, despite playing with a broken finger, did well with the ball and bat. With Styris also running into some form, it would take a brave man to bet against them reaching the semis!

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe - Game 5

Ireland v/s Zimbabwe (Group D) at Kingston, Jamaica

Ireland 221/9 in 50 overs (JP Bray 115*) vs Zimbabwe 221/10 in 50 overs (Matsikenyeri 73*) match tied!!
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The minnows produced their version of the classic Australia vs South Africa 1999 world cup semi-final encounter. At a time when the minnows are getting thrashed by superior opponents and their inclusion in a premier tournament such as this is being questioned, Ireland and Zimbabwe produced an absolute cracker. Ireland batted first and scored 221/9 in their 50 overs, thanks largely to the australian JP Bray. I didn't watch the match but apparently his batting was as bullish as Matty Hayden's. In reply Zimbabwe seemed to be cruising and needed 15 runs of 39 balls with 6 wkts in hand. Unbelievably, ended up needing 1 run of 1 ball with 1 wkt in hand.

A tied result will feel like a victory for the irish, and with st. patrick's day around the corner, the irish party had just begun. As for Zimbabwe, I seriously don't know what to make of this. They seemed to be a very competent side during the days of flower brothers and used to regularly beat test-playing teams. On the evidence of this performance, they probably should be stripped of their test status. I guess things with Zimb cricket won't change until tyrant Robert Mugabe is dethroned.

For those who missed the match, you can watch the last 2 overs here
49th over and 50th over

P.S: Irish women are pretty ;-)

Bermuda v/s Sri Lanka - Game 4

Bermuda v/s Sri Lanka (Group B), Port of Spain

Sri Lanka 321/6 in 50 overs (Jayawardene 85, Sangakkara 76, LP Silva 55) beat Bermuda 78/10 in 24.4 overs (Cannn 28, Maharoof 23/4, Malinga 10/3) by 243 runs

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Another minnow bashing as Sri Lanka thumped Bermuda by a small matter of 243 runs, which is the second largest win in terms of runs in a WC match. Sri Lanka batted first and all their top order batsmen made merry. Jayawardene overcame his poor form to top score for the Lankans. The lankan bowlers also had a fruitful outing. All in all, a match that made little sense except giving SL a feel of the West indies conditions.