Dancing in the dark © Getty Images

Mike Selvey in The Guardian leads the way:

The World Cup, the final of which began in spectacular fashion before descending into the unseemly realms of the bizarre, was awarded eventually to Australia in such farcical circumstances that it would have been no surprise to see Steve Bucknor drop his trousers to reveal polka dot underpants and inquire if there was anyone for tennis.

And Selvey also revealed some fascinating facts:

Ten of the 51 matches went down to the last over, in only three of these was the result in any doubt in that last over; 45 games were decided by winning margins of more than 45 runs or five wickets - that is, comfortably; £12.50 to £25 ticket prices hit attendances. In Guyana the price of seeing a game was equivalent to two weeks' wages; 7,000 fans had to make a day trip to St Lucia from Barbados for the Australia v South Africa semi-final. St Lucia hoteliers accepted only 14-night stays at $500 per night.

In The Daily Telegraph, Derek Pringle believes heads should roll for the shambles at the end of the final:

Unhappily for the players, as well as the thousands who selflessly gave time and effort to this blighted tournament, the chaos overshadowed Australia's victory and their incredible feat of winning three World Cups in a row. If the ICC were wooing prospective sponsors at the match, let alone their current partners for this event, they must have been appalled.

And in separate article in the same paper, the busy Pringle reflects on the much-metioned legacy of the event to the region:

The legacy is likely to be a mixed one. Safety and security were over the top, the latter geared mostly to stopping fans bringing in drink not produced by one of the major sponsors. The sight of an old lady being harried before the semi-final in Kingston as she was made to pick the label off her water bottle because it wasn't supplied by a sponsor, was pettiness gone mad. The newly-built stadiums are likely to prove controversial too. Although some were gifts from the Chinese government, others were built with loans, something bound to impact on national budgets. Unless the man in the street has done well from this World Cup, he could end up cursing it for years to come.

And also in the Telegraph, Michael Henderson, as ever, gets straight to the point:

One can only assume that the ICC care not a jot for the game's welfare, or the way it is perceived. If they did they would have ensured that this final ran its proper course: 50 overs a side. Spectators are mere serfs in the ICC's estimation. They don't care whether the grounds are empty or full so long as the telly people continue to pick up the tab.

This World Cup was a disaster, and did nothing for the friendly, cricket-loving people who hosted it. Whether it is Zimbabwe, chucking, hanging Darrell Hair out to dry, endorsing that preposterous non-event called the Champions Trophy, or mucking up the only one-day competition that matters, the ICC can always be relied upon to get it wrong.

In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins writes that Speed himself is now under pressure:

Commercial concerns have overridden cricketing integrity to a dangerous degree. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was not going to miss its chance yesterday to embarrass Malcolm Speed, the Australian lawyer who retires soon as chief executive. After the call by Lalit Modi, vice-president of the BCCI, to replace Speed with a chief executive from Afro-Asia who “understands the problems of a majority of ICC members”, the honorary secretary of India’s own archaic and frequently hypocritical administration, Niranjan Shah, has criticised the council for becoming “more and more bureaucratic” and costing its members money by “unnecessarily employing so many people”. He refused to rule out a no-confidence motion against Speed’s administration at the next meeting of the chief executives in June.

Even in Australia, where the team’s victory is the main story, there is time for reflection on other aspects of the final in the Sydney Morning Herald:

At the post-match ceremony the International Cricket Council president, Percy Sonn, and its chief executive, Malcolm Speed, were jeered. Around the world bewildered TV viewers presumably shared the sentiment.

Dark ruled McGrath out of tribute over

Posted on 04/30/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ricky Ponting wanted Glenn McGrath to deliver the last over of the final, but bad light ended that plan. Jon Pierik reports on McGrath's farewell in the Courier-Mail and in the same paper Robert Craddock rates the Australian squad.

Over in The Australian Pierik writes about Adam Gilchrist’s secret squash weapon. His batting coach Bob Meuleman offers his reasons for the experimental exercise.

April 29, 2007

'One of the worst' World Cups says Chappell

Posted on 04/29/2007 in World Cup 2007

Andrew Strauss, Scyld Berry, Ian Chappell and Kumar Sangakkara dissect the 2007 World Cup in The Sunday Telegraph, and, in their deliberations, Chappell comes to the conclusion that it was the worst in the tournament's history.

Atherton: I think it's ridiculous, the number of Associate Member countries that have been involved. The World Cup should be about showcasing the very best.

Berry: Ian, you played in the first in 1975 and have seen the following tournaments, how do you rate this World Cup?

Chappell (never known for pussy-footing): One of the worst. Four decent games out of 50 is not a very high percentage: the Ireland v Zimbabwe tie, Sri Lanka's games against South Africa and England, and England against West Indies. The main reason to play a one-day game is to have a close finish. Maybe there have been a couple of other good games along the way but too many one-sided matches. One of the few good things to come out of this World Cup is that the two best teams reached the final.

Atherton goes on to say that there is too much cricket being played overall, though Strauss believes the problem lies with the scheduling.

April 28, 2007

Out-going McGrath names his best XI

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

Glenn McGrath says he’s happy to go out on his own terms in his column in the Sunday Telegraph. He also lists his toughest XI to play against and tells how the prankster and selector Merv Hughes wanted to drop him.

He told me that, as I effectively replaced him in the Test side in 1994, he was looking forward to getting square by sticking the knife in and ending my Test career. He said he was disappointed I announced my retirement before he had the chance to swoop. Merv, of course, was only joking.

In the Sun-Herald David Sygall looks at a possible Australian line-up for the 2011 World Cup. Mark Waugh rates his best team of World Cup performers in the same paper.

A bloated shambles of a competition

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

As the World Cup finally ends - yes, honestly – the flak continues to fly in the direction of the ICC. In The Daily Telegraph, Jim White is in no doubt about the target:

“Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, despite presiding over the most over-stretched, bloated shambles of a competition, despite his organising committee redefining the term criminally short-sighted, is to carry on, refusing so much as to contemplate handing over to someone else.”

The Mirror is equally unimpressed, despite Speed’s admission that the tournament was too long:

“He might have added that it has also been wholly uninspiring and suffered from poor attendances, a lack of decent atmosphere, too many one-sided games, and hosted by a team which dragged the tournament down even further.

How is it possible that a football World Cup involving twice as many teams can be held in far fewer than the 47 days this has taken? The answer is greed.”

Patrick Kidd in The Times notes that “wars have been declared and ended in less time than it has taken to stage the 50 matches before today’s final”. He adds some stats about what has happened since the first match back on March 13:

The average price of a house in England has risen by £4,415
A strand of human hair will have grown 1.6cm
The Earth will have travelled about 75,576,000 miles in its orbit around the Sun

Australia plan to attack Murali

Posted on 04/28/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Muttiah Muralitharan has told Brad Hogg that batsmen can't pick his wrong'un © AFP

Ricky Ponting wants wickets in hand during the middle stages of the final so they can attack Muttiah Muralitharan and the other Sri Lankan spinners.

"We can be a bit more aggressive and a bit more positive against them and try and put their slow-down sort of guys through the middle, put them under a bit pressure," he said in the Herald Sun.

Muralitharan told Brad Hogg during the week that batsmen can’t pick him. Robert Craddock says in The Australian Hogg’s wrong’un is close to being the World Cup’s most effective weapon. Craddock also profiles Tom Moody and looks at his stint coaching Sri Lanka.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown writes how Australia-Sri Lanka clashes rate among the most spiteful match-ups in international cricket.

Simon Hughes, writing for Daily Telegraph, outlines the strategy Sri Lanka should adopt, suggesting that Muralitharan be introduced as soon as Ponting walks in.

Tim Lane says in The Age Australia are on the verge of domination not even achieved by West Indies.

Michael Clarke tells AAP facing Shaun Tait in the nets will help the Australian batsmen deal with the threat of Lasith Malinga.

Viv Richards tells Tait not to change a thing, Jon Pierik reports in The Australian.

"Tait has been reasonably erratic, but when you have an individual of that pace he is going to cause some havoc, as the South Africans found out," Richards said. "I would never, ever change the sort of action he has."

It’s Glenn McGrath’s last game of his record-breaking career and his column appears in The Hindu.

"The other record I am keen on holding on to - playing the fewest number of balls despite playing four World Cups. I have only faced four balls in World Cup cricket."

Jenny McAsey, writing in The Australian, looks back at Australia’s first World Cup triumph in 1987.

Showers are forecast for the final, according to Reuters.

Breeda Jayasuriya, mother of Sanath Jayasuriya, talks of his remarkable comeback after he retired last year from one-day internationals, in an interview to the Daily News.

Patrick Kidd, writing for The Times, pulls out some interesting figures since the 'long-drawn yawn' began 47 days ago.

Wars have been declared and ended in less time than it has taken to stage the 50 matches before today’s final

April 27, 2007

A bloated non-event leaves an empty feeling

Posted on 04/27/2007 in World Cup 2007

The World Cup might be about to finish, and Malcolm Speed is engaged in a positive-spin initiative that would make Alastair Campbell glow with pride, but the all-out assaults on the way it has been run continue unabated. In The Daily Telegraph, Michael Henderson warms to the task, explaining why there will be a rare sell-out for the final:

Embarrassed by their mismanagement of the World Cup, which has not posted a 'house full' notice until now, the International Cricket Council have rounded up corporate guests from every nook and cranny, and distributed tickets to anybody sound of mind and body who will have them.

This has been the worst tournament imaginable; short of spectators and memorable games, it has also been far too long.

The ICC have had to 'paper the house' time and again because the tickets have been prohibitively expensive for the locals. In St Lucia on Wednesday, more than 6,000 tickets were given away so that television viewers would not see a half-empty ground for the Australia-South Africa semi-final. Also, those grounds have been zealously policed by killjoys instructed to ban anything and everything that is not officially endorsed by the sponsors.

So a competition that was supposed to reflect the best of the Caribbean has been nothing less than a disaster for this part of the world, whose peoples have given so much to the game.

And Henderson, who can never be accused of courting the popular vote, then turns his attention elsewhere:

Neither Pakistan nor India advanced to the not-so-super Super Eights, and, no matter how many tears were shed by the ICC accountants, and the tournament's propagandists, that wasn't a bad thing. Far from it. There are too many cocky people in the sub-continent, particularly India, who think that the future belongs to them because they have attained such commercial clout. As Greg Chappell, their outgoing coach, reminded them on his departure, it's no use trying to match Australia on the field if your organisation off it resembles that of Zimbabwe.

April 26, 2007

McGrath a champion till the end

Posted on 04/26/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© Getty Images

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian Glenn McGrath has proved us all wrong.

Hands up if you are a cricket fan and did not have doubts over whether McGrath should be in Australia's World Cup squad. If both hands are by your side, congratulations. You are a member of a very small club. In the dying stages of the summer, McGrath looked a fading force. The speedometer was sagging below 130km/h and vengeful batsmen, stirred by years of torment, were charging him at every opportunity.

McGrath’s last game is on Saturday and Sydney’s Daily Telegraph runs a tribute to one of the greatest bowlers. Steve Waugh gives 11 bits of trivia about McGrath from the origin of his nickname to how he eats his eggs. You can even send him a message.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Tim Nielsen, the next Australia coach, enters the debate over South Africa’s failure to challenge in the World Cup semi-final.

April 25, 2007

Speed plans 40 days of feast for 2011 World Cup

Posted on 04/25/2007 in World Cup 2007

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, is interviewed by Robert Craddock in The Australian and says he would like the next World Cup trimmed to 40 days. He also talks about ticket prices and one-sided games, but starts with the length of the event.

Do you agree it is too long? “I take a different view. I think it is a positive for the game that cricket is on the back pages while the World Cup is on rather than have an abbreviated schedule. This format with four groups of four going into eight teams and a round robin then a semi-final and a final is a good mix. It gives the associate nations a chance to make their mark and then the round robin works well.”

April 24, 2007

Waugh backs Australia but tips Gibbs 'moment'

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Herschelle Gibbs: "His moment of truth awaits" © Getty Images

Steve Waugh, writing in the Courier-Mail, says Australia should be confident of victory against South Africa, but like all the teams they are only ten overs of poor play away from the exit.

Australia must continue to allow the process to lead to the end result and not focus on the actual winning of the World Cup, for the only way it can lose is to defeat itself by looking too far ahead.

Waugh also thinks an opponent from 1999 might have a say in the match.

I can't help but think Herschelle Gibbs will again play a pivotal role and either clean the slate from the "Headingley catch" or perhaps be the villain with a reckless piece of cricket. He is a match-winner against all countries except Australia and his moment of truth awaits.

In the Herald Sun Jon Pierik writes about Ricky Ponting, who is talking about Glenn McGrath’s World Cup weapons. "Over the last 12 to 18 months, batsmen have tried to be more aggressive against him but not too many have succeeded.”

Turn-off in 2011 awaits unless ICC has rethink

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times warns that despite widespread criticism at the bloated nature of the current World Cup, things could get worse in 2011. He explains that suggestions that the number of teams should be reduced have already been bypassed by the ICC, which has agreed it will again feature 16, and, furthermore, there will an extra two matches, taking the total to 53.

He says while the tournament may have been slammed, it has made large sums of money.

All this, however, has been gained at a high cost if the “product” is seen to be less attractive than it should be. The best cricketers in the world need a proper framework to display their skill but to those following from afar, the tournament has seemed interminable. And for interminable read, alas, boring.

All concerned with the tournament in the West Indies and certainly those watching at home are agreed on one thing: a seven-week tournament is too long. The commercial success of the world’s governing body is not in doubt. The snag is that it tends to put the cart before the horse: to consider the bottom line financially before looking after the attraction of the game itself.

Martin-Jenkins' well-argued column is unlikely to go down well among those at the top of the ICC who have been adopting an increasingly siege-mentality attitude to the flack that has been heading their way in recent weeks.

Brown, bearded and terror-struck

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

It's been a bizarre World Cup for plenty covering the event but two innocent Indian journalists had another bizarre story to write home about - being nabbed for arousing suspicion in Barbados, of all places, based on the colour of their skin . Read Atreyo Mukhopadhyay's first-hand account of the incident in Hindustan Times.

But even in my nightmares, I had not imagined I would ever be unceremoniously bundled into a police car and interrogated at a police station for an hour, being treated all the time like a criminal.

Sabina Park nightmare still fresh for Braces

Posted on 04/24/2007 in World Cup 2007

New Zealand play the first semi-final at Sabina Park in Kingston, the venue of coach John Bracewell's only Test for New Zealand. As he recalls, it was a game best remembered for Richard Hadlee's six bouncers in an over to Joel Garner, and the Big Bird's not-so-generous return gift. Bracewell also recounts the power of the feared West Indies fast bowlers.

"I can remember Ian Smith coming off (Bourda) looking reasonably white. He'd got 50 and said 'Malcolm Marshall's just told me that when we get to Barbados he's going to kill me'."

Read the full piece in Stuff.co.nz

April 23, 2007

Travel delays strike semi-finalists

Posted on 04/23/2007 in World Cup 2007

Robert Craddock writes in the Courier-Mail how bags arrived at the semi-final destinations faster than the players on a day of disrupted travel in the West Indies.

Three of the four semi-finalists – Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand – were trapped on the same charter flight which was mysteriously delayed at Grenada airport and there were further delays for the teams in Barbados. Hundreds of international tourists were scouring airports throughout the Caribbean for lost bags as the worst fears of cup organisers were realised when the West Indies' fragile flights system fell apart.

April 22, 2007

Will World Cup marathon get second wind?

Posted on 04/22/2007 in World Cup 2007

Damien Fleming, who looks back at his two World Cup campaigns in the Sunday Age, wonders if this tournament will finish on a high.

They say marathon runners hit the pain barrier and get a second wind to get them to the finishing line. Can this World Cup do the same? It's been a marathon and the pain barrier has been strung out over a month, but let's hope the second wind arrives in the form of an exciting finals series.

Brett Lee has been in India where he has met Bollywood producers and senior music label officials, David Sygall writes in the Sun-Herald.

"It's all happening," Lee said. "I love music and am interested in acting. Rather than think in a few years, 'I wish I'd done this or that' I thought, 'Bugger it, I'll give it a go'."

April 20, 2007

McGrath plans fishing and flying in retirement

Posted on 04/20/2007 in World Cup 2007

	The end is near for Glenn McGrath © AFP

Glenn McGrath has only a week left in his international career and he talks to Chloe Saltau in the Sydney Morning Herald about walking away.

The next time you see McGrath, he might be fishing with his son, James, or relaxing with his family at their property near Bourke in outback NSW or getting his helicopter licence. "To be honest, I was ready to retire a few months ago but this World Cup was that extra incentive to keep going,” he said. “That I'm the leading wicket-taker at the moment means I'm not just going through the motions."

April 19, 2007

New Zealand’s skills are better than sledging

Posted on 04/19/2007 in World Cup 2007

	To talk or not to talk? © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming talks about New Zealand’s verbal approach when playing Australia ahead of the Super Eights game in Grenada on Friday.

"We've gone from open abuse, to not saying a word, to trying to be more aggressive, to being passive," Fleming said in The Australian. "We used to talk a lot about our approach towards it off the field but in some ways that detracts from the skills you need to beat them on it. It just naturally happens now that skills are what's going to beat Australia and the mental approach and the confidence that goes along with those skills."

In The Age Chloe Saltau speaks to Craig McMillan about his first attempt at life after cricket.

"I went to a couple of interviews, which I found quite intimidating, moving outside my comfort zone,” he said. “As a professional sportsman, you're in a bit of a bubble at times.”

Cricket Australia and the Australian government continue to wait for the other party to make a decision on whether the side should play a one-day series in Zimbabwe in September. The Australian carries the story.

The Barmy Army really did create a boom for Australia with Visa saying UK-issued cards spent A$551 million during the Ashes.

April 18, 2007

End of Fletcher?

Posted on 04/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

	© The Daily Mirror

As England were booed off the Kensington Oval yesterday after their feeble elimination from the World Cup, Duncan Fletcher may well have been mulling over the thought that Saturday's dead rubber against West Indies will be his last game as their coach, writes Lawrence Booth in The Guardian.

In the same newspaper David Hopps reports on how scores of England and South Africa fans were stranded in Grenada after their cruise liner to Barbados was cancelled without explanation at the last minute.

In The Times, Simon Wilde pulls no punches:

"Another World Cup, another nightmare for England. Every four years, English one-day cricket gets put up against the rest of the world and is found horribly wanting. The big spotlight is turned on them and what it reveals is an embarrassment to all. Good grief, is that really how bad we/they are? English cricket caught inflagrante. Naked in its naivety and inadequacy."

"The upshot surely, hopefully, will be the end of Fletcher," writes John Etheridge in The Sun. "If he has any pride he will resign. If not, he should be sacked."

Strauss enforces claim to captain Vaughan's crown, writes Mark Nicholas in The Daily Telegraph.

If questions must be asked of them and their fitness for purpose, they must also be posed about the manner in which they were prepared, writes Stephen Brenkley in The Independent.

How many fingers am I holding up?

Posted on 04/18/2007 in World Cup 2007

South Africa's comprehensive nine-wicket victory over England, which guaranteed them the fourth spot in the semi-final, had the newspapers of the country churn out advice on what to do next - South Africa meet Australia in the semis - and how the players' binge drinking is OK.

Michael Doman wonders in the Independent Online whether Makhaya Ntini should be brought back for the semis or straight into the final:

At grounds short on pace and bounce, Ntini has struggled to make an impact at the 2007 World Cup, claiming only six wickets at an average of 48.83 runs each in seven matches. It has been his inability to strike with the new ball which has been of concern to the selectors.

t will be a strong consideration to bring Ntini back should the Proteas reach the final in conditions which suit him. Should he replace Kemp, though, and weaken the batting, or can South Africa use wicketkeeper Mark Boucher at No 6 in the order, as they have often done in the past? It is hard to see Ntini replacing any of the four frontline seamers, all of whom have been performing well.

Neil Manthorp writes in Supercricket website that as long as the players are in control of their compromised sense after a night out drinking there is no need to make a fuss about it.

So don't make the mistake of blaming South Africa's players for drinking or staying up late at night when the real complaint is that they didn't win.

I wonder what the view of Smith and his players would be at home if they went out until 4.00am once again after the nine-wicket thrashing of England?

April 17, 2007

Critics line up Sri Lanka's tactics

Posted on 04/17/2007 in World Cup 2007

Michael Holding, Arjuna Ranatunga and Ricky Ponting were surprised by Sri Lanka’s tactics to rest Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas against Australia to improve their prospects of reaching the final. Holding’s worries about the consequences of the move in betting circles are reported on www.news.com.au

“What it does is allow people who know what is happening to get a head start if they are gambling. I have an account with Betfair and I watch a lot of different markets. Before the game started, Australia was 1-2. As soon as the toss went to air, when (Betfair) found out, Australia went to 1-5 because Muralitharan wasn't playing, Malinga wasn't playing, Vaas wasn't playing."

In The Age Chloe Saltau writes about Nathan Bracken, who picked up 4 for 19 against Sri Lanka.

England get an Irish pointer for crunch match

Posted on 04/17/2007 in World Cup 2007

"In what has already proved a bizarre tournament the real possibility exists that by tonight England, having played consistently poor cricket since they arrived in the Caribbean, will have secured a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup," writes Mike Selvey in The Guardian. "To do so they have to beat South Africa, a team that veers from sublime to ridiculous on a match-by-match basis, on the paciest pitch in the competition."

"When Fred [Flintoff] is on form, just about anything is possible. When he isn't England are insipid. With England's vital match against South Africa on the horizon this observation may pile the pressure on Flintoff's once broad shoulders, but it's the stark reality," says Vic Marks in The Guardian.

In the The Independent, Angus Fraser writes that "England are dangerous, as they proved in Australia during the Commonwealth Bank Series when they produced a remarkable victory, but they will struggle to live with the South Africans at their best. In Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood, England possess potential match-winners, but Smith's side have twice as many."

April 16, 2007

All eyes on the Catapult Kids

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian about “the Catapult Kids” – Shaun Tait and Lasith Malinga. The pair met for the first time before the Australia-Sri Lanka game, but their opening on-field exchange was ruined by Malinga's ankle injury.

The cricket world - Tait included - marvels at Malinga's round-arm action, which he developed playing rubber ball cricket in the dusty back streets of his home town of Galle.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Enjoying the World Cup? © Getty Images

Here are two editorials from West Indian newspapers that project contrasting veiws on the World Cup - ticket pricing, the ICC, the local organising committes and the final.

The Nation, published in Barbados, tells its readers that the event will be an enduring legacy for the country. It also chides those harping on the negative issues like high ticket prices and asks them to look at the positives - money spent on developing the Kensington Oval, massive road expansion and general enhancement that has been undertaken by the government.

Sceptics in our region tend to react as though being smaller and less affluent is somehow a hindrance on ability to be constructive and industrious.

	Or feeling cheated? © AFP

The Trinidad & Tobago Express, meanwhile unapologetically harps on ticket prices and the ICC dictatorial attitude.

Remarking on the way in which the ICC was allowed too free a hand to dictate the conduct of these games, a Trinidad and Tobago government official involved in some aspects of the arrangements, made this public comment, after the fall-out began to emerge. The people of the Caribbean were never allowed to take ownership of these games.

Such a capitulation must never be permitted in the future.

Toss crucial on Grenada's 'compost heap'

Posted on 04/16/2007 in World Cup 2007

Ian Smith has called the pitch in Grenada, where Australia will play Sri Lanka on Monday, a “compost heap”. Robert Craddock reports in the Daily Telegraph the toss could be crucial.

Muttiah Muralitharan finds Australians the toughest players to bowl to, according to Ricky Ponting in The Australian.

In the Sydney Morning Herald Chloe Saltau speaks to Arjuna Ranatunga, who thinks Sri Lanka are the only team that can beat Australia.

April 13, 2007

Marshall art lives on

Posted on 04/13/2007 in World Cup 2007

Whenever the Barbadians are reminded of Malcolm Marshall, they say that there would be none like him. From the common man on the street to officials, this one sentiment runs through all, writes Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in the Hindustan Times.

Fletcher at fault for feeble World Cup campaign

Posted on 04/13/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Will Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan be walking soon? © Getty Images

Mark Ramprakash says that Duncan Fletcher has ruined England's World Cup chances. The former England batsman accuses England of lacking the boldness to win a World Cup, and believes Fletcher has failed to fulfil promises made following England's exit from the 2003 World Cup. Read more in the Guardian.

Mike Selvey, in the same publication, feels that Michael Vaughan has talked the talk, but now must walk the walk.

"The debate about the top order is starting to get tedious but, like a niggly tooth, it won't go away until something is done about it. Central to this is the tolerance afforded Vaughan, who, as captain, has been given some sort of primacy, a kind of divine right that overrides any problem of form."

According to Selvey, if Vaughan fails in England's must-win two remaining matches, there can be no logical reason for England to persist with him. Click here to read more.

April 12, 2007

Chappell waits on next move

Posted on 04/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

Greg Chappell is back in Australia and he will consider his options in the next three weeks after resigning as India’s coach. Chappell, whose health is fine, said in the Herald Sun he is planning a holiday around Australia.

“I just want some time away from it all," Chappell said. "We are just going to spend some time catching up with family all around the country and then we will work out what happens."

Surf’s up for in-form Hayden

Posted on 04/12/2007 in World Cup 2007

Matthew Hayden spent a day off surfing in Barbados, writes Jon Pierik in the Daily Telegraph.

While the waves may not have been of the same size as those he is used to surfing at Stradbroke Island, the Queenslander was rapt to enjoy the local conditions.

April 11, 2007

Time to promote free spirit Flintoff

Posted on 04/11/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Egged: Andrew Flintoff © AFP

Call it a rant, call it a rave, but Geoff Boycott wants Andrew Flintoff to bat well up the order, because he just isn't scoring any runs.

If Boycs and his mum were in charge of that scraggly outfit, free-spirited Freddie wouldn't sit at No. 6 - a place where "he finds himself needing to build an innings against the spinners and the dibbly-dobbly seamers".

Read the full article in the Telegraph here

In the Guardian, Lawrence Booth rings a similar tune by saying that Flintoff must trust his strokeplaying instincts as he strives to return to form against Bangladesh.

"While England's batting has at times resembled a dog's dinner Flintoff's World Cup contribution is a curate's egg," he writes. You really can't deny that.

April 10, 2007

Ponting breaks his own sledging rule

Posted on 04/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	We're not meant to talk to you but ... © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting wanted Australia to keep quiet when Kevin Pietersen batted on Sunday, but he couldn’t help himself, writes Robert Craddock in the Courier-Mail.

"Pietersen's name came up at a team meeting and I had got the feeling that he is a little like Tugga [Steve Waugh], Matty Hayden and Brian Lara, in that when you have a go at them it makes them play better ... they enjoy it," Ponting said. "I actually said to the team: 'If he starts something, let him go.’ But as soon as he started, I could not help myself. I jumped all over the top of him. It wasn't great leadership as far as I was concerned. But I am not sorry I did it."

With Australia set to play a record 20 Tests next year, Chloe Saltau writes in the Sydney Morning Herald it is unlikely they will take part in a lucrative Twenty20 carnival in the West Indies.

Vaughan and Fletcher searching for magical missing ingredient

Posted on 04/10/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Under pressure: Michael Vaughan © AFP

England arrived in Barbados with Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher still insisting that the team are not far from their eureka moment, writes Richard Hobson in The Times.

The seven-wicket defeat by Australia on Sunday mirrored the two-run loss to Sri Lanka four days earlier. For some of the time England played very well, but they proved unable to put together a complete performance and, with one more reversal enough to bring elimination, time is running out, Hobson feels.

In The Independent, Angus Fraser says that Vaughan has three innings - possibly five - to save his one-day international career.

Vaughan must know that he is struggling to crack this form of the game. It is not as though he has been dynamic in domestic cricket, where he has reached three figures only three times in 258 innings. Vaughan may well take the decision out of England's hands at the end of the tournament by announcing his retirement from one-day cricket.

Click here to read more.

April 9, 2007

Upsets do happen

Posted on 04/09/2007 in World Cup 2007

"The upset means South Africa's World Cup dream is now under direct attack and that Bangladesh, who have yet to play England, Ireland and the West Indies, are still in contention for an unlikely semifinals finish," writes Richard Boock in The New Zealand Herald. "And whom should we thank for all this uncertainty? Bangladesh of course, for proving once again that there are no certainties in sport, and that upsets do happen."

April 8, 2007

England need to blow hot to beat system

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Should Andrew Flintoff be promoted up the order? asks Mike Selvey © Getty Images

"England could still reach the semi-finals after losing to Australia, especially if South Africa continue to fall apart after their defeat by Bangladesh. Any feelings of superiority England had after winning the one-day finals in Australia were dissipated when they threw away the warm-up match in St Vincent last month," writes Scyld Berry in The Sunday Telegraph.

Also in The Sunday Telegraph, Ian Chappell says that England's chances of beating Australia depend on whether they dismiss Ricky Ponting cheaply.

"Should Vaughan continue to open, or might he profit down the order? He likes the hard ball but it is getting rid of him too often. Could Bell open as he did last year? Could Flintoff go in at the top of the order with licence to belt the daylights out of the ball?" asks Mike Selvey in The Guardian.

In The Observer, Vic Marks says that "if England are defeated today [by Australia] and are then consigned to another unsuccessful World Cup expedition, the juggernaut for change will be hard to halt."

Lara's leadership not a patch on his batting

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

"Many of the qualities that have made Lara the great batsman of the past 15 years - the self-obsession, the ego, the individualism, the outrageous talent - are qualities that often do not transfer to captaincy. This World Cup has not told us much we did not already know about the Prince of Port of Spain: he is a great batsman who is singularly ill-equipped for leadership," writes Mike Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Posted on 04/08/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Has AB de Villiers been prematurely promoted to 'Golden Boy' status? asks Neil Manthorp © Getty Images

"If [Mickey] Arthur, [Graeme] Smith the rest of the senior players and management decide to try and glue the pieces back together the hard way, these may be some of the very difficult issues they could address," writes Neil Manthorp on supercricket.co.za after South Africa's loss against Bangladesh in Guyana.

* If the golden boys of the national team (Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini) are untouchable when the team is playing well and winning, why is Andrew Hall still dispensable even when he is in the best form of his life?

* Is Shaun Pollock happy? Has he been able to cope with the murder of Bob Woolmer, one of the most powerful influences on his life and career? With a young family at home and the simmering reality that Woolmer was killed in an official, ICC sanctioned hotel, and the fact that the ICC have basically said nothing more than 'get on with the tournament' - has his equilibrium been affected?

April 7, 2007

Hit KP in the ribs

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Ouch: Glenn McGrath strikes Kevin Pietersen © Getty Images

Australia will take aim at Kevin Pietersen’s healing ribs when they face England in the Super Eights match on Sunday, according to Chloe Saltau in the Sunday Age. Pietersen was forced to leave the Australia tour with a fracture after charging Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting would like to inflict some more pain.

"If Glenn could hit him in the ribs, break his ribs and have him retire that would be lovely," Ponting said. But Ponting said the main tactic would be to greet the dangerous Pietersen by bringing Shaun Tait into the attack.

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has taken his own aim at Matthew Hayden, calling him a “bully who tends to pick on guys he perceives as weaker players”. “I can't imagine him saying anything to Shane Bond.”

Mark Waugh says in his Sun-Herald column the idea of billionaires taking cricket to a new dimension through Twenty20 is “far fetched”.

West Indies deserve better

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

The 2007 World Cup has been severely criticised for its poor crowds, lack of competition and several other shortcomings but Richard Boock, in The New Zealand, herald, has come out in defence of the Caribbean.

This tournament was never going to be about massive, seething crowds. It was always going to be about colour and energy; about spirit and fun and the beauty of a game. If visiting fans haven't been plentiful or adventurous enough to seize that opportunity that's their fault. The Caribbean deserves this tournament more than any other cricketing region; the near-crime is that they hadn't been invited to host it earlier.

Also in The New Zealand Herald, Adam Parore says that "New Zealand cricket has never had a better chance to take the game by the scruff of the neck".

Nixon does a Pietersen

Posted on 04/07/2007 in World Cup 2007

Mike Gatting continues to be accosted at airports around the world with unkind questions on his sanity - why did he try the reverse sweep of Allan Border in the final of the 1987 World Cup? yet Paul Nixon on Wednesday unveiled two of the finest against Muttiah Muralitharan, writes S Ram Mahesh in The Hindu.

"It was not the biggest reverse-sweep six I have hit," said Nixon. "I hit Monty Panesar for a bigger one last year. I have probably hit 20 in my career now. I've had a bit of banter with KP (Pietersen, who has reverse-swept Murali for six). He told me that was one each. I said no, it's now about 20-1, but I suppose in proper cricket it is one each."

Also in The Hindu S Dinakar singles out Mahela Jayawardene's innovative use of the third Powerplay as the period when Sri Lanka won their Super Eights game against England.

April 6, 2007

England consider recalling Strauss

Posted on 04/06/2007 in World Cup 2007

	Andrew Strauss and Ed Joyce might be swapping spots © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan is not bothered that Andrew Strauss hasn’t played in the tournament as he considers him as an opener for the match against Australia, AFP reports.

"We've discussed it already and we have an idea of the way we are going to go because it is an area of concern," Vaughan said. “We haven't been firing at the top of the order and we have been putting batsmen under pressure. But there have been stages when we have been getting to good positions as well and not going on."

Robert Craddock writes in The Australian Ricky Ponting’s team has the chance to end Michael Vaughan’s one-day career. “England will be all but out of the World Cup if Australia wins and Vaughan, who has an ordinary one-day record, is likely to go down with the ship.”

April 4, 2007

A sap to the sponsors

Posted on 04/04/2007 in World Cup 2007

Yesterday, the World Cup organisers, stung by a barrage of criticism about their handling of the tournament, reissued a list of dos and don’ts for spectators attending matches (click here for the full list). The list was quickly ridiculed by Patrick Kidd in his blog on the website of The Times …particularly the ban on alcohol and all animals, except guide dogs:-

What if your guide dog is a St Bernard with one of those kegs of booze round his neck?

It is important that the necessary precautions are taken to ensure maximum safety and security for all patrons. How did we manage to avoid mass injuries and deaths at previous World Cups when there weren't such restrictions? For that matter, how do many of us p