With the World Cup in his sight, Ponting waits for Jayawardene © AFP

This incident is bound to motivate the Australians even further, the relationship between the two sides not being very friendly. The resting of veterans Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan for an inconsequential Super Eights match on April 16 was met with strong disapproval from the Australian camp with Ponting saying that the move could go against them in the final. But this was met with a strong response from Sri Lanka coach and Ponting's former team mate Tom Moody saying that the composition of his team was not the concern of Australia. He also pointed out that Australia had done the same, resting some of its main players for the Chappell- Hadlee series in New Zealand held in February.

Australia will be looking to make sure that there is no repeat of the World Cup in 1996, which Sri Lanka won convincingly. This being strike bowler Glenn McGrath's last World Cup, his team is keen to give him and out-going coach John Buchanan a parting gift. On the Sri Lankan side too there are a few - notably Sanath Jayasuriya - for whom this would their final World Cup and the side will be determined to see them off an a fitting note. Overall, it promises to be one humdinger of a contest.

	Jayasuriya, a 'master blaster like no other' © AFP

Dominick Chilcott, the British high commissioner in Colombo, is certainly one. According to AFP, shedding any pretence of diplomatic neutrality the British envoy led the high commission staff in signing greetings to Mahela Jayawardene and his team-mates ahead of Saturday's game in Barbados.

“The British High Commission wish the Sri Lankan cricket team the best of luck in Saturday's cricket World Cup final," the mission said in a statement signed by all its staff."We're hoping for a repeat of the 1996 World Cup final result. Come on you Sri Lankan Lions. Let's hear you roar,” the message said. Chilcott, dressed in the Sri Lankan team's blue and yellow T-shirt, and 52 staff members were seen gesturing animatedly in support of the Sri Lankan team.

Meanwhile, the government and businesses in Sri Lanka are capitalising
on the feel-good factor resulting from the national team’s progress to
the final. The country’s official tourism slogan is "a land like no
other", and adding gloss to it traditional masks, balloons and placards
have become ubiquitous not only in Colombo but in remote hamlets as well
describing bleached-haired Lasith Malinga as a "lad like no other" and
Sanath Jayasuriya a "master blaster like no other".

Backing the World Cup has also already made good business sense for
local companies. The winning captain at Saturday's showdown will walk
away with more than two million dollars in prize money and the runner-up
will pocket a million dollars. In addition to the prize money other
payments associated with the tournament will amount to about 10 million
dollars. If all else fails, the fat tournament cheque should revitalise
Sri Lanka's sagging rupee, which has lost about five percent of its
value against the dollar in the past year.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s family is set to join him in Bridgetown for Saturday's final with Australia. Jayasuriya's wife Sandra and three young children were due to leave for London en route to Barbados, a family friend told AFP.

Jayasuriya, who played a stellar role in Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumph in 1996, failed in the semi-final win over New Zealand. One of the world's most destructive batsmen on his day, Jayasuriya has hit centuries against Bangladesh and host West Indies in the current tournament.

Mahinda Rajapakse, Sri Lanka's President, also made a previously unscheduled visit to Barbados on Thursday to witness his country play Australia in the finals.

	A lad like no other from a land like no other. Visit Sri Lanka for more information © AFP

Advertising is strictly limited to official ICC sponsors but tourism officials have found ways to circumvent the restrictions. "The placards carry various slogans all centered around our promotional theme 'Sri Lanka, a land like no other'," Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Renton de Alwis told AFP. A placard showing Lasith Malinga's bleached-blond hairdo with the legend "a lad like no other" is being placed next to Sri Lankan masks and it is hoped that spectators or TV viewers reading the placard will associate it with the Sri Lanka tourism tag line.

"The exposure we have had during the World Cup is simply priceless for the country's image. The team's success has generated enormous awareness about the country. It's a shot in the arm for us," said Alwis. "Hopefully, our cheer squads and creative visual material will attract more cricket fans to Sri Lanka when England tours the island in October."

Sri Lanka's tourism has suffered badly since December 2005 when the island saw an escalation in violence between Tamil Tigers and the goverment. In the three months to March this year, some 134,600 foreign tourists visited the island, a 15.6 percent drop over the same period in 2006, according to official figures. March was the worst, with authorities reporting just 35,031 visitors, a 36.0 percent drop over the same month a year earlier.

	Australian PM John Howard is certain Australia will win the World Cup © Getty Images

Howard is known to be a huge fan of the game and can be seen more often than not at the Sydney Cricket Ground for Australia's home Tests. He said that Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, was sure to tell his players not to be complacent. "That's one of the reasons why he keeps winning: he never takes things for granted and nobody should do that in sport or indeed in anything else," he said with a fearful finality.

The Ireland players, on returning home from the World Cup, showed their humility by turning down a chance for an open-top bus ride through the city as a heroes welcome. The reason? Because they felt they didn’t deserve a welcome of such a large scale with two wins out of nine games. Those who would have lined the streets of Dublin instead headed to the airport to give their team a rousing reception, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

It was a pleasant turn of events for a team full of amateurs which set off for the West Indies with pre-set plans, all of which had to be shelved. On such member of the touring party, coach Adrian Birrell, planned a family holiday to Mexico on the blissful assumption that his side wouldn’t get past the group stages. Was he complaining? Perish the thought…

"I'm glad I'm here for this homecoming,” exclaimed Birrell. “For me it is the pinnacle of my coaching career. Nothing has matched up to this. I'm very grateful to the players and very satisfied in the way we played cricket in the West Indies.”

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have said there might be a ceasefire from their side during the duration of the team's semi-final against New Zealand in Jamaica. "There may not be any attacks tonight because we are also watching the match," Tiger spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan, told AFP.

By calling a ceasefire the Tigers are imitating the spirit of ancient Greece where all the states called a truce every four years during the Olympics.

The Sri Lanka government has readjusted official functions so that the match can be watched. The government's spokesman on defence, Keheliya Rambukwella, was to host a dinner reception Tuesday, but fearing a low turnout he arranged for a widescreen TV to show the match.

If one ever needed confirmation that the World Cup is a massive deal in the subcontinent, here is one such example. Astrologers in Sri Lanka have said that a Sri Lankan win in the semi-final will be determined based on the exact time the cricketers leave their hotel, AFP reports.

In addition, the time the batsmen enter the crease and their morning schedule are also factors. There’s one small problem though. Nobody knows exactly when they’re scheduled to leave, and the astrologers are understandably desperate.

"They will definitely win if they depart at an astrologically right time," said Arisen Ahubudu, known for deciding lucky code names for military operations. According to Priyantha Ratnayake, another astrologer, the planets are smiling on Sanath Jayasuriya.

“Sanath Jayasuriya's stars are placed on a winning position and his luck should see Sri Lanka through," he said. If Sri Lanka fail, blame it on the stars.

Oh dear. Just when the World Cup organisation didn’t seem capable of getting any worse... This time it was planes – there were delays at Grenada airport, and then there were further delays at Barbados.

As Fox Sports’ Robert Craddock noted, it was “a shambolic day when it was better to be a suitcase than an international cricket star.”

South Africa’s bags arrived two hours ahead of the team, while Australia’s luggage took 40 minutes to go directly from Grenada to St Lucia, as opposed to five hours for the squad, who were routed via Barbados. Tall players in particular suffered, with Matthew Hayden finding himself, unusually, cramped for room.

One Sri Lanka player saw the brighter side, though: "The way we are going our first look at the ground will be on match morning - from about 6000 feet." Still, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will suffer the effects more than the others; their match starts on Tuesday, a day ahead of Australia’s clash with South Africa.

The after-effects could be even more resounding. There were worries that the Caribbean would be unable to orchestrate the World Cup - and such chaos, allied to the previous difficulties, may mean the tournament doesn't return to these shores again.

	Not all fans have been granted autographs as easy at this © Joseph Jones

Need an autograph? Its US$ 20 dollars. A photograph? That will set you back $100.

Barbadian cricket legends are making fans, already paying hotel rates which have trebled during the World Cup, even angrier by charging for signing an autograph book or posing for pictures.

The Cricket Legends of Barbados group, which includes the likes of Sir Garry Sobers, Charlie Griffith, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, have been making public appearances trying to raise funds to help build a centre of excellence.

"It's disgusting. I have to pay $100 for a photograph with Sobers who I have had adored since my childhood," said Surbeet Singh, who has come from Manchester , England. Heartbroken over India's first round exit and having to watch a meaningless Ireland-Bangladesh match instead last week, Singh went to the Barbados Business Club looking to get Sobers' autograph. "I was amazed. The tour has already cost me over $15,000."

Journalists claim they have been asked to pay $1000 for an exclusive interview and little wonder Sobers was in the highest demand. Fans can also take a sunset cruise with the stars for $200.

"It was a different kind of heartbreak to see the greatest of the greats, Sir Garry Sobers, at 73, and well looked after by life and his achievements, asking for $100 for every picture his fans wanted to click with him," complained the Daily Pioneer, an Indian newspaper. "He should have been thanking his young disciples for having loved him so intensely even 34 years after he retired from a game that has never been slim on heroes."

Fans said it was not the same on other islands. "We had photographs with Sir Viv Richards in Antigua and he obliged everyone with autographs. It was only here in Barbados where we have had to pay," said Kassim Solly. "We even played beach cricket with some of them in Antigua."

But Deighton Smith, chief executive of Cricket Legends of Barbados, justified the amounts being charged. "The legends have no problem with group photos during official ceremonies but lots of people want separate photographs and separate interviews which are not possible," Smith told AFP. "The basic aims [of the group] are two-fold. To create a professional atmosphere through which we can produce future legends and to build a centre of excellence through the funds," said Smith of the organisation launched in April last year.

Smith said the Barbados legends realise the need for nurturing the talent which is in abundance in the Caribbean. "In the wake of West Indies' recent performances we have realised the importance of harnessing the talent and once the centre is built, hopefully by next year, we are optimistic we can produce future legends."

Ireland have been rewarded for their World Cup exploits by an invitation to a reception at Parliament Buildings upon their return home. The joint invitation comes from the Democratic Unionist Party's Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, who were once sworn enemies.

"This is a real boost for grassroots cricket locally and a big encouragement for young people to take up the game," a very on-message Paisley wrote. McGuinness hinted at the party they could expect: "Irish teams and their supporters are world renowned for their willingness to celebrate sporting successes." Party on.

Ireland's players ended their World Cup adventure by giving statements, fingerprints and DNA samples to Jamaican police investigating the death of Bob Woolmer. "These tests were carried out with a view to eliminating the Ireland squad from their enquiries," a team spokesman said.

On the night Woolmer was murdered none of the Ireland squad was in the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica. The players were celebrating St Patrick's Day and the victory over Pakistan in Ocho Rios, which is "some 50 miles away".

South African umpire Rudi Koertzen will equal the world-record set by David Shepherd of officiating 172 ODIs when he stands in at the West Indies-Bangladesh Super Eights match in Barbados on April 19.

In fact, Koertzen, nicknamed Slow Death, stood in his 100th ODI alongside Shepherd. “I am delighted to be in the same company as the legendary David Shepherd and that I am proud to be a South African." said Koertzen.

Gerald Majola, the CEO of Cricket South Africa, said that Koertzen's achivements had been recognised by Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, when he bestowed on him the President's Sports Award. “Rudi is respected by the world’s top players and is an excellent role model for all aspiring umpires," Majola added. "We are very proud of him."

Tom Moody is sure he won't have any problems watching Sri Lanka take on Australia. Moody was part of two World Cup wins for Australia in 1987 and 1999, but he will be sitting in the coach’s box of Sri Lanka in Grenada on Monday.

“It's no different to any other match,” he told AFP. "Obviously I've got some good friends in the opposition side who I've played with and won a World Cup with. But at the end of the day that doesn't mean my focus and preparation is any different for the Sri Lankan team against Australia than it would be against any other team. I'm focused on winning the match and doing my job as professionally as possible.

"Coaching and playing are completely different. It's me preparing a team to perform at its best. Whether it's against my home country or not is really irrelevant.”

	Indian fans let their hair down © AFP

In a perfect world, India would have been playing Pakistan on April 15 at the Kensington Oval, with the organizers laughing all the way to the bank with a 22,000 sell-out. However, the thousands of fans who planned their trip months in advance in anticipation of such a clash had to settle for Bangladesh v Ireland, thanks to the bizarre turn of events in March 17. Life must go on and to delight of the hosts, plenty chose to stay back and watch the cricket and savour the best the Caribbean has to offer.

"It is like money thrown in the bin,” one Indian supporter told AFP. “But I decided to make the most of the holidays and come and watch some cricket." The report said that 3,000-odd fans came from the United States and the United Kingdom much to the delight of local hoteliers. Some left instead for Grenada to watch Sri Lanka where tickets are available at half the original price. In a bid to fill the stands, the Kensington Oval opened its gates for an hour during Sunday’s match, allowing free entry.

For some, it was an excuse to catch up with old friends. "My father-in-law had surgery in Karachi last week and he insisted that I don't abandon the tour,” said Ahmed Faruqui, a Pakistan fan. One Indian fan from Chennai admitted how disappointed he was knowing he had to settle for watching Jeremy Bray and William Porterfield instead of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

Those from Ireland were sympathetic, but Dermot Parker from Belfast added : This is the World Cup and you expect upsets like this. Perhaps India and Pakistan will learn from Bangladesh and Ireland."

The Ireland team have only just received thousands of good luck cards and messages sent to them nearly a month ago, following their victory against Pakistan. In the wake of their victory, the southern postal service offered free postage to anyone who sent a message out to the Caribbean.

The post arrived in Jamaica just after the team had left for Guyana and then arrived in Guyana just after the Irish players had left for Barbados. The messages, then, have come just as Ireland have been on the receiving end of a few pastings.

Nevertheless, the volume and sentiment has been impressive. "It's been remarkable," says the manager Roy Torrens. "But what's more remarkable is that I understand only half the mail has been delivered so far..."

Sri Lanka’s one-man cheer squad Percy Abeysekera (and not ICC president Percy Sonn) has left for the Caribbean to cheer our cricketers as they attempt to win the cricket World Cup for a second time, reports Cricinfo's Sa'adi Thawfeeq.

Percy as he is popularly known in cricket circles around the world has been cheering national cricket teams since 1958 and became quite a prominent figure after he started carrying the national flag around the ground since 1979.

Sri Lanka last won the World Cup in 1996 under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga and Percy was there at Lahore to cheer the team when they beat Australia in the final. Percy’s airfare to the West Indies was provided by Sri Lanka Cricket and his out of pocket expenses were met by a senior SLC official.

If you are an Indian fan in the Caribbean and aren't still sore about India's early World Cup exit here is some purchasing you could do for the future and do it cheap.

The Times of India reports the price of the replica team jersey has been slashed from $40 to $20 in Trinidad. The report predicts that the jerseys will be picked up by the Indian-orgin citizens of the island for future India-West Indies matches. It reads:

They seem to think that with their presence, the invisible link between Mother India and their country of adoption is rekindled, and it become more visible.

Other locals though will have to wait till the end of the World Cup for cheaper West Indies replica jerseys when 'Sports and Games', Trinidad and Tobago's premier sporting store, might consider a price reduction in them.

Meanwhile, the cost of cricket hats of all teams, has been reduced to $10 from $16.

	The hairstyle that's taken the World Cup by storm © Getty Images

A Sri Lankan stylist took two days to create Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga's bleached-blond unkept hair that is attracting attention at the Cricket World Cup, AFP reports. Hair dresser Nishantha Jayasekera said Malinga wanted a new style each time he went on tour. So the locks were spruced up for the World Cup in the Caribbean.

"Malinga has his own hair ideas and he is not afraid to try out anything new," said Jayasekera who runs the Le Paris salon in Panadura, 25 kilometers south of Colombo. The barber told the latest edition of the Rivira weekly newspaper he has so far tried out five different hair styles on the 23-year old paceman, but never expected his "light blond" creation to become an instant hit.
"It took me two days to get the look," Jayasekera said.

Besides Malinga, Jayasekera also grooms spin bowler Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Malinga Bandara and Hashan Tilakaratne.

Stephen Fleming and Graeme Smith will face a dilemma if they win the toss when New Zealand and South Africa meet in their crucial Super Eights match in Grenada on Saturday, reported AFP. Both captains will be tempted to send their opponents in to take advantage of expected early life in the pitch but both their tactics backfired spectacularly after calling correctly in recent matches.

South Africa hammered 356 for 4 when they were sent in by West Indies on Tuesday while New Zealand made a disastrous start after Fleming decided to bat against Sri Lanka on Thursday, going on to lose by six wickets. Both of South Africa's defeats in the tournament came after Smith chose to field first. They lost by 83 runs against Australia during the group stage and suffered a shock defeat against Bangladesh on April 7.

The pitch for the New Zealand-Sri Lanka match was slower and drier than it was when South Africa played two days earlier, adding to the uncertainty for the captains.

	Niall O'Brien leads Ireland's run-scoring table © Getty Images

Niall O’Brien has an Australian one-day cap framed on his wall in Dublin, but he really wants to play for England. He got the treasured piece of memorabilia as a 17-year-old after throwing balls to Steve Waugh, who was a guest player with Ireland, and he picked up more Australian characteristics during four seasons in Sydney.

An on-field disagreement with Brian Lara showed O’Brien’s aggression and he has also done well at the World Cup with the bat, scoring 202 runs to be the side’s leading man. "I learnt quite a bit about how to play the Australian way, that hard edge, the relentless, ruthless way they play,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “I love being under pressure."

O’Brien has a contract with the county Northamptonshire and is hoping to follow Ed Joyce’s path to England qualification. "I still have to cement my spot in the first XI at Northants and qualify,” he said, “but my ultimate dream is to play Test cricket for England.” See the full story here.

Australia have beaten England again, this time by getting Sir Steve Redgrave, the five-time Olympic rowing gold medallist, to speak to the team first. Redgrave, the Englishman, was staying in the same hotel as the Australians in Barbados and the team management, which is always keen for outside ideas, asked if he would talk to the side as it chases a third World Cup title in a row.

"He spoke about the expectation of being a favourite, continually raising the bar, having the attitude of being a winner and preparing to win consistently," an Australian team spokesman told AAP. "He said everyone would be looking at Australia because they had an aura about them."

Redgrave spent almost an hour with the group on a night when the Courier-Mail reported England had wanted him to speak to them. He is also expected to address Michael Vaughan's squad.

"There are obviously a lot of parallels with the Australian team and Redgrave, who was basically never beaten in important competitions," the spokesman said. "He also talked about dealing with adversity and national expectation."

Another week, another example of outrageous profiteering from the tournament sponsors, Cable & Wireless, whose privilege it is to provide internet access for the many hundreds of media-men in and around the Caribbean.

Although high prices have been the norm throughout this competition, journalists in Grenada are up in arms at being asked to pay an extortionate US$60 a day for wifi access, a 24-hour log-in that invariably expires at precisely the moment you need it the most. What is more, the bank of eight computers in the Grenada media centre, which are supposed to be rigged up to the internet to enable swift fact-checking and emergency filing, have been disconnected by C&W, who feared that the service was undermining their profits.

A spokesman for the Rushmans agency, who are co-ordinating the media arrangements for this tournament, explained that C&W is run as an individual company in each of the host nations, and so it was not possible to implement a standard policy throughout the whole World Cup.

	After initial dismay, some Indian fans have something to cheer about now © AFP

Bangladesh's stunning progress in the World Cup has given cricket lovers in India reason to cheer again after their own team was knocked out in the first round, AFP reports.

The giant-killing feats of Habibur Bashar's men have revived interest in the tournament for millions of Indians, who now want both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to advance to the semifinals.

That Bangladesh caused India's World Cup exit with a shock five-wicket win in the preliminary round mattered little as fans shared the joy of their unheralded neighbours. "They deserve their success," said Delhi student Shoumik Bose. "I had stopped watching the World Cup after India were defeated, but Bangladesh has forced me to switch on my TV again."

Another fan, Venayak Gupta, added: "With India and Pakistan both gone, my interest is only in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It will be great if an Asian country wins the World Cup." While Sri Lanka are well-placed to make the semifinals with six points after three games, Bangladesh must defeat England, Ireland and the West Indies in their remaining matches to advance.

Few would have given ninth-ranked Bangladesh a chance before the World Cup began, but the momentum gained by the stunning win over South Africa on Saturday has left critics excited."They were brilliant against the world's top side like South Africa," said former Indian all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, who coached Bangladesh for a brief period in the 1990s. "This side is confident. They know they can win."

Even India's cricket administrators, who have rarely taken Bangladesh seriously, are now singing a different tune. "Everyone is harping on how India poorly fared at the World Cup, but one must give credit to Bangladesh who played so well," said N. Srinivasan, the Indian cricket board treasurer.

India, who helped Bangladesh gain Test status in 2000, are the only Test-playing nation that has not hosted their neighbours in the belief that a series against them will be a financial disaster.

"After years of being snubbed by big brother, the little 'un turned around and administered an embarrassing slap in the face," The Guardian wrote after India's defeat in the World Cup."The minnow talk can end here and now. Bangladesh cricket has arrived and, with 150 million passionate followers, is here to stay What price an invitation to India now? And wouldn't it be priceless if the subcontinent's new Tigers turned it down?"

India are due to play three one-day internationals and two Tests in Bangladesh next month, a tour that has assumed greater significance after the World Cup debacle. India will go on the three-week tour with an interim cricket manager in Ravi Shastri, the former international-turned-commentator following coach Greg Chappell's decision not to renew his two-year contract.

Rahul Dravid will continue as captain, but India's cricket chiefs have instructed selectors to pick a "young team" in a bid to make a fresh start in world cricket.

Ever wondered the hows and whys of player nicknames? AFP has helped out with the background on a few of the monikers, starting with the easy one of Ricky ‘Punter’ Ponting, who likes betting. Michael Vaughan is called ‘Virgil’ after his apparent likeness for one of The Thunderbirds puppets and Glenn McGrath is ‘Pigeon’ after his bird-like legs.

"A lot of mind-power has gone into some nicknames," Adam Gilchrist, who wore ‘Churchy’ on his back during the Twenty20 against England in January, said. "A young autograph hunter once approached me and said: 'Excuse me Eric Gilchurch, can I have your autograph?'"

Brett Lee, who is not at the World Cup, goes by ‘Bing’ after the New South Wales electronics store and also gets ‘Oswald’ in a reference to JFK’s assassin. At the beginning of a game involving both the Lee brothers and Ian Harvey, Steve Waugh read out the batting order: “Lee, Harvey and ... Oswald.”

Brad Hodge is ‘Dodgeball’ while Brad Hogg is ‘The Postman’ after his former job and not for any resemblance to Kevin Costner. In the England squad Ian Bell has been called ‘Boyband’ and ‘The Shermanator’, especially by Shane Warne, while Andrew ‘Fred’ Flintoff has also been ‘SuperFred’, ‘Mr InFredible’ and ‘Fredalo’. Monty Panesar is Parmesan Tony, which is an anagram of his name, while New Zealand’s 6ft 8in Peter Fulton is ‘Two-Metre Peter’.

It’s an admission sure to provoke the purists – not to mention England. Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has admitted Dilhara Fernando did employ gamesmanship before the last ball of their thriller against England.

Ravi Bopara needed three runs from the final ball, but Fernando pulled out of his delivery to test Bopara’s reaction. He then clean bowled Bopara to seal the win.

"I think, as an experienced bowler Dilhara deliberately did it," Vaas told the BBC's Sinhala Service. “It was very important for the bowler to understand the batsman's reaction. I think it was a very wise move by Dilhara as a senior bowler."

	Matthew Hayden is causing plenty of trouble for bowlers © Getty Images

Bowlers are struggling to restrict the left-handed opening batsmen who are hammering boundaries all over the Caribbean. Top-order power-hitting is proving the key to setting and chasing big targets at the World Cup and the lefties are leading the way.

Matthew Hayden has 436 runs, including the fastest World Cup hundred, from six matches at a strike-rate of 107 to top the run list. When Adam Gilchrist’s 238 runs are thrown in is it any wonder Australia are on top of the table?

Sanath Jayasuriya has 303 at a strike-rate of 110 and Sri Lanka sit second. New Zealand, who are third, can thank Stephen Fleming for his 280 at nearly a run a ball, while Graeme Smith has led South Africa into fourth place with 344.

It works the other way as well. Chris Gayle, who on his day is as destructive as any of the batsmen listed above, has managed only 116 at an average of less than 20 and West Indies’ fortunes have matched his own. Pakistan did not have a left-handed power-hitter opening their innings and took an early plane home. India potentially had one, but Sourav Ganguly’s strike-rate in the group matches was a disappointing 60.

Cricket Scotland are to review whether future tours will allow WAGs - players' wives and girlfriends - to accompany them, following allegations of excessive drinking and a "holiday camp" atmosphere during Scotland's World Cup campaign.

It has emerged that players were seen drinking the night prior to their "humiliating" defeat to Netherlands, a loss which their captain, Craig Wright, said he was "embarrassed" by. Cricket Scotland refuse to accept their preparation was anything less than wholesome, however.

"The guys prepared thoroughly for the tournament and whatever they decide to do to unwind 36 to 48 hours before a game is entirely up to them," Ryan Watson, the new Scotland captain, told the Scotsman. "If a guy wants to go and have a couple of drinks with his mates or his family 36 or 48 hours before a game, I've no problem with that.

"It's an entirely different scenario to the England squad, who were out to four in the morning. It was just a few guys going for a drink after a game. It was never an all-night session - we're far too professional for that."

	Bangladesh fans take to the streets... a familiar sight during this World Cup © AFP

Bangladesh + win = Frenzy. Emergency rule or not, thousands thronged the streets to celebrate Bangladesh’s 67-run win against South Africa at Guyana, and the police were kind enough to allow the fans let their hair down well into the wee hours of the morning.

According to an AFP report, at least 3000 marched through Dhaka’s main square, and the sound of firecrackers and fire horns filled the air. The emergency rule which took effect in January, restricted public rallies, but in the glorious world of sport, exceptions can be made.

"We are now on top of the world," exclaimed Waji Ullah, a student at Dhaka University. "It is our biggest victory in the World Cup. [Mohammad] Ashraful was magnificent. So were all the bowlers."

Helal Uddin, a local police chief, added, “"They were dancing wildly, cheering and waving Bangladesh flags and chanting patriotic slogans. Some wrapped their heads with national flags."

Their victory against India in the group stages and this one has also proved that the era of ‘upset victories’ and ‘shock wins’ is now a thing of the past, from Bangladesh’s point of view.

"They said our victory against India was a fluke. Our boys have showed that they can now beat the world's top team," said Rozina Afroze, who came out on the streets with her husband and two sons. The victory has also thrown the tournament wide open, with upto three teams clamoring for a place in the semi-finals.

	Even floods could not take the gloss off the Bourda Oval's place in West Indian history © Getty Images

For years, the Bourda Oval stood firm against the march of time and torrential rain, but the World Cup has signaled the end for one of the oldest cricket grounds in the Caribbean. With the modern Guyana National Stadium at Providence, built by the Indian government at a cost of US$ 25 million dollars, taking over from Bourda, the ramshackle, historic ground is now relegated to hosting regional matches only, AFP reports.

But Bourda's place in West Indies cricket history is assured.

It was here that West Indies achieved their first Test win - a 289-run victory over England in 1930 - two years after they had gained Test match status. Since then, legends like Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Lance Gibbs, Clive Lloyd, Roy Fredricks, Alvin Kallicharan, Colin Croft, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan have cut their teeth at the famous venue.

The Bourda, built in 1884, is part of the fabric of Georgetown. For individuals like Neil Singh, who is the president of the Georgetown Cricket Club which owns the stadium, the old venue is like a second home. "New things come in place of the old. People come and go, but the memory remains. And so will Bourda," Singh told AFP of the ground which is below sea level, was often flooded and was the first cricket venue on the South America mainland.

"It was hard to cope with Bourda not staging World Cup matches. We had plans in place, but the government had soft loans available for a new facility and life moves on," said Singh, whose club celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2008.

Cricket was a common interest for people here once slavery was abolished in 1833 and the Bourda was the venue where players came to show their skills. Situated in Georgetown, the stadium is surrounded by a moat. When the stands are full, 25,000 people watch the action unfold. It has a wooden pavilion, and a stand at fine leg just adjacent to the bar.

"The Bourda has no equal," said Jailal Ramnath, who has been working at the bar since 1988. "How can Lord's be replaced in England? The Bourda is to West Indies cricket what Lord's is to England."

Apart from some extraordinary cricketing feats, the Bourda has also seen mini-riots. During a 'Super Test' in 1979, organised by the late Australian TV tycoon Kerry Packer, the pavilion was ransacked and players had to hide in the dressing-rooms after an umpire controversially gave a West Indies batsman out. In 1978, hometown star Lloyd resigned in anger after opener Desmond Haynes was dropped from a Test against Australia.

"It (Bourda) was the economic hub of Georgetown," said Roy Rampersaud, who has watched cricket here for nearly three decades. "You could come and see the early part of the match, go to the shops and then come back because it is within reach. The new stadium is far off. The Bourda was lucky for West Indies."

Of the 30 Tests played at the Bourda, the West Indies drew 17, won seven and lost just six. The ground, which hosted its 11th and last one-day international in May, also saw the hosts win four one-dayers and lose five. The remaining two ended in ties.

Chetran Singh, the Guyana Cricket Association president, believes the new stadium will open new avenues for the sport in the region. "For international cricket, this is the end of the Bourda. That chapter is closed. The problem of poor drainage was the key and we had to have a new facility to move on.”

A leading Pakistan bank has suspended a high-profile publicity campaign featuring Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi after billboards and posters were defaced in Karachi.

Habib Bank, which employs several other top players, launched the campaign with big billboards, posters and commercials on television to coincide with the World Cup. Pakistan were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup after losing to West Indies and debutants Ireland.

“We decided to suspend this campaign because of the prevailing mood and after some of our billboards and posters were defaced,” Abdul Raquib, a senior bank official told The News. Pakistan players had to face angry fans who have burnt their effigies and taken out mock processions to mourn the World Cup debacle.

Afridi said people had a right to be upset with the team. “We played badly in the World Cup. But there must be a limit to venting their anger,” he said.

The angry reaction of fans also led to a multinational soft drinks company dumping a campaign that featured former World Cup-winning captain, Imran Khan, Inzamam, Waqar Younis and other players.

Sarmad Ali, a former President of the Pakistan Advertisers Association, said many companies had pulled their World Cup campaigns and were replacing cricketers with singers and film actors as their brand ambassadors. Ali said companies who were banking on a good performance from the Pakistan team to promote their brands had suffered losses. “I don’t know the exact figures but they are substantial in our market terms,” he said.

World Cup organisers have finally relaxed their ban on musical instruments and will allow them from Saturday’s match between Bangladesh and South Africa. Soulless venues over the first half of the tournament have forced the authorities to ditch the regulation in the hope of regaining the usual sounds of the Caribbean crowds.

Spectators will be able to take conch shells, horns, drums and trumpets into the ground at Guyana, Reuters reported. "Safety must be paramount but we do want everyone to watch cricket in a festive and lively atmosphere," the World Cup chief executive Chris Dehring said. "We just ask that they be mindful of the comfort of other spectators around them and, of course, of the players on the field."

South Africa are sending 64 police officers to the Caribbean to help with security at the World Cup, the office of National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi has confirmed.

The Deputy National Commissioner Andre Pruis will head up the group who will provide operational assistance in Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados from April 8 until the close on April 29.

Speaking in Pretoria on Wednesday, Selebi's office also said the contingent would include certain members of the special task force and national intervention unit, bomb disposal experts, detectives, hostage negotiators, crime scene investigators, explosives dog handlers and a command-and-control group.

The police and troops will be involved in the security sweeps inside venues, airports and harbours, VIP protection and crowd control and will be available for emergencies not only at the cricket venues, but in any of the Caribbean countries.

De Beer also said that the SAPS had been involved in security planning for the tournament, in a support capacity, since June 2006. South African military personell were also on duty in Kenya during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

The World Cup is coming in for some flak about its (lack of) organization, so here’s a heartwarming tale, or so you would think. For the England and Sri Lanka thriller on Wednesday, the Local Organizing Committee announced that they were offering Antiguan and Barbadian residents free entry to the match.

The offer was for two tickets per person and aimed to redress the inflated ticket pricings that had priced the locals out of the market, in a bid to fill up the stands. So far, so good. The only problem was the announcement came half-way through the match, too late for most to head on down.

Our man on the spot, Andrew Miller, rang the committee to find out whether this grand gesture of free entry was going to be repeated for England against Australia on Sunday, also at Guyana. Apparently not.

"For the last three games we have been distributing free tickets to youth clubs and church organisations to pack the stands with young people," said an LOC spokesman. Err ... clearly. As Andrew noted, with even a hint of advance notice, the Guyana stadium could be full for that game.

Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF, the region’s footballing body and one of the most controversial figures in that sport, has launched a stinging attack on the World Cup.

"The biggest con job ever passed off on a region is this Cricket World Cup and it is one of immense proportion - not just by the organisation but by the governments as well - that have taken limited resources of their people's money and put it in a dying sport. If there is anything that this World Cup has done well is it has shown people what not to do in the future. Imagine in Antigua for a public holiday a brand new stadium is half-filled. This has been a World Cup for the organisers, the visitors and the players but certainly not for the people. That's why the stadiums are empty and that in itself is a con job."

Warner has been the subject of several media investigations and last month his conduct with regard to ticketing arrangements at football’s 2006 World Cup resulted in a firm slap. “The Executive Committee expresses disapproval of vice-president Jack A. Warner's conduct and reminds him to exercise the requisite level of care in ticketing matters in the future and to strictly abide by all directives,” a press statement said.

	There were plenty of empty seats at the match between Australia and Bangladesh © Getty Images

Adam Gilchrist has called on the World Cup organisers to slash tickets to bargain-basement prices in an effort to fill some of the empty stands. Gilchrist believes it’s just not right to play such a major tournament in such an idyllic location with so few spectators.

"You come to the Caribbean to experience that unique atmosphere that is Caribbean cricket," Gilchrist told AFP. "There certainly is an element of the sterile feel about it. I don't know whether that's because administration hasn't let it flow or whether people just aren't turning up. It's a little bit frustrating.”

Restrictions on what items can be taken into the stadiums, ticket prices and the poor form of West Indies – not to mention India and Pakistan’s exits – have not helped the situation. "Whatever the [pricing] policy is at the moment, it doesn't seem to be working,” Gilchrist said.

“So maybe we can look at dropping the price and have a sale. I know retailers with over-stocked merchandise certainly have a sale every year … maybe that's something we can look at.”

Proof, were it needed, that Bangladesh had arrived at cricket’s top table came with news that students at Dhaka University burnt an effigy of Habibul Bashar, the national captain, following the defeats by New Zealand and Australia.

Twenty-eight villages in the Indian state of Haryana have banned cricket following India’s World Cup exit. "We all have taken this decision and those who go against it will have to face social boycott,” said a spokesman for one of the villages. "We will stop playing it. We will play kabaddi, football, volleyball and wrestle instead."

	Captain and coach: Mahela Jayawardene and Tom Moody © Getty Images

Tom Moody will consider moving on from Sri Lanka after the World Cup – Western Australia and England are among the potential destinations – and Mahela Jayawardene is in no doubt about his coaching talent. Jayawardene understands Moody is highly sought after but insists the squad’s direction will not change if he leaves.

"We have to acknowledge he's been brilliant but Sri Lanka cricket, whether he stays or not, will not divert from where we are going,” Jayawardene told AFP. "If a new coach comes in he'll bring something new to the table and we'll just have to adapt to that. If Tom stays it will be brilliant as well and then we will try to push forward."

Jayawardene said Moody has challenged everyone from “Murali to Sanath to myself to the youngest player in the camp”. "Every day we go for practices, we don't just turn up,” he said. “We make sure we try and learn something new as batsmen and bowlers. That's something special Tom has brought into this team and obviously a lot of the guys like the way he handles players as well."

Another coach, Adrian Birrell, who will leave the Ireland set-up after the tournament, believes South Africa can win the World Cup. "I may be biased because they are my team, but they are a quality side and have played a great brand of one-day cricket," Birrell said. "If South Africa peak at the right time and play hard, quality matches they can go all the way. They have got every base covered and they do every discipline very well."

	Scenes such as this have not been uncommon all throughout this edition of the World Cup © Getty Images

World Cup organisers, already reeling from the shock exits of crowd-pullers India and Pakistan, are confident the 2007 tournament will survive the West Indies' expected elimination, AFP reports.

Chris Dehring, the World Cup chief executive, said the local committees in the Caribbean will have to be resolute if the hosts, who have lost all three of their Super Eights matches, fail to make the semi-finals.

That would have a further disastrous effect on crowd figures which been poor throughout the competition with many locals complaining they have been priced out of the stadiums. Other fans are furious over expensive park-and-ride schemes, fussy security and the refusal to allow spectators right of re-entry into the grounds.

"It [a West Indies exit] would be devastating for all the hearts of the Caribbean but we can still put on a good tournament," Dehring told the BBC's Test Match Special.
"We can show we can appreciate cricket and we'll have to show some character."

Dehring said the three first-round matches in Kingston, which featured the hosts had been sell-out affairs, but many ticket-holders had not turned up to the matches. "Tickets get into the hands of people who just can't attend, for whatever reason. I think we can be very proud in the Caribbean about what has taken place so far. There's a still a month of the World Cup to go. We are still focused on running this event professionally. Let history be our judge."

In Bridgetown, where the final will be staged on April 28, the local committee are already bracing themselves for an eerily-empty Kensington Oval on April 15 when Bangladesh face Ireland in the Super Eights. That had been the date when it was expected India would lock horns with Pakistan in one of the World Cup's marquee match-ups.

The Barbados government has even set up an emergency task force to try and salvage the situation. Noel Lynch, the Barbados minister of tourism, told The Nation newspaper that the task force had been created for a number of reasons including the elimination of India and Pakistan, "which nobody could have predicted", the poor performance of West Indies, over-priced tickets, and the removal of "things like drinks and music" from games.

Many fans were left feeling "this event is simply not a Caribbean event", said Lynch. He added that while hotel bookings were still running at 68-70 percent, there was weakness at the luxury end. Up to the elimination of India, 80 percent of cabins on a cruise ship hired for the duration had been booked. Now, said Lynch, bookings on the ship were around 40 percent.

Barbados is trying to entice fans from Ireland with a new marketing drive while Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi communities in Florida are also being targeted. Lynch admitted that one major challenge in the salvage effort was to try and get back the large number of tickets which were sold in India. "The window is short, but we are working as much as we can," he said.

West Indies have missed a terrific chance to get more children playing cricket during the World Cup, according to Steve Waugh. Waugh said ticket prices were too high for many locals and organisers had failed to understand the importance of promoting the game.

“The Caribbean has missed a great opportunity to educate the young kids about cricket,” he told AFP. "If anything you'd think they'd let them in for nothing.

"They should have asked the common people what they should have been doing. Why overcharge when it's a great chance for the Caribbean to showcase what they've got and get kids back into cricket?" Denzil Douglas, the prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis, said during the group matches that tickets were not too expensive and locals had been given time to save.

Following their heavy 113-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, West Indies have been hit by a fine for a slow-over rate during the Super Eights match in Guyana. They were ruled to be two overs short of their target at the scheduled end of Sri Lanka’s innings.

The ICC code regarding slow over rates says each player gets fined five percent of their match fee for each over the side fails to bowls, with the captain being hit with double that amount. Therefore, it has cost Lara 20 percent and the other players 10 percent of their fees.

The start of the match was delayed by rain at Providence, but even when time allowances were taken into account West Indies were still behind. Their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals now rest on them securing three straight wins and relying on results from other side.

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, believes that the recent arrival of the team's wives and girlfriends can play a key role in raising England’s game during what will be a vital week for them in the World Cup.

Many former England players criticised the presence of the WAGs during England's 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia, and said their presence was a distraction. Fletcher, however, was gratified by their arrival in Antigua on Sunday.

"We've done it on previous tours and on some of the tours when they've [WAGs] arrived we've put in some very solid performances," Fletcher told AFP. "India was a good example a few years ago when we were losing 1-0 in the Test series and the wives arrived and we ended up drawing the series - they do help when they arrive."

England lost the two points that were carried over from the group stage to New Zealand and beat Ireland in their first Super Eights match. Their next matches are against Sri Lanka and Australia on Wednesday and Friday.

"We've got to the stage now where we've got some big matches to play," said Fletcher. "Sri Lanka is going to be a huge game for us on Wednesday. Having lost to New Zealand we have to make sure we win every game from here on in. This is the biggest week of our World Cup so far because we're up against the big countries now.”

Wasim Akram might have lost his World Cup wicket record but he couldn’t be happier that it was Glenn McGrath who broke it. "I consider McGrath and Malcolm Marshall as two all-time greats and I think they were a cut above the rest,” Wasim told AFP.

“McGrath is the complete bowler, physically and mentally. He has the cunning for all batsmen and the way he executes his plans is great. You become his fan once you see him bowl and I have had the privilege of playing alongside this great man."

Continuing the trend of praising in-form players, Adam Gilchrist said he was just happy to be part of Australia’s outstanding opening partnership with Matthew Hayden, who has 395 runs from five matches. "Matty has been the standout performer," Gilchrist said. “He's in really intimidating form at the moment and to be part of that partnership is really pleasing.”

	Ricky Ponting: 'We didn't see enough hands on deck out on the ground' © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has criticised the groundstaff at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, after the Super Eights match between Australia and Bangladesh was delayed by standing water on the outfield. After heavy overnight rain, the start of the match was pushed back by five hours and the match reduced to 22 overs per side, after the ground's only SuperSopper broke down.

"At the end of the day, we were lucky to get a game in today," said Ponting, whose team sealed a comprehensive ten-wicket win, their fifth in a row in the tournament. "We didn't see enough hands on deck out on the ground.

"I know they had a machinery breakdown which didn't help things," added Ponting. "But I went and spoke to the umpires at one stage, and they said the groundstaff were on their lunchbreak. That was little more time that was killed."

At various stages of the day, the mopping-up operation was reduced to near farce, not least when the groundstaff attempted to soak up the water using torn-off squares of sponge. "They didn't have enough of those to dry the ground," said Ponting. "But the umpires handled it well, and we started at a sensible time when the ground was in good enough shape."