The Zimbabweans deserve all the credit for an outstanding performance against the world’s best team. Prosper Utseya and his men proved that sticking to the basics can work in your favor even in the Twenty20 format. They bowled and fielded magnificently and displayed commonsense while batting. In the process, they hustled and ultimately humbled the mighty Australians.
Scotland did well to restrict Pakistan to less than nine runs per over. However, they did not have the batting to back their efforts in the field. The Scots of course have nothing to lose, and they can be expected to give it everything against Dhoni and his team. The winner of that game will be known by the time you read this.
A team that will seek inspiration from Zimbabwe is Kenya, who will take on Sri Lanka later today. The Kenyans could also keep in mind the fact that any team is beatable in this version of the game. The Lankans on the other hand may well have their 2003 World Cup loss to Kenya at the back of their minds, and will want to compensate for that.
The Kenya-Sri Lanka tussle will be followed by face-offs between the game’s greatest rivals. England will run the risk of being ambushed by an Australian team that will be smarting after the loss to Zimbabwe. The Australians do not like to lose at any sport, and they do not particularly like losing to England. This will work in their favor, as will the fact that it is a must-win game for them. Paul Collingwood and Co. have every reason to be wary. The England captain will no doubt remind himself and his players of the tri-series best-of-three finals against the same team earlier this year.
The third game of the day will be the biggest box-office attraction. The Indians have indicated that they would be happier to put up the runs on the board, rather than feel the heat generated by the asking rate. Both India and Pakistan have a lot to play for of course. The players have been under the pump of late, with some people still reluctant to forget their premature exits from the World Cup in March. India’s loss to Bangladesh and Pakistan’s defeat against Ireland were viewed as nothing short of national disasters. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik will no doubt remind their respective sides that a victory over the -old enemy - will enable them to redeem themselves in their compatriots’ eyes. The Indians will do well to remember that they haven’t ever lost to Pakistan in the World Cup. We also had the better of them in the mini-World Cup played in Australia in 1984-85. Well, this is very much a World Cup. All of India would like Dhoni and his boys to maintain the tradition.
