After the big match of the tournament come the crucial games as New Zealand take on Sri Lanka and South Africa take on England. These are crucial because the winner of the England-South Africa game will be certain to go through to the next round though of course there is a possibility that three teams may well end up with two wins each if New Zealand lose all their games. Then the net run-rate will factor in and the calculators will be out.
England’s thoroughly professional win over a confident Sri Lankan side is an eye opener alright. Not many gave them much of a chance after their dismal show against the Australians in the just concluded one-day series at home but not only did they bowl superbly but they attacked Sri Lanka’s mystery bowlers with gusto and a confidence that was totally absent against the Australians.
The pitch at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg has a fair bit of a green tinge to it and the new ball bowlers are able to get movement and bounce which has not made life easy for the batsmen. The Lankans struggled with Jayasuriya failing and the solid Sangakkara perishing to a forgettable shot.
The two new kids on the block Angelo Matthews and Kandamby showed that they may be young in experience but are full of determination and it was they who took the Lankans to a respectable total over 200. It is here that the England showed a new face.
Despite losing their consistent skipper Andrew Strauss early they counterattacked through Collingwood and later through Morgan and got home with plenty of petrol still in the tank. The body language was positive throughout and maybe its just the change in environment that has done it. They will be a dangerous team in this event because if the pitches continue to be like the one at Wanderers then England seamers will have opposition batsmen in trouble. The South Africans have also come back strongly with a big win against New Zealand and their bowlers will also enjoy bowling on the early season hardness of the pitches. If anything this game should be the one to watch.
For New Zealand to stay in the tournament they will have to beat Sri Lanka and like with all teams who play the Lankan spinners for the first time it won’t be easy.
Of course New Zealand’s plus is that they were in Sri Lanka recently and have played the bowlers in both Tests and limited overs and so will be hoping that the batsmen will raise the level of their game and give them a good total on the board. Their seamers too will look forward to bowling on these wickets so it certainly will be game on for the Kiwis.
The schedule does look a bit wonky since South Africa will finish their group games and then have four days watching the other teams and apart from the benefit of treating niggles for such a long time between matches is not something that teams look forward to as it takes away the intensity and dulls the desire to an extent. Of course we are presuming that South Africa will still be in the tournament after their game against England aren’t we?
— Professional Management Group
