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Results

CWC

Australia beat South Africa by 84 runs
Australia 377/6 (Hayden 101, Clarke 92, Hall 2/60)
South Africa 294 (de Villiers 92, Smith 74, Hogg 3/61)

England beat Kenya by 7 wickets
Kenya 177 (Tikolo 76, Kamande 17, Anderson 2/27)
England 178/3 (Joyce 75, Pietersen 56*, Tikolo 1/18)

Euro 08 Qualifiers

Kazakhstan 2 - 1 Serbia
Serbia Poland 5 - 0 Azerbaijan
Portugal 4 - 0 Belgium
Faroe Islands 0 - 2 Ukraine
Scotland 2 - 1 Georgia
Lithuania 0 - 1 France
Moldova 1 - 1 Malta
Norway 1 - 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Greece 1 - 4 Turkey
Ireland 1 - 0 Wales
Cyprus 1 - 3 Slovakia
Czech Republic 1 - 2 Germany
Estonia 0 - 2 Russia
Israel 0 - 0 England
Croatia 2 - 1 Rep. of Macedonia
Liechtenstein 1 - 4 Northern Ireland
Spain 2 - 1 Denmark
Albania 0 - 0 Slovenia
Luxembourg 1 - 2 Belarus
Holland 0 - 0 Romania

Results

CWC

West Indies beat Ireland by 8 wickets on D/L method
Ireland 183/8 (Bray 41, Botha 28, Gayle 2/23)
West Indies 190/2 (Chanderpaul 102*, Sarwan 36, Langford-Smith 1/33)

Sri Lanka beat India by 69 runs
Sri Lanka 254/6 (Tharanga 64, Silva 59, Khan 2/49)
India 185 (Dravid 60, Sehwag 48, Muralitharan 3/41)

Woolmer Strangled

It has been confirmed that the death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer is being treated as murder. Woolmer was found in his hotel room the night after Pakistan suffered a shock defeat to World Cup new comers Ireland. At the time it was reported that he may have died from a heart attack brought on by stress. Throughout the week various claims and speculations were forth coming as to the true nature of Woolmers death. Many seemed to believe that he may have been killed. Jamaican newspapers had reported that senior sources within the police department had commented that thee were signs that Woolmer had been strangled. These were denied. However after a second post mortem had taken place it can now be confirmed that there is evidence that Mr Woolmer may have been strangled. There were no signs of a break in or of a struggle in his room so it seems that he may have known the killer. Pakistani News is also reporting that a man has been arrested in connection with the murder. This has been denied in Jamaica. The Pakistani News reports suggest that the man had his cell phone and diary confiscated and that these contained the names and numbers of some Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers. Yesterday former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz claimed that Woolmer may have been killed to silence him from blowing the whistle on a betting scandal he may have uncovered. The police have said that, although keeping an open mind, they would not like to speculate that match fixing is involved at this time. Police are also still awaiting results of the toxicology report. The Woolmer family were made aware of the developments but were to shaken to comment. A statement from the family is expected soon. In the meantime the World Cup continues under the increasingly darker shadows of this murder.

Results

CWC

New Zealand beat Canada by 114 runs
New Zealand 363/5 (Vincent 101, Fleming 66, Sandher 2/58)
Canada 249 (Davison 52, Billcliff 50, Patel 3/25)

Holland beat Scotland by 8 wickets
Scotland 136 (Rogers 26, McCullum 24, Stelling 3/12)
Holland 140/2 (ten Doeschate 70* Zuiderent 43*, 2/29 Blain)

Matchfixing and Murder?

Speaking on Sky News today, Gill Woolmer, the wife of Bob Woolmer, said that she could not rule out the possibility that her husband had been murdered. This comes after an autopsy had deemed that Woolmers death not be labelled as suspicious. The results of further tests, including toxicology, are expected soon and will hopefully provide more answers for his family and the public.When asked about the speculation that her husband had committed suicide by overdosing on pills and alcohol, Mrs Woolmer, together with her son Russel, said that this would never have happened. She went on to say that he had been depressed after Pakistan’s shock defeat by Ireland the night before, but that he had always been depressed his team had not performed as well as they could. With mounting speculation that Woolmers death may have been foul play, newspapers in Jamaica are claiming that they have sources within the police department who are saying that there is evidence that Mr Woolmer may have been strangled. Following on from this claim is the news that Sarfraz Nawaz, a former Pakistan fast bowler, is alleging that Woolmer may have been strangled to silence him from going public about a betting scandal that he may have discovered. Nawaz says that he believes that bookmakers are manipulating results at the World Cup, and that this may involve some Pakistan cricketers. He goes on to claim that Woolmer may have discovered this betting scandal involving his own players and as a result was silenced before he could speak out. It must be remembered though that at this time these claims are just that, claims, pure speculation. Match fixing and murder are not what the game of cricket or the family of Bob Woolmer need to hear right now. If it turns out that he lost his life as a result of a game, for that is just what sport is, a game, then this game may be sullied for a long time to come. Lets hope for all our sake, and most importantly for that of his family, that this is not the case.

Results

CWC

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 93 runs on D/L method
Pakistan 349 (Nazir 160, Inzamam 37, Chigumbura 3/50)
Zimbabwe 99 (Chigumbura 27, Matsikenyeri 18, Afridi 3/20)

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 198 runs on D/L method
Sri Lanka 318/4 (Jayasuriya 109, Sangakkara 56, Hasan 1/49)
Bangladesh 112 (Ashraful 45*, Bashar 18, Maharoof 3/26)

Bob Woolmer RIP

Born in India, played for England, coached South Africa and Pakistan, and died in Jamaica. Bob Woolmer was truly a man of the world and will be mourned by all in the cricketing fraternity. Woolmer played 19 tests for England after making his debut against Australia in 1974. He joined Kerry Packer’s World Series in 1977 and was a member of a rebel England tour to South Africa in the early 80’s. Although a fine all rounder, he was , named one of Wisdens 5 Cricketers of the year in 1975, it was as a coach that Woolmer excelled. He won a string of trophy’s while coaching Warwickshire in the 90’s. It was during this golden period that Allan Donald. Brian Lara, and Shaun Pollock played under him at varies stages. His great success and growing reputation at Warwickshire lead to his appointment as South African coach in the mid Nineties. After a triangular series in Pakistan, against the hosts and Australia, where South Africa lost all 6 games, Woolmer did not make the best of starts to his international coaching career. However from there South Africa went from strength to strength and with a close relationship with captain Hansie Cronje, Woolmer and South Africa enjoyed their most successful period in post isolation cricket. In 117 ODI’s they won 83 - a 73% win rate. In tests they enjoyed 10 series wins out of 15 played. During his tenure as coach South Africa were arguably the best ODI team in world cricket and were within the top two in Test cricket. In 1998 they won the inaugural Champions Trophy. In both 1996 and 1999 they went into the World Cup as the favourites but failed to win the trophy. In 1996 after winning all their group matches they were beaten by the West Indies in the quarter finals, with Brian Lara scoring a memorable 100. Agonisingly in 1999 they were knocked out in the Semi Final after tying with Australia. That would prove to be Woolmers last game in charge of South Africa. He then worked with the ICC helping developing counties, most notably Namibia. In 2004 he took charge of Pakistan, one of the most difficult jobs in sport. Together win captain Inzamam Ul Haq, he brought a togetherness to a Pakistan team that has seldom been seen. They were a very talented and constantly improving team and went into this World Cup as one of the favourites. Unfortunately they were knocked out after losing to the West Indies and then to Ireland in the biggest upset in World Cup history. Woolmer was died the next morning. He was known as a cricketing man, always having time to talk to anyone about the game he loved so dearly. His coaching brought with it innovation and commitment. He was the first to start using technology to further his coaching and his teams success and would rarely be seen without his laptop. In the 99 World Cup he pushed this innovation to far for some when he used an ear piece to communicate on the field to his captain Hansie Cronje. He was always ahead of everyone and used to say of his innovated theories that in a few months or a year everyone would be playing cricket this way. Although his relationship with the Pakistani players was very good and spirit and togetherness within the team was as good as its ever been, his time as coach did have its fair share of stress and controversy. In August last year Pakistan were involved in the infamous ball tampering saga that ultimately cost umpire Daryl Hair his job. Before the Champions Trophy in October and November he saw his two best bowlers, Mohammed Asif and Shoaib Akhtar, fail a drugs test. Their bans were later over turned but both were left out of the World Cup team through injury. Then came the defeat to Ireland. One of the most popular and knowledgeable men in cricket has passed. He will be greatly missed by all. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Bob Woolmer RIP.

Results

CWC

England beat Canada by 51 runs
England 279/6 (Joyce 66, Collingwood 62*, Dhaniram 3/41)
Canada 228/7 (Mulla 58, Samad 36, Anderson 2/40)

Australia beat Holland by 229 runs
Australia 358/5 (Hodge 123 , Clarke 93*, De Leede 2/40)
Holland 129 (van Bunge 33, Reekers 25, Hogg 4/27)

India beat Bermuda by 257 runs
India 413/5 (Sehwag 114, Ganguly 89, Borden 2/30)
Bermuda 156 (Hemp 76*, Minors 21, Agarkar 3/38)

West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 6 wickets
Zimbabwe 202/5 (Williams 70*, Taylor 50, J Taylor 2/42)
West Indies 204/4 ( Lara 44*, Gayle 40, Mupariwa 1/34)

New Zealand beat Kenya by 148 runs
New Zealand 331/7 (Taylor 85, Mcmillan 71, Odoyo 2/55)
Kenya 183 (Shah 71, Odoyo 42, Franklin 2/20)

South Africa beat Scotland by 7 wickets
Scotland 186/8 (Brown 45*, Watson 31, Hall 3/48)
South Africa 188/3 (Smith 91, de Villiers 62, Haq 2/43)


FA Cup Quarter Final Replay
Man Utd 1-0 Middlesbrough (Ronaldo)
Chelsea 2-1 Spurs (Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips, Keane)

Results

Ireland beat Pakistan by 3 wickets
Pakistan 132 (Nazir 24, Akmal 27, Rankin 3/32, Botha 2/5)
Ireland (N O'Brien 72, K O'Brien 14*, Sami 3/29)
Bangladesh beat India by 5 wickets
India 191 (Ganguly 66, Yuvraj 47, Mortaza 4/38, Rafique 3/35)
Bangladesh 192/5 (Rahim 56*, Al Hasan 53, Sehwag 2/17)

St Patrick delivers humble pie

Having written an article about the minnows effectively cheapening the World Cup, not being good enough and forcing us to sit through meaningless matches while we wait for the Super 8's and the real tournament to begin, St Patricks day brought about two upsets by smaller teams against two of the fancied teams for this years cup. And a smack in the face for me. Bangladesh produced a very professional and accomplished victory against an Indian team that many felt could go all the way this year. On this performance they wont. Batting first India struggled up front and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals thanks to some very good bowling by the Bangladesh bowlers. Only Ganguly with 66 and Yuvraj with 47 offered any real resistance as India were bowled out in the final over for 191 Mortaza was impressive in picking up 4/38 and was abley supported by Razzak with 3/38 and the experienced Rafique with 3/35. The young Bangladesh batsman showed great stroke play and timing as they set about knocking the runs off. Playing shots that would have made Ganguly and Sehwag proud, they took the attack to the Indians ensuring that they could comfortably tick of the runs against an increasingly frustrated and down hearted Indian attack. With a dashing start from by Tamim Iqbal, who scored 51 of 53 balls, and the more cautious Rahim who anchored the team with an unbeaten 56 from 107 balls, the run chase was set up nicely for the remaining batsmen to work the ball around and reach the target with 5 wickets and an over to spare. Even though they are a test status nation this was still a huge surprise and has set up Bangladesh with a good chance of making the Super 8's. Being a test playing nation Bangladesh were always capable of causing an upset in this World Cup, particularly with the new pitches and small boundaries at most of the grounds. So a win for Bangladesh against India was a surprise, but could not compare to the upset in the other match played today. On St Patricks day Ireland produced the best result of their cricketing history by defeating Pakistan and so remaining unbeaten after two games. Putting Pakistan into bat on a pitch that had more grass then was expected, Ireland struck early and continued to do so throughout the Pakistani innings, eventually bowling them out for 132 in the 46th over. Kamran Akmal top scored with 27 and the wickets were shared by all the bowlers. Rankin was the most successful with 3/32 but it was Botha who was the most impressive taking 2/5 off 8 overs including 4 maidens.It could have been a lot worse for Pakistan as Ireland contributed 29 runs to the Pakistan total through extras. With the amount of grass on the pitch, coupled with rain during the lunch interval and overcast conditions, Pakistan would have hoped to blast the Irish out for a low total. Ireland though set about cautiously, and at times nervously, but well lead by Niel O'Brien, with a well constructed 72, they edged closer and closer to their historic win. Kevin O'Brien saw them home scoring a slow but well needed 14 not out. In my earlier article where i stated that the minnows had no place at the World Cup I did suggest that the only real upset could come from the Irish beating Zimbabwe. Having tied with Zimbabwe they would have been given little chance against Pakistan. In reflection however if any of the fancied teams were going to come unstuck it would have been Pakistan, who's unpredictability means that they are well capable of beating Australia one day and losing to a local club team the next. The win now means that Ireland are virtually through to the Super 8's at their first World Cup and their fans can expect a longer then expected holiday. Their fairytale continues, and they wont make it past the Super 8's and more than likely wont win a single game in the next phase, but having exceeded even their own expectations they have certainly brought the World Cup to life and given the minnows the freedom to dream, and me to eat humble pie. This St Patricks day in the Caribbean is certainly one that belongs to the Irish.

Boro and Spurs get second crack at big guns

Man Utd and Chelsea both warmed up for their respective FA Cup quarter final replays with comfortable wins in the Premiership. United were rampant and dispensing with Bolton 4-1, while Chelsea saw off Sheffield Utd 3-0. With United still missing Saha,Solskjaer, van de Saar, Evra and Silvestre through injury and Paul Scholes still serving the second match of a three game suspension, as well as Henrik Larrson's loan spell over, many would have felt that neighbours Bolton would prove to be a stern test of Uniteds title credentials. If so they passed with flying colours thanks to a mesmerising performance from Christina Ronaldo. On current form it is hard to argue against him being the best player in the world and he is gaining the consistency that the likes of Ronaldinho are losing. He set up the first three United goals before being taken off with Mondays game in mind. His link up play with Rooney is at times telepathic and must have the United faithful praying he signs a contract extension soon. Rooney and Park each bagged a brace, and Speed netted a consolation penalty late on for Bolton. For Chelsea all three goals were scored by players brought in at the beginning of the season, with Shevchenko, Kalou and Ballack all hitting the back of the net. Both teams now have two nights off before they are back in action again in the FA Cup quarter final replays. United need a Ronaldo penalty to survive in the original tie against Middlesbrough, while Chelsea had to come from 1-3 down to rescue a draw and a replay against Spurs. While both Middlesbrough and Spurs in particular will be encouraged and buoyed by their performances in these matches there is still the lingering feeling that they may have let their chance slip away. Rarely would they have had a better chance of putting the two best teams in the country out of the worlds most famous knock out competition. While United and Chelsea both had comfortable wins this weekend, their opponents had mixed fortunes. Spurs enjoyed a 3-0 win over Watford which included a goal for their keeper Paul Robinson, while Boro were beaten 2-0 by a Man City team who had lost their previous five games. At home, against an inconsistent Middlesbrough team, United should have enough to get through to the semi final at the second time of asking. Middlesbrough were unlucky not to hold out to victory at the Riverside and will be hoping for a similar brave performance at Old Trafford. If United strike early the game could be over by half time. Middlesbrough's best hope is to keep it tight and try to hold out for as long as possible and hitting United with a late sucker punch as the nerves and attention eat away at the United players and crowd. The Chelsea v Spurs game could be harder to call. Spurs are enjoying a good run of form which is also seeing them scoring freely. Chelsea are getting the results but are still not looking convincing at the back, particularly in the centre.If Spurs can repeat the performances they have had against Chelsea this season, having beaten and drawn with them, they could very well complete a great run of results against their London neighbours and knock them out of the cup. They will need to hit the Chelsea backline early win the pace of Lennon and guile of Keane and Berbatov. They will also need to dig deep and concentrate harder if they they do take the lead and not let Chelsea back into the match again. While Chelsea have looked vunerable at the back they do possess players like Essien and Drogba who will never give up and be up for any challenge. The heart of Chelsea's play lies with Essien and Lampard and Spurs will have to deny them the ball as much as they can. Predictions for Monday night? I see United getting past Middlesbrough comfortably and Spurs edging out Chelsea in an absorbing, entertaining match. Monday night should prove to be a great FA Cup evening.

South Africa whip Netherlands

South Africa signaled their intent to play brave, aggressive cricket in a great show of strength in their opening World Cup match win against the Netherlands. After struggling in their two warm up games, scraping a win against Ireland and losing by 7 wickets to Pakistan, many were left wondering whether or not South Africa would be able to live up to their number one world ranking. They were always expected to win this matched that pitted the top team against the bottom team competing in the tournament, but the manner in which they achieved this predicted victory would be closing watched by both their supporters and detractors. Although ranked first, many leading voices have looked past South Africa as a team that wrestle the cup from Australia's grasp. They'll have to wait until they face Australia on the 24th to prove that they are serious contenders for the cup, but they warmed up in style against the Netherlands. In a match that was frustratingly delayed due to early rain leaving a wet outfield, the match was reduced to 40 overs per innings. South Africa were put into bat by the Netherlands and promptly lost AB de Villiers who edged a wide delivery from Stelling to keeper Smits for a second ball duck. After a cautious few overs off assessing the pitch and some good bowling by Stelling, South Africa launched a spectacular, calculated, assault on the hapless Netherlands bowlers. Kallis steadily went on to, surprisingly, his first World Cup century, ending with some big shots that took him to an undefeated 128 from 109 balls. Those batting around him took on aggressive roles as the ball flew rapidly all over the ground as the small boundaries were no match for the South African big hitters. Smith started the assault with his 67 off 59 balls, but it was Gibbs who set the match and the tournament alight. Moving steadily at just over a run a ball into the 30's Gibbs suddenly laid into the unfortunate spin bowling of van Bunge hitting him for 6 sixes in an over, the first time this has been achieved in a ODI or in any international match. The first of three new records set by South Africa in this match. Unknown to many Johnny Walker had pledged 1million dollars to the charity of choice to anyone who achieved this. A very generous gesture that will be greatly appreciated by whichever charity Gibbs chooses. Well done to Johnny Walker and Gibbs too. Gibbs skied one a couple of overs later to be out for an entertaining 72 from just 40 balls. Boucher was next in and looked in fine form from the first ball he faced as he went on to break Brian Lara's record for the fastest 50 in World Cup history. Lara set the record against Canada in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Conversely a South African broke his record in the West Indies. Boucher brought up his 50 off just 20 balls and finished not out on 75 off 31 balls. South Africa's total of 353/3 saw them go past Sri Lanka's record for most sixes in a World Cup match, hitting 18 sixes in their 40 overs. We can only speculate how many sixes they would have hit or what total they could have achieved had they been able to face the full 50 overs from a tired and dejected Dutch bowling attack. The record for most runs in an innings would have been within reach.
In a match they were always expected to win it was the manner, the brutality and efficiency, that would have made the other teams take notice and ensure that South Africa approach the game against Australia in high spirits and fine form. The Netherlands innings served to give all the bowlers a few overs turn their arms over without over extending themselves. Pollock was his usual miserly self conceding just 4 runs and picking up a wicket in his 6 overs. This meant that the already daunting required run rate kept rising and meant that instead of going down in a blaze of glory the Netherlands were content to bat out there 40 overs. They managed to do this with one wicket in hand. An interesting aspect of the South African bowling was that Smith bowled 8 overs of his spin, the most overs of all the bowlers. With South Africa not picking a specialist spin bowler in their eleven its further evidence that they plan to go into the remainder of the matches without a spin bowler with Smith filling that particular role if needed, The highlight for the Netherlands will have been a very well played 57 from Ryan ten Doeschate, who looked accomplished and assured throughout his innings. A great start for the South Africans and they'll be hoping to carry this form on to the tougher matches, starting with Australia and moving on to the Super 8. They'll be looking for a similar performance against Scotland before that though.

Results

CWC - South Africa beat Netherlands by 221 runs
South Africa 354 (Kallis 128*, Boucher 75*, Stelling 1/43)
Netherlands 132/9 (ten Doeschate 57, Kemp 2/18, Pollock 1/4)

New Zealand beat England by 6 wickets
England 209/7 (Pietersen 60, Nixon 42*, Bond 2/19)
New Zealand 210/4 (Styris 87*, Oram 63*, Anderson 2/39)

Results

CWC - Ireland tied with Zimbabwe
Ireland 221/9 (Bray 115*, Chigumbura 2/21)
Zimbabwe 221 (Matsikenyeri 73*, Sibanda 67, McCallan 2/56)

Sri Lanka beat Bermuda by 243 runs
Sri Lanka 321/6 (Jayawardene 85, Sangakkara 76
Mukuddem 2/50)
Bermuda 78 (Cann 28, 4/23 Maharoof)

Results

CWC - West Indies beat Pakistan by 54 runs
West Indies 241/9 (Samuels 63, Sarwan 49, Iftikhar 3/44)
Pakistan 187 (62 Malik, Smith 3/36)

Australia beat Scotland by 203 runs
Australia 334 (Ponting 113, Hayden 60, Haq 2/49)
Scotland 131 (Smith 51, McGrath 3/14)

Kenya beat Canada by 7 wickets
Canada 199 (Barnett 41, 2/25 Kamande)
Kenya 203/3 (Tikolo 72*, Ouma 58, Cummins 1/32)

English Premier League - Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal (Diaby)
Man City 0-1 Chelsea (Lampard pen)

Cricket - Quick Response

Just a quick response to the comment that the minnows need to be at the World Cup with the example being set by Sri Lanka in the 80's. I don't say that there is no place at the World Cup for the minnows but that the number taking part should be cut down. Outside the test playing nations, which include two weak teams in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe will once again be a test playing nation in December) there should be no more then 2 non test nations. These would be the finalists of the qualifying round, which could take place within the year before the World Cup or even 2 weeks before in the host country. This would mean that only the strongest of these teams will make it. In the 80's Sri Lanka were at a level that Bangladesh are at now and not where Canada and Bermuda are. They would have been the strongest of the minnows and thus been at the World Cup in my rational. As for having to play the stronger nations to improve I don't see that happening when Scotland lose to Australia by 203 runs and then won't play them again for maybe 4 years. Playing 2 top teams every 4 years won't be a way to improve but rather just a story to tell your grand kids. This view is further justified when you take into account the USA played at the World Cup in 2003 and aren't here now. So should they qualify for the next world cup they would have played a top team every 8 years. They are unlikely to take anything other then a sense of occasion from these matches. Kenya are the best of the minnows and have been at every world cup since 96. They are the team that are most likely to get something out of this format and will slowly make their way to full test status in the future. The rest are just here to make up the numbers and make the tournament seem as big as the soccer world cup. Less teams, more meaningful matches is the way to go.

Cricket - Swatting Minnows

So the World Cup opening ceremony is over, the opening match has been completed and the tournament is finally underway. That’s what the ICC would like you to think but we still have a while to go before the competition can well and truly be seen as under way. The first round seems more to be about appeasing the hopeful global appeal of cricket and the growth all at the ICC are hoping for. Apparently watching the weak ICC member teams take on the mighty test playing nations is fair sport. When Zimbabwe and Bangladesh aren't the weakest teams in the competition you know you've got a problem. The big teams are really in a no win situation. While they would have all played a couple of warm up games when they arrived in the Caribbean, they are then faced with playing two weak teams and a test nation in the first round group stages. How do you approach the games against the minnows? Do you take them as two more warm up games and hope to get rid of any cob webs before the real games begin? Do you try to give everyone a bat and bowl to ensure both form and activity for your touring party? When Australia take on Scotland for example they will be expected to pass 300 without much difficulty and to bowl Scotland out well within the 50 allotted overs. If this doesn’t happen, no matter how convincing the win still is, it will be viewed as another nail in the coffin of a declining Australian team. For whatever reason the Australian batsmen will no doubt all get starts but most will find it hard to push on. Knowing that you're superior in talent and skill then your opponents means that invariably the concentration and mental powers aren’t as strong as they would be when Australia takes on South Africa. Ricky Ponting will still get a 100. He's the best batsmen in the world and anything less will be a failure. He also has a lot to prove as his team attempt to show the world that they are still the best team in the world. The Scottish players will be playing at their best and the Australians will be turning up to get their first World Cup match up and running. Australia will win, easily. But what will either team get out of the game as the mismatches of the first round roll over? In truth - nothing. The bigger teams will be hoping not to get any injuries and to play some players into form for the games that really count. The smaller teams will go to the tournament hoping to cause an upset but this won’t happen. They should enjoy the trip and the beaches and the fact that they are giving the bigger teams a few extra weeks then is needed. 7 weeks is too long for a 16 team tournament, especially when half those teams are completely out of their depths. The half empty stadiums for many of the first round games should emphasis the disinterest the public will view the opening week’s matches with. A better format would be to limit the smaller teams competing in the actual competition to maybe two teams. These would be the finalists at the qualifying competition. This would put more meaning on the qualifying tournament and ensuring that there are less meaningless matches at the actual World Cup and ensuring interest from the very beginning instead of waiting for the first round to roll on through. In order for the ICC to spread the game they should put more emphasis and money into the qualifying tournament, broadcasting it and promoting it as a spectacle with the pot of gold at the end being a place at the World Cup. This will allow supporters of the smaller teams to see their teams pitted against teams of similar strengths in more even contests instead of being lambs to the slaughter. Seeing your team win will do more to spread the game then seeing them at a hiding to nothing. Seeing the best play each other is a far better promotional tool then seeing Australia thrash Scotland or South Africa brush aside Holland. It's bad enough watching a disappointing Pakistan fail to compete with the West Indies in the opening game, having to sit through so many meaningless games before the tournament truly gets under way is no way to capture the interest of the public. A small team causing an upset in this year’s tournament is unlikely with the best chance being Ireland v Zimbabwe, and it’s debatable whether or not you group a very weak Zimbabwe team as one of the big teams or one of the minnows. The organizers have a lot to think about in the next four years. Let’s hope they get it right next time.

Will the Arsenal class of 2007 graduate?

In August 1995 Manchester United opened their league campaign with a 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa. The United team that afternoon had Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes in its starting eleven, and David Beckham came off the bench to score United's solitary goal. After the match Alan Hansen said "you win nothing with kids" a quote that’s become infamous with the ex Liverpool legend, as United's kids went on to win the title and dominate the league for years the next 7 years. As a rule many felt that Mr Hansen was correct, you generally don’t win anything with kids in a league as tough and demanding as the English Premiership. The wealth of talent in the Manchester United youth team of that generation was well known by those in Manchester but bringing them through together was seen as a mistake, one that could test the patients of Alex Ferguson’s supporters for it was must remembered that he decided he would be exposing these players to sustained first team football in one of the hardest leagues for one of the most demanding teams following the close season sales of Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis. United of course went on to win the title that season and Scholes, the Neville’s, Butt and Beckham would all soon be England internationals and forever consine Mr Hansen’s words to infamy and ridicule. So Fergie's Fledglings graduated with honors and special mention, what of Arsene Wengers young chargers? Will they fulfill their prodigious talent just as Fergie’s class had? Will they form the backbone of a successful team this decade as Fergie’s had in the mid Nineties culminating in the treble winning team of 1999?

While the United class was made up of primarily local boys, Beckham was from London but was always a United supporter and had been at United since he was 11, Arsenals young guns come from Brazil, France, Switzerland, Togo, Senegal and only Theo Walcott born in England. United's kids were plucked from some of the top boys teams in Manchester, Arsenals have come from the best breeding grounds all over the globe. Rather than, as is being wrongfully suggested, this being Wengers lack of belief in English talent, it is just the changing scene in English football as teams look to best cope with the spiraling transfer fees and wages, and stricter local pouching laws. teams now cast their nets outside England with the hope of unearthing the next Ronaldinho or Drogba at a fraction of the price the finished article would have cost while perhaps more importantly bringing these youngsters up within the English culture and avoiding the settling in years that all foreign players need. Even Manchester United’s famed youth set up has included bringing in a young defender, Gerard Pique from Barcelona and Giuseppe Rossi from Parma, and more recently a pair of twin fullbacks from Brazil. Thus this is not a Wenger trend but rather a need to stay competitive that all the top teams feel. Will this cosmopolitan setup have an adverse affect on the team spirit within the Gunners team? Time will ultimately tell but while a make up of primarily local boys would have made adapting to the youth setup at United easier for Fergie’s Fledglings, as they would have known the area and perhaps more importantly they would have still been staying at home with their respected families for the most part. This may not be the case these days and with specific reference to Arsenal but this may not hinder their progress and adaptation as much as one would think. Firstly it could help to weed out the tough from the weak as a certain amount of mental strength is needed to be uprooted from all you hold familiar and placed in a vacuum of the new and unfamiliar. As far as team spirit is concerned although this is a very competitive setup that they are being put into, one that has very few places for the hordes of young kids involved, for those that do make it a bond will be formed that is, in this case, Arsenal through and through in much the same way as boys sent off to boarding school or the army bond. personally, being placed in a different culture and environment to what you are accustomed to, with others of different backgrounds, cultures, languages etc and having to be exposed to this and adapt to it can only benefit these kids as human beings. And that can never be a bad thing.

So team bounding and spirit shouldn't be a problem for the Arsenal youngsters, neither should expectation. Unlike a Ryan Giggs or Francesco Totti who came into their respective teams amid great hype and expectation these kids, much like the United team of the mid Nineties, are being brought through together and not alone. This means the ups and downs will be shared and dealt with as a group rather then primarily on individual young shoulders. A young player has a lot to deal with in a pressure cooker of an industry that has more stories of what could have been then what was. Being able to get through this with others who can actually relate to it rather then just saying they can will benefit them both in the short and long terms.

Another important factor here is trust. Just as Sir Alex had decided his young players were ready for first team football, and showed trust in them, not just by picking them, but also in the sales of Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis, three very important players in previous title winning United teams. Not only was Ferguson showing trust in his young players, but he had also removed their safety net by selling players, effectively telling the kids that they are it, there's no one else to take their place if things go wrong, so go out there and show me you can do it. This very same trust has been shown by Wenger with his young guns. He has used the Carling Cup to blood them and has given them a guarantee that they will start every game in the cup. This trust was best epitomized when his young team got all the way to the final and instead of bringing back Henry, Lehman and other older first team players Wenger played the same group of youngsters who had got them to the final. This trust in their ability and readiness not only spills over to their confidence but also intensifies their belief in their manager and strengthens the relationship that they have with him. Just as Wenger has put his trust in youth, they to have put their trust in him. Contrast this with free spending Chelsea who feels the need to justify the ridiculous amounts of money they spent with immediate results instead of fostering a growing team. John Terry has come up through the Chelsea ranks, but no one else has. They have recognized the promise of youth and gone out and picked them from other teams. These young players such as Glen Johnson, Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright Phillips have had their very promising careers stalled as they languish on the bench and in the reserves or sent out on loan as Chelsea show little trust in youth. Clearly from the examples of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, who have successfully brought young players from the youth team through to the first team such as Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, trust plays a significant role in nurturing and developing young talent. Losing the cup final to a Chelsea team they totally dominated may be a good thing in the long run. It will teach them about disappointment and the unfairness of life, it will test their hunger and drive, and ultimately bring them back stronger and more determined.

A great advantage of bringing through this class together is that their individual styles and shape will be crafted into the Arsenal style. They will be brought up together playing the wonderful, fluid, attacking football that has made Wengers Arsenal one of the best teams to watch. While at Chelsea its the result that counts, and Liverpool at times attempt to bore their opponents into submission, Wenger wants to make his team artists, ready to marry both attractive style and results into what he sees as winning the right way. For this reason Wenger does not look for the stereotypical English player, hard, tough and gutsy, but instead seeks out the flair and mobile players that will fit into his plans for Arsenal. In Fabregas he already has the general who will lead this team for many years and is well on the way to becoming the best central mid field player in the world. With Denilson he has Fabregas right hand man who will use his silky skills and flair to open up the tightest defense with precision passing and sublime flicks. In Armand Traore, Clichy, Djourou, Adebayor and Walcott, Arsenal are assembling a unit that will look to bring silverware to their new Emirates home with style and class and many neutrals will be hopping they do. Keeping these prize jewels together may be Wengers toughest task as the world becomes more exposed to their rich talents and others coming cavorting. Let’s hope they stay together so we can enjoy watching whether or not they can live up to their promise. One thing for sure their football will be a joy to watch.