The Worlds Best

The crowds were poor, the tickets were too expensive, 7 weeks was a couple of weeks to long, some of the facilities weren’t up to scratch, there was hardly any music at some grounds, the final ended with a muck of of note, and in the end the best team won. At least the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies got one thing right - Australia are the best team in the world, and on this evidence, by a long way. They dominated from the first game, sweeping all before them, and often with gruesome efficiency. Though many neutrals hoped that they would be stopped at some stage, for the good of the game, they brushed away all challengers, including the much hyped South Africans and Sri Lankans. The manner of their victories must be a case for considerable worry to the rest of the world. Apart from a 20 over spell in the group match against South Africa, they were never really tested, and even then they had the knowledge that they had the runs on the board and were just waiting for a break through. In a shorter, more traditional series, the chasing teams, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, would have a chance, where the intensity is greater, momentum is more of a factor, and the chance of cashing Australia on an off day increases. Had South Africa played Australia a couple of days after thrashing the West Indies or England, they would have had a better chance, the momentum, intensity and confidence within the team would have given them more of an impact, but to have had to wait a week between their last Super 8 game, and their all important Semi Final, was to much, and to long a wait. The Australians went into each of their games knowing that their opponents had little chance. especially when playing cold, after the long waits between games. The form Graeme Smith showed during the first half of the tournament didn’t last, bar that destructive innings against England. Lasith Malinga carried an injury into the latter half of the Super 8’s and thus couldn’t push forward with the momentum gained from the first half. The New Zealand team that began the tournament were not the same team that ended it, they were jaded, tired, and inconsistent. The Australians seemed to get everyone on a bad day, they got South Africa in the semi after they hadn’t played for a week, got New Zealand in the Super 8’s after they began to look weary, and got Sri Lanka in the final with Malinga just coming back from missing the latter half of the Super 8’s. Having said that they used every advantage offered to them, be it physical or mental, and the emotional aspect of each game bringing McGrath to retirement, and used it to power past their opponents. There was no real weakness within the team, except maybe that they were being so dominant they had not been fully tested, their middle order hadn’t seen much batting, and Tait was the inexperience member of the bowling attack. Yet all their opponents knew this and none could take advantage. The top order needed to be knocked over to get to the middle order and this never happened. Tait, although expensive at times, did his job admirably, striking when needed, most often in his return spells. The Australians dominated this tournament, and looking past the shoddy organisation, the daft scenes at the end, the early exits of Pakistan and India, and the terrible loss of Bob Woolmer, that is what the World Cup should be remembered for - the total, ruthless, dominance of the worlds best team - Australia. Oh, and of course the Irish!

Gilchrist Plunders Australia to World Cup Victory

Adam Gilchrist smashed Australia to World Cup glory with 149 off only 104 balls, his first World Cup century, in a rain affected final against Sri Lanka. In a match that will be remembered as much for the incredible innings by Gilchrist as it will for the farcical end to the game, the best team in the world came out on top again. With rain delaying the start by two hours, play eventually started with the game reduced to 38 overs a side. Australia, seeking their third World Cup in a row, and playing in their fourth consecutive final, won the toss and chose to bat first. The first 10 overs yielded 45 runs, the lowest Australian total for this period in the 7 week tournament, without the loss of either opener. Sri Lanka decided not to use the second, and last under the revised conditions, powerplay of 5 overs, and this is when Gilchrist began his onslaught. With Hayden playing a far more circumspect role then he has during the tournament thus far, Gilchrist took to the Sri Lankan bowling like a man possessed. Although the pitch was ideal for batting, it failed to take anything away from the awesome stroke play that Gilchrist treated the crowd to. He reached his century off only 72 balls, and showed for the third consecutive final he was the man for the big occasion. In the ‘99 final he scored 54 from 36 balls against Pakistan, and in ‘03 he hit 57 from 48 balls against India. With his dismissal the run rate slowed down, but the rate still reached over 6 an over for the rest of the innings, as contributions from Hayden, Ponting and Symonds, helped Australia set an imposing total of 281-4 from their 38 overs. As for the Sri Lankan bowling attack, built up for much of the tournament for their variation and strike power, none where able to deal with the Gilchrist attack, and did not recover fully from that barrage. Australia, as they have done in every match, struck early, as Bracken had Tharanga caught behind for 6. After that Jayasuria and Sangakkara began to consolidate, without letting the run rate get away from them. They then began to attack when set, not in a Gilchrist style, but impressively as a partnership in its own right. However with the rain clouds once again threatening the Sri Lankan batsmen began to chase the D/L score needed should the match be called off, and in doing so began losing wickets. The rain did come, the players left the field a few times, and these conditions, along with the fading light, did not help the Sri Lankan batsmen. Regular wickets fell and before long the run rate got away from them and the match was effectively over. And then the farce began. The light was offered to the batsmen and they took it. At this stage the Sri Lankans needed 63 runs from 18 balls. The Australians began to celebrate, ripping the stumps out, jumping and screaming with joy and forming a victory huddle. The stage began to be assembled for the closing ceremony and presentation. And the umpires started telling the Australians, and the crew, that the game wasn’t over, they hadn’t won yet! And so in almost darkness the Sri Lankans came back to bat out the final 18 balls before Australia could once again celebrate their well deserved victory. Under comical conditions, that were perhaps in keeping with the farce that much of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was, the best team in the world emerged the right and true winners. Australia, remaining unbeaten, out played and often out classed all before them and deserved their title of World Cup champions - again.

United Close In

Manchester United moved a step closer to clinching their first Premier League title in four years after they beat Everton and Chelsea could only draw with Bolton. On a day that saw both United and Chelsea play at the same time, an unusual occurrence these days, United had the type of day that may suggest that the title has only one destination - Old Trafford. With Ronaldo on the bench, United played with a formation that seemed to match Everton's five man midfield, with Smith up front by himself, Rooney and Solskjaer supporting him and playing out wide, and Giggs playing more centrally. United didn't play with their usual pace and attacking flair, and the more pedestrian pace of the first half suited Everton more, and they duly took the lead through a powerful Stubbs freekick, that took a slight deflection of Carrick, and went over a diving van der Saar, who would be disappointed not to have saved it. United failed to create much for the remainder of the first half and Everton would have fancied their chances of holding onto their slender lead for the remainder of the match, particularly with the packed midfield and United not being able to carve out many opportunities. They would have been even more sure of causing an upset when they doubled their lead early in the second half, courtesy of a very impressive Manuel Fernandes. Sir Alex made his first change soon after, taking Evra off and replacing him with Richardson. United's opening goal came from a Giggs corner, which the Everton keeper, Turner, who was only playing as Howard is ineligible to play against United, fumbled the ball into the path of O'Shea, who scored. United took control of the game from here in in, particularly when Ronaldo was brought on in place of Smith. The equaliser came from another corner, as Giggs floated the ball in and Ronaldo rose well and headed powerfully towards goal. The ball bounced and hit several defending players before Phil Neville's attempted clearance off the line was hoofed into the roof of the net. With Chelsea and Bolton locked at 2-2 it was an opportunity for United to turn a potentially disastrous day into a decisive one, in the context of the destination of the title. United went looking for the goal that would give them the lead for the first time in the match. And the goal came from the most likely of sources, Wayne Rooney. Rooney had been booed with every touch for the duration of the match, both as an ex Everton player, and for his feud with Everton manager David Moyes. The goal was one of class and skill, as he controlled a cross, took it past the defenders and finished, in seemingly one movement. It was his 23 goal of the season as he has almost unnoticed gone past Ronaldo as United's leading scorer. With twelve minutes to go the result was no longer in doubt. The icing on the cake came from Chris Eagles in the last minute, as he was put through, and with steadied composure, curled the ball past Turner, into the bottom corner. The manner of United's win, to come back from 2-0 down, away from home, in the closing matches of the season, was celebrated by the players as if the title had just been won. It hasn't, but United are within touching distance. After Chelsea's draw with Bolton, United are now five points clear with three games left. Their vastly superior goal difference over Chelsea means that they effectively have a six point lead. One more win may be enough to secure the title for United, and with Milan to come in the week, and having already booked a place in the FA Cup final, the dream of a second treble is almost tangible.

Australia Again

After all the talk and calm belief, South Africa's World Cup ended in a whimper, with a resounding defeat to defending champions Australia in the second semi final. Australia will now meet Sri Lanka on Saturday in a repeat of the 1996 final, won then by Sri Lanka. What had been billed as a repeat of the classic, thrilling '99 semi final tie between the same two teams, was effectively over in the first few overs. South Africa, having won the toss and chosen to bat, on a wicket that was expected to get slower and slower as the match wore on, lost first Smith, and then Kallis, both advancing down the pitch only to be bowled, Smith by Bracken, and Kallis by McGrath. The South African batsmen seemed intent on playing to a preconceived game plan rather then what the situation warranted. Smith looked to carry on from where he left off against England, advancing down the track he was bowled by Brackan for 2. Kallis was out next, playing very uncharacteristically, having hit McGrath for a 4, he advanced down the pitch, and was bowled for 5. South Africa seemed to believe that they had to play aggressively to get on top of the Australian bowlers, seeming to think that the approach they had so successfully employed in the group game, for the first 20 overs, was the correct formula to defeat the powerful Aussie bowling machine. The difference here being that the situation and conditions on that day called for that approach, the boundaries were close, the pitch flat, and they were chasing a mammoth total of 377. Equally important was that for those 20 overs everything went right - they did not lose a wicket. The loss of Smith early should have brought a more circumspect approach to the opening period, but Kallis went playing a shot that wasn't needed, de Villiers followed him after seeming to be prepared to get himself set, Prince played a very irresponsible shot, swinging at a wide delivery to be out for a duck, Boucher followed him, out first ball, and South Africa found themselves 27/5. Kemp and Gibbs set about attempting to dig themselves out of the mire they found themselves in. Gibbs, looking to banish the ghost of '99, when he dropped Steve Waugh, looked in good touch, although he should have been given out early in his innings, caught behind, but survived that appeal to play some brilliant strokes on his way to 39. He was out just as he threatened to rescue the South African innings. Hall and then Pollock followed, and it was left to Justin Kemp to guide South Africa to a total that would give them a chance. Playing well within himself, the usually big hitting, aggressive, Kemp took his time, assessing the situation and realising that his wicket was important if South Africa were to find away back into the game. The dismissal of Pollock, the last of the batsmen before the tail was exposed, best typified the confusing nature of the South African approach. Pollock, a stylish, stroke playing batsmen, who is capable of hitting the ball long, was caught between defending his wicket, and playing his natural game. Having hit Hogg for four, he then pushed a ball right back into Hogg's hands, not going through with the shot, caught in two minds. In the usual situation Pollock would have hit the ball past the bowler to the straight boundary. Nel tried to stick around, and Langeveld did his best, but it wasn't enough. South Africa were all out for 149, with Kemp stranded on 49 not out. Early wickets were needed, and when Langeveld followed up a tight opening over from Pollock, with the wicket of Gilchrist, bowled for one, with his first ball, the South Africans began to hope, and dream. It was almost two soon after, but Ponting was dropped by prince, a difficult chance, that would have been a superb catch had it stuck, but the type of chance that must be taken if small totals are to be defended. Ponting would eventually go for 22, bowled by Nel, but by then the game was well within Australian control. Hayden and Clarke set about the total, and South Africa's hopes faded. Hayden would not find himself out there when the winning runs were scored, but he did his job well, curbing his free scoring starts for a more cautious approach, and then scoring when the right balls presented themselves. He did what the South Africans failed to do - assess the situation and play to it. Clarke and Symonds rattled off the winning runs with ease, with Clarke particularly impressive, scoring an undefeated half century. Whether it was nerves, the occasion, or just an off day, the South Africa we all hoped would show up, to give the Australians a test they've lacked all tournament, never pitched up. After all the tack, the prematch dialogue concerning a calm, patient approach, not being haunted by the '99 Semi Final, the South African dream burst with a gutless, feeble, display, that will have the South Africans cursing the lost opportunity to show the world what they were really capable of, and ends with the Australians once again in the final.

Rooney Delivers

Manchester United will travel to Milan next week with a goal lead for their second leg Champions League Semi Final. After last nights 3-2 victory, courtesy of a Wayne Rooney winner in the last minute, United will travel with confidence of progressing to their fist final since their famous '99 triumph Milan will be buoyed by their two away goals, but will be disappointed at conceding a late winner, particularly having controlled the first half, and gone into the break 2-1 up. United on the other hand will always fancy their chances of scoring, and thus will not be daunted by the prospect of going to Milan and getting a result. In their '99 run they travelled to Italy for second leg games twice, snatching a draw with Inter in the quarter finals, and beating Juventus 3-2 in the semi finals. They will also be hopeful that some of their firs choice back four will return from injury by then. Last night 3/4 of their settled back four were missing, and at times this showed clearly, particularly with Milan's second goal. The match was tipped to be the showcase for the two best players in the world right now, Christiano Ronaldo for United, ad the Brazilian, Kaka, for Milan. It was Ronaldo who struck first, rising to head powerfully from a Giggs corner, with the ball cannoning off Dida's chest, and then beeing pushed over the line as Dida tried in vain to redeem himself. If that was first strike to Ronaldo, the rest of the first half belonged to Kaka. His skill and acceleration on the ball where a delight to watch, as he probed at the United defence, making up for an almost anonymous Gilardinho. First he equalised, receiving a through ball from Seedorf, and then accelerated away from O'Shea and drilling a shot into the far corner, an inch perfect shot that beat the sliding in Heinze and went across van de Saar, into the bottom corner. His second was once again a clinical, clean, finish that owed a lot to the United defenders having not played a lot together. Heinze and Evra, both usually playing on the left, and so would not have played together much, went for the same ball and took each other out, with the ball bouncing kindly to a free Kaka, who had an unobstructed path to goal, and who summarily made it 2-1. Milan could have extended their lead twice early in the second period, with Kaka spurning both chances to claim his hat trick. Thereafter it was United's game. Whether it had more to do with United settling and being more comfortable with the approach needed to overcome their classy opponents, finalists 3 times in the last 5 years, or that both Maldini and Gattuso had to leave the pitch through injury, United seemed to believe more. They curtailed the threat of Kaka, denying him time and space, spread the ball with pace, and did what they failed to do in the first half, hold on to the ball for long periods. Ronaldo did not have the expected impact on the game that had been vetted, finding himself double and sometimes tripled teamed, but was always a ready outlet on the wings for a quick counter attack. With Giggs switching between the wings and the middle, Fletcher tirelessness running through the midfield, and Rooney always a handful for the Italian defence, United gradually began imposing themselves. The equaliser came after the United midfeld exchanged passes on the edge of the box, and a sublime flick over the defence from Scholes to Rooney, who took it on his chest and finished past Dida with ease. From then on it was all United. They attacked with controlled pace, and didn't leave themselves venerable at the back. The defence, which seemed ill at ease in the first half, were calm and secure in the second, with Brown and particularly Heinze, keeping the Italians at bay. When the winner came the match was into its last minute, with fans beginning to make their way to the exits. Giggs picked up the ball and ran at the Milan defence, before slipping a ball through to Rooney, who hit the ball firs time from just inside the box, and beat Dida at the near post. United seemed to learn how to play Milan as the game wore on, and it will be for this very reason that they will fancy themselves in the second leg in Milan. Kaka, so superb in the first half, was not able to run the game as he would have expected in the second half. More of the same will be needed in Milan, and United, who will hope to have Rio Ferdinand and Gary Nevile back for that game, will believe that the final is well within their grasp. They have Wayne Rooney to thank for that.

Sri Lanka v South Africa final?

The semi finalists of the world cup are all known and all that's left before then is a match between two of the disappointing teams of this years event, England and the West Indies. On Tuesday Sri Lanka will take on New Zealand and on Wednesday South Africa will do battle against the undefeated Australians. By all accounts they have been the four strongest ODI performers of the last few years and not just in the last few weeks, and so rightfully take their place in the knockout face. The Aussies have been the immovable force powering their way towards the title, with a brand of intimidating cricket that seeks to kill off their opposition as quickly as possible. Hayden and Gilchrist get them off to a bludgeoning start, bullying the bowling, getting on top of the fielders, and laying the perfect platform for Ponting and Clarke to finish the job off. When bowling Bracken and McGrath have been tight and disciplined, with McGrath leading the wickets list and only 3 shy of the World Cup record of 23 wickets. Tait, although expensive and giving away too many extras, has made breakthroughs, and so done the job of strike bowler as well as been hoped. The New Zealanders have played a very tactically aware game of cricket, making full use of conditions and their bits and bobs cricketers, such as Scott Styris and Craig McMillan. Shane Bond has been outstanding for them up front and at the end, with Daniel Vettori doing the business in the middle overs. As usual captain Stephen Fleming has been very astute in using the resources he has at his disposal. The Sri Lankans have been the most balanced team in the tournament. The batting has been steady when needed, and stylish and flamboyant when things have gone right. Any of the top four are able to take the game away from the opposition, while the middle order are comfortable both ending an innings when the platform has been set, as well as rebuilding after the loss of wickets. It is however their bowling that is the epitome of balance. In Vaas they have the Pollock or McGrath type bowler, economic, experienced and cunning, the ideal foil to the unpredictable, quick, unconventional talent that is Lasith Malinga. He is as capable of going for big runs in his opening spell as he is of taking quick wickets. However it is at the end of any innings were his ability to reverse the ball at pace can be devastatingly exploited, as South Africa saw in the Super 8 game where he took 4 wickets in 4 balls, a ODI record. Add to these two bowlers the guile and expertise of Muralitharan and you have a wonderfully balanced, effective bowling line up. The semi final draw is completed by South Africa. Ranked the number one team before the tournament began, South Africa would have fancied their chances at the get go. However as the weeks have progressed we have seen two different South Africa's at play, the side that so devastatingly thrashed both England and the West Indies, and the side that then lost to Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent New Zealand. The South Africans, particularly their captain Graeme Smith, have tremendous belief in themselves and feel that they are the team to topple Australia. Their victories have been built on a solid bowling performance, backed up by some outstanding fielding, and aggressive, brave, batting. The bowling of Andrew Hall, particularly at the end of an innings, as been instrumental in their restriction of teams. The batting has flowed from good starts by Smith and de Villiers upfront, who have scored at over a run a ball in all their significant partnerships. When they have given the team a good start they have allowed Kallis to benefit from a sound platform, and given the likes of Boucher and Gibbs to play with freedom and class. If South Africa are to get past Australia they will need a team performance such as that against England, were everything went right for them, and they were able to play the type of cricket they are best at. The unpredictable performances they have shown thus far means that they are perhaps the best bet to beat the Aussies. The winner of the world cup, i feel, will come from this match. South Africa versus Sri Lanka is the final I predict, with South Africa winning their first world cup.

Cruising to the Semi's

In front of the biggest and noisiest crowd of the Caribbean World Cup South Africa booked their place in the semi finals courtesy of a sound thrashing of England. England, who needed to beat South Africa to pip them to the final semi final birth, now play a dead rubber against the hosts, the West Indies, in the final Super 8 game on Saturday. Winning the toss Micheal Vaughn, the England captain, asked South Africa to bowl first, hoping to get a score on the board, and the pressure of having to win or fail to progress, would tell and the South Africans would fail to reach the target. Things didn't go according to plan from that moment on. South Africa, who surprised many by leaving Ntini out of the one match where conditions finally suited him, hit all the right marks from the begining. Pollock and new opening partner, Langeveld, bowled 14 dot balls before the English total got off the mark. The tight bowling continued throughout the entire innings, helped by good fielding, and outstanding captaincy by Smith, who's every move seemed to bare fruit this afternoon. Pollock was back to his miserly self, finishing with only 17 runs taken off him in his 10 overs. It was the strangle by Pollock that allowed the likes of Nel and Langeveld to make the early strikes. Nel finished with 3/35, including the prized wicket of Pieterson, caught brilliantly by Smith, and celebrated with great excitement by the entire team. It was the bowling of Andrew Hall that really took the game away from England. A score of 200 was still possible and may have proved challenging, but Hall put an end to any such thoughts with a superb spell in the middle and at the end. Getting the ball to swing and reverse Hall ripped through the middle order of the English lineup, finishing with the superb figures of 5/18 off 10 overs, the best bowling by a South African in a world cup, the previous best being 5/22 by Lance Klusner against Kenya. England's innings ended in the 48th over on 154. While the English openers where circumspect and cautious, the South Africans took the game away from England from the first two overs. Smith and de Villiers batted with aggression and flair in smashing their way towards the modest total. by the time de Villiers was out, for 42 from 35 balls, the game was effectively over. Smith was joined by Kallis, who was happy to just push the ball around and allow his captain to finish the match off. Smith led from the front throughout the game, with his field placing, bowling changes and two catches, during the England innings, and with his aggressive batting during the South African innings. Not allowing any of the bowlers to settle, Smith attacked the bowling, intent to finish the match off as quickly as possible. When the end came he was 89 not out from just 58 balls, and the 20th over had not yet been bowled. This was South Africa's most impressive and clinical performance of the world cup, both in the manner of their victory, and also the occasion, needing to win to progress to the semi finals. On this performance South Africa may be peeking at just the right time and will fancy their chances against anyone - even Australia.

England or Bust

South Africa came into this world cup as the number one ranked team, although Australia remained favourites, and were confident of putting their previous world cup nightmares behind them and finally bring home the cup fate has denied them thus far. During the course of the tournament they have lost their number one ranking, been trounced by Australia, humbled by Bangladesh and, most recently, brushed aside by New Zealand. You can add to this that they came very close to throwing away a very well played victory against Sri Lanka, when Lasith Malinga produced cricketing history by taking four wickets in four balls just as South Africa were looking to cross the finish line. Hardly the record of a team hoping to win the Word Cup. On the other hand they did beat Sri Lanka, and aside from those four balls, had totally dominated a very strong Sri Lankan batting and bowling outfit. They also produced a devastating batting performance against the West Indies, a performance that was measured, clinical and devastating. The bowling in the match also got the job done, although they did not manage to bowl the West Indies tail out, however other circumstances were at play here. Worried about a slow over rate and a possible ban for captain Smith that would result, Smith bowled himself in the closing overs in order to speed things up. There performances against the weaker teams in the initial group stage, Scotland and Holland, were also impressive, as was the win in the Super 8’s against Ireland. They’ve been an almost Jeckyl and Hyde team, capable of the type of cricket that saw them beat the hosts, West Indies, and also the weak performance that saw Bangladesh get past the. Looking at their losses more closely should reveal that things are not as bad as being made out. The first loss came in the first phase against Australia. On a superb batting track, coupled with a ground with small boundaries, they ran into a devastating Matthew Hayden, who blasted the fastest century in World Cup history. This laid the platform for Ponting and Clarke to build an imposing total against a shell shocked bowling attack. When South Africa came out to bat they looked well capable of chasing down the total, as openers de Villiers and Smith took the attack to the Australians. However things fell apart after de Villiers was run out and Smith left the field with cramp. Against Bangladesh they played poorly, having lost the intensity they had been building up because of the poor weather and itinerary in Guyana. The match against New Zealand was won by the toss. The conditions that both teams batted under where different to such as extent that the game could have been called after Smith had played and missed at most of the first over. So can they win the World Cup? What happens in their next game will determine their season. They have played brilliantly all year to reach the number one rank, but all that will count for naught should they lose to England and have to catch a flight home before the semi’s. Getting past England will not be easy, but if that is accomplished they will only be two victories away from the title. They will fancy their chances against anyone on heir day but will have to revert to the brave, positive cricket that they have played throughout the season, to regain their form and confidence. The tense, stiff cricket they have been playing in some matches is not the real South Africa. Once they have awoken that giant they will fancy their chances against anyone - even Australia. The Aussies have to lose sometime right? But England first.

Treble Chasing

With about a month left of the season Manchester United are in a position to repeat their remarkable achievement of Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League successes of 1999 - the Treble. After that day in Barcelona Sir Alex remarked that it was a feat that he thought would never be repeated, yet less than a decade later United can once again get their hands on all three. It is also worth noting that Chelsea can achieve the same treble to go with the League Cup they won earlier, making it a quadruple, but United are in a better position in the League, and are also already in the FA Cup final, while Chelsea play their semi final against Blackburn this afternoon. Of the team that won the treble in ‘99 only Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Ole Gunnar Solsjaer and Wes Brown remain (Brown was just beginning his first team career then). That season saw Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke form a formidable strike force with an understanding that has been seldom seen in sides since. The goals flowed through the strike duo as well as their back ups Teddy Sheringham and Ole Solsjaer. Giggs, Beckham and Blomqvist plied their front men with chances, while Scholes and Keane ran the midfield. The defence was held together by Jaap Stam and the daunting figure of the giant Dane in goal, Peter Schmeical. The team were famed for their attacking football and never say die attitude that resulted in many late goals and come from behind victories. These were best typified by the FA Cup victory over Liverpool, the semi final of the Champions League against Juventus in Italy, where United were 2-0 after 10min and won 3-2, and most famously the Final v Bayern Munchin, when United scored two injury time goals to win 2-1. The team this year has been a work in progress for the last few seasons, as Sir Alex has attempted to groom his young squad into a title winning outfit. This season could prove to be just that as United strive to end a four year drought without the League title. In Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo they have two of the best prospects in the game, and they’re development has been the key to all the success United may achieve this year. Rooney has gone through dips in form and goal shy periods, but his talent and attitude have never been in doubt and he is capable of driving the team and winning games with a single moment of genius. Ronaldo has been the driving force behind the team this year. He came to United as a teenager with exceptional ability and skill, but with a tendency to over do things, with little end result and the infamy of going down to easily. This year he is honed his skill to become a team player, setting up victories for his team, banging in the goals (20 already this year) curbing his diving, and been a joy to watch for all, while not sacrificing any of his dazzling skill and flair. The older heads of Neville, Scholes and Giggs have brought experience and know how to a young team, allowing them to achieve the consistencies that have been found wanting in recent years. Another major asset to the team has been the safe hands of Edwin van der Saar in goals. The United team of ‘99 had the ability to go on and dominate in Europe for years to come, but failed to reach a final since that heady day. If this team is to fulfill it’s promise and potential the first step would be to win this seasons trophy and take it from there. The treble is well within reach and within their ability. It is also worth noting that the ‘99 season started with David Beckham returning from the World Cup and vilified at every away ground he travelled to, ending with his two corners setting up both goals in the Champions League final, and sealing the treble. This season began with Ronaldo returning from the World Cup and vilified at every away ground he’s been to. You wouldn’t bet against him firing United to another treble.

Seventh Heaven

Manchester United produced arguably their best ever European performance under Alex Ferguson last night. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Rome, but with an important away goal, Ferguson said that if they scored he felt they would go on to win. Score they did as they put 7 past a hapless Roma defense. Who looked nothing like the ruthless defensive unit that Italian teams are famed for. The contest was virtually over within the opening 20 minutes, as United struck through Carrick, Smith and Rooney, as Giggs ran riot playing in the whole behind the front men. Smith’s goal was his first for 17 months and his joy and ecstasy was matched by his team mates, the staff and the home fans. On previous European nights this would have been the cue to tighten up the defense, pull everyone behind the ball and to effectively shut up shop and kill the game off – the rest of the game is generally a bore under these circumstances. This wasn’t the route the United players choose, as the continued to attack and play the sublime football that was the hallmark of the 99 treble winning side. The goals continued to flow as one almost felt embarrassed for a Roma side that talked big during the buildup and were made to look anything but challengers on this night. Ronaldo added a fourth before half time, his first European goal. The second half saw further goals by Ronaldo, Carrick and Evra and a solitary reply by De Rossi for Roma, a goal that was celebrated with muted and down played pleasure of a side well beaten and praying for the final whistle. United would have wished that the game could go on forever, but when the final whistle blew the score line of 7-1, and 8-3 on aggregate, represented one of the most polished and exceptional showcase of attacking play that a European game has ever seen. Roma aren’t a bad side, they are in fact a very decent team with an attacking mindset of their own, as was shown when the beat United in the first leg, and more impressively, when they got passed a Lyon side that was many pundits favorites for the title, in the previous round. United were at their best tonight and would be many people’s favorites to win the Champions League after this performance. By contrast Chelsea needed a last minute goal from Essien to get through their tie with Valencia. Worryingly for United Chelsea seem to keep getting last minute, and undeserved wins, in both Europe and in England. There is a strong feeling that their luck has to wear out at some stage, but another view is that a feeling may creep into the Chelsea camp that their name is on the Cups, the same feeling United had in 99. For now United will still move forward hoping results reward their play, but at the same time looking over their shoulders at the dark form of Chelsea. The winners of the Champions League, The Premier League, and the FA Cup, will most probably come from these two sides. On the basis of this result you wouldn’t bet against United having their name etached on two of those trophies – perhaps even all three.

Pack up England

England lost a close game to Sri Lanka, South Africa did all that was needed against Ireland, New Zealand crushed Bangladesh, and the Aussies kept winning. The semi finalists of this years World Cup are becoming clearer with each passing match, all that is left, it seems, is what order they’ll finish in and thus who will play whom. As the matches go by in this drawn out tournament it has become clear who the top teams are, who’s making up the numbers, and who’s just there to take part. For all the hype of the CB Series win in January, England has once again flattered to deceive. In that series they beat both the Australians and New Zealand, which more then likely won’t happen again. In fact they have already been well and truly beaten by New Zealand in the group phase, and meet the Australians on Sunday, in a match that the rest of the world will be hoping that they can repeat their CB Series Final victory, but in all likelihood, wont. England are a side missing a couple of players that would enable them to compete at the level they think they can. Upfront they haven’t had an opening partnership of note as Vaughn continues to struggle, he seems to be picked as captain only, Joyce is being exposed at this level, Bell is getting starts but not pushing on, and Flintoff is struggling to score runs. They leave to much for Pietersen to do alone, and if he fails their scores are modest. In the match against Australia it was left to Bopara and Nixon to attempt to win them the match, something they almost did, but feats like that will be rare. When you continue to lose wickets in groups, especially after they hard work of a good partnership has just been undone, you are going to lose more games then you’ll win. On the bowling front, Jimmy Anderson tends to shrike early, giving England a good start, but it’s the middle overs that are proving a problem. They almost tend to go through the motions and wait for the batsmen to make a mistake or start hitting out creates chances, rather then trying to get the batsmen out. It seems a good captain like Vaughn is almost wasted in this situation. Flintoff bowls well at times, as does Panisar, but all too rarely are they having the desired effect. The batting is brittle and dependent on one person, and the bowling is ineffective. England haven’t a hope of winning the World Cup and will have to be satisfied with making it this far – something Pakistan and India both failed to do.

Results

CWC

New Zealand beat Banglaesh by 9 wickets
Bangladesh 174 (Rafique 30*, Iqbal 29, Styris 4/43)
New Zealand 178/1 (Fleming 102*, Marshall 50*, Rasel 1/22)

Eng Prem League

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton

South Africa beat Sri Lanka - Just!

South Africa followed up their bruising loss to Australia by almost throwing away a well deserved victory against a strong Sri Lanka in their opening Super 8 game. Sri Lanka had looked in superb form in the group phase, beating a much fancied India rather easily, as well as Bangladesh and Bermuda. Winning the toss, in conditions that seemed more like Colombo then Guyana, Sri Lankan captain Jaywardene had no hesitation in deciding to bat, hoping that the pitch would offer more and more assistance to spin as the game went on. Just as in the game against Australia Shaun Pollock, ranked the best ODI bowler by some margin, found himself targeted by the opening batsmen, going for 33 in his first 4 overs. Unlike that game however Ntini kept things tight and disciplined from the other end and picked up the wicket of Uthapata, who had scored 50's in his 4 previous knocks at this World Cup. Again unlike in the loss to Australia, Smith took Pollock off after an expensive opening spell, not giving him the extra over that proved a mistake against Gilchrist and Hayden on Saturday. Pollock was replaced by Langeveld, who bowled with good lines and movement, picking up 2 wickets in his opening spell as well as being economical. The other change bowlers, Kallis and Hall, continued the fine work set up by Ntini and Langeveld, taking wickets before partnerships could develop. The 97 run partnership between Dilshan and Arnold was the only real partnership of any substance, as good bowling and the customary great fielding by the South Africans, kept the run rate in check. A big deference to this South African attack was the inclusion of Robin Peterson, the spinner, at the expense of a batsmen, Ashwell Prince. Although Peterson went wicketless and didn't do anything to spectacular in his 5 overs, he did manage to bring an added bit of variation to a South African attack that has at times seemed one dimensional. South Africa managed to take the last 4 Sri Lankan wickets for just one run, bowling them out for 209, The innings also included a run out by Gibbs that bore more then a passing resemblance to the famous Jonty Rhodes run out of Inzamam in 1992. Langeveld was the pick of the bowlers with 5/39, but as a unit the South Africans would have been very pleased to have restricted a very strong Sri Lankan batting line up to a modest score in conditions that would have suited the sub continental team more. South Africa did everything right that they did wrong against Australia, putting that poor bowling performance behind them, and showing the lessons learned from defeat can be drastically effective in victory. The batting saw de Villiers go early - bowled for a duck by Vaas. Vaas bowled a super opening spell, but rather then allowing themselves to be tied down and put under pressure, South Africa scored freely from the other end, particularly off Malinga. When chasing a daunting score, as they did on Saturday, perhaps Kallis is not the best to come in when he did. This time however was just the situation that Kallis proves so effective in. Batting well within himself, he allowed Smith to score freely while he himself steadily went about accumulating runs at a reasonable rate. The run rate was always above the required rate and meant that the pressure was off the batsmen and South Africa were always in control. This control, scoring freely off bowlers like Malinga and Maharoof, meant that a small target of 210 could be met without having to take any risks against Murli or Vaas.Smith went for a well played 59 and Kallis went on to pass his 75 half century in ODI's. The solid work done by Smith, kallis and Gibbs was tested by the quick losses of Gibbs, Boucher and Kemp, that meant that a straight forward comfortable victory had its nerves and composure tested. And it could not have been tested in a more dramatic and nerve wrecking manner. With South African on 206/5, needing only 4 runs to win with overs to spare, they proceeded to almost throw away their well deserved victory. Malinga, back for his last spell and getting the ball to swing, and reverse, at pace, made cricketing history by taking 4 wickets in 4 balls. Suddenly, from being comfortably placed, South Africa were hang on and battling for the last 4 runs. with their last pair at the crease. Langeveld managed to survive Malinga and Vaas, and Peterson got a think edge to the third man boundary for the winning runs. All that would have mattered in the end for the South Africans was the points for a win, but they would not have counted on it coming so dramatically. While Sri Lanka will be able to draw on the performance of Malinga at the end, the South Africans should put the closeness of the victory behind them and focus on the positive points they can take from this match. The bowling, especially after Pollock was once again targeted, was superb. The bowling at the death was quite impressive. They managed to bowl a side out, which is something that they have struggled to do in recent years. The batting, until victory was only an inch away, was well measured and controlled. Smith is leading from the front and is getting support from someone else in the top order in each match. They managed to beat a very strong side, a form side, in conditions that would have favoured the opposition. Most importantly, they won the game. After the heartbreak that they have suffered in previous world cups, this was a game they could have lost. But they managed to get over the line in the end and have the 2 points they set out for at the start of the day. In the end that's all that mattered.

Stats at CWC

Top Batsmen

Batsmen Runs Avg Best

Matthew Hayden (Aus) 395 98,7 158
Graeme Smith (SA) 291 72,7 91
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri) 278 55,6 115
Rickt Ponting (Aus) 262 65,6 113
Jaques Kallis (SA) 262 131 128*
Scott Styris (NZ) 258 129 87*
Michael Clarke (Aus) 241 80,3 93*
Mahela Jaywardene (Sri) 232 46,4 85
Adam Gilchrist (Aus) 211 52,7 59*
Paul Collingwood (Eng) 201 100 90

Top Bowlers

Bowler Wkt Avg Best

Lasith Malinga (Sri) 12 12,5 4/54
Glenn McGrath (Aus) 12 13 3/14
Bradd Hogg (Aus) 11 16,3 4/27
Daren Powell (WI) 11 19,1 2/24
Muralitharan (Sri) 9 13,1 3/34
Charl Langeveld (SA) 9 21,2 5/39
Daniel Vattori (NZ) 8 24,2 3/39
Shaun Tait (Aus) 8 25,7 2/43
Dwayne Bravo (WI) 8 27,1 3/42
Chaminda Vaas (Sri) 7 16,8 2/19

Results

CWC - Super 8's

Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 113 runs
Sri Lanka 303/5 West Indies 190

Australia beat Bangladesh by 10 wkts on D/L method
Bangladesh 104/6 Australia 106/0

England beat Ireland by 48 runs
England 266/7 Ireland 218

New Zealand beat West Indies by 7 wkts
West Indies 177 New Zealand 179/3

South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 1 wkt
Sri Lanka 209 South Africa 212/9

Australia beat West Indies by 103 runs
Australia 323/6 West Indies 219

Group Stage

Bangladesh beat Bermuda by 7 wkts on D/L method
Bermuda 84/9 Bangladesh 96/3

Eng Premier League

Tottenham 1-0 Reading
Watford 0-1 Chelsea
West Ham 2-0 Middlesbrough
Newcastle 0-1 Man City
Man Utd 4-1 Blackburn
Fulham 1-1 Portsmouth
Charlton 1-0 Wigan
Bolton 1-0 Sheff Utd
Liverpool 4-1 Arsenal

Aussies Power On

Australia beat South Africa by 84 runs in the first really big clash of the World Cup. Does this mean that Australia are on their way to a 3rd successive title and the rest have no real chance? Are they just making up the numbers in a tournament that will end up being a procession as the Australian Juggernaut marches relentlessly on to another major title? This is what the feint hearted would have taken from last nights match. The brave should read on. Throughout the week South Africa have been playing down the importance of this match, saying that although the winner would take something out of it, it by no means defines the destination of the trophy. Indeed South Africa would be hoping that this defeat kick starts their world cup and that this loss is learned from - and there was a lot that could be learned from in terms of South Africa moving forward and also how to beat Australia. Firstly to South Africa. When bowling they allowed Hayden and Gilchrist to bully them and then allowed Ponting and Clarke to build and then launch the attack that made the huge score of 377/6. South Africa's bowling attack has been built around the economy of Pollock and the striking of Ntini. When this failed they had no plan B. Their front line bowlers were allowed to carry on for 5 overs each even though they were being torn appart. It was perhaps thought that Pollock would tidy things up eventually and so was allowed to bowl on, and that Ntini would get one of them out sooner than later. This did not happen. In the end Pollock ended up with his worst bowling figures ever, going for 83 in his 10 and remaining wicketless. The only bowler to do relatively well was Hall who picked up 2/60 and bowled an immaculate last over. Between the 20th and 30th overs, the overs preceding the power plays, South Africa had their best bowling spell, only going for 55 runs, but only picking up a single wicket. The strength of South Africa's bowling is there seam attack, but the lack of a spinner could be their undoing on days like this. Australia were able to face the same type of bowler over after over and until Hall began to reverse swing it at the end they had no trouble. By then it was to late for South Africa. Smith appears to have little confidence in a spinner on grounds with such short boundries. His fear is that the spinner would just be hit out of the ground. But as Brad Hogg showed during the South African innings, a spinner doesn't have to be Warne or Murli to do well, but just has to offer variation, a difference to the attack. South Africa will have 6 more games during the Super 8's to try and get their combinations right. Either Smith has to bowl himself a little more, or perhaps ask AB de Villiers to turn his arm for a few overs, or he has to pick a spinner. Peterson would come in perhaps at the expense of Langefeld, with Kemp bowling a few overs in the middle and Kallis doing duty with Hall at the end. The point is that the attack is to similar. In conditions where seam is overwhelmingly favoured they could go in with an all pace attack. Otherwise variation is the key. And confidence. But over confidence is not. South Africa felt that whatever score was posted they would be able to chase it down, relying on the good form of their batsmen, their long batting line up, and the small boundries and flat pitch. This perhaps is why Australia were able to bully the South African bowlers for so long, with the thinking being that the score was going to be big anyway, but we'll get there. This meant that a score of 350 became 377. When South Africa came out to bat they did everything right up front. Smith and de Villiers took the attack to Australia and didn't give them a chance. When McGrath came on to bowl de Villiers hit his first three balls for four. They got on top of the bowling and didnt let up. And then Ponting did something different. He delayed the final power play and brought in Hogg and Symonds. Symonds was targeted by de Villiers and only lasted 2 overs. Hogg though was effective. He offered something different and slowed the run rate down slightly. After 20 overs South Africa were well in control. Then a silly second run by de Villiers and a superb throw by Watson on the boundry brought to an end a super little innings from de Villiers of 92 off 70 balls. At this stage South Africa were still favourites. Then it all went wrong. Smith left the field with cramps, Gibbs left his crease and was stumped off Hogg, Prince fell for a trap off McGrath and South Africa continued to lose wickets. All the time Kallis was watching at the other end batting to slowly under the circumstances. With the rate climbing there was never any attempt by Kallis to bring it down, perhaps hoping that Boucher, Kemp and Pollock would take care of that while he batted around them. The situation called for attack from both sides and the pressure of coming in with 11, 12 and then 15 runs an over needed was to much for the strong, big hitting middle order. Smith and de Villiers assessed the situation right. The rest did not. And this is what the other teams can learn from this South African defeat. The Australians can be get at, they can be rustled, but once you have them in that position don't let go. That's what South Africa did in the 438 match, this time however once the top two went they let go of their hold. Hopefully this prove to be a lesson well learned by the rest of the teams and South Africa will come out stronger and better prepared, and Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies will have identified the weaknesses in Australia. The World Cup is still wide open. Australia don't have it won yet.