Captain Ponting’s form a concern

Not many batsmen in world cricket would have dared to take on the fiery pace duo of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait in their initial overs. But the 19-year old Hiral Patel showed he had no such fears and treated the fearsome pacers with disdain and helped his team Canada reach a dream score of 62 -1 by the end of six overs.

Published: Thu 17 Mar 2011, 10:23 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 7:27 AM

Well, that was a brief period that Canada would have believed in their abilities to compete against the defending champions. When Patel was going great guns, it seemed Canada would go somewhere near 270 on Wednesday. But that was not to be as Australia struck back in style through Lee and Tait to end the Canadian challenge in 45.4 overs. The Australians once again showed their ability to bounce back when the odds were against them and Ricky Ponting’s team could be doubly dangerous in the knockout stages.

Though both their openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin missed out their opportunity to score centuries, they seem to be in good nick and had good batting practice before the crucial games ahead.

However, captain Ponting’s failure to make a good contribution with the bat even against minnows would be a bit of concern for the think-tank. The Australian skipper has scored only 83 runs in four innings for an average of 20.75. Australia runs into Pakistan next in their last group match and this clash could well decide who will top the Group A. The Aussies, currently leading the group with nine points from five matches, would be keen to keep their unbeaten record in the tournament, while Pakistan would look to gain some momentum before their quarter-final match.

Crucial clash

With only seven matches to go in the group stage, England take on West Indies in a must-win game in Chennai today. England, with five points and playing their last group match, will have to win today to stay in contention for a place in the quarter-final.

A West Indies win would ensure a smooth passage for them to the last eight along with South Africa, India and Bangladesh. But a victory for Andrew Strauss’ men will make the rest of the Group B matches interesting.

Bangladesh, with six points, will then have to pull off an upset against South Africa in Dhaka on Saturday to enter the last eight. West Indies, with six points, will have to defeat India, having seven points, to claim a place in the knockout stage.

England, though in a must-win situation today, would enjoy a slight edge, considering they clinched a thriller against South Africa in Chennai a week ago.

pradeep@khaleejtimes.com