Trying to get a clear view 04/13/07

Sorry guys I have not put new post about WC cricket last 3 days . Got such a bad cold and fever, that put me much behind in new update.Anyway let see how much I can cover it up.

What happened: Three games that didn't achieve especially great heights. Bangladesh's batsmen were brought down to earth on a fast pitch by England bowlers, but the English batsmen made heavy weather of a small target, and Bangladesh even had a whiff of victory until Collingwood and Nixon saw England home by 4 wickets. Yesterday, in what was meant to be a tight game, New Zealand never took off against Sri Lanka and lost by six wickets. And today, Australia were in a massive hurry against Ireland, finishing them off before lunch.Australia won by 9 wickets.
Australia 92/1 in 12.2 overs( RR : 7.46 )
Ireland 91 All out , 30.0 overs,(R.R 3.03)

With each side having played four Super 8 games, plus the game carried through from the Group stages, the log now reflects each side having played 5 out of 7 games. Following is a quick look at each side's prospects at the moment:
Australia (10 pts, Net run rate +2.298): Have qualified for the semi-finals. World cup run is now 25 undefeated and 19 wins in a row. Someone please stop them!
Sri Lanka (8 pts, Net run rate +1.350): Need one more win to qualify for semi-finals and would expect to get that against Ireland next Wednesday. Even if the worst happens and they don't win either remaining match (other is Australia), their net run rate should see them through unless someone really thumps them.
New Zealand (8 pts, Net run rate +1.267): Also need one more win to qualify, but with remaining games against Australia and South Africa, they know that isn't a given. With a strong net run rate, Fleming will know that if worst comes to worse, avoiding a thumping defeat should do the trick regarding qualifying.
South Africa (6 pts, Net run rate -0.199): If they beat England, they will qualify, as England are the only side below them in the log who can still get to 8 points. South Africa's problem is if they are in a tie for fourth place, as their net run rate is the ugliest of the serious semi-final contenders. A win against New Zealand tomorrow won't guarantee a semi-final place, as a loss to England will still get England up to 8 points to tie with SA and probably qualify on net run rate. However, a thumping win against New Zealand will do South Africa's cause a lot of good.
England (4 pts, Net run rate +0.079): Probably need to win both their last matches against SA and Windies to qualify, although there may be possibilities in a tie on 6 points. Also have the advantage of playing the last Super 8 match so will know what they need to do if they still have a chance then. Don't count them out.
West Indies (2 pts, Net run rate -1.212): Only hope is to win their last two matches, have SA lose their last two, and improve net run rate drastically. Basically need a miracle.
Bangladesh (2 pts, Net run rate -1.431): Need an even bigger miracle, same story as West Indies but also need West Indies to beat England and have even bigger net run rate problems.
Ireland (0pts, Net run rate -1.968): Can't qualify. Still have their pride.

What's on the menu tomorrow?: South Africa don't have to beat New Zealand tomorrow to qualify. However, they really need to - World Cup champions usually put on a winning streak, even if it starts late in the tournament, and South Africa need to build momentum from the Windies win. It will also put less pressure on the England game, especially if South Africa can win convincingly. The game itself is hard to call- both sides won convincingly at home in recent series, and as usual, the game will pit Smith's passion against Fleming's brain. What is a bit worrying is Smith's rather casual attitude to the mathematics of the Super 8 log - you can check out yourself here. It feels a bit like a prelude to another narrow exit- I know cricket is played with bat and ball, rather than pencil and paper, but I would have thought someone in the South African set-up would be taking a bit of responsibility for the more technical aspects- it's not as if the inability to read the fine print and remember the odd run here and there hasn't cost us a World Cup before......