Cricket World Cup: England progress against Windies as Aussie run ends

ENGLAND made it six thrilling games out of six to qualify for the Quarter Finals of the World Cup after a tense 16-run win over West Indies in Chennai.

Spin pair James Tredwell (4-48) and Graeme Swann (3-36) were the heroes as the Windies fell just short of their target of 243.

Earlier, Andrew Strauss had won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch which was clearly playing much better than in the previous low-scoring victory over South Africa.

All of the top four batsmen got themselves in - Strauss scored 31, Matt Prior 21, Jonathan Trott 47 and Ian Bell 27 - before giving their wicket away.

Then, just one over after Bell had been dismissed, bowled by Kemar Roach, Eoin Morgan was caught behind attempting a reverse sweep off debutant bowler Devendra Bishoo.

And when Andre Russell bowled Ravi Bopara for just four, England looked to be in tatters on 151-6.

But Luke Wright's 44 edged England nearer a competitive total although, once again, they fell short of batting for 50 overs.

That fact looked like it might cost England dear as the Windies closed in on a victory which would have sent them through with India and Bangladesh.

Remarkably, the Windies had found themselves in a very similar position to England at 150-6 after big-hitter Keiron Pollard was trapped lbw by Swann for 24.

However, a stand of 72 between Ramnaresh Sarwan (31) and Russell (49) seemed as if it would be sufficient.

At 222-6, Windies required just 19 more runs from nine overs (54 balls) - England desperately needed four wickets.

Somehow, over the course of the following four overs, England got them - and for the addition of just three runs.

First, Russell's innings was brought to an end one short of a half-century after he was trapped lbw by Tredwell.

Then, Swann had Sarwan caught a short leg by Bell and Roach caught in the deep by Tremlett in the same over.

Finally, the climax to another great game arrived in the 45th over when the Windies made a foolish attempt at a second run and Sulieman Benn failed to make his ground.

England's players unsurprisingly celebrated wildly at the fact that they were not coming home early after a Group B campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Tight wins over West Indies and eventual group winners South Africa, a fine tie against India and an unconvincing victory over Netherlands have proven to be enough to set up a Quarter Final against Sri Lanka next Saturday.

The less said about the matches against Ireland and Bangladesh, the better.

But, if nothing else, England have done wonders for a tournament which was panned in its build-up for lacking in intensity and featuring too many one-sided matches.

Group Stage Reflections
In fairness, there were still too many thumpings with Kenya setting the tone on the second day of the tournament by being bowled out for just 69 against New Zealand.

Bangladesh, though, were the biggest disappointment. Their victory over England had given them a great chance to progress and put to bed the criticism which they have faced since joining the Test arena to no great effect in 2000.

But, despite having all their matches on home soil, the Tigers were bowled out for just 58 by West Indies and 78 by South Africa, and so featured in two of the most one-sided games.

South Africa had even afforded Bangladesh the privilege of facing a second-string seam attack with Dale Steyn and Mornel Morkel rested.

However, in Imran Tahir, the Proteas have discovered a top-class spinner, previously a void in their team and they should have won all six group games.

Indeed, Graeme Smith's men would have done if they had held their nerve in chasing a small target against England.

But they improved their chances of shedding their chokers tag in their next match against India by scrambling to victory by three wickets with two balls to spare.

Pre-tournament favourites India have provided some fine individual displays with the bat but they have still been under-par overall.

Virender Sehwag opened the tournament in style by scoring 175 in a big win against Bangladesh.

However, India failed to win on the two occasions that Sachin Tendulkar scored a ton, tying against England and losing to South Africa.

There were also unconvicing five-wicket victories over Associate pair Ireland and Netherlands with Yuvraj Singh scoring half-centuries on both occasions.

But, then after the disappointment of the South Africa game, Yuvraj ensured India would finish the group stages on a high note, scoring a century in an 87-run win over West Indies.

MS Dhoni's men now host Australia in the most mouth-watering of the Quarter Finals after the Aussies qualified from Group A alongside Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Indeed, Group A was easier to call than Group B with a greater gulf between the heavyweights and the minnows in the section.

Even here, though, there were still some surprises and notable individual performances which have helped this World Cup to rise above expectations.

With captain Shahid Afridi to the fore and seamer Umar Gul in great form, Pakistan topped the pool to the surprise of many.

On the way, they beat Sri Lanka and ended Australia's long unbeaten World Cup run of 34 matches.

The Aussies had last tasted World Cup defeat in 1999 at Headingley - to Pakistan - before going on to win that tournament and subsequent events in 2003 and 2007.

And a washout in the match against Sri Lanka means antipodean rivals New Zealand are the only major which team who Ricky Ponting's men have beaten so far in this World Cup.

That victory over the Black Caps came just a day after the Christchurch earthquake disaster in which 182 people died, and prompted a pre-match huddle between both sets of players.

But the Kiwis bounced back with a brilliant display against Pakistan as Ross Taylor had a 27th birthday to remember.

Remarkably, Taylor's unbeaten 131 helped New Zealand score 113 runs from their final six overs in a merciless display of huge hits for six against some poor death bowling.

Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga turned in another virtuoso display to become the first man to take two World Cup hat-tricks, adding to the one he got in 2007 against South Africa.

Some correspondents argued that Malinga's efforts this time were somewhat wasted on a hapless Kenya team who were easily the worst at the tournament.

But, in fairness to the Kenyans on this occasion, Malinga's yorkers would have dismissed more talented batsmen than they could field.

Incredibly, Sri Lanka almost celebrated another hat-trick courtesy of Tillakaratne Dilshan in their penultimate match against the slowly-improving Zimbabwe.

The indefatigable Dilshan, who had scored 144 in the match with the bat, was only denied the feat after Mahela Jayawardene not dropped a sitter in the slips.

Admittedly, though, Jayawardene had just taken a fine catch there moments earlier.

However, there was a second hat-trick in the World Cup, making it seven overall in the tournament history, and it came as Windies bowler Roach cleaned up the Dutch tail in Group B.

The 22-year-old from Barbados finished that game with superb figures of 6-27 though, by then, the Dutch had already had their brightest moment of the World Cup.

That came in the form of Ryan ten Doeschate's magnificent century in a losing cause as England just sneaked home against the Dutch with eight balls to spare.

Essex batsmen ten Doeschate was unsurprisingly the main Dutch hope and he also scored another fruitless century in a defeat to Ireland.

But, if we're talking about big hitting against England, there is really only one person to mention and it is only fair that this column finishes on my World Cup highlight so far.

Kevin O'Brien's majestic 113 off 63 balls included the fastest World Cup century from just 50 balls as the Irish shocked England in Bangalore.

Thankfully, O'Brien's efforts did not end up denying England a place in the last-eight and, more importantly, they furthered Ireland's push for full-member status in the ICC.

For this particular tournament, though, Ireland's dream is over, albeit with a second chapter of memories to add to their success in the 2007 tournament.

Meanwhile, for England, there can be no more bad days at the office from now on.

WORLD CUP RESULTS/TABLES

GROUP A FIXTURES
AUSTRALIA + CANADA + KENYA + NEW ZEALAND + PAKISTAN + SRI LANKA + ZIMBABWE
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand

Date	Venue	Result
20 Feb	Chennai	NEW ZEALAND 72-0 beat KENYA 69 by 10 wickets
20 Feb	Hambantota	SRI LANKA 332-7 beat CANADA 122 by 210 runs
21 Feb	Ahmedabad	AUSTRALIA 262-6 beat ZIMBABWE 171 by 91 runs
23 Feb	Hambantota	PAKISTAN 317-7 beat KENYA 112 by 205 runs
25 Feb	Nagpur	AUSTRALIA 207-3 bt NEW ZEALAND 206 by seven wkts
26 Feb	Colombo	PAKISTAN 277-7 beat SRI LANKA 266-9 by 11 runs
28 Feb	Nagpur	ZIMBABWE 298-9 beat CANADA 123 by 175 runs
1 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-1 beat KENYA 142 by nine wickets
3 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 184 beat CANADA 138 by 46 runs
4 Mar	Ahmedabad	NEW ZEALAND 166-0 bt ZIMBABWE 162 by 10 wkts
5 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-3 v AUSTRALIA (No result - rain)
7 Mar	New Delhi	CANADA 199-5 beat KENYA 198 by five wickets
8 Mar	Kandy	NEW ZEALAND 302-7 bt PAKISTAN 192 by 110 runs
10 Mar	Kandy	SRI LANKA 327-6 beat ZIMBABWE 188 by 139 runs
13 Mar	Mumbai	NEW ZEALAND 358-6 beat CANADA 261-9 by 97 runs
13 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 324-6 beat KENYA 264-6 by 60 runs
14 Mar	Kandy	PAKISTAN 164-3 bt ZIMBABWE 151-7 by seven wkts (DL)
16 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 212-3 beat CANADA 211 by seven wickets
18 Mar	Mumbai	SRI LANKA 265-9 bt NEW ZEALAND 153 by 112 runs
19 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 178-6 beat AUSTRALIA 176 by four wickets
20 Mar	Kolkata	ZIMBABWE 308-6 beat KENYA 147 by 161 runs

	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
PAKISTAN	5	1	0	0.76	10
SRI LANKA	4	1	1	2.58	9
AUSTRALIA	4	1	1	1.12	9
NEW ZEALAND	4	2	0	1.13	8
Zimbabwe	2	4	0	0.03	4
Canada	1	5	0	-1.99	2
Kenya	0	6	0	-3.04	0

GROUP B FIXTURES
BANGLADESH + ENGLAND + INDIA + IRELAND + NETHERLANDS + SOUTH AFRICA + WEST INDIES
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: South Africa, India, England, West Indies

Date	Venue	Result
19 Feb	Dhaka	INDIA 370-4 beat BANGLADESH 283-9 by 87 runs
22 Feb	Nagpur	ENGLAND 296-4 bt NETHERLANDS 292-6 by six wkts
24 Feb	New Delhi	S AFRICA 223-3 bt WEST INDIES 222 by seven wkts
25 Feb	Dhaka	BANGLADESH 205 beat IRELAND 178 by 27 runs
27 Feb	Bangalore	INDIA 338 tied with ENGLAND 338-8
28 Feb	New Delhi	WEST INDIES 330-8 bt NETHERLANDS 115 by 215 runs
2 Mar	Bangalore	IRELAND 329-7 beat ENGLAND 327-8 by three wickets
3 Mar	Mohali	S AFRICA 351-5 bt NETHERLANDS 120 by 231 runs
4 Mar	Dhaka	WEST INDIES 59-1 beat BANGLADESH 58 by nine wkts
6 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 171 beat SOUTH AFRICA 165 by six runs
6 Mar	Bangalore	INDIA 210-5 beat IRELAND 207 by five wickets
9 Mar	New Delhi	INDIA 191-5 beat NETHERLANDS 189 by five wickets
11 Mar	Mohali	WEST INDIES 275 beat IRELAND 231 by 44 runs
11 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 227-8 beat ENGLAND 225 by two wickets
12 Mar	Nagpur	SOUTH AFRICA 300-7 beat INDIA 296 by three wickets
14 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 166-4 bt NETHERLANDS 160 by six wkts
15 Mar	Kolkata	SOUTH AFRICA 272-7 beat IRELAND 141 by 131 runs
17 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 243 beat WEST INDIES 225 by 18 runs
18 Mar	Kolkata	IRELAND 307-4 beat NETHERLANDS 306 by six wkts
19 Mar	Dhaka	SOUTH AFRICA 284-8 bt BANGLADESH 78 by 206 runs
20 Mar	Chennai	INDIA 268 beat WEST INDIES 188 by 80 runs

	W	L	T	RR	Pts
SOUTH AFRICA	5	1	0	2.03	10
INDIA	4	1	1	0.77	9
ENGLAND	3	2	1	0.07	7
WEST INDIES	3	3	0	1.65	6
Bangladesh	3	3	0	-1.36	6
Ireland	2	4	0	-0.70	4
Netherlands	0	6	0	-2.05	0

KNOCKOUT PHASE
QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue	Result
23 Mar	Dhaka	PAKISTAN 113-0 beat WEST INDIES 112 by 10 wickets
24 Mar	Ahmedabad	INDIA 261-5 beat AUSTRALIA 260 by five wickets
25 Mar	Dhaka	NEW ZEALAND 221-8 beat SOUTH AFRICA 172 by 49 runs
26 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 231-0 beat ENGLAND 229-6 by 10 wickets

SEMI FINALS

Date/time	Venue	Result
29 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 220-5 beat NEW ZEALAND 217 by five wickets
30 Mar (10am)	Mohali	INDIA v PAKISTAN

Cricket World Cup: Bangladesh defeat leaves England hopes on a knife edge

ENGLAND'S World Cup rollercoaster continued after they lost to Bangladesh by two wickets to make it five thrilling Group games out of five.

Andrew Strauss' men appeared to have turned the corner on Sunday in Chennai when they beat South Africa by just six runs.

But it all went wrong again in Chittagong today as the Tigers successfully chased 225 for only their second-ever win over England.

The defeat to Bangladesh is England's second embarrassment of the tournament after their dreadful loss to Ireland.

And it leaves England on five points and on the brink of a humiliating early exit.

Basically, if the other pool results go as expected, England will need to beat the West Indies and hope that the Windies do not get a result against India.

However, even if they somehow scramble through, the chances of England regaining enough form to win the World Cup would now seem to be minimal.

Having said that, England have performed much better in the so-called 'bigger' matches of this tournament, only to then totally misfire against the minnows.

After the defeat to Ireland, reported here, England came into the match against South Africa under severe pressure to perform.

That pressure seemed to tell as the wickets of Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell all fell early leaving England on 15-3.

From there, Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara shared a fourth wicket partnership of 99, but once they were dismissed, England provided little more resistance and failed to bat out their overs.

Despite a slow pitch, their score of 171 looked at least 30 runs short and South Africa made light work of the chase early on.

Opening pair Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith put on 63 for the first wicket before a combination of Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann removed them and Jaques Kallis.

It appeared only to be a slight interruption to the Proteas' progress as the wonderfully-named pair AB de Villiers and Francois du Plessis set about restoring the innings.

However, when their wickets tumbled in quick succession, it began a collapse which would prove terminal.

South Africa lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs as Broad picked up figures of 4-15 off 6.4 overs.

The notorious chokers, South Africa, had choked again as England took relief from coming out the right side of a tight result.

But the mood in the England camp was soon dampened by news that Pietersen would have to fly home for a hernia operation.

And it got even worse later in the week when match-winner Broad was forced home with side strain. Eoin Morgan and Chris Tremlett were drafted in as the two replacements.

Morgan played well this afternoon, scoring 63 off 72 balls as England were once again forced to recover from a poor start.

Bangladesh won the toss and reduced the English to 53-3 before Trott, again, and Morgan shared a significant stand of 109 for the fourth wicket.

However, back came the co-hosts and England lost their last seven wickets for 63 and fell short by two balls of batting 50 overs again.

Roared on by the noisy crowd, the Tigers began their reply in superb fashion with dangerous opener Tamim Iqbal hitting 38 off just 26 balls.

England got a foothold in the game and took three quick wickets to reduce Bangladesh to 73-3 before Iqbal's opening partner Imrul Kayes then played himself in.

Kayes ended up winning the man of the match award for his knock of 60 but it looked as if he may have dealt a decisive blow against his team during the game.

When his wicket fell to a run out on a second run that was never there, it prompted a collapse of five wickets for 14 runs.

Ajmal Shahzad (3-43) and Swann (2-42) shared those five wickets as Bangladesh collapsed to 169-8 and disappointed supporters made their way to the exits.

The Tigers had already endured a humiliating afternoon a week ago when bowled out by the West Indies for just 58, the lowest score in World Cups by a Test-playing nation.

But, in keeping with the rest of this England campaign, there was to be a final twist in the tale as Bangladesh snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

An unbeaten partnership of 58 by Mohammad Mahmudullah and Shafiul Islam got the home side over the line, taking advantage of some inaccurate, exhausted death-bowling from James Anderson and Tim Bresnan.

Predictably, the ECB's decision to extend England's tour to Australia into February has not worked out.

Pietersen and Broad are back in UK with injuries while the players who remain on the subcontinent look physically and mentally shot.

However, those factors should not take away anything from the Bangladeshi performance which was much improved on their last outing against the West Indies.

The victory relieves the pressure on the Bangladesh team and the skipper Shakib Al Hasan who faced sharp criticism in the wake of last week's humiliation.

Now, with matches still to come against the Netherlands and South Africa, the Tigers look in good shape to progress.

Sadly, the same could not be said of England - or, indeed, of Ireland's chances.

Since their fine win over England, the Irish have faded in Group B after successive losses to India and the West Indies.

But those defeats are no great disgrace for an Associate nation and the records will show Ireland competed relatively well in both contests.

Against India in Bangalore, the scene of their triumph over England, captain William Porterfield scored 75 but found support only from Niall O'Brien who made 46.

Niall's brother, Kevin - who was the hero against England with the World Cup's quickest ever century - was quiet on this occasion, caught and bowled by Yuvraj Singh for nine.

Ireland's total of 207 never looked likely to trouble India's strong batting order but the Irish attack never gave up.

George Dockrell, an 18-year-old spinner from Dublin, took the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and India captain MS Dhoni while Australia-born Trent Johnston removed Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Add in a run out by Kevin O'Brien on Virat Kohli and it was clear that Ireland had made India toil towards a five-wicket victory which put them top of the group.

Ireland continued their respectable form today against the West Indies, only to fall 44 runs short in the run chase.

Devon Smith struck a career-best 107 and Kieron Pollard hit 94 off 55 balls as the Windies made an imposing total of 275.

But, again, the Irish refused to accept they were beaten and, after the early failures of Porterfield and Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce knocked them into contention.

Joyce scored 84 and Gary Wilson hit 61 off 62 balls before the latter was controversially given out lbw even though replays showed the ball pitched outside the line and he was playing a shot.

Despite referring the on-field decision, Wilson was adjudged not to be attempting a shot and, at 199-6, Ireland's last hope of pulling off a second shock was gone.

Dockrell scored 19 but none of the rest of the lower order could get out of single figures as Sulieman Benn took 4-53 and Windies captain Darren Sammy finished with 3-31.

The result leaves Ireland needing to beat Netherlands (probable) and South Africa (unlikely) to have any chance of making it through to the last eight.

But, as long as Porterfield's men beat the Dutch and maintain their level against the Proteas, they can look back on this World Cup with a clear conscience of having tried their best.

That does not look like being the case in the England camp.

For, while Ireland were no doubt expecting to have to rely on other results, it is a frankly inexcusable situation for even an exhausted England side.

WORLD CUP RESULTS SO FAR

GROUP A FIXTURES
AUSTRALIA + CANADA + KENYA + NEW ZEALAND + PAKISTAN + SRI LANKA + ZIMBABWE
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan

Date	Venue	Result
20 Feb	Chennai	NEW ZEALAND 72-0 beat KENYA 69 by 10 wickets
20 Feb	Hambantota	SRI LANKA 332-7 beat CANADA 122 by 210 runs
21 Feb	Ahmedabad	AUSTRALIA 262-6 beat ZIMBABWE 171 by 91 runs
23 Feb	Hambantota	PAKISTAN 317-7 beat KENYA 112 by 205 runs
25 Feb	Nagpur	AUSTRALIA 207-3 bt NEW ZEALAND 206 by seven wkts
26 Feb	Colombo	PAKISTAN 277-7 beat SRI LANKA 266-9 by 11 runs
28 Feb	Nagpur	ZIMBABWE 298-9 beat CANADA 123 by 175 runs
1 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-1 beat KENYA 142 by nine wickets
3 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 184 beat CANADA 138 by 46 runs
4 Mar	Ahmedabad	NEW ZEALAND 166-0 bt ZIMBABWE 162 by 10 wkts
5 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-3 v AUSTRALIA (No result - rain)
7 Mar	New Delhi	CANADA 199-5 beat KENYA 198 by five wickets
8 Mar	Kandy	NEW ZEALAND 302-7 bt PAKISTAN 192 by 110 runs
10 Mar	Kandy	SRI LANKA 327-6 beat ZIMBABWE 188 by 139 runs
13 Mar	Mumbai	NEW ZEALAND 358-6 beat CANADA 261-9 by 97 runs
13 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 324-6 beat KENYA 264-6 by 60 runs
14 Mar	Kandy	PAKISTAN 164-3 bt ZIMBABWE 151-7 by seven wkts (DL)
16 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 212-3 beat CANADA 211 by seven wickets
18 Mar	Mumbai	SRI LANKA 265-9 bt NEW ZEALAND 153 by 112 runs
19 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 178-6 beat AUSTRALIA 176 by four wkts
20 Mar	Kolkata	ZIMBABWE 308-6 beat KENYA 147 by 161 runs

GROUP B FIXTURES
BANGLADESH + ENGLAND + INDIA + IRELAND + NETHERLANDS + SOUTH AFRICA + WEST INDIES
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: South Africa, India, England, West Indies

Date	Venue	Result
19 Feb	Dhaka	INDIA 370-4 beat BANGLADESH 283-9 by 87 runs
22 Feb	Nagpur	ENGLAND 296-4 bt NETHERLANDS 292-6 by six wkts
24 Feb	New Delhi	S AFRICA 223-3 bt WEST INDIES 222 by seven wkts
25 Feb	Dhaka	BANGLADESH 205 beat IRELAND 178 by 27 runs
27 Feb	Bangalore	INDIA 338 tied with ENGLAND 338-8
28 Feb	New Delhi	WEST INDIES 330-8 bt NETHERLANDS 115 by 215 runs
2 Mar	Bangalore	IRELAND 329-7 beat ENGLAND 327-8 by three wickets
3 Mar	Mohali	S AFRICA 351-5 bt NETHERLANDS 120 by 231 runs
4 Mar	Dhaka	WEST INDIES 59-1 beat BANGLADESH 58 by nine wkts
6 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 171 beat SOUTH AFRICA 165 by six runs
6 Mar	Bangalore	INDIA 210-5 beat IRELAND 207 by five wickets
9 Mar	New Delhi	INDIA 191-5 beat NETHERLANDS 189 by five wickets
11 Mar	Mohali	WEST INDIES 275 beat IRELAND 231 by 44 runs
11 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 227-8 beat ENGLAND 225 by two wickets
12 Mar	Nagpur	SOUTH AFRICA 300-7 beat INDIA 296 by three wickets
14 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 166-4 beat NETHERLANDS 160 by six wkts
15 Mar	Kolkata	SOUTH AFRICA 272-7 beat IRELAND 141 by 131 runs
17 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 243 beat WEST INDIES 225 by 18 runs
18 Mar	Kolkata	IRELAND 307-4 beat NETHERLANDS 306 by six wkts
19 Mar	Dhaka	SOUTH AFRICA 284-8 bt BANGLADESH 78 by 206 runs
20 Mar	Chennai	INDIA 268 beat WEST INDIES 188 by 80 runs

Cricket World Cup: Record-breaker O'Brien helps incredible Ireland beat bungling England

IRELAND caused yet another World Cup shock after Kevin O'Brien hit the fastest century in the tournament's history to humiliate England in Bangalore.

O'Brien's astonishing ton took just 50 balls as the Irish recovered from 111-5 to beat Andrew Strauss' men and add to their wins in the 2007 World Cup over Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The result leaves England with a win, a loss and a tie from three dramatic games while Ireland's record World Cup run-chase means they have one win and one loss from their two matches so far.

England began their campaign eight days ago against the Netherlands in inauspicious fashion, securing a six-wicket win with just eight balls remaining.

A shambolic performance in the field featured overthrows, no balls for having too few fielders in the circle, and four dropped catches including sitters from Graeme Swann and James Anderson.

It all aided the Dutch on their way to making 292-6 with Essex batsmen Ryan ten Doeschate scoring 119 off 100 balls.

An opening century stand from Strauss and Kevin Pietersen in reply had seemed to ease nerves but, once the top order departed, the game was back in the balance until some lusty blows from Ravi Bopara.

Having struggled against the Netherlands, England fans feared the worst in the next game against the mighty Indian batting line-up.

It looked as if the pessimists might be correct as home favourite Sachin Tendulkar scored 120 off 115 balls to set India up for a big score.

But, from a position of 292-3 off 45 overs, India lost their last seven wickets for 33 runs to finish on 338 all out, thanks to the efforts of Tim Bresnan who took 5-48.

Bresnan's bowling ended up being vital as England, stirred by a magnificent 158 from skipper Strauss, put themselves in a position to make a record run-chase win the game.

At one stage, England required 61 runs for victory from nine overs but they then lost five wickets for the addition of just 26 runs in five overs.

The run rate had crept above more than two runs per ball and the pendulum had swung firmly in the Indians' favour.

India did not reckon on Bresnan contributing with bat as well as he had done with the ball, though, and he and Swann swished the bat to score 15 off the penultimate over.

But Bresnan was then bowled by Piyush Chawla and so the inexperienced Ajmal Shahzad had to face the final over.

Incredibly, Shahzad hit his first ball for a six to leave England needing five runs from three balls for victory which soon reduced to two runs from the last delivery.

Fearing an incredible defeat, India captain MS Dhoni set his field in such a way as to concede a single for a tied match.

England, aware that they also had done well to emerge from this game without defeat, took the run on offer gleefully in front of a stunned full house in the stadium.

The result seemed to leave England in good shape and in good spirits after the close call against the Netherlands.

But, astonishingly, England have proceeded to bowl and field as poorly in the match against Ireland as they had done in their opener against the Dutch - this time, to costly effect.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, England again made a decent score in excess of 300 with contributions from Ian Bell (81), Pietersen (59) and Strauss (34 on his 34th birthday).

The top score in the innings came from Jonathan Trott who hit 92 and, in doing so, became joint quickest man to reach 1000 ODI runs along with Sir Viv Richards and Pietersen.

However, with Trott as the last of the four main contributors departing in the 45th over, England stuttered over the line and their score of 327 should have been bigger.

It still looked more than enough, though, against an Irish team which had been bowled out for 178 by Bangladesh in their previous match.

That defeat in Dhaka had really hurt the Irish who appeared to have done the hard work by restricting the Tigers to 205.

But Ireland's run chase in Bangladesh faltered throughout and, once the O'Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, were dismissed, they never looked like keeping enough men at the crease.

England also seemed to be exposing Ireland's batting line-up after skipper William Porterfield fell to a first-ball duck.

Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien all managed to play themselves in but they made 32, 32 and 29 respectively and the required run-rate began to mount.

Once Gary Wilson was trapped lbw to Swann for just three runs off 14 balls, an England win seemed only a matter of time away.

What's more, the margin of victory would surely be even greater than the 48-run win in the 2007 World Cup.

However, those thoughts were soon evacuated once it was clear that Kevin O'Brien had decided to hit his way out of his side's seemingly desperate situation.

At first, there still seemed little to worry about. Surely, it was only a matter of time before he miscued a shot straight down the throat of a fielder.

But, aided by Alex Cusack, whose fine 47 from 58 balls has been understandably barely mentioned, O'Brien played the innings of his life.

Starting positively with a slog sweep off Swann for six in just his fourth over, O'Brien began as he meant to go on, scoring 13 fours and six sixes in an eventual score of 113.

Undoubtedly, he was also helped by another atrocious fielding performance from England who conceded yet more overthrows and dropped four catches in the innings as a whole.

Matt Prior and Strauss should be particularly embarrassed by notably botched efforts to dismiss Joyce and O'Brien.

And, despite the close shaves, O'Brien and Cusack scored at nearly 10 per over for almost 17 overs to push Ireland within sight of the finishing line.

It meant that, even when both had departed, the Irish - who, at one stage, had been 400-1 outsiders - were on the brink with only 12 runs required from 12 balls remaining.

Some fine hitting by Trent Johnson and O'Brien's other companion at the crease, John Mooney (34 not out off 30 balls), left Ireland needing three off the final over.

Mooney got them off Anderson's first ball to send Ireland back into dreamland in on-field scenes reminiscent of their win over Pakistan in 2007.

Meanwhile, England were left punch drunk by a bewildering evening although the warning signs were already there against the Netherlands.

Strauss and his underperformers will be eternally thankful that the ICC has rather ridiculously organised the tournament in such a way that teams can get away with two, or even three, defeats.

But such a long round-robin structure also opens the possibility of the agony being prolonged. Certainly, the athletic fielding and innings wins in the Ashes seem a lifetime ago, now.

Indeed, you really have to wonder who these bumbling amateurs are, and what on earth have they done with the real England?

WORLD CUP RESULTS/FIXTURES

GROUP A FIXTURES
AUSTRALIA + CANADA + KENYA + NEW ZEALAND + PAKISTAN + SRI LANKA + ZIMBABWE

Date	Venue	Result
20 Feb	Chennai	NEW ZEALAND 72-0 beat KENYA 69 by 10 wickets
20 Feb	Hambantota	SRI LANKA 332-7 beat CANADA 122 by 210 runs
21 Feb	Ahmedabad	AUSTRALIA 262-6 beat ZIMBABWE 171 by 91 runs
23 Feb	Hambantota	PAKISTAN 317-7 beat KENYA 112 by 205 runs
25 Feb	Nagpur	AUSTRALIA 207-3 bt NEW ZEALAND 206 by seven wkts
26 Feb	Colombo	PAKISTAN 277-7 beat SRI LANKA 266-9 by 11 runs
28 Feb	Nagpur	ZIMBABWE 298-9 beat CANADA 123 by 175 runs
1 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-1 beat KENYA 142 by nine wickets
3 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 184 beat CANADA 138 by 46 runs
4 Mar	Ahmedabad	NEW ZEALAND 166-0 bt ZIMBABWE 162 by 10 wkts
5 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-3 v AUSTRALIA (No result - rain)
7 Mar	New Delhi	CANADA 199-5 beat KENYA 198 by five wickets
8 Mar	Kandy	NEW ZEALAND 302-7 bt PAKISTAN 192 by 110 runs
10 Mar	Kandy	SRI LANKA 327-6 beat ZIMBABWE 188 by 139 runs
13 Mar	Mumbai	NEW ZEALAND 358-6 beat CANADA 261-9 by 97 runs
13 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 324-6 beat KENYA 264-6 by 60 runs
14 Mar	Kandy	PAKISTAN 164-3 bt ZIMBABWE 151-7 by seven wkts (DL)
16 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 212-3 beat CANADA 211 by seven wickets
18 Mar	Mumbai	SRI LANKA 265-9 bt NEW ZEALAND 153 by 112 runs
19 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 178-6 beat AUSTRALIA 176 by four wickets
20 Mar	Kolkata	ZIMBABWE 308-6 beat KENYA 147 by 161 runs

GROUP B FIXTURES
BANGLADESH + ENGLAND + INDIA + IRELAND + NETHERLANDS + SOUTH AFRICA + WEST INDIES

Date	Venue	Result
19 Feb	Dhaka	INDIA 370-4 beat BANGLADESH 283-9 by 87 runs
22 Feb	Nagpur	ENGLAND 296-4 bt NETHERLANDS 292-6 by six wkts
24 Feb	New Delhi	S AFRICA 223-3 bt WEST INDIES 222 by seven wkts
25 Feb	Dhaka	BANGLADESH 205 beat IRELAND 178 by 27 runs
27 Feb	Bangalore	INDIA 338 tied with ENGLAND 338-8
28 Feb	New Delhi	WEST INDIES 330-8 bt NETHERLANDS 115 by 215 runs
2 Mar	Bangalore	IRELAND 329-7 beat ENGLAND 327-8 by three wickets
3 Mar	Mohali	S AFRICA 351-5 bt NETHERLANDS 120 by 231 runs
4 Mar	Dhaka	WEST INDIES 59-1 beat BANGLADESH 58 by nine wkts
6 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 171 beat SOUTH AFRICA 165 by six runs
6 Mar	Bangalore	INDIA 210-5 beat IRELAND 207 by five wickets
9 Mar	New Delhi	INDIA 191-5 beat NETHERLANDS 189 by five wickets
11 Mar	Mohali	WEST INDIES 275 beat IRELAND 231 by 44 runs
11 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 227-8 beat ENGLAND 225 by two wickets
12 Mar	Nagpur	SOUTH AFRICA 300-7 beat INDIA 296 by three wickets
14 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 166-4 beat NETHERLANDS 160 by six wkts
15 Mar	Kolkata	SOUTH AFRICA 272-7 beat IRELAND 141 by 131 runs
17 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 243 beat WEST INDIES 225 by 18 runs
18 Mar	Kolkata	IRELAND 307-4 beat NETHERLANDS 306 by six wkts
19 Mar	Dhaka	SOUTH AFRICA 284-8 bt BANGLADESH 78 by 206 runs
20 Mar	Chennai	INDIA 268 beat WEST INDIES 188 by 80 runs

Cricket World Cup full results

GROUP A FIXTURES AUSTRALIA + CANADA + KENYA + NEW ZEALAND + PAKISTAN + SRI LANKA + ZIMBABWE
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand

Date	Venue	Result
20 Feb	Chennai	NEW ZEALAND 72-0 beat KENYA 69 by 10 wickets
20 Feb	Hambantota	SRI LANKA 332-7 beat CANADA 122 by 210 runs
21 Feb	Ahmedabad	AUSTRALIA 262-6 beat ZIMBABWE 171 by 91 runs
23 Feb	Hambantota	PAKISTAN 317-7 beat KENYA 112 by 205 runs
25 Feb	Nagpur	AUSTRALIA 207-3 bt NEW ZEALAND 206 by seven wkts
26 Feb	Colombo	PAKISTAN 277-7 beat SRI LANKA 266-9 by 11 runs
28 Feb	Nagpur	ZIMBABWE 298-9 beat CANADA 123 by 175 runs
1 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-1 beat KENYA 142 by nine wickets
3 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 184 beat CANADA 138 by 46 runs
4 Mar	Ahmedabad	NEW ZEALAND 166-0 bt ZIMBABWE 162 by 10 wkts
5 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 146-3 v AUSTRALIA (No result - rain)
7 Mar	New Delhi	CANADA 199-5 beat KENYA 198 by five wickets
8 Mar	Kandy	NEW ZEALAND 302-7 bt PAKISTAN 192 by 110 runs
10 Mar	Kandy	SRI LANKA 327-6 beat ZIMBABWE 188 by 139 runs
13 Mar	Mumbai	NEW ZEALAND 358-6 beat CANADA 261-9 by 97 runs
13 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 324-6 beat KENYA 264-6 by 60 runs
14 Mar	Kandy	PAKISTAN 164-3 bt ZIMBABWE 151-7 by seven wkts (DL)
16 Mar	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 212-3 beat CANADA 211 by seven wickets
18 Mar	Mumbai	SRI LANKA 265-9 bt NEW ZEALAND 153 by 112 runs
19 Mar	Colombo	PAKISTAN 178-6 beat AUSTRALIA 176 by four wickets
20 Mar	Kolkata	ZIMBABWE 308-6 beat KENYA 147 by 161 runs

	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
PAKISTAN	5	1	0	0.76	10
SRI LANKA	4	1	1	2.58	9
AUSTRALIA	4	1	1	1.12	9
NEW ZEALAND	4	2	0	1.13	8
Zimbabwe	2	4	0	0.03	4
Canada	1	5	0	-1.99	2
Kenya	0	6	0	-3.04	0

GROUP B FIXTURES
BANGLADESH + ENGLAND + INDIA + IRELAND + NETHERLANDS + SOUTH AFRICA + WEST INDIES
Qualified for the Quarter Finals: South Africa, India, England, West Indies

Date	Venue	Result
19 Feb	Dhaka	INDIA 370-4 beat BANGLADESH 283-9 by 87 runs
22 Feb	Nagpur	ENGLAND 296-4 bt NETHERLANDS 292-6 by six wkts
24 Feb	New Delhi	S AFRICA 223-3 bt WEST INDIES 222 by seven wkts
25 Feb	Dhaka	BANGLADESH 205 beat IRELAND 178 by 27 runs
27 Feb	Bangalore	INDIA 338 tied with ENGLAND 338-8
28 Feb	New Delhi	WEST INDIES 330-8 bt NETHERLANDS 115 by 215 runs
2 Mar	Bangalore	IRELAND 329-7 beat ENGLAND 327-8 by three wickets
3 Mar	Mohali	S AFRICA 351-5 bt NETHERLANDS 120 by 231 runs
4 Mar	Dhaka	WEST INDIES 59-1 beat BANGLADESH 58 by nine wkts
6 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 171 beat SOUTH AFRICA 165 by six runs
6 Mar	Bangalore	INDIA 210-5 beat IRELAND 207 by five wickets
9 Mar	New Delhi	INDIA 191-5 beat NETHERLANDS 189 by five wickets
11 Mar	Mohali	WEST INDIES 275 beat IRELAND 231 by 44 runs
11 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 227-8 beat ENGLAND 225 by two wickets
12 Mar	Nagpur	SOUTH AFRICA 300-7 beat INDIA 296 by three wickets
14 Mar	Chittagong	BANGLADESH 166-4 bt NETHERLANDS 160 by six wkts
15 Mar	Kolkata	SOUTH AFRICA 272-7 beat IRELAND 141 by 131 runs
17 Mar	Chennai	ENGLAND 243 beat WEST INDIES 225 by 18 runs
18 Mar	Kolkata	IRELAND 307-4 beat NETHERLANDS 306 by six wkts
19 Mar	Dhaka	SOUTH AFRICA 284-8 bt BANGLADESH 78 by 206 runs
20 Mar	Chennai	INDIA 268 beat WEST INDIES 188 by 80 runs

	W	L	T	RR	Pts
SOUTH AFRICA	5	1	0	2.03	10
INDIA	4	1	1	0.90	9
ENGLAND	3	2	1	0.07	7
WEST INDIES	3	3	0	1.07	6
Bangladesh	3	3	0	-1.36	6
Ireland	2	4	0	-0.70	4
Netherlands	0	6	0	-2.05	0

KNOCKOUT PHASE
QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue	Result
23 Mar	Dhaka	PAKISTAN 113-0 beat WEST INDIES 112 by 10 wickets
24 Mar	Ahmedabad	INDIA 261-5 beat AUSTRALIA 260 by five wickets
25 Mar	Dhaka	NEW ZEALAND 221-8 beat S AFRICA 172 by 49 runs
26 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 231-0 beat ENGLAND 229-6 by 10 wickets

SEMI FINALS

Date/time	Venue	Result
29 Mar	Colombo	SRI LANKA 220-5 beat NEW ZEALAND 217 by five wickets
30 Mar	Mohali	INDIA 189-5 v PAKISTAN

FINAL

2 Apr

Mumbai

INDIA 277-4 beat SRI LANKA 274-6 by six wickets

Cricket World Cup Group A

SRI LANKA + AUSTRALIA + PAKISTAN + NEW ZEALAND + ZIMBABWE + CANADA + KENYA

GROUP A FIXTURES
(9am GMT start unless stated)
20 Feb (4am) New Zealand v Kenya Chennai, Ind
20 Feb Sri Lanka v Canada Hambantota, SL
21 Feb Australia v Zimbabwe Ahmedabad, Ind
23 Feb Pakistan v Kenya Hambantota, SL
25 Feb (4am) New Zealand v Australia Nagpur, Ind
26 Feb Sri Lanka v Pakistan Colombo, SL
28 Feb (4am) Zimbabwe v Canada Nagpur, Ind
1 Mar Sri Lanka v Kenya Colombo, SL
3 Mar Pakistan v Canada Colombo, SL
4 Mar (4am) New Zealand v Zimbabwe Ahmedabad, Ind
5 Mar Sri Lanka v Australia Colombo, SL
7 Mar Kenya v Canada New Delhi, Ind
8 Mar Pakistan v New Zealand Kandy, SL
10 Mar Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Kandy, SL
13 Mar (4am) New Zealand v Canada Mumbai, Ind
13 Mar Australia v Kenya Bangalore, Ind
14 Mar Pakistan v Zimbabwe Kandy, SL
16 Mar Australia v Canada Bangalore, Ind
18 Mar Sri Lanka v New Zealand Mumbai, Ind
19 Mar Pakistan v Australia Colombo, SL
20 Mar (4am) Zimbabwe v Kenya Kolkata, Ind

SRI LANKA
ICC World ranking: 3
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Captain: Kumar Sangakkara
World Cup best: Winners 1996
Recent ODI series results:
Feb 2011 v West Indies (H) W2-0
Nov 2010 v Australia (A) W2-1
Aug 2010 beat India (H) in Final of Triangular Series (W3 L1 NR1)
Jun 2010 lost to India (H) in Final of Asia Cup (W3 L1)
Jun 2010 beat Zimbabwe (A) in Final of Triangular Series (W3 L2)
Warm-up matches:
12 Feb - beat Netherlands by 156 runs
15 Feb - beat West Indies by four wickets
Prediction: Semi finals
The last time that the World Cup was held on the subcontinent, Sri Lanka won it, shocking favourites Australia in the Final to win by seven wickets. Now, this talented and experienced Sri Lankan side feels the time is right for them to strike again.
Led by skipper Kumar Sangakkara, an athletic wicket-keeper, Sri Lanka will benefit from home advantage in the Group stage and an experienced bowling attack, spearheaded by the unorthodox Lasith Malinga and the outrageously talented Muttiah Muralitharan.
Now 38, this tournament surely represents Murali's last chance at claiming a second World Cup to add to the one won in 1996. Undoubtedly, it would be a fitting end to an outstanding career for the spinner who took his 800th and final Test wicket with the last ball of a Test match victory over India in July 2010.
Frustratingly for Sri Lanka and Murali, they had the chance of a second World Cup four years ago in 2007 but the team was second-best to Australia in the Final and, with 23 scalps, Murali finished as the second-highest wicket taker behind Aussie Glenn McGrath.
This time, Sri Lanka will be hoping to go one better, and the form guide suggests they could with recent series victories in Australia and over India in a Triangular tournament final. There is certainly no one that Sri Lanka will fear in this World Cup.

AUSTRALIA
ICC World ranking: 1
Coach: Tim Nielsen
Captain: Ricky Ponting
World Cup best: Winners 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007
Recent ODI series results:
Feb 2011 v England (H) W6-1
Nov 2010 v Sri Lanka (H) L1-2
Oct 2010 v India (A) L0-1
Jul 2010 v England (A) L2-3
Warm-up matches:
13 Feb - lost to India by 38 runs
15 Feb - lost to South Africa by seven wickets
Prediction: Semi finals
Australia arrive at the World Cup full of confidence after a 6-1 post-Ashes pummelling of injury-ravaged England in the ODI series and with a record in this tournament which is second to none.
The Aussies have won the World Cup on four previous occassions and the team is unbeaten in its last 29 matches, stretching back to 1999. The 12-year unbeaten run enabled Australia to win the tournament in 1999 despite a slow start in which they lost two of their opening three group games, famously reaching the Final after a tie in the semi-final against South Africa.
And 23 wins out of 23 since the 1999 Final against Pakistan confirmed Australia as the dominant force in cricket during the last decade with further Final wins against India in 2003 and Sri Lanka in 2007.
However, none of those tournament victories came on the subcontinent where Australia often find it tougher. The 1999 tournament was hosted by England, the 2003 edition was in Africa and the last World Cup was hosted by the West Indies. The most recent World Cup on the subcontinent was in 1996 when Sri Lanka caused an upset by beating the Aussies in the Final.
Of course, losing in the Final is no particular disgrace, and with opener Shane Watson back in the runs and captain Ricky Ponting having recovered from a broken finger, the Aussies could well reach the showpiece occasion for a fifth time in a row.
However, Mike Hussey is out with injury and the absence of Nathan Hauritz exasperates Australia's lack of spin options which can be a vital factor on the subcontinent. Also, the easy 6-1 win over a tired and demoralised England opposition still does not hide away the fact that Australia's air of invincibility has faded in recent years.
Since last summer, the Aussies have lost ODI series in England, India and against Sri Lanka at home. In the two warm-up matches, Australia were quite convincingly beaten by both India and South Africa. As such, a repeat of Australia's previous feats looks beyond this team - expect the unbeaten run to end sometime in the next six weeks.

PAKISTAN
ICC World ranking: 6
Coach: Waqar Younis
Captain: Shahid Afridi
World Cup best: Winners 1992
Recent ODI series results:
Feb 2011 v New Zealand (A) W3-2
Nov 2010 v South Africa (in UAE) L2-3
Sep 2010 v England (A) L2-3
Jun 2010 - finished third out of four in Asia Cup (W1 L2)
Warm-up matches:
15 Feb - beat Bangladesh by 89 runs
18 Feb - v England
Prediction: Quarter finals
Pakistan was meant to host 14 matches in this World Cup but that privilege was taken away in the wake of the attacks in Lahore on the touring Sri Lankan team in 2009.
Since then, Pakistani cricket has been further rocked by bans to former captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amin for spot-fixing on the 2010 tour of England.
Inevitably, all the negative press has had a detrimental effect on the team's efforts on the field although a good recent ODI series win in New Zealand suggests Shahid Afridi and his men are finally starting to turn the corner.
Certainly, Pakistan should have enough to avoid the embarrassment of going out in the First Round for a second successive World Cup. But the confidence of the side remains fragile and any more than a last-eight place would come as a surprise.

NEW ZEALAND
ICC World ranking: 7
Coach: John Wright
Captain: Daniel Vettori
World Cup best: Semi finals 1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007
Recent ODI series results:
Feb 2010 v Pakistan (H) L2-3
Dec 2010 v India (A) L0-5
Oct 2010 v Bangladesh (A) L0-4
Aug 2010 v Sri Lanka/India - finished third (W1 L2 NR1)
Warm-up matches:
12 Feb - beat Ireland by 32 runs
16 Feb - lost to India by 117 runs
Prediction: Quarter finals
New Zealand normally produces a team greater than the sum of its parts but this year could be the exception. The Black Caps have reached five World Cup semi finals, winning many games against the odds, although the difficulty of doing this over and over again perhaps explains why the Kiwis have gone no further.
Even so, in the 1992 World Cup, then-New Zealand captain Martin Crowe was recognised as a great innovator in the One-Day game, opening with spinner Dipak Patel and employing the use of a pinch-hitter (a lower-order batsmen promoted to score quick runs).
The current skipper Daniel Vettori is also one of the most thoughtful in the game but his announcement of his retirement after this tournament demonstrates the general malaise currently affecting New Zealand cricket. Future hopes lie mainly with youthful fast bowler Tim Southee and big hitter Jesse Ryder.
Looking at the present day and recent form has not been good with the team suffering a 4-0 humbling in Bangladesh followed by a 3-2 home defeat to Pakistan. The Black Caps should still have enough to reach the knockout phase but progress beyond that stage would be a greater surprise than usual.

ZIMBABWE
ICC World ranking: 11
Coach: Alan Butcher
Captain: Elton Chigumbura
World Cup best: Super Six 1999, 2003
Recent ODI series results:
Dec 2010 v Bangladesh (A) L1-3
Oct 2010 v South Africa (A) L0-3
Sep 2010 v Ireland (H) W2-1
Jun 2010 lost to Sri Lanka (H) in Final of Triangular Series (W3 L2)
Warm-up matches:
6 Feb - beat Ireland by six wickets
8 Feb - beat Netherlands by 115 runs
12 Feb - lost to South Africa by eight wickets
15 Feb - lost to Ireland by four wickets
Prediction: First Round
Zimbabwe's policy of self-exclusion from Test cricket seems to have paid dividends. By rebuilding their team around youth and building their confidence by not exposing them to a series of hammerings, Zimbabwe can enter the World Cup this time and expect to perform credibly. There are even hopes that Zimbabwe will return to playing Test cricket soon after the World Cup.
Fans of Zimbabwean cricket will recall ventures to the Super Six stage in 1999 and 2003 (although the latter was aided by England refusing to play in Zimbabwe due to security concerns caused by Robert Mugabe's oppressive government).
But, in 2007,the team went down to heavy defeats to West Indies and Pakistan in the First Round after a tie with Ireland in their opening match. The tournament completed a woeful few years for Zimbabwe, far removed from the successes of the late 1990s when the team even appeared able to compete at Test level.
In 2004, then-captain Heath Streak had been sacked by the Zimbabwean cricket authorities, prompting a mass walkout and a series of results with a weakened side which could only be described as embarrassing. The results included consecutive innings defeats to South Africa and a two-day home Test defeat to New Zealand in which they were bowled out twice in a single day.
This series of embarrassments prompted a re-think which included a self-imposed suspension of the team at Test level. Since then, Zimbabwe has built a team based mainly in their early- to mid-20s with an emphasis of spin which should prove useful on the subcontinent. It still will not be enough to see Zimbabwe progress but the team will be expected to perform admirably and above the level of the Associate nations.

CANADA
ICC World ranking: not ranked
Coach: Pubudu Dassanayake
Captain: Ashish Bagai
World Cup best: First Round 1979, 2003, 2007
Recent ODI series results:
Sep 2010 v Ireland (H) D1-1
Jul 2010 - finished fifth out of six in ICC World Cricket Div One (W2 L4)
Warm-up matches:
6 Feb - beat Netherlands by four wickets
8 Feb - lost to Afghanistan by five wickets
12 Feb - lost to Bangladesh by nine wickets
16 Feb - lost to England by 16 runs
Prediction: First Round
Canada is perhaps the weakest of the Associate nations to have qualified after finishing fifth out of six in the 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division One. Of course, not much will be expected of Canada in this tournament though that is perhaps just as well, given their previous record at World Cup finals which reads as played 12, won one.
That sole victory came against a poor Bangladesh team in 2003 although big hitter John Davison then enjoyed a personal highlight by scoring a century against West Indies off 67 balls, the fastest in the World Cup at the time.
However, in that same tournament, the Canadians were bowled out for just 36 by Sri Lanka, and the chances are that the team has already had its high point of the whole campaign this time by restricting England to a measly 16-run win in a warm-up match this week.

KENYA
ICC World ranking: 13
Coach: Eldine Baptiste
Captain: Maurice Ouma
World Cup best: Semi finals 2003
Recent ODI series results:
Oct 2010 v Afghanistan (H) W2-1
Jul 2010 - finished bottom of ICC World Cricket Div One (W0 L6)
Warm-up matches:
6 Feb - beat Afghanistan by 49 runs
8 Feb - beat Ireland by three wickets
12 Feb - lost to West Indies by 61 runs
15 Feb - lost to Netherlands by two wickets
Prediction: First Round
Kenya burst onto the international cricket scene in 2003 after a surprising run to the World Cup semi finals, still the only non-Test playing nation to do this. On the way, the Kenyans beat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and benefited from New Zealand's decision not to visit Nairobi over safety concerns.
However, the underdogs were well-beaten in the semi finals by India and their earlier victories actually proved to be detrimental in the long run, raising expectations from supporters and sponsors alike. A poor showing in an ODI quadrangular series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe later in 2003 was followed by player strikes and a match-fixing ban for former captain Maurice Odumbe.
By 2005, Kenyan cricket was left without sponsors or any semblance of organisation, and the team returned to playing against fellow Associate nations. This process of rebuilding appeared to be working when Kenya hosted and won the ICC World Cricket Division One in 2007. But, three years later, Kenya suffered an annus horribilis, losing all of its matches in the same tournament in 2010.
There were also ignominious ODI defeats to Afghanistan and Uganda, and - most recently - a disastrous tour of India in early 2011 in which they lost all five to local sides. The tale of Kenya's cricket history naturally centres about the 2003 success but the team finished bottom of the group in the First Round in 2007 and 2011 may be a repeat of that, depending on the result of the Canada match.