Wales end 64-year World Cup wait against weary Ukraine

WALES ended 64 years of World Cup pain with a narrow victory over Ukraine in their qualifying playoff at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Inevitably, Gareth Bale was involved in the goal which sent the Welsh to a first World Cup finals since 1958 with his free-kick diverted via a flying header by Andriy Yarmolenko into the back of his own net.

Now, as well as the nature of the Welsh goal being a painful way to go out, Ukraine can consider themselves unfortunate not to have scored given their far greater share of the possession and chances in the match.

Earlier, last Wednesday, the dangerous Ukrainians had outclassed Scotland at Hampden Park, meaning the Scots' own wait for a World Cup finals appearance will extend to 28 years at least.

Callum McGregor gave some hope to Steve Clarke's side by pulling the score back to 2-1 after Ukraine goals from Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk, either side of half time, had deservedly put the visitors in control.

John McGinn then missed a big chance to equalise by sending a header wide from just six yards out.

But, as the Scots frantically searched for an equaliser through the bizarre tactic of playing Grant Hanley up front, Artem Dovbyk killed off the remaining hopes of the Tartan Army with the last kick of the game.

As such, it was merely another case of so near yet so far away for Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers in the 21st Century - which will be more than quarter of the way through by the end of the next edition.

Back to the present - and, in the final in Cardiff on Sunday, the threat of Ukraine was again immediately apparent.

Only four minutes were on the clock when Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko hit the back of the net with a quick free-kick - taken too quickly as far as Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was concerned.

The Ukrainians then had a succession of corners before Yaremchuk beat the offside trap but failed to beat Wayne Hennessey in a series of early efforts on the Welsh goal.

Consequently, Wales' goal on 34 minutes came rather out of the blue - and unsurprisingly from a Bale set-piece.

Even then, Rob Page's men had another scare to survive before half time when Joe Allen appeared to catch Yarmolenko on the foot after being dispossessed in the box by the West Ham United winger.

Yarmolenko certainly did not help his cause by the dramatic nature of his tumble - but there were more than a few sighs of relief among the capacity crowd of 33,280 when the Video Assistant Referee opted not to make any intervention.

In fairness, there was also hope that the Welsh might use the confidence gained from their hard-won advantage by improving their general performance in the second half.

But this Ukraine outfit were never going to go away quietly - and only they will know how they did not score early in the second half through Yaremchuk on the rebound after Hennessey had saved from Viktor Tsygankov.

Or just how Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies managed to get across to block Yarmolenko from eight yards out - on two separate occasions.

It was not all completely one-way traffic, of course. Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson hit the base of the post for Wales - and, shortly afterwards, Aaron Ramsey linked up with Bale whose cushioned volley was well-stopped.

For the last 10 minutes or so, though, it really was just one-way traffic as Ukraine set up camp inside the Wales half.

With six minutes left, the pressure almost paid off - but Hennessey made a flying save to deny a powerful header from substitute Artem Dovbyk.

It was truly a match-winning stop by the Burnley goalkeeper as, bar a couple more efforts which cleared the Welsh goal by some distance, weary Ukraine had nothing more to give thereafter.

In keeping with our expectations of this proud nation, it was a brave effort by Ukraine - but it was also an emotional occasion for Wales.

So often the headlines for the Welsh go to Bale or Ramsey. This time, though, it was undoubtedly Hennessey and Davies who got their team over the line.

Now, finally, the older Wales fans can banish the painful memories of defeat in playoff matches against Scotland in 1977 and 1985 - and the cold sweat-inducing flashback to 1993 of Paul Bodin's last-minute penalty miss against Romania.

Cymru have qualified again at last - and, except for hosts Qatar, who will be the sole debutants, Wales will have waited the longest time of any of the 31 returning qualifiers.

At this point in time, there are still two finals places left to be decided through the intercontinental playoffs in Qatar this month.

Australia became the representative from the Asian Confederation after beating the United Arab Emirates thanks to Ajdin Hrustic's deflected volley.

Graham Arnold's Socceroos will now face Peru in a one-off match on 13 June for the penultimate World Cup finals place.

On the following day, the outcome of the 32nd - and last - World Cup finals entrant will be known after Costa Rica take on New Zealand.

Therefore, it is only on 14 June - 161 days ahead of the opening match on 21 November - that the World Cup line-up will finally be completed.

Additionally, that night - only 46 days before the 2022-23 Football League season begins - the 2021-22 season of club and international football will have finished at last, ending with a series of UEFA Nations League fixtures.

Ahead of that, for the record, here is a list of winners (and losers) from another long domestic campaign:

ENGLAND

Premier League

Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Liverpool
Champions League	Chelsea (third place), Tottenham Hotspur (fourth place)
Europa League	Arsenal (fifth place), Manchester United (sixth place)
Europa Conference	West Ham United (seventh place)
Relegation	Burnley, Watford, Norwich City

Championship

Champions	Fulham
Runners-up	Bournemouth
Playoff winners	Nottingham Forest 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Relegation	Derby County*, Peterborough United, Barnley

* Derby County were deducted 12 points for entering administration on 22 September and a further nine points for financial irregularities on 16 November.

League One

Champions	Wigan Athletic
Runners-up	Rotherham United
Playoff winners	Sunderland (won 2-0 v Wycombe Wanderers)
Relegation	Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe Alexandra

League Two

Champions	Forest Green Rovers
Runners-up	Exeter City
Also promoted	Bristol Rovers
Playoff winners	Port Vale (won 3-0 v Mansfield Town)
Relegation	Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe United

National League Premier

Champions	Stockport County
Playoff winners	Grimsby Town (won 2-1 v Solihull Moors, after extra time)
Relegation	King's Lynn Town, Weymouth, Dover Athletic*

* Dover Athletic were deducted 12 points for failing to complete their fixtures in the 2020-21 season.

National League North

Champions	Gateshead
Playoff winners	York City (won 2-0h v Boston United)
Relegation	Guiseley

National League South

Champions	Maidstone United
Playoff winners	Dorking Wanderers (won 3-2h v Ebbsfleet United, after extra time)
Relegation	Billericay Town

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea, after extra time. Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties.
League Cup Final	Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea, after extra time. Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties.
FA Community Shield	Leicester City 1-0 Manchester City
EFL Trophy	Rotherham United 4-2 Sutton United, after extra time.
FA Trophy	Bromley 1-0 Wrexham
FA Vase	Newport Pagnell Town 3-0 Littlehampton Town

⚽

SCOTLAND

Premiership

Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Heart of Midlothian (third place)
Europa Conference	Dundee United (fourth place), Motherwell (fifth place)
Relegation	Dundee

Championship

Champions	Kilmarnock
Runners-up	Arbroath (not promoted)
Relegation	Dunfermline Athletic, Queen of the South

League One

Champions	Cove Rangers
Runners-up	Airdrieonians (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Queen's Park (won 3-2 on agg v Airdrieonians (1-1h, 2-1a))
Relegation	Dumbarton, East Fife

League Two

Champions	Kelty Hearts
Runners-up	Forfar Athletic (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Edinburgh City (won 3-2 on agg v Annan Athletic (2-0h, 1-2a))
Relegation	Cowdenbeath (lost 0-4 on agg v Cove Rangers (0-3a, 0-1h))

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Rangers 2-0 Heart of Midlothian, after extra time
League Cup Final	Celtic 2-1 Hibernian
Challenge Cup Final	Raith Rovers 3-1 Queen of the South

⚽

WALES

Cymru Premier

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Conference	Bala Town (runners-up), Newtown (third place)
Relegation	Barry Town United, Cefn Druids

Welsh Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	The New Saints 3-2 Penybont
League Cup Final	Connah's Quay Nomads 0-0 Cardiff Metropolitan University Connah's Quay Nomads won 10-9 on penalties.

⚽

NORTHERN IRELAND

Irish Premiership

Champions	Linfield
Europa Conference	Cliftonville (runners-up), Larne (playoff winners), Crusaders (cup winners)
Relegation	Warrenpoint Town

Irish Cup Finals

IFA Cup Final	Crusaders 2-1 Ballymena United, after extra time
League Cup Final	Cliftonville 4-3 Coleraine, after extra time.

⚽

EUROPE

UEFA Finals

Champions League	Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
Europa League	Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Rangers, after extra time.  Eintracht Frankfurt won 5-4 on penalties
Europa Conference	Roma 1-0 Feyenoord
Super Cup	Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal, after extra time. Chelsea won 6-5 on penalties.

Major European league champions

Spain	Real Madrid
Italy	AC Milan
Germany	Bayern Munich
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	FC Porto
Netherlands	Ajax Amsterdam
Belgium	Club Brugge
Greece	Olympiacos
Turkey	Trabzonspor

⚽

Here also, for reference, is the World Cup draw and match schedule in full:

(Q) WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS (Q)
Qatar, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, France, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, England, Netherlands, Argentina, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Canada, Ghana, Senegal, Portugal, Poland, Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon, Mexico, United States, Wales, Australia, Costa Rica [32/32]

GROUP A QATAR - ECUADOR - SENEGAL - NETHERLANDS

	Date		Venue
ITV	Mon 21-Nov 10am	SENEGAL v NETHERLANDS	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
BBC	Mon 21-Nov 4pm	QATAR v ECUADOR	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
BBC	Fri 25-Nov 1pm	QATAR v SENEGAL	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
ITV	Fri 25-Nov 4pm	NETHERLANDS v ECUADOR	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Tue 29-Nov 3pm	ECUADOR v SENEGAL	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Tue 29-Nov 3pm	NETHERLANDS v QATAR	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

GROUP B ENGLAND - IRAN - UNITED STATES - WALES

	Date		Venue
BBC	Mon 21-Nov 1pm	ENGLAND v IRAN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Mon 21-Nov 7pm	UNITED STATES v WALES	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Fri 25-Nov 10am	WALES v IRAN	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
ITV	Fri 25-Nov 7pm	ENGLAND v UNITED STATES	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
BBC	Tue 29-Nov 7pm	WALES v ENGLAND	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Tue 29-Nov 7pm	IRAN v UNITED STATES	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

GROUP C ARGENTINA - SAUDI ARABIA - MEXICO - POLAND

	Date		Venue
ITV	Tue 22-Nov 10am	ARGENTINA v SAUDI ARABIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Tue 22-Nov 4pm	MEXICO v POLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 1pm	POLAND v SAUDI ARABIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 7pm	ARGENTINA v MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 7pm	POLAND v ARGENTINA	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 7pm	SAUDI ARABIA v MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

GROUP D FRANCE - AUSTRALIA - DENMARK - TUNISIA

	Date		Venue
ITV	Tue 22-Nov 1pm	DENMARK v TUNISIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC	Tue 22-Nov 7pm	FRANCE v AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Sat 26-Nov 10am	TUNISIA v AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV	Sat 26-Nov 4pm	FRANCE v DENMARK	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 3pm	AUSTRALIA v DENMARK	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Wed 30-Nov 3pm	TUNISIA v FRANCE	Education City, Al Rayyan

GROUP E SPAIN - COSTA RICA - GERMANY - JAPAN

	Date		Venue
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 1pm	GERMANY v JAPAN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 4pm	SPAIN v COSTA RICA	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
ITV	Sun 27-Nov 10am	JAPAN v COSTA RICA	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 7pm	SPAIN v GERMANY	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
ITV	Thu 01-Dec 7pm	JAPAN v SPAIN	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
ITV	Thu 01-Dec 7pm	COSTA RICA v GERMANY	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

GROUP F BELGIUM - CANADA - MOROCCO - CROATIA

	Date		Venue
ITV	Wed 23-Nov 10am	MOROCCO v CROATIA	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
BBC	Wed 23-Nov 7pm	BELGIUM v CANADA	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 1pm	BELGIUM v MOROCCO	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
BBC	Sun 27-Nov 4pm	CROATIA v CANADA	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
BBC	Thu 01-Dec 3pm	CROATIA v BELGIUM	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
BBC	Thu 01-Dec 3pm	CANADA v MOROCCO	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha

GROUP G BRAZIL - SERBIA - SWITZERLAND - CAMEROON

	Date		Venue
ITV	Thu 24-Nov 10am	SWITZERLAND v CAMEROON	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Thu 24-Nov 7pm	BRAZIL v SERBIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 10am	CAMEROON v SERBIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 4pm	BRAZIL v SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Fri 02-Dec 7pm	SERBIA v SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV	Fri 02-Dec 7pm	CAMEROON v BRAZIL	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

GROUP H PORTUGAL - GHANA - URUGUAY - SOUTH KOREA

	Date		Venue
BBC	Thu 24-Nov 1pm	URUGUAY v SOUTH KOREA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Thu 24-Nov 4pm	PORTUGAL v GHANA	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC	Mon 28-Nov 1pm	SOUTH KOREA v GHANA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV	Mon 28-Nov 7pm	PORTUGAL v URUGUAY	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC	Fri 02-Dec 3pm	GHANA v URUGUAY	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC	Fri 02-Dec 3pm	SOUTH KOREA v PORTUGAL	Education City, Al Rayyan

SECOND ROUND

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Sat 03-Dec	(1) WINNER A v RUNNER-UP B	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan
7pm	Sat 03-Dec	(2) WINNER C v RUNNER-UP D	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
3pm	Sun 04-Dec	(3) WINNER D v RUNNER-UP C	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
7pm	Sun 04-Dec	(4) WINNER B v RUNNER-UP A	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
3pm	Mon 05-Dec	(5) WINNER E v RUNNER-UP F	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
7pm	Mon 05-Dec	(6) WINNER G v RUNNER-UP H	Stadium 974, Doha
3pm	Tue 06-Dec	(7) WINNER F v RUNNER-UP E	Education City, Al Rayyan
7pm	Tue 06-Dec	(8) WINNER H v RUNNER-UP G	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

QUARTER FINALS

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Fri 09-Dec	WINNER (5) v WINNER (6)	Education City, Al Rayyan
7pm	Fri 09-Dec	WINNER (1) v WINNER (2)	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
3pm	Sat 10-Dec	WINNER (7) v WINNER (8)	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
7pm	Sat 10-Dec	WINNER (3) v WINNER (4)	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

SEMI FINALS

Time	Date		Venue
7pm	Tue 13-Dec	WINNER QF1 v WINNER QF2	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
7pm	Wed 14-Dec	WINNER QF3 v WINNER QF4	Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

Time	Date		Venue
3pm	Sat 17-Dec	LOSER SF1 v LOSER SF2	Khalifa International, Al Rayyan

WORLD CUP FINAL

Time	Date		Venue
4pm	Sun 18-Dec	WINNER SF1 v WINNER SF2	Lusail Iconic, Lusail

F1 2021: Tetchy title race goes to the wire

LEWIS HAMILTON moved within striking distance of Championship leader Max Verstappen with victory at the inaugural Grand Prix in Qatar as a bad-tempered title race enters its final stretch.

Seven-time champion Hamilton cut his deficit to the Dutchman down to just eight points, with a maximum of 52 available from the two remaining races in Saudi Arabia on 5 December and Abu Dhabi a week later.

Verstappen still has a points advantage for now then - but, after spending the majority of the season on the back foot, Mercedes driver Hamilton will be satisfied at just being in with a shout after back-to-back race wins. 

In fairness, rather than being completely dominated by one team, this year has seen a seesaw battle straight from the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, with the lead in the Drivers' Championship already switching five times between the pair. 

Coincidentally, at my last write-up following the British Grand Prix in July, Hamilton had closed the gap on Verstappen to eight points then as well. 

And it actually got better for the Briton prior to the summer recess after a crazy start to the Hungarian Grand Prix on an extremely wet day in Budapest.

At the very first turn of the race at the Hungaroring, there were two major shunts caused by Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll who were both too late on the brakes. 

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Bottas crashed into the back of Lando Norris who, in turn, careered into Verstappen, causing major damage to the Red Bull. 

An out-of-control Bottas slid off Norris into the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez - while, further back, Stroll went into Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who, in turn, sent Daniel Ricciardo into a spin. 

Hamilton had avoided all of the carnage but, on the restart from the red flag, he was the only driver to start from the grid on intermediate tyres. 

The rest of the drivers still in the Grand Prix restarted from the pits having changed to slicks - and it soon became apparent that Mercedes had missed a trick as Hamilton fell through the pack after taking a belated pitstop. 

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon took full advantage and eventually sealed his maiden Grand Prix victory with Hamilton happy to scramble back up to second and the hamstrung Verstappen down in ninth. 

That gave Hamilton a lead in the Drivers' Championship of eight points at the four-week break but his advantage did not last for long into the autumn. 

At Spa-Francorchamps, another weekend of soaking wet weather ended in farce as the 20 drivers - after hours of delays - pootled around behind a safety car to record the one official lap required for a classification to be determined. 

It counted for half-points in the standings but it could not exactly be considered to have been a race. At least, there was no fastest lap point awarded. 

Next, the calendar took the paddock over the border to the Netherlands where the Dutchman retook the Championship lead in his home race with a commanding win from pole position.

Rather disgracefully, second-placed Hamilton was booed on the podium by the Dutch fans - and, in recent races, the anomisity held by the rival fans has been further fuelled by the behaviour of the teams, especially that of Red Bull. 

At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the two leading drivers were involved in their second massive flashpoint of the season following their earlier clash at Silverstone. 

This time, Verstappen - behind and on the outside approaching the first chicane - turned in on Hamilton, taking both drivers off the track and out of the race on lap 26. 

To add to the drama, Verstappen's Red Bull ended up flipping itself and landing on top of Hamilton's Mercedes - and, in a shocking lack of regard for his fellow competitor, the Dutchman walked off without checking if his rival was safe. 

After both drivers had gone their own way bitterly blaming each other, Verstappen was officially censured by the stewards for the incident - though he still took two points from the weekend with second place in the sprint race. 

In Russia, Hamilton regained the title lead once more, recording his 100th Grand Prix by overtaking long-time race leader Norris after the younger Briton found himself skidding all over the place in his McLaren on the wrong tyres during a late shower. 

Hamilton's advantage in the Championship was short-lived again though, as a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change and a poor early pit-stop strategy meant he finished the Turkish Grand Prix down in fifth. 

At least Verstappen did not win in Istanbul, after his own race was compromised by Carlos Sainz Jr, with victory instead going to Bottas. 

Nevertheless, the Dutchman had turned a two-point deficit into a six-point lead and he used that momentum to extend his lead further with consecutive race wins in Mexico and Brazil. 

Suddenly, Verstappen had stretched his Championship lead to 19 points - only once during the season had the lead been greater. 

In short, he looked unstoppable at this stage with even Hamilton admitting on the team radio that his rival was too quick for him. 

But the racing gods determined this engrossing battle deserved at least one more twist. 

At the famous undulating Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, where Hamilton won his first title on the final corner of the final lap of the last Grand Prix in 2008, he reinvigorated his pursuit for an eighth crown with a drive for the ages. 

Disqualified from qualifying for a larger-than-permitted drag reduction system slot, Hamilton started from the back of the grid in the sprint race but fought his way up to finish fifth - only then to lose another five places on the starting grid for a change of engine. 

The defining moments of the race itself came on laps 48 and 59, in failed and then successful overtaking attempts by Hamilton. 

On his first attempt, Hamilton was forced off the track by Verstappen who missed the apex of the corner and left his his braking ridiculously late - and yet somehow avoided a penalty. 

The second attempt was similar but Hamilton was closer and executed the move brilliantly around the outside to cap off a magnificent all-round performance. 

Hamilton's win in Qatar was rather more straightforward lights-to-flag affair - but that, in itself, underlined the threat set to be posed by Mercedes in what is left of this season.

By contrast, Verstappen and Red Bull principal Christian Horner got into more hot water, with both called to the stewards.

First, Verstappen was penalised with a five-place grid penalty after ignoring double-waved yellow warning flags in qualifying.

Then, Horner was summoned following a controversial interview in which he accused a "rogue marshal" for the flags which led to his driver's penalty.

Red Bull are clearly riled - aghast at a Mercedes car which is finishing the season more strongly than expected based on its performances before the race in Brazil. 

Horner and Verstappen suspect something is up, specifically the legality of the rear wing on the Mercedes, with Verstappen fined €50,000 for fiddling with Hamilton's car after qualifying in Sao Paulo. 

However, Mercedes did not fall foul to any of the additional checks made by the officials in Qatar - and, instead, it feels as if it is the lack of composure shown by Red Bull which threatens to derail Verstappen's bid for a first Driver's Championship in F1.

At the same time, Hamilton will be well aware that he is still behind in this title race - and he will also know that, if Verstappen wins in Jeddah on 5 December, he will have to finish sixth to stand a mathematical chance of the title, or fifth if the Dutchman picks up another point for the fastest lap. 

Surely, though, the improved Mercedes will manage better than that. After all, this enthralling adventure of a title race deserves to go to the wire.

		HAMILTON			v			VERSTAPPEN
28-March	BAHRAIN	1st	25		(+7)		18	2nd
18-April	EMILIA ROMAGNA	2nd	19	44	(+1)	43	25	1st
02-May	PORTUGAL	1st	25	69	(+8)	61	18	2nd
09-May	SPAIN	1st	25	94	(+14)	80	19	2nd
23-May	MONACO	7th	7	101	(-4)	105	25	1st
06-June	AZERBAIJAN	15th	0	101	(-4)	105	0	18th
20-June	FRANCE	2nd	18	119	(-12)	131	26	1st
27-June	STYRIAN	2nd	19	138	(-18)	156	25	1st
04-July	AUSTRIA	4th	12	150	(-32)	182	26	1st
18-July	GREAT BRITAIN	1st	27	177	(-8)	185	3^	Retired
01-August	HUNGARY	2nd	18	195	(+8)	187	2	9th
29-August	BELGIUM*	3rd	7.5	202.5	(+3)	199.5	12.5	1st
05-September	NETHERLANDS	2nd	19	221.5	(-3)	224.5	25	1st
12-September	ITALY	Retired	0	221.5	(-5)	226.5	2^	Retired
26-September	RUSSIA	1st	25	246.5	(+2)	244.5	18	2nd
10-October	TURKEY	5th	10	256.5	(-6)	262.5	18	2nd
24-October	UNITED STATES	2nd	19	275.5	(-12)	287.5	25	1st
07-November	MEXICO	2nd	18	293.5	(-19)	312.5	25	1st
14-November	BRAZIL	1st	25	318.5	(-14)	332.5	20	2nd
21-November	QATAR	1st	25	343.5	(-8)	351.5	19	2nd

* Half-points were awarded as less than 75% of the race distance was completed
^ Verstappen retired from the Grand Prix but won points in the sprint race

REMAINING CALENDAR

(21)	05-December	5.30pm	SAUDI ARABIA	Jeddah Street Circuit, Saudi Arabia
(22)	12-December	1pm	ABU DHABI	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

FIA F1 DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2021

			Points
1	Max Verstappen (NED)	Red Bull-Honda	351.5	(9 wins)
2	Lewis Hamilton (GBR)	Mercedes	343.5	(7 wins)
3	Valtteri Bottas (FIN)	Mercedes	203	(1 win)
4	Sergio Pérez (MEX)	Red Bull-Honda	190	(1 win)
5	Lando Norris (GBR)	McLaren-Mercedes	153
6	Charles Leclerc (MON)	Ferrari	152
7	Carlos Sainz Jr. (ESP)	Ferrari	145.5
8	Daniel Ricciardo  (AUS)	McLaren-Mercedes	105	(1 win)
9	Pierre Gasly (FRA)	Alpha Tauri-Honda	92
10	Fernando Alonso (ESP)	Alpine-Renault	77
11	Esteban Ocon (FRA)	Alpine-Renault	60	(1 win)
12	Sebastian Vettel (GER)	Aston Martin-Mercedes	43
13	Lance Stroll (CAN)	Aston Martin-Mercedes	34
14	Yuki Tsunoda (JPN)	Alpha Tauri-Honda	20
15	George Russell (GBR)	Williams-Mercedes	16
16	Kimi Räikkönen (FIN)	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	10
17	Nicholas Latifi (CAN)	Williams-Mercedes	7
18	Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA)	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	1
19	Mick Schumacher (GER)	Haas-Ferrari	0
20	Robert Kubica (POL)	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	0
21	Nikita Mazepin (RUS)	Haas-Ferrari	0

FIA F1 CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2021

			Points
1	Mercedes (GER)	Hamilton | Bottas	546.5	(8 wins)
2	Red Bull-Honda (AUT)	Verstappen | Pérez	541.5	(10 wins)
3	Ferrari (ITA)	Leclerc | Sainz Jr	297.5
4	McLaren-Mercedes (GBR)	Norris | Ricciardo	258	(1 win)
5	Alpine-Renault (FRA)	Alonso | Ocon	137	(1 win)
6	Alpha Tauri-Honda	Gasly | Tsunoda	112
7	Aston Martin-Mercedes (GBR)	Stroll | Vettel	77
8	Williams-Mercedes (GBR)	Russell | Latifi	23
9	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari (SUI)	Räikkönen | Giovinazzi | Kubica	11
10	Haas-Ferrari (USA)	Schumacher | Mazepin	0

Cricket World Cup group stage: Pakistan end Ireland run

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Group A preview - Group B preview - Results sheet
Group update - England review - Group review - Knockout stages - FINAL 

GROUP A REVIEW

NEW ZEALAND
Thrill a minute stuff from the Black Caps who hold a perfect record of six wins out of six in this World Cup. Trent Boult has been in fine form with the ball, taking 15 wickets at an average of 15.60, and he has been well supported by Tim Southee and the experienced spinner Daniel Vettori.
The real fireworks, though, have come from captain Brendon McCullum who personified his team's aggressive approach when he broke his own World Cup record with a half-century in 18 balls against England, beating his previous marker of 20, set in 2007. McCullum's captaincy has also been excellent, most notably his insistence on keeping slips in place to back up his bowlers. It was no surprise to see the Kiwis bowl out five of the six opponents - only Bangladesh escaped but even they were beaten comfortably enough.
There were a couple of wobbles - against Scotland, McCullum's men struggled to chase a small target of 143 - and, in another low-scoring match, a thriller in Auckland against Australia was won by one wicket after a collapse from 131-4 to 146-9. With both co-hosts progressing, the result did not mean a huge amount overall - but the look on the faces of both sets of supporters told you everything about just how much it actually did mean in itself.

AUSTRALIA

Australia may have finished runners-up to their fellow hosts New Zealand following that thrilling defeat at Eden Park in Auckland - but, having retained home advantage for their knockout matches after thumping Scotland, the Baggy Greens remain the overall favourites.
After all, everything that was written in the preview post still rings true, although it has been Mitchell Starc, and not his namesake Johnson, who has proved to be the bowler of the tournament so far. Starc has taken 16 wickets, more than anyone else, at an average of just 8.50 - and six of those dismissals came in the defeat to the Black Caps as Michael Clarke's men almost pulled off an extraordinary heist.
For, even after having been rolled over for 151 after Trent Boult's own five-fer, there was still much the Aussies could take from the attempted comeback. Certainly, it is doubtful if any other side in world cricket would have got so close. Otherwise, there have been no worries about the Aussie batting with David Warner hitting 178 as Australia recorded the highest ever World Cup score against Afghanistan of 417-6 in the tournament's biggest ever victory, by 275 runs.
Meanwhile, Aaron Finch also scored a fine ton in the opening match against England which also featured a five-fer for the third Mitchell, Mitchell Marsh. The most thrilling Aussie century, though, undoubtedly came from Glenn Maxwell, coming as it did off just 53 balls. And, while Maxwell actually represents Australia's only obvious weakness - their lack of top-quality spin - this seems unlikely to be a decisive factor on the hard, bouncy surfaces Down Under. A tough draw sees Darren Lehmann's team face resurgent Pakistan in the quarter finals and probably holders India in the semis - but they should still get past those two before holding the big advantage of playing the Final at a jam-packed, boisterous MCG.

SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign so far has been the Kumar Sangakkara Show. In the course of the group stages, the number three became the first ever player to score four successive one-day international centuries with 105 not out against Bangladesh, 117 not out against England, 104 against Australia and 124 against Scotland, giving him an aggregate of 496 runs at an average of 124. It seems bizarre, against the backdrop of this record-breaking run, that he still intends to retire at the end of the World Cup. He will be a miss and not just for Sri Lanka fans.
In fairness to the Sri Lanka team as a whole, Sangakkara also has talented company - Tillakaratne Dilshan hit an unbeaten 161 against Bangladesh and 104 against Scotland, Lahiru Thirimanne hit an unbeaten 139 against England, and Mahela Jayawardene scored 100 against Afghanistan. Altogether, the Sri Lankans have hit eight centuries, three more than any other team.
Their bowling has not been quite as impressive with injury-hit Lasith Malinga down on pace. As a consequence, Sri Lanka effectively beat all the teams who were worse than them - but lost against the two co-hosts to settle in third. Nevertheless, with their batting form as strong as it has been, a quarter final against South Africa is a cracking opportunity to progress towards what would actually be a third successive World Cup Final.

BANGLADESH
A historic World Cup for Bangladesh who have qualified for the quarter finals for the first time after beating England by 15 runs. In that match, Mahmudullah also scored the Bangladeshis' first ever World Cup century as the Tigers recovered from 8-2 and 99-4 to set a target of 275 which was ultimately too much for their nervy and flawed opponents. For good measure, four days later, Mahmudullah scored a much better ton - an unbeaten 128 off 123 balls - in a losing cause against New Zealand as Bangladesh became the first, and thus far only side, to avoid being bowled out by the Black Caps.
Yes, against Australia, Bangladesh benefited from the Queensland rains and gained an unexpected point from just the second ever complete abandonment of a World Cup match - but, in their other five matches, Mashrafe Mortaza's competed against every other team except Sri Lanka.
Truly, the Tigers deserved their place in the last eight much more than Peter Moores's side - and their underdog status means they head into their biggest ever match against holders India on Thursday with nothing to lose.

ENGLAND

Thrashed three times by margins of 111 runs against Australia, eight wickets with more than 37 overs to spare against New Zealand, and nine wickets against Sri Lanka, England also lost the vital match of their campaign in going down by 15 runs to Bangladesh after failing to chase a highly-achievable 276. The defeat in Adelaide to the Tigers means they have now suffered defeats in successive World Cups to the them - and, all things considered, there really was hardly anything to cheer for England in this tournament.    
Even the few brighter moments had caveats: Steven Finn became the first Englishman in World Cup history to take a hat-trick - but it feels as if it barely counts, his wickets against Australia having come from the last three balls of the innings to catches on the boundary as the Aussies looked to increase their already mammoth score.
Meanwhile, the two wins over the Associate teams, Scotland and Afghanistan, were flawed victories, England having collapsed in the former from 172-0 in 30 overs to 303-8 in 50 after Moeen Ali's century. With James Taylor denied a ton by an umpiring error against Australia, Joe Root was England's only other centurion with 121 off 108 balls against Sri Lanka. But it was that match which thoroughly exposed England for being behind the times in considering 309-6 as a par score. So far, head coach Peter Moores has remained in position ahead of a Test series against the West Indies in April. Bowling coach David Saker has fallen on his sword, however.

AFGHANISTAN

Sporting dreams do come true and the Afghanistan cricket team are the proof. Less than six years after being granted ODI status, the Afghanis were at a World Cup - and, moreover, were able to break their duck at their very first tournament.
Yes, what was absolute heartbreak for Scotland was unbridled joy for Afghanistan, and they subsequently matched England's win-loss record right until the final match. Although that says as much about England's struggles as anything, Afghanistan arguably played better at times, even threatening victory over Sri Lanka by forcing them into the penultimate over in their chase.
Andy Moles's men also took four New Zealand wickets in 36 overs - compared to England's two in 12 - but there were some disappointments too. The mammoth defeat to Australia, by 275 runs, was a World Cup record they would rather not have. Meanwhile, with Sarfraz Ahmed scoring a ton for Pakistan in their last group game against Ireland, Afghanistan were left as the only team out of the 14 competing not to have a centurion.
 
SCOTLAND
Scotland extended their unenviable record of having lost every World Cup match they have played with the total now at 14 following six defeats in Australia and New Zealand. It may also have been their last chance to make a big impression on the cricket world if the world governing body, the ICC, carry through with their proposals to restrict future World Cups to 10 teams.
There were some bright moments - Josh Davey bowled superbly and finished the group stages as the joint second highest wicket taker with 15 at an average of 20.73. Meanwhile, Kyle Coetzer scored Scotland's first ever World Cup century with 156 against Bangladesh. But, ultimately, the Saltires were left disappointed, having blown a glorious chance of a maiden victory against Afghanistan. Chasing 211, the Afghanis had been reduced to 97-7 and 192-9 but made it through the winning post with three balls to spare. Just as in 1999 against Bangladesh, Scotland had failed to hold their nerve at the vital moment.

13 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	NEW ZEALAND 331-6 beat SRI LANKA 233 46.1 by 98 runs
14 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	AUSTRALIA 342-9 beat ENGLAND 231 41.5 by 111 runs
16 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	NEW ZEALAND 146-7 24.5 beat SCOTLAND 142 36.2 by 3 wkts
18 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	BANGLADESH 267 beat AFGHANISTAN 162 42.5 by 105 runs
20 Feb 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 125-2 12.2 beat ENGLAND 123 33.2 by 8 wickets
21 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	AUSTRALIA N/R BANGLADESH - match abandoned (rain)
21 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	SRI LANKA 236-6 48.2 beat AFGHANISTAN 232 49.4 by 4 wickets
22 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	ENGLAND 303-8 beat SCOTLAND 184 42.2 by 119 runs
25 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	AFGHANISTAN 211-9 49.3 beat SCOTLAND 210 by 1 wicket
26 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	SRI LANKA 332-1 beat BANGLADESH 240 47 by 92 runs
28 Feb 01:00	Auckland NZ	NEW ZEALAND 152-9 23.1 bt AUSTRALIA 151 32.2 by 1 wicket
28 Feb 22:00	Wellington NZ	SRI LANKA 312-1 47.2 beat ENGLAND 309-6 by nine wickets
04 Mar 06:30	Perth Aus	AUSTRALIA 417-6 beat AFGHANISTAN 142 37.3 by 275 runs
04 Mar 22:00	Nelson NZ	BANGLADESH 322-4 48.1 beat SCOTLAND 318-8 by six wickets
07 Mar 22:00	Napier NZ	NEW ZEALAND 188-4 36.1 bt AFGHANISTAN 186 47.4 by 6 wkts
08 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	AUSTRALIA 376-9 beat SRI LANKA 312 46.2 by 64 runs
09 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	BANGLADESH 275-7 beat ENGLAND 260 48.3 by 15 runs
11 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	SRI LANKA 363-9 beat SCOTLAND 215 43.1 by 148 runs
13 Mar 01:00	Hamilton NZ	NEW ZEALAND 290-7 48.5 beat BANGLADESH 288-7 by 3 wkts
13 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	ENGLAND 101-1 18.1 bt AFGHANISTAN 111-7 36.2 by 9 wkts (D/L)
14 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	AUSTRALIA 133-3 15.2 beat SCOTLAND 130 25.4 by 7 wickets

GROUP A	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) NEW ZEALAND	6	0	0	+2.56	12
(Q) AUSTRALIA	4	1	1	+2.26	9
(Q) SRI LANKA	4	2	0	+0.37	8
(Q) BANGLADESH	3	2	1	+0.14	7
ENGLAND	2	4	0	-0.75	4
AFGHANISTAN	1	5	0	-1.85	2
SCOTLAND	0	6	0	-2.22	0

GROUP B REVIEW

INDIA
Holders India have arguably been the surprise of the World Cup so far, as odd as that sounds. Having entered the tournament in terrible form, the Indians have won six games out of six, and can boast the fine achievement of being the only side to have bowled all of their opponents out inside the allotted 50 overs.
Of course, India have long been well-known for their batting - and Shikhar Dhawan, with two centuries, and Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli with one each have delivered on that front. Captain MS Dhoni has also excelled in his role in the middle-order as a finisher of games - but it has been the Indian seam attack which has caused the eyebrows to raise more than anything else.
Normally one of the weaker elements of the team, the pace bowlers have really stepped up, and Mohammed Shami - with 15 wickets at a miserly average of 12.60 - has been the best of the lot. Four years ago on home soil, India fell back in love with the World Cup as Dhoni led them to glory - and they are clearly not about to terminate this relationship without a fight.

SOUTH AFRICA 

It has been a curious World Cup so far for South Africa. The Proteas have hit some big scores - 339-4 against Zimbabwe and 341-6 against the UAE - and some absolutely massive ones, becoming the first side to hit more than 400 runs in successive ODIs against West Indies and Ireland.
But, for all they ultimately finished group runners-up behind India anyway, AB de Villiers's men have also collapsed and lost twice under pressure while chasing after being bowled out by India and Pakistan. In the latter defeat, skipper de Villiers almost single-handedly rescued the game with 77 off 58 balls - but, once he was out, the game was obviously up, and there remains a worry that the South Africans simply rely on him far too much.
Of course, de Villiers is such a wonderful player that sometimes he can be relied upon to win matches on his own, with his 150 against West Indies coming off an ODI-record low of 64 balls. But no one should come to be relied upon every single time - and, as this World Cup has repeatedly shown, the nerves of a big chase are a very different proposition to setting up a big score. Amazingly, South Africa have never won a World Cup match in the knockout stages - can they hold their nerve if they have to chase a big Sri Lanka total? The jury is out on that one.  

PAKISTAN 

Pakistan have recovered well at this World Cup and head into a quarter finals against Australia in a positive vibe on the back of four wins out of four. It now seems a while ago since their dreadful start to this tournament, one which featured a sixth loss out of six to India at World Cups in their opener before an extraordinary top order collapse on the way to a crushing 150-run defeat to West Indies.
Yes, at one stage against the Windies, Pakistan were 1-4, and they eventually did well just to make three figures. But, while nothing compares to what happened in Christchurch, batting collapses have been nothing unusual - and, even in victory against Zimbabwe, Misbah-ul-Haq's men had to rebuild from 4-2.
Pakistan thus remain perhaps the least predictable of the eight teams left in the competition, and the Cornered Tigers analogy of 1992 could yet be reprised. Back then, when Australia and New Zealand last hosted the World Cup, Imran Khan's unfancied Pakistan won the whole thing having almost gone out in the group stage after suffering a poor start. But, while the potential is there for it to happen again, it would still be a big surprise if history did indeed repeat itself.

WEST INDIES
Arguably the weakest of the eight sides to make it through to the quarter finals, the West Indies' six points would not have been enough to progress from Group A. Defeat to Ireland in their opening match hardly came as much of a surprise, given the two sides' respective build-ups, and everything seemed to suggest this might be a totally ramshackle campaign.
Then, however, Jason Holder's men immediately rallied in big wins over Pakistan and Zimbabwe. In the latter, Chris Gayle hit the first, and so far only, double century in World Cup history with 215 off 147 balls - but, otherwise, the opener has actually not been in particularly good nick. Indeed, it is skipper Holder who narrowly tops the averages ahead of Gayle, without the benefit of a big score - and, aged just 23, the Windies' youngest ever captain has impressed generally with his mature leadership.
Even in their crushing AB de Villiers-inspired defeat to South Africa, Holder attempted to restore some respectability to a hopeless situation with a half-century. But there is only so much he can do himself - and, as the defeats to South Africa and India have already suggested, the West Indies can still expect to struggle against the stronger teams.

IRELAND
It says a lot about the developing expectations of Irish cricket that the team will be absolutely gutted at having failed to reach the quarter finals despite winning three games including two against Test-playing nations. Now, before the World Cup even began, it was clear that Ireland's fixtures were top-heavy with their first few games offering the best opportunity for points.
And Ireland delivered on their promise beating West Indies first up before holding their nerve in the last over when in the unusual position of favourites against the UAE.Another nail-biting victory came in their fourth match against Zimbabwe as the Africans fell five runs short of chasing 332 thanks to a cracking last over by Alex Cusack.
But, generally, bowling was Ireland's weaker hand as they demonstrated in conceding more than 400 runs to South Africa and in losing to India inside 37 overs. Those two big defeats left the Irish with a pretty poor net run rate, certainly in comparison to their rivals for a top four spot - and it effectively left them needing to win a fourth game against Pakistan.
For once, the batting was under-par and, despite skipper William Porterfield's 107, the team total of 237 never looked enough to trouble their in-form opponents. Nevertheless, Ireland can console themselves with the fact that they got a lot closer to the last eight, and played a lot better, than England. Also, except for winning just one more game or even having a bit of luck with the weather, they really could not have done much more to convince the ICC to reconsider their ridiculous proposal of limiting future World Cups to 10 teams. Indeed, they strengthened their case to be given Test status.

ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe bowed out of the World Cup at a predictably early stage having failed to achieve even the bare minimum as a Test playing nation of beating both of the Associate sides. Yes, they did beat the UAE - and, yes, the match against the strongest Associate Ireland was one which could have gone either way. But, except for mighty efforts and the humility from retiring skipper Brendan Taylor, unfortunately there was not much for the Africans to take away from this tournament.
Taylor really was the one outstanding player to lift Zimbabwe above a level of mediocrity but his two tons - against India and Ireland - were ultimately both in vain. Indeed, the Zimbabweans extended their record of most defeats in World Cup matches to 42 as they made it three successive group stage exits going back to 2007. Coach Dav Whatmore, if he chooses to take on the role permanently, has much work to do to make this team truly competitive again.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The UAE were playing in their first World Cup for 19 years - and eventually it showed as they badly ran out of steam. Narrowly beaten in their first two matches against Zimbabwe - who won with two overs left - and Ireland, who won in the last over, Khurram Khan's team then suffered four much heavier defeats to India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies.
However, such a downturn in performance should not come as much of a surprise for what is effectively an amateur team - and, in fact, the only one of the 14 in Australia and New Zealand without professional status. Still, this handicap did not stop them from having their moments - particularly Shaiman Anwar who became the first UAE player to reach three figures at a World Cup - as they threatened that surprise win over the Irish. Nevertheless, the UAE's World Cup experience is perhaps best summed up by vice-captain Mohammad Tauqir who said at the end of the group stage: "Our employers are waiting for us".

15 Feb 01:00	Hamilton NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 339-4 beat ZIMBABWE 277 48.2 by 62 runs
15 Feb 03:30	Adelaide Aus	INDIA 300-7 beat PAKISTAN 224 47 by 76 runs
15 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	IRELAND 307-6 45.5 beat WEST INDIES 304-7 by four wickets
18 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	ZIMBABWE 286-6 48 beat UAE 285-7 by four wickets
20 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	WEST INDIES 310-6 beat PAKISTAN 160 39 by 150 runs
22 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA 307-7 beat SOUTH AFRICA 177 40.2 by 130 runs
24 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	WEST INDIES 372-2 beat ZIMBABWE 289 44.3 by 73 runs (D/L)
25 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	IRELAND 279-8 49.2 beat UAE 278-9 by two wickets
27 Feb 03:30	Sydney Aus	SOUTH AFRICA 408-5 beat WEST INDIES 151 33.1 by 257 runs
28 Feb 06:30	Perth Aus	INDIA 104-1 18.5 beat UAE 102 31.3 by nine wickets
01 Mar 03:30	Brisbane Aus	PAKISTAN 235-7 beat ZIMBABWE 215 49.4 by 20 runs
03 Mar 03:30	Canberra Aus	SOUTH AFRICA 411-4 beat IRELAND 210 45 by 201 runs
04 Mar 01:00	Napier NZ	PAKISTAN 339-6 beat UAE 210-8 by 129 runs
06 Mar 06:30	Perth Aus	INDIA 185-6 39.1 beat WEST INDIES 182 44.2 by four wickets
07 Mar 01:00	Auckland NZ	PAKISTAN 222 46.4 beat SOUTH AFRICA 202 33.3 by 29 runs (D/L)
07 Mar 03:30	Hobart Aus	IRELAND 331-8 beat ZIMBABWE 326 49.3 by five runs
10 Mar 01:00	Hamilton NZ	INDIA 260-2 36.5 beat IRELAND 259 49 by eight wickets
12 Mar 01:00	Wellington NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 341-6 beat UAE 195 47.3 by 146 runs
14 Mar 01:00	Auckland NZ	INDIA 288-4 48.4 beat ZIMBABWE 287 48.5 by six wickets
14 Mar 22:00	Napier NZ	WEST INDIES 176-4 30.3 beat UAE 175 47.4 by six wickets
15 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	PAKISTAN 241-3 46.1 beat IRELAND 237 by seven wickets

GROUP B	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) INDIA	6	0	0	+1.83	12
(Q) SOUTH AFRICA	4	2	0	+1.71	8
(Q) PAKISTAN	4	2	0	-0.09	8
(Q) WEST INDIES	3	3	0	-0.05	6
IRELAND	3	3	0	-0.93	6
ZIMBABWE	1	5	0	-0.53	2
UAE	0	6	0	-2.03	0

QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue	Result
18 Mar 03:30	Sydney Aus	SOUTH AFRICA (B2) v SRI LANKA (A3)
19 Mar 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA (B1) v BANGLADESH (A4)
20 Mar 03:30	Adelaide Aus	AUSTRALIA (A2) v PAKISTAN (B3)
21 Mar 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND (A1) v WEST INDIES (B4)

Cricket World Cup: England avoid slipping on Scotland banana skin

CRICKET WORLD CUP

Group A preview - Group B preview - Results sheet
Group update - Group review - Quarter finals - Semi finals - FINAL

ENGLAND got their faltering World Cup campaign back on track with a straightforward 119-run win over minnows Scotland in Christchurch. 

Moeen Ali struck 128 off 107 balls as part of a record opening stand of 172 with Ian Bell as Peter Moores' under-pressure side belatedly enjoyed their first success of the tournament.

Earlier, England had been well-beaten by both co-hosts, Australia and New Zealand, as they briefly sank to the bottom of Group A.

The match on the opening night against the Aussies began well enough as England reduced the home side to 70-3. 

But, in front of a packed out Melbourne Cricket Ground, Aaron Finch put the Baggy Greens in the driving seat with a 135 before Mitchell Marsh produced the goods with the ball, taking 5-33. 

Yes, it was not Mitchell Johnson but rather his namesake Marsh who did the most damage with only James Taylor offering significant resistance. 

Indeed, Notts batsman Taylor made an unbeaten 98 and was unfairly denied the chance of a century after last man James Anderson was run out off a dead ball. 

The ball had become dead after Taylor was adjudged to have been trapped lbw before overturning the decision on review. 

It was a bizarre conclusion to a slightly bizarre match in which Steven Finn became the first Englishman to take a World Cup hat-trick to finish with figures of 5-71. 

Finn took three wickets off the final three balls of the Aussie innings, all from miscued shots to catches in the deep, as Darren Lehmann's side - in typical style - looked to pulverise their opponents.

But, ultimately, their score of 342 was more than enough as England were bowled out in 41.5 overs. 

Amazingly, England's next match - against New Zealand - lasted little more than that length of time in its entirety.

Winning the toss again, but this time opting to bat, England crumbled to the swing of Tim Southee as he became the first New Zealander, and only the fourth man ever, to take seven wickets in a World Cup match. 

Southee ended up taking 7-33 as England were 123 all out in just 33.2 overs. Losing their final seven wickets for just 19 runs, it was a lower score even than Scotland had managed in the Black Caps' previous match. 

In that game, Brendon McCullum's men only just got over the line, winning by three wickets in Dunedin - but McCullum himself was to ensure this contest would remain thoroughly one-sided throughout. 

The Kiwi skipper broke his own World Cup record with a half-century in 18 balls beating his previous marker of 20 from 2007. 

And, after scoring four successive sixes off the bowling of Finn (0-49 off two overs), McCullum was eventually out to Chris Woakes for 77 off just 25 deliveries. 

Woakes then made another quick blow to dismiss Martin Guptill - and New Zealand, by then requiring just 12 more runs, were forced by the vagaries of cricket rules to take a scheduled 45-minute break. 

Nevertheless, Woakes's efforts were far too little too late as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor saw the co-hosts home inside 13 overs. Altogether, Wellington had seen less than half a game. 

It was indeed a crushing defeat, perhaps England's worst, with BBC correspondent Jonathan Agnew being kind in describing it as the "most one-sided international match" he had ever seen. 

Most commentators were far more scathing than that, with former captain Michael Vaughan suggesting on Twitter that the match against Scotland had become an "even money contest". 

Ultimately, it was nothing of the sort as England enjoyed their largest World Cup victory margin by runs since beating East Africa by 196 runs at Birmingham in 1975.

Even still, there were areas for huge improvement. England, having built up that big opening stand of 172, lost eight wickets and managed only 131 runs in the final 20 overs. 

As the Scottish openers took to the crease, memories of Ireland successfully chasing down 327 four years ago threatened to return to haunt England. 

But, once captain Preston Mommsen and Kyle Coetzer departed in successive overs, the Scots were never really in the chase. 

Indeed, the Saltires have now lost every single one of their 10 World Cup games across three tournaments. 

And they now must look to their next game against Afghanistan on Wednesday or perhaps exactly a week later against Bangladesh to break their duck. 

The Bangladeshis, though, could be a tough proposition as they have their tails up without even playing after gaining an unexpected point in their match against Australia in Brisbane. 

Torrential rain from a cyclone off the Queensland coast caused only the second ever complete abandonment of a World Cup match.

Instead, it is looking more and more as if England v Bangladesh on 9 March will effectively become a fourth-place playoff for the final qualifying spot in Group A, behind New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Group B is less straightforward as a result of Ireland yet again proving their World Cup worth after they easily chased down West Indies' total of 304 to win by four wickets in Nelson. 

It was Ireland's fourth win over a Test-playing nation at World Cups following victories over Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2007, and - as mentioned above - England in 2011.

Moreover, of the five successful World Cup chases in excess of 300, three of them have been by the indefatigable Irish.

Following this most recent success, legendary West Indies bowler Michael Holding rightly called for William Porterfield's men to be given Test status immediately - and so they should, at least on a trial basis.

After all, what exactly have the governing body, the ICC, got to lose by expanding the game, especially in a place where the seeds of success have already been sown?

Back to Group B, and West Indies therefore did remarkably well to bounce back from the Ireland defeat with a convincing 150-run thumping of Pakistan. 

That defeat for Pakistan leaves them rock-bottom of Group B with two defeats out of two after they lost a sixth World Cup match out of six against India on the opening weekend in Adelaide. 

The game against India was the most watched cricket match of all time with an estimated television audience of one billion. 

But, after Virat Kohli's 107 and Mohammed Shami's 4-35, it was the same old story for Pakistan who - like England - must now rely on turning their form around against the minnows. 

By contrast, holders India - who arrived at the tournament in terrible form - now already have one foot in the quarter finals after carrying the momentum from the Pakistan win into their match against South Africa. 

The Proteas - who had won their opening match against Zimbabwe comfortably enough - collapsed from 108-2 to 177 all out to lose by 130 runs after India's Shikhar Dhawan provided scoreboard pressure with a 137.

It leaves the Group B table looking good for India who are clear at the top on four points. Ireland are the only other unbeaten team in the section - but, having played just once, they are one of a clutch of four teams on two points. 

UAE and Pakistan bring up the rear on zero points - with Ireland playing the former in an eminently winnable game on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, England are next in action at 10pm on Saturday night British-time against Sri Lanka.

GROUP A RESULTS

Date	Venue	Result
13 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	NEW ZEALAND 331-6 beat SRI LANKA 233 46.1 by 98 runs
14 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	AUSTRALIA 342-9 beat ENGLAND 231 41.5 by 111 runs
16 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	NEW ZEALAND 146-7 24.5 beat SCOTLAND 142 36.2 by 3 wkts
18 Feb 03:30	Canberra Aus	BANGLADESH 267 beat AFGHANISTAN 162 42.5 by 105 runs
20 Feb 01:00	Wellington NZ	NEW ZEALAND 125-2 12.2 beat ENGLAND 123 33.2 by 8 wickets
21 Feb 03:30	Brisbane Aus	AUSTRALIA N/R BANGLADESH - match abandoned (rain)
21 Feb 22:00	Dunedin NZ	SRI LANKA 236-6 48.2 beat AFGHANISTAN 232 49.4 by 4 wickets
22 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	ENGLAND 303-8 beat SCOTLAND 184 42.2 by 119 runs

Remaining fixtures

GROUP A	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
NEW ZEALAND	3	0	0	+3.59	6
AUSTRALIA	1	0	1	+2.22	3
BANGLADESH	1	0	1	+2.10	3
SRI LANKA	1	1	0	-0.86	2
ENGLAND	1	2	0	-1.42	2
AFGHANISTAN	0	2	0	-1.18	0
SCOTLAND	0	2	0	-2.74	0

GROUP B RESULTS

Date	Venue	Result
15 Feb 01:00	Hamilton NZ	SOUTH AFRICA 339-4 beat ZIMBABWE 277 48.2 by 62 runs
15 Feb 03:30	Adelaide Aus	INDIA 300-7 beat PAKISTAN 224 47 by 76 runs
15 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	IRELAND 307-6 45.5 beat WEST INDIES 304-7 by four wickets
18 Feb 22:00	Nelson NZ	ZIMBABWE 286-6 48 beat UAE 285-7 by four wickets
20 Feb 22:00	Christchurch NZ	WEST INDIES 310-6 beat PAKISTAN 160 39 by 150 runs
22 Feb 03:30	Melbourne Aus	INDIA 307-7 beat SOUTH AFRICA 177 40.2 by 130 runs

Remaining fixtures

GROUP B	W	L	NR Tie	Run  rate	Pts
INDIA	2	0	0	+2.06	4
WEST INDIES	1	1	0	+1.27	2
IRELAND	1	0	0	+0.62	2
ZIMBABWE	1	1	0	-0.49	2
SOUTH AFRICA	1	1	0	-0.68	2
UAE	0	1	0	-0.26	0
PAKISTAN	0	2	0	-2.26	0

LIST OF CENTURY MAKERS

138* David Miller (South Africa) off 92 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton 

137 Shikhar Dhawan (India) off 146 balls v South Africa in Melbourne 

135 Aaron Finch (Australia) off 128 balls v England in Melbourne

128 Moeen Ali (England) off 107 balls v Scotland in Christchurch

115* JP Duminy (South Africa) off 100 balls v Zimbabwe in Hamilton

107 Virat Kohli (India) off 126 balls v Pakistan in Adelaide

102 Lendl Simmons (West Indies) off 84 balls v Ireland in Nelson

100 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) off 120 balls v Afghanistan in Dunedin

LIST OF FIVE-FERS

7-33 Tim Southee (New Zealand) v England in Wellington

5-33 Mitchell Marsh (Australia) v England in Melbourne

5-55 Sohail Khan (Pakistan) v India in Adelaide

5-71 Steven Finn (England) v Australia in Melbourne