MUMBAI – An India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final is the most appetising prospect to emerge from a month of preliminary matches which otherwise served primarily to confirm the identity of a predictable final eight.
Pakistan and West Indies open the quarter-finals in Dhaka on Wednesday with the winners drawn against the victors of the India versus Australia match in Ahmedabad on the following day. South Africa and New Zealand meet in Dhaka on Friday before Sri Lanka host England in Colombo on Saturday in the battle for the second semi-final spot.
Anxious to avoid an early exit for any of the leading contenders after India and Pakistan flew home early from the 2007 tournament, the ICC pitched the 14 teams into a round-robin first round format. “We trying to ensure we give every team the best opportunity of remaining in the competition and not losing out just because of one bad game so that the best do go through,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.
Australia are not the force of previous tournaments, losing a World Cup match for the first time in 12 years when they were deservedly beaten by Pakistan in the first round. India have a nation willing them to success in the Mumbai final on April 2. But their collective temperament has been questioned after they emerged with only one point from their matches against England and South Africa despite centuries on both occasions to the peerless Sachin Tendulkar.
South Africa’s belief that this may at last be their year after a history of underachievement in the tournament is based on a fine pace attack, able spin bowling, solid batting and their customary slick fielding. England, who have looked at times physically and mentally spent since their Ashes heroics, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh but emphasised their fighting spirit under Andrew Strauss in a tie with India and victories over South Africa and West Indies.
