Blimey! I was right! I couldn't have expected such a low-scoring contest but England's record of one nail-biter after another continues into the third week. I had picked South Africa's use of two good spinners as tipping the scales their way to win the World Cup, and here were Peterson and Imran Tahir taking seven wickets, including the openers within the first over of the match! Yardy wasn't quite so successful as an opening bowler, but the South Africans' self-destruct button was well worn by the end of their own innings, although it owed more to excellent spells by the swing of Anderson and seam of Broad. Ravi Bopara somehow won the Man of the Match award. I know he top-scored and with the ever-dependable Trott really steadied the ship with their 99-run partnership, but it was England's main fast-medium pair who brought about the near-unthinkable and clinched the game and briefly the position of Group B leaders.
The old 'chokers' tag has been revived but I don't think that is necessarily deserved. The South African players are too talented and experienced for that, but they need to have faith in their ability. With the blend of youth and experience, pace and spin, and arguably the world's best ODI wicketkeeper-batsman in AB de Villiers, this is their real chance of snatching their first World Cup. For all their maddening inconsistency, however, I would never rule out England doing the same.
Speaking of South Africans, I see that KP has opted to quit the World Cup to have his hernia operation straightaway. He may tweet about also missing the IPL but I bet you he returns to India to collect his enormous T20 pay packet!
So what about the Associates' latest efforts? Well, Ireland topped 200 against India and removed the opposition's top four relatively cheaply, so Will Porterfield and co once more acquitted themselves well, even if they eventually ran up against the combined might and common sense of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.
Today was the battle of the basement teams in Group A. While Canada had a good record against Kenya in recent times, I still expected the African side to edge the contest. Indeed, when 48-3, it looked as if Canada could crumble, but the India-born duo of Bagai and Hansra led the team to victory. To make things more confusing, their best bowler, Henry Osinde was born in Africa (Uganda) and only two of their side were representing the country of their birth! I'm pleased for veteran John Davison, one of those two home-grown stars, that in his third innings of the tournament he finally broke his duck, striking his only ball faced for four! From small acorns......!
