Wings spread but take-off on hold

But they have now played five games and the outing against Canada in Benoni on Monday has created added impetus to their effort in a bid to get their run rate up a notch or two higher. As he ruefully reflected on his own controversial dismissal, Fleming agreed the remaining six days of the Pool B would make the top five sides sweat a bit.

Given out caught and bowled to the gentle seamer Khaled Mahmud, with Australian umpire Darrel Harper making the controversial moment of the game (well . . . what do you expect? Aussies do not like their Kiwi cousins), Fleming is not one to harbour grudges. What is bothering him, South Africa’s Shaun Pollock along with the West Indies and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya are the three key remaining games.

Sri Lanka have the tougher of the run in: the West Indies at Newlands in Cape Town tomorrow where experience and tradition indicates how winning the toss could prove to be the undoing of the side batting second. Defeat for either side does not mean an early exit, but this is the first of the three important games. Then we have South Africa and Sri Lanka, also under lights, in Durban on Monday. All of which is why the defeat by Kenya in Nairobi on Monday was a game they could not afford to lose as the NRR factor is going to play an important role. Should Sri Lanka lose both games New Zealand are likely to go through. Slap in the middle of the various equations is the Kenya game on Saturday against Bangladesh at the Wanderers.

There will be far more interest down the road where India play Pakistan, but this Pool B game at the Wanderers is the third of the games where the result could spell gloom for one of the three sides labouring in the middle-order.

There are several variations here for a Kenya victory and an improved NRR and two Test sides are going to dip out on the Super Sixes. Zimbabwe upset the calculations in 1999 when they went through on the strength of the victory over South Africa at Chelmsford; it was a defeat that set up an eventual semi-final against Australia and while Bob Woolmer, who had to step in and explain what the defeat meant (‘Hansie is busy in the shower’ was Woolmer’s comment; it was later discovered he was sulking).

This time it is Kenya who could create the problem. Should their sixteen points and net run rate give them the edge it is a matter of two Test sides drawing the short straw. That is, of course, should the East Africans beat Bangladesh.

Not that Bangladesh can be ignored; the way the batted against New Zealand today was an indication that they are starting to look like a competitive side. Mohammed Ashraful has suddenly been ‘discovered’ by South Africa TV commentators. After a mediocre start to the tournament his innings of fifty six against New Zealand and Shane Bond occasionally bowling plus 151 km/ph gave the top-order a start missing.

What happened later in the innings was quiet entertaining with the captain, Khaled Mashud, and Mohammad Rafique slapping the ball around and putting a sixty-eight run partnership together.

That New Zealand went after the runs and picked them off with ninety-nine balls to spare helped the NRR; Chris Cairns looked in touch and Scott Styris hammred the ball around, but more important was the start at the top of the order wit Craig McMillan taking on the senior role once Fleming departed. New Zealand have battled to find an adequate replacement for Roger Twose and he might just fill that position.