Australia's batting struggles continued at The Oval before Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke steadied the innings and built a solid platform by the halfway mark. Shane Watson again fell after making a strong start and England's decision to send the visitors in looked well founded, but after 25 overs Australia had worked their way to 115 for 2 with Ponting on 33 and Clarke on 28.
England could have made it three wickets when Clarke was dropped on 5 by James Anderson, who watched the ball sail through his hands at cover from an uppish drive off Graeme Swann. It was a bad miss for one of the better fielders in the England side, and only time will tell how costly it could prove.
Ponting was in better touch than during his scratchy innings at Old Trafford on Sunday, and a perfectly timed and placed off-drive for four off Tim Bresnan was a positive sign. Ponting's desire for the batsmen to turn around their poor results was evident when he saw Watson's demise and gave his partner a stern and prolonged stare for his ill judgment.
Despite defeat by Brazil, Chile has finally cast aside its jealousies and rivalries and found inspiration in its young footballers Chile, led by their Argentinian coach, Marcela Bielsa, aka El Loco, were talked about for their passion and agility. Photograph: Claudio Santana/AFP/Getty Images
"Thanks for everything kids!" blared the headline of La Cuarta, Chile's populist news daily yesterday. The national team may be out of the World Cup after a 3-0 thrashing by the five-time champions Brazil, but they will be welcomed home as heroes.
Known as "La Roja" (The Reds), Chile's team was the youngest in the competition, which showed in their passion, agility, and, unfortunately, mistakes on the field. As other teams were beset by scandal in the group stages, Chile were talked about for their action-packed attack, leading to solid victories over Honduras and Switzerland, their first World Cup victories since 1962, when they hosted the tournament.
If ever there was a year that Chile needed to shine on the international stage it is 2010. Following a devastating earthquake in February, the country was shaken, shattered, then united in a mission to rebuild before the winter rains. World Cup football became the glue that cemented this nascent sense of national unity.
In September Chile celebrates its bicentennial, but 200 years of independence from Spain has not provided a sense of national identity. Unlike neighbouring Argentina or nearby Brazil where national flags sprout from every third apartment window, in Santiago the signs of World Cup fever were reserved for match days. Chileans are not patriotic, often criticising their country to the extent of berating expats, "Why would you live here?"
Typically Chileans look to foreigners for a measure of self-worth and this World Cup was no different. Most of the attention given to the Chilean team was focused on an Argentinian – the coach, Marcelo Bielsa, aka El Loco or The Crazy One – who was regularly photographed contorting his face into wild screams, exhortations and hair pulling as his young superstars sparked but never quite took flight.
And yet, this World Cup provided a tunnel of focused optimism in which the nation's best characteristics were reinforced and the legendary jealousies, rivalries and envy were dumped aside. Chileans saw their nation's potential unleashed on the world in a young, intelligent group of players whose camaraderie screamed "team".
Unlike most of South America, Chile is not a football nation. Only Venezuela has less interest in football and their excuse is baseball – the national pastime. Chile has never been a sports nation, unless you include competitive parking at the supermarket or an hour a week of gym for schoolchildren who are often seen running around the block in blue jeans and rain boots.
Five days on and everyone seems to have finally calmed down after England's disappointing 1-1 draw with the United States last Saturday.
Obviously it wasn't the result we had all been hoping for but there were some positives to take out of the performance.
England started very well, particularly during the first 15 minutes, with Steven Gerrard looking much more comfortable playing through the middle than being stuck out wide.
But after going ahead we started to look more exposed, particularly in the centre of midfield. Frank Lampard is not a natural holding player but that is the role he was forced to play with Gerrard continuously bombing on to support the two strikers.
Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey both managed to find space in-front of the back-four on a number of occasions, with Dempsey scoring and Donovan coming close.
Emile Heskey did well up-front but he needs to be dropped so that Gareth Barry can return to protect John Terry and co. Barry has become an integral part of the England side under Fabio Capello and he needs to get games under his belt before we come up against a team of real quality in the knockout stages.
Another player I'd like to come into the team to face Algeria would be Matthew Upson.
I wasn't convinced by Jamie Carragher when he came on in place of the injured Ledley King on Saturday evening. His lack of pace makes the defence look vulnerable at times, as we saw when Jozy Altidore almost put the US in-front in Rustenburg.
The other option is Michael Dawson, who had a fine season for Tottenham but is just too inexperienced at international level to be thrown into such an important game.
Upson has a bit more pace than Carragher and although he didn't have the greatest season with West Ham, he played well alongside Terry during the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Most of the first half was little more than a stalemate as Serbia's back four, marshalled with authority by Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, held firm against a wave of controlled, steady attacks from a patient Germany.
Neither side were able to produce a shooting chance inside the penalty area, although a knock-down from Miroslav Klose after 35 minutes almost found Mesut Ozil who for once had worked his way into some space.
That would prove to be Klose's last touch of the ball as, two minutes later, he was given a second yellow card for a trip from behind. It was a bookable offence and, although his first yellow for a similar offence was more debatable, Klose should have been experienced enough to know when to let some tackles go.
Germany, shocked and disorganised by that decision, were made to pay only one minute later. Milos Krasic drove down the right to the byline and stood up an excellent cross under pressure to find the giant Nikola Zigic at the back post where the new Birmingham City striker had the sense to see Milan Jovanovic unmarked in the centre, allowing the 29-year-old to apply a simple finish.
The Germans didn't have to wait long for a chance to equalise as Serbia failed to control the match despite an extra man. Vladimir Stojkovic was at fault as the keeper weakly punched away a corner to Sami Khedira who struck a fierce half-volley against the underside of the bar.
For most of the second half Germany didn't look much like a team with one man short, with Lukas Podolski on the left and Thomas Muller on the right finding space on regular occasions.
It was a run from the left that provided Germany with their best chance of the half, when a cross from that flank looked to be going harmlessly over everyone in the area before Vidic inexplicably raised his arm to stop the ball.
Podolski stepped up to take the spot-kick but his effort was a weak one, low to Stojkovic's left. Germany, for the first time in over 35 years, had missed a regular time penalty in a World Cup.
From then on the Germans dropped off the pace and Serbia grew in confidence, hitting the crossbar through Zigic and the post through Jovanovic but in the end they were more than happy to be on the right side of a 1-0 result.
One of the most exciting meetings of the group stages failed to ignite in Port Elizabeth with neither side able to bring a low-key game to life.
Much of the pre-match build-up had focused on whether Didier Drogba would start for Ivory Coast just 11 days after breaking his arm. The Chelsea striker was named on the bench by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and struggled to make an impact on the game after being sent on as a 66th minute substitute.
The other major star on display, Cristiano Ronaldo, started like he meant business with a string of strong runs at the Ivory Coast defence. He brought the match to life on 11 minutes when he crashed a 30-yard shot off the upright with the goalkeeper well beaten.
The world's most expensive player was then involved in a 21st minute flashpoint when he and Guy Demel squared up to one another amid suggestions that he had dived to win a free-kick. The result was a yellow card for both and the rest of the first half descended into a tetchy contest devoid of any moment of real quality.
Ivory Coast looked brighter after the interval and Gervinho mis-controlled in the box to waste a shooting opportunity, before Salomon Kalou side-footed an effort straight at the goalkeeper from 18 yards as the match threatened to burst into life.
Liedson directed a headed half-chance on target midway through the half but goalkeeper Boubacar Barry was able to pluck the ball out of the air.
Drogba came on soon after but was something of a bystander until he skewed a stoppage-time chance from a tight angle wide after being shadowed well by club-mate Ricardo Carvalho.
With the game 30 seconds over the allotted three minutes of stoppage time, Ivory Coast decided to take a short corner and the referee saw that as a fitting place to end a match short on quality and attacking inspiration.
Sri Lanka survived Shahid Afridi's finest innings and Shoaib Akhtar on comeback through some desperate fielding and lovely bowling from Lasith Malinga. The batsmen before Afridi seemed either incompetent of or uninterested in the chase, the batsmen with him seemed intent on running themselves out, his cramp-induced groans could be heard through the stump microphone, he hobbled the last 17 of his runs, and he had taken Pakistan from 32 for 4 to within 39 of the target when Kumar Sangakkara produced a catch for the ages. Malinga, coming back into ODI cricket, then produced a lethal three-over spell inside the batting Powerplay to wipe the tail off much in the fashion Pakistanis are used to doing with others.
Afridi then reminded the crowd Pakistan were indeed trying to win the match. Just like that, he smacked the first two balls pitched up to him for sixes. Farveez Maharoof was at the receiving end, and learned his lesson fast: he hardly pitched anything up in the rest of his spell, and bowled some impressive cutters, but didn't court success.
You could sense Sri Lanka were now waiting for the inevitable mistake from Afridi. You could sense Afridi was not going to make that inevitable mistake. The deep fielders waited for catches, all they got was shots to their right or their left that got Pakistan couples. Umar Akmal joined in the process, and the pair began to use the big ground to their advantage. On nine occasions they managed to take couples during their 73-run fifth-wicket stand. In a further exhibition of calculated hitting, Afridi lofted Murali for four sixes in four overs, all over his head, all risk-free.
With cause for worry, Sangakkara brought Malinga back for the 25th over, and Umar set off for a suicidal single having defended straight to short cover. And Tillakaratne Dilshan is not the man to steal sharp singles off. Umar's brother, Kamran Akmal, way better with the batting gloves than the keeping ones, started another important partnership.
Afridi now took his innings to a level higher, finding gaps through the field for fours. Murali was welcomed back with a swept boundary in the 32nd over, taking Afridi to 74, and Pakistan to 154. Off the second ball, Kamran got run out. Still no impact on Afridi. He was not fazed even by a short ball from Malinga that he couldn't spot. A fantastic slower ball followed, which he was deceived by but still managed to glance it for four.
Pakistan cricket is in the spotlight, once again. Having endured a period of internal upheaval, they have zeroed in on a squad full of surprises. One former captain retired, while two others appealed successfully against their bans. One of those two - Shoaib Malik - returned to the side and will be playing under a new leader, Shahid Afridi, who not very long ago accused Malik of back-biting. Out of nowhere, the once spectacular Shoaib Akhtar was recalled. Even faithful fans struggle to keep track of the changes, while critics question the madness surrounding the method. But one thing everyone will acknowledge is that the selectors have hit upon a reasonably balanced ODI outfit.
Pakistan have traditionally under-performed at the Asia Cup, winning just one tournament, and their recent one-day record is miserable, but they have managed to lift their game in recent multi-team events. Admittedly, three of those four have been in the Twenty20 format, and there-in lies the danger Pakistan poses - both to their opponents and to themselves. They have the ability to go all the way with short and sharp bursts of inspiration, but are just as likely to combust.
After paying for too many strokes too early in the first match, Zimbabwe seemed to have erred on the side of caution in the second, but Tatenda Taibu and Charles Coventry took Zimbabwe to their second-best Twenty20 total. Sweeps and reverse-sweeps from Taibu and a late cameo from Coventry took them to a mildly competitive total after an inexplicably slow start had them down at 64 for 3 in the 13th over.
There were 48 dot balls in the innings, five of them because Hamilton Masakadza shouldered arms to the first six deliveries he faced, one of them a wide. He was out to the first aggressive shot he played, hitting straight down mid-off's throat. Brendan Taylor and Chamu Chibhabha didn't try any big shots off the seamers, and Ashok Dinda and R Vinay Kumar got through the first five overs for just 16 runs.
In the sixth over, Chibhabha tried the expansive slog sweep and was bowled by Pragyan Ojha. Taylor managed a couple of lovely boundaries down the ground, but there weren't enough singles off his bat. When he was taken superbly at the long-off boundary by Yusuf Pathan, he had reached only 26 off 31.
Taibu, though, was playing a different game: sweeping, reverse-sweeping, running crazily fast, hitting the spinners off their lengths. He may have hit only two boundaries - a sweep of each variety - but had raced to 25 off 18 when Taylor got out. Coventry came out and made you wonder just why the top order batted so slowly. He reverse-swept R Ashwin for two boundaries in the 16th over, and between those two hits fit an exquisite six over extra cover. Vinay offered him length in the next over, and Coventry got another six.
In the 18th over, Dinda removed Coventry with a perfect yorker. Elton Chigumbura played a mini cameo, hitting Ashwin in the 19th over for six, six and four, but Suresh Raina took a blinder running behind from midwicket towards deep midwicket to control the damage. Taibu didn't manage any more boundaries, and his incredible running helped them get 10 runs in the last over.
