Cricket: New Zealand cling to thin lifeline after loss

7.00am

CENTURION - New Zealand clung to the thinnest of lifelines this morning after defeat by India meant their World Cup semi-final chances now depend on events beyond their control.

The New Zealanders, deservedly beaten for the second Super Six match in a row, can still squeak into the last four if Zimbabwe defeat Sri Lanka on Saturday. A New Zealand win would have eliminated the 1996 champions.

"We have to sit and watch Zimbabwe but we are disappointed we can't control it ourselves," said New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

Sri Lanka manager Ajit Jajasekera added: "It's a good result for us because it gives us a chance. But we are playing a test nation tomorrow and they will not be easy to beat."

Defending champions Australia meet Kenya in the final match of the second round with the result of academic interest only. Both teams, along with India, are already through to the semis.

Australia, who will meet either Sri Lanka or New Zealand in the semi-finals, have won all eight matches in the tournament and have now recorded a record 14 one-day victories in a row.

"The expectation that we just have to go out and win is brewing, you can feel it around," said vice-captain Adam Gilchrist.

"We have played some terrific cricket and some cricket we have not been too pleased with when our opponents outplayed us. That has been a good reality check."

Australia and India have been the form teams of the tournament, with India improving by the day since they lost to the defending champions by nine wickets in the first round.


Defeated 5-2 in a one-day series in New Zealand last year, Saurav Ganguly's men took emphatic revenge on Friday.

Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan exposed lack of technique by Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle in his opening over, dismissing both batsmen for ducks, a setback from which New Zealand were never to recover.

McMillan, recalled to the side after missing the defeat by Australia, turned his second ball off the stumps to square-leg. Astle, who scored a duck against Australia after an unbeaten century against Zimbabwe, played across a straight one and was lbw without scoring.

Hope flared briefly for the Kiwis when the excellent Shane Bond took two wickets through sheer, burning pace. Sachin Tendulkar responded by taking three boundaries in a row of Daryl Tuffey, two with perfectly timed off-drives and a third when he correctly anticipated a shorter delivery and swivelled on the balls of his feet to hit the ball through midwicket.

But he then slashed an attempted cut to Jacob Oram at point and, at 21 for three, New Zealand were back in the game. Unfortunately for them, wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum dropped a regulation chance from Rahul Dravid when the India sheet anchor had scored only one.

The force was now back with India and Dravid, in combination with Mohammad Kaif, batted New Zealand out of the game. The pair both scored unbeaten half centuries as India won by seven wickets with overs to spare.

For the first time in a history dominated by spin, India are fielding three genuine pace bowlers in Khan, fellow left-armer Ashish Nehra and Javagal Srinath. The trio have taken 43 of the 71 wickets to fall to India in the tournament.

"Nehra was outstanding today," said Fleming. "Khan got the wickets but Nehra was the best. It wasn't a collapse, it was bad performance all the way through."

- REUTERS

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