/ Editor / 18 March 2007 /

The World Cup 'Minnows'

Any lingering suggestions that the lesser teams should not be at the World Cup were blown away by Ireland on Saturday. Their remarkable St Patrick's Day victory over Pakistan all but secured their progress to the Super Eight stage and also condemned the 1992 winners to a humiliating early exit.

With India slipping up against Bangladesh, the second stage might have a different look to what was expected at the tournament's outset. Some commentators expected the group stage to be a formality, a chance for the big guns to enjoy match practice against minnows who were simply happy to make up the numbers.

Ireland have proved that the associate teams can mix it with the Test-playing nations, although this tournament has already had its share of mismatches. Scotland, Bermuda and the Netherlands have all been on the receiving end of hammerings that suggested that the gap between the elite and the second tier was as wide as ever.

Three of the four largest World Cup winning margins have come this week, but any complacency among the big guns would have been banished by Pakistan's humbling. The England players who were involved in late-night drunken antics two days before they face Canada were surely sobered up by the mauling Pakistan received in their press, as much as the fines they received from the England management.

World Cups often make stars of players, but few can have expected the likes of Jeremy Bray, Niall O'Brien and Boyd Rankin to be the headline makers. Bray hit an unbeaten ton in his side's thrilling tied match with Zimbabwe, while O'Brien and Rankin starred with bat and ball respectively against Pakistan.

Those players represent the blend of players that have made Ireland a successful unit. Bray is a combative left hander who brings experience and Australian competitiveness to the side - he, like fellow Aussies Trent Johnston and Dave Langford-Smith, qualifies for Ireland through residency. Bray represented New South Wales and Australia under-19s and is clearly enjoying his belated chance to play on the biggest stage in the twilight of his career.

Youngster Rankin is on Derbyshire's books for the coming season and he announced himself in emphatic style by claiming three for 32 on Saturday. Wicketkeeper O'Brien is already established on the County circuit and his match-winning 72 against Pakistan was the perfect answer to Kent, who released him at the end of last season due to Geraint Jones' return from the England team. Northamptonshire will benefit from O'Brien's services this season.

Ireland now trade at 13 to record another upset against a West Indies team that is as prone to collapses and inconsistency as Pakistan are. An Irish win would see them progress to the Super Eights as Group D winners.

Zimbabwe's tie with the Irish looked like being the closest we'd get to a shock, but they themselves now have a chance of progression - they trade at 40 to win the group and will relish the chance to face a Pakistan team that is already out of the tournament.

Like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh cannot be considered minnows, although their win over India was still a major surprise. The 14 previous One Day meetings with their subcontinent rivals had brought just one win, but they entered the tournament with plenty of confidence after handing out some thrashings to the minnows and beating New Zealand in a warm-up fixture.

India must now beat an in-form Sri Lanka outfit to guarantee qualification for the second phase. Rahul Dravid's men nonetheless trade at 3.15 to win Group B and at 15.5 to go the distance. Bangladesh are available at 3.8 to win the group and they will look for further inspiration from Mashrafe Mortaza, whose four for 38 lifted him to 12th in the ODI rankings list, and 17-year-old Tamim Iqbal, who smashed a quickfire half century.

Ireland and Bangladesh's heroics have been offset by some heavy defeats for the other lesser teams. Australia outclassed Scotland in the tournament's second match, whilst Bermuda were routed for just 78 by Sri Lanka's attack.

Bermuda and Scotland fared better in the field than the Netherlands did against South Africa. While Ireland's players will return home as heroes, Daan van Bunge will be remembered as the first man in ODIs to concede six sixes in one over.

Records tumbled in that St Kitts clash, as South Africa hit the most ever sixes in an ODI innings and Mark Boucher joined in the fun with Herschelle Gibbs by recording the fastest ever World Cup half century. Jacques Kallis hit a dashing ton and now trades at 10 in the top runscorer market.

The spectacle of the Proteas batsmen flaying the Dutch attack in front of a sparse crowd supports the suggestion that the minnows should not be part of the World Cup. Ireland answered those critics in impressive style and also proved the value of the high performance programme that sought to improve the game worldwide.

The minnows who qualified for the last World Cup, Kenya, Namibia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates were given funding and expert coaching by the ICC to develop their teams and cricketing structures.

Kenya, fortuitous semi-finalists last time around, seem to be the success story of that group, as they pushed the West Indies close in a warm up match and cruised past Canada in their Group C clash.

Punters looking for another upset in the group stages might look towards Kenya's clash with England next Saturday. England were pretty dismal in losing to New Zealand and they will have to be on their guard against Kenya, who are well marshalled by skipper Steve Tikolo, the veteran of four World Cups.

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