The Great Game Called Cricket...

Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen powered England to their first ICC global title with an irresistible 111-run stand for the second wicket, as Australia were outmuscled in a battle of the bowlers at Bridgetown. Despite a brave recovery led by David Hussey, who made 59 from 54 balls, Australia's hopes of claiming the only world title to have eluded them were devastated from the moment they lost three wickets in 13 legitimate deliveries in a stunning start to the contest.

Chasing a target of 148, Kieswetter and Pietersen broke the back of the chase in an 11-over alliance, but fittingly it was left to England's captain, Paul Collingwood, to seal the victory with 18 balls to spare. At the moment of victory, he was mobbed by his jubilant team-mates as they poured out of the dug-out, with incredulity and triumph writ large on their features. Barely 12 months ago, Collingwood was leading England to defeat against the Netherlands in the opening contest of the 2009 event. Now he has joined football's Bobby Moore and rugby's Martin Johnson in captaining England to a world sporting title.

The difference between the sides was underlined by the boundary count. Whereas Australia managed eight fours and three sixes in their 20 overs, and just two fours in the first 12 overs, England clattered 12 fours and five sixes in 17, as their confident and attacking batsmen targeted the weak links in the Australian bowling line-up - in particular Shane Watson - to motor past a mid-range target. England, by contrast, showed no weaknesses with the ball or in the field, as their multi-faceted five-prong attack tore onto the offensive with an aggressive but highly strategic display.

The start of the contest was sensational, as Australia crashed to 8 for 3 with a wicket in each of the first three overs. Ryan Sidebottom, a controversial selection a week ago but an automatic choice now, settled England's nerves and exacerbated those of the Australians by removing Shane Watson with the third delivery of the match. A lifter outside off was slashed through to Kieswetter, who fumbled the initial take only for an alert Graeme Swann at slip to dive forward and grasp the rebound in the heel of his hands.

One over later, the dangerous David Warner was run out for 2, as his captain, Michael Clarke, called him through for a tight single at short cover, only for Michael Lumb to swoop and score a direct hit with his underarm shy. And before Australia had had time to regroup, they were undermined by misfortune as well, as Brad Haddin was adjudged caught behind off his hip - brilliantly caught, in fact, by a full-stretch Kieswetter - as Sidebottom snaffled his second.

The effect of the early breakthroughs was to hand all of the initiative to England's charged-up attack, who came at Australia with a Test-match intensity. While the pace in the pitch encouraged the seamers to bend their backs, they were sensibly sparing with the short balls, and instead concentrated on pinning the batsmen to the crease with arrow-straight but undriveable lengths. Had Lumb's aim been slightly better, he might have added two further run-outs from short cover, as Clarke betrayed his anxiety with a succession of nip-and-tuck quick singles.

It wasn't until Clarke nudged Sidebottom through fine leg in the fifth over that Australia registered their first boundary, and though he added a second when he pulled a rare long-hop from Bresnan through mid-on, the score was 34 for 3 after seven overs when England turned to their spinners, Swann and Michael Yardy, with licence to apply the tourniquet. And when Collingwood leapt superbly at short midwicket to snaffle an attempted flick from Clarke, Australia had slumped to 45 for 4 in the tenth over.

Not for the first time in this tournament, however, Cameron White had the power and the intent to lift Australia's tempo. He chose the 13th over of the innings, Yardy's third, to make his move, as he followed a David Hussey swipe for six with four, six, four in consecutive deliveries. With 21 runs in the over, Australia were suddenly back in business on 80 for 4, and with two further fours in consecutive overs, White had moved along to 29 from 17 balls when Collingwood opted to introduce Luke Wright for his first over of the tournament.

The ploy paid quick dividends. Targeting the yorker with every delivery, Wright stifled the swinging blades before drawing White into a wild slash outside off. Broad, who moments earlier had made a mess of a swirling top-edge at deep cover off Hussey, called bravely and chased down a fine low chance as he ran back towards the rope at point. Michael Hussey joined his brother to nudge and swat 47 runs for the sixth wicket in 22 balls, but Australia's final total of 147 for 6 was, as Clarke later conceded, at least 25 runs short of parity.

For once, Lumb was unable to jump-start England's reply, as he clipped airily to mid-on in Shaun Tait's first over to fall for 2 from four balls, but Kieswetter - who was at his happiest with the ball pitched up in his half - cracked Dirk Nannes for consecutive fours, either side of a lengthy delay to fix the malfunctioning sightscreen. He added a third four when Tait overpitched in his subsequent over, and with Pietersen looking typically busy at the crease, England reached a healthy 41 for 1 in their Powerplay, a position that was comfortably ahead of Australia's 24 for 3 at the same stage.

With their platform secure, England never looked like faltering. The legspinner Steven Smith was nailed through the covers for Pietersen's third boundary, before Kieswetter collected consecutive fours in Watson's first over - the first a touch fortuitously as David Hussey fumbled at mid-off. Clarke had no choice but to recall Mitchell Johnson for his third over, and though he stemmed the flow a touch, Watson's medium pace was meat and drink for the now pumped-up Kieswetter, who mowed a massive six over midwicket in an over that leaked 16 runs.

Back came Tait with Australia desperate for a wicket, but Pietersen met him with an imperious lofted drive over mid-on for four, before opening his stance to drive a glorious six over extra cover, and take the required rate down below a run a ball. Two balls later, Kieswetter dabbed a wide ball through point to bring up a 40-ball fifty, and celebrated by slashing Nannes for four through third man before belting an astonishing one-handed six over backward square leg.

With just 30 runs needed from the final seven overs, Pietersen gave Smith the charge and holed out to Warner at long-off for an excellent 47 from 31 balls, but at 118 for 2, Australia knew they still needed a miracle. That prospect became a touch more probable six balls later, when Kieswetter gave himself too much room to a Johnson yorker and was rather comically bowled for 63 from 49 balls, but to judge by the grim faces in the England dug-out, no-one was particularly keen on laughing just yet.

Eoin Morgan, however, swept Smith powerfully for six over square leg to mope their collective brows, and when Collingwood pulled the luckless Watson off the front foot over midwicket for another six, the result was beyond doubt. A swat through fine leg brought the scores level, and one ball later, the title was secure, and England's limited-overs hoodoo had finally been laid to rest.

Match Meter

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ENG
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Australia crash to 8 for 3 in 2.1 overs, as Ryan Sidebottom tears onto the offensive

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ENG
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Michael Clarke falls for a run-a-ball 27, as England concede two fours in 12 overs

*
*
David Hussey's half-century helps add 100 runs in the last ten overs, to give Australia a defendable 147 for 6

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AUS
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Michael Lumb falls in the second over, as Australia start brightly with the ball

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ENG
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Pietersen and Kieswetter put the match beyond doubt with a 111-run stand for the second wicket

Advantage Honours even

Kevin Pietersen could be leaving this tournament at any moment should his wife go into labour, and in the form he showed against Pakistan it will be a considerable hole to fill if he is absent.

His unbeaten 73 meant England eased home with three balls to spare against Pakistan to put them in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals. Pietersen arrived a few days later than his team-mates for this event, after spending time at home following the IPL, and his only warm-up innings was a first-ball duck against South Africa.

However, he'd shown consistent form at the IPL and was in decent touch in Guyana before twice falling to poorly-placed pull shots. Pietersen used to be the one batsman England could rely on to clear the boundary, but now the line-up is packed with power following the inclusion of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter at the top, plus Eoin Morgan at No. 5.

"I've played in the team for five or six years and to have a batting line-up like we have now is incredible," Pietersen said. "For every bloke from one down to nine or ten to be able to hit sixes is brilliant. When I started we had [Marcus] Trescothick but didn't have many six-hitters and now most of our guys can hit sixes so it's brilliant for English cricket."

Pietersen's first significant impact on the match had come in the field when he sprinted around the boundary at deep midwicket to hold a stunning catch to remove the dangerous Umar Akmal, who still had time to extend Pakistan's total. Pietersen hasn't always been the safest pair of hands in the field having started his Test career with a rash of dropped catches in the 2005 Ashes, but this take highlighted how mobile England now are in the field.

"Those are catches you go for and if you get them they look great," he said, "but with hands like I've got you aren't meant to catch them, that is for sure."

The contrast with Pakistan couldn't have been greater as they produced a horrific fielding display. Saeed Ajmal managed to drop three chances at mid-on and mid-off, Abdur Razzaq put down a caught-and-bowled opportunity against Pietersen and Fawad Alam palmed a tough catch over the boundary for six. However, coach Waqar Younis played down the significance of a poor match.

"The way we dropped the catches was very frustrating, but we aren't out of the tournament so don't have to worry about that," he said. "I thought 147 was a decent total, maybe 15 runs short, but with our bowling attack I thought we could manage it. However, you have to give credit to Kevin Pietersen. He batted like a champion and took the game away from us."

Kevin Pietersen returned to form with a confident 52-ball 73 not out, as England's powerful new batting line-up capitalised on a spirited display from their bowlers - as well as some poor fielding from Pakistan - to ease along to a comfortable six-wicket victory with three balls to spare. After two rain-affected contests in Guyana, it was England's first victory of their World Twenty20 campaign and a vital one too, coming as it did against the reigning champions.

Chasing 148 for victory after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, England were indebted to three incredible let-offs from Saeed Ajmal, who dropped Craig Kieswetter twice at mid-on and Michael Lumb once at mid-off, all inside the first five overs. The first reprieve, off the sixth ball of the innings, was the most culpable, as Kieswetter drove Razzaq into Ajmal's midriff, only for the ball to bobble free as he inexplicably attempted a shy at the non-striker's end.

Thereafter, the ball pursued Ajmal like a Guyanese mosquito, as England's openers muscled their way to an opening stand of 44 in 5.4 overs. Kieswetter's first boundary, in the third over, came courtesy of a chipped drive off Mohammad Aamer that would have been snaffled by a more athletically timed leap, while Lumb's let-off came just as England were stepping up the pace of their chase - 19 runs had been bashed off Mohammad Asif's second over, and Lumb had just made that 23 in seven balls with a clipped four through fine leg when Ajmal failed to gather a drive off a low full-toss from Aamer's very next delivery.

Ajmal did make partial amends for his butterfingers when he drew Lumb down the pitch with his fourth delivery to have him stumped for an aggressive 25 from 13 balls, while Kieswetter fell three overs later for 25 from 27, but not before he had bludgeoned Mohammad Hafeez for a massive six that took a chunk out of the Garry Sobers pavilion at midwicket. It was the safer hands of Umar Akmal that ended his stay, as he backpedalled on the long-on boundary to hold onto a lofted mow.

But Pakistan's dose of the dropsies didn't end there. Pietersen belted a drive into - and out of - Razzaq's hands as he steadied himself in his followthrough, and then creamed Ajmal to long-off where Aamer leapt with one hand but could only parry the chance over the rope for six. Pietersen, whose form has been hit-and-miss of late, didn't need a third invitation to cash in, and Shahid Afridi was whipped back over his head for a second six, to bring up a 37-ball half-century.

In the same over, Paul Collingwood - who had been the silent partner in a 60-run stand for the third wicket - picked out Umar on the long-off boundary to depart for 15 from 16 balls, but with 23 runs required from 24 balls, there was no late collapse on the cards. For once, Eoin Morgan failed to apply the finishing touch as Ajmal slipped an arm-ball through his defences, but Pietersen stood firm to deliver a vital victory.

In the final analysis, Pietersen's substantial performance proved to be the difference between the teams. With the sizeable exception of Shahid Afridi, who ran himself out first ball, most of their batsmen made starts - including Kamran Akmal, who swatted the first ball of the innings, from Ryan Sidebottom, over fine leg for six. But after an erratic display, their highest scorer turned out to be Salman Butt with 34 from 26 balls.

Pakistan had been handily placed on 44 for 1 after their six Powerplay overs, after England's seamers had adopted a bang-it-in approach on a lively Bridgetown surface, but thereafter it was over to the slower men, with the spin of Michael Yardy and Graeme Swann joining forces with Paul Collingwood's under-rated offcutters to stymie the flow of runs. Yardy leaked consecutive fours to Mohammad Hafeez as he struggled at first to find the right length, while Collingwood was belted for a massive six over midwicket by Butt, but the change of pace kept the run-rate in check, while serving up three vital wickets.

The first of those was Butt, who had been cruising along before he skimmed a flat drive off Swann to Collingwood in the covers. One over later, Umar survived a stumping as Kieswetter fumbled off Yardy, but England responded with two in two balls, as Hafeez slashed a shorter ball to short third man, before the main man, Afridi, dabbed his first ball into the covers, set off for a non-existent single, and didn't even try to regain his ground as Luke Wright lobbed the ball back to the keeper.

Misbah-ul-Haq flogged a Broad free hit into the stands for six before Yardy bowled him with a quicker ball as he telegraphed his intended reverse-sweep, and though Umar batted with purpose to make 30 from 25 balls, he was brilliantly snaffled on the boundary's edge by Pietersen, who sprinted back towards the rope from long-on to cling onto a steepling chance as the ball plummeted over his shoulder. Fawad Alam then snicked his third delivery, from Broad, through to the keeper, to leave Pakistan in some strife on 120 for 7 with 16 balls remaining.

Thanks to some sloppy late work in the field, and some ambitious biffing from the tail, Pakistan managed to hoist that total to a defendable 147 for 9, but once the catches started to go down, there was no way of reeling England back in.

Match Meter

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PAK
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Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez bat with purpose to set Pakistan a strong platform at 71 for 1 in the tenth over

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ENG
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England's spinners account for three key wickets in eight deliveries, including Shahid Afridi, who runs himself out for a first-ball duck

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ENG
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Kevin Pietersen's brilliant catch on the boundary's edge removes Umar Akmal for 30 and leaves Pakistan short of an imposing total

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ENG
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Saeed Ajmal drops three catches in the first five overs of England's innings, to leave Pakistan with a lot of momentum to claw back

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ENG
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Pietersen raises his game in the second half of the innings, as England ease to a six-wicket victory

Advantage Honours even

Albie Morkel has been living on reputation rather than results over the last year of international cricket. Whenever he walks to the crease there is an expectation of a barrage of sixes, but recently he has struggled to justify the hype. However, he picked a good time to find his range again as a thumping 18-ball 40, including five sixes, transformed a workable South Africa total into a more imposing 170 against New Zealand.

The straight and midwicket boundaries that Morkel targeted are not huge at the Kensington Oval but he cleared them with ease as New Zealand's death bowlers couldn't find their yorkers. He came in slightly earlier than normal when Herschelle Gibbs fell in the 14th over, but saved his major onslaught until Tim Southee bowled the penultimate over and struck three sixes straight down the ground.

"We've been searching for the right combination and we certainly started a little rusty in this tournament," Graeme Smith said. "The platform was there for Albie, the guys up front had done a really good job setting up the game. It was nice to back him and to see him play a knock like that was terrific."

Since Morkel made his Test debut against Australia at Cape Town in March 2009 his form for South Africa has taken a plunge, to such an extent that he has been omitted for the one-day leg of the West Indies tour which follows the World Twenty20. He hit a half century in his only Test to date, but since then his lone fifty has come against a weak Zimbabwe attack in Benoni. This innings of 40 is his second-best international effort for 15 months. It was more than due.

"It's nice to perform for your country and I was pleased to come in and play an innings under pressure during a World Cup," Morkel said. "But I've never really felt out of form the whole season so it's just been about trying to get a start. Once you get a performance you hope for a rolling effect so hopefully this can carry on."

Daniel Vettori knew Morkel's innings was the crucial phase of the game and it changed the momentum significantly going into New Zealand's run chase. "It's a very small ground and when you have a destructive hitter like Albie Morkel it's a very bad combination if you miss, so those last few overs put us in a bad position," he said.

"It's the nature of Twenty20 that you can't get it right every time but there are crucial situations when you have to and this time it was the last four or five overs that cost us. It wasn't what I expected or what I want and we have to improve pretty quickly."

Morkel had shown glimpses of a return to something closer to his power-packed best with 198 runs at a strike-rate of 151 for Chennai Super Kings during the IPL where he hit more sixes (13) than fours (10). However, it's at international level, where there is a higher sustained quality than the IPL, where Morkel has to reclaim his standing.

It has made for a good 48 hours for the Morkel clan following Morne's four wickets against Afghanistan. Albie, though, is going through a vital phase of his career. He has always been classed as an allrounder but his bowling has regressed alarmingly. In the opening game of the tournament he was entrusted with the final over against India and was duly dispatched for 19. South Africa lost the match by 14 runs, although it wasn't all down to Morkel as Rory Kleinveldt was also hammered.

He wasn't afford much respect by Afghanistan, either, who took him for 20 in two overs despite being 33 for 8 when he came onto bowl. His first ball was a powder-puff on off stump which Hamid Hassan launched straight into the Worrell, Weekes and Walcott Stand. Against New Zealand he wasn't used by Smith until the final over and with 27 needed it would have a mightily poor effort to lose the match, but Morkel's nerves were still obvious when his first ball was swung away for four.

He didn't approach the crease with much confidence and sent the ball down at gentle medium pace. When the equation came down to 22 off three deliveries the match was safe, but then Nathan McCullum hit a six and Smith's effort to encourage his bowler was clear. South Africa are well aware of Morkel's match-winning ability and the balance he adds to the side, but in a format that can be changed with a brief flurry of sixes he is worth having for his batting alone.

A magnificent display of clean hitting from Albie Morkel, South Africa's slog-over specialist, and good support from AB de Villiers helped South Africa reach a match-winning score against New Zealand in their opening Super Eights game at the Kensington Oval. A target of 170 required a solid partnership or two from New Zealand, but a committed display in the field ensured that the initiative always remained with South Africa.

The last five overs of South Africa's innings, which produced 62, proved the difference between the teams. After a sprightly start by Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, South Africa slumped a little in the middle overs but importantly, kept wickets in hand to allow Morkel and de Villiers to step on the gas.

de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs saw off a quiet period including a boundary-drought that lasted 22 balls. The New Zealand slow bowlers kept things tight with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps and the pair pinched singles before knocking off boundaries to give the innings momentum.

The bowlers lost the plot when Morkel walked in and he made a mockery of the low full tosses dished out by the bowlers. He began with a mis-hit off Vettori which cleared the rope but the rest was out of sheer power. Using the crease, he ensured he got under the ball and muscled it powerfully straight down the ground. Three of his five sixes came in a single over from Tim Southee, which leaked 21 runs. The bowlers erred by bowling too full to Morkel, in his hitting area, while he was hardly tested by the short delivery. de Villiers, who was dropped on 35 by Nathan McCullum at long-on, made New Zealand pay by smashing Shane Bond over wide long-on two balls later. His bludgeoned six off Nathan McCullum over deep midwicket to a ball which kept low, was his stand-out shot.

The partnership produced 72 runs in just 6.2 overs and wrecked New Zealand's plans of restricting South Africa to a score in the 140s, which England chased down easily a couple of hours earlier.

A brilliant piece of fielding set South Africa rolling the minute they got the ball. Gibbs swooped to his right to pluck a punchy drive off Brendon McCullum in the first over. Gibbs went on to take two more catches to halt threatening partnerships as the chase progressed.

The best partnership New Zealand could manage was 44 between Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill for the second wicket. But it wasn't a very convincing stint at the crease for Guptill, who looked edgy outside the off stump. He carved two consecutive boundaries off Dale Steyn to get some semblance of momentum going, but the bowler largely got on top of him with his pace. When Guptill tried to break free against the spin of Johan Botha, he found the hands of Morkel at long-on.

New Zealand needed one of their other hitters to carry on after making starts, but both Ryder and Ross Taylor failed in that regard. Ryder's 33 featured two effortless hits over the rope but he was foxed by Botha's flight and ended up spooning a simple catch to mid-off. With the required rate climbing beyond 10, Taylor's powerful boundary hits on the on side seemed to give New Zealand some respite, but Gibbs' agility at midwicket ensured that South Africa held the initiative.

Curiously, New Zealand held back their biggest hitter, Jacob Oram, and instead sent in Gareth Hopkins. Though Hopkins blazed two sixes in his short stint, it came a little too late. Oram had only five overs to try and get New Zealand out of jail, but he only lasted two balls. When he walked off, the match was firmly in South Africa's hands and it was only a matter of how close New Zealand could get.

The only downside for South Africa was they were fined for being an over short of the expected rate. Smith was docked 20% of his match fee by Alan Hurst, the match referee, and his players suffered a 10% reduction.



Match Meter

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NZ
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8th to 10th over: The slow men call the shots - After dismissing Kallis, New Zealand's slower bowlers concede just 15 runs in three overs, and don't concede a single boundary

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SA
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15th to 20th over: Morkel and de Villiers turn it on - The pair add 72 for the fourth wicket in just 6.2 overs to give South Africa a boost towards the end. Morkel hits five sixes in his knock

* NZ SA
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2nd to 8th over: Guptill and Ryder gather momentum - After losing Brendon McCullum early, Guptill and Ryder add 44 to give New Zealand an early push

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SA
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9th to 13th over: Botha starts the slide - Both Ryder and Guptill fell after making starts, with Johan Botha dismissing both. Ross Taylor fails to put his hand up and New Zealand are behind the eight ball

Advantage Honours even

was left fuming at the Duckworth-Lewis system as it played a huge role in England's defeat against West Indies for the second World Twenty20 running and left them facing a must-win match against Ireland. After piling up an imposing 191 for 5 England were in the driving seat but rain intervened after 2.2 overs of the chase and when play resumed, virtually as late as it could before the game was abandoned, the hosts were left needing 60 from six overs with all 10 wickets in hands.

"There's a major problem with Duckworth-Lewis in this form of the game," Collingwood said. "I've got no problem with it in one-dayers, and I know it's made me very frustrated tonight because I've come off the losing captain, but it's certainly got to be revised in this form.

"Ninety-five percent of the time when you get 191 runs on the board you are going to win the game. Unfortunately Duckworth-Lewis seems to have other ideas and brings the equation completely the other way and makes it very difficult."

Just to rub it in for Collingwood, five minutes after the game ended torrential rain started. There was always a risk that weather would play its part in Guyana and both games on Monday were affected with Sri Lanka also winning under the D-L system. It was a lack of intent that cost Zimbabwe - although it is believed they didn't have a copy of the D-L chart when their revised chase began. For England it was an early blitz by Chris Gayle which proved costly, because the 30 runs that came before the rain meant the calculations would always be in favour of West Indies.

It won't make Collingwood feel much better as he stews over the result, but Gayle agreed with his assessment of the system. "I think it's something they're going to have to look into," he said. "I would support what Collingwood just said. I could have been in the same position as well. It's something that can be addressed so it can be even stevens for both teams in the future. I'm happy but it's just unfortunate for England."

What made it worse for Collingwood, though, was that it was the second time in nine months England had come out on the wrong end of the calculations against the same team. At The Oval, during last year's World Twenty20, a rain break left West Indies chasing 82 from eight overs and they achieved the target, despite a flurry of wickets, to send England packing.

"I'm trying to take the emotion out of that defeat to be honest with you," he said. "It's the second time it's happened to us against West Indies so it's very frustrating for the boys because we've played a near-perfect game and still lost."

The one slight difference this time was that West Indies had managed to start their chase - whereas at The Oval the entire pursuit came after the heavens opened - and they benefited from judging the conditions. Gayle said at the toss that he was bowling first because Ramnaresh Sarwan, a Guyanese, knew rain would be a factor. There's nothing like a bit of local knowledge coupled with the luck of the toss.

"We knew that the weather was going to play a part so the first five overs, obviously, can determine the game," Gayle said. "So we decided to go out and see what we could get out of the first five overs. The target was actually 43, I think, at one stage and the adaption went in our favour. After the rain we knew we were most likely to win the game from there on."

But that doesn't escape the fact that the D-L system needs some serious adjusting for Twenty20 cricket. It goes through periodical updates based on matches played, but the problem is that the sample size of Twenty20 internationals remains quite small. Scoring at ten-an-over, which was West Indies' aim, is far from challenging for six overs when it is often a rate maintained over the full 20.

"I think that's what the equation is built around in the one-day format. Unfortunately there's probably not enough games," Collingwood said. "I'm not a mathematician, I don't really know what the equation should be, but your backs are certainly against the wall when it's like that."

The unsatisfactory end to the match took the gloss off an outstanding batting display for England, who produced one of their most complete Twenty20 performances. They have been looking for players who can throw the bat, but Luke Wright took that to the extreme when he lost his grip and the willow flew towards square leg. The team effort included an England-record 11 sixes, on a pitch previously not easy for scoring, as their pre-match routine of launching balls into the stands from the centre clearly paid off.

It was started by the pair of debutants, Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, and finished off spectacularly by Wright and Eoin Morgan, who gave another display of his breathtaking skills as 76 came from the last five overs. It showed England should have far too much firepower for Ireland.

"What we've spoken about in the dressing room, what we've picked guys for, they did exactly that today," Collingwood said. "For the two guys to make their debut and show the confidence they did, it put the opposition under a lot of pressure and I thought all the guys played it pretty perfectly. There was a lot of power there."

England's batting performance showcased Twenty20 at its fast-paced best, but what followed showed that some of the regulations and calculations have been left playing catch-up.

The Big Picture
England are perennial underachievers when it comes to global tournaments; Ireland, meanwhile, have punched above their weight in their past two appearances at the highest level. If ever a match-up was designed to cause an upset, it was this. On the evidence of their performances in the past week, however, the luck of the Irish ought really to be coming to an end in Guyana on Tuesday - although if they win the toss and bowl first with rain in the air, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis could yet assist in extending their Caribbean campaign into the second week. After all, they all but unseated England in the rain in Belfast last summer.

It nevertheless seems unlikely. Whereas England cracked the West Indies attack for a hefty 191 for 5 in their Group D encounter on Monday, Ireland's batsmen slunk to 68 all out against the same opponents on the same Providence surface, having been handed a sound beating by Afghanistan in their warm-up contest. And it is no doubt galling for the Gaelicmen that the star performer in England's innings, Eoin Morgan, used to be the pride of their own middle-order.

This is, after all, an elimination bout, and the victor is set to snaffle every crumb of the spoils. Ireland will not take to the field without hope, because their bowlers gave their team a chance on the first day of the tournament by limiting West Indies to a manageable 138 for 9. But for the first time in a long time, England appear to have entered a major event with a team and a mindset capable of taking them places. Even though they could yet be eliminated in double-quick time. Twenty20 is a funny old game.

Form guide (most recent first)
England LLWLW
Ireland LLWLL

Watch out for...
All eyes will inevitably be on Eoin Morgan, especially after the gem of an innings he produced in defeat on Monday. After a disappointing showing for Bangalore in the IPL, he's resumed the graceful style of power-hitting that has transformed the fortunes of England's one-day middle-order since his coming of age in the Champions Trophy last September. What would his former countrymen give to have him back in their ranks?

Since the advent of Graeme Swann, England's quest for a matchwinning spinner hasn't been as frantic as it tended to be in the not-so-distant past. But who's to say (other than the man himself, of course) that the young left-armer against whom they'll be pitting their wits on Tuesday, George Dockrell, won't be sporting the three lions within the next decade? He entered the tournament with a burgeoning reputation, and enhanced it with 3 for 16 in four overs against West Indies.

Team news

England sprang a surprise in their opening match by opting for Ryan Sidebottom over their attack leader, James Anderson, and he would be the obvious candidate to make way if England did feel the need to tinker with their line-up. More likely, however, is that England treat the situation as they would for a victory, and choose not to meddle with a winning formula.

England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Michael Yardy, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.

Ireland have batting issues to resolve after their capitulation against West Indies, although their best hope is to bank on their experienced players rediscovering their A-game. It's not often that extras is the top scorer in an international innings.

Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Niall O'Brien (wk), 4 Alex Cusack, 5 Kevin O'Brien, 6 Gary Wilson, 7 John Mooney, 8 Trent Johnston, 9 Andre Botha, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 George Dockrell.

Pitch and conditions
The Providence pitch will doubtless play into the hands of the slow bowlers once again, although it's hard to describe the conditions as "sluggish" after the sort of the power-hitting that England and Gayle produced on Monday. Of greater concern will be the weather, especially for the team unfortunate enough to lose the toss.

Stats and trivia

* Ireland have never yet beaten England in three attempts, all in ODIs, although they got mighty close on the last occasion, in Belfast, when an interception on the boundary's edge by none other than Morgan secured a three-run victory.

Quotes

"I guess it puts a little added pressure on us, but I think we can take a lot of positives out there. We know what we've got to do, if we win six games we win a World Cup."

Paul Collingwood puts his disappointment to one side and focuses on England's endgame.