India, Pakistan defeats stun cricket fans

The World Cup matches so far have been worked off without a hitch, and the organisers expect it to stay that way till the final ball is bowled in the final in Barbados on April 28.

Trinidad, the home of Brian Lara, who like good wine needs no bush, has been spruced up for the occasion, and is looking a picture.

While everything has gone on smoothly, what has stunned cricket fans are the defeats of Pakistan by Ireland and India by Bangladesh. Of the four groups, group B which included Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bermuda is the toughest.

Going on form if somebody had suggested that India was going to lose to Bangladesh and Pakistan to Ireland, he would have been laughed at.

But then cricket is not called a funny game for nothing. That is how the dice turned for Bangladesh and Ireland has they dumped the favourites by the way side. Bangladesh beating India would certainly have jolted the Sri Lankans and they will have to take their opponents very seriously, when they meet.

The Lankas had a stroll in the park, as it were against Bermuda, who were no opponents whatsoever. Some of the Bermuda players seemed ignorant of the basics of the game and were just going through the motions.

The Lankans must see that complacency does not set in after this waltz.

I said that the stronger teams playing against the minnows should go for individual and total records. This being internationals records would be records.

But while Sri Lanka failed to do it against Bermuda, South Africa one of the favourites for the Cup made mincemeat out of the Netherlands in a group A game. Opening batsman Herchelle Gibbs who has a knack of getting involved in controversy, set up a new world record when he hammered six sixes in an over.

Gibbs was allegedly accused in a match fixing scandal with his former captain the late Hansie Cronje and recently had a ban slapped on him for uttering naughty words at some of the Pakistan spectators when Pakistan toured there.

His sixes were well timed and hit and sailed over the fence in St. Kitts. After Gibbs finished his act, the reliable wicket keeper batsman Mark Boucher lit up St. Kitts with a mighty blast that saw write his name in the record books as having scored the fastest 50 in the World Cup in just 21 deliveries.

Sanath Jayasuriya Sri Lanka's batting powerhouse would have been hitching to do it against Bermunda, but must be regretting that he missed out.

Jayasuriya has the most number of sixes in one day cricket 224.