It is four in a row for India

India makes it four out of four and maintain their clean slate. It had its own nervous moments in the chase but then it was the cool head of MS Dhoni that took them over the modest target when other batsmen in his team lost their head. 

West Indies won the toss and rightly decided to bat first. They have scored big in this tournament when batting first. But their batsmen's inconsistency is so consistent that they could not post a decent total on the board. Without any disrespect to Indian bowling, it was West Indian batting that failed. Their shot selection was poor. They were not able to adapt to the pitch conditions. They just came in and played the way they wanted to play. Watching the West Indies batting in this match and the previous match, I believe the batting order should be reversed. Jason Holder scored fifty two times in a row. He may as well open the innings. Had he not scored these fifties, West Indies' score would have been far from respectable.

Chris Gayle is not comfortable taking the ones and twos at the crease. He was going for the glory shots and almost perished thrice, twice at third man when difficult chances were put down and once at the mid-on, another difficult chance. But he perished on the fourth occasion and in this duration he had accounted for two other dismissals - Smith and Samuels. Then he himself got out after couple of lusty blows. 

Carter, Sammy, Holder tried to repair the damage but Indian bowlers were right on the money. They did not give away anything and were clinical to ensure that all doors were closed for West Indies. The pace with which the bowlers bowled was really impressive. They used short balls to good effect but may be they out did it which resulted in 16 wides, but otherwise were disciplined. Playing against UAE at the same venue, helped them to make a good assessment on the areas to bowl and they did execute their plans well. 

If Indian bowling was clinical, their fielding was on the sloppy side. Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami dropped half chances whereas Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja dropped regulation catches. Ground fielding was also not as sharp as it was against South Africa.

West Indies brought in an additional seamer in Kemar Roach and that did help them. Their bowlers enjoyed bowling at the WACA which offered them good bounce and carry. Indian batting had not been tested in a chase in this tournament so far. Knowing that and getting assistance from the surface, West Indies bowlers kept it short. The pace and bounce troubled Indian batsmen. West Indies pressed hard and kept on taking wickets on regular intervals. 

West Indies, in the process of bowling short balls, conceded lot of wides, but West Indies persisted with short deliveries as India were giving away their wickets on the same. The lower middle order had not been tested so far in this tournament. This became an opportunity for them and MS Dhoni grabbed this chance with both the hands taking India over the line. Only when he got into middle, some sanity prevailed.

For India, the bowlers did their job, fielding seemed to have lost focus, but the major worry was that the batting that seemed vulnerable to short balls. They also faltered in the chase when the total was a very modest one. So somethings for the team management to work on. They are left with two matches, both the teams Zimbabwe and Ireland though are very spirited, but India need not expect a serious challenge from them, but cannot afford to be complacent as well. India can look forward to bring in couple of players to test the bench strength.

West Indies has just one match left against UAE. It will have to win that match with good margin as West Indies are highly likely to enter a three-way tie for the last two qualifying spots from their group. They not only lost an opportunity to win and make themselves safe in the tournament, they also lost a chance to keep the NRR damage in check.

Week Three Round Up

Three weeks of the event is over. In total 9 matches have been played during this period. Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates have played 2 matches each, whereas all other teams have played one a piece during this period. 4 games were played in New Zealand and 5 were played in Australia.

I have tried to capture a few stats and key moments of week 3.

300-plus
There have been seven 300-plus scores in the third week. Of these five scores came in first innings. Two of these scores were chased down. One of the score was 408/5 by South Africa once again went past the 400 mark scoring 411/4 against Ireland. The very next day Australia scored 417/6 against Afghanistan which is now the highest total in the world cup.

100
There have been six scores of 100/100+ in week three, with David Warner top scoring at 178. After Shaiman Anwar from UAE last week, Kyle Coetzer became the second batsman from Associates to score a century. His score of 156 is the highest by an associate batsman and he also became the first associate batsman to score a 150+ score.

Five-fors
There were only two bowlers who took five-fors in the third week of the world cup. Both were taken in the same match. Mitchell Starc took 6/28 in 9 overs against New Zealand. Earlier in the same match Tim Southee took 5/27 in 10 overs.

Partnerships
There have been eight 100+ partnerships in the third week, the highest partnership being 260 between David Warner and Steven Smith for the second wicket against Afghanistan. Incidentally this is the highest partnership for the any wicket for Australia. South Africa had two 100+ partnerships in this period. Out of these there were three 200+ partnerships.

Powerplay
The highest score during the first 10 overs of the innings in week two, in this world cup belongs to New Zealand, they scored 81/4 against Australia. The highest so far belongs to New Zealand - 116/2 against England. It is South Africa who have scored the highest (60/1) in the batting powerplay, and this was against Ireland.

Most extras in an innings
India against West Indies were guilty of conceding most extras in an innings in week three - 26. It is joint highest with UAE in the tournament.

Biggest Victory
Australia's margin of victory against Afghanistan (275 runs) is the biggest victory of the week three, this world cup and even in World Cup history.

Very little to choose between the two sides

*Image: Courtesy Star Sports

Pool B match between Ireland and Zimbabwe on Saturday has a lot of importance for the two teams contesting it. Ireland has 4 points from 3 matches and Zimbabwe has only 2 points from 4 matches. In case Ireland wins that game, then it will move into the top 4 ahead of West Indies with 6 points. It will make the contest for the remaining two slots in Pool B for the quarter finals even more interesting. Before this match gets over, the other pool B match between South Africa and Pakistan would have already got over. So that will give us where Ireland, Pakistan and West Indies stand. For Zimbabwe, if they lose, the world cup will come to an end, in spite of their last match against India. In case Zimbabwe wins the encounter against Ireland, then Zimbabwe will also have 4 points and this result will make the group even more exciting.

Because of their win against West Indies, Ireland not only has the 2 points cushion but also has raised expectation of others for them. Zimbabwe would be hurt by the fact that in spite of they being the test nation, they do not walk in as favourite on Saturday. In a way it is good for them as they do not have that burden of expectation to carry. So far, Zimbabwe has played very good cricket in the tournament. It is their inability to bowl well in the death overs that is hurting them big. In their last match they did well to restrict Pakistan to a modest score of 235, but it could have been even less. Even there they allowed Wahab Riaz, lower order batsman to score 50 and they could not dismiss Pakistan. If they had won that match, they would have been comfortably placed. To add to their woes, their skipper Elton Chigumbura is injured and will not play. Brendan Taylor will lead the side in Chigumbura's absence.

Zimbabwe have chased in all its four games so far. On two occasions, they were chasing huge total and they simply failed in that. Against Pakistan, the target was modest and they failed again. The only successful chase that they had was against UAE, even there it was close. Although their chases have been spirited, but not up to the mark. The other factor that would be worrying for them and would need an attention is the amount of runs that they give away in the last 15 overs. For Ireland, if they can keep wickets in hand in the initial part of their innings, they can put pressure on the latter part of the innings on Zimbabwe bowling.

Even Ireland have chased in all their encounters so far. On two occasions, they have done it successfully, one of them was a close call. The third occasion, they were chasing a mammoth total and were never in the chase. Like Zimbabwe, even Ireland have been guilty of giving away too many runs in the last 15 overs. Even Zimbabwe should keep wickets to put pressure on the bowling at the later part of the innings. For Zimbabwe, the problem so far has been that they tend to loose wickets too early putting lot of pressure on lower order. 

Zimbabwe would expect Hamilton Masakadza to come to the party. He has been quiet for a long time. Taylor has been getting good starts but he needs to convert them into big. Ireland's batsmen are in good nick. But the top order cannot leave too much for Kevin O'Brien in the end.

In the bowling and fielding there is nothing much to choose between the two teams. Both of them are equally unpredictable. There can be some burst, where one of the bowlers can have an exceptional spell. In fielding too they can have exceptional moments and some dull ones too.

When Ireland started their world cup campaign back in 2007, it was against Zimbabwe. That match then ended in a Tie. Even today, there is very little to choose between them. Whoever manages their nerves better, will prevail. Eventually it should be a closely contested game.

Pakistan in Shaky ground, seeking weather God's intervention

*Image: Courtesy Star Sports

Right from their first match, Pakistan team are on their back foot. Since then they are only playing the catch up game. After losing the first two games in the tournament, every match has become a do or die affair for them. Thus, their Saturday (March 7) match against South Africa will also be no different. 

In the pool table, after playing 4 matches, currently they are tied at 4 points with West Indies and Ireland. Ireland have played one game less than them and West Indies have played one game more. On the NRR front, Ireland are far behind Pakistan and because of West Indies' loss against India, they are marginally behind Pakistan. So that leaves Pakistan in the third position. In case Pakistan loses, there is a chance that it may move one place down but it will still be above Ireland on the NRR basis. Saturday also features match between Ireland and Zimbabwe. In case Ireland wins that game, then Pakistan will move further down. In case Zimbabwe wins that encounter against Ireland, then Zimbabwe will have 4 points and since there is only marginal difference in the NRR between them, Zimbabwe may overtake Pakistan.

So, if Pakistan has to safely remain in the contention for the quarter finals, irrespective of the result of the other match, it will have to win against South Africa. Unless, the margin of win is huge, South Africa will still continue to be in the second position. But from Pakistan's point of view, a win is more important than the margin of victory. South Africa can afford to lose, but they will not be thinking of anything less than a win.

So, what all they have to overcome if they have to win the Saturday match? 

South Africa, after their loss against India have scored two 400+ scores back to back. Of course, the opposition were West Indies and Ireland. Pakistan's bowling attack is well oiled for them to concede a 400+ score. But these scores by South Africa mean that their batsmen are in form. Eden Park is relatively smaller than SCG and Manuka Oval, where South Africa scored those big scores. So, Pakistani bowling which is the only saving grace for them in the tournament have to be cautious about that. One comforting factor for Pakistan would be the fact that the last match that was played in Eden Park, Australia v New Zealand, was dominated by bowlers. But at the same time, if Pakistan bowlers can exploit the conditions, the South African bowlers are also very much cable of doing the same. So, on that front both the teams even out.

The two matches that Pakistan have won are the ones where they have batted first and the other two where they lost, they chased. So, if Pakistan wins the toss, they should bat first in this game as well. This will negate the South Africans from scoring big and Pakistan will avoid the scoreboard pressure. This also coincides with the fact that the only match that South Africa has lost is while chasing. Now the question is if Pakistan can post a total that they can defend against South Africa. Against Zimbabwe, they could post only 235. This South African attack is much better than Zimbabwe's. With the current form that South African batting is in, what will be the score that South Africa will be comfortable chasing is difficult to guess. I am pretty sure that given a choice, even South Africa will like to bat first.

One more factor that would come to play for whichever team chooses to bat first would be the initial movement that the bowlers would get. We know what Tim Southee did to Australia here on this ground. If we consider this factor, then Pakistan is on a shaky ground. Whether it is batting first or chasing, their highest opening partnership in tournament has been just 11 runs. For all we know, the opening combination could be changed as Nasir Jamshed has failed miserably. They can bring in either Younis Khan or Sarfaraz Ahmed for Nasir. Sarfaraz has not played a single match in the world cup so far and Younis's highest score in this tournament is 6. But the question still remains, who will open with Ahmed Shehzad? Their middle order is also as brittle as their openers. All of them scored in the game against UAE, but this time it is South Africa. To add to their woes, Harris Sohail is nursing injury. Pakistan's middle order heavily revolves around their skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. When chips are down, he is capable of dropping anchor, but that most of the times slows the scoring rate.

Now, if we consider that South Africa bats first and Pakistan bowlers are able to make use of the conditions to rattle the top order, even then South Africa's middle order is very robust. They were in the similar situation against Zimbabwe and we know finally what their score was. To South Africa's advantage, JP Duminy is fit and will definitely play the Saturday's game. Now, will he replace Roussouw? But with the form that Roussouw is currently in, it would not make sense, so in all probability Behardien would make way for Duminy. This would mean that apart from de Cock, all batsmen till number 7 are in form. I do not think that South Africa will be even thinking of replacing him. Even if he does not perform, he is a wicket-keeper and they can afford to have him with all other batsmen in good nick. But just imagine, if Saturday is his day and he too joins the party then, Pakistan will be in real trouble .

For now, when we compare the bowling department for the two teams, we can say that the two match each other. South Africa may marginally edge them just because of the consistency, but otherwise they are even. In bowling Pakistan would stick to Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan and Shahid Afridi. They would go with additional seamer in Rahat Ali. South Africa will also stick to Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir. If Vernon Philander is fit then he will be back, else Kyle Abbott will continue. The fifth bowler duties will have to be shared by Duminy and du Plesis. If Behardien is in the team then he would also contribute.

In the batting department, South Africa definitely outweighs Pakistan hands down. If South Africa goes in suicidal mode, only then they can perform poorer than Pakistan. But after getting a wake up call against India, I do not think South African batsmen will do anything silly.

When it comes to fielding, South Africa is definitely a better squad. With their fielding itself, they can create a difference of 20-30 runs. So, if South Africa bats first then while defending the other team will have to assume the target is increased by 20 runs and if South Africa fields first then they would have easily reduced the target by 20 runs.

Now with all these factors let us also add another factor. Pakistan has never defeated South Africa in the three matches that they have played in the world cup.

So, the odds are against Pakistan. It is going to be a tough game for Pakistan. Finally, it is going to boil down to South Africa's batting against Pakistan's bowling. Whoever wins this battle may have the upper hand.

So, what is in Pakistan's favour on Saturday? As of now by all means, it looks to be the weather. Wet weather is forecast for Saturday afternoon, which would mean that either it is a truncated match or the match is abandoned. If the match is truncated, then the equations would change and hence it would be very difficult to predict who will have the upper hand. In case the match is abandoned, Pakistan would get 1 point and that would be very valuable for their journey in the competition, just like what happened in 1992.

Will God come to Pakistan's rescue? But even God helps only those who help themselves.

Scotland's wait continues, Bangladesh gets a step closer

There were no two views on the fact that any target on this pitch was not safe. May be taking confidence from this fact, Bangladesh thought that they would be better off chasing the target. So they put in Scotland to bat. It eventually was proved right. Scotland scored 318 in its 50 overs but at the end of the match they would have thought that they were at least 20-30 runs short. Bangladesh did them no good with the way they bowled and fielded. May be they had made the self assessment of their bowling and fielding and felt that it would be a risk defending a score. 

Having said that the credit goes to the Scotland team. Having lost the match the way they did against Afghanistan, to come out and play the way they did requires tremendous courage. After being put into bat, they were expected to put a big total on the board. Scotland batsmen seemed determined to do that. They were not bogged down by the fact that they were facing a test nation. Neither they were bogged down by the spin heavy attack of Bangladesh. In spite of losing two wickets early, Coetzer and Machan batted with purpose and determination. Later Coetzer and skipper Mommsen stitched in a 141 runs partnership for the 4th wicket at a run rate of 7.5 and at that stage, 300 seemed very possible. 

By no means 318 was a bad score, but they were finally found short by at least 20 runs. It is not that they could not have made those additional runs. A few moments pegged them back. Coetzer's wicket was one such moment. The other moment was in the 49th over when Cross hit a low full toss from Taskin straight on the hands of Berrington at the non-striker end. That was hit hard and definitely would have affected his grip. Before that Berrington was batting with aggression and ease but post that injury he lost his momentum. The very next ball, he was dismissed. In the same over Cross was also dismissed. The dismissal of Berrington and Cross was crucial, together they had added 39 runs in just 3.5 overs. If they had been there together for 10 more balls, easily another 15-20 runs could have been added. But we cannot take anything away from the Scots. They batted their heart out to reach this score.

Even if their performance is seen in isolation, it is an exceptional performance. But if you look at the background under which they were playing this match will make their performance even more creditable. Scotland has never won a world cup match in the three appearances that they have made in the world cups so far. They came very close in their last match against Afghanistan. The next two teams that they meet this world cup are Sri Lanka and Australia. So, their realistic chance to win was today. Thus they put in all that they could to reach that milestone. 

A few statistics will help us understand the effort that they had put in. Kyle Coetzer's score 156 is the highest World Cup score by any batsman from a current non-Test nation. It is also the only 150+ score. His partnership with Preston Mommsen of 141 is the highest for Scotland in a World Cup match. It is also their first 100-plus stand for any wicket in a World Cup match. 318 Scotland's total, is their highest in World Cups. They knew that it is these kind of performances that were needed and they would have been happy to execute that.

As the Scotland did in batting, they put in their heart and soul into bowling and fielding but it was not good enough. Their bowling lacked penetrations and their fielding lacked sharpness. They missed couple of run out chances. They struggled to break partnerships. Bangladesh's regular opener Anamul Haque was also not available due to the shoulder injury, so that meant Bangladesh were one batsman less. Bangladesh batsmen gifted their wickets on more than one occasion but Scotland failed to take advantage of these moments. 

There was a moment in the match when Mushfiqur Rahim got out in the 38th over when Bangladesh required 72 off 72 balls. A couple of wickets post that, could have brought Scotland back in the game. But Scotland simply could not take wickets. The bowlers did not have the pace to trouble the Bangladeshis. Apart from Majid Haq, the other spinners could not put any sort of brake on Bangladesh innings. Bangladesh batsmen made the most of the situation with Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan all making 50+ score.

Bangladesh have kept themselves in the race to the knockouts with this win. Now they just need one more win from their two matches. One of them is against England, which is a must win match for England. For Scotland, the wait for a win in world cup continues.

Consistency v Inconsistency

*Image: Courtesy Star Sports

India is one of the two unbeaten teams in the world cup so far. India has played three matches till date with first two matches against tough opponents in Pakistan and South Africa. The third was against UAE. Will it be able to make it four out of four like New Zealand did or will it stumble at West Indies is what will be the point of interest in the match. West Indies have won two of its four games. It posted three 300+ scores in its first three matches and then was bundled out by South Africa for half of that. If India has shown tremendous consistency so far, then West Indies has been very inconsistent.

Ideal situation for West Indies would be to win both of its remaining matches and seal a spot in the quarter finals, but losing Friday's game should not impact them in a big way unless they lose it like they did against South Africa. So, this game is actually a no pressure game for them. If they take the field without thinking about the result, they could have the result their way. West Indies has played all its games on different venues, but if one venue that was going to support their seam bowlers is this venue. Their bowlers will enjoy bowling at the WACA which offers good bounce. It will be an open question, if they replace Suleiman Benn with an additional seamer as they have spin option in Gayle and Samuels if at all they need spin.

India is sitting pretty at the top of the table with three games still remaining. A loss is not going to hurt them in terms of qualification to the knockout but will definitely hurt their reputation. Clean slate is an addiction and India would try to keep it that way. Hence, India could be under pressure. They played against UAE at the same venue, but their bowlers did not have the pace to use this pitch. West Indies team will be a totally different attack compared to UAE. They have the necessary pace to exploit the conditions. Even the spinner Suleiman Benn would get the bounce from this wicket which could trouble the Indian batsmen.

South Africa had ripped apart West Indian bowling in their previous match. Will India be able to repeat the same? Well, not really, at least not on this pitch. The pace and bounce could trouble India if West Indies could bowl in the right areas. To be honest, Indian batting has not been really tested. The real test could be on Friday, but it also depends on which West Indies team takes the field. So far, India and West Indies, both of them have posted big totals batting first. West Indies, crumbled chasing a big target and the only time India had to chase a target was a score that it could have even chased in a truncated T20 game. So, India has not been tested in chase and West Indies has failed in chase. So, it will be interesting to see how they react, as one them will have to chase for sure.

Indian bowlers did bowl against UAE on the same ground. But it will be difficult to judge how they fared, as the batting was not of the highest standards. Whatever be the form of West Indies batsmen, they still have big names in Gayle, Smith, Samuels, Simmons. Ramdin has been their consistent batsmen in the recent past. From Indian point of view, Ashwin did get the benefit of bounce, which UAE batsmen could not cope up. West Indies batsmen could also face the same problem, although they are much better than the UAE counterparts. For West Indies, Dwayne Smith's form is definitely a problem. Will they play him tomorrow or not is a question mark. With the form that Indian pacers are in, they could fancy doing well on this pitch. The biggest factor that will determine the course of the match will be West Indies' batting. West Indies has only stroke makers, however we saw the other side of both Gayle and Samuels against Zimbabwe. If West Indies batting could repeat that, they could challenge India. But then, had West Indies been consistent, then it would have been a force to reckon with already.

For India, all the top order batsmen are among runs and must be feeling good. If they stick to their approach of keeping wicket initially and launching at the end, they would find themselves in a good position. Having said that they faltered against both Pakistan and South Africa in the last 5 overs. So this is something that they will have to be mindful of.

As far as fielding is concerned, India definitely has an edge over West Indies. It is not that West Indies team is a bad fielding unit but again, they lack consistency. India has dropped only one catch so far in the tournament from 22 catches that came their way. And their ground fielding has also maintained the standards. Whereas West Indies team has been sloppy on the field for most part of the tournament.

As far as India is concerned, whenever they have taken the field, it looked as if they have some plan and are executing it well. On the other hand, West Indies hardly looked like following any plan. If this continues, then India will certainly be the favourite, else it will be a close contest. 

Only hand picked moments for Afghanistan, rest of the match was Australia's

Even before the match started, the action began at the toss itself. When the changes in the Australian side was revealed, hardly anyone was surprised at the changes made. In spite of it not coming as a surprise, it was hard to believe that a player with the caliber of Shane Watson did not find a place in the playing XI. Such kind of decisions can be taken only by Australia and only they can afford to take such decisions with the kind of bench strength they have.

George Bailey was the captain of the side in the world cup opener, he scored 55 runs in that win against England. Michael Clarke returns after injury and George Bailey, not only loses the captaincy but also his place in XI. Mitchell Marsh was drafted in the playing XI because of the injury to James Faulkner. Mitchell Marsh took 5 wickets in the game against England but could not do much in the game against New Zealand. He could have been easily replaced by James Faulkner as James Faulkner is the first choice. But luckily for Mitchell Marsh, another all-rounder in the team, Shane Watson is also not doing well. So, the axe was on Shane Watson instead of Mitchell Marsh. The team combination of Australia looks settled and they would not expect any changes in the team for the coming matches as they have all the bases covered with the team. The only way George Bailey or Shane Watson could make way into the team would be either one of the current team member under performs or is injured. Such fierce is the competition to get into the playing XI that all players are always on their toes.

Steven Smith was also not in the best of the nick, coming into this match. He was promoted to the number 3 slot and he made the most of it. So this makes Shane Watson's comeback even more difficult. He missed his century but never looked out of sorts throughout the innings. Both Warner and Smith are attacking batsmen but kept themselves under check. Afghanistan also bowled well for the first half of the innings as they had been doing in their past matches. Australia's run rate hovered around run-a-ball. Australian batsmen pressed the pedal post half way mark and in the process made the record score in the history of the world cup. Maxwell was the wrecker-in-chief and Warner too teed off post his century.

Afghan bowlers, being at WACA, started with short balls but soon realized that it is not working. Thus they went fuller. Among the associate nations, it is Afghanistan bowlers who bowl the maximum number of yorkers. They bowled yorkers at every stage of the match, and could get Faulkner bowled by one such delivery, but apart from that it was no match to the opponents. It is the lack of consistency that has costed them throughout the tournament. This match was no different. On top of that they had to bowl to batsman like Maxwell who was far from conventional batsmanship. His unorthodox shots left Afghan bowlers perplexed on where to bowl to him. They had no answer to him. It would have been a lifetime experience for them, considering the frequency of games with full members.

Afghanistan were good on the field but they were not very sharp and missed a few half chances, had they been converted, at least they could have put some brakes on Australian scoring. Afghanistan had an impossible task of chasing 418 to win and they had to do that facing the likes of Johnson, Starc, Hazlewood. In such matches, these teams should try to bat the complete quota of overs, rather than going for glory shots. Afghanistan's batting seemed to be doing only that and coped very well with the attack, but the additional bounce undid some of the batsmen. Nawroz Mangal was the pick of the batsman scoring run a ball ans was out to one such rising ball where he could not keep the ball down while gliding it to the third man and Finch took a wonderful acrobatic catch. Ashgar Stanikzai was the only batsman who did not show any resolve to stay at the crease and was dismissed playing unnecessary shot early in his innings. There were moments of brilliance in their batting but finally, Australian attack was too good for the Afghanistan batsmen. As a result, they lost with the biggest margin in the world cup.

Australia did what they do best. They were clinical in their approach. A lighter opponent did not mean that they were relaxed. They played with the same intensity as they would have played against any other team. 

Without ant doubt, Warner was the man of the match. He was dismissed for 178 when 12.3 overs were remaining. Just imagine, if he was there for the whole 50 overs, what could have been his score. A 200 was certainty and 300 was a possibility. Australia could have crossed the 500 mark as well. But all these are 'could haves'. Still Australia scored the highest total in any world cup. This was the third 400+ total in this world cup and we are just halfway through in the tournament.