Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

A West Indies supporter blows a conch shell to encourage his team during their Super Eight match against South Africa in St. George's on Tuesday. - Reuters

WE ARE getting right down to the nitty-gritty now and, with eight Super Eight matches to go, there are only six teams whose World Cup hopes are still alive - and two of those are on life support.

World champions Australia sealed 10 points and a semi-final berth yesterday with a ruthless victory over Ireland in Barbados and New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with eight points apiece, should join them in the next few days - barring any catastrophic collapses.

South Africa, with six points in the kitty, have a two-point edge over England for the remaining semi-final position and the Proteas can kill off the West Indies' (two points) hopes today with a win against the Black Caps.

A victory by South Africa would virtually eliminate England too, as they have to win their final two games against SA and WI and hope that Graeme Smith's team loses today and then to themselves on Tuesday in this second phase of the rather long competition.

That basically leaves the final week of the Super Eight competition as a tussle for semi-final seedings; teams two and three will meet here on Tuesday, April 24, and one and four do battle in their semis in St. Lucia a day later.

Giant-killing feat

This past week sent remaining minnows Bangladesh and Ireland packing but not before the lowest rated of the Asian sides pulled off another giant-killing feat by felling South Africa by 67 runs last Saturday in Guyana.

Ireland seem destined to end their first Cup campaign with just a win and a draw but they have shown that they are no walkovers at this level and displayed a level of commitment and enthusiasm sadly lacking in fellow Group D side and hosts the West Indies.

Carrying two points from the Group stage win over the Irish, the West Indies have been unable to add to that tally in the Super Eights with successive drubbings from Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

All they can do now is salvage a modicum of pride against Bangladesh on Thursday and England next Saturday at the Kensington Oval.

Bangladesh's upset of South Africa aside, things have run pretty much true to form and rankings in the Super Eights.

Australia solid

Unbeaten, no-fuss Australia look solid as they extended their Cup unbeaten streak to 24 games yesterday and Sri Lanka and New Zealand, with only a loss each, have performed up to expectations.

The former have featured in two of the most exciting games to date - a one-wicket loss to South Africa and a two-run win over England - and could pick up the bulk of the disenfranchised local supporters in the finals.

Those close encounters aside, most of the matches have been one-sided and it's been left to individuals to provide the tournament's spark.

Slugging South African Herschelle Gibbs' six sixes in an over against the Dutch, Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga's four wickets in four balls in that thriller against South Africa, Australian opener Matthew Hayden's continued belligerence and Scott Styris' all-round skills for New Zealand have stood out in an event which has given fans little to blow their conches about.

Hopefully, the languid pace of this event will pick up as the business end of proceedings nears and that there just still may be a few more twists to the plot.

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