Vaughan seeks England improvement

Captain Michael Vaughan says England must work on their bowling and batting ahead of their remaining Super 8 games.

"We're not playing the full game but it's very rare that you play at 100%.

"At the moment we're playing around 80% and I'd like to see us play a bit more than that," he commented, following Friday's 48-run win over Ireland.

They had Ireland 139-6 at one stage but allowed them to reach 218 and Vaughan said: "We need to try and bowl teams out when we have an opportunity."

He continued: "It would have been nice to nail it when they were six down but they played well and we didn't get it quite right for a few overs," said Vaughan.

England now travel to Antigua, where they face Group B winners Sri Lanka on Wednesday and favourites Australia four days later.

They also have concerns over the performance of the top order batting, including Vaughan himself, although he insisted there was no crisis.

Vaughan made six, Ed Joyce fell for one, while Ian Bell hit a painstaking 31 from 76 deliveries against the Irish.

He said: "We will have to work hard over the next few days to make sure the top order fires against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, but definitely the most important thing was to get two points.

"We're not firing consistently, but Ed Joyce has just got two fifties and Ian Bell is hitting the ball OK.

"My form is pretty patchy. It started well but in the last two innings I haven¿t got any runs. I'll have to work hard over the next few days with the coach and make sure I get a bit of confidence and rhythm."

Paul Collingwood provided the batting impetus for England

Vaughan also took a turn with the ball against Ireland, sending down nine overs of off-spin and taking 1-34, and he expects to do more bowling as the tournament progresses.

"I just tossed a few up and they came out OK," said Vaughan. "I've been working on my bowling in the nets and I'll hopefully bowl a few more times in this tournament."

Meanwhile, Man of the Match Paul Collingwood, who scored 90 and took 1-38, said England had surpassed their pre-match target of 250 by scoring 266.

But only some big hitting in the last 10 overs from Collingwood, who hit three sixes, Paul Nixon (19 from 15 balls) and Ravi Bopara (10 from five) made England safe.

"It takes a bit of time to get in on these wickets and later on in the innings you can make up the run-rate," said the Durham all-rounder.

"We were looking for a total of about 250, so 266 was a good total on this pitch.

"It nibbled around a little bit with the new ball and the Irish bowlers put us under pressure. But the pitch got better as the day went on and those last 10 overs helped us."

Inzamam dismisses fixing rumours

Inzamam has been hurt by the reaction of Pakistan's supporters

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has denied that members of his team may have been involved in match-fixing.

Inzamam hit back at the team's critics during a news conference in Lahore, which followed their first round exit from the Cricket World Cup.

Questions have been asked about the manner of their defeats by West Indies and Ireland in the Caribbean.

"It's unfair to talk about match-fixing now after the World Cup defeats," the 37-year-old commented.

"The loss to Ireland was the most difficult day of my life. I take all the responsibility."

Inzamam accused the Pakistan media of "unnecessarily tarnishing" the team's image.

"No-one knows what the team went through after the loss to Ireland. Players live in fear of what happens if we lose. The media knows only how to attack us and not support us," he said.

It has been a tough time for me and my family Inzamam-ul-Haq

Members of the Pakistan squad arrived home earlier this week to a hostile reception.

On Monday, Vice-captain Younis Khan was involved in an altercation with slogan-chanting fans in Karachi.

"Bring a donkey for him and ask him to sit on it and roam around the city," one irate fan as was quoted as shouting at the airport.

And there were further shouts of "Go to Hell" and "Shame" when four players, Shahid Afridi, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami and Kamran Akmal, arrived the following day.

Inzamam, meanwhile, is still hoping to continue his international career after deciding to give up the captaincy following the team's elimination from the World Cup.

Although he has retired from one-day internationals, he wants to continue playing for the team in Test matches, although that will depend on a new selection committee which has yet to be appointed after the previous three-man panel resigned.

"I took the decision to retire from one-dayers before the World Cup. One-day cricket has become a very fast game. I am only human," he explained.

Reporters were prevented from asking questions about the death of coach Bob Woolmer, who was murdered in his hotel room only hours after the match against Ireland.

Live Scores-unconvincing England beat Ireland

.
World Cup Super 8, Guyana: England 266-7 (50 ovs) bt Ireland 218 (48.1 ovs) by 48 runs

By Jamie Lillywhite

Collingwood again underlined his importance to England

England recorded a 48-run Super 8 victory against Ireland, but were some way from their best form in Guyana.

Paul Collingwood struck three sixes in an assured 90, sharing 81 with Andrew Flintoff (43) after Kevin Pietersen fired a rapid 48 in England's 266-7.

In pursuit of 267, Ireland lost Jeremy Bray in the opening over but Niall O'Brien made a gritty 63 from 88 balls.

Monty Panesar and Michael Vaughan piled pressure on but late runs were conceded until Flintoff wrapped it up with 4-43.

For all their dominance, England still had moments of expensive ineptitude with both bat and ball, making heavy weather of sealing the win having appeared to have taken a stranglehold.

After sending a delivery two yards down the leg-side, the unpredictable James Anderson gave them an important early wicket.

Bray, who made an unbeaten 115 in the opening match against Zimbabwe, slashed to point where Ravi Bopara took a slick low catch.

Sajid Mahmood bowled an accurate opening spell but it was his agility in the field that produced the next wicket, a flick from the back of the hand scoring a direct hit to leave Eoin Morgan short of his ground.

As England wavered, Flintoff ended Johnston's entertaining cameo

There were three slips and a gully at that stage but O'Brien shared 61 with William Porterfield, Flintoff's first three overs costing 20.

The all-rounder returned to force Porterfield into a leading edge and the run-rate began to climb steadily.

Ed Joyce capped a forgettable performance by spilling a routine chance at mid-wicket when O'Brien was only nine and the pugnacious left-hander went on to his third ODI fifty, from 66 balls.

Panesar was introduced after 21 overs with the rate over six, and he was partnered by Vaughan, the first time the captain has bowled in an ODI since one over went for 13 against Australia in June 2005.

In 19 consecutive overs of spin there were only two boundaries and Vaughan picked up the key wicket of O'Brien with a delightfully flighted slow delivery that left Paul Nixon with an eternity to remove the bails.

There was time for some lusty late boundaries as the England seamers failed to find the right areas, Trent Johnston hitting the biggest six of the day.

Flintoff finally found the decisive full-length deliveries that snared the last three wickets.

Ireland-born opener Joyce departed in ignominious fashion against his old team, offering no shot to Boyd Rankin's first ball and seeing his off-stump fly out of the ground as the ball seamed back.

Vaughan's critics found more ammunition when the skipper, having clipped a sumptous vintage boundary in the opening over, edged tamely to the keeper.

Rankin claimed 2-5 from his first three overs but he suffered from cramp and was only able to bowl another four, which proved costly in the latter stages.

Joyce made only a single before making a fatal misjudgement

After the 50 came up in the 11th over, Johnston brought himself into the attack but Pietersen smashed three fours in his opening over.

The second powerplay brought 28 runs, but in the final five over segment only 12 were scored.

Ian Bell once again fell between the devil and the deep blue sea, making a patient 31 but failing to produce the major innings expected.

He departed in Kevin O'Brien's opening over when he tried to late cut but merely deflected into the keeper's gloves.

Pietersen tried to dominate the innocuous looking spinner Kyle McCallan but was smartly caught at mid-wicket.

Given his recent problems, there was much attention on Flintoff, who immediately looked in good touch.

He began in sublime fashion with a defensive push first ball that raced between the cover fielders to the boundary.

Yet again Collingwood was the ideal foil, confidently pushing through the covers to the boundary early in his innings, and recording the fifty stand from 66 balls with Flintoff with a deft sweep off Botha.

Flintoff managed to contain his wild attacking instincts, but in the 44th over succumbed to a slower off-break from Johnston that bowled him via an inside edge.

Collingwood gave himself room to launch Botha over mid-wicket, where he was smartly caught by a spectator in the first row.

More deft footwork resulted in another sweep over backward square for four and a second six just cleared long-on.

Nixon, who was reprieved when replays of a catch in the deep proved inconclusive, hit a short arm jab over long-on for six in a cameo 19.

Having launched his third legside maximum, Collingwood needed 12 from the final over to reach his century but was run-out by an alert bowler Johnston at the stumps looking for a quick single third ball.

However, Bopara struck a glorious straight drive to the boundary as 65 came from final five overs to ensure there were more than enough runs in the bank.

Pakistan board chairman to stay

Ashraf only became PCB chairman in October

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has refused to accept the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman's resignation after their disastrous World Cup.

Musharraf has asked Nasim Ashraf to try and rebuild the national side.

"Ashraf has been boosted with the confidence shown in him by the president," said PCB spokesman Aamir Bilal on Friday.

"He will announce a short and long term rebuilding plan for Pakistan cricket on Saturday," added Bilal.

Ashraf submitted his resignation last week after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup following their shock defeat by Ireland.

Pakistan's tournament took a tragic turn when coach Bob Woolmer was murdered the day after the Ireland defeat.

Since 1999, the President of Pakistan has appointed the PCB chairman in his capacity as chief patron of the board.

Ashraf replaced retired diplomat Shaharyar Khan last October.

He faced a crisis soon after taking charge when fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif tested positive for a banned steroid in drugs tests conducted by the board.

They were banned but subsequently cleared on appeal.

The PCB is expected to announce a new captain and coach next week after taking stock of the World Cup performances.

Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his retirement from one-day internationals and relinquished the captaincy after Pakistan lost to Ireland.

ICC World Cup: Ireland v England-Live Scores-Live Scores

ICC World Cup: Ireland v England-Live Scores

30-03-2007 at Guyana

England beat Ireland by 48 runs

England won the toss and decided to bat

England Innings 266 for 7 (50.0 overs)

Ireland Innings 218 all out (48.1 overs)

England Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
E C Joyce		b W B Rankin	1	5	0	0
M P Vaughan	c N J O'Brien	b W B Rankin	6	13	1	0
I R Bell	c N J O'Brien	b K J O'Brien	31	74	2	0
K P Pietersen	c W T S Porterfield	b W K McCallan	48	47	5	0
P D Collingwood	run out		90	82	8	3
A Flintoff		b D T Johnston	43	62	4	0
P A Nixon	c E J G Morgan	b A C Botha	19	15	1	1
R S Bopara	not out		10	5	1	0
S I Mahmood	not out		0	0	0	0
Extras		3nb 13w 2lb	18
Total		for 7	266	(50.0 ovs)

Bowler O M R W D Langford-Smith 7.0 0 38 0 W B Rankin 7.0 1 28 2 D T Johnston 10.0 0 70 1 A C Botha 10.0 1 56 1 K J O'Brien 4.0 0 26 1 W K McCallan 10.0 0 38 1 A R White 2.0 0 8 0

Fall of wicket 6 E C Joyce 23 M P Vaughan 89 I R Bell 113 K P Pietersen 194 A Flintoff 245 P A Nixon 258 P D Collingwood

Ireland Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
W T S Porterfield	c I R Bell	b A Flintoff	31	69	1	0
J P Bray	c R S Bopara	b J M Anderson	0	1	0	0
E J G Morgan	run out		2	7	0	0
N J O'Brien	st P A Nixon	b M P Vaughan	63	88	4	0
A C Botha	c A Flintoff	b M S Panesar	18	39	1	0
K J O'Brien	lbw	b M S Panesar	12	19	1	0
D T Johnston		b A Flintoff	27	21	1	2
A R White	c P A Nixon	b P D Collingwood	38	35	4	0
W K McCallan		b A Flintoff	5	6	0	0
D Langford-Smith	lbw	b A Flintoff	1	2	0	0
W B Rankin	not out		4	8	0	0
Extras		5nb 9w 3lb	17
Total		all out	218	(48.1 ovs)

Bowler O M R W J M Anderson 7.0 1 35 1 S I Mahmood 8.0 2 34 0 A Flintoff 8.1 1 43 4 P D Collingwood 6.0 0 38 1 M S Panesar 10.0 1 31 2 M P Vaughan 9.0 0 34 1

Fall of wicket 6 J P Bray 11 E J G Morgan 72 W T S Porterfield 116 A C Botha 139 K J O'Brien 139 N J O'Brien 197 D T Johnston 209 A R White 210 D Langford-Smith 218 W K McCallan

Umpires: B R Doctrove, S J A Taufel
Ireland: J P Bray, W T S Porterfield, E J G Morgan, N J O'Brien, K J O'Brien, A C Botha, D T Johnston, W K McCallan, A R White, D Langford-Smith, W B Rankin
England: M P Vaughan, E C Joyce, I R Bell, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, R S Bopara, P A Nixon, S I Mahmood, J M Anderson, M S Panesar

Pakistan to hold Woolmer service

Woolmer coached both the Pakistan and South Africa teams

A memorial service for murdered Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer will be held in Lahore on Sunday.

The service, which has been organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board, will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral from 12 noon to 1pm local time.

The memorial service will be open to anyone who wishes to pay their respects to Woolmer.

He was killed on 18 March, the day after Pakistan were beaten by Ireland in the World Cup.

During his playing career he earned 19 Test caps for England before becoming a much-respected coach.

Aside from Pakistan he also coached South Africa and enjoyed great success coaching in English county cricket, winning four trophies in two seasons with Warwickshire.

Flintoff fit for Irish challenge

World Cup Super 8, Guyana: England v Ireland
Match starts 1430 BST Friday

England will be pleased to have Andrew Flintoff available

Key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been passed fit to take his place in England's line-up for Friday's World Cup Super 8 match against Ireland.

The 29-year-old has overcome a stomach virus that affected his preparations.

"Freddie is fine," captain Michael Vaughan said on Thursday. "He played a full part in practice, so he's fit and firing going into tomorrow's game."

Ireland, meanwhile, should be boosted by the return of captain Trent Johnston following a shoulder injury.

Vaughan watched Wednesday's match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at new Providence Stadium, noting conditions similar to the sub-continent.

He said the option to bring back spin all-rounder Jamie Dalrymple, who has struggled with bat and ball this winter, would be considered.

That would mean Ravi Bopara once again returning to drinks duties.

"It's definitely something we'll talk about," said Vaughan.

I certainly believe we have enough good players to go out and beat England Ireland's Eoin Morgan

"With this kind of wicket and the size of the outfield, whether we need that second spinner to come into the side is something we'll talk about."

Ireland have already knocked Pakistan out of the World Cup and England know they need to improve on the form they showed in beating Canada and Kenya.

And they are determined to prove their progress to the Super 8 phase of the tournament was no fluke.

Left-handed batsman Eoin Morgan, a Middlesex professional, said: "Coming into the competition we recognised the talent we had in the side and we knew we had the ability to cause a major upset.

"We did that against Pakistan and the confidence that gave us is huge.

"I certainly believe we have enough good players to go out and beat England."

Ireland's Dave Langford-Smith has a vital job with the new ball

Ireland were certainly not disgraced when the two sides met in Belfast last summer, replying to England's total of 301-7 with 263-9 in a 38-run defeat.

Making his debut against the country of his birth that day was England's opener Ed Joyce.

The left-handed batsman is now able to supply England with some inside information about their opposition.

He said: "Ireland play as a unit very well. They field very well, they bowl as a unit - they've got a lot of medium-pacers and spinners who bowl very straight - and they bat way down to number 10."

Joyce believes England must impose themselves on the game early - if they bat first they need a positive start, but must keep wickets in hand.

"Myself, Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell are not massive hitters, so it's a case of using what we've got in the side to do well.

"We have to get the team off to a good start. We want KP [Kevin Pietersen] and Fred [Flintoff] coming in when the shine is off the ball and they can show what they can do."

I haven't scored enough hundreds. If I get to 70, I should be getting to 100" Kevin Pietersen

The return of Johnston undoubtedly strengthens an Irish bowling attack, which also includes off-spinner Kyle McCallan, who has been taking advice from West Indies Test great Lance Gibbs.

"The way he grips the ball is completely alien to the way I grip it. He talked about gripping it hard, spinning it hard. I try to give it a rip but not the way he did," said McCallan.

England will start as favourites, and Pietersen's recent elevation to the top of the world one-day batting rankings has only served to provide him with a further spur.

"There are a lot more important things than rankings, like winning the World Cup and to be winning games with this team," he said.

"I haven't scored enough hundreds. I have scored three international one-day centuries and they came in my first 10 matches. It's a mental thing for me. If I get to 70, I should be getting to 100."

---

England (from): M Vaughan (capt), J Anderson, I Bell, R Bopara, P Collingwood, J Dalrymple, A Flintoff, E Joyce, J Lewis, S Mahmood, P Nixon, M Panesar, K Pietersen, L Plunkett, A Strauss.

Ireland (from): T Johnston (capt), A Botha, J Bray, K Carroll, P Gillespie, D Langford-Smith, K McCallan, J Mooney, P Mooney, E Morgan, K O'Brien, N O'Brien, W Porterfield, B Rankin, A White.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (Aus) and Billy Doctrove (WI)

ICC World Cup: West Indies v New Zealand-Live Scores

29-03-2007 at Antigua

New Zealand beat West Indies by 7 wickets

New Zealand won the toss and decided to field

West Indies Innings 177 all out (44.4 overs)

New Zealand Innings 179 for 3 (39.2 overs)

West Indies Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
C H Gayle		b J D P Oram	44	56	8	0
S Chanderpaul	c S B Styris	b S E Bond	4	28	0	0
R R Sarwan	c B B McCullum	b J D P Oram	19	27	2	0
M N Samuels	c B B McCullum	b J D P Oram	9	18	1	0
B C Lara	c B B McCullum	b S B Styris	37	49	1	0
D J Bravo	c B B McCullum	b S E Bond	18	30	0	0
D Ramdin	c J D P Oram	b D L Vettori	15	22	2	0
L M P Simmons	not out		14	26	2	0
D S Smith		b D L Vettori	8	6	0	1
D B Powell	lbw	b D L Vettori	0	1	0	0
C D Collymore		b S E Bond	0	5	0	0
Extras		3w 1b 5lb	9
Total		all out	177	(44.4 ovs)

Bowler O M R W M J Mason 6.0 2 14 0 S E Bond 8.4 0 31 3 J E C Franklin 3.0 0 29 0 J D P Oram 8.0 2 23 3 S B Styris 10.0 1 35 1 D L Vettori 9.0 1 39 3

Fall of wicket 14 S Chanderpaul 66 R R Sarwan 78 M N Samuels 81 C H Gayle 128 D J Bravo 150 B C Lara 158 D Ramdin 176 D S Smith 176 D B Powell 177 C D Collymore

New Zealand Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
P G Fulton		b D B Powell	0	2	0	0
S P Fleming	run out		45	66	6	1
H J H Marshall	c B C Lara	b D B Powell	15	23	2	0
S B Styris	not out		80	90	7	0
C D McMillan	not out		33	57	3	0
Extras		2nb 3w 1lb	6
Total		for 3	179	(39.2 ovs)

Bowler O M R W D B Powell 10.0 2 39 2 D S Smith 5.0 0 24 0 C D Collymore 9.0 0 43 0 D J Bravo 8.0 0 32 0 C H Gayle 6.2 0 35 0 R R Sarwan 1.0 0 5 0

Fall of wicket 0 P G Fulton 36 H J H Marshall 77 S P Fleming

Umpires: Asad Rauf, R E Koertzen
West Indies: C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, M N Samuels, B C Lara, D J Bravo, D Ramdin, D S Smith, L M P Simmons, D B Powell, C D Collymore
New Zealand: P G Fulton, S P Fleming, H J H Marshall, S B Styris, C D McMillan, J D P Oram, B B McCullum, D L Vettori, J E C Franklin, S E Bond, M J Mason

Reborn Aussies aim to extend run

World Cup Super 8, Antigua: Australia v Bangladesh
Match starts 1430 BST Saturday

McGrath should overhaul Wasim Akram's World Cup wickets record

Both Australia and Bangladesh have no fresh injury worries ahead of their World Cup Super 8 encounter in Antigua.

Australia went into the tournament on the back of five defeats in a row.

But they have won all four matches in the West Indies by big margins and are looking to stretch their World Cup unbeaten run to 23 matches.

"All of a sudden we appear pretty frightening again when just two weeks ago everyone felt we weren't," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

Veteran Australian seamer Glenn McGrath goes into the game just one wicket short of Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram's World Cup record of 55 wickets.

"Claiming a couple of more wickets and going past Akram will be something special," said the 37-year-old.

Australia are chasing a third World Cup victory in a row and McGrath finds it hard to believe anyone will stop them in their quest.

We're not here to make up the numbers Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar

"If we go and play the way we have I can't really see any team getting close to us," he insisted. "We've been so successful over such a long time, we know how to win, what we've got to do.

"When you walk on the field you just have to look around you - there are some amazing players, some of the greats of all time. It does give you a lot of confidence."

Australia have won 11 of their 12 ODIs against Bangladesh but the Tigers pulled off a stunning five-wicket victory against the world champions in Cardiff in 2005.

McGrath took 0-43 off 10 overs in that match while Mohammad Ashraful, who has yet to be dismissed after three innings in this tournament, although he only has 82 runs to his name, scored a fine century.

Bangladesh are surprise qualifiers for the Super 8 stage after knocking out neighbours India but captain Habibul Bashar wants his side to prove it was no fluke, starting against Australia.

"Making the Super 8s is a momentous step for Bangladesh cricket, we've played well to be here," he said.

"We want to continue our good performance and are seeking to post some victories - we're not here to make up the numbers."

---

Australia (probable): Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath.

Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Tapash Baisya, Saqibal Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Syed Rasal, Abdur Razzak, Rajin Saleh.

Vaughan happy with steady starts

By Martin Gough

As soon as you get to the semi-final stage anything could happen and that's what we're trying to do Michael Vaughan

Captain Michael Vaughan says England will not be swayed into changing their World Cup batting approach, for now.

They have resisted moving Andrew Flintoff or Kevin Pietersen up the order to copy Australian opening pair Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.

Vaughan said: "We don't have a Sanath Jayasuriya or a Gilchrist but we haven't been bogged down.

"If we feel we need to use the first 20 overs more there are players in our team we feel could do that."

Vaughan, who has been opening the batting with Ed Joyce, explained: "We've tried to pick to where our strengths are. At the moment we're happy with the way we're playing.

"We think, on these wickets, the middle overs are just as important with the way you knock it around."

Vaughan believes England's approach is well-suited to the "subcontinental-type" wicket England will bat on against Ireland on Friday.

On Wednesday, in the opening match at Guyana National Stadium, he watched Sri Lanka and South Africa both lose early wickets to a swinging new ball.

But his collapse-prone middle order will have to avoid the sort of crash suffered by South Africa when Lasith Malinga took four wickets in as many balls.

Meanwhile, Australia demonstrated their return to form with impressive victories over South Africa and West Indies over the weekend.

But Vaughan has not revised his opinion that there are still several candidates to lift the World Cup in Barbados on 28 April.

"I still think it's open but Australia are looking very strong. They beat a big team in South Africa then the hosts the other day.

"But as soon as you get to the semi-final stage anything could happen and that's what we're trying to do."

Tendulkar faces calls to retire

Tendulkar lasted just three balls in the Sri Lanka defeat

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell, brother of current India coach Greg, says legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar should retire.

Chappell called for him to quit in his column for Mumbai's Mid Day newspaper.

"At the moment he (Tendulkar) looks like a player trying to eke out a career built on a glittering array of statistics," said Chappell.

"If he really is playing for that reason then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately."

Pressure is growing on Tendulkar, 33, after India crashed out of the World Cup at the group stages and Chappell said he should go before someone else makes the call for him.

"Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Tendulkar, the player himself has to have a good long look in the mirror and decide what he's trying to achieve in the game," said Chappell.

India lost to Bangladesh in their opening match in the West Indies and when that was followed by defeat against Sri Lanka they were on their way home.

For whatever reason Tendulkar hasn't been able to maintain his extremely high standards for the last few years Ex-Australia skipper Ian Chappell

Tendulkar is the highest scorer in the history of one-day international cricket with 14,847 runs from 384 ODI matches and also holds the record for the most centuries with 41.

In addition he holds the record for the most World Cup runs - more than 1,700 in 33 matches - but he had a poor tournament this year in his fifth World Cup.

Tendulkar scored just seven against Bangladesh and was then bowled for a third-ball duck as India lost their must-win game against Sri Lanka by 69 runs.

In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where India lost to Australia in the final, Tendulkar was the player of the tournament and won the man of the match award three times.

However, he has been plagued by injuries over the past two years, and many observers feel he no longer has the powers of the man who vied with Brian Lara for the title of the best batsman in the world for more than a decade.

Chappell said that, while Lara had managed to retain his form, Tendulkar was now a shadow of his former self.

"For whatever reason, Tendulkar hasn't been able to maintain his extremely high standards for the last few years," insisted Chappell.

"Unless he can find a way to recapture this mental approach he's not doing his team or himself any favours.

"If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question: 'Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the best batsman of all?' It would've answered: 'Brian Charles Lara'.

"If he asked that same mirror right now 'mirror, mirror on the wall should I retire?' The answer would be 'yes'."

ICC Cricket Worldcup 2007:

Four-wicket Malinga unaware of his record

Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga was unaware he had become the first man in international cricket to take four wickets in four balls, against South Africa in the World Cup Super Eights.

His heroics, which have never happened before in international one-day or Test cricket, nearly robbed South Africa of victory but Graeme Smith's men clung on for a one-wicket win having earlier been cruising.

"I didn't know if anyone else had taken four," Malinga told a news conference. "I know now I was the first person and I'm very happy. But my team lost the game."

Malinga, who sports large bouncy hair with blonde streaks, dismissed Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini, but South Africa reached their modest target with 10 balls to spare after Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 209.

"My first spell was no good," he said. "With the last spell I took wickets but that was not enough to win the game. The best ball was Pollock. My slower ball."

Malinga, whose low, slingy action has courted controversy, was eventually made joint man-of-match with five-wicket South African Charl Langeveldt after an initial mix-up where only Langeveldt was named.

The International Cricket Council said it had apologised to the Sri Lankan team.

Team captain Mahela Jayawardene hailed his bowler but was disappointed with the result.

"We never had a chance in this game, he created it," Jayawardene said. "He can be a handful for the lower middle order and tailenders. I can use him at any stage, he is always good to go.

"But we didn't deserve to win this game the way we batted."

South African captain Smith refused to blame his lower order for almost throwing away the match and instead praised Malinga.

"You've got to give Malinga some credit, he is an awkward bowler. He just ran in and gave it his all," Smith said.

Live Scores-smith thankful for thrilling win

South African skipper Graeme Smith was a relieved man after his side hung on to clinch a dramatic one-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a nail-biting match.

Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls to reduce Smith's side from 206-5 to 208-9 before Robin Peterson edged the four that saw them home.

Smith said: "I definitely aged from 26 to 40 years old in the last few overs.

"I'm really pleased that we dominated 95% of the match, but that spell from Malinga put us under real pressure."

Set 210 to win after bowling Sri Lanka out for 209, the Proteas looked to be cruising as Jacques Kallis scored 86 to build on Smith's 59.

I'm chuffed that we've put them behind us Graeme Smith

But with five overs to go and four runs needed, Malinga produced a hat-trick - and then clean-bowled Makhaya Ntini to become the first man in World Cup history to take four wickets in four balls.

Smith said: "Sri Lanka in these conditions were always going to make it a tough game, and we knew we would have to grind out the win.

"I'm chuffed that we've put them behind us and put those two points on the board.

"The surface suited them, so to dominate 95% of the game was incredible."

Smith also paid tribute to Charl Langeveldt, who took five wickets in two key spells for South Africa.

He said: "Charl's been bowling well for a while now.

"Not only did he get the ball to swing, but he took wickets at the death and then blocked out 10 balls at the end of our innings too."

Australia are close to 'optimum'

Australia captain Ricky Ponting says his side are approaching their top form after beating West Indies by 103 runs in the Super 8 match in Antigua.

In a one-day match which spanned two days, Australia's bowlers proved too much for West Indies and they were dismissed for 219, chasing 323.

Ponting said: "We are playing pretty close to our optimum.

"Matthew Hayden was the catalyst but the other batters did well and our new ball bowling today was very good."

Australia have now scored 300 or above in all of their four innings at the World Cup and Hayden registered his second century is consecutive matches as Australia blasted their way to 322-6.

Australia coach John Buchanan said Hayden had fully justified the decision to recall him to the one-day squad after losing his place following the 2005 tour to England.

"At the beginning of this tournament he is certainly making a statement about the opening batting role and his capacity to bat long innings, and to be flexible in his shot selection. That is pretty key to making good scores," he commented.

We've listened to other sides saying they don't fear us..but you have to back it up Ricky Ponting

Apart from the early part of the South African innings in Australia's final first round match, the World Cup holders have not been pushed hard by the opposition.

But Ponting said: "It doesn't worry us that we haven't had many close games. We're trying to play the best cricket we can and win games as easily as we can.

"We've played excellent cricket from the moment we arrived here - we're setting some really high standards for ourselves - and the fact that we haven't had a close game is a reflection of that.

"The things about this team is we have been able to beat teams comfortably over the years, but when the close games gave come around, that's generally when we've been at our absolute best.

"Champions players - and we've got a lot of them in this side - generally play [well] when it gets tight."

He added: "We've listened to other sides saying they don't fear us. It's alright to say that, but you have to play a certain brand of cricket to back it up - and teams that have said that haven't done it.

"We're early in this tournament and we have to keep stretching ourselves, but if we keep working hard I can't see why we can't keep improving right the way through this tournament."

Lara Says Windies were out played

West Indies captain Brian Lara said his side had been well beaten by Australia and they could have had no complaints.

Lara top-scored with 77 and Denesh Ramdin hit 52 but the hosts were all out for 219 to lose by 103 runs.

"Australia showed why they are the best side in the world," admitted Lara, whose side face are playing again, this time against New Zealand on Thursday.

"They outplayed us over the two days. They deserve congratulations for a very good performance," he added.

To lose three wickets in under 10 overs I think that was a major setback and the major factor in the game Brian Lara

The loss of the early wickets left the hosts facing a near-impossible task and Lara lamented the batting performance in the opening 10 overs.

"The most important thing about chasing 300-plus is that one of the top three or four batters has to bat through," he said.

"To lose three wickets in under 10 overs I think that was a major setback and the major factor in the game.

"Myself and Ramnaresh Sarwan had to try to consolidate and rebuild the innings and in doing that of, course, we chewed up a lot of balls."

Lara, who batted at number five said he was not about to alter his batting line-up.

"I still have a lot of confidence in the guys up there, Chanderpaul got a hundred in our last game, Chris Gayle is an outstanding batsman," Lara said.

"Sarwan has been our top player in one-day games in the last couple of years and Marlon Samuels has been coming to the fore.

"One game is not going to change things but of course we are going to discuss it. I still have confidence in the top four to do the job that is required, though."

The 19,000 capacity Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was only half full for its first international fixture and Lara described the crowd figure as "very disappointing".

He added: "You think every single game the West Indies play is going to be a full house.

"For the rest of the tournament, I'd like to see our people come out and support the World Cup and support the West Indies."

Yousuf appeals for fans' patience

Yousuf is in line to take over the Pakistan captaincy

Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has appealed to angry cricket fans to be patient and accept the team's poor performance in the World Cup.

Yousuf is in line to take over as captain after Inzamam-ul-Haq resigned in the wake of the team's early elimination in the Caribbean.

"Cricket is a game and will not end with the World Cup," said Yousuf.

"There is more cricket in the future. We realise we performed badly but the fans must be patient with us."

Pakistan were knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage after a shock loss to Ireland.

Coach Bob Woolmer was found strangled a day after the defeat and a murder inquiry was launched a further four days later when the cause of death was confirmed.

As part of the inquiry, the Pakistan squad were all questioned by police and fingerprints were taken but they were allowed to leave Jamaica and flew home to Pakistan via London.

Yousuf said there was a need to sit down and learn from the mistakes of the World Cup and plan for the future.

"I think our former players must also come forward and suggest ways to improve the team's performance," Yousuf said.

Yousuf said if he was offered the chance to captain the team by the cricket authorities he would accept the challenge.

"If I think I can do some good for the team and prepare a team for the future I will accept it. It will be a big honour for me," he added.

Live Scores-champions too strong for hosts

World Cup Super 8, Antigua:
Australia 322-6 beat West Indies 219 by 103 runs

By Paul Grunill and Sam Lyon

Glenn McGrath celebrates the vital wicket of Chris Gayle

Australia underlined their status as World Cup favourites with a convincing 103-run win over West Indies in their Super 8 game in Antigua.

Glenn McGrath and Brad Hogg each took three wickets as they dismissed the home side for 219 in 45.3 overs.

West Indies never recovered from a poor start in reply to Australia's 322-6 but were saved from total collapse by Brian Lara (77) and Denesh Ramdin (52).

Matthew Hayden hit 158 for Australia on day one of the rain-interrupted match.

And his powerful 143-ball effort meant West Indies would have to produce something special with the bat to get anywhere near their target.

But supporters at the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium barely had time to get their bearings before Shiv Chanderpaul was adjudged lbw to a full length delivery from Shaun Tait, which TV replays suggested might have gone on to miss off stump.

Chris Gayle is a man with the weight of shot to match Hayden, but he never looked comfortable and only managed two singles in eight overs before trying to pull McGrath's second delivery, resulting in a skied catch to Shane Watson.

Samuels looks to the sky as a mis-hit heads towards the cover fielder

It was a serious misjudgement by Gayle, but the awful shot which led to Marlon Samuels being caught at cover for four was even worse, one hand coming off the bat as he tried to hoist McGrath over the mid-on region.

Ramnaresh Sarwan helped Lara stop the rot by sharing a stand of 71 for the fourth wicket, only to undo all his good work by hitting a full toss from Hogg straight to mid-on and departing for 29.

Dwayne Bravo adopted a similar cavalier approach which had led to the undoing of his top order team-mates as he drilled a ball from McGrath straight to cover after making only nine. Lara had seen enough, and after reaching his 63rd one-day fifty he took the aerial route to deposit Hogg over long-off for the first six of the innings.

The bowler gained his revenge when Lara missed the ball as he tried to dab fine past the keeper, leaving the umpire with a straightforward lbw decision and Dwayne Smith followed in similar fashion in Hogg's next over.

Only Ramdin detained Australia for long thereafter, running well between the wickets to reach a 41-ball fifty before being deceived by Nathan Bracken's slower ball and caught behind by Adam Gilchrist.

Hayden has been at the top of his form in his last innings

The end was not long in coming as Tait fired a rapid yorker past the inadequte defences of Daren Powell to finish with 2-43 and prove once again that he is an able spearhead replacement for Brett Lee, who missed the tournament because of injury.

The game had to be played over two days because rain prevented West Indies beginning their innings on Tuesday after Hayden had made the highest score by an Australian in a World Cup match.

His innings, in which he took 18 balls to get off the mark, included four sixes and 14 fours and followed a 66-ball hundred in their previous game against South Africa.

He eventually holed out at long-off attempting another six off Bravo but 99 came off the last 10 overs, with the help of 33 off 26 balls by Watson, to put the target well o

ICC World Cup: West Indies v Australia

27-03-2007 at Antigua

Australia beat West Indies by 103 runs

West Indies won the toss and decided to field

Australia Innings 322 for 6 (50.0 overs)

West Indies Innings 219 all out (45.3 overs)

Australia Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
A C Gilchrist	c D Ramdin	b D B Powell	7	9	0	0
M L Hayden	c M N Samuels	b D J Bravo	158	143	14	4
R T Ponting	run out		35	36	4	1
M J Clarke	lbw	b D J Bravo	41	47	4	0
A Symonds	c D Ramdin	b M N Samuels	13	18	1	0
M E K Hussey		b D B Powell	9	18	1	0
S R Watson	not out		33	26	3	1
G B Hogg	not out		5	6	0	0
Extras		3nb 8w 1b 9lb	21
Total		for 6	322	(50.0 ovs)

Bowler O M R W D B Powell 10.0 2 53 2 J E Taylor 10.0 0 67 0 C D Collymore 10.0 0 56 0 C H Gayle 4.0 0 29 0 D J Bravo 7.0 0 49 2 M N Samuels 9.0 0 58 1

Fall of wicket 10 A C Gilchrist 76 R T Ponting 174 M J Clarke 208 A Symonds 234 M E K Hussey 297 M L Hayden

West Indies Innings

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
C H Gayle	c S R Watson	b G D McGrath	2	23	0	0
S Chanderpaul	lbw	b S W Tait	5	12	0	0
R R Sarwan	c R T Ponting	b G B Hogg	29	58	1	0
M N Samuels	c A Symonds	b G D McGrath	4	8	1	0
B C Lara	lbw	b G B Hogg	77	83	8	1
D J Bravo	c R T Ponting	b G D McGrath	9	10	1	0
D Ramdin	c A C Gilchrist	b N W Bracken	52	43	6	0
D S Smith	lbw	b G B Hogg	9	7	0	1
J E Taylor	lbw	b A Symonds	10	18	1	0
D B Powell		b S W Tait	5	9	0	0
C D Collymore	not out		1	2	0	0
Extras		15w 1b	16
Total		all out	219	(45.3 ovs)

Bowler O M R W N W Bracken 9.0 1 25 1 S W Tait 7.3 0 43 2 G D McGrath 8.0 1 31 3 S R Watson 7.0 0 31 0 G B Hogg 10.0 0 56 3 A Symonds 4.0 0 32 1

Fall of wicket 11 S Chanderpaul 16 C H Gayle 20 M N Samuels 91 R R Sarwan 107 D J Bravo 156 B C Lara 172 D S Smith 199 J E Taylor 217 D Ramdin 219 D B Powell

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Asad Rauf
West Indies: C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, M N Samuels, B C Lara, D J Bravo, D Ramdin, D S Smith, J E Taylor, D B Powell, C D Collymore
Australia: A C Gilchrist, M L Hayden, R T Ponting, M J Clarke, A Symonds, M E K Hussey, S R Watson, G B Hogg, N W Bracken, S W Tait, G D McGrath