TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015 Outsiders determined to stay in World Cup club SYDNEY: Afghanistan coach Andy Moles has victories over both the West Indies and between World Cups. side to Sri Lanka who in the course of a 21- question is what do you want the World Cup no doubts over the thorny issue of the 2019 Zimbabwe were no longer seen as shocks. In True there were, as was the case in 2011, year span from their appearance as a non-Test to be? Do you want it to be a jamboree of World Cup and the controversial plan to cut the end they were only denied a quarter-final some lopsided ‘blow-outs’. But they didn’t just nation at the inaugural World Cup in 1975 world cricket or the pinnacle of the one-day the number of teams from 14 to just 10. place on net run-rate, with the West Indies involve the Associates with England, who in went to champions by the time of the 1996 game?” Richard Done, the high performance “It’s called the World Cup, and the secret is scraping through at their expense. common with the non-Test quartet failed to edition. The likes of Afghanistan pacemen manager of the ICC, said he had been encour- in the name,” he said. After Ireland became the Even in Sunday’s seven-wicket defeat by qualify for the last eight, on the receiving end Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran, UAE bats- aged with the competitive performance of the last of the four non-Test or Associate nations Pakistan there was a moment for Ireland to of thumping defeats by Australia, New man Shaiman Anwar and Scotland seamer Associate teams. taking part at the World Cup to bow out of the savour with captain William Porterfield making Zealand and Sri Lanka. Josh Davey, whose 15 wickets at this World “It is encouraging to see the competitive tournament on Sunday, there were plenty of a fine hundred. “I’d love to think it was not our Cup have so far only been bettered by performances of the associate members in the supporters for Moles’s opinion. last World Cup game,” said Porterfield. “I think ASTONISHING RISE Australia’s Mitchell Starc, all made a name for World Cup and that the ICC High Performance Indeed there has been a chorus of criticism, something has to be done if they (the ICC) By contrast, the Scots-who didn’t win a themselves. Programme tours have been an important including major names in the sport such as want to grow the game. “If you cut us out of match all tournament-made New Zealand “Where can they test themselves if they part in their preparation,” Done told AFP. Done Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh, regarding the World Cup then what’s the point really for sweat when the Black Caps lost seven wickets can’t test themselves against the best?,” said said the ICC had chalked out a comprehensive plans by the International Cricket Council to us to keep going.” chasing a victory target of 143. Moles. “There’s a certain mystique about the programme for the qualifiers to help them reduce the number of teams taking part. All four Associates taking part at this World Meanwhile Afghanistan’s astonishing rise associate nations and I think it would be compete with the full members. Ireland, long the leading Associate member of Cup-Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the saw them mark their maiden World Cup with a something that would be lost if they weren’t Last October, Afghanistan and UAE were the ICC, beat Test teams for the third World United Arab Emirates-did enough to show thrilling one-wicket win over Scotland. given the opportunity to do it again.” given an opportunity to play some domestic Cup in a row. how much better they might yet be with more Moles, a former opening batsman with In an interview with AFP last month, ICC teams in Australia while Scotland and Ireland It says much about Irish cricket that their games against top-class opposition in English county Warwickshire, compared his chief executive David Richardson said: “The were given base camps in New Zealand. —AFP Starc difference in Aussies campaign MELBOURNE: Publicly labelled “soft” by former test bowler Shane Warne only a few months ago, paceman Mitchell Starc has come of age at the cricket World Cup and could prove key to Australia’s hopes of winning a fifth trophy. The 25-year-old left-armer currently leads the wickets tally at the tournament with 16 scalps at the end of the pool phase, one ahead of a clutch of bowlers with 15, but with an eye-popping average of 8.50. Once known as the “lesser Mitchell”, Starc has put Australia’s most feared strike bowler Mitchell Johnson firmly in the shade, the fellow left-armer taking a modest nine wickets at an average of 22.66. “The ball’s coming out nicely. I can’t com- plain. It’s coming out consistently well, but more importantly we’re winning games,” Starc said in comments published by The Australian newspa- per. “That’s all that matters. “I’ve been working on different plans, whether that be in training or in a game, and it’s nice to see them coming off.” Starc’s form at cricket’s global showpiece has elevated him to the most lethal wicket-taker in the one-day game. The Adelaide Oval has one of Australia’s slow- est pitches, particularly since its redevelopment as a venue for Australian Rules football matches, but Starc’s pace, bounce and variation could prove a handful for Pakistan when the teams clash in the quarter-finals on Friday. Starc has set the tone for Australia’s cam- paign, capturing the team’s first World Cup wick- et in the opener against England when a flus- tered Moeen Ali tried to pull a short ball only to be beaten for pace and caught at mid-on. He all but bowled out New Zealand with a six-wicket haul that dragged his team into the match after they were skittled for 151 in Auckland and appeared ripe for humiliation. His ability to swing the ball both ways and into right-handed batsmen has prompted com- NEW ZEALAND: India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot to hit the winning runs parisons with Pakistan great Wasim Akram. during the Cricket World Cup Pool B match in this file photo. —AFP SOFT EFFORT Straight-shooter George Bailey, who led Asia quartet defy convention Australia against England before making way for regular captain Michael Clarke, said Starc was ADELAIDE: Co-hosts Australia and New Mortaza said his biggest challenge was “more feared” as a ‘death bowler’ in the final Zealand may be the teams to beat, but the to check the growing excitement in the overs than either of South Africa pace duo Dale striking feature of this World Cup is Asia’s team over making the knock-out rounds Steyn and Morne Morkel. four Test nations defying conventional wis- for the first time and the prospect of play- Only a few months ago, however, Starc was dom to make the quarter-finals. ing before some 90,000 spectators at the making headlines after outspoken pundit Warne The belief that Asian cricketers struggle MCG. “Everyone is excited about the game HOBART: Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc appeals unsuccessfully in this file photo. —AFP remarked that he looked “a bit soft” when strug- on the hard, bouncy wickets Down Under but as a professional unit we must focus on gling for line and length on a baking, hot day place in tests, being picked for one match then wicket in the Sydney match-having India open- was thrown out of the window as India, Sri the task ahead ,” he said. “It’s a chance to during a test match against India in Brisbane. tossed out on a number of occasions. er Murali Vijay nicking behind-happened with Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh moved show the world that we are among the top For a sporting country that values toughness His 15 matches have yielded 50 wickets at a Warne behind the microphone for the host ahead from the group stages. teams.” above all qualities in elite sport, there are few- modest average of 35.44. He was dropped after broadcaster. Three more wins will see a team er criticisms more scathing than the ‘S-word’ the “soft” effort in Brisbane, but returned for Warne praised the bowler and has since jok- crowned the 2015 champions-just like SEMI-FINAL GUARANTEE and Warne was moved to clarify his comment the final test against India in Sydney and took ingly claimed credit for his brilliant form. Starc Pakistan did when the World Cup was last The India-Bangladesh match means that after a subsequent media storm. five wickets for the match. Before the test he has since let his work on the pitch do the talk- held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 at least one Asian team will be guaranteed Competing with a bull-pen of fast bowlers said he wasn’t “losing sleep” over Warne’s criti- ing. ‘Soft’ won’t be the first word thrown — and another victory for Asia cannot be a place in the semi-finals, but Sri Lanka and for the third seamer spot behind Johnson and cism. around when Pakistan’s brain trust convene to ruled out. “There is no reason why an Asian Pakistan will also be strong contenders for Ryan Harris, Starc has struggled to cement his But in a neat piece of symmetry, his first prepare for Friday’s match.