World Cup In Brief

BRIDGETOWN – West Indies coach Bennett King hopes his team can win the last two matches of their lacklustre World Cup campaign to recover some lost pride.

The hosts won all three games in their preliminary group but have since been beaten by Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa in the Super Eights. West Indies, who have only two carry over points in five matches, now meet Bangladesh on April 19 and England two days later – both here in Barbados.”It has been disappointing.We have got to turn those disappointing results around and hope to bring some of the pride back into the team and into West Indies cricket,” said King.ST GEORGE’S – Adam Gilchrist believes that wicketkeeper/batsmen who can save runs and score them in equal, devastating measure could be the key to World Cup glory.The Australian is bidding to become one of the few players to win three World Cups with his team now just four games away from adding the 2007 title to the 1999 and 2003 crowns they also secured.The 35-year-old Gilchrist will have the chance today to compare his glove and bat skills with those of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, one of his contemporaries whom he rates extremely highly.BRIDGETOWN – Former champions Sri Lanka will not reduce their intensity in their remaining matches in the Super Eights despite qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals, team manager Michael Tissera said on Saturday.New Zealand beat South Africa by five wickets on Saturday to follow defending champions Australia into the last four.Sri Lanka also qualified as South Africa and England, who meet in Barbados tomorrow, cannot both reach eight points.”We would like to take it game by game,” Tissera told Reuters from St.George’s, Grenada.”Every game is important whether we have qualified or not,” he said.”Let us wait until the next game is over.”Sri Lanka face unbeaten Australia in Grenada today before meeting debutants Ireland, who are winless, in their final Super Eights match on Wednesday.KINGSTON – Exactly four weeks ago, the sport of cricket, perceived to be that most gentlemanly of sports, was plunged into deep despair by the death of Bob Woolmer.One month on, police are no nearer to solving the murder of the 58-year-old Englishman who was found unconscious in his hotel room the day after the Pakistan team he coached had been humiliated at the World Cup by Ireland.”There are three possibilities,” said Mark Shields, the Jamaica Deputy Commissioner of Police, here on Saturday.”One is that someone could give themselves up.Two, there could be a massive breakthrough or, three, we are here for the long haul.”At the moment we are certainly category three.We would love to move to one but I think that is unlikely at this stage.”Nampa-Reuters and AFPWest Indies, who have only two carry over points in five matches, now meet Bangladesh on April 19 and England two days later – both here in Barbados.”It has been disappointing.We have got to turn those disappointing results around and hope to bring some of the pride back into the team and into West Indies cricket,” said King.ST GEORGE’S – Adam Gilchrist believes that wicketkeeper/batsmen who can save runs and score them in equal, devastating measure could be the key to World Cup glory.The Australian is bidding to become one of the few players to win three World Cups with his team now just four games away from adding the 2007 title to the 1999 and 2003 crowns they also secured.The 35-year-old Gilchrist will have the chance today to compare his glove and bat skills with those of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, one of his contemporaries whom he rates extremely highly.BRIDGETOWN – Former champions Sri Lanka will not reduce their intensity in their remaining matches in the Super Eights despite qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals, team manager Michael Tissera said on Saturday.New Zealand beat South Africa by five wickets on Saturday to follow defending champions Australia into the last four.Sri Lanka also qualified as South Africa and England, who meet in Barbados tomorrow, cannot both reach eight points.”We would like to take it game by game,” Tissera told Reuters from St.George’s, Grenada.”Every game is important whether we have qualified or not,” he said.”Let us wait until the next game is over.”Sri Lanka face unbeaten Australia in Grenada today before meeting debutants Ireland, who are winless, in their final Super Eights match on Wednesday.KINGSTON – Exactly four weeks ago, the sport of cricket, perceived to be that most gentlemanly of sports, was plunged into deep despair by the death of Bob Woolmer.One month on, police are no nearer to solving the murder of the 58-year-old Englishman who was found unconscious in his hotel room the day after the Pakistan team he coached had been humiliated at the World Cup by Ireland.”There are three possibilities,” said Mark Shields, the Jamaica Deputy Commissioner of Police, here on Saturday.”One is that someone could give themselves up.Two, there could be a massive breakthrough or, three, we are here for the long haul.”At the moment we are certainly category three.We would love to move to one but I think that is unlikely at this stage.”Nampa-Reuters and AFP