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| March 26, 2007 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1428 |
Fletcher sets England target for second round
GROS ISLET, March 25: England coach Duncan Fletcher has said his side must win a minimum of four out of their six Super Eight games if they are to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Victory by seven wickets against Kenya saw the current team become the first England side since 1996 to reach the second phase of the World Cup after their predecessors fell at the first hurdle in the 1999 and 2003 editions.
However, England will start the Super Eights at a disadvantage. Their six-wicket defeat by New Zealand means it is the Group C winners who will carry two points forward for beating a fellow qualifier.
“Every win is important for us, having lost that first one (against New Zealand),” said Fletcher.
“The minimum amount of wins is four. We've got to go and win four games starting with that first one.”
England, in what was effectively a play-off match against Kenya, restricted the Africans to 177 all out in a fixture reduced by rain to 43 overs per side.
They then scored the 178 they needed for the loss of just three wickets with 10 overs to spare.
Dublin-born Ed Joyce led the way with 75 to book an opening Super Eight clash with Ireland, the country he used to represent, in Guyana on Friday.
“At previous World Cups we've stumbled early on in the tournament and it's important we've gone through to the Super Eights,” said Fletcher.
“It was big for us. There was a lot of pressure on us to make sure we did get through on this occasion.
“It was nice to see the way we did it and that's the most important part,” said Fletcher of England's victory over the shock semi-finalists of four years ago.
“On previous occasions we probably would have had a few exciting moments. We went in there and produced some quite clinical cricket for us.”
He also paid tribute to the form of Joyce, who started the World Cup with a nought against New Zealand before making 66 in the 51-run win over Canada.
“It's good he's got through that bad trot. He's come through with two important innings. What's nice is that he's staying in there and building big partnerships.”
Fletcher said he would not be setting too much store by England's 38-run victory over Ireland, who knocked 1992 champions Pakistan out of this World Cup, in Belfast in June.
“To have got through they played some good cricket. After we beat them (by 38 runs) I said this is a really good side and any county side back home were going to struggle against them.
“It's nice to see they've come forward. They are not going to be an easy side. We've lost one game already in that round to New Zealand so this is the second game in that round and we've got to make sure we don't go two down.”—AFP
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