March 27, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1428

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JOHANNESBURG, March 26: Former South African fast bowler Allan Donald on Monday said the 2007 World Cup had lost much of its excitement after the unexpected knock outs of Pakistan and India in the first round.

“Cricket World Cup won’t be the same without India and Pakistan but the feeling has yet to sink in. It is a great shock that the two neighbouring countries, known for their fierce rivalry and for the passion of their fans, will take no further part in the tournament,” wrote Donald in his column for a leading South African daily.

The record-holding pacer, however, blamed the two Asian giants for meeting their fate so early in the competition “They have only themselves to blame as they played poor cricket and deserved to be knocked out. It was disappointing that none of the big names from either side fired. I think the players let their teams down when the whole world was watching.”

“But now that they are out, it opens the doors for others and we have to wait and see what they are really worth. A team like Ireland have suddenly got six extra games to play and that can be a great learning curve for them. Bangladesh are a Test side who get to play top teams regularly but Ireland have been the biggest gainers in this World Cup.”

Commenting on the possible semi-finalists in the mega event, Donald added: “As for the top four teams in the tournament, I think they are Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. I would say the West Indies have an outside chance and should not be counted out, but the quality of players in the first four teams is way ahead of others.

“As for the Australia-South Africa match on Saturday, it was yet another example of the fierce rivalry that has developed between the two teams. After Australia posted a huge total of 377, South Africa looked set to chase down the target and it would have been an outstanding run chase had they pulled it off.” —Agencies