Ian Chappell: "Stuart has been around for a long time, and he, I think is the best Australian bowler for consistency right through the tournament" © AFP

Dileep Premachandran: Hi Ian, thank you for joining us on Cricinfo Talk. What did you think of the Australian performance today? They stormed back; Sri Lanka were never at the races once they had to bat first on that pitch.

Ian Chappell: I thought the Australian bowling was very impressive. They bowled just short of a length and they bowled the ball up into the rib cage area. I think we were well into the half of the innings before [Jehan] Mubarak got a half volley that he could drive. Excellent bowling by Australia, they adapted to the conditions really well. And Sri Lanka after that start were never in the game.

DP: Ian, if you watch Stuart Clark from a distance you'd swear it was Glenn McGrath doing what he did best.

IC: You pretty much know that a player, when he is representing Australia, is a decent cricketer. Stuart has been around for a long time, and he, I think, is the best Australian bowler for consistency right through the tournament. He is discovering that it is not necessary how fast you bowl. He is taking some pace off the deliveries and he is not getting smashed around much. He is very smart bowler and he adapts very quickly.

DP: Coming to Pakistan, Ian, they were quite sloppy today against Bangladesh. The bowling was wayward to begin with, the batting made a meal of that 140.

IC: They were a bit lackadaisical to start with, particularly Mohammad Asif. It was as though they did not really feel like putting up a fight against Bangladesh, you know, the fact that they used to be East and West Pakistan. It is almost like the older brother playing the younger brother; you almost got that feeling sitting on the other side of the boundary rope. Umar Gul has been excellent throughout the tournament. The two spinners, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, have bowled really well. They did not do enough; even when they batted, they didn't look convincing. They will mean to pick things up for the semi-finals.

DP: Most people would say that its four matches too late, but Afridi opened the innings today. Do you think they should stick with him for the semi-finals?

IC: Well, I'll be sticking with him for the semi-finals. The other openers have not done much for Pakistan. They have been relying heavily on the middle order and they are not getting much out of him batting so low.

DP: Thank you, Ian, for talking to Cricinfo Talk.