English loss and Canadian largesse

The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates a loss of about 5% of a day's gross domestic product for each day of the World Cup.

This is despite England receiving odds of 15-2 in most quarters. Had England been the favourites, thoughts might have drifted towards depression, economically at least.

In Barbados New Zealand's players are having some problems with their digits. First Jacob Oram broke his left ring finger - adding that he was willing to amputate it for World Cup participation. Now Peter Fulton, his team-mate, has broken his left little finger while taking a catch in a warm-up match against Sri Lanka.

In St Augustine, in the warm-up match between South Africa and Pakistan at the Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, play was held up for seven minutes. With players complaining about the ball making erratic bounces, Reuters reported that Mickey Arthur and Bob Woolmer, the coaches of the two teams, even came on to the field after 16 overs to discuss the state of the pitch with umpires Peter Parker and Ian Gould. "The surface calmed down as the sun rose higher and by the afternoon the pitch had been tamed," the report added.

News has filtered in that Canada is contributing US$900,000 to the Pan American Health Organization’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) Enhanced Disease Surveillance project. "Our assistance in making the Cricket World Cup a safe and secure event is a measure of our support to both the host countries and the many thousands of visitors who will attend the games," said The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In a not so honourable aside, Canada have lost both their warm-up matches before the World Cup.