Fleming tossed away a good chance

After watching a close encounter between South Africa and West Indies on Sunday night, I had high expectations when I walked into the Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein. Sadly, it turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Sri Lanka inflicting a thrashing defeat on New Zealand.

Stephen Fleming is one of the most experienced captains in world cricket. So the Kiwi game plan for this crucial encounter came as something of a shock for me. Given that they are adamant about not going to Kenya and forfeiting the four points which they would have got otherwise, I would have thought that they would have wanted to win this game desperately.

But it all went awry for Fleming and his team. Firstly, they left out possibly the best left-arm spinner in world cricket these days - Daniel Vettori. Secondly, Fleming's decision to ask Sri Lanka to bat first also backfired as the Kiwi pace men struggled to make early inroads.

Even from a distance one could make out that the pitch was devoid of grass and that the spinners would have a major role to play in the game. By opting to bat second, Fleming, then, invited the pressure of batting against the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, which effectively meant that he played into the hands of the Sri Lankans.

Experience at the highest level counts a great deal in such high profile tournaments, where the expectations to succeed in every game you play is very high indeed. Sri Lanka were today well served by their experienced campaigners - skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and the evergreen Hashan Tillakaratne. They really made Fleming pay hard for his folly of dropping Vettori, as runs flowed at a brisk rate. Jayasuriya's century was truly brilliant. The Sri Lankan skipper's contribution to his team's success in one-day cricket is simply tremendous to say the least.

Even though the Sri Lankan spinners played a major role in squeezing New Zealand into submission, the role of Pulasthi Gunaratne early on should not be forgotten. It was Gunaratne who made the early inroads for Sri Lanka and put New Zealand under enormous pressure.

As for Nathan Astle's dismissal, I just cannot understand what the talented opener had in mind when he took off for that suicidal run. You don't win a cricket game with such mindless deeds, let alone a World Cup.

Craig McMillan's continued failure might, meanwhile, even jeopardise his place in the team. Thankfully for New Zealand, Scott Styris is turning out to be a revelation. Yet again, he gave his very best, using his feet to the spinners and lashing out at anything loose that came his way. I am quite pleased for him, for it is always nice to see enthusiasm being rewarded. Styris' hundred today is just a pointer to the more experienced batsmen of the job they failed to do.

Congratulations to Sri Lanka. They are now definitely strong contenders to qualify for the Super Sixes from their group. The result must have been double sweet for Jayasuriya, after all the criticism that came his way following the dismal show in the VB series in Australia.

The match has yet again showed that the World Cup is still wide open, and as days go by we will see the Super Six emerging. Now that England seems to have almost decided not to make the trip to Zimbabwe, the result of Tuesday's game between Australia and Pakistan could be a crucial one for India.