Australia are the only unbeaten team at this tournament, but their oddly subdued victory over Kenya in Bangalore last Sunday was not the performance of a team playing with aggression and confidence. Much of that, of course, stems from the captain Ricky Ponting, who has yet to really lay a glove on any opponent since breaking his finger in the Melbourne Test in December.
Should Ponting find his form with a big hundred today in Bangalore (the best batting track at this tournament) Australia's odds in this tournament will look much more appealing.
Yesterday's victory for South Africa over Ireland confirmed their place in the last eight and they will qualify as group winners if they can beat Bangladesh on Saturday.
If they relax a little (hardly the South African way) and are defeated in Mirpur then England will be eliminated regardless of their result against West Indies.
That's England's progress would have been smoother had they been in Group A is beyond argument. But should they exit this tournament before the knockout stages, their slightly more difficult draw is unlikely to temper the recriminations.
• Geoffrey Boycott will be previewing all of England's games throughout this tournament, while Derek Pringle, Scyld Berry and Steve James will also bring you their thoughts on the rest of the action.
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Stat of the day: JP Duminy is the second batsman – after Adam Gilchrist – to be dismissed for 99 in a World Cup match
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Tweet of the day: @StuartBroad8 "Anyone watching SkyHD1? Gower looks so scared of this touch screen analysis! Andy Gray used to make it look easy...."
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Yesterday at the World Cup
West Indies opener Chris Gayle is expected to recover from abdominal strain that kept him out of the game against Ireland in time to face England on Friday.
But James Anderson could be dropped by England, according to reports, after a desperately disappointing tournament thus far.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith says he could some first-choice players for the group game against Bangladesh after securing qualification by beating Ireland: "We'll go to Bangladesh with a mindset to win but we'll also have to look at our injuries," said Smith.
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Today's debate:
Should James Anderson be picked to face West Indies on Friday? Tweet @telegraphsport, or send your emails to sportfeedback@telegraph.co.uk.
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Your emails:
"Can't help thinking England missed a trick not selecting Samit Patel. Sure, he needs to shape up, but they clearly don't rate Yardy or Tremlett and will never win with just one spinner in Swann," writes Matthew Marriott.
"Ireland have proved throughout this tournament the worth of inviting associate nations onto the big stage. Their fielding is world-class (and an embarrassment to some test sides) and they play with heart and intelligence. It is surely time they stepped up to play more serious cricket, although I doubt the ICC's Asian power base would be interested in inviting them," says Carl Arnolds.
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Fantasy Cricket World Cup
Australia's Brad Haddin (6) is a shrewd move with runs and catches behind the wicket a strong possibility against Canada. telegraph.co.uk/fantasycricket.
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