So, finally the thrill and excitement in group B has come to a bitter end for host Bangladesh as South Africa showed them the exit from the world cup 2011. I reckon it is meant to be like this. Bangladesh were the weakest link among the teams in group B that could have made to the quarter-finals. With the two scores lower than 100 in this world cup, I don't think Bangladesh had deserved quarter-final spot ahead of England.
South Africa will remain at the top, no matter what the results of the remaining matches in group B will be. The fight will continue for the second spot between India and West Indies, and it would be no less important for the two teams since it will decide their opponents in the quarter-finals. The group A has their four teams already decided with Pakistan topping the table, followed by Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. So, if India win their match against West Indies, India will get the 2nd rank in the table, which means they will be fighting against Australia for the semi-final spot. This will push West Indies to the last spot, and they will face the group A topper Pakistan.
If India win against West Indies, the quarter-final will look like this:
Pakistan (A1) Vs West Indies (B4)
Sri Lanka (A2) Vs England (B3)
Australia (A3) Vs India (B2)
New Zealand (A4) Vs South Africa (B1)
If West Indies win, the quarter-finals will be slightly changed:
Pakistan (A1) Vs England (B4)
Sri Lanka (A2) Vs India (B3)
Australia (A3) Vs West Indies (B2)
New Zealand (A4) Vs South Africa (B1)
I feel the quarter-finals showdown will be just like the first fixtures above. Then it will be exciting to see the clash between world no. 1 and world no. 2 in ODI. The coming days promise the full entertainment in the world of cricket.
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