Bangladesh levelled the series with their seven-wicket win on Thursday but after one comprehensive win apiece the outcome of the third game in the year’s third series between the two teams is still difficult to predict. Zimbabwe were buoyant after winning the series opener by five wickets and gave the impression they had turned the corner following a revamped domestic setup and the influx of former players into coaching and administrative roles. Their ultimate goal is a return to playing Tests again and a series wrap in Bangladesh will be a step in the right direction.

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Bangladesh entered the series as clear favourites but were shocked by an improving Zimbabwe in the first one-dayer on Tuesday. Their captain, Shakib Al Hasan, remains confident his team is strong enough to pocket the series 4-1 and has demanded a better performance from his top order. A familiar early collapse cost Bangladesh; they crumbled to 62 for 6, a position from which it was almost impossible to salvage a victory.
Zimbabwe arrived full of confidence after knocking over Kenya 4-1 in a one-day series, and on the back of Elton Chigumbura’s superb all-round performance coasted to victory with more than 15 overs to spare. Their strength is in the batting; the return of Tatenda Taibu after a lengthy absence lends solidity of the middle-order, which includes the talented pair of Charles Coventry and Brendan Taylor. Add to that, Hamilton Masakadza, the second highest run-getter in ODIs this year, and Chigumbura, who has hit more ODI sixes in 2009 than everyone but Chris Gayle, and it looks a reliable unit.

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Australia’s lead-up to their second clash against India in Nagpur will be more structured than the approach to the first, when their pre-match plans were affected by the late arrival of the New South Wales players participating in the Champions League final and their game-time strategy hit by the loss of Brett Lee and James Hopes during India’s chase. This time their bad news has come in advance – Lee and Hopes are out with elbow and hamstring problems, and there are doubts over Mitchell Johnson, who hurt his ankle, as well, although coach Tim Nielsen was hopeful about his participation – yet they will be challenged to repeat the win they recorded at Vadodara.

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Does the audience have the stomach for a seven-match ODI series? The answer will play out during the next couple of weeks. However, if you do get beyond the initial apprehension, this series is extremely vital for both teams. For Australia, as Shane Watson has said, this is a warm-up for the World Cup, while for India, knocked out of the Champions Trophy early, this is a great chance to find the ideal XI and test their fast-bowling resources against a strong opponent.

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The winner of Monday’s day-night clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will join Cape Cobras in the second round from Group C. It’s as simple as that. Both the Bangalore and Otago bowling attacks were bruised by the South African domestic champions in their opening matches leaving them with a lot to do even if they make it past the first round of elimination. Bangalore have a net run-rate of -0.356, Otago’s is -2.70, and no points will be carried forward no matter who wins tomorrow. Bangalore have the home advantage – they will be familiar with conditions and a strong crowd will back them – but they had that against the Cobras and couldn’t finish on top. Kumble was critical of his team’s fielding in the opening game and another loose performance against Otago could give the underdogs the room they need to cause an upset. Otago started the competition with an outside chance but an inspirational performance, emulating Daniel Vettori’s team, could eliminate the first IPL team from the Champions League.

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Alfonso Thomas’ brace of last-over boundaries against Deccan Chargers – the difference between victory and defeat – has put Somerset in a position to claim top spot in Group A of the Champions League. All that stands between them and certainly carrying forward points into the next round are the Stanford 20/20 champions, Trinidad and Tobago, whose talents haven’t been revealed in India yet.

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Underdogs in films make a mockery of the form book. Exhibit 1: New Zealand come to the Champions Trophy, sans superstars, sans high ICC rankings, and after being well and truly battered for more than a month in the sapping heat of Sri Lanka. They are – it is fair to say – the outsiders in this tournament.

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Sri Lanka will now be a distant memory for these two teams. Leading into this tournament, both Pakistan and New Zealand took turns in getting battered and bruised in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka. They came to South Africa with doubts looming over their ability to stick it out with other teams in formats longer than Twenty20. Both duly won their Twenty20s in Sri Lanka, and lost both Tests and ODIs comprehensively.

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It’s battle rejoined. Just in case there hadn’t been enough of England facing Australia in recent months, the semi-final of the Champions Trophy has thrown together a rematch. There shouldn’t be much these two sides don’t know about each other, but the intrigue of this meeting is that it’s a straight knockout. Most expected Australia to be here, but few imagined England would still be in the tournament.

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There are all sorts of scenarios and permutations about which teams could make it through to the semi-finals in Group A but the simplest is this: if Australia beat India, it will be Pakistan and Australia who progress. The group will be done and dusted with two games to go. Things become more complex if India win. They will be in prime position due to their remaining game against a weakened West Indies and Australia’s fixture against an unbeaten Pakistan. However, should India and Australia either both win or both lose their last group game, net run-rate will be required to determine the semi-finalists.

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