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Ricky Ponting doesn’t like the idea of a seven-match ODI series. It’s too long, he believes. Now that the first two games in India are out of the way with one win each, he can pretend his team are about to embark on a five-match series. That of course ignores the question of momentum, which is firmly in India’s favour after their 99-run victory in Nagpur. Not a lot went right for Australia on Wednesday and, with injuries still plaguing their squad, they haven’t been able to enjoy a settled build-up to the third game in Delhi. Australia’s main problem surrounds their attack and its inability to contain India’s powerful batting line-up. An injured Brett Lee is flying home and an unfit James Hopes is expected to miss this clash, making India favourites to go 2-1 up.

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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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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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For once, India and Pakistan will not be playing on an island. India-Pakistan matches are usually separate events within the main event, oblivious to the larger picture of the tournament, but this game doesn’t seem to be the usual matter of life and death. For once, this match, though the first big clash of the Champions Trophy in terms of traditional rivals coming face to face, is more about the cricket.

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