Super Six the right time to peak

The World Cup plot begins to thicken as the pool phase ends and the Super Sixes begins. Like Australia did four years ago, this is when you want to begin peaking.

There are only two changes to this Super Six from the last one. Sri Lanka and Kenya come in at the expense of South Africa and Pakistan. Pakistan miss out on qualifying for the next phase of the tournament for the first time since the inaugural World Cup in 1975.

Kenya may be present due to the beneficiaries of circumstances outside their control but in their next three games they have the chance to prove they are there on bona fide grounds.

Kenya are the Zimbabwe of four years ago. The surprise packet of the tournament and like Zimbabwe of four years ago they only require one victory to advance to the semi finals.

Notwithstanding the controversy and politics, Zimbabwe will be ecstatic they have made it to their second consecutive Super Sixes, proving that the last one was no fluke.

Australia are the red hot favourites. Like true champions, they are winning even when they are not playing well or look like they are up to their necks in trouble. Their flexibility and versatility is the key. Which other team in world cricket could be without players the calibre of Warne, the two Waughs and Gillespie and find such wonderful replacements that you don't even know they are gone?

The Australians are playing like the West Indians of the first two World Cups where the Calypso cricketers were on a different dimension. They were untouchable and defeating them was an impossible task. In the first World Cup, Pakistan set the West Indies a challenging 267 runs to score from 60 overs. At 166 for eight and later 203 for nine, it looked like a Pakistani victory, but Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts combined for a last wicket partnership of 64 to steer the West Indies home with just two balls to spare. Australia's victory against England at Port Elizabeth was reminiscent of this game.

Advancing to the Super Sixes from Pool B was a struggle and it doesn't get any easier for Pool B teams wishing to make it through to the final four. New Zealand and Sri Lanka have to play the two form teams of the tournament; Australia and India while Zimbabwe can make some ground on New Zealand and Sri Lanka as they get to play Kenya.

For New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka to qualify they basically need to win every one of their Super Six games.

There is a lot to play for. Australia don't just want to qualify for the semi-finals, they want to finish first (or fourth) so they play in the day semi-final at Port Elizabeth and avoid the crapshoot which faces the teams in the day/night semi-final at Durban.

After some confusion about the format four years ago when it was first introduced, the Super Sixes is now being embraced.

It is a great system as it forces the top teams to play each other at least once. It also means that each of the next nine games is an 'eight point game' and a must win one at that. All this should mean for fantastic cricket as the remaining six nations fight it out for cricket's glittering prize.