England games 'winnable' says Trott

England batsman Jonathan Trott Friday insisted the side's three remaining World Cup group matches, all against Test opposition, were "winnable" after their shock loss to Ireland.

England, who face South Africa in Chennai on Sunday, went down by three wickets to the Irish in Bangalore this week as Kevin O'Brien struck the fastest-ever World Cup hundred in a blistering assault.

That loss, together with a tie against India, has cast major doubts over England's ability to qualify for the quarter-finals with matches still to come against Group B leaders South Africa, Bangladesh and the West Indies.

"We are in a World Cup, three (group) games to go. It's not all doom and gloom," said Trott, who top-scored with 92 in England's 327 for eight against Ireland on Wednesday.

"We've got three very winnable games ahead of us and a huge chance ahead of us to qualify for the quarter-finals," he added.

South-African born Trott, who played at junior level for South Africa but followed his parents to England in 2002, was adamant England had the ability to beat Graeme Smith's men.

"They're obviously a well-drilled side and with (leg-spinner) Imran Tahir now in the team they have a few more options in the spin department... but they are beatable."

England have shown good form with the bat but have also been conceding a lot of runs.

"We all realise the wickets are pretty good to bat on. They are very difficult conditions (for bowling) but I am fully confident they (England's attack) are capable of performing and winning us games."

Trott is one of several players in the squad who were also involved in England's long tour of Australia but he insisted burn-out was not an issue.

"We have got to remember it is a World Cup, and you might only come to one World Cup. I think it is very dangerous to think about how much cricket we have played in the last couple of months."

Trott has enjoyed a successful England career since making a century on Test debut against Australia at The Oval in 2009 with the one blip coming on a tour of South Africa, where the pressure appeared to get to him.

But he said the prospect of playing the Proteas no longer phased him.

"It was one of my first tours away and you get to be more comfortable in your surroundings," said the 29-year-old Warwickshire batsman.

"And when it doesn't go your way you just take stuff and move on and it is one of those things. You always learn from the experiences that come your way.

The Ireland match saw Trott equal the record for the fastest 1,000 runs in one-day internationals. He reached the landmark in 21 innings, equalling the record previously shared by West Indies great Vivian Richards and Trott's England team-mate Kevin Pietersen.

Pressed on whether he found it strange to be in such company, he replied: "It seems to be a surprise to you more than me."

England had fitness concerns over Paul Collingwood, Graeme Swann and Pietersen but a team spokesman said all three were available for selection.

© AFP

Ireland wary of India backlash

Ireland batting sensation Kevin O'Brien warned his team to beware an India World Cup backlash when the two sides meet on Sunday as the quarter-final race hots up.

India came under fire for a sloppy bowling and fielding display which allowed England to tie their 338 in Bangalore last week after letting Bangladesh make 283-9 in pursuit of 370 in the tournament opener.

But O'Brien said that the hosts' bowlers will have a point to prove in Sunday's Group B clash at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

"We have seen India's attack so many times. They have a world class performer in Zaheer Khan who is very good with the new ball, and we all know about Harbhajan Singh," said O'Brien, who hammered the fastest ever World Cup century off just 50 balls in Ireland's stunning win over England.

He said Munaf Patel and Piyush Chawla were also dangerous.

O'Brien turned 27 on Friday and is determined that India do not ruin his celebrations in a game where victory could unlock the door to the last eight.

"Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are one of the best opening pairs. They are extremely difficult to bowl to when in full flow.

"And with Sehwag, it doesn't matter even if it's the first delivery of Test match. If the ball is there to be hit, he will go for it. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan are known power-hitters."

It has been a rollercoaster few days for the Dubliner after his pyrotechnics against England saw his team chase down a 328-run victory target, the highest run chase in the history of the event.

With his hair still dyed pink and blond as part of a cancer charity awareness drive, O'Brien has become something of a celebrity, even fielding a phone call from Irish president Mary McAleese.

"I spoke to her (Mary McAleese) for a few minutes. It's always great to get a call from the president (of Ireland)," he said.

A statement made with style

When a team gets bowled out for 58 - the fourth lowest score in World Cup history - and the other team knocks off the runs in a little over 12 overs, there isn't much scope for narratives within the match - for twists and turns that make the play interesting. In fact, there isn't much scope for a match at all. This one lasted all of 31.1 overs - significantly shorter than most Twenty20 matches.

When a scheduled 100-over match gets done and dusted in less than one third of its time, there isn't any deviation from the straight linear script of one team stomping on another until subjugation.

And indeed, when viewed in isolation, West Indies' routing of Bangladesh would not seem to offer anything other than a straight line narration of wickets and facts. However, the root of the Caribbean side turning up with so much focus and intensity today can possibly be traced back to a little before the match - before, in fact, even the World Cup started.

In the week preceding the World Cup, the International Cricket Council had come out with its latest One Day International rankings. Amongst the team rankings, one change was significant. For the first time, West Indies has slid to Number 9 on the table and Bangladesh had risen to Number 8.

Technically, therefore, Bangladesh were a superior ODI side than the West Indies. Indeed, it didn't even seem unjust, with the West Indies only having a string of defeats to show, while Bangladesh had stacked up victories against New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

Moreover, it didn't feel wrong, and a large part of that had to do with the perception of the West Indies team in the eyes of cricket fans. The West Indies are often described as a 'once-proud' cricketing nation. This is especially so in the light of their recent not-so-stellar performances, given the heady days of world domination they had enjoyed.

Under new captain Darren Sammy though, they look like shedding the 'once proud' tag, and rediscovering their pride. The performances may not quite be world-beating yet, but once the side starts playing like a proud one, results will more often than not pick up.

Only a side that takes pride in its performance could have turned it on in such style against Bangladesh. Before the tournament started, everyone expected the fourth place in the quarter finals to be a shoot-out between West Indies and Bangladesh, and given recent results and the fact that the match would be on Bangladesh soil, Bangladesh were even slight favourites for the match.

In the event, turning up with a performance that stated in unequivocal terms, "To hell with the rankings - the performance on the field will determine the better team" spoke of a fierce desire and pride in the West Indian ranks.

That is good news indeed for the world. Cricket needs to be flourishing in the Caribbean - it needs the unique flavour that only that part of the world provides, and it needs the current generation to try and live up to the deeds of their mighty predecessors.

© Cricbuzz

Bangladesh captain says my worst day

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan said his team's nine-wicket rout by the West Indies on Friday was the "worst day" of his career, but insisted his side's World Cup campaign was not over.

"We did not play well at all," said Shakib after Bangladesh were shot out for their lowest one-day total of 58 in just 18.5 overs, with the West Indies cantering home in the 13th over of their innings.

"I did not expect that we would play so badly. This has to be the worst day of my career."

A sell-out crowd of 25,000 packed into the Sher-e-Bangla stadium saw the day-night match come to an end even before the lights came on, jeering the home team and throwing paper placards on the field to show their disgust.

"I am not surprised they were angry, they have every right to be," said Shakib.

"They expect a lot from us because we have done well over the past few years. But I did not think we were capable of such a defeat.

"Our fans expect us to win games against good teams, especially at home. We just did not play good cricket at all. Nothing went right other than winning the toss."

Bangladesh's score was well short of their previous low of 74 against Australia in Darwin in 2008 and was also the fourth lowest total in World Cup history.

The World Cup co-hosts, with one win from three games in Group B, were left with a mountain to climb to stay in contention for the quarter-finals.

They face England, South Africa and the Netherlands in their remaining group matches.

But Shakib said Bangladesh were not yet out of the race.

"It is definitely possible to come back," he said. "If you win two out of three matches, we may still qualify. I know it will be hard to come back after losing this game.

"But the boys know they are capable of coming back strongly. They have done it before, so why not this time?"

Lalit Modi's passport revoked

Indian authorities on Friday revoked the passport of former Indian Premier League supremo Lalit Modi, six months after he was ousted from running the lucrative tournament over graft allegations.

Modi, who now lives in London, faces criminal charges including false accounting, and accusations by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that more than 106 million dollars were misappropriated during IPL events.

The Press Trust of India news agency said that his passport was revoked in a government bid to force him to return to India over charges related to alleged foreign exchange violations, without further explaining the authorities' plans.

Modi founded the IPL in 2008 and his brash style came to personify the event, which revolutionised cricket with a money-spinning blend of international star players, Twenty20 matches and Bollywood glamour.

But the annual tournament was soon dogged by allegations of massive corporate corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as secret deals to hide teams' real owners and even links to India's criminal underworld.

Modi has consistently denied all accusations made against him and has vowed to fight to clear his name, saying he is available for questioning in Britain but will not return to India.

He lashed out on Friday over the revoking of his passport, saying on Twitter "mere allegations, investigation agencies have come up with zilch."

His lawyer Mehmood Abdi told reporters the decision was "very strange and shocking."

Modi says he lives in London, surrounded by bodyguards, as his life is in danger from Mumbai-based gangsters linked to illegal gambling.