All to do for throwaway England

Australia 248-3 beat England 247 by seven wickets

By Chris O'Keefe

Australia beat England by seven wickets and barely a bead of sweat in the end as they all but confirmed their place in the semi-finals. England will however rue the chance they had to put the game beyond Australia's reach before they could chase down the total.

At 164-2 with Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen on their way to big scores and with Flintoff, Collingwood, Nixon and Ravi Bopara, fresh from his valiant 50 against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, still to bat, 300 looked well within reach.

However, as Ian Bell held out to Mike Hussey at cover off the bowling of Glenn McGrath, it all began to fall apart. Suddenly England were 179-5 and struggling as wickets tumbled. Although Bopara and the centurion Pietersen put on another half-century the rest of the batting order crumbled (five wickets for 17 runs) to 247 all out.

Pietersen's knock was imperious and despite the chances squandered by Ponting's flying catch or Matthew Hayden far less athletic effort, he was looking in the kind of shape where he wasn't going to touched. It was a reaffirmation of his position as the best in the world. His talent will be paramount to England now weak chances of progression. If he scores big? England have a chance. If not? The lack of form showing through the rest of England batting will the defining point.

Australia would have felt confident to chase down around 250 on a fairly flat, if slow pitch in Antigua. But as Pietersen put McGrath and company to the sword, it may have challenged even the deep batting order of the favourites.

They owed much to tight bowling from Brad Hogg and three wickets from Glenn McGrath the pick of the bowlers putting them in a position of strength. The batting, led by captain Ricky Ponting, chased with relative ease.

Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden raced to 57 before Flintoff continued his hex over Gilchrist by dismissing the free-flowing left-hander around the wicket. Although Hayden went to Collingwood with the score on 89, wickets were not falling with the regularity Michael Vaughan's men required.

Ponting and Michael Clarke had to endure a squeeze by England bowlers, primarily Flintoff, making the task a little harder. However, they continued to chip away at the score, Ponting looking fairly unflappable as per usual against the auld enemy, and by the time he was out to a brilliant piece of fielding by Paul Collingwood (run out 85) the game was almost finished as a spectacle with Australia only requiring another 47 runs to win.

Andrew Symonds, came in to bludgeon the attack. Despite being fortunate to survive an early catch by Pietersen, who failed to stay inside the rope before throwing the ball back into the field to save six. Otherwise, England never looked like taking ten wickets and not like bowling tight enough to panic their illustrious opposition.

England now need to win each of their last three games to qualify for the semi-finals, including beating the world number one side South Africa and the hosts, the West Indies. It is a long shot, highly unlikely considering the current form, but not impossible. However, it will require the kind of performance displayed by Pakistan in 1992, led by Imran Khan. It remains to be seen whether England have the flair to repeat that.