A whitewash, one side of the fence at least

Can't believe I didn't get down to this post earlier. It's been almost two weeks since the great 350 heist, which might be seen as incredible and improbable as the Great Train Robbery. Things may have cooled down considerably since then, so in case anyone has forgotten this entry is a tribute to New Zealand chasing down Australia's 346 at Hamilton on that amazing Tuesday. It's still only the prelude to the World Cup, so the Aussies will insist that while they do have a problem in the bowling department, the real thing is still to come. For the time being, it's enough to restore the faith we had in the guys and now we know the Aussies are unforgiving opponents, but by no means invincible.

The chase at Eden Park (mentioned in the earlier post) was surprise enough; this one was a crazy roller coaster ride with an almost scary sense of deja vu. What else can be said that hasn't already. Macca, McCullum and Fulton each came to the party in their inimitable way. None of them had a particularly great time of it in Australia but they chose the toughest situations possible to answer for their continued selection.

After unwaveringly following the fortunes of a team which seemed capable of doing everything - from self-destruction and choking at the finish line, to big talk and big chases, to injuries and inexplicable rotation - I can safely say it's been worth it (for the season so far). Can we see the same spirit at the World Cup, please?

Self belief will be the key for the World Cup. In this post I allowed myself to be a little overawed by recent results and forget the big picture. In the next couple of posts I'll get back to reality and do a hard-nosed, practical assessment of the team and it's chances at the World Cup.