India keeps its perfect record intact
Defending champion India continues to make a mockery of pre-tournament predictions, finishing unbeaten atop Pool B at the cricket World Cup after a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe on Saturday.
India hadn’t won a competitive match on Australian soil in two months leading up to the tournament, but has now won six in a row here and10 straight at the World Cup dating back to its title run in 2011.
The win over Zimbabwe in Auckland, New Zealand wasn’t as easy as the result suggested, though, with India needing an exceptional innings of110 from Suresh Raina and 85 from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an unbroken 196-run partnership to win with eight balls remaining.
Also Saturday, four-time champion Australia beat winless Scotland by seven wickets in a rain-soaked match in Hobart, Australia, chasing down Scotland’s paltry total of130 with 208 balls to spare.
In Auckland, Brendan Taylor quit the international stage after 11 years with a flamboyant 138 to lift Zimba- bwe to 287, a total which made life difficult for India.
“We felt a bit of pressure. Zimbabwe is a good side, but we were expected to win,” Dhoni said. “Everyone has been put under pressure, whether the three fast bowlers or the spinners, or the top order in a few games.”
Zimbabwe finished with just one win in six matches, but Taylor noted that there were several close matches.
“We played some brilliant cricket, and have been shoddy at times,” he said. India “proved why they are the top of the group. It is nice to get a few runs, but it is sad to have ended. It has been a joyful ride.”
The Australians had put up mixed results before securing second place in Pool A behind unbeaten New Zealand.
In the quarter-finals, New Zealand will play the fourth-place team in Pool B, while Australia faces the third-place team side — to be determined Sunday, when Pakistan plays Ireland in Adelaide and West Indies takes on the United Arab Emirates in Napier, New Zealand. India leads the group with 12 points, followed by South Africa (eight), Pakistan and Ireland (six apiece) and West Indies (four).
India will play Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and could meet Australia in the semifinals.
Australia opened the tournament with a 111-run win over England, then had to split the points with Bangladesh after a washout in Brisbane, before a one-wicket loss to New Zealand after going all out for 151. Michael Clarke’s team rebounded with emphatic wins over Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Scotland.
Australian paceman Mitchell Starc moved to the top of the bowling list with a haul of 4-14 as Scotland was bowled out for 130 in 25.4 overs, finishing with 16 wickets in the group stage.
Scotland has played in three World Cups without winning a game.
“We wanted to stand up to the challenge. We take a huge amount of positives from the past six games,” Scotland captain Preston Mommsen said. “The more we’ve played, the better we’ve gotten. We leave the World Cup a much stronger team.”