The World Cup had been as sterile as a surgery theatre in a major hospital so far as tactics and strategy were concerned. And then, suddenly, Tom Moody and Mahela Jayawardene sprang a strategic surprise — or was it a shocker? — in leaving out Vaas and Murali from their showdown with Australia while the slinger Malinga was out recovering from injury. The Aussie cricket machine needed no such favours to steamroller its way to a 26-match unbeaten World Cup streak. Also, it has been a phenomenal 2838 days since Australia have been beaten in the showpiece event, the last team to win against them being Pakistan at Leeds on June 20, 1999, since when they have been held to a tie by South Africa in the ‘99 semi-final.

The decision not to expose their top three bowlers in an eagerly anticipated clash can be termed cynical, or, it may even be acclaimed as a masterstroke if Sri Lanka do come to the final and beat the Juggernaut with their full scale bowling attack.

But if Sri Lanka lose to New Zealand and fail to make it to the summit, Moody will be taken to the cleaners for not even trying to top the Super 8s table and play the fourth ranked team in the semi-final.

On such thin threads do great sporting tales hang. Given an opening, Ponting’s men drove through it in the style of a world champion auto racer coming off pole position on his favourite track. In their ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, the Aussies show no mercy to their opponents at any time.

They could still suffer one bad day in the semi-final or final and drop the Cup, which they aim for an unprecedented hat-trick.

Why, they could even doze off in terminal boredom in an event that has gone on for too long. Or, they could pick up a bout of food poisoning, which Viv Richards believes could be a greater danger than their semi-final and final opponents.

For a team that lost five games on the trot before the World Cup, current form represents much more than a statistical turnaround. It is a vindication of the team priorities that they place the emphasis on in good times and bad. Team structure is what the game is all about and Australia have it in spades.

Having played him in 32 games, the Aussies may not lose sleep over possibly fac ing up to Murali in the final, even though his flying saucer eyes and his helicopter wrists that throw up a bewildering combination of off breaks and doosras do make a fearsome combination for anyone staring at him down 22 yards of turf.

The Lankans were wise in not bringing Murali and Vaas to India just ahead of the big event when the risk of injury dealing a big psychological blow to their preparation would have been too high. It is arguable whether to hide them now was as wise a move. But as a visiting team the Lankans did not have to bother to pander to the gate collection and such other aspects of the event.

To keep their main bowlers in cotton wool till their semi-final against New Zealand is a legitimate tactic. There was never a suggestion there was any gamesmanship involved in this as there was when Steve Waugh cynically tried to promote the West Indies into the semi-finals ahead of New Zealand in the ‘99 World Cup when it was already certain that his team was winning the match.

As it transpired, it was Sri Lanka’s early batting, including that of Sanath Jayasuriya, now being heralded as the Tiger Woods of cricket by coach Moody, that came apart. And early batting has been the key to this World Cup as the ball has done the most only at the start of the playing day, although there was considerable reverse swing for Andrew Hall on a South African kind of pitch.

Early batting is something England has not managed well at all. With Michael Vaughan emerging quickly as a latter day Mike Brearley, England have been sinking so fast they may be in need of a desperate revival much like the West Indies, India and Pakistan. The semi-final lineup, assuming Sri Lanka will beat Ireland even without the stars of its bowling attack, is already known, which virtually renders the rest of the Super 8s redundant.