Mmm

Now this is one for the record books, India and Pakistan are out of the Cricket World Cup - I wonder what the odds on that happening were!! The murder of Bob Woolmer goes to show just how brazen the people behind match fixing are. If only Kenya had cloned Steve Tikolo - he posted a sparkling 76 runs until he was bowled out by Freddie Flintoff. Alas his efforts were not matched by the other members of the Kenya team and unlike four years ago, Kenya won't be participating in the Super 8. Australia beat South Africa, but both teams had already qualified for the next stages. Congrats to Bangladesh and Ireland for upsetting the proverbial apple cart. I am going to go for a West Indies vs South Africa final, with the former prevailing on a tidal wave of home support and Brian Charles Lara riding off into the Caribbean sunset on the back of a World Cup triumph on home soil.

Tiger Woods has certainly dealt with whatever it was that was distracting him last week as his win yesterday shows. It's hard to see who will stop him from winning another green jacket at Augusta. For the manner in which he wins, he's by far and away the best athlete on the planet in my eyes.

Didn't realise the Miami tournament runs for 2 weeks, but that hasn't changed my predictions ie El Pirata (on account of his clothes and swashbuckling style of play) aka The Spanish Matador to win the men's title and V to win the women's.

Pourquoi?! ¿¡Por qué!? Perché?! Why?! How is it possible to turn so called world class players such as Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Shrek, StevieMe into a motley crew, inhibited by fear. I am not going to pull any punches, because England were abysmal against Israel - they played as a collection of disparate individuals. Frank Lampard should be dropped, and not just because of his delusions of grandeur, and replaced by Joey Barton. Why is that StevieMe who brought Liverpool back from the brink against AC Milan on that memorable night in Istanbul is unable to produce similar barnstorming performances in an England shirt? There's something criminal about the tactics England employ that stifles a talent like StevieMe. Makelele makes Frank Lampard look good - there's no other explanation. Shrek plays with a fearlessness alongside Twinkle Toes when he's playing for his club, but now at the ripe old age of 21, he too has succumbed to the malaise that afflicts so called world class players when they don an England shirt. Second choice Steve MUST GO because he does not know how to harness the vast array of talent at his disposal and why, oh why does he persist in picking the donkey that is Phil Neville?! As for deploying Aaron Lennon on the left, qu'elle horreur!! He dispenses with David Beckham who scored 3 of England's 6 goals in last year's world cup and made 2 others and then people wonder why England have failed to score in their last 5 matches, matches Beckham didn't play. Second choice Steve is not man enough to recall Beckham, notwithstanding the fact that he's currently injured and I think it wouldn't be such a bad thing if England failed to qualify for next year's European championships coz Second choice Steve would be sacked - that qualifies as short-term pain for long term gain in my book.

Agent provocateur supplied the corner from which Kanu scored to give a Nigeria a win and get Berti Vogts reign off to a winning start. Nigeria have a point to prove after failing to qualify for last year's World Cup and then seeing themselves usurped by Ivory Coast as Africa's premier footballing nation. I expect Berti Vogts to coach with teutonic efficiency and hopefully without any interference from the NFA. How Togo can axe their goal scoring machine because he rightly questions why the players have not received their World Cup bonuses is beyond me. The Togo fans who have issued death threats against him are mindless and if he does follow through on on his promise to quit, Togo will be the losers.

Iran has shown that she's not above sabre-rattling herself and it looks as if it will be down to the women to sort out Zimbabwe.

Till next week.