Reigning champions Australia thumped Canada on Wednesday to climb to the top of their group as England faced the prospect of World Cup oblivion ahead of their clash with the West Indies.
Reigning champions Australia thumped Canada on Wednesday to climb to the top of their group as England faced the prospect of World Cup oblivion ahead of their clash with the West Indies.
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Australia are now on nine points at the top of Group A after restricting the North American nation to 211 in Bangalore, before easing to a seven-wicket win with more than 15 overs to spare.
And captain Ricky Ponting said his side are ready for their biggest World Cup test so far when they tackle fellow heavyweights Pakistan on Saturday.
"We haven't been fully tested yet, but we will be by Pakistan in Colombo and we are looking forward to it," said Ponting, who again failed with the bat, making just seven runs.
"(Shane) Watson and (Brad) Haddin were outstanding at the top of the order. We got the result we wanted," added Ponting.
Watson (94) and Haddin (88) shared an Australian first-wicket World Cup record stand of 183 before they fell in quick succession.
Haddin was caught by Canada skipper Ashish Bagai off 40-year-old off-spinner John Davison, playing his final match before international retirement.
And 183 for one became 185 for two when Watson, who hit the tournament's biggest six at 104 metres during his innings, holed out off Harvir Baidwan.
The openers' stand surpassed Australia's previous first-wicket World Cup best of 182 set by Rick McCosker and Alan Turner against Sri Lanka during the inaugural 1975 edition.
Earlier, Hiral Patel, a 19-year-old India-born opener, took the attack to Australia's quicks with a career-best 54.
Canada, who have completed their World Cup campaign with one win and five defeats, were well-placed at 150 for two.
But Australia, now unbeaten in 34 matches at the World Cup since 1999, then took five wickets for 19 runs. Brett Lee ended with figures of four for 46.
Ponting angrily threw the ball to the ground after catching Baidwan when, despite his repeated calls, Steven Smith collided with his captain, and his mood will not have been helped by his own cheap dismissal.
All four qualifiers from Group A are already decided with New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia safely through, but final positions are crucial because they determine opponents in the last eight.
Bagai said his team would take a lot from the tournament, adding: "The bowlers did well throughout the competition, but our batsmen let us down."
Meanwhile, England face a do-or-die clash with the West Indies on Thursday and were agonising over whether to stick with misfiring strike bowler James Anderson.
Andrew Strauss's Ashes winners must win the match in Chennai to have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals, although they will still need other results to go their way.
Defeat would spell the end of a World Cup campaign that has already seen them suffer shock losses to both Ireland and Bangladesh.
One major problem for England has been the form of Ashes spearhead Anderson, whose four wickets have cost 282 runs at an average of more than 70 apiece.
"Jimmy has had a tough time in some of the games in the World Cup so far but we all know what a qualify performer he is," said England captain Strauss, who returned to training on Wednesday after a bout of illness.
"He has done it for us over and over again during the course of the winter and previously. So his name is very much in the mix for selection."
Fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad became the latest player, after Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann, to succumb to illness.
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