South Africa restated their credentials as likely World Cup winners; New Zealand, the fancied outsiders, were crushed. Here was another match of few surprises, particularly if you happened to be Mr Punyesh of Hindu Astrological Predictions, whose World Cup forecasts on the internet, based on the planetary positions, have had a success rate of more than 80 per cent.
Given more information on players' relatives, Punyesh claims his success rate could rise to 100 per cent by the end of the tournament. Indeed, he foretold India's victory against Pakistan.
He was also sceptical about England's World Cup chances from the outset, giving the impression that they would only be favoured if they could arrange a match in Cornwall around 11 a.m on August 11th. Instead they were eclipsed by the Indians.
"A good match for the South Africans," Punyesh pronounced early yesterday morning, and neither did he shy from predicting individual fates.
Lance Klusener might have been the most destructive hitter of the tournament but he never had a chance. Yesterday he missed a routine delivery from Gavin Larsen by such a distance that he was clearly on a different planet. He left in good humour, writing the figure Stg£1,000 in the sky, the amount donated by the sponsor, Vodafone, to his favourite charity.
Jacques Kallis, by contrast, was bound to succeed; Punyesh said so. His (Kallis) murderous batting assault upon Chris Cairns, followed by the dispatching of both Kiwi openers, was all according to plan.
Clearly when Ted Dexter, the then chairman of selectors, suggested back in 1993 after seven England Test defeats on the trot that "Venus may be in the wrong juxtaposition to somewhere else", he was on to more than anybody realised.
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