Sri Lanka self-tested its fragile middle order ahead of the big match, as they stuttered to a five wicket win against New Zealand in Colombo.
Going into the quarter-final match against the erratic England, Sri Lanka have their own set of problems in both the batting and bowling departments.
Though England have fought brilliantly in the World Cup so far, they haven't played very well, the team's wicketkeeper and makeshift opener Matt Prior said in Colombo ahead of the quarter-final match up with Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Pakistan turned up their class and thumped Australia by four wickets, ending the defending champions' unbeaten World Cup run stretching 12 years, four tournaments and four continents.
With a moving farewell speech, Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar announced on Thursday that he will retire from international cricket after the World Cup.
India survived some anxious moments early before overcoming the Netherlands by five wickets in the World Cup Group B match at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance is back on track, with the re-opening of communication channels between the two parties. Sources said the Congress is set to agree to contest 60 seats, which was the DMK's final offer after three rounds of hard bargaining.
Defending a meagre 171-run total, England came up with a spirited bowling display to skittle out their opponents for 165 runs in 47.4 overs and snatch a spectacular win.
The seven-year-old Congress- Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam alliance virtually ended on Saturday with the DMK ministers deciding to withdraw from the Union Cabinet.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is expected to pass a resolution in its high-level meeting to be held on Saturday evening that 60 seats is the final number it can allot the Congress party. The party will also tell the Congress that it cannot decide the constituencies it will contest, and if it does not agree to these conditions, the alliance, which has weathered many a storm in the years past, will end.
The biggest significance of Friday night's statement from Chief Minister Karunanidhi is that this is the first time in many months that the DMK has spoken openly about the alliance and negotiations in public.
Ever since he took over as captain at a very young age, Graeme Smith has never been in the running for the most popular captain of the tournament award.
Cricketer chosen for world cup squad. Gets injured. Is axed. Resurfaces before teams first match and says he is fit and is ready to play for his state team. National selectors embarrassed. Rumours abound. Controversy erupts, leaving everyone involved red-faced.
Defending champions Australia beat Zimbabwe by 91 runs in their opening Group A World Cup match in Ahmedabad on Monday.
The wickets in the World Cup have so far spun quite a bit, but Australia is a balanced side when it comes to the pace-spin equation, skipper Ricky Ponting said, ahead of their first match against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad.
Communist Party of India-Marxist's top leader in Jammu and Kashmir Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami tells rediff.com's Krishnakumar Padmanabhan about Bharatiya Janata Party's plans to hoist the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day, and how 'it will disturb the region's fragile peace.'
'Their brains trust has been severely depleted. The situation at the senior level is really bad,' a senior intelligence official said.
'A few rich people, because of their proximity to powerful people, are able to gain unduly,' says journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who has just made a documentary on illegal iron ore mining.
After a drubbing in the Bihar assembly polls, Krishnakumar Padmanabhan finds that Congress workers are sceptical about Rahul Gandhi's charisma working in the TN polls.
The two-day Congress plenary session in New Delhi, which met following weeks of turmoil in the Congress had less of introspection on corruption and crises, and more of the general Congress agenda: Promote Rahul Gandhi, project him as a mature leader who has taken the next step towards leading the nation and bash the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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