Now that they pick up only point, New Zealand are still very vulnerable and could miss out from qualifying by one point. Both Australia and India will be happy with that result because it keeps them in touch with those teams ahead of them. Zimbabwe lead with 5 points, South Africa and Pakistan 4 points, New Zealand 3 points, Australia 2 points and India do not have any points and needing two wins from two games to have any chance of reaching the semis.

The frustration for New Zealand will have intensified because the match was there for the winning and the two valuable points should have been gained. The Kiwis will be cursing the fickleEnglish weather that could deprive them a chance of reaching the semi-finals. Their bowlers again responded magnificently to keep Zimbabwe down to a very gettable score of 175.

Zimbabwe appeared to lose their focus and purpose after a rain delay on the first day. This gave New Zealand a chance to regroup and deny Zimbabwe from reaching 220. The Kiwis were very much on target at 70/3 and, had another ten overs been bowled, they needed to score only five more runs to win. It looked as though for the first time in this competition, New Zealand were putting in a near complete team performance. Astle and Horne, who have been well short of runs so far, looked as if they were starting to find some their form.

Geoff Allott continues to impress as the outstanding bowler of the tournament with a world record-equalling performance of 18 wickets in a World Cup tournament. Roger Binny of India, Craig McDermott from Australia and Pakistan's Wasim Akram have achieved the same feat, although in more matches thanAllott. Allott, who has surprised himself, has captured his wickets in six matches with at least two and possibly four more matches to play.

New Zealand bowlers have been criticised for the style and the way they have bowled in the competition. The thought of the unspectacular `dibbly dobbling' bowling of Chris Harris, the military medium pace of Nathan Astle and the controlled line and length bowling of Gavin Larsen has not helped the spectacle of one-day cricket -- it is all too boring! The question is being asked, how can NZ and Zimbabwe be in the `Super Six' when England, the West Indies and the world champions, Sri Lanka are eliminated. The thought of Chris Harris bowling to Zimbabwe's Murray Goodwin is not everyone's idea of entertainment when so many other entertaining players have been denied from expressing their skills through their team's departure from the tournament.

With matches being pre sold and spectators not knowing which teams would be playing at certain venues prior to the `SuperSix' being announced, the thought of two teams like New Zealand and Zimbabwe playing against each-other in a crucial match, probably has not excited the general spectators, except each teams supporters. Spectators would rather see the exciting Shoaib Akhtar bowling to Sachin Tendulkar.

The Kiwis have not been spectacular at all, but they have done their job. They would be the first to admit that the basic principles of one-day bowling is to deny the batsman the opportunity to score runs and make them frustrated enough to gift away their wickets. Capturing wickets at regular intervals slows down the run rate, but if bowlers concede between three and four runs per over, then they have been just as successful.

Wasim Akram was very critical of Shoaib Akhtar's last spell against South Africa when he conceded 17 runs from one over. He blamed Shoaib for losing the game and that was a bit tough. The point was that Shoaib didn't stick to the game plan of pitching the ball up to the batsman. Instead he dropped afew balls too short and was dispatched to the boundary by Lance Klusener, the `Player of the Tournament' to date.

Even Wasim got pulled for six. The Kiwi bowlers have stuck to the basics of line and length and take the pace off the ball by mixing up the variations. Harris, Astle, Larsen, Nash and Cairns have not been spectacular, but effective given the conditions to play on. Allott has been used as the attacking bowler and has taken wickets at the top of the innings, in the middle and at the `death'. What more can you do?