CRICKET/World Cup: In the end it came out right for England. A 55-run win seems comprehensive enough, but for a 45-minute period, as the clouds rolled in to threaten rain and a young human-resource management student was pummelling the bowling all around St George's Park, the circumstance appeared no brighter than Marcus Trescothick's mathematical capabilities.

With bad weather a prospect, it is always wise to keep abreast of the Duckworth-Lewis situation that comes into force in a reduced match. With a set of D-L tables tucked into his pocket, Trescothick, charged with keeping up to speed by the acting captain Alec Stewart - Nasser Hussain was absent with a stiff neck - believed England, defending a total of 272, always to have been on the right side of the calculations.

He was wrong: from the 25th over until the 33rd, and sporadically thereafter until the main Namibian batting threats had been dismissed, they would have lost if the heavens had opened. It is just possible the job may be passed to another individual.

In the tournament thus far, Namibia had conceded 340 to Zimbabwe, a total exceeded only three times in World Cup history, and then been dismissed for 84 by Pakistan, the fourth worst total - after yesterday's effort from Canada - in the same competition. It was a strange pedigree to bring into the game.

England, however, always warn of the danger of underestimating apparently weaker opponents, possibly because they have often been at more risk than some.

But even they would have been surprised by the enterprise shown with the bat as Jan-Berry Burger and the former captain Danie Keulder, strapping lads the pair of them, embarked on a fourth-wicket stand of 97 after two wickets had gone to the new ball.

When, eight overs later, Keulder was run out for 46, slow to attempt a second run to Trescothick on the point boundary, the game imploded for Namibia, Stewart and the coach Duncan Fletcher always believing that though one or two batsmen on their day can create temporary mayhem, there would not be the depth of batting to see it through.

With the possible exception of Ashley Giles, still suffering from tonsillitis, this is the best bowling side England can offer, but the game has to be raised now.

The batting got by but barely. Trescothick survived an embarrassingly close tangle with a dreadful long hop early on to make 58 and Stewart made a brisk 60.

But not one of the top six can claim his dismissal was anything but soft, not least Nick Knight and Michael Vaughan, who were both suckered by further long hops from Van Vuuren, a seamer whose round-arm action makes Dominic Cork look like Glenn McGrath.

Van Vuuren was to enjoy further success late in the innings, bowling Caddick with the last ball to give him figures of five for 43.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya admitted yesterday that he had no choice but to order a ruthless destruction of Canada in order to boost his side's chances of reaching the next stage of the World Cup.

Sri Lanka showed no mercy to the Canadians bowling them out for just 36, the lowest one-day score of all time and the shortest World Cup clash in history.

"We wanted to get the wickets as quickly as possible and then get the runs quickly," said Jayasuriya after a nine-wicket win that was accomplished in a total of 23.3 overs and in less than two hours.

"The situation in our group is such that we need to win and improve our net run rate." Chaminda Vaas took three for 15 and man-of-the-match Prabath Nissanka had a haul of four for 12 as they reduced Canada to 21 for seven before Dilhara Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan finished off the innings.

While Sri Lanka were completing victory in less than two hours, their Asian rivals India struggled to 255-7 off 50 overs against Zimbabwe in Harare in a game in which their World Cup destiny could be decided.

Sachin Tendulkar held the brittle Indian batting line-up together with 81 as India got off to a flying start reaching 99 before the first wicket fell when Virender Sehwag was dimissed for 36.

Rahul Dravid added valuable late order runs with an unbeaten 43.

Guardian Service