Danger signs against the little kids

It is like the high-school kids taking on the primary-school kids in a game of schoolyard cricket. The big kids are always likely, and definitely expected, to win the contest, but there is always that hint of doubt that the little kids are going to show them up. Even though there is some nervousness playing the little kids, it is difficult to fend off the arrogance that goes with being one of the big kids. With arrogance comes the danger of complacency, an attitude that leads to the slack mistakes that we have seen in the last few days.

No matter how much talk there is of burying the lesser opponents, and no matter how hard the team tries to achieve this, the buzz isn't quite the same as one of the big matches. Teams like England and Australia have everything to lose and little to gain, except of course the points and the winning habit.

This is to take nothing away from the enthusiastic minor-league teams like Scotland and Kenya, who have everything to gain from the marvellous occasion of a World Cup match. Not everyone will agree, but I actually enjoy watching these teams play, because they tend to go about their business with a youthful eagerness that generates an entertaining style of play. What the Kenyans and Scots lack in technique, and more importantly experience, they make up with an enthusiasm and a sense of fun that is great for the game.

When a wicket falls, for example, it is met with exuberance often seen in a Test match. In contrast, I watched a Kenyan wicket fall today - and the reaction of the English lads was as if it was a matter of course rather than the massive achievement and milestone it was when the roles were reversed later in the afternoon.

It is easy for the punters to criticise the top teams for being a wee bit slack against the lower teams, but be assured ... as long as they leave with the points, they will be happy to have left a danger game with what they came for.

Also to consider is the World Cup is a long tournament and, like an Olympic athlete, it is important for teams to be peaking at the business end of the tournament, not now when the stakes aren't nearly as high. The Aussies and England will definitely be turning up the heat when the time is right, just like the big kids flex their muscles if the little kids start getting too cheeky.

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