Demons of the mind offer little respite as Super Sixes beckon

Geoffrey Boycott once said that playing fast bowlers is usually the scariest in your bed the night before the encounter. Not that the fast bowlers are likely to be actually snoring in your bed next to you, but instead the demons in your mind seem to have a knack of painting the worst case scenarios for the following day. The fast bowler seems to turn into a fire-breathing dragon bowling down hand grenades, rather than the man of flesh and blood with a six-stitcher cricket ball in his hand that he is in reality.

Tonight it won't only be Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Glenn McGrath who will be causing the nightmares, but also net run rates, dodgy weather and the prospect of an early flight home that will have players and officials turning in their hotel beds. In terms of international cricket a lot hinges on the results of tomorrow's games. The organisers of this fantastic affair must be thrilled at the circumstances of tomorrow's fixtures, knowing that they could never have written a more perfect script.

The unpredictability of this fascinating has bought a massive world-wide interest to cricket grounds around England as the World Cup heads to the next round. This is very positive for the game in general, as well as in England where the life of the game as a spectator sport can always do with an injection of competitive spirit and entertainment away from the football fields.

Zimbabwe beating South Africa today, who ever could have predicted this? If nothing else it has proven a point that positive thinking and belief in yourself can help people move mountains and achieve the supposed impossible.

The positive and confident spirit exuded by Zimbabwe coach, Dave Houghton, has impressed me throughout this tournament and it just goes to show that inspirational leadership can make a big difference between success and failure. It is this type of leadership that could be the crucial factor tomorrow in determining who progresses to the Super Sixes.

Tomorrow is a day for all cricket lovers to find their most comfortable lounge chair and enjoy one of the most important days of international cricket in the recent history of the game. I am going to be nervous working through all the possible scenarios tonight, I can only imagine how the player's will be feeling.

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