WORLD CUP GROUP B

BERMUDA v SRI LANKA

BERMUDA'S REPLY

After 24.4 overs overs

Score: 78 all out

Dwayne Leverock, Bermuda's last man, has just been dismissed lbw to Murali to bring Bermuda's innings to an end. At least they avoided the biggest defeat in World Cup history, thanks largely to Cann's knock, but other than that there was precious little to shout about. Bermuda lose by 243 runs in their opening World Cup encounter.

Should we be disappointed? Probably not. The guys were always going to be up against it, and once Malinga had done the damage with the new ball, the writing was well and truly on the wall. If they had held their catches when they fielded, they might have kept Sri Lanka under 300 - but it was not to be.

Bermuda now have three days to prepare for their next game against India - arguably a stronger team than Sri Lanka - and the fear is the margin of defeat could be just as heavy, if not more so.

After 20 overs

Score: 52 for seven

Lionel Cann: 11

Delyone Borden: 6

Run rate: 2.6

Borden and Cann have put a little bit of partnership together, though with Murali twirling away one wonders how long it's going to last.

Cann only knows how to play one way, and he has tried to smash the decidely lively Maroof over mid-wicket about four times now without making contact. If he does it should go a long way, but one wonders whether he could be playing with just a tad more responsibility with his team in dire straits. Saying that, any possibility of Bermuda winning the game has well and truly gone, so perhaps he just wants to go down swinging.

13 more to get to avoid the ignominy of the biggest ever World Cup defeat. Come on boys!

After 15 overs

Score: 41 for seven

Delyone Borden: 1

Lionel Cann: 7

Bermuda are heading towards the biggest defeat in the history of World Cup cricket, which was set in South Africa in 2003 when Australia beat Namibia by 256 runs. At the moment we trail by 280 runs. We need a total of 65 on the board to avoid the biggest ever defeat.

What can you say? Bermuda have been totally an utterly outclassed once again. The debate over whether they should be at this World Cup will only intensify after this. Much as they did against England, Bermuda's batmen have looked like rabbits in headlights against the type of high-quality bowling they hardly ever face.

Janeiro Tucker has just been the latest batsman to be dismissed, playing on to Murali in his second over. Dean Minors is back in the hutch as well having been given out caught behind when replays showed he missed it by a good couple of inches. Both Minors and Smith have cause for complaint over their dismissals, but when it goes wrong like this, these things often happen.

After ten overs

Score: 25 for four

OJ Pitcher: 6

Janeiro Tucker: 0

Run rate: 2.5

Disaster has struck for Bermuda as both Hemp and Romaine are sent packing by Malinga. Hemp was undone by some fierce bounce and was caught at second slip, while Romaine was trapped palpably lbw from his very first ball, leaving Malinga on a hat-trick. And newcomer Janeiro Tucker was perilously close to being adjudged lbw off his first delivery, though umpire Daryl Harper deemed Malinga's ball to be just missing leg stump. Replays showed that it would have hit though, and Tucker can count himself a very, very lucky boy.

Bermuda's worst fears have come true early on in their innings. Rarely do they ever get to face a bowler capable of bowling in excess of 90 mph, and their inexperience against this type of pace is clear for all to see. Somebody's going to have to show some guts and a willingness to be patient here, because the longer you stay in against this sort of bowling, the easier it becomes.

Hemp's dismissal was particularly unfortunate, however, because the Glamorgan captain had looked in impressive form before he got out and he will be desperately disappointed not have made much of a contribution with the bat once again.

Tucker and OJ, who has been soldiering on at the other end will now have to try and repair the damage, but from this perspective, their prospects look bleak.

Murali might not even get a bowl at this rate!