What the doctor ordered

The early stages of the Champions Trophy have produced a couple of major upsets, both involving Sri Lanka, as well as a dose of intrigue.

The first point of conjecture is the Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde nature of the Centurion pitch. The difference between the first contest, which Sri Lanka won, and the second, where South Africa reigned supreme, was equivalent to that of the matches - night and day. The pitch for the first game was straw-coloured and flat, providing very little for the pace bowlers, but the same strip a couple of days later was helpful to the bowlers, with seam movement off the cracks, plus spin and bounce.

This becomes an important factor, because not only will the ground host the final but also three crucial Group A fixtures involving India, Pakistan and Australia, one of whom will miss out on the semi- finals.

Normally either type of pitch would suit both subcontinent sides because they have crafty spinners and Australian batsmen are vulnerable to this style of attack. However, India have suffered a double blow with the loss of Yuvraj Singh: they'll miss his powerful striking and intimidating presence in the middle order, and his part-time spin bowling capabilities.

India have another potential hurdle on the way to a spot in the semi-finals. Depending on the outcome of other matches, they may well need to win their last qualifying match, against West Indies at the Wanderers. This would appear to be a hurdle no bigger than that encountered in a 400-metre race but it could easily turn into a daunting Grand-National-steeplechase obstacle because the Wanderers pitch has pace and bounce.

The West Indies batting is abysmal, even for a second-string international side, but they do have some good pace-bowling options in Kemar Roach, Gavin Tonge and Darren Sammy. If India were to experience problems coping with the extra bounce, as they did at the World Twenty20, then this might not be the simple stepping stone to the semi-finals it appears on paper.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will be delighted they scrambled to a win at the Wanderers and now move to a less bouncy surface at Centurion. The inability of their top order to cope with Tonge's pace and bounce provided an opportunity for young Umar Akmal to unveil his calm approach and solid technique on the world stage. The brother of keeper Kamran, Umar is yet another classic example not only of how Pakistan produces young, talented players but is also prepared to play them at an early age. In contrast, despite enjoying the plaudits after picking Sachin Tendulkar at a tender young age, in recent years the Indian selectors have tended to discard youth at the first sign of trouble and recall ageing players.

The hosts, South Africa, like they've done at many world tournaments, have already provided ample material for any good psychiatrist to write a lengthy thesis. Previous masters at winning every match in a tournament and then losing a crucial knockout encounter, this South Africa team has opted for a different route. They lost their first match in disappointing fashion to Sri Lanka but then bounced back well to beat New Zealand and help calm any frayed nerves.

Graeme Smith's side is a far cry from those of the past that not only lost crucial encounters but were also hampered by a lack of variety in attack. Smith now has the luxury of two very capable frontline spinners and a good part-timer, in addition to a potent pace attack. This should mean they are capable of coping with any conditions, but they do need to broaden their thinking rather than automatically chase at Centurion.

Against a Sri Lankan side with the spinners to mesmerise top-class batsmen in the right conditions it is suicide to discard the option of batting first purely on the basis that they've won 60% of their past matches at this ground bowling first.

Following their win over South Africa, Sri Lanka looked likely to be a formidable foe in a final at Centurion. However, a stumble on the lively Wanderers pitch against England, and facing another difficult contest against New Zealand on the Bullring's spitting cobra and suddenly the Lankans are no certainties to advance to the semi-finals.

This is exactly what the Champions Trophy required: a few upsets and some uncertainty, spiced with a little intrigue. So far most of the intrigue has surrounded the pitches, which just emphasises the importance of the contest between bat and ball.