Shane Bond flies the flag

With Shoaib Akhtar potentially banned and Steve Harmison spraying the ball about with reckless abandon, we need every fast bowler we can get.

Fortunately Shane Bond's still flying the flag. He touched-up the lowest ever bowling average in one-day internationals by taking 3-45. Crucially, he removed Mohammad Yousuf for 71 and the dangerous Abdul Razzaq shortly after.

That's two games in a row that Shane Bond's played now. It must be some sort of a record. They should LITERALLY wrap him up in cotton wool between matches. He shouldn't be allowed cutlery to eat with either. You never know.

Shane Bond takes three wickets (and so does James Franklin)

Shane Bond took 3-43. Fast-bowling-arama, or somesuch.

James Franklin actually finished with better figures, 3-30, but we're a lot less interested. Mostly this is because we don't much like James Franklin, whereas we love Shane Bond. However, having studied the scorecard more closely, we can actually justify our Shane Bond-centric focus.

Shane Bond took the wickets of Benevolent Uncle Sanath, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, which is some trio. James Franklin took the wickets of Upul Tharanga, who's not bad; Chamara Kapugedera, who's promising, but currently not-all-that-good; and some guy called L P C Silva, who we've never even heard of. Frankly, L P C Silva could be a woman. We're not even going to check due to the minuscule chance that this could in some way render James Franklin's performance more meaningful.

For those who don't know, our hatred of James Franklin springs from a really irritating hundred he once hit.

Sri Lanka were all out for 154, by the way. Everyone's forgetting how to bat this week.

Shane Bond takes a hat trick against Australia

We're struggling today. Expect a couple of workmanlike updates while we try and recapture our form.

Shane Bond took a hat trick against Australia at the weekend. He's a fast bowler. We like fast bowlers. He took it against Australia. We don't really like Australia.

No. It's just not happening. Maybe we should have more coffee or ethanol or something.

Shane Bond, New Zealand - World Cup player to watch

Maybe after the World Cup's over there'll be more than six pictures of Shane Bond on the whole of the internet. We dearly hope so, because we write about him more and more and every time it's a trial trying to find an accompanying picture.

Only Joel Garner's got a better one-day international bowling average than Shane Bond's 19.66. Joel's was 18.84. Joel Garner could bowl and so can Shane Bond.

Strike bowlers aren't exactly ten-a-penny these days. We should cherish Shane Bond. The other great thing about him is that he plays for New Zealand, so very few people will resent him. We can all support Shane Bond except when he's up against our country. Let's come together as one. Isn't the World Cup all about a unifying cricket experience? What? TV money you say?

Other players to watch during the World Cup

Shane Bond canes Australia

When even the BBC are reduced to colloquialisms such as 'caned', you know it's been a resounding defeat.

Australia have been caned. Shane Bond took 5-23. Australia were all out for 148. They didn't manage to take a single Kiwi wicket in attempting to defend that total.

Are Australia just trying to lengthen their World Cup odds with these displays of ineptitude? That wouldn't be the Australian way. We're not entirely sure whether there's an Australian alive today who can come up with justification for losing at anything.

Shane Bond loves playing Australia. His one-day record against them now reads 33 wickets at 13.12.

More of that please.