Australia's comprehensive defeat of New Zealand, who have had an outstanding one-day year, only served to remind everyone just how tough the Australians are and how determined they are to win the one major ICC trophy that has eluded them.
It also heralded the fact that this round of games is an effective quarter-final and the team that 'hits the ground running' will make it through to the semi-final.
Interestingly, after a brilliant start to the ICC Champions Trophy, with temperature at 28 degrees and weather sunny and warm, the temperature is just reaching 17 degrees, which is significantly cooler. The prevailing wind, the south westerly, has changed to a north westerly.
Why is this interesting? Well, simply because the ball stops swinging and the pitches will start getting colder and damper, helping both seam and spin as the ball will grip. The toss will be important as bowling first will be advantageous and sides batting first will have to work hard to set a competitive total. It certainly will test the character of all the teams.
As I write, England, who I think will be very dangerous because they know these conditions, take on Sri Lanka. We are all aware that Sri Lanka are in prime form. However, their performance against Zimbabwe was below par. I remember 1999, when they really struggled in English conditions, the ball moving off the seam was their undoing then.
These two teams will battle it out for the dubious honour of playing Australia! I guess though both teams would like the chance to topple the world's best!
South Africa and the West Indies then do battle the next day and this is an intriguing contest as South Africa are coming off a run of desperate performances where even their normally upbeat players are wondering what is going on. It is reflected too in the form of Herschelle Gibbs, normally prolific but struggling as all players sometimes, in this tournament. They have not fired on all cylinders yet but are a fit and good cricketing team.
The West Indies epitomize the word unpredictable, but you cannot write them off as they have such match winners as Lara and Gayle.
I don't like predicting, but I favour England and South Africa to get through.
I guess, however, Sunday's tie between Pakistan and India will hold the attention of most. The last time India and Pakistan played at Edgbaston there was a massive pitch invasion and the match officials of the Warwickshire CCC had security problems. It is only now that I really understand the enthusiasm and fervour and passion that surrounds this particular fixture.
Indeed, I still have to try and remain detached from it so that I can make the right decisions and learn from it. Judging, however, by my web site Q & A page this is more than a game. Reputations are made and shattered when these two nations play.
So who do I favour, and why? As I previously said I hate predicting, so let's have a look at what we have as fact.
Sourav Ganguly leads a strong batting side with proven batsmen at Test match level. I believe that they revolve around Sourav and he is in good form. We will have to remove him quickly to put them on the back foot. In the past he has come hard at our pace bowlers and punished any width.
Recently, I have been pleased with our bowlers' discipline and they have bowled much straighter so it will be an interesting contest.
Much too has been made of Irfan Pathan's ability to swing the ball in to the right-hander. However, if the ball does not swing much will he be negated?
Harbhajan Singh is bowling well and spinners have dominated this tournament against the minnows. Can the full Test nations handle the spinners better? This is the reason cricket resembles a gladiatorial contest with individual and team battling to dominate.
I am a firm believer that one-day cricket requires a team effort, although one major performance does make a difference. It is the team that has to fire together to get it right. This was proved when we needed our tail to beat Australia and they were unable to handle the pressure. The moral of the story here is that don't expect the tail to win you the game!
I have been pleased with the response of the Pakistan players to the strategy and the team ethic and if they can hold that together then they can go the whole way.
However, I refuse to underestimate or predict what the outcome will be. I hope for two things: it is a controversy-free game and the public goes home satisfied.
