It's World Cup Time ...

... the action has already begun, as I write.

The first group of warm-up games that took place yesterday threw up quite a few interesting tidbits.

1. Bermuda have a 270-pound left-arm spinner. Apparently he was bigger but he lost some weight for this tournament. He bowled a really tight spell against England. Bermuda are in India's group. You put two and two together. Tight, irritating left-arm spinners, Tendulkar, ... we know where this could go ... Ashley Giles, Ray Price, Paul Harris .. ring a bell ?

2. South Africa just scraped through against Ireland. This is the World's Number 1 team for God's sake ! They also played their whole squad with the exception of Ntini ! Minnows are not to be taken lightly this World Cup !

3. Both England and Sri Lanka, easy victors though they were had some tense moments during their innings. This could well be the kind of tournament where minnow bowlers have a bit of a honeymoon while the batsmen suffer - a low-scoringish affair if the early signs are any indications.

4. Then again, I believe the venues for the warm-up games are almost totally different that what are going to be used for the main event. So we might never just know.

This tournament keeps whetting the appetite more and more ... can't wait for the real thing to begin ...