There are some fairly wild grounds in international cricket, but none has the frenetic, chaotic, carnival atmosphere and fervour of the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

35,000 shrieking, singing, dancing, bawling Sri Lanka and assorted other fans packed into the compact and historic stadium built on swampland for their crucial Group A clash with Australia, and the noise was ear-splitting and wholly spine-tingling.

Most countries like to boast of the vociferous atmospheres their grounds generate (well, New Zealand apart), but Colombo has something special: something enthralling and inspiring.

As Graham Gooch once said while hurling relentless throw-downs with sadistic relish, 'you are only as good as your last net', but what really goes on in the endless training sessions at a World Cup? Cowers investigated.

England's ill-fated campaign at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was notable more for the players' off-field exploits than their on-field ineptitude, and the papers were awash with tawdry tournament tales.

But cricketers are professional athletes, so surely every training session is a gruelling recipe of Goochy's dumbbells, David Saker's star jumps, Andy Flower's burpees

Monty Python used to say that "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" but messrs Strauss, Flower et al would have been expecting some fallout this morning, the day after a quite incredible defeat to a non-Test playing country at the World Cup

Today's press conference with the England team didn't happen so it is left to the great and good of English cricket to have their say on yesterday's "Belo Horizonte" moment.

(At the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the United States defeated England 1—0 in a group match in Belo Horizonte, the biggest shock in football history being described as the

On the face of it there's something deeply familiar to
England fans about this defeat to Ireland.

A staggering upset in the one-day game, having hinted at so
much more in a fiercely fought tie with India just three days ago.

If that sounds harsh to Ireland, that isn't the Cow's intent - the
scale of the upset reflects the position from which Ireland launched
their fightback.

They needed to score 217 runs from the final 25 overs (8.6
an over) with just five wickets remaining - and they managed it.

Another tragicomedy to go with England's loss to the
Netherlands in the World Twenty20 at Lord's

Eoin Morgan will become a one-day great. There, it's been said. The squatty England batsman's stunning century against Australia shows he is ready to establish himself as such.

Not since a young Ricky Ponting was described as the 'next Michael Slater' has a player been so underwhelmed, and Morgan will not be blushing at the constant and, frankly tedious, comparisons with the nuggety left-hander Neil Fairbrother.

The Lancastrian was a fine player who averaged 15.64 in Tests and 39.47 in one-day cricket, but his penchant for a run-like-hell single and favourite shot being a nurdle behind square

Cow
Corner's mind drifted a little during the contest between Sri Lanka and Kenya.
Can you blame it?

The
brothers Obuya battled bravely for 94 runs in 30 overs, desperately trying to
steer Kenya to something better than their top score of 112 all out.

Of course
there was a certain gallantry to their performance - albeit with several
comedic leading edges and a supporting cast of desperate bat wielders and a
large cameo from Lady Luck.

But even as
the duo's partnership continued it was plain that their contribution was as
likely to prevent a Sri Lanka victory as Sir Ian Botham is likely to

Michael
Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Colin Croft, Wes Hall, Andy Roberts,
Charlie Griffith, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose: Kemar Roach may not be at home
in the pantheon of great West Indies bowlers, but the Barbadian has an obscene
amount of potential.

What
appeared to be an incessant and unwavering proverbial conveyor belt of
terrifyingly quick West Indian pacemen seemed to be switched off at the plug after
Ambrose and Walsh hung up their sweat bands and slipped on the flip-flops.

But
at just 22-years-old, there is no limit to what Roach can achieve in the game
with his searing

The
term imperious is used with reckless abandon at times, but never has it been
more apt than in describing Andrew Strauss and the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's epic
centuries in their Bangalore thriller which ended in a tie.

Strauss plundered a quite incredible ton himself as he looked to have secured the third highest run-chase of all time and the highest in World Cup cricket for his side, only for the dreaded batting powerplay to rear its ugly head and prompt a swift England implosion.

The 33-year-old's ton was the highest score ever by an England captain in a World Cup as he rapidly