More Bad News Down Under

Now Brett Lee, the highlight bowler of the last World Cup, is out of the picture for this one, and suddenly the Aussies, who cruised to victory back in 2003, are looking like definite underdogs. Their bowling attack was already showing an inability to defend even large scores, and now their fastest bowler is gone.

It could have been worse, though, because the loss of Brett Lee allows them to correct a silly omission. At the end of the Ashes, Stuart Clark looked like their best non-retired bowler. He hasn't had such an impact in the one-day game, but it was a mistake for Australia to leave him out of the World Cup squad. Now he's back in it.

The Aussies are still dangerous if their bowling attack can hit on all cylinders, but 2007 West Indies will not be a repeat of 2003 South Africa, when the Aussies won every match they played.