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GIVEN that Australian cricketers are renowned for talking a good game, their players are nevertheless looking menacing as the World Cup moves into its most meaningful phase. Effectively needing to win all their remaining matches after starting the Super Six without a point carried over, they made the best possible start by trouncing India by 77 runs at the Oval on Friday.

Afterwards, three Australians met the media. First it was the two principal match-winners, top-scorer Mark Waugh and devastating bowler Glenn McGrath. They were relaxed, cheerful and confident in the banal sport-speak of successful practitioners.

``The second half is probably more important than the first half, provided you get through the first,'' said Mark Waugh with a shaft of staggering insight into the prospects for the remaining weeks of the World Cup.

Then the captain, Steve Waugh, came in after treatment on what he said was a minor groin strain. His most pertinent point was that the Australians felt good about themselves.

Relaxation is becoming a sporting buzzword and the Australians are doing it too. ``It was a great team performance,'' said Waugh. ``The guys are relaxed, they played their shots today and backed themselves, like Ricky Ponting going down the wicket and getting off the mark with a six. Our team meetings are good, all the guys are making an input. It's working well.''

Australia went into the match knowing that defeat could put them out of contention. Instead it is India who have the problem, as captain Mohammad Azharuddin acknowledged, of winning their last two matches and then hoping for a tie and a favourable tiebreak situation.

Australia move back among the favourites, although they will need to keep winning. They should beat Zimbabwe on Wednesday and will go into the final Super Six match against South Africa knowing exactly what is required.

On Friday's performance, Australia are getting their planning right. They have weeded out most of the ``bits and pieces'' players they should not have selected in the first place. Their batting was positive and well-calculated. They were merciless against India's lesser bowlers and Mark Waugh's return to form was timely and impressive.

Waugh admitted that a certain amount of luck had been necessary early on before he and the left-handed Adam Gilchrist set the pattern of the match during their opening stand of 97 in 20.1 overs. Aggressive running between wickets and forthright use of the feet to get down the pitch to anyone of less than express pace.

The remaining batsmen all made quick, confident contributions as Australia made a formidable total of 282 for six.

McGrath followed up his match-winning five for 14 against the West Indies with a startling display of controlled aggression which accounted for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Azharuddin in his first four overs. With Saurav Ganguly having chopped on to his stumps against Damien Fleming it was then just a question of the margin of victory.

Australia's balance looks better than it did earlier in the tournament, with Paul Reiffel bowling more steadily than the erratic Brendon Julian, who was left out. Shane Warne, who did not bowl in the nets the previous day because of a sore shoulder, was flayed by Robin Singh and Ajay Jadeja, a sight to cheer all batsmen. On the evidence of the Oval, McGrath will carry a heavy load for his team in the next two weeks.

The format of the tournament makes possible any number of permutations for the semifinals. It seems quite likely that there will be a tie of at least two contending teams on four points (two wins), in which case the priority order is number of wins, result of head-to-head matches and run rate.

Zimbabwe and New Zealand, who would normally be regarded as the minnows of the Super Six, start with four and two points respectively. Their match at Headingley today is therefore crucial. With the two lesser sides holding eight points, and only 22 available for the remaining four teams, the battle for qualification is likely to become extremely tense.

Nowhere will it be more tense than at Old Trafford on Tuesday, where India and Pakistan meet in a match which will inflame passions in the terraces and across a vast swathe of Asia.

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