West Indies captain Brian Lara with a young fan during a happier moment for him during this World Cup. - File

Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

AT THE end of today's 'Battle for Pride' between the West Indies and England in Barbados, just four sides will be left in the hunt for cricket's greatest tournament prize. While defending champions Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka prepare for their semi-final clashes early next week, three quarters of the field of 16 are left to rue what could have been and either build or rebuild for better things in four years' time on the subcontinent.

Some of the teams, like Ireland and Bangladesh, will be reasonably happy with what they have achieved over the past five weeks.

The men from the Emerald Isle showed they have enough fight and spirit to deserve a place among the full one-day international sides while Bangladesh, despite some disappointing efforts, can go home boasting the prime scalps of India and South Africa during their 2007 World Cup campaign.

For the other two sides evicted during the Super Eight stage, the West Indies and England, there will be considerably less to hang their hats upon and they are likely to go through house-cleaning exercises similar to those conducted by group stage flops India and Pakistan.

Pakistan's coach, Bob Woolmer, was tragically murdered here before the dust had settled on his team's crash in Kingston; India's coach, Greg Chappell, chose abdication over termination from his post and England's Duncan Fletcher also chose the jump over the push.

The West Indies' Australian coach, Bennett King, also faces the chop in the post-Cup ritual.

The futures of the vanquished captains are no less perilous with India's Rahul Dravid hanging on to his job by his fingernails, while Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq stepped down and retired from the one-day game and England's Michael Vaughan faces almost certain ostracism from the fold.

The great Brian Lara, who had already announced he would retire from the one-day arena after today's game, finally folded to the pressure of holding the captaincy of the West Indian team for a third-time-unlucky and on Thursday announced his retirement from all international cricket.

With a tour of England looming next month, the selectors have to quickly turn around from the Cup and pick a touring squad. The smart money says they will likely anoint Ramnaresh Sarwan with the captaincy but Trinidad and Tobago skipper Daren Ganga could also feature in the reckoning as the Windies move on without their greatest contemporary batsman.

The World Cup is a cricket festival but there are no streamers, balloons or prizes for those who leave the party early.