Hussain - fell on his sword.

By Neal Collins

Nasser Hussain said it after that gut-wrenching two-wicket defeat against Australia: "You get what you deserve in this game."

At the time, we didn't really understand what he meant. Now, standing at Heathrow waiting for the bags to arrive at Terminal One, the truth of it begins to sink in.

SA226 arrived back in London at 6.55 on Thursday morning with a full house... players, fans, selectors and one South African who demanded to know Paul Collingwood's christian name was after he'd given the requested signature.

A mood of misery prevailed, as it generally does after 10 hours and 5,132 miles in mid-air. Still, for some of England's cricketers it was a welcome return home 138 days after departure for the ill-fated Ashes tour.

Incredibly, when the over-cheerful in-flight announcer mentioned England's presence on the jam-packed Jumbo, there was even a smattering of applause.

You get what you deserve...

Two days before, Nasser has done the honourable thing and fallen on his sword as England went out of the tournament before Zimbabwe and Kenya.

His argument: I've had enough, it's no good looking for excuses, bring in a younger crew.

Excuses? Sure, pulling out of the Zimbabwe game cost us a place in the Super Six stages. And watching the rain hand that place to Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Tuesday was hard to bear.

But when the journalists were trying to persuade Naz that a narrow defeat against Australia wasn't a bad result, Naz said: "There is no consolation in a narrow defeat against Australia. We had the chance to end their winning run and we failed to take it."

Too true. Australia were eight wickets down and still needed 70 runs when Andy Bichel came out to join Michael Bevan. A combination of poor fielding positions and the lamentable decision not to give Andrew Caddick his final over cost England victory by three balls.

That fateful penultimate over from hero-turned -villain Jimmy Anderson, which saw Bichel bash a six and a four off consecutive slower balls finally cost England the World Cup and Nasser his job.

You get what you deserve.

But we leave this World Cup wondering if God is Kenyan.

The West Indies, in their final qualifier, beat Kenya by well over 100 runs at Kimberley on Tuesday. There was only one team in it.

Yet the West Indies had long since been ruled out of qualification despite that epic opening win over the hosts. And Kenya, thanks to a win over Sri Lanka and a walkover against New Zealand, are on the verge of a semi-final place (they need rain or a win over Zimbabwe).

The Windies, like South Africa and England, were robbed by the fickle African weather. Scientifically, this was not the World Cup organisers' fault. Summer rain in the Highveld is caused by strong convection not wrong conviction.

But when they decided to scrap reserve days at this World Cup, everyone knew the chaos which Messrs Duckworth and Lewis might cause.

And when the organisers decided to ignore apparently heart-felt pleas for venue changes from England, New Zealand and Australia, they knew this World Cup might find itself warped by politics not dictated by talent.

Sadly, a Super Six without hosts South Africa and England is unjust and unexciting.

Both nations deserved to get in light years ahead of their group rivals Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Yeah, I know they didn't play particularly well, though South Africa batted brilliantly and England gave Australia their toughest task of the tournament.

But I have to disagree Nasser, neither nation deserved what they got.

The next World Cup, scheduled for the West Indies in 2007, must offer reserve days... and it must listen to the fears of its players, not ride roughshod over them.

Otherwise, they too will end up with this nonsense of minnows reaching the Super Six without just cause (those with sadistically long memories will recall Zimbabwe fluked their way through the last tournament too).

I for one have now lost all interest in the competition. So too has England's head of selectors David Graveney.

When England went out, his group and mine were the only inhabitants of a 14-mile stretch of beach at the remote Port St Francis, an hour south of Port Elizabeth.

We agreed the whole thing was a bit of a mess before the rain had finally destroyed our hopes in Bulawayo. He even asked me to text him the scores.

Who can blame him for losing interest? Nobody is going to stop Australia from winning their second consecutive World Cup (New Zealand, the only side capable of giving them a game, need a miracle to reach the semis).

Crowds will drop off, attention will wane between now and the final at The Wanderers on March 23... and what looked like being a great World Cup will fizzle out.

Ruined by politics, rain and a lack of reserve days.

Memo to the organisers... you get what you deserve.