Australia set the standard despite Warne's departure

It is a week since the 2003 World Cup was officially opened in Cape Town, but there has already been a tournament's worth of intrigue and sensation on and off the field. What happens next is anyone's guess, but it is good to see the headlines are now being grabbed by the players and, for the majority of times, it is for the right reasons.

The first week has not been a particularly kind to those veterans who may have viewed this tournament as the ideal stage to go out of one-day cricket. Shane Warne has returned to Australia in an effort to save his name after failing a drugs test, Jonty Rhodes has been forced to pull out with a broken hand, Allan Donald and Wasim Akram have been smashed around the park and Alec Stewart's dreams of World Cup glory are all but in tatters before England have bowled a ball.

With political wrangling overshadowing the tournament, it was important the players put on a show and the competition could not have been given a better start than the opening contest between South Africa and the West Indies. Brian Lara grabbed the stage and scored a sparkling hundred before Lance Klusener, the home nations' favourite slogger, almost clinched South Africa a remarkable victory with some powerful late hitting.

However, in the opening round of matches one side still stand head and shoulders above the rest. Australia may have played only once, but they highlighted why they are the team to beat. Even Warne's revelations on the morning of their opening match against Pakistan failed to distract Ricky Ponting's well grooved machine. They made short work of one of their major threats.

Andrew Symonds blasted his way into the history books by scoring 143 not out, the highest score by an Australian in the World Cup. Such was the effect he had on his opponents that the Pakistan captain Waqar Younis completely lost the plot and bowled a beamer. The umpire David Shepherd handled the moment brilliantly and booted him out of the attack for his second offence.

The rest of the teams, excepting England, who are the only side yet to play, have shown they are all capable of beating each other. This has happened in Group B, where South Africa look vulnerable, and every match is becoming a must-win game. New Zealand's decision not to visit Kenya could prove costly – and a change of heart on this matter would make their initial stance look pathetic – after losing to Sri Lanka. The 1996 winners are coming along nicely and after a dreadful tour of Australia, Sri Lanka are gaining momentum. They could be peaking at just the right time.

Everybody has been encouraged by the rejuvenation of Carl Hooper's West Indian team. Cricket is a less glamorous sport without a strong side from the Caribbean and for the first time in years they are looking a threat. There is still a self-destruct button within their team, but resilience and pride appear to have returned.

As well as Lara and Symonds, Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, New Zealand's Scott Styris and Zimbabwe's Craig Wishart have passed three figures on pitches that are producing excellent cricket. The prediction that the wickets would have pace and bounce in them has come true and this has led to a more traditional approach to the first 15 overs of a game.

As of yet we have not seen the pinch-hitter running amok. With the conditions offering early assistance, the tactics of batting sides has been for the openers see off the new ball. Conservative starts, however, have not led to low-scoring games because the pace and bounce in the pitch makes scoring easier when the ball gets old and soft. The outfields are like carpet, so batsmen get full value for their strokes.

The batsmen have not had it all their own way, though. Chaminda Vaas, the left-arm swing bowler from Sri Lanka, started the match against Bangladesh in the most remarkable fashion. Taking a hat-trick at any time is a considerable feat, but to do it with the first three balls of a match is unbelievable. Vaas was not content with three and took his fourth wicket with the fifth ball of the match. He ended with figures of 6 for 25, the third-best bowling performance in World Cup history.

Canada's Jamaican born all-rounder Austin Codrington is the unlikely source of the tournament's other five-wicket haul. The performance of the 27-year-old may not knock ice hockey off the sports pages back home, but it allowed Canada to gain their first World Cup win in 24 years of trying. That was against Bangladesh, who look simply awful.

India got off to a slow start against the Netherlands, England's first opponents, but the match did allow Sachin Tendulkar to overtake Javed Miandad and become the highest run-scorer in World Cup history.

The only disappointing matter so far have been the crowds. All the hype before the tournament pointed to there being full grounds for every game. The alarmingly high number of empty seats suggest there is an apathetic approach from the locals towards matches not involving South Africa and that is unfortunate. However, the availability of tickets has been limited because spectators have been required to buy them for the group matches in order to gain what they wanted in the Super Six and onwards. England will be keen finally to join in the fun tomorrow.