View Full Version : Cricket - 20/20 World Cup
This gets underway today and to be honest I haven't a clue who will win it as all the main teams are quite capable of pulling it off. For England we have more powerful batsman (which we have been lacking in the past). Another issue if that most of these pitches seem to be on the slow side so the spinners will have a key role.
Should be a fun tournament
Indeed, the complete opposite of the 50 over World Cup in 2007 when the ICC basically killed the entire tournament with their draconian rules.
Tryign tio justify getting the sky player for this but at £52.00 pounds a month for something I can only watch on my computer for 2 channels...cant quite do it.
Should be a good tournament, I dont think england have the bowling line up to contain a side. Sri Lanka and India would be my favourites if the pitch is on the slow side both packing excellent spinners and fast scoring batsman
Evil Badoshix
30-04-2010, 20:09
first match is building up to a great finish.
goddamn that NZ physio is :n0rty:
goddamn that NZ physio is :n0rty:
Oh yeah (shame siv can't see her), lets hope a lot of Kiwi's players need prolonged treatment :suspect:
A low scoring thriller that was, and it had to be a McCullum to finish it in style. I was surprised that Nathen was batting so low, perhaps that was the reason why.
Oh yeah (shame siv can't see her) :razz::razz::razz:
singhstar
30-04-2010, 21:10
her name is Kate Stalker if u can google
her name is Kate Stalker if u can google
:luv:
Think we may be looking at some lower scores than the IPL with these slower pitchs and bigger grounds which isn't a bad thing. The slower pitchs make it harder to accelerate later and means the first 6 overs with the field in are critical to use positively.
Evil Badoshix
30-04-2010, 21:55
didnt ireland play fairly well last time around? defeating the hosts here would be awesome!
also what is Kieron Pollard doing so low down the order???
didnt ireland play fairly well last time around? defeating the hosts here would be awesome!
I think they did OK at the last world cup in the West Indies.
also what is Kieron Pollard doing so low down the order???
I guess they want him for the closing overs but again it makes no sense to have the best striker of the ball batting so low
I think they did OK at the last world cup in the West Indies.
I guess they want him for the closing overs but again it makes no sense to have the best striker of the ball batting so low
He struggles vs spin apparently so they push him low in the order to take on the seamers in the closing overs.
didnt ireland play fairly well last time around? defeating the hosts here would be awesome!
also what is Kieron Pollard doing so low down the order???
In the 50 over world cup they beat pakistan iirc
He struggles vs spin apparently so they push him low in the order to take on the seamers in the closing overs.
In the recent IPL spinners were sometimes used in the closing overs and infact were even opening the bowling so again I am not sure if that is the reason because the opposition captain could just a spinner on when he comes in.
Evil Badoshix
30-04-2010, 22:13
i saw him in the IPL, again really low down the order for Mumbai Indians and he was explosive.
ok, sammy & pollard now trying to make a game of it.
I think Sami may just have done enough to take it beyond ireland who traditionally are a better bowling than batting unit. A huge amount rests on porterfield as he is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of batting - if he can hold the innings together I can see ireland doing it.
Few early wickets for the Windies, looks like the upset is off. 11-3.
Few early wickets for the Windies, looks like the upset is off. 11-3.
Yup they needed porterfield to hang around - they only have about 3-4 genuine batsman the rest is made up of all-rounders who can be a bit (in fairness they have some really high quality batsman in ed joyce and eoin morgan just England have nicked them)
Raigmore
01-05-2010, 06:59
What is Kieron Pollard doing so low down the order???
Someone has taken the wrong leaf out of Sachin Tendulkar's captaincy book. He probably lost the IPL final by sending Pollard in too late. The Windies have a player here who can really turn around a losing match (and he can bowl too) and they should make the best use of his talents.
Good match today between India and South Africa and what a century from Raina. South Africa paid the price for their slow start and the decision to send in Bosman as an opener instead of Smith.
Australia taking on Pakistan now and Watson is going along like a train...
What an innings, fours and sixes galore but five wickets went down in the last over (with 2 runs outs) with Australia not scoring one run, really bizarre :nuts:
Crazy final over, don't think I've ever seen 5 wickets go down like that.
Didn't Andy Caddick once take four in an over, if he did that is the most I have ever seen, it was more odd because the Aussies didn't score a single run. I think Australia have got enough on the board as Pakistan will have to go from the off and already they have lost a wicket.
Raigmore
03-05-2010, 07:11
Didn't Andy Caddick once take four in an over.
He did. It was against India in the 2003 'proper' World Cup in South Africa. But that did not help England much because Ashish Nehra 'did' England very effectively in the chase.
In the 2007 Caribbean World Cup, Lasith Malinga picked-up 4 wickest in 4 balls against South Africa but that was in successive overs, I think.
It looks like Australia and India are the ones to stop in the tournament so far. England start today against The West Indies.
Jimmy Anderson left out today for Sidebottom??? Jimmy is our best bowler and probably the best fielder of the bowlers we have. Not sure why Sidebottom is still in the squad to be honest - he's proved that he's incapable of now surviving the rigours of international cricket so why bother with him?
Jimmy Anderson left out today for Sidebottom??? Jimmy is our best bowler and probably the best fielder of the bowlers we have. Not sure why Sidebottom is still in the squad to be honest - he's proved that he's incapable of now surviving the rigours of international cricket so why bother with him?
Mu guess would be left handers can be hard to get away and Jimmy is a wicket-taker but expensive and can go for a lot if someone gets on top of him.
England finally seem to be getting how to play 20:20 with the explosive start and now settling down to aim for 7 an over til over 14 and a big acceleration
or we could just throw away our wickets and play ourselves out of a good position /o\
Big blow as KP manages to hole out to Sarwan, 88-4 now and we need Morgan to dig in a get us towards 160.
Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright going berserk here - very good job done by these two
Brilliant partnership between Wright and Morgan, they put on 95 and for a while it was raining sixes (which is something you don't usually say with England). The West Indies will have to go some to get 192.
Brilliant partnership between Wright and Morgan, they put on 95 and for a while it was raining sixes (which is something you don't usually say with England). The West Indies will have to go some to get 192.
When you think to last years stanford final with England struggling to make 100 the improvement is immense
So true, the difference is that our batting line up as seen today can put the ball into the crowd at will which is one area that we have struggled with in our one day sides for quite a while.
Apparently England hit 13 sixes in last years tournament in England, today we have hit 11.
Rain all over Guyana at the moment - looks like it's going to cost us like it did last year :(
Back out now and it's 30 off 22 - just pathetic that D/L again shafts us in 20/20.
That is just crap, bloody rain. This could have been a great match but due to the fast start they have they are left with an easy chase. Not happy :(
Gayle out but it's only 19 off 15 needed with 9 wickets left.
The Gayle wicket really doesn't mean much other than it is a dot ball as 19 from 15 balls is easily getable in any form of cricket.
Target definitely too low, especially as the chasing side has all 10 wickets to play with. Still, I wouldn't trust WI not to mess this up just yet....
8 needed off the last over - Broady coming on so we might well see those wider deliveries we saw last year.
It could be a tie and then we have a super over, which while it would be interesting to see but not when it would involve England.
Tied with 2 balls left :(
EDIT: All over - totally shafted and its just as well its easily repairable with a win tomorrow. Just a shame to not get us off and running with a bang!
We lost, crap :(
So then a win tomorrow and we are through which in it's self seems a bit daft that you can get through like that.
Sucks for England this, after batting so well... still, rather this happens now than in a game that really matters (assuming there's no slip up against the Irish tomorrow, that is :suspect:)
This 2 game first round is pointless.
Also, thats the trouble with 20/20 if it does rain then it can turn into a farce rather quickly.
I don't understand how they worked that out, we got 191 from 20 overs and then they were set 60 odd from 6 overs, surely they would have to chase a bit more from those overs as it is unfair on the side batting first especially as they have all their wickets to use :shrug:
Lets hope for better weather tomorrow, where are we playing, is it at this ground again ?
TigaSefi
03-05-2010, 22:09
It farcial to use the D/L method in a game where 20 overs can be fitted in easily :shrug:
Second time we've lost to West Indies after DL recalculation has come in. I do not understand how going at 9.5 per over for 20 overs can in any way equate to 10 an over for 6 with the same number of wickets in hand. The compensation of 0.5 runs per over is in 20:20 frankly nothing compared to the wickets in hand and I'm really surprised the DL method hasn't already been amended.
Nick Knight made an interesting point in that the formula used to work this out is the same that they would use for a 50 over match and that they should really have a different one for this version of the game.
Raigmore
04-05-2010, 07:24
I don't think that they should have a rain rule for T20 cricket at all. If a game is not completed due to weather interference, they should replay it from the start - NOT continue when convenient because changed conditions might make it unfair. After all, T20 is an ultra-shortened form of 'cricket' and consideing that most grounds have floodlight facilities these days, an extra game or three can easily be fitted into the schedule.
basegreen
04-05-2010, 09:54
Utter nonsense. Not just because we lost, but the D/L method is just *wrong* for short over games.
Fever Dawg
04-05-2010, 10:16
Can't believe that the amount of wickets aren't taken into account. Surely if the amount of runs and overs are reduced then the wickets should be accordingly. If the West Indies had their amount of wickets reduced to, say, 4 yesterday then it balances the chase up a bit.
Gayle bowled first precisely because he knew that any rain would help the side batting second and I;m sure collingwood would have done the same. It's been clear for a while that the D/L method needs adjusting for T20 matches but of course this is the ICC we are talking about so it takes them ages to see the blindingly obvious
As for the match itself England's batting was superb and the only mistake was giving Broad the ball for the final over who then proceeded to bang it in short meaning one lucky shot could win the game. I'd have given it to Luke Wright.
Bit of a collapse from Zimbabwe today - 58/1 to 84 all out against Vettori and the NZ boys. I think its safe to say Zimbabwe will be out of the tournament very shortly. I think McCullum could end it in about 5 overs :D
England will be hoping it lashes down all evening because they could go out of the tournament by losing the toss twice.
LouBarlow
04-05-2010, 15:33
Its started already :lol:
Its started already :lol:
That's what I meant.
LouBarlow
04-05-2010, 15:40
How you getting on Greg anyway?
England will be hoping it lashes down all evening because they could go out of the tournament by losing the toss twice.
That could just happen :(
TigaSefi
04-05-2010, 16:14
Didn't we complain before about holding competitions in WI in certain times of the year ?
Some big puddles still in the outfield even though the rain has stopped and the covers are off!
EDIT: Seems as if they've shaken hands and NZ have been awarded the win! England due to start at 6.30pm and its obviously win the toss/bowl first for sure :)
It does seem as if this toss could be the key here although we would be disappointed if we can't get past Ireland not matter when we bat.
Edit - Collingwood has lost the toss and England are batting, no surprise there.
Ireland have won the toss and bowling first! I'd say post a big total and put the pressure on but that doesn't necessarily work :oh-hum:
I'm not really sure what they are supposed to do, even big total are not good enough when there is rain around. I suppose if there is an interruption during England's innings then perhaps this might work in our favour under D/L.
How can that be given out? A pure guess and a shocking decision
He probably was out but the footage wasn't conclusive
How can that be given out? A pure guess and a shocking decision
I disagree, I think it was out as you could see the stumps had been broken and the bouncing bat was not over the line of the ground. The only thing that could have saved him is you could actually see the stumps being broken. Was there not a head on shot available, I guess not.
Were the bails in the air though? The key shot was between frames and umpires shouldn't be going what probably happened
34/3 now - KP and Morgan now at the crease.
This could get very messy.
Were the bails in the air though?
That is what I was saying above plus you have to add in the wicketkeepers reaction, it was as if he had messed up.
We are struggling here and fair play to Ireland they have bowled well.
49/4 now as KP suffers from a brain fart in getting out the exact same way as yesterday :(
ralph wiggum
04-05-2010, 18:22
Well this is embarrassing.
Well this is embarrassing.
Just a bit, 120 is looking quite a way away at present :(
Pisces Iscariot
04-05-2010, 19:10
If only Ireland had a Morgan or even a Jocye in the team! 120 should be enough for England to defend.
Any rain and this could be a potential disaster!
Pisces Iscariot
04-05-2010, 19:21
Well done John! :lol:
Pisces Iscariot
04-05-2010, 19:29
So if it doesn't stop raining then England will will take second in the group on net run rate. I'm guessing they're all ******** themselves right now.
I dont know why they bother ...score a load of runs... lose , play **** and still lose ....they should just toss a coin and do away with the cricket , cause at the end of the day thats what it boils down to !!!!:mad:
Another way to get a result from these matches would be to do a bowl out as they do in domestic cricket when a result is needed in a knockout match.
It seems crazy that England could go through if they don't return but those are the rules but it is something that needs looking at.
What a catch from Lumb!!!!
ralph wiggum
04-05-2010, 19:52
Stunning catch from Lumb. 4-1
And here comes the rain again thankfully to stop O'Brien in full flow.
And here comes the rain again thankfully to stop O'Brien in full flow.
The previous torunament in the WI was ruined by batty organisers this tournament looks like it will be ruined by batty rules :|
So if the match hasn't started by 9.59 then England go through which although it is what we want seems incredibly harsh on Ireland who so far have outplayed us in this match. These last two nights haven't shown the sport in a very good light when it comes to the rules and regulations.
Raining again - Ireland had been set 47 off 33 so we could have been in trouble. Desperately need this to get abandoned now otherwise D/L will utterly finish us off.
EDIT: Game abandoned! Looking NZ/Pakistan/SA for us in the next stage - certainly better than getting India and the Aussies. SA look a little disorganised at the moment, Pakistan you just never know and NZ are hit and miss as well. Certainly all 4 will fancy grabbing one of those top 2 places!
England are through as both teams get a point each and England run-rate is better, what a crap couple of days for cricket.
Pisces Iscariot
04-05-2010, 21:24
As soon as the rain returned the match was ruined. Either England were gonna be screwed by DL for a 2nd night in a row or Ireland weren't gonna get the chance to bat for their place in the Super 8's. Very disappointing.
England are through as both teams get a point each and England run-rate is better, what a crap couple of days for cricket.
Indeed it just makes cricket look bad
LouBarlow
05-05-2010, 04:24
20/20 isn't cricket anyway. It's baseball :D
They will probably win but Australia are 27-2 against Bangladesh.
Now 52-4 !
lucky not to be 5 down....I doubt they will do it but would love bangladesh to win
5 down now - if they can get white out they will have a hell of a chance
Pakistan must be really panicing now
Six down now but Mr Cricket is still there, 130 could still on if they can find the boundary which they haven't done that much so far.
Think australia have done enough thanks to Hussey (bar rain interuption and a silly new target)
Agreed, that was a good innings from Hussey and a good partnership with Smith. Bangladesh have already lost two wickets with just four runs on the board.
13-3 now as Tait and Nannes are just blasting Bangladesh out of the tournament.
All over now really as Bangladesh are self destructing at 15-4 with all the batsman throwing their wickets away with crazy shots.
England's Women team and Australia Women team tied their opening world cup match after both scoring 104. They also tied the super over 5 each so Australia won by the fact that they hit more sixes in the main game, that hit one while England didn't hit any. That is an interesting way to decide a match should everything end up all square after the super overs. As the women's tournament is being run alongside the men's I guess this would also apply to them as well.
Afganistan getting a fairly brutal introduction to high class short bowling - 16/6 and maybe out for a record lowest score
horseflesh
05-05-2010, 23:16
If only Ireland had a Morgan or even a Jocye in the team!
:lol:
Afganistan getting a fairly brutal introduction to high class short bowling - 16/6 and maybe out for a record lowest score
They staged a recovery as they were bowled out for 80 !
Pakistan 23/0 after 3 overs - England unchanged again so Anderson is still sitting out. Sounds like lovely weather in Barbados so should be the full 40 overs for once today!
Nice recovery from England after Pakistan came firing early - currently 111-5 after 16 overs.
Pakistan finish on 147-9 - some late hitting in the last over from Saeed Ajmal added some vital runs for Pakistan. A tricky total is 148 as its gettable but if you take it likely then you'll suddently be 40-4 after 7 overs!
Good start helped by Ajmal dropping 3 catches
Kieswetter has just smacked a massive six bringing the runs needed down to 91 from 80 balls which should be getable.
cheeseypuffs
06-05-2010, 16:02
It's very gettable for England, but is it only me that wonders why Collingwood has gone in ahead of Morgan? Colly's clearly not in good form whereas Morgan is one of the form batsmen in the tournament so we should be giving him the overs to make hay :shrug:
I think its a decent move to be honest - need Colly to get in some form and with KP looking sublime, it gives him some time to try and sort out the issues.
LouBarlow
06-05-2010, 16:24
First time I've seen England this tournament. I like the look of this batting line-up.
Colly out now so Morgan can hopefully finish this off now.
First time I've seen England this tournament. I like the look of this batting line-up.
I honestly think we've potentially the best team in this tournament - power at the top, class in the middle and more power towards the end. Good bowling and good fielding as well.
Colly's clearly not in good form
He had a pretty good IPL tournament as on more than one occation he saw his side home, the runs have yet to flow for him here yet but I don't have a problem where he bats as Morgan is another player who has the ability to see the side home if needs be.
Morgan bowled by Ajmal but its just 8 to win off 12 so its a doddle me thinks.
EDIT: Kamran Akmal has just missed the stumps in an absolutely comical missed run out :lol:
EDIT: Kamran Akmal has just missed the stumps in an absolutely comical missed run out :lol:
He really is a poor keeper, he got criticized in Australia when Pakistan toured there due to the number of catches he dropped and he doesn't seemed to have improved a year or so later.
All over as KP punches it for 4 - good start to the Super 8s for us!
Great start to the Super 8s and finally the rain stays away and we have a full game. The New Zealand v South Africa match should be a cracker.
The england team is still a little hit and miss but it now makes sense for 20:20 - it has the firepower to start with and use the powerplay, the quality ability in the middle order to take us to the late overs and the power to take us to a good score. We also have some very useful tailenders in broad, bresnan and swann all capable of scoring quick useful runs. Why is yardy at 10 - from what I remember he's a quality bat averaging around 40 in county cricket who used to open or am I going mad?
In my mind the only question mark is sidebottom who can go for a few
A bit of a brutal knock from Albie Morkel to get SA to 170-4 - NZ 7-1 in response with McCullum already back in the hutch.
Why is yardy at 10 - from what I remember he's a quality bat averaging around 40 in county cricket who used to open or am I going mad?
I don't know if he still does but it did used to open the batting for Sussex (I think) a while back.
While I can see the reason for playing Sidebottom with the different angles bowled by a left hander I do think Anderson should really be playing.
It is a shame Morkel lost the strike in the last over or we could have been looking at one of the quickest 50s in this format.
EDIT: Kamran Akmal has just missed the stumps in an absolutely comical missed run out :lol:
I tell you if I didn't know better , it looked like Pakistan were trying to lose:suspect: what with the 3 miss catches , the keeper missing the stumps completley and the some weird fielding decisions towards the end.
I tell you if I didn't know better , it looked like Pakistan were trying to lose:suspect: what with the 3 miss catches , the keeper missing the stumps completley and the some weird fielding decisions towards the end.
But isn't that normal for Pakistan of late ?
New Zealand are losing to many wickets to players who have got themselves in, someone needs to make a 50 or 60 for them.
But isn't that normal for Pakistan of late ?
.
What them throwing games or playing like muppets:lol:
What them throwing games or playing like muppets:lol:
Playing like muppets :D
You never know which team isn't going to turn up usually but of late they have been very poor in the field.
singhstar
06-05-2010, 20:34
Playing like muppets :D
You never know which team isn't going to turn up usually but of late they have been very poor in the field.
cue them winning the tournament again probably! :doh: england did look good, seems promising but will reserve judgement until after the SA game
seems promising but will reserve judgement until after the SA game
Definitely - getting Dale Steyn away will be a different challenge all together. That out right pace is still the major missing weapon from our bowling attack.
Aussies flying out the traps against India - just lost their 1st wicket but have already put on 104 after 10.5 overs!
It finished 184-5. A good score for the Aussies but India must be pretty happy to keep them to that becasue at 104-1 after 11 overs they must have been fearing a score of 200+
India definately have the batting to overcome 184.
It finished 184-5. A good score for the Aussies but India must be pretty happy to keep them to that becasue at 104-1 after 11 overs they must have been fearing a score of 200+
India definately have the batting to overcome 184.
Bit harder now though... 17/3
Bit harder now though... 17/3
Make that 23/4 - getting a bit of a pasting so far
An incredible shot from Sharma who puts the ball onto the top of the stand but India are going to have to play out of their skin to win this from here on in.
India have just been smashed today - were previously a pathetic 50-7 but have 'improved' to 83-7
They lost by 49 runs in the end but that was still quite a thrashing and only a few big hits from Sharma enabled them to get beyond 100.
What an innings from the run machine Jayawardene, the West Indies just had no answer to him and will have to bat out of their skins to chase this total down.
A powerful performance from Sri Lanka thus far - Windies with no real response and currently meandering on 116-6 after 17 overs. Kieron Pollard looks a shadow of the player who was so impressive in the IPL for Mumbai.
Once you get past Gayle and Chanderpul there really isn't to much batting that is going to chase down large targets against good bowling units.
Raigmore
08-05-2010, 16:51
Today's crucial match between NZ and Pakistan was a cracker even though it was low scoring. Nathan McCullum, after several swings 'n' misses, hit a desperate six of the last ball of the Kiwi innings. Pakistan fell one run short in the very last ball of their chase. Kiwis won.:thumbs:
nutter45
08-05-2010, 16:54
Bizarre innings. Nearly 60 dot balls in the Pakistan innings and they only lost by 1 :nuts:
Lumb out early but KP looking good early on - Morkel just lost a wicket by bowling his 2nd no ball of the over! :lol:
Bizarre innings. Nearly 60 dot balls in the Pakistan innings and they only lost by 1 :nuts:
New Zealand's innings had something like 53 dot balls as well, it was a cracker of a a match with only one batsman playing anything like a good innings. I have been waiting for a last ball finish and we have finally got it. The six of the last ball of the Kiwi's innings was the difference in the end.
England going like a train at the moment despite an early wicket going down.
These aggressive tactics will sometimes go wrong but they really do give us a chance of getting a winning score on the board and imo the way to go
Kp and KW both gone now and the run rate has dropped, it is always hard to try and work out was a decent score batting first is, 170 perhaps.
Kieswetter just fell for 41 to leave us 113-3 - need to make we don't quickly fall apart here. Got to get past 170 I think to make us competitive.
Edit: Colly out for 14 off 9 :(
We are losing our way a bit here with Wright going without scoring, 170 is a minimum from here as South Africa have a strong batting line up.
Need a Morgan burst as Bresnan looks lost with the bat again.
Steyn goes for 50 off his 4!
EDIT: Morgan out for 21 off 14 and it's now 148-6 with 10 balls left
Steyn goes for 50 off his 4!
It isn't that often that happens.
So 168 then, I really can't decide if that is enough, time will tell I suppose.
nutter45
08-05-2010, 18:54
Should really have had 15 more but could be a competitive total
168-7 we end on - a good total and a challenge for SA to chase down. Hopefully Swann/Yardy can do some damage.
A lot depends on the start they get and how many sidebottom goes for but 168 is pretty competitive imo
cheeseypuffs
08-05-2010, 19:13
Still can't believe that Sidebottom gets in ahead of Anderson :shrug: If it really is just because he's left handed that is nuts. He just hasn't been accurate enough for a bowler with his (lack of) pace.
Still can't believe that Sidebottom gets in ahead of Anderson :shrug: If it really is just because he's left handed that is nuts. He just hasn't been accurate enough for a bowler with his (lack of) pace.
He's a quality bowler but I think he's lost something since his injuries, andersons issue is that he is inherently an expensive bowler. He'll take wickets but he will go for some doing it and in 20:20 thats not always acceptable
Three down now as Smith finally goes and South Africa are on the back foot against some good England bowling.
TigaSefi
08-05-2010, 19:50
That was some spin against Morkel!!
and albie morkel gone - big big wicket. Very much in the driving street although de villiers is always a threat
LouBarlow
08-05-2010, 19:53
Wow a world cup England could win this year :D
Wow a world cup England could win this year :D
Lets not get cared away as we are still to win this match yet.
The Morkel wicket was superb, I thought it was Swann bowling for a second.
LouBarlow
08-05-2010, 20:07
Nah this one is won.
Nah this one is won.
That I don't doubt but we still have to play either Sri Lanka or Australia in the semi-final and both have looked very impressive so far.
ralph wiggum
08-05-2010, 20:22
Nelson does the trick :D
111-7 Duminy out.
We have given Sidebottom some stick in this thread and I think it was fair to do it but today he is having quite possibly his best 20/20 game for England with wickets and two stunning catches especially the caught and bowled.
cheeseypuffs
08-05-2010, 20:38
Great stuff all round from England, SA again showing the scoreboard pressure gets to them :D
ralph wiggum
08-05-2010, 20:40
168-7 we end on - a good total and a challenge for SA to chase down. Hopefully Swann/Yardy can do some damage.
You got your wish. :D
Shame I couldn't watch the game as I'm at work, but reading the text it seems like a good performance. :clap:
Great stuff all round from England, SA again showing the scoreboard pressure gets to them :D
They didn't help themselves with dropped catches and sloppy fielding but lets not take anything away from England who went out there with clear intent to attack their bowlers and in the end if you compare how South Africa started with the bat, that is where the match was won.
KP is now going home but hoping to be back for the semi-final.
Terrific win from the boys - the light is finally on in regards to us in International Twenty/20 cricket!
As for KP, its pretty damn good timing to be honest. We've pretty much made it into the semis already so him missing the NZ game isn't critical at all. Need him back for the semis though for sure. Bopara instead of KP is a massive downgrade for me!
The timing is so good that it had to be planned and no doubt she is booked in for a C-Section rather then letting things happen naturally so he can be there for the birth and then head straight back.
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 09:02
As for KP, its pretty damn good timing to be honest. We've pretty much made it into the semis already so him missing the NZ game isn't critical at all.
Not quite. It will be useful if KP is around for the NZ game. If England lose badly to NZ (it has happened in 50-50 cricket in the past) and the unpredictable SA thrash the disheartened Pakistan, it could come down to the net run rate with 2 wins apiece for 3 teams.
If we get knocked out tomorrow then I promise to never watch England in a cricket match again :D
It would have to take some turn around for England to lose badly to New Zealand, even without KP I am confident in a victory and that is nothing I thought I would say prior to the start of the tournament.
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 09:50
I might have missed it but has KP actually said that he is leaving before the NZ match? Has his wife gone into labour?
I might have missed it but has KP actually said that he is leaving before the NZ match? Has his wife gone into labour?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/8670475.stm
He is leaving sometime today and should be back for the semi-final as we mentioned above.
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 10:01
Thank you. Do you think England will be under a bit of pressure against NZ then?
It depends on the previous match, if Pakistan beat South Africa then England are into the semi-final no matter what happens with the match against New Zealand. If South Africa win then England will need to either win or it might come down to run rates and all that.
nutter45
09-05-2010, 14:41
That straight 6 by Gayle off the back foot was massive :nuts:
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 15:34
Poor Gayle missed out on a century. I am not watching on TV - did he show some emotion at last?
India need 170 to win. Jadeja will somehow see to it that we don't get there. :(
India struggling here - 59 required off 29!!
That straight 6 by Gayle off the back foot was massive :nuts:
112 metres by all accounts although I would like to know how they actually measure these distances. Gayle was trying to fill the six hitting chart on his own.
Poor Gayle missed out on a century. I am not watching on TV - did he show some emotion at last? :(
Nope, he isn't that sort of person to show any sort of emotion, he really is Mr Cool.
Pretty poor today from India who were poor in the field, that was a special innings from Gayle and the West Indies bowlers for once had a plan against the Indian batsman and it worked for them.
SL in trouble against Australia's pace barrage. Currently 49-5 responding to Australia's 168-5. They were in a similar position themselves but White and Mr Cricket put together a superb partnership to salvage the innings. Not sure SL have the depth to mount a similar recovery.
Certainly us and the Aussies look the best overall sides thus far - Aussies on the right pitch are nigh on unbeatable at the moment. So much bowling firepower that it's just outright tough to hit 90mph consistently out the ground!
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 20:37
SL 73-6 and going down. Typical Aussie stuff - catching the game by the scruff of its neck and turning it around.
The difference between the sides is the Aussies bat right the way down and have the fire power to get themselves out of tricky situations and from this performance, Sri Lanka do not. The fielding by the men in green and gold is far superior as well as they have took some stunning catches while Sri Lanka spilled one that has help them to lose the match.
Pretty pathetic from SL in the end - really damaged their chances with that defeat as their net run rate will have been hurt by that. India back in contention though I reckon.
Well the Aussies are definitely through and this result will have done India no harm. I still reckon Sri Lanka will get through because prior to tonight they have looked the best of the rest from thus group.
India/SL should be a cracker I reckon.
Another winner takes all match really. For me India have poor so far and are lucky to still be in with a chance of going through, their fielding and batting just hasn't been up to scratch.
They've looked as inept as they did in England for the last tourney. Utterly clueless against the short ball and lacklustre pace bowling. Just seems they are missing some leadership in the top order. By the time Dhoni arrives as the crease it's just too much damage to the innings. Unless Yuvraj can start firing then I can see them getting beaten by SL quite handily.
India don't seem to be very flexible with their batting, Dohni is one of the better players and despite the struggles so far for them in this tournament I don't understand why he hasn't come in a bit earlier to give himself the chance to play a longer innings. Going back to today I thought the West Indies played really well when coming at them with a barrage of short balls, they had obviously been watching some videos.
Another winner takes all match really. For me India have poor so far and are lucky to still be in with a chance of going through, their fielding and batting just hasn't been up to scratch.
India will have to win by 40 runs or so (or plenty of overs to spare) to overtake Sri Lanka's NRR so the pressure will be on them. This is all assuming Australia carry on their winning streak and beat WI, which they should do really.
SL had a great opportunity to do Australia in today but just couldn't finish them off, and the thing about the Aussies is if you leave the door even slightly ajar for them, they'll more often than not find a way to blast through. The dropped catch off White when he was 20-odd was extremely costly.
Raigmore
09-05-2010, 21:34
I think Oz will beat the Windies with a reasonably substantial margin. But I do not see the prospect of India beating Sri Lanka, let alone by by 40 runs - the Indian bowling is not good enough for that. Jadeja is a waste of two spaces and will win it for any opposition.
India will have to rethink their selection policies - going with only 3 specialist bowlers is plain foolish regardless of the conditions. The part-timers (or to quote KP, "pie chuckers" :D) like Jadeja and Yuvraj may be good enough in Indian conditions, but not here. That said the remaining matches move to a different ground (St Lucia) so that may change things a little.
As for Sri Lanka, they too surely have a bit of a selection problem in the form of Jayasuriya. His best days are obviously behind him, and he's woefully - possibly terminally - out of form, but rumour has it there's some political pressure to keep him in the team, especially now that he's an MP and what not :suspect:
Raigmore
10-05-2010, 10:01
As for Sri Lanka, they too surely have a bit of a selection problem in the form of Jayasuriya. His best days are obviously behind him, and he's woefully - possibly terminally - out of form, but rumour has it there's some political pressure to keep him in the team, especially now that he's an MP and what not :suspect:
I thought that such things happened only in India, but you could be right.
As for India, Jadeja has to go......preferably as far as possible. India need an extra bowler but even for St Lucia, choosing a spinner might not be the wisest thing to do against Sri Lanka. They will be used to that kind of bowling. I don't know how good this Vinay Kumar is but it might be worth trying him by getting him to open the bowling with Zaheer Khan. IMO Nehra should be used Gul-like entrirely at the 'death' - overs 14, 16, 18 & 20.
South Africa are 45-2 needing another 104 to stay in the competition against pakistan, the match is pretty evenually balanced.
43 off 20 now - Pakistan winning would be great as it sends us through :D
If Pakistan win they need England to win or they are out and the Kiwis would go through. Come what may England are going through :clap:
31 off 12 now with only Albie Morkel left out of the batsmen!
EDIT: 17 off 6 now as Pakistan lose a couple of boundaries in back to back deliveries!
EDIT: 14 off 2 now and its an early flight home for SA as Pakistan have surely won it now. Outstanding bowling from Saeed Ajmal again in this final over! England through to the next round! :clap:
EDIT: Smith looks rather beaten down :lol:
EDIT: Smith looks rather beaten down :lol:
Such a shame ;)
I have been surprised at how poor South Africa have been. Once ABDV got himself out today it was all over as he was one player who could put the ball into the crowd at will, it does seem that they do rely on him quite a lot and if players like Smith don't fire then it puts pressure on their middle and lower order players.
I think this could well be the last we see of the likes of Gibbs and Boucher in a major tournament - they just seem to have reached a crossroads have SA where they need to rebuild again. Their whole team looks a little rudderless to be honest and it wouldn't shock me if even Smith quits as captain in the coming weeks/months.
EDIT: Defeat for us today will likely land us with Australia in the semis so hopefully we can do the business today :D
Unless they have a major collapse somewhere Australia look a shoe-in for the final itself so I would prefer not to see them until then.
EDIT: Defeat for us today will likely land us with Australia in the semis so hopefully we can do the business today :D
NZ will have to win by 20-odd runs for that to happen so as long as England get close to their total, we should be ok.
What a catch by Broad, after Swann gave him the teapot earlier in the over.
McCullum gone now and we're on top here now!
LouBarlow
10-05-2010, 18:15
Swann must have got his drink-driving summons through today or something. Moody begger :lol:
NZ finish 149-6 - good work from us with the ball again. Just need to ensure we get another good start and avoid Vettori choking us in the middle overs. Shane Bond will be a tough opponent though.
One wicket down already as KW goes for 15, if we finish top then we will avoid Australia (if they finish top of their group), as top places second place in the other group.
Kieswitter goes but already 24 on the board in next to no time bringing down the needed rate
Bopara throws his wicket away when sensible batting is needed as the rate required is only just over a run a ball.
ugh bopara out after they had done all the hard work and just needed to push it around till the late overs...so frustrating when they do this!
Lumb gone now - Ravi B with his usual giving his wicket away rubbish :(
Need Colly/Morgan to dig in as we've still plenty of deliveries to play with.
EDIT: The Brigadier gone now and it's trouble now at 66-4 :(
The annoying this with Lumb is that once again he has got a start and not go on and that he missed a straight ball that he had previously dispatched for four twice in the same over.
Dropping like flies now as Collingwood poor tournament continues as that was a nothing shot. Looks like it will have to be Morgan and Wright again to do the business.
LouBarlow
10-05-2010, 20:15
Great partnership. Morgan in good touch at the minute.
Morgan/Wright really batting well here - 33 off 30 now which should be a doodle if one of these bats through!
Morgan/Wright really batting well here
You had to jinx it again :D
Still should win from here on in, what was that figure of 119 in relation to again :thinking:
LouBarlow
10-05-2010, 20:23
Finishing top or 2nd.
Finishing top or 2nd.
Cheers. Job done then and another good all performance.
Never any doubt :)
Pakistan once again scrambling through - probably end up beating the Aussies in the semi :-0
Pakistan always manage to get through somehow without really playing to their full potential. I don't think they will win it though as I would bet money on an England/Australia final.
Pakistan always manage to get through somehow without really playing to their full potential. I don't think they will win it though as I would bet money on an England/Australia final.
Yup although we really missed Pieterson this match - Bopara is just not the same quality of replacement in terms of skill or experience - he got out playing a stupid shot when sensible batting was needed and started the rot when there was simply no need. Bad cricket from him.
Agreed, but as KP is now a daddy he will be back unless the ash cloud gets in the way so I don' think we will see him in the 20/20 side again for a while.
Raigmore
11-05-2010, 11:08
Such a shame ;)
I have been surprised at how poor South Africa have been. Once ABDV got himself out today it was all over as he was one player who could put the ball into the crowd at will, it does seem that they do rely on him quite a lot and if players like Smith don't fire then it puts pressure on their middle and lower order players.
Yes, I also felt sorry for SA. On paper, they are at least as talented as the Oz or England but seem to lack to 'bottle' to see them through, especially if chasing. While I agree that Gibbs and maybe Boucher should think about hanging up their gloves, what SA really need is some sort of team buildong exercise to show more guts on the field and stop this choking.
It must be a team thing because SA players playing for England like Pietersen, Lumb or Kieswetter do not seem to suffer from the same sort of mental block.
Today's matches should be interesting. Assuming that Oz will beat the Windies (which is not certain, of course), India will have to beat the Sri Lankans by a big margin if they are to go through at their smaller neighbour's expense. IMO, they will not do it; too much IPL mentality. Having earned lots of money through IPL, it will be typical Indian attitude not to give 100% commitment to a relatively low-paying international tournament like the World Cup. Sad really.
Yes, I also felt sorry for SA.
I get the feeling that as Alan put a ;) next to his comment, he didn't really feel sorry for SA. I certainly don't feel sorry as I find Smith a throughly unlikeable personality.
England beating New Zealand yesterday for me was a real treat considering they were already through and they had to dig deep after a flurry of wickets. Not many England teams in recent memory would have done that.
Raigmore
11-05-2010, 11:55
I certainly don't feel sorry as I find Smith a throughly unlikeable personality.
Well, it is a matter of opinion. Smith is OK IMO, at least more likeable than his perpetual antagonist KP whom I utterly dislike. Likewise Sidebottom comes across as an unpleasant a**h**le. All teams have individuals whom sports fans might like or dislike for reasons that are not always clear.
This applies to one's 'home' team as well. I am an Indian team fan but there are some guys in the team that I do not like. Yuvraj for example, perpetually looks like he could do with a big dose of a laxative.
India go out and the West Indies could be gone as well.
3 needed from 1 ball, if Sri Lanka win the West Indies are out. All down to the very last ball. I still want to see a super over now that would be something.
A six off the last ball and Sri Lanka are into the semi-finals and should face England. What an amazing finish as the West Indies who were watching from the balcony are out even before they play later.
Looks like SL then for us as they beat India with a 6 off the final ball. Quite fancy us against them as I think they have looked beatable thus far. Would have preferred the Windies though!
Would have preferred the Windies though!
Same here especially as we could have got revenge for that rain effected defeat in what seems like ages ago now. Sri Lanka are another team like Pakistan in this tournament in that they haven't played brilliantly (apart from today) but have managed to just scrape through right at the death.
Raigmore
11-05-2010, 20:45
Well played Sri Lanka - they deserved to win. India were pathetic; they missed at least 10 runs with poor running between wickets and did not have the guts to attack towards the end of their innings. That's what comes out of getting fat on IPL money.
SL will now be inspired in their Semi-Final against England. I agree that England would have preferred WI or even India to facing SL in the semi-final. Moreover, it is going to be not in bouncy Barbados which England might have preferred but on this slow St Lucia wicket where the SL spinners could be a handful.
Is KP back yet? It won't do to be jetlagged before a big match.
Sri Lanka are not through yet though, they need Australia to win and the Aussies have started well as Gayle goes in the first over.
Raigmore
12-05-2010, 13:32
Sri Lanka are not through yet though.
Well, they are now. :)
A bit of a thrashing wasn't it. The West Indies never recovered from losing Gayle in the first over, all to often they rely on him and if he fails so does the team.
Sri Lanka it is then.
Semi-finals then, and Sri Lanka batting first. Jayasuriya gone early, which is no real surprise - inexplicable really why they keep picking him. SL are effectively playing with 10 players, I'm sure England won't mind though!
Jayasuriya gone early, which is no real surprise - inexplicable really why they keep picking him.
It was suggested earlier in the thread somewhere that perhaps it was a political decision as that is the only reason I can think of why he keeps playing. It is also odd that all of a sudden he is back opening the batting after missing out in their first few games.
LouBarlow
13-05-2010, 15:52
Great start 3 down!
Brilliant start and with Matthews not really having done match so far more wickets can't be to far away
And they aren't as Swann gets Sangakkara, another big wicket.
Terrific so far - 75-4 off 13 overs with Yardy and Swann tying them down. Anything around 130 will do for me :D
Bresnan a bit sloppy here - back to back wides in the 18th over to concede vital runs!
106-5 at the moment SL off 17.3 overs
EDIT: 3rd wide in the over! :mad:
129 for us to win - got to be happy with that. I think we'll be batting in the better conditions so hopefully we can chase that down and make the final.
I think Sri Lanka have regretted opting to bat first after the loss of those earlier wickets, usually the wicket plays better for the chasing team at these early start games. 129 is definite gettable and is one of the lowest scores in the tournament (I think).
The one over from Bresnan apart, that was a superb bowling performance yet again by our lads, for me the unsung hero is Yardy as he has the experience to change his deliveries and works well in tandem with Swann.
SL opening with 2 spinners - Mendis immediately looking hard to score off!
And already a change of bowler to bowl the third over, Sri Lanka have done their homework on our opening batsman and they know that they both like pace on the ball to get off to a fast start.
Kieswetter with a major LBW let off but he just smashed another six as a thank you!
Great start again with the bat - these two might not be getting century partnerships but I just love their intent. So refreshing for us to find an attacking pair of openers!
Kieswetter with a major LBW let off
I couldn't figure out what they were appealing for at first until I saw the replay. That missed run out is a classic, what was the bowler doing :nuts:
First one gone as Kieswetter is yorked by Malinga - great start and we're well under the rate. KP can be on cruise control from here on in.
The fielding by Sri Lanka has been awful, they have missed at least two catches and two runs out due to not doing the basics correctly. Our running between the wickets hasn't been that great but we are doing this at ease even after KW and Lumb's dismissals.
TigaSefi
13-05-2010, 18:00
Lumb was a plum there!!!!
EDIT: Whoever told Pietersen to revert to his type of cricket which is generally batting the hell out of the ball is a genius!!!
Another big six from KP this time and it's 36 to win now!
Collingwood goes early again but the job is almost done, with just 16 runs needed.
TigaSefi
13-05-2010, 18:26
So England vs Australia!!
Missed the match but hell of a result England have surprised me - they've had the players before but not the 20:20 knowledge - some impressive changes to thinking and approach to really show them as top class in this tournament
Really impressive performance yet again and this time it was down to the bowlers who restricted Sri Lanka to a score at least 30 if not more, under par. The opening partnership of KW and Lumb is working and working well and today was the best by far.
I want to see Pakistan get through purely because we know how to beat them and because I would like to see The Aussies on an early plane home. It probably will be them though.
Terrific all round effort again from the boys - we really do look the best overall side in this tournament. Would certainly prefer Pakistan in the final but I'll take our chances against both of them to be honest.
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