Cricket

[Tetchytyke]

I drag out my Aussie passport for the cricket, so I did enjoy The Age's headline this morning:

For those who can't see the image, it reads:

WORLD CUP SHOCK
England defeats Scotland

 

[DownSouth]

Nice!

I liked the article on ESPNcricinfo which suggested the England players had watched 50 Shades of Grey and had consequently decided to enter a submissive relationship with their opponents.

 

[Oswyntail]

The idea that the West Indies will be getting favourable treatment at this World Cup after crapping all over the BCCI's lawn (i.e. abandoning a tour of India) late last year is ludicrous in the least. ....

It wasn't by any chance the Australian umpire that made the decisive howlers, was it?

 

[ExRes]

The idea that the West Indies will be getting favourable treatment at this World Cup after crapping all over the BCCI's lawn (i.e. abandoning a tour of India) late last year is ludicrous in the least.

Ludicrous ?, you're having a laugh aren't you ?

West Indies are part of the Big 8, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are the 2 extras that have held their place only because they've consistently voted on the side of India and both would be dropped given half a chance, if you think West Indies would be treated in the same way then it's you that's ludicrous, what penalties have been levied on West Indies by their fellow Big 8 colleagues since 'crapping all over the BCCI's lawn' ?

 

[Howardh]

Chris Gayle in record-shattering mode today, but he could have been out for 0 - given not out LBW and review showed ball clipping bails, so umpire's call. Unlucky Zimbabwe!

The review might well show the ball *clipping* the bails. But, if you have ever sat side-on, there's quite a distance yet for the ball to travel after hitting the pads, and there's no guarantee it actually would have hit the bails. Might have dipped and hit the wickets, might have kept it's line and missed.
But the system's better than nothing, and a fair shout not to change the umpire's decision, especially when it favours the batsmen (think in the laws it says in case of doubt favour the batsman?).

 

[DownSouth]

It wasn't by any chance the Australian umpire that made the decisive howlers, was it?

Looked like Davis made the right call (too close to confidently give the batsman out = not out) and was backed up by the DRS showing much less than half the ball being predicted to hit the stumps. That's certainly not the sort of howler which the system is designed to fix, and Zimbabwe were right to lose the review as a consequence of using it in such a speculative manner.



It didn't decisively affect the result anyway, only the margin. The remaining eight players who didn't bat have a cumulative ODI batting average of 173 (42 less than Gayle's score) and so the effect would have been to change the margin from 73 runs to 31 runs - assuming that the Zimbabwean attack was good enough to be called average.



The real problem with the umpiring at the World Cup has been that the English umpires have been responsible for near enough to half (four) of all the overturned decisions (nine) so far while claiming to be the country producing the best umpires. The English Cricket Board has reacted to this by releasing a plan to focus on Twenty20, dismantle Test cricket and presumably facilitate the retention of the same acronym by renaming themselves to English Cricket/Baseball.

 

[ExRes]

- assuming that the Zimbabwean attack was good enough to be called average.

Depends whether they were bowling to an average batting line up I guess



http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/736449.html

 

[DownSouth]

The team batting first in that match did at least manage to score a touch more than 123 runs though.

 

[Busaholic]

Different era and different people. Bandying the word "arrogance" around now with regards to England is just lazy and not true. For true sporting arrogance look no farther then the denizens of that fly-ridden open air nick 12,000 miles away.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


What a load of bunkum - and I'm no fan of Cameron.

No, to be wilfully ignorant is 'lazy', though just to be plain ignorant is par for the course.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Scotland v Afghanistan.

Scotland recovered from 134-7 to finish on 210 all out using all their allocated 50 overs in doing so.

The pick of the Afghanistani bowlers:-
S.Zadran 4-38
D.Zadran 3-29

 

[Chapeltom]

Afghanistan beat Scotland by three balls and a wicket to spare. They were 96/6 after 22 overs. Needed 38 off their last 4 overs, their top scorer hit 3 sixes in a row then got out to leave Afghans on 192/9. They kept their cool and put away a boundary needing 4 from 4 to win it.

Afghanistan's first ever World Cup win and a thriller too.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Afghanistan beat Scotland by three balls and a wicket to spare. They were 96/6 after 22 overs. Needed 38 off their last 4 overs, their top scorer hit 3 sixes in a row then got out to leave Afghans on 192/9. They kept their cool and put away a boundary needing 4 from 4 to win it.

Afghanistan's first ever World Cup win and a thriller too.

Congratulations must be given to given to Afghanistan who not only were 96-6 but also 132-8, with a target of 210 still to beat.

A viewing of the Scotland bowling returns sees all except one returning reasonably expected ones, but that of Wardlaw... 9.3-0-61-0... tells its own sorry tale.

 

[Johnuk123]

Well done Afghanistan.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Well done Afghanistan.

Yes, agree with that. It's a bit of a fairytale really. Felt sorry for the Scots, but clearly the standard of 50 over cricket among the associates has improved. Watch out, England!

 

[Chapeltom]

South Africa 148/3 after 30 overs.
Not bad huh?

South Africa 258/3 after 40 overs
South Africa 408/5 after 50 overs.

Brutal, absolutely brutal.

They hit 260 off the final 20 (bear in mind the highest T20 score is only 263!) with AB De Villiers smashing the quickest ever World Cup Century (52 balls) ending with 162 not out off 66. A strike rate of 245. To put it in context, had the whole innings gone at that rate SA would have hit over 700!

Highest World Cup score between 2 test playing nations and 2nd highest ever, only India's 413/5 v Bermuda is higher.

 

[ExRes]

I'm going to keep clear of Lords after the next England match

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31638468

Just in case ............

 

[Cletus]

West Indies' Holder conceeded 104 runs in his 10 overs which I suspect is one of the highest ever. The 10 overs included 2 maidens!

 

[Phirstman]

It didn't decisively affect the result anyway, only the margin. The remaining eight players who didn't bat have a cumulative ODI batting average of 173 (42 less than Gayle's score) and so the effect would have been to change the margin from 73 runs to 31 runs - assuming that the Zimbabwean attack was good enough to be called average.

Although I agree WI would've won even if Gayle was dismissed early the above is a ridiculous argument.

Although average is important in all Cricket, strike rate is arguably more important in the shorter forms of the game and Gayle's is likely to be a lot higher than his team-mates.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

West Indies' Holder conceeded 104 runs in his 10 overs which I suspect is one of the highest ever. The 10 overs included 2 maidens!

Highest ever is 113 by Australian Mick Lewis in the infamous 12/03/06 game where SA chased down 434.

 

[Busaholic]

West Indies' Holder conceeded 104 runs in his 10 overs which I suspect is one of the highest ever. The 10 overs included 2 maidens!

Highest ever in World Cup - SA had only scored 80 odd after 20 overs, hence his two maidens. Holder's two overs at the death cost 64!
He did try to atone in his innings, but it was way too late and he lacked support.
Pakistan will now probably beat SA just to prove WI aren't the most mercurial team in the tournament: if they don't and Ireland beat Pakistan, then Ireland would almost certainly go through to next round. I know, lots of ifs.England can consider themselves lucky not to be in this group.

 

[ExRes]

Although I agree WI would've won even if Gayle was dismissed early

But why ?, West Indies would have been 1-2 after 4 balls, there is absolutely no way of knowing what would've happened from that stage, they may have still made 300+ or they could've gone down for less than 100

For those that think stats mean so much let's consider the previous results, SA bt Zim by 62 runs, WI bt Zim by 73 runs, SA bt WI by 257 runs, maybe someone can explain, downsouth ?

 

[David]

South Africa 148/3 after 30 overs.
Not bad huh?

South Africa 258/3 after 40 overs
South Africa 408/5 after 50 overs.

Brutal, absolutely brutal.

They hit 260 off the final 20 (bear in mind the highest T20 score is only 263!)

That's why I've gpt money on SA to win the World Cup. If they get into a position where they can finish an innings (and with the batting line up they possess, it shouldn't be too much of a problem), they will finish it in some style ....

 

[DownSouth]

West Indies' Holder conceeded 104 runs in his 10 overs which I suspect is one of the highest ever. The 10 overs included 2 maidens!

The highest one comes from the 438 match at The Wanderers Ground in Johannesburg where the ground is small and the ball flies higher in the thinner air at high altitude. Mick Lewis conceded 113 against South Africa, and I don't think he ever played for Australia again - but he was only ever in the side for a few ODIs due to rotation and never in the First XI for a Test.

Murali conceded 99 in an ODI against Australia once, just goes to show even the best can wind up with bad figures if the opposition get going.

The real achievement for Holder is to have done it with two maidens!

Today's match between NZ and Australia starting in two minutes has the potential to be even uglier than de Villiers' innings yesterday. Eden Park is a rugby ground and the smallest international cricket ground in the world with only 55 metres from the middle of the pitch to the rope straight and 65 metres square. It will be a pure slogfest and nothing like proper cricket.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

That's why I've gpt money on SA to win the World Cup. If they get into a position where they can finish an innings (and with the batting line up they possess, it shouldn't be too much of a problem), they will finish it in some style ....

Has a team so dependent on one man ever won a major tournament?

Southee off to a shocker, 15 runs from the first over without a six being involved -
1wd 3 1wd 1 4 • 1 4b

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

All the postings above seem to make Finn's bowling return of 2-0-49-0 somewhat less of the horror story than it actually is.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Southee off to a shocker, 15 runs from the first over without a six being involved -
1wd 3 1wd 1 4 • 1 4b

Still, he did dismiss one of the Australian openers in his second over..

Australia went very quickly to 80-1, then suffered an England-type middle order collapse whch saw them, after 28 overs, being 135-9.

Boult currently has 5-27 and Southee and Vettori have taken two wickets each so far.

They were all out for 151 in 32.2 overs.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

New Zealand 152-9 (23.1 overs)
McCullum hit a quick-fire 50 as expected from only 24 balls (3 x 6 / 7 x 4)

But compare the bowling figures of the two Australian strike bowlers:-
Johnson 6-1-68-0
Starc 9-0-28-6

What demons were in this particular wicket?

 

[DownSouth]

What a strange match. Unfortunately it was all over before I got home from the wedding so I only saw the first eight balls.

Going on the Haddin-Cummins partnership, it would appear that the key to batting against the Kiwis is to see off Southee, Vettori and Boult with wickets in hand to get in 20 good overs against Milne and the part-timers who are left to finish off the innings. Trying to get 10 wickets in 25 overs is an exciting strategy from McCullum, but it leaves the door open for the counter-attack.

The Kiwis will have to change their approach if they get through to the World Cup Final and play their first match on the wide open expanses of the MCG in five years, where most of their sixes from home matches would have fallen well inside the rope.

What demons were in this particular wicket?

It certainly wasn't a friendly one, and in retrospect I think the Kiwis would probably have preferred to go for a nicer pitch when up against Australia to assist McCullum and peg back Starc.

The most likely opponent for their next home match at Eden Park (the semi-final) is South Africa, which will be just as even a matchup as the Australia home match was. Ordering up another bowling pitch will probably be the ticket there as well, because they can't realistically expect McCullum to out-hit de Villiers on a flatter track.

 

[Busaholic]

The highest one comes from the 438 match at The Wanderers Ground in Johannesburg where the ground is small and the ball flies higher in the thinner air at high altitude. Mick Lewis conceded 113 against South Africa, and I don't think he ever played for Australia again - but he was only ever in the side for a few ODIs due to rotation and never in the First XI for a Test.

Murali conceded 99 in an ODI against Australia once, just goes to show even the best can wind up with bad figures if the opposition get going.

The real achievement for Holder is to have done it with two maidens!

Today's match between NZ and Australia starting in two minutes has the potential to be even uglier than de Villiers' innings yesterday. Eden Park is a rugby ground and the smallest international cricket ground in the world with only 55 metres from the middle of the pitch to the rope straight and 65 metres square. It will be a pure slogfest and nothing like proper cricket.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Has a team so dependent on one man ever won a major tournament?

Southee off to a shocker, 15 runs from the first over without a six being involved -
1wd 3 1wd 1 4 • 1 4b

How unkind of me to remind me of your thoughts from such a short time ago!NZ deserved to win, if only for Williamson's ignoring the 'safety first' principle at the end. If it had been England, one of them would have got run out going for it in singles.Now if NZ meet Aus in a semi-final it will be on their home turf.

I think you're utterly wrong about De Villiers being SA. SA are the team I least want to win the tournament but every player there is capable of producing a stunning performance, which is more than I'd say of Australia at the moment, Why is Johnson always brilliant or a piechucker, with nothing inbetween? Cummins probably saved his place with his batting rearguard action, but I'm surprised Haddin didn't farm the strike a bit more- who knows, an extra dozen runs could have made all the difference.

I hope the SL/England match is as tense - a nailbiting victory would do England good, not only from the points of view. Hales really should be given a punt, he might well do a Morgan and score nothing scratchily or, on the other hand, if he gets played in he could go on to a big score at a quicker rate than any other of the top order barring Ali.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I hope the SL/England match is as tense - a nailbiting victory would do England good, not only from the points of view. Hales really should be given a punt, he might well do a Morgan and score nothing scratchily or, on the other hand, if he gets played in he could go on to a big score at a quicker rate than any other of the top order barring Ali.

After your hopes were dashed so cruelly, losing by 9 wickets, have you now changed your mind about your aspirations stated above.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

England 309-6 (50 overs)
Root 121 (2 x 6 / 14 x 4)

Sri Lanka 312-1 (47.2 overs)
Thirimanne 139 not out (2 x 6 / 13 x 4)
Sangakkara 117 not out (2 x 6 / 11 x 4)

Woakes 9.2-0-72-0
Broad 10-1-69-0

 

[Cletus]

If we persist with the poodling along tactics between overs 10 and 35 we're never going to post scores higher enough to win matches.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If we persist with the poodling along tactics between overs 10 and 35 we're never going to post scores higher enough to win matches.

We all know who decides such tactics.

 

[Busaholic]

Eoin Morgan blames the bowlers, but the fact is that, on a sluggish pitch, England did not score nearly enough runs. Sri Lanka no longer have any top-class bowlers with Malinga in his dotage. I am sure Ballance continues at 3 not only because of captain/management pigheadedness but so that Morgan can say someone else in the top order is doing even worse than him, and at an even slower rate of non-scoring. I don't know whether Morgan is a Catholic, but the words mea culpa seem to have escaped him!
Hales scored a brilliant, matchwinning century against Sri Lanka in the autumn, but no, we don't want him getting too big for his boots, so let's leave him out again in pursuit of our Grand Plan. Even Michael Vaughan, the biggest cheerleader for Morgan in the British press corp now that Boycott has had the grace to admit he was wrong about him, said to leave Hales out would be criminal.
Zimbabwe acquitted themselves quite well against Pakistan: it would have been interesting to have seen Zim pitted against England. If England make the quarter finals, they should donate their match fee to charity, cos it'd be charity that got them there.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Zimbabwe acquitted themselves quite well against Pakistan: it would have been interesting to have seen Zim pitted against England. If England make the quarter finals, they should donate their match fee to charity, cos it'd be charity that got them there.

It needs an event of the size of England NOT qualifying for the quarter finals to register in the minds of those charged with the running of the England team, as the World Cup is supposed to bring the best of all the Test teams together and where comparisons can be evaluated.