The Cricket Thread

[boovidge]

Stirling never looked comfortable.

[Noelys Guitar]

Stirling gone and no real surprise.

[Noelys Guitar]

Two best batsmen are in so time to prove it.

[Noelys Guitar]

At least Bishop and Hussian are having the craic. Some great commentary from the lads. Steyn and Morkel are top notch bowlers so it will be some achievment if Joyce and No'B can get us back into the game.

[Noelys Guitar]

N'O'Brien gone with a really awful shot. 35/3

[boovidge]

ah well

[osarusan]

51-4, Joyce gone lbw.

[geysir]

Like England, SA are being lulled into a false sense of security

[Mr A]

Now we're boned :( O'Brien and Wilson gone.

[mypost]

Everyone must have fled the thread. :confused:

141 the final score. That's runs got btw. Another exhibition of terrible batting, that has let us down all tournament, bar one player against England. I still expected us to make a better fist of the run chase, but the game was lost in the second half of the bowling innings.

Hopefully we'll win more than just the toss against the Dutch, to regain some respectability in the table.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Oops, only 59 out.

At least no more hype, but need to learn from our mistakes.

[MariborKev]

Hugely disappointing- yesterday was the first game we really let ourselves down. We'd given ourselves a chance with the bowling, but yet again the lack of quality/ability in our batting is clear. Joyce, apart form the Windies, hasn't really added anything. The Bangladesh and Windies game we put ourselves in with a chance, yesterday we were just blown away.

The level of shambolic organisation on the ground here is staggering. As someone said yesterday, the Indians are in a hurry to do everything badly.

[geysir]

West Indian tail enders are hanging in there by the width of a shirt, 210/6 with 34 runs to get from 76 balls.

England coming home?

[osarusan]

Windies lose 4 wickets for 2 runs!! Game over. England still in with a shout (good shout, as SA should beat bangladesh).

[Stuttgart88]

England don't do boring games.

[joeSoap]

Ireland 205/2 off 33 overs chasing a total of 307 to win against Holland

[osarusan]

273 for 3 after 44 overs. Stirling out for 101.

[osarusan]

Ireland only 8 runs away from victory now....

[boovidge]

when we didn't score for 10 balls in a row i thought we might be in trouble but it was comfortable in the end.

[passinginterest]

Nice way to finish. Did themselves proud overall but I'm sure there'll be a few regrets about chances missed.

[geysir]

I only saw Ireland's innings and we cruised it. Pity it wasn't a bigger scalp to end off on.

Bangladesh was the match that was all set up at the break for the taking. It would not be a shock for us to beat them in a ODI.

[MariborKev]

G'wan YBIG!

http://img864.imageshack.us/f/p1000585k.jpg/

[mypost]

Another Bangladesh performance to be proud of today from the formidable test playing nation. Swashbuckling sixes, fearsome fours, walloping the South Africans around the park, with an excited crowd lapping it up.

78 this time. Thank you and goodnight.

Group B qualifiers decided.

[bennocelt]

Watched both games today, cant help the feeling that cricket (a game I find exciting at the moment) is played by people who are really rubbish at other (better) sports? Its a bit like how bad rugby was years ago.
And forgive my ignorance of past world cups - but isnt Ricky Pointing a rubbish captain?

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone watching today's QF? England who waxed their way into the QF are unbelievably lucky today. 2 lbws not given (one was out but not sufficiently "wrong", and SL didn't appeal the other even though it was plumb and pitched online) and Morgan has been dropped 3 times. The fielding has been atrocious. England will be facing NZ next after SA collapsed yesterday, unless SL can do something decent with the bat - not their strength.

[Noelys Guitar]

Sri Lanka on 21 without loss after 4 overs. They should easily get past Englands total. We could do with some of Morgan's luck today against Macedonia. An OG or a peno wouldn't go amiss.

[Noelys Guitar]

England bowling really well now but getting no luck.

[Stuttgart88]

Just turned back on. SL 108-0. England were only in the 60s after the same number of overs. SL only need to keep the heads now.

Was listening to NZ v SA on the radio while driving yesterday. Sounds like quite a comeback / collapse.

[geysir]

117-0
What are the odds SL will reach the target with just the loss of one wicket?

How many OOPS have there been so far?

[geysir]

198-0
SL might do it without losing a wicket. That would be another some humiliation for English cricket.

[geysir]

Sri Lanka: 231-0 (39.3 overs)

Awesome, as they say.

[Stuttgart88]

They did. 10 wicket defeat. Both openers got 100s, in fact they held off going for the win at the end to let the guy in the 90s get the strike.

In fairness to England, they must be knackered. They've been on the road since November.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Always good to see them take a good beating....

[geysir]

Hard to find a watchable stream for the final.
SL 67/2 18 overs
It looks like India have SL in a vice grip.

[bennocelt]

http://cjsportss.blogspot.com/index.html
?
http://uwjzt1.blogspot.com/2011/03/ch2_07.html

[geysir]

The second link there is better. for now.

SL really did well after a slow start.
into the last over now, they should get 260 - 265.

Finish with 274 runs, bloody hell

[bennocelt]

Yeah the second one is better, good effort from the last pair - got a good partnership - still too close to call -

[geysir]

33/2 and Tendulkar gone
Pressure getting to India, they could be bottling it.
Are they the Shamrock Rovers of the cricket world?

[geysir]

neck and neck
India 128-3 26 overs gone

I'd say India are ahead, they still have their biggest weapon to come, Yuvraj Singh.

[bennocelt]

I swear to god didnt u just know that when the commentator says that gambhir was set to get a 100 - i just knew he wud be bowled out straight after- commentators curse always happens

[ArdeeBhoy]

Tense and fitting Final to end a great tournament with India, deserved winners.
Watched with it with an Indian pal and an Ireland fan who'd been out to India, in Southall, London which is a massive Indian (Punjabi) area which witnessed epic celebrations afterwards.

[Stuttgart88]

That was funny alright.

Really enjoyable tournament. Hopefully the 50 over format will regain its status. 20/20 is like rugby Sevens. Kind of enjoyable but totally frivolous. 20/20 is cricket for people who don't like cricket.

Well done India. Well done that girl in the orange t-shirt and light blue jeans.

[bennocelt]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/cricket/2011/0404/worldcup_.html

Shocking decision

[holidaysong]

But sadly unsurprising.

[mypost]

Really enjoyable tournament. Hopefully the 50 over format will regain its status. 20/20 is like rugby Sevens. Kind of enjoyable but totally frivolous. 20/20 is cricket for people who don't like cricket.

It's "McDonalds" type cricket. Fast, exciting, but not very good for you.


Shocking decision

Nothing shocking about it. It was entirely predictable. We gave the ICC everything they wanted at this WC. By producing an upset, but not enough of them to stop the best 8 ranked nations making the quarter finals.

In reality, we are getting kicked for the poor game scheduling in recent tournaments. Because the other countries were uncompetitive, and the tournament was dragged out so long, most neutrals lost interest until the knockout phase.

But I'm sure the test teams all playing each other once, if not twice or more in the next tournament, will enhance the sport no end. :rolleyes:

[tricky_colour]

Real bad decision. Looks like they are frightened of getting turned over by one of the 'minnows'.
Very disappointing, I certainly will not be watching it.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hmm, a lot can happen in 4 years. Will Zimbabwe even be playing Tests by then? They hardly play any now, mainly because most people don't want to play them....based on the security factor.

[pineapple stu]

Looks like they are frightened of getting turned over by one of the 'minnows'.
I imagine Ireland (and Canada and Holland) simply add very little to viewing figures, attendances and TV rights income. You can argue it's a bad decision alright, but I don't see any point in misrepresenting the point of view of those who made it.

[Gather round]

I imagine Ireland (and Canada and Holland) simply add very little to viewing figures, attendances and TV rights income. You can argue it's a bad decision alright, but I don't see any point in misrepresenting the point of view of those who made it

Zimbabwe, New Zealand, West Indies and even Sri Lanka don't add much income either. Pakistan can't stage any games because of political instability. Games not featuring the host country have tiny crowds- only English fans travel abroad in any number.

The ICC (dominated by India, whose TV largely funds the sport nowadays) have take this decision to reduce the number of mismatches while still ensuring that there aren't more players from Strabane than India and Pakistan combined at the business end of the tournament.

Personally, I'd prefer

* 12 teams in the finals (eight pre-qualifying, everyone else including Bangla and Zim have to qualify)

* three groups of four, top two progress

* 'super six' where each team plays the other four, points from first stage carried through

* top two in final

total games at finals: 18 (groups) + 12 (super six) + final = 31.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Erm, similarly Zimbabwe/NZ.
In answer to PS's post.

As in virtually nothing in terms of crowds or even TV income.
Though to be fair NZ have reached (& lost) 5 WC S-F's.

As for the suggested tournament format, that just won't happen. Too few games for TV etc.


Finally, whilst the Strabane input is welcome, that was a one-off blip.....