2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

Who will win?

  • New Zealand

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • England

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sri Lanka

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pakistan

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • West Indies

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Scotland, Afghanistan, UAE

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    5
  • Poll closed .
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Ireland stun West Indies. Another brilliant upset like Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011.

Yet the ICC are trying to reduce the number of teams at the next WC.
 
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oztennisfan

Professional
What about Starc? Hazlewood? Will they be dropped? Damn,that is scary depth,Johnson batting down that low - he can smash a ball with the best of them on his day...

hazlewood would be dropped for faulkner and i forgot starc who would probably bat at 11, he even has a test 99 with the bat...
 
Ireland stun West Indies. Another brilliant upset like Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011.

Yet the ICC are trying to reduce the number of teams at the next WC.

Rightly so-the tournament is way too bloated with all these teams in it-it takes a month just to get to the quarters where it is unlikely any of the small teams will make it. Keep it to two outside of the big eight. These minnow sides lack consistency-Ireland failed to qualify from the group stage in 2011 despite that victory as they did sod all else other than beating Holland.

Kenya in 2003 were the only minnow to really make an impact in a WC & they likely would not have qualified for the supers sixes if New Zealand had not given them a walkover victory.
 

diggler

Hall of Fame
Rightly so-the tournament is way too bloated with all these teams in it-it takes a month just to get to the quarters where it is unlikely any of the small teams will make it. Keep it to two outside of the big eight. These minnow sides lack consistency-Ireland failed to qualify from the group stage in 2011 despite that victory as they did sod all else other than beating Holland.

Kenya in 2003 were the only minnow to really make an impact in a WC & they likely would not have qualified for the supers sixes if New Zealand had not given them a walkover victory.

Yes we need to reduce the tournament. Maybe it should be that each of the big 8 must play one ODI or T20 a year with a minnow.
 

diggler

Hall of Fame
Ahh Test's are where it's at :) nothing beats two evenly matched teams figuring each other out over the course of a series.

Australia will probably win the Ashes pretty easily this summer, but i'm still looking forward to it.

You need a fair contest between bat and ball. Not pitches that favour batsmen. There were 2 draws in the Australia India series. Although Australian fielding was not ideal, the pitches didn't give enough to the bowlers.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Rightly so-the tournament is way too bloated with all these teams in it-it takes a month just to get to the quarters where it is unlikely any of the small teams will make it. Keep it to two outside of the big eight. These minnow sides lack consistency-Ireland failed to qualify from the group stage in 2011 despite that victory as they did sod all else other than beating Holland.

Kenya in 2003 were the only minnow to really make an impact in a WC & they likely would not have qualified for the supers sixes if New Zealand had not given them a walkover victory.

Ireland have proved the minnows can be competitive by beating a big team each time.

This result will create more headlines than most others, this is what World Cups and sport is all about.

Also remember the best Irish player at this WC is captaining England, due to Ireland being excluded from test cricket. Further isolating the minnows will only increase defections.

How are these teams meant to improve if they get excluded from the top table?
 
These teams have been showing up at the WC since 1975 or trying to qualify & failing-sorry but while some of them will from time to time beat one of the bigger teams they are unable to string anything together-so Ireland beat England but cannot beat any of the other big teams & England still qualify playing mostly mediocre Cricket in 2011.

Ireland have beaten a big team at the last three events-yet they have still failed to go on to the business end in any of them. It proves one team can win one big match per tournament & what about the rest of the minnows? How many giant scalps have been claimed by Canada, Scotland, Holland, UAE, Bermuda & Namibia? Ireland are the new Kenya just without the run to the semis.

Like it or not Cricket is an entertainment form & a business & it is virtually impossible to get any entertainment of teams like the UAE, Canada, Holland & Scotland turning up to get hammered in every game other than when they play each other in front of near empy stadiums in games hardly anybody sitting at home wants to watch.

Ireland should be excluded from Test Cricket, so should Zimbabwe & Bangladesh & you could make an argument for the West Indies as well now. Test Cricket should be the elite-as in the title it should be testing & not a walk in the park.

Bangladesh have now been playing Test Cricket for over 14 years & have managed to beat two of the worst Zimbabwe teams for five of their seven test victories & the other two came against a West Indies team where practically every name player was on strike so they were facing a bunch of new guys & a former mediocre international player playing his first international match for a decade.
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
You need a fair contest between bat and ball. Not pitches that favour batsmen. There were 2 draws in the Australia India series. Although Australian fielding was not ideal, the pitches didn't give enough to the bowlers.

Yeah too many pitches favour batsmen these days, the best Test matches i've ever seen have all been on pitches where it's either an even balance, or low scorers where there's plenty in it for the bowlers.

The weather in England the last few years has killed our pitches, they're slow, no turn, no seam movement. Fingers crossed we can come up with something good for this summer.

As for Ireland beating the West Indies being seen as an upset, it was always going to be a fairly even contest imo. They're a good side who are pretty evenly matched against the lower tier of the better teams (England, West Indies, Pakistan).
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Ireland gatecrash International Cricket Council’s cosy World Cup cartel

The World Cup win over West Indies was not the classic underdog result but more a victory for a nation deemed not as competitive as eight other nations

As Niall O’Brien left Saxton Oval wearing a look of deep contentment, he might have reflected on the contrast with his Ireland debut when, on 29 August 2002, his side were defeated by Berkshire in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy. Now O’Brien, with an effervescent unbeaten 79, had helped Ireland cruise past their target of 305 against West Indies.

Nominally the result qualifies as an upset but that is more a reflection of the archaic structure of international cricket than the quality of the Ireland and West Indies teams. For all the delight with which Ireland celebrated their triumph – they might yet be grateful to have a nine-day wait before their next match – this result shocked no one. “Ireland are known to win those big matches and they’ve caused a few upsets in ICC events,” the West Indies’ Darren Sammy said after his team had been humbled.

This did not feel like the classic underdog result characterised by a dodgy pitch, as was the case when Ireland toppled Pakistan in Jamaica in the 2007 World Cup, or a player enjoying the game of his life, as in Kevin O’Brien’s evisceration of England at Bengaluru in 2011. Rather it was a victory for a side who appeared better drilled, more confident and better versed in the cricketing fundamentals. Ireland seemed to mock a cricketing structure that has restricted them to only nine ODIs in the past four years against Test-playing nations and yet has the chutzpah to contract the size of the next World Cup to 10 teams on the grounds that, according to the International Cricket Council’s chief executive, David Richardson, only eight sides are “competitive”.

So even this triumph was played out against the backdrop of a cricketing world that appears not to care about Ireland. “You don’t see any other sport cutting teams in their top competitions,” lamented the victorious captain, William Porterfield. “You’re taking away opportunities for a lot of nations to get to World Cups and get to where they want to be, and develop the sport in their country through publicity and everything, so it is frustrating.”



Ordinarily the grisly domain of cricket administration would be a world away from the concerns of locals in Nelson but for a day this idyllic embodiment of small-town New Zealand turned green. Before the tournament Ireland grumbled they had not been awarded any fixtures in Melbourne, Perth or Sydney, where they has a huge expat population. Nelson might be a placid town of 45,000 but it still engendered a swell of Irish support: green shirts outnumbered maroon ones by several times and chants of “Come on you boys in green” and “Ole, ole, ole” greeted every run as Ireland raced towards their target.

Until a late-afternoon jitter – four wickets for 18 runs – Ireland’s chase had been a blissful cruise. The tone was set when the West Indies captain bowled the first delivery of Ireland’s innings. A man of promise prematurely elevated to leadership by dint of the failings of the elder generation, Jason Holder rather resembles a cricketing William Hague. It is doubtful that Hague could have delivered a worst first ball: starting wide and veering even wider, it bounced past the slip fielders to go for five wides.

The moment rapidly became a metaphor for West Indies’ ragtag bowling display. The sight of Lendl Simmons, the second cousin of the Ireland coach, Phil, offering up his slow-medium pacers as West Indies sought a way back into the match spoke of Caribbean cricket rapidly discovering unimagined new nadirs.

While Simmons had earlier combined with Sammy to add 154 belligerent runs for the sixth wicket, the application of the top order was lamentable as West Indies slipped to 87 for 5. “If we continue to play like that we won’t be here for long,” said Sammy who, along with the Ireland all-rounder John Mooney, has been fined 50% of his match fee after accepting a Level 1 offence of swearing audibly during the contest.

The contrast with Ireland, for whom Andy McBrine celebrated his World Cup debut with the sharp run-out of Darren Bravo from cover, did not have to be spelt out. It was in the top order batting, however, that West Indies were most exposed. Where West Indies veered unhealthily between reckless attack and passive defence, a breezy confidence underpinned Ireland’s chase from the moment Porterfield creamed a six over fine leg in the second over of the innings. While Paul Stirling’s 92 brimmed with controlled aggression and Niall O’Brien powered Ireland to final victory, Ed Joyce’s 84 was the fulcrum of their chase.

Four years ago, Joyce made an identical score in Ireland’s defeat by West Indies. This innings came in 39 fewer balls, a mark not only of West Indies’ decline but also the flowering of Joyce’s game. He has always possessed a fine technique and languid shot-making ability but his game has gained new panache, as a straight lofted six off Sammy showed. In the ease with which Joyce combined with Stirling and then Niall O’Brien, it was impossible to avoid the sense of a coming force besting a power in decline.

Whether that transpires will be determined more by the ICC boardrooms in Dubai than playing performance in the World Cup, the mere fact Ireland now boast three of the five highest run chases in World Cup history illustrates their relentless harassment of cricket’s cosy cartel.
 

oztennisfan

Professional
ireland are a long way off test status. the result of yesterdays match says more about the west indians lack of desire to be there than irelands improvement. time will tell but i think the rest of their games will be thrashings. money has ruined west indian cricket, both the lack of pay at test and one day level, to big headed nobodied getting paid big dollars to play nothing t20 cricket. i fear we are in the last few years of west indian cricket.

what both ireland and scotland need to push towards test status is to have their national teams playing in the county comps. each year they should have a squad of 30 or so players eligible to play together in the county 4 day, one day and t20 comps plus a 'reserves' side at the next level down, (whatever the level below county is over there) that way they can play together, develop a list of young players to develop together. if they are serious about developing the game then that is the best way forward for these countries, just t20 and one day comps wont do a thing for them.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
The whole issue of excluding teams from WCs and Tests is unique in sport.

The small nations are embraced in Rugby, 20 teams at the WC. If rugby had the same policy then Fiji etc would be excluded.
 
I am not really a massive Rugby fan but don't Fiji, Western Samoa/Samoa etc play hard & cause problems? They appear to have beaten Australia, Scotland, Wales, Argentina & Italy many times over the years, so seem to be decent teams that can compete with the big boys & make it to the WC quarters multiple times.

Anyway a Rugby Test is like an ODI or series of ODI'S-they aren't playing 6 or more hours a day for 5 consecutive days.
 
ireland are a long way off test status. the result of yesterdays match says more about the west indians lack of desire to be there than irelands improvement.

I think the powers realised what a mistake they made by granting Bangladesh status in 2000. In October they will have been playing tests for 15 years & likely will have only beaten the worst Zimbabwe teams in history & a West Indies team where pretty much every name player was on strike.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
I am not really a massive Rugby fan but don't Fiji, Western Samoa/Samoa etc play hard & cause problems? They appear to have beaten Australia, Scotland, Wales, Argentina & Italy many times over the years, so seem to be decent teams that can compete with the big boys & make it to the WC quarters multiple times.

Anyway a Rugby Test is like an ODI or series of ODI'S-they aren't playing 6 or more hours a day for 5 consecutive days.

Fiji have reached the WC QFs 2/7 attempts. Ireland have reached the QF 1/2 attempts. Fiji's only big win in the last 50 years was over Wales in the 2007 WC. The RWC actually includes teams such as Georgia, Russia and USA. Ireland give Georgia a Rugby test match last year.

The problem is more with the whole structure. No other sports exclude teams. I am not saying Ireland should be on a rota playing all the top nations in series. That format is stupid. But they should be able to play one Test against a top team. That team does not even have to field their best team if they don't want to.

It seems the new 10 team WC will involve one massive pool stage. Therefore guaranteeing India 9 matches and all the TV money that comes with that.

The WC has helped grow cricket in Ireland and will do the same for other countries.

William Porterfield. “You’re taking away opportunities for a lot of nations to get to World Cups and get to where they want to be, and develop the sport in their country through publicity and everything, so it is frustrating.”

Plus it must be remembered England's captain is Irish. Ireland would be a stronger team with Morgan but he left to play Test Cricket.
 
Maybe an idea would be the second tier of Test Cricket tat was proposed but turned down. Relegate Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, West Indies & maybe another team & let Ireland play-everybody starts on 0 points & after a couple of seasons of everybody playing everybody & the same number of tests the winner is either automatically promoted or has a playoff against the bottom team from the top tier.

The way I see it Test Cricket has too much mediocrity already & a problem with making it attractive to enough people-the last thing we need is a team like Ireland coming in & making it even worse with the dreck that is already playing it to a poor standard.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
This is the value of the Cricket World Cup, hopefully it does the same for Afghanistan.

NEW cricket clubs have started sprouting up in traditional GAA heartlands, as the sport ups the ante in the battle to recruit new players.

Ireland's cricket playing population has boomed by over 300pc over the past decade as the international team enjoys unprecedented success on the world stage.

Ireland's latest World Cup victory over the West Indies will push the popularity of the sport here to new levels.

Historically, the game was strongest in Dublin, Belfast, and Derry - and to a lesser extent in Cork.

However, a Cricket Ireland spokesman said there has been a surge in the popularity of the sport "in non-traditional areas" for the game.

The official number for those playing has continued to show a dramatic increase - from 13,000 in 2006, to 25,000 in 2011, to over 40,000 in 2012.

And this is likely to have gone up even further over the past year as the sport continues to move into the mainstream.

"We have seen new clubs develop over the years - but the real growth has been in the number of people playing particularly at junior level.

"The game has really come on in areas such as Kerry, Galway, Tipperary and Waterford," a spokesman told the Irish Independent.

Thurles Cricket Club - established in the town where the GAA was founded - has been in operation since 2010.

Meanwhile, Nenagh Cricket Club, in the heart of Tipperary hurling territory, has been on the go since 2005, and was affiliated to the Munster Cricket Union in 2011.

These trends are further indication it is increasingly competing with the other major field sports such as Gaelic football, hurling, soccer and rugby, for playing members.

A further sign of the increase in the popularity of the sport is that Cricket Ireland has grown from having a single staff member in 2006, to its current quota of more than 20 full-time employees.

The spokesman said it is gratifying to see a "surge" in the number of younger school children expressing an interest in cricket. "We've introduced a number of initiatives and competitions in primary schools," he added.

He also said huge strides have been made to erode the "snob factor" which has long been associated with the game.

"There was a social divide in the past, but that doesn't exist any more," he said.

The sport is also developing in some unlikely areas west of the Shannon under the control of the Connaught Cricket Union. Apart from in Co Galway there are also clubs in Ballaghaderreen and Ballyhaunis in Co Mayo.

Historically cricket, which had been rapidly gaining in popularity at the turn of the last century, was hard hit by the"ban on foreign games".

This prevented GAA players from playing - or even watching - designated sports such as cricket.

The sport was particularly hard hit by the introduction of Rule 42, according to the Cricket Ireland spokesman.

"But now cricket in Ireland is making a remarkable comeback in areas where it has been long absent."
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
LOL yeah. Great spell of bowling by Southee though,one of the best ever in world cups

He's bowled really well, they all did. Pretty easy against England though lol. They interviewed the New Zealand coach 10 minutes ago and he said the plan was to bowl like it was a Test match, which is a pretty good approach against England. You don't need to worry about getting fancy and changing things up, they'll let you bowl however you want at them so the bowlers always have the initiative.
 
N

Nathaniel_Near

Guest
LOL at England. NZ going to get to the required total in about 10 overs!!!!

Absolutely. DEVASTATING. loss. for. England.


Arguably the most crushing defeat in the history of "top level"(LAAAWL) 50-over cricket?
 

Midaso240

Legend
LOL at England. NZ going to get to the required total in about 10 overs!!!!

Absolutely. DEVASTATING. loss. for. England.


Arguably the most crushing defeat in the history of "top level"(LAAAWL) 50-over cricket?
I remember a few years back the Black Caps getting bowled for about 70 odd against Sri Lanka. In a World Cup though,this would certainly be one of the worst losses of a top side...
 
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Feña14

G.O.A.T.
I remember a few years back the Black Caps getting bowled for about 70 odd against Sri Lanka. In a World Cup though,this would certainly be one of the worst losses of a top side...

That's interesting yeah. New Zealand are clearly better at the one day game in all areas, so a heavy loss isn't much of a shock to me personally.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are way ahead of the pack though imo... India and Sri Lanka are up there in suitable conditions.

The likes of England, West Indies and and Pakistan though.. they seem to be closer to the likes Bangladesh and Ireland than they are the elite teams.
 

gregor.b

Professional
Yeah we've never really taken to one day cricket. For us, the Ashes is always the ultimate prize. Even going head to head against a good team like South Africa for a whole summer, or tours to India and winning a test series over there is what players careers are defined by.

Other parts of the world obviously prefer the one day game, but you see the way England play, it's not really a priority. No doubt most of the side have their sights set on the Ashes next summer, the ones that aren't in the test side see this World Cup as a way of getting into the side for next summer.

Talk to someone from India though and the World Cup is probably their ultimate prize :)

And how did the Ashes go for you in 2014?

As well as the one dayers are going for you now, I reckon.
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
And how did the Ashes go for you in 2014?

As well as the one dayers are going for you now, I reckon.

Pretty much!

The Ashes last year were the end of an era for the Test side. Trott, Pietersen, Prior and Swann all finished during or after the series.

The Test side is young and going in the right direction, it's not the finished article by a long way, but there's hope there.

The one day side just tread water and make the same mistakes they did 20 years ago.
 

oztennisfan

Professional
to think cook pieterson and stokes cant make that rabble of a team. englands problems start with those running the game over there.
 
to think cook pieterson and stokes cant make that rabble of a team. englands problems start with those running the game over there.

Cook could but he suffered from the same media hatred as Strauss did that led to his removal-too slow for the one day game & poor captaincy-yet Morgan's form is nowhere near as consistent as either of those guys were & his captaincy is no better.

KP would be but has nobody to blame but himself for his international career ending prematurely. Stokes should be but is probably being taught a lesson for his tantrums off the field.
 

Midaso240

Legend
Cook could but he suffered from the same media hatred as Strauss did that led to his removal-too slow for the one day game & poor captaincy-yet Morgan's form is nowhere near as consistent as either of those guys were & his captaincy is no better.

KP would be but has nobody to blame but himself for his international career ending prematurely. Stokes should be but is probably being taught a lesson for his tantrums off the field.
Lol Cook is too slow? England's top scorer was Joe Root with like 46 off 70 or something like that. Hardly setting the world on fire when you contrast it with McCullum's 77 off 25,or other power hitters from the top countries. This is a batsmen's world cup and England are severely lacking in that department...
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
Lol Cook is too slow? England's top scorer was Joe Root with like 46 off 70 or something like that. Hardly setting the world on fire when you contrast it with McCullum's 77 off 25,or other power hitters from the top countries. This is a batsmen's world cup and England are severely lacking in that department...

Root was looking to get a partnership going to be fair to be him.

Even so, you're right. He's the kind of player who has a strike rate of 75 and then looks to go bigger and finish with a run a ball 100.

Ballance and Bell are the same, so is Morgan to an extent.

England don't have the players, nor the culture of playing the way all the other teams do in the modern era. Been that way for the last 20 years, it's not like it's anything new.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
West Indies beating Pakistan makes Ireland reaching the QFs a lot more difficult.

Any other games that could be washed out?
 
Lol Cook is too slow? England's top scorer was Joe Root with like 46 off 70 or something like that. Hardly setting the world on fire when you contrast it with McCullum's 77 off 25,or other power hitters from the top countries. This is a batsmen's world cup and England are severely lacking in that department...

I didn't agree with it-that is the way the media portray it. I am of the belief you need a couple of players who can stick around & rotate the strike, it is up to the big hitters to score rapidly. If Gary Kirsten was around now he would be getting loads of stick for his batting style-10-15 years ago nobody cared because he made runs consistently & Gibbs Cullinan, Rhodes, Klusener etc scored quickly. Look how much rubbish Kallis copped from the mid 2000's onwards calling for him to be dropped for slow scoring.
 
Root was looking to get a partnership going to be fair to be him.

Even so, you're right. He's the kind of player who has a strike rate of 75 and then looks to go bigger and finish with a run a ball 100.

Ballance and Bell are the same, so is Morgan to an extent.

England don't have the players, nor the culture of playing the way all the other teams do in the modern era. Been that way for the last 20 years, it's not like it's anything new.

Coaching is a problem-we still stick to that keep a straight bat formula & don't sweep too early etc. Guys like Jayasuriya & Gilchrist pretty much changed ODI batting in the late 1990's/early 2000's & it has just evolved from there, but how many England players are keen on trying things like the ramp shot? You get the odd one like Morgan but most of them like Bell are from the old school of prodding it around.
 
Yep-beat a bunch of amateur pie chuckers. Bangladesh getting that point doesn't help them-they have to beat Bangladesh, Afghanistan & Sri Lanka now to be sure of making it through,
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Afghanistan V Scotland one of the best games of the WC. Just like UAS-Ireland yesterday.

The world reacts to Afghanistan's win
Afghanistan trended worldwide on Twitter after their historic victory. Here's how their players - and the rest of the world - reacted.
Afghanistan Cricket Board: Afghanistan you BEAUTY LONG LIFE. Shapoor hits a boundary and we made it. We made an impossible one possible. Wow, great effort from team Afghanistan. We dedicate this marvellous and historic win to all those 100 victims of Panjshir who martyrs in deadly avalanches yesterday.

Afghanistan pace bowler Hamid Hassan: Spirited performance by the team. Historic win for us. Nation will be very excited back home. Congrats everyone!

Afghanistan pace bowler Shapoor Zadran, who hit the winning runs: Yes. Thanks almighty for first win and all efforts and win deserve to @SamiShinwari45 for his stunning batting thank you all fans love you.

Former Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, left out of the squad for this tournament: Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan worldwide trending proud feeling long life great inning from Samiullah well done brother.




Ireland batsman Ed Joyce: Our game [yesterday] now second best game. Well played @CricketScotland and @ACBofficials today. Only a few weeks left of these annoyingly good games.

Former England captain Alec Stewart: Future World Cups must include associate countries to allow them the chance to grow & understand the skills required at the top level.

Sunday Telegraph cricket correspondent and ex-Wisden editor Scyld Berry: They will be dancing in the streets of Kabul all day and all night. Come on, big three of the ICC: invite Afghanistan to tour your countries.

BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson in Los Angeles: I suspect I am the only person at this Jeff Goldblum gig following Scotland v Afghanistan on his phone. #nervous
 

Midaso240

Legend
A friend was at the game today, he was offered $2000 yesterday for his tickets and he wasn't sure what to do. He decided to go in the end, so i'm sure he's happy with his decision right now :)
LOL,they're not worth that. He could have sold them and gone to the final at the MCG instead...
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Next few games will be where it starts to get interesting. Still looks like the big 8 will all make it at this stage.
 
K

King Fed WW

Guest
Outstanding game between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Ireland move to three wins, couldn't ask for anymore but still looks like they will have to be Pakistan to qualify.

Huge game for England tomorrow.
 

oztennisfan

Professional
pakistan doing what pakistan do best, get smashed by a struggling west indies then come out and beat south africa.

south africa doing what south africa do best, bully weak opposition when they bat first and pile on the runs, as soon as the pressure comes against good bowling and they have to chase a score, they fold...
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
pakistan doing what pakistan do best, get smashed by a struggling west indies then come out and beat south africa.

south africa doing what south africa do best, bully weak opposition when they bat first and pile on the runs, as soon as the pressure comes against good bowling and they have to chase a score, they fold...

Looking back at the first page, Pakistan were my prediction to win it for those reasons :) they would either lose every game and be surrounded by scandal, or end up beating everyone lol.

Have to say i've hated the way they've done the group stages, sometimes teams have 8 days between games, at times they've only had 2 games in the space of almost 3 weeks. That's not good enough.

Last week 3 days went by and South Africa v Ireland was the only game? Not good enough, one day cricket is a spectacle, World Cups are a festival. Not a time for sitting round the pool for a week between games.
 

oztennisfan

Professional
not sure what point you are making, there has only been one day without a cricket match on since it started. on sunday eng v sri lanka, zim v pak. monday first day off. tuesday ire v sa. wednesday uae v pak and afg v aust. theres not another day without cricket until the quarter final.
 

Feña14

G.O.A.T.
not sure what point you are making, there has only been one day without a cricket match on since it started. on sunday eng v sri lanka, zim v pak. monday first day off. tuesday ire v sa. wednesday uae v pak and afg v aust. theres not another day without cricket until the quarter final.

There have been some good matches but it's all too spread out, that's always been the criticism of the cricket world cup.
 

Midaso240

Legend
I was really surprised so many people were picking SA to win this world cup,they never do well under pressure

Looking forward to Aus-Sri Lanka. Should be a great match
 
pakistan doing what pakistan do best, get smashed by a struggling west indies then come out and beat south africa.

south africa doing what south africa do best, bully weak opposition when they bat first and pile on the runs, as soon as the pressure comes against good bowling and they have to chase a score, they fold...

If SAF want to win this tournament their only hope is for AB to open the batting-their bowlers finally fired for the first time yesterday but he ran out of partners because he is coming in at 5. DeKock is not in form & should probably be dropped. McCullum opens for NZ & blasts them into winning positions or chases down scores with his strike rate-AB has the same talent & has done it in this tournament, so why isn't he opening, or at least coming in at 3?
 
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