T20 World Cup: Live Matches Discussion

First topic message reminder :

Please feel free to discuss every ball of the 2012 T20 World Cup here.

Who do you think will win?

Sammy in now. They have another 5 overs left, but they have to be sensible to convert 104-6 into something decent.

10-6 after 15. Anything below 150, will be very dificult for West Indies with their weak bowling.

Still don't understand why people are surprised that Windies aren't dominating - I'd suggest that its for the same reasons that people wrote them off against England a few months ago (lack of depth, average seam bowling - particularly a lack of variety, players that will be worked out by good bowlers). Sure, they have Gayle and Narine, but for me they were never more than 6th or 7th favourites

Even when they get a 4 or a 6 in an over the WI haven't been able to get more than 7 or 8 in the over. Not enough singles adding to their problems.

Southee back into the attack and his yorkers are going to be important for NZ here, they have WI batting under control, they shouldn't let Pollard and Sammy inflict any serious damage here.

msp83 wrote:Even when they get a 4 or a 6 in an over the WI haven't been able to get more than 7 or 8 in the over. Not enough singles adding to their problems.

This is a big issue. None of their top five are really adept at working the ball around - as good as he is Gayle is block or bash, and so are Charles, Samuels and Pollard.

Sammy gone now, 150 would be very dificult from now, especially as Pollard hasn't been in any form.

The rest of them should realize they are no match for Gayle who really can smash it consistently. The others should learn to deal in more singles.

Pollard is a real idiot, he has thrown it away when his team needed him to bat through the innings. That too after the over produced 2 4s already.

Both Rampaul and Narine can slog effectively, but they have to first ensure they get the team pass 140 at least.

Southee gets another. West Indies' poor poor batting effort continues all the way down the order. 136-9 in the 19th over.

this has been a really poor innings from the WI, they look to me like they're trying too hard to score a really big score: worried about the result of the last game? possibly, but you have to give yourselves a chance.

A decent win for NZ would mean England are in the simple position of having to win to go through. It would also put SL through as well.

and there it is: Oram cleans up Badree and WI are all out for 139. Dreadful effort, particularly considering where they were after the PP. Gayle got a decent ball, as did Bravo. The rest all got out to pretty ordinary shots though....

WI not seeing their 20 overs through, bowled out for 139. They do have Narine and a few parttime spinners and New Zealand aren't the greatest players of spin, but I don't see them messing it up.

Gayle scored only 30, but yet again he has been the top scorer. Pathetic from the rest. Samuels, Sammy and Pollard just didn't bat with any sense.

msp83 wrote:WI not seeing their 20 overs through, bowled out for 139. They do have Narine and a few parttime spinners and New Zealand aren't the greatest players of spin, but I don't see them messing it up.

We're experts at messing up though


(Yes I am channelling Trebs for the next hour or 2).

msp83 wrote:Gayle scored only 30, but yet again he has been the top scorer. Pathetic from the rest. Samuels, Sammy and Pollard just didn't bat with any sense.

can't disagree too much with that. To be fair to Sammy, the ball was very short and was asking to be hit, he just didn't hit it well. Pollard looks so short of form it's unreal. I'm also not quite sure what role Sammy has in the team at the moment? He rarely seems to bowl his full spell (bowled just one over vs England, 2 vs Ireland, came on with the game virtually lost vs SL, etc. - don't think he's bowled a full quota all tournament) and isn't scoring enough runs.

I personally think Sammy is WI's best T20 seamer, particularly in these conditions - much more awkward to face than the pace (but no variation) of Edwards, for example. Curious that he doesn't bowl himself out more.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Windies approach this - to get their NRR up anywhere near England's they'll have to bowl NZ out for well under 100. Or do they just try to hang on, and hope Sri Lanka do the business?

Well if NZ score a narrow victory here it will be very much to the benefit of England.

in other news, the England women ran out pretty comfortable winners against the Australian women, chasing down their target of 145 with 11 balls and 7 wickets to spare. World n°1 T20 batsman Sarah Taylor (who people on here know I'm a big fan of) guiding them home with 65 not out. They play NZ in the semi-finals, which we'll actually be allowed to watch...

Fists of Fury wrote:Well if NZ score a narrow victory here it will be very much to the benefit of England.

It will, although I worry it might leave us in two minds - knowing that a narrow win or quite likely even a narrow defeat would send us through might lead us to go on the defensive - bat first and make 150-160 (trying not to do anything stupid against Mendis) and then back the bowlers to make the match close. My concern is that SL's top three are very good at chasing scores down, and if, say, they got home with 4 overs to spare that would probably leave a big dent in our NRR (which is negative to start with...)

We shouldn't worry too much, we will likely get stuffed and dumped out anyway!

Narine's fielding is truly dreadful. Decent start by the WI here, I'd get Narine into the attack quite quickly, try and put some doubt into NZ's minds...

Here comes the NZ choke
52/3 after 9

NZ doing their level best to mess this one up, need something from Franklin and Taylor here, desperately.

Rumours going stronger that England have dropped Kieswetter. Not sure about that, not convinced by Bairstow's keeping and he's a fine fielder (then again, so is Lumb I guess). It's true that England's inability to make a decent start with the bat has been probably their main problem so far, so it makes sense...

Pollard on, eh?

doesn't want to bowl Russell? lack of confidence in his own bowling? why not Gayle instead? Sammy makes some strange decisions sometimes...

and here is Gayle.

Russell didn't bowl against England either, maybe Sammy doesn't rate him?

for a spinner to bowl as many no-balls as Narine does is pretty unforgivable. Taylor doesn't really cash in there, "holing out" to long-off from the free hit.

superb catch from Gayle at slip, diving one-handed to his right behind the keeper, top effort

good captaincy by Sammy too, keeping the slip in there. Just when the game was tipping in NZ's favour, it's back on again

Franklin gone . Oram's a poor player of spin, so I'd promote N McCullum. But Taylor is going to have to do the business now.

can't believe 18% of people voting actually think WI are the best fielding side out there

Russell and Pollard are both very good, and Gayle is an excellent slip fielder, but they're quite a few passengers there. Narine himself has probably cost them ten runs in the field here alone...

And Sammy has taken Narine off again. He surely needs to bowl his 4.

WI's out cricket has been seriously poor today: I thought their running between the wickets was ordinary, and their fielding has been shambolic (bar that great Gayle catch).

I think Sammy wants to hold an over of Narine back for the death Pete, which is fair enough. What I don't understan is what Russell is doing in the side if he's not going to bowl...

Taylor goes after Sammy: captain vs captain and the Kiwi gets on top, taking a six and a four to put NZ right back into the driving seat. 27 needed from 4. If they make it inside 19.4 then it means England need to win to go through...

Oram gone! it's the one which goes the other way from Narine, he doesn't pick it, and that looked plumb to me.

twist in the tail?

Like I said, Oram is rubbish vs spin.

N. McCullum can bat a bit, so if he can keep rotating the strike for Taylor ...

WI still need to find an over from Pollard or Gayle (or Russell or Samuels) don't they? Rampaul on now, looks like WI are doing what they did against England, leave the weaker bowler for the last one.

Think NZ should target Rampaul who I don't rate as a death bowler...

so 17 needed off 2. Narine to bowl the penultimate over, NZ should look to score 7 or so off this one and then smack the last over.

2nd day in a row that a team has been on my favourite score: 123 for 5.

McCullum goes for the big one and holes out to deep midwicket. daft shot: 15 needed off 9, though at least it gets Taylor back on strike.

yes is an exiting game!!!

this looks like its going very well for england as well- so close- we should top NRR after this

All on Taylor now. He needs to find the fence this over.

Oh actually!! we need NZ to win first

remarkable last two overs from Narine: 2 for 5.

NZ need 14 from the last over, but but but... it will be bowled by WI's weaker bowler, their main 4 having all bowled out. what price another super over?

Good fight back with the ball by the West Indies, but I still think the wasted starts and the wasted few balls at the end of their innings are going to cost them.

Taylor going to be on strike for the last over, and so long as he's there, NZ are favorites to take this in my book. Who'll bowl that last over?

big conference, neither Samuels nor Russell wants it. Russell seemed like the initial choice, but it's gone to Samuels! Great scenes

wide!!!!

Yet again its Samuels with the last over, poor start from him, with a wide first up.