ICC Cricket World Cup - Part 4

First topic message reminder :

Yes, England expected to be unchanged. Long boundaries apparently, which will suit England's excellent running ability!

If there were a decent replacement in the wings, I think Rashid's place would be under severe threat. He's got figures of 7/403 from 69 overs in the World Cup so far, which is hardly illuminating stuff.

I was off from here for quite some time. However made to almost every match.

The format looks perfect and gives a chance for each team to come up with all the preparedness the had for the last two years.

1. India relied too much on their top 3 and Pandya(both with bat and bowl). Indian death bowling had been superb, though Kulcha(Kuldeep and Chahal) have failed to impress as they used to do before WC. Dhoni has failed to impress and the defeat against England was unnecessary. They could have won the game. Dhoni's intent in the match against BD was also lethargic.( Mantra against India : Don't drop Rohit, bowl out top 2 below 100 and India is not gone score more than 260 even on a batting pitch)

2. Aussies side impressed the most. Their team was lagging in almost all department in the last two years. They came spirited just before WC and won 8 matches against tow Asian teams in their den and despite the loss against India they have improved match by match. They deserve the trophy better than anyone else here.

3. English side disappointed me a bit. Before the WC I along with some of my friends were of the opinion that England will reach the Semis without losing or just losing a single game. Even we thought they will play the finals. They bat deep and have bowlers who were not the best but were capable of complementing their batsmen by supportive performances. However they lost to Australia, Pak and SL. The last two defeat were surprising which open the pandora box that they can't chase a total,be it big or small. Infact had they not lost against SL, the Semis lineup was clear from the very beginning.(no offence to Pak fans)

4. NZ is another prolific side that failed to impress. They played their first half against comparatively weaker oppositions and played well with the points table by gaining way too high Net run rate. They have a descent pace attack but their batting has not impressed completely. Apart from one or two they were on and off in different matches. In semis however they can be a brute force, and Aussies(most probably) will get a strong fight.

5. Now lets talk about Pakistan. This was the most unpredictable team here in the World Cup. They are tied on the points table with NZ but were forced out because of Net Run Rate. They have only two batsmen who could bat better and rest are just going with the flow. Even the better one's failed to get their team to a descent total in defeats and their net run rate dipped below sea. They more or less play on spirit rather that talent. Amir and Wahab have performed brilliantly and these two were not in the selection radar day or two before WC. Though they had some good wins but they also had big defeats. The game against India was as if they don't want to win. Plus I had heard of team politics against captain.

6. Bangla Desh were the most improved team over the years. Their chase against Wi was too impressive. They have a good team but they failed to perform like a unit. Their bowling is still below the park. I must say Sakib had a dream tournament and he is my Man of the Tournament.

I don't think rest 4 teams impressed except Afghanistan.

Semis: The top 4 teams are already there. I think England and NZ will be knocked out and India and Australia will warm the Lord's ground with Australia lifting the trophy for the 5th time.

I just wanted to tell here that Please don't be personal. Everyone has an opinion howsoever flat it may be. We can counter it with more correct arguments and by using more correct words. Again no one is biased against any team. We all are here to make the competition more interesting and we are successful too. Let the best team win.

Cheers

Angelo Mathews brings up his third ODI century, all against India, rather incredible that a player that good only has the three hundreds.

I think SL has put up a decent total. Only once this WC a total above 250 has been chased successfully. Lets see if India can improve here or not.

Exceptional innings from Mathews to put Sri Lanka in with a semblance of a chance. Saffers off to.a flier, meanwhile, 78/0 after 11.

India dropped a couple of catches and was shoddy in the field, including uncharacteristic byes from Dhoni ......and what should have been a 220-240 total got to 260

nevertheless a good mid-sized total for India to chase and feel good i they do it successfully....and i think they will. They should aiim to win with 5 overs to spare to do their confidence good.

Jadeja emerges as the first spinner should India go with just one in semis....fight will be between shami and chahl for the other bowling spot....Kuldeep has become less effective as pitches have lacked dampness or rough

Chahl it will be if we play NZ at Manchester and Shami at Edjbaston I think.

I'm backing India to chase that, but it's not a given. And at this stage with SA off to a good start against Australia all of the permutations for the order of the top two are possible. This could be quite an interesting day

Starc bowling some absolute tripe - very unusual stuff! South Africa well in command at the moment.

Duty281 wrote:Starc bowling some absolute tripe - very unusual stuff! South Africa well in command at the moment.

Only seen the scorecard but, yes, poor and uncharacteristic stats for Starc. One of the best performers in this WC up until now.

With India cruising to victory with no bother and South Africa on course to make 330+, we may have to adjust the semi-final match-ups.

Doesn't make much difference to England - it was always likely that they would have to play both India and Australia if they were to win the World Cup, this might merely adjust the order - but it would mean India get a far simpler semi-final, and Australia a far tougher one.

India are showing us how to win when batting second.   I wonder if Australia will also show us batting second to South Africa.

I'd rather play Australia at Edgbaston. It will be vociferous support for England, against India its like an away match. We can also hop in that time machine again and choose the pitch we want

Rohit setting plenty of records today:
First man to score 5 centuries in one World Cup
Equals Tendulkar’s 6 World Cup hundreds
Second Indian to score 3 consecutive ODI centuries - Kohli is the other
Most runs in this World Cup

-By coaching, coaxing, pushing and conditioning Ind have turned Rahul into a perfect replacement for Dhawan...and in the bargain gotten a potentially bigger match-winner at 4 in Pant.

-a good win with plenty of wickets and overs to spare....should make India feel more confident for a chase if needed in next 2 games.

That we had Jadeja and Bhuvi available to bat at 8 and 9 gives a lot of mental comfort and freedom to top order.

The only variable now is Chahl if our semi-final is at Manchester and Shami if we play at Birmingham.
I wish Ind plays Jadhav instead of DK though

-Ind would like to play Eng and would be hoping Aus chase down 325 vs SA now.

For Ind already understands Edgbastan pitch, has a game plan and if Eng lose the toss they might give a virtual walkover.

While NZ has a tough and much more all round game including chasing skills compared to Eng.

VTR wrote:I'd rather play Australia at Edgbaston. It will be vociferous support for England, against India its like an away match. We can also hop in that time machine again and choose the pitch we want

Yeah, I think I'd marginally prefer Australia as they seem to have a formidable record at Lord's v England, not so much at Edgbaston. Plus Starc loves bowling at Lord's.

NZ aren't a better team than England, India will be absolutely delighted if they can play them instead of England. That would be a virtual walkover not the other way round

Aussies in a lot of trouble already, so looks like India will be taking on the fearsome Kiwis

KP_fan wrote:-

-Ind would like to play Eng and would be hoping Aus chase down 325 vs SA now.

For Ind already understands Edgbastan pitch, has a game plan and if Eng lose the toss they might give a virtual walkover.

While NZ has a tough and much more all round game including chasing skills compared  to Eng.

India understand Manchester pitch too. And again NZ with losses around would have low morale, which will help India.

England in their past two matches against India and NZ have looked fairly awesome. Some say it was largely due to the return of Jason Roy and the dropping of Moeen.  And this seems to have been done without Stokes as a mainline bowler - maybe he has been out of form - but against NZ he seemed to be bowling towards his best.   India put up a solid performance in defeat and maybe if they had batted first things may have looked differently.

Anyway my point is England now look to be very good.  Whereas before I had Australia and India being the top two teams - it now seems like we have a top three of Australia, India and England.

With the way todays matches are going it is looking like it will be an  England vs NZ and Australia vs India semi-final line up.  The Australia vs India match will be a cracker - and I suppose again will depend on who gets to bat first. England vs Australia and India vs NZ. The England vs Australia match could be a cracker - and I suppose again will depend on who gets to bat first

No name Bertie wrote:

With the way todays matches are going it is looking like it will be an  England vs NZ and Australia vs India semi-final line up.  The Australia vs India match will be a cracker - and I suppose again will depend on who gets to bat first.

The only change to the table we could still see is Australia overtaking India again to regain top spot. England and NZ are 3 & 4 and can't play each other.

Smiths lbw decision looked high --- I think they should have reviewed it. Australia two down and one man injured (presumably he will return), so their situation is precarious. But Warner is still in and has gears to go to to ensure the required run rate doesn't slip away. So he needs to stay in and he needs to have partners.

Galted wrote:

No name Bertie wrote:

With the way todays matches are going it is looking like it will be an  England vs NZ and Australia vs India semi-final line up.  The Australia vs India match will be a cracker - and I suppose again will depend on who gets to bat first.

The only change to the table we could still see is Australia overtaking India again to regain top spot.  England and NZ are 3 & 4 and can't play each other.

Yep big mistake from me - it is looking like Australia vs England and India vs NZ in the semi-final.

Warner is running out of partners, it is now 126 - 4 with Khawaja retired injured and the required run rate has just crept past 8 with 26 overs remaining.

Ohh Man, Warner fall after a brilliant century. This match is exposing Aussies chase. This world cup now is like Win the Toss and collect the trophy.

Though ICC was bit unfair towards India by not giving a single match to them at Lords.

Wicket Maiden from Pretorius - Warner falls to a great catch with Australia on 227-4 - becoming 227-5. With Khawaja out with a hamstring injury Australia are now looking towards a loss especially given new man in - bowler Cummins can't get going.

Current required run rate is about 10.8 / over.

I wouldnt read too much into these matches, and every team has struggled to chase in this world cup. It's a real shift from the CT which was on the same grounds less than 2 years ago.

It's a bit odd to say its unfair on India not to get a game at Lords....I think theres only been one there? At Edgbaston they have had a huge local following, theres a very large Indian population who live right next to the ground and in the surrounding suburbs.
It's also been the best ground for spinners through the domestic season so should've suited them very well.
If India want to play at Lords they might want to win their semi final.

Gooseberry wrote:
If India want to play at Lords they might want to win their semi final.

Still 5 overs to go. India might play NZ at Manchester or they will play, as Carey departs.

Again there is a difference between crown support and ground conditions. All the other Semifinalist have got two games at Lords, so they are well suited to the ground. India is unlucky here and this is bit of a bias on ICC part.

If India plays England, the home team will be under pressure.

Having seen many of Carrey's rearguard innings......he has gotten away with runs IMO coz:
1-He has been an unknown commodity mostly
2- oppositions has not used pace effectively against him & into the body.......which I think is his weakness. He has been allowed to feast on spinners and slow bowlers that he relishes

I think he will be found out sooner....now if I have noted,....I am sure others would have too

49 from 4 with 3 wickets to go. Seems like SA and SL were in the world cup to determine who plays who in semis.

The WC semifinalists were to be ranked based on last game. Quite interesting WC.

Alex Carey upped his level and gave Australia a modicum of hope getting the required run to about 9.2 at some point - but then he started losing partners and then he himself was out.  So thats that.  Australia currently 277-7 and a hobbling Khawaja is back out to bat.

Rabada has one more left. Khawaja can hit but, he can today?

42 from 18.

I assume no runners are allowed for injured batsmen for One Day Games ...

Every over flight tickets are bouncing. Manchester or Birmingham? Quite Interesting though.

This was the over Australia wanted.

48.1 Birmingham ?

18 from 6, seems like travel agent is pretty sure, its Birmingham. :P

Well! Well! Well!, the second last ball of the League matches decided the Semis. It's official India will take on NZ at Manchester and Aussies will take on host at Birmingham. Things are not going to be easy for England. They have not defeated Australia in 27 years in WC. I am looking at a final between India and Australia.

So Against the run of play Aus  goes down to SA...but fighting and well in the  game almost until last 8 balls.Tournament was alive until the end.

The  blessing in disguise for Aus is that they may have either Handscombe or possibly Wade in for a rather uneasily fitting Khwaja in the next two games.
Their s.f is on Thu so 5 days so time for Starc to get over his knee and Stonis his side niggles.

The Tue s.f is between sides who have won 2 chases each i.e Nz-Ind & Ind will surely play 2 spinners at Manchester.


The Thu s.f is between sides that have lost 2 and 3 chases receptively...but Aus crossed 300 in both their chases.

And unexpectedly India topped
The only regret Ind might have is winning the world cup without beating  every side

Should India go with Kulcha at Manchester or One of Kulcha and Jadeja?

KP_fan wrote:And unexpectedly India topped
The only regret Ind might have is winning the world cup without beating  every side

Well Dhoni gifted that match to England.

Nicholas :- Who do you think will go to final?

Faf :- India and England.

Nicholas :- Who wins?

Faf :- I know you want me to say England. But India and Australia are two big teams here, so any of both.

Faf is playing quite right at the end.

Wasn't Dhoni's strike rate pretty decent in that England defeat? The game wasn't lost by him, by the time he came in it was gone

Its all irrelevant anyway, India should be delighted to be facing NZ, they have been terrible in their last two games, the batting really lacks quality

VTR wrote:Wasn't Dhoni's strike rate pretty decent in that England defeat? The game wasn't lost by him, by the time he came in it was gone

Its all irrelevant anyway, India should be delighted to be facing NZ, they have been terrible in their last two games, the batting really lacks quality

At 39 overs India were 226/3 and England were 230/3. The difference was stokes and dhoni innings.

India needed 111 from last 11 and 44 from last over. So in the 10 overs they scored 67 runs with the loss of just 2 wickets. When you need 10 run an over and you score run a ball, you were not playing for a win.

So yeah Dhoni gifted the match to England.

subhranshu.kumar.5 wrote:Should India go with Kulcha at Manchester or One of Kulcha and Jadeja?

One of Kul-Cha and Jadeja

Yep, India will be delighted. A semi-final against a New Zealand side who are out of form and who haven't won against any of the other semi-finalists, rather than against an England team who comprehensively outplayed them quite recently. Should be a cakewalk for India, unless Boult or Ferguson can produce some magic early on to decimate India's top order.

The other semi-final will be much tighter, with England narrow favourites due to their recent upturn in form. They'll be relieved that they've avoided facing the old enemy at Lord's, which looked set to be the case this morning.

Unfortunately, a quick look at the weather forecast shows rain scheduled to hit Manchester on Tuesday/Wednesday and Birmingham on Thursday/Friday. Hopefully it'll clear up. Wouldn't want either India or Australia getting through on technicalities!

Silly scheduling for the World Cup final, also, with it coinciding with the singles final at Wimbledon and the (last?) Silverstone GP.

India and Australia were no doubt the best two teams in this world cup. No doubt England won their last game and were gifted by Dhoni the game before.

I heard Australia has not defeated England at Edgbaston since 1993, but also heard the England has not defeated Australia at WC since 1992.

Again my bet on India and Australia final.

subhranshu.kumar.5 wrote:India and Australia were no doubt the best two teams in this world cup. No doubt England won their last game and were gifted by Dhoni the game before.

I heard Australia has not defeated England at Edgbaston since 1993, but also heard the England has not defeated Australia at WC since 1992.

Again my bet on India and Australia final.

since you are historical-facts minded......pls note that Australia has never lost a world cup semi-final in the history of the universe

It has been strange how the team batting second seems to have been at a disadvantage in this tournament - is it something real or just a very low probability statistical anomaly?

The way things are - it seems to me we have:
Batting first: Batting Second
India ---------- NZ .................... India strong favorite
NZ -------------India ................. India weak favorite
Australia ------ England ............  Australia favorite
England ------- Australia ..........   England weak favorite

With England although they have shown remarkable form against India and NZ, I have a gut feeling they are not mentally tough and can wilt when the pressure is high.   India and Australia seem to be tougher sides mentally.  This is only my gut feeling - and it could just be indigestion.

subhranshu.kumar.5 wrote:India and Australia were no doubt the best two teams in this world cup. No doubt England won their last game and were gifted by Dhoni the game before.

I heard Australia has not defeated England at Edgbaston since 1993, but also heard the England has not defeated Australia at WC since 1992.

Again my bet on India and Australia final.

I don't see a clear stand-out between India/Australia/England, presently. In the group stages when the three heavyweights played one another - England outplayed India. India outplayed Australia. Australia outplayed England. All three were comprehensive victories. Saying that Dhoni gifted England a game is nonsensical - India were just beaten by the better team on the day and at no stage did it look like they were going to win.

England may not have beaten Australia at a WC since 1992, but that has little relevance to Thursday's encounter.