ICC Cricket World Cup - Part 4

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Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

alfie wrote:Good to see Morgan handling the short ball.  Has seen Behrend - orff...now taking to Lyon.

Keep the foot down lads I fancy an "early" night

Alfie I'm afraid this is the worst thing I have seen posted all World Cup.

I do my best

Even Michael Slater heard the outside edge there...

What Dharmasena did not see or hear I will never know.

England boundary fielders working very hard in this over. Bairstow and Rashid have saved 3 so far. Hopefully it gives the bowlers a lift.

Oh that other post got stuck in limbo for a while, now out of date.

Dharmasena overturned again, Williamson gone. One more in the next couple of overs and we can really turn the screw.

Tough for New Zealand to make 250 from here. I remember one Kiwi innings earlier in the World Cup against Australia where, after Williamson was out, the whole thing collapsed in a heap pretty quickly.

I was just writing a long elaborate post about Williamson and that happens ...well FINE

Looking better for England now but not quite gone to plan all the same. I'd banked my predictions yesterday on the weather forecast and Woakes causing lot more mayhem than he did. Although he bowled well and got that movement the rewards didnt really come.
But Englands bowling is unrelenting. In just seeing off the new ball pair NZ have limited themselves to a decent but very chaseable maximum score. Still a lot can change but theres no way the can bat England out of the game from here ( and well this is England so noone can even with 400) and England should get the better of conditions.

So much for those monster scores and the will someone make 500 talk.

Eng have pulled it back against the run of play, an uncharacteristic waft from williamson....and game tilts Eng's way

NZ need to not lose a wicket until 30th and get to about 135....and then the game in balance again

Rashid getting milked. Mind you, that happened in the last game and he ended up with 3-for!

Plunkett has been much better since his return for his second spell, hitting a much better length.

robbo277 wrote:Plunkett has been much better since his return for his second spell, hitting a much better length.

that's true....and its because pitch is not seaming anymore.....and The natural length /variation of English bowlers ironically more suited for unhelpful pitches

To echo others, the boundary fielding has been excellent. Stokes again saves boundary and a run/ I make that about 10 runs the boundary fielders have saved. That could be crucial.

Plunkett!!!!!!!!!

LIAM

Done'im! Finally hitting the right lengths and getting rewarded.

Both set batsmen removed and the Kiwis are in big trouble.

Not sure 118/3 is big trouble

Eng should be disappointed if they let NZ get more than 250

NZ won't be too disappointed with anything above 240 as that's their *bread-and-butter* score

Latham's had a miserable tournament so far, bar one half-century against England. Averaging about 15 at this WC. There really isn't a lot of batting to come.

Marky wrote:Not sure 118/3 is big trouble

It's huge trouble when you've lost your best, set batsmen and don't have a lot in reserve.

Yeah wouldn't call it big trouble, but it's a slow 118-3 and with two new batsman it will set them back.

280 feels a long way away for them, 250 might be possible if they get a partnership now.

robbo277 wrote:Plunkett has been much better since his return for his second spell, hitting a much better length.

Change of ends too has helped him.

robbo277 wrote:Yeah wouldn't call it big trouble, but it's a slow 118-3 and with two new batsman it will set them back.

280 feels a long way away for them, 250 might be possible if they get a partnership now.

250 is about the upper limit of what you would expect from here. Highly reliant on Taylor to deliver a half-century.

NZ still has scope to make a competitive 260. But it will require at least one player to score a rapid fifty plus. Right now England are applying the stranglehold rather well.

Stokes now. Under bowled generally in this WC , I think. Guess they don't want to wear him out . But he can be either dangerous or expensive...

9 runs behind par and 1 wicket too many at 30 overs NZ

Be nice for Rashid to pick up a wicket here, but if he goes for fewer than Santner then we'd have to call that a victory in the final totting up.

Stokes on for the 31st over. 126-3.

No boundary for 11 overs is the call from the commentary box, so that's the whole 20-30 over period.

Stokes has Latham playing and missing. Must keep looking for wickets.

Woah Middle Overs, middle middle middle overs Liam Plunk

Still very open though. These two consolidating ; only three down so a late charge remains possible.
They aren't getting 300 : but even 250 could give us all some anxiety in the chase.

England appear to be happy enough to just keep it quiet at the moment. Time will tell if that is the right call.

Ah...now Wood back ...and strikes immediately ! Taylor gone...

As much as I am enjoying this match, I cant help but feel completely annoyed that Dharmasena gets to umpire in this final. Against Australia a clear swing and a miss (no sound at all) from Roy and he gives him out. Today a clear, audible, edge and he gives not out. This is just two examples of his poor umpiring and I feel that there should be an investigation into him as I cannot believe that he can be that incompetent as an umpire.
The players also do not seem to have any confidence in his officiating either.

Rasmus, on the other hand, is the consummate professional who makes the correct calls and has the utmost respect of the players.

Taylor gone now. New Zealand in a very big hole now and 250 seems a long way away.

Another big wicket as NZ's last proper batsman departs. Wood lands it on the money first up. Looked high on first viewing, admittedly.

It really is coming home.

With Taylor gone, that has to be it for New Zealand. With Santner slated to come in at 8, they do have a bit of batting left, but not much in terms of quality, and with some 17 overs left, this is going to be a real test for the lower middle order. Neesham and CDH can thump a few, but sticking around is not their strength. Latham is in terrible form throughout the tournament and hasn't looked great here either.

I stand corrected, Rasmus makes an incorrect call.

Duty281 wrote:Another big wicket as NZ's last proper batsman departs. Wood lands it on the money first up. Looked high on first viewing, admittedly.

It really is coming home.

Was high. NZ regrets having burned the early review. Erasmus thought long...still got it wrong. Lucky England with that one...

Erasmus really fluffed up that Taylor LBW call. The ball was clearly missing!

So the World Cup final already marred by pathetic umpiring. Dharmasena made a couple of bad calls and Erasmus one. The 2 Dharmasena calls were at least reversed as technology was there, but the Erasmus one went not getting corrected. We are not even done with the first innings!

Wood comes back from the other end and gets a wicket maiden.

As pointed out Plunkett looked better from the other end, did Morgan get it wrong first up?

Regardless, we're in a good position now. Every time NZ think about accelerating we drag them back with a wicket.

What will NZ be thinking from here? 250 still? Need someone to bat through for 50+ from here and yes off from the other end.

Taylor unlucky. Looked high, was high. Don't waste your review - as England found out.

Taylor wicket could end up being very crucial. He was the only remaining batsmen who could have stuck around and then could possibly provide his side with a late charge at the end.

I really do hope that New Zealand post a competitive score. I really like New Zealanders (with the exception of a few of their rugby fans) and I would hate to see them pummelled.

Starting to lash out now though...

alfie wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Another big wicket as NZ's last proper batsman departs. Wood lands it on the money first up. Looked high on first viewing, admittedly.

It really is coming home.

Was high.  NZ regrets having burned the early review.  Erasmus thought long...still got it wrong.  Lucky England with that one...

Very lucky and very surprised it was given, especially seeing as how the umpires are surely aware of the slope and bounce on this wicket.

Still, you should keep your reviews for howlers, not for punts, like Guptill did.

Each time NZ has inched towards a par.....eng has pulled them back with a wicket.

Well, Neesham may not be looking to stick around long, he may want to score the most before they get him. Not a bad approach considering his defensive technique and hitting abilities.

Duty281 wrote:

alfie wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Another big wicket as NZ's last proper batsman departs. Wood lands it on the money first up. Looked high on first viewing, admittedly.

It really is coming home.

Was high.  NZ regrets having burned the early review.  Erasmus thought long...still got it wrong.  Lucky England with that one...

Very lucky and very surprised it was given, especially seeing as how the umpires are surely aware of the slope and bounce on this wicket.

Still, you should keep your reviews for howlers, not for punts, like Guptill did.

As we saw with England the other day...

I think the fact that you no longer lose your review for "umpires call" has influenced batsmen to contest lbw more often. The non striker isn't in quite as good a position as the umpire and so tends to tell his mate to give it a try...sometimes it's clearer than they think !

Surprised they've gone for Plunkett over Archer. Plunkett has bowled better but they've still got 5 overs of Archer left.

180-4 at 40 is what NZ aught to aim for..

KP_fan wrote:180-4 at 40 is what NZ aught to aim for..

Achievable and could also see them get up to 250 although I still think 250 is just too far away for them given the batting depth they have left.

NZ don't strike me as an 100 in the last 10 team, so they'll need to start pushing a bit now.

Latham is looking good here. Well. A lovely drive for 4 followed by a play and a miss. Another wicket before 40 would be huge for England, slow them down again.

eirebilly wrote:

KP_fan wrote:180-4 at 40 is what NZ aught to aim for..

Achievable and could also see them get up to 250 although I still think 250 is just too far away for them given the batting depth they have left.

NZ could be bowled outf for 220 still and could go on to get 270 also

game on knife edge and every over crucial
Every one of NZ 6 batters has gone into double digits

With Stokes and Rashid bowling 11 between them, Morgan only needs to go with his frontline 4 from now if he wants.

Neesham has played some big wafts but is only 15 from 23.

robbo277 wrote:Surprised they've gone for Plunkett over Archer. Plunkett has bowled better but they've still got 5 overs of Archer left.

Not sure Archer is necessarily the best fit for Lord's . He will doubtless bowl his overs anyway , at the end ; but
Plunkett may well be the more likely wicket taker at this stage.

And he duly obliges

Plunkett again and Neesham falls into the trap.

Yep, 250 a long way from here for New Zealand.

Surely a cruise for England here. Top end 250 for New Zealand youd think, it's hard to see that as defendable when they lack real quality beyond the front 3 bowlers.

A mistake duly arrives. Plunkett has very attractive figures for a World Cup Final! This game and the trophy is in England's grasp.

This 4-man seam attack is really perfectly balanced