2019 "World" Cup Shamblefier - Scotland robbed again, no Associates at World Cup for first time ever

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A few interesting results. Afghanistan were a completely different team after the break and got a respectable 9/163, and the West Indies crumbled to 110 all out, with Rashid barely lifting a finger, no less. Scotland and the Netherlands cruised to victory against PNG and HK respectively, and Nepal chased down 172 in a 30 over match against familiar opponents.
 

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The Speaker said:
having said that, they're still doing better than the windies (6/88), relative to their opponent
Click to expand...

Wow

I really have mixed feelings about that. Great to see an associate putting WI under pressure, but I also worry about WI's future.
 

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Windies bowl out the UAE for 83. For all the weakness of the batting, their bowling line-up is nothing to sneeze at. Looks like Cottrell is injured though.

Zimbabwe chased down PNG's 195 very easily, Masakadza and Taylor both retired after getting 50s.

Excellent batting from George Minsey and Michael Leask to rescue Scotland from 6/60 to all out for 239. Ireland don't look like chasing it down, but Balbirnie is batting well.

Also a good recovery from Afghanistan, with Rashid going berserk in the last few overs to get them to 216. Currently delayed by rain, but the Dutch have looked comfortable batting so far. Mujeeb hasn't troubled them.

HK vs Nepal abandoned.

ioppolo said:
Would they get it if they made it through?
Click to expand...

Yes, but only after the World Cup. Netherlands are already guaranteed it because they won the WCL Championship, but they're not allowed it officially until after the World Cup.
 
The Speaker said:
Windies bowl out the UAE for 83. For all the weakness of the batting, their bowling line-up is nothing to sneeze at. Looks like Cottrell is injured though.

Zimbabwe chased down PNG's 195 very easily, Masakadza and Taylor both retired after getting 50s.

Excellent batting from George Minsey and Michael Leask to rescue Scotland from 6/60 to all out for 239. Ireland don't look like chasing it down, but Balbirnie is batting well.

Also a good recovery from Afghanistan, with Rashid going berserk in the last few overs to get them to 216. Currently delayed by rain, but the Dutch have looked comfortable batting so far. Mujeeb hasn't troubled them.

HK vs Nepal abandoned.



Yes, but only after the World Cup. Netherlands are already guaranteed it because they won the WCL Championship, but they're not allowed it officially until after the World Cup.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure they get ODI status immediately after the qualifier as stated here http://www.espn.com.au/cricket/stor...ule-no-change-odi-status-world-cup-qualifiers

I also remember reading it elsewhere. You would never have a world cup where all matches aren't ODIs
 
Alright, time to pen my thoughts on the likely outcomes (just for you, Kyptastic).

Firstly, like I said before, the pitches and conditions are going to be similar to WCL Div 2. There will be no reserve days either, which, if it keeps raining, could end up in disaster for someone. The West Indies have no experience with a tournament like this, Zimbabwe have very little. Afghanistan and Ireland have been out of them for a while, but still have experience with them. The rest are all very familiar with the pressure.

The predicted finishes shouldn't be taken too seriously. If anything, they're an indication of the general position a team may finish in, rather than a specific one.

Afghanistan
World ranking: 11th
One of the favourites to get through, but it doesn't look like smooth sailing. For all their comfort in places like Sharjah, where they just beat Zimbabwe 4-1, their batting line-up is still brittle on bowler-friendly pitches, as the warm-up games have suggested. Their batting line-up does run deeper than it used to, but with a young top order (and a captain who, should he return, offers little with the bat) they may decide to shore it up with Shenwari, one of their few batsmen who knows how to play to the tempo of a match. Upon their entry into the top flight a few years ago, their bowling was predominantly a pace attack, with spinners often being only all-rounders, especially in limited overs matches. Today it's very much the opposite, being now rather thin on pace but stocked with good spinners, including world no. 1 Rashid, though they have taken a gamble by picking Mujeeb ahead of Hamza. A couple of teams will probably not be bothered by this, but the rest will fall to pieces. On talent alone, Afghanistan should make the final - but it's all about how well they handle the conditions.
Predicted finish: 1st

Hong Kong
World ranking: 15th
This may be a tough tournament for the Honkers. They're not a bad side by any means, but the loss of Mark Chapman (NZ) and James Atkinson (teaching) leaves their batting heavily dependent on Babar Hayat and Anshy Rath. Their bowling is also not especially noteworthy, being spearedheaded by Tanwir Afzal and reliant on Nadeem Ahmed to work his magic in the middle overs. The good news for them is that their group is the weaker of the two, so if they have a good day they can cause some upsets, because their team tends to be greater than the sum of its parts. But they shouldn't be expecting to make the Sixes.
Predicted finish: 8th

Ireland
World ranking: 12th
Eight members of Ireland's 2011 World Cup squad are playing here, and they're all first XI players. What that suggest about Ireland's next few years is a subject for another time, but what it does mean is that we shouldn't expect anything out of the ordinary from the team this time around. They'll play well, beat most of the competition, and be in contention for the final. Their question marks are the same as ever: a thin middle order, a lack of depth in the playing XI for change bowlers, and few wicket-taking spin options. These are balanced out by the usual positives: a strong top order and a good pace attack with variation. It won't be a terrible surprise if they get a qualifying position, but it'll be even less of one if they just miss out.
Predicted finish: 3rd

Nepal
World ranking: 18th
The fairytale story of WCL Div 2 has a chance to become a true epic...but that chance is minute. Indeed, even getting ODI status would be an enormous boon for Nepal, given that even last month few gave them a chance of getting to this tournament, for one simple reason: their batting is fragile. Very fragile. They managed to repair that fragility to win nail-biters instead of losing them at Div 2, but it's a different story facing Afghanistan to facing Kenya. The change in their fortunes came about thanks to some young blood coming into the middle order, allowing Paras Khadka to do his thing, and even letting Malla and Vesawkar have unremarkable tournaments. It seems unlikely that their middle order will do quite so well this time around. Furthermore, batsmen will be keeping an eye of Lamichhane and, although they're up to their eyeballs in spin options, they can only pick so many in the playing XI.
Predicted finish: 10th

Netherlands
World ranking: 13th
The last WCQ brought about four years in the wilderness for the Dutch. This time, they're determined to right that wrong, and they're more than capable of doing so. They're without two notable players in Michael Rippon and Stephan Myburgh, but I don't think this damages their chances too much. Rippon has been their main spin bowler for the last few years, as well as a useful batsman, but the addition of Roelof van der Merwe is, while not quite a like-for-like, certainly an adequate one. Indeed, their middle order of ten Doeschate, van der Merwe and Borren is formidable, though slightly on the old side. Their batting tails off fairly rapidly, but they will be hoping to not have to rely on their tailenders. Their pace attack is young but fearsome, with van der Gugten the veteran at 27. Seelaar is returning to his old position of main spin bowler, which suggests that the Dutch may be light on for spin - something that may cost them at some point.
Predicted finish: 2nd

Papua New Guinea
World ranking: 16th
Morea, Siaka, Vala. If PNG is going to finish high enough to keep their ODI status, those are the three batsmen that will do it for them. PNG is a workmanlike team, which has served them well enough in the WCL Championship, as they've been able to get the job done often enough to not have to slug it out in WCL Div 2. But here, it may not be enough. Their bowling attack is probably the weakest of all the sides here, lacking any significant wicket-takers, but they do tend to keep totals down to something chaseable. Their strategy will probably revolve around doing exactly that, but if their big three fail to fire, they won't be doing much winning.
Predicted finish: 9th

Scotland
World ranking: 14th
At the 2015 World Cup, Scotland's chances of winning a match boiled down to whether Josh Davey could take enough wickets to keep the opposition to either a chaseable total or below the total they were chasing. He did take the most wickets in the group stage, but it wasn't enough to get Scotland their first World Cup win. He's not here (for unknown reasons), and Scotland haven't replaced him with another wicket-taker. Their side is noticeably on the younger side, which suggests they're using this as prep for the future more than thinking they have a real chance of getting to the final. Their batting is deep and fairly potent, and they have plenty of all-round options to choose from. If they had just one or two wicket-takers, they would be a real chance of getting to the final. As it is, they'll have to rely on some big batting performances.
Predicted finish: 6th

United Arab Emirates
World ranking: 17th
A lot can change in two years. At the beginning of the WCL Championship, the UAE were awful and didn't look even remotely deserving of the World Cup spot they had nabbed in 2015. This, in turn, resulted in them dropping down to WCL Div 2 despite a strong late run. Although they very nearly missed out, they squeaked through to victory in that tournament, and they could absolutely pull of an upset here. They have a solid batting line-up, no longer dependent on Shaiman Anwar, and an equally solid spin trio in Raza, Qaider and Mustafa. In a group stage that is pace-heavy, that could cause their opponents some challenges. However, they're still one of the lesser sides in the competition, who very nearly finished 4th in WCL 2 behind Canada and Namibia. They can pull off a few wins, but they won't be challenging for the final.
Predicted finish: 7th

West Indies
World ranking: 9th
Who would have thought that the former world champions would be reduced to this? To be honest, looking at the state of their team, it's not that surprising. They may be T20 champions and rebuilding at Test level, but their OD squad leaves much to be desired - though only in one department. Their bowling line-up is probably the best here, with a good mix of pace bowlers (including some genuinely fast guys, a rarity in most teams) and two good spinners. But their batting is thin. Really thin. Gayle and Samuels are past their peak, and the rest of the batting is unimpressive, with their real Hope (Shai) forced to don the gloves. Warm-up matches are generally a good indication of what's to come in the real matches, and not one of their batsmen fired in them. Perhaps, if they have their backs to the wall and the world against them, they'll pull something out of nowhere. But they can't afford to wait too long in this format, because if they do, the final will already be out of reach.
Predicted finish: 5th

Zimbabwe
World ranking: 10th
The addition of Williams and Zhuwao technically shouldn't change anything, especially given Williams hasn't played for a while. But, somehow, it does. Both will probably play from the first match, which adds just enough heft to their batting (and with Williams, spin bowling) to give them a chance. They're at home too, which in theory helps them out, but in practice the conditions they'll be playing in are unlike what they would normally be using at international level. Their pace attack has some big names back in Jarvis and Vitori, but it's very much an up-and-down group, and unlikely to rip through any line-up. Their batting is good, but lacks any actual openers, which is why the addition of Zhuwao may be good for Masakadza, who can come in at three and allow all those below him some room to move. Their spin bowling will be crucial to their chances, led by captain Cremer and assisted by all-rounders Raza and Williams. If their batting, which has been in poor form, can fire, they have a real shot. But they'll need to be ready from the get-go.
Predicted finish: 4th
 
Outstanding preview The Speaker !! You should submit that to the Roar.

I agree with you that the Windows are no certainty to make it. I’d say any of the Windies, Zim, Ireland or the Dutch wouldn’t be a shock to take the second spot behind the Afghans, who, IMO, are the closest to a sure thing out of the teams participating.
 
The Speaker said:
Alright, time to pen my thoughts on the likely outcomes (just for you, Kyptastic).

Firstly, like I said before, the pitches and conditions are going to be similar to WCL Div 2. There will be no reserve days either, which, if it keeps raining, could end up in disaster for someone. The West Indies have no experience with a tournament like this, Zimbabwe have very little. Afghanistan and Ireland have been out of them for a while, but still have experience with them. The rest are all very familiar with the pressure.

The predicted finishes shouldn't be taken too seriously. If anything, they're an indication of the general position a team may finish in, rather than a specific one.

Afghanistan
World ranking: 11th
One of the favourites to get through, but it doesn't look like smooth sailing. For all their comfort in places like Sharjah, where they just beat Zimbabwe 4-1, their batting line-up is still brittle on bowler-friendly pitches, as the warm-up games have suggested. Their batting line-up does run deeper than it used to, but with a young top order (and a captain who, should he return, offers little with the bat) they may decide to shore it up with Shenwari, one of their few batsmen who knows how to play to the tempo of a match. Upon their entry into the top flight a few years ago, their bowling was predominantly a pace attack, with spinners often being only all-rounders, especially in limited overs matches. Today it's very much the opposite, being now rather thin on pace but stocked with good spinners, including world no. 1 Rashid, though they have taken a gamble by picking Mujeeb ahead of Hamza. A couple of teams will probably not be bothered by this, but the rest will fall to pieces. On talent alone, Afghanistan should make the final - but it's all about how well they handle the conditions.
Predicted finish: 1st

Hong Kong
World ranking: 15th
This may be a tough tournament for the Honkers. They're not a bad side by any means, but the loss of Mark Chapman (NZ) and James Atkinson (teaching) leaves their batting heavily dependent on Babar Hayat and Anshy Rath. Their bowling is also not especially noteworthy, being spearedheaded by Tanwir Afzal and reliant on Nadeem Ahmed to work his magic in the middle overs. The good news for them is that their group is the weaker of the two, so if they have a good day they can cause some upsets, because their team tends to be greater than the sum of its parts. But they shouldn't be expecting to make the Sixes.
Predicted finish: 8th

Ireland
World ranking: 12th
Eight members of Ireland's 2011 World Cup squad are playing here, and they're all first XI players. What that suggest about Ireland's next few years is a subject for another time, but what it does mean is that we shouldn't expect anything out of the ordinary from the team this time around. They'll play well, beat most of the competition, and be in contention for the final. Their question marks are the same as ever: a thin middle order, a lack of depth in the playing XI for change bowlers, and few wicket-taking spin options. These are balanced out by the usual positives: a strong top order and a good pace attack with variation. It won't be a terrible surprise if they get a qualifying position, but it'll be even less of one if they just miss out.
Predicted finish: 3rd

Nepal
World ranking: 18th
The fairytale story of WCL Div 2 has a chance to become a true epic...but that chance is minute. Indeed, even getting ODI status would be an enormous boon for Nepal, given that even last month few gave them a chance of getting to this tournament, for one simple reason: their batting is fragile. Very fragile. They managed to repair that fragility to win nail-biters instead of losing them at Div 2, but it's a different story facing Afghanistan to facing Kenya. The change in their fortunes came about thanks to some young blood coming into the middle order, allowing Paras Khadka to do his thing, and even letting Malla and Vesawkar have unremarkable tournaments. It seems unlikely that their middle order will do quite so well this time around. Furthermore, batsmen will be keeping an eye of Lamichhane and, although they're up to their eyeballs in spin options, they can only pick so many in the playing XI.
Predicted finish: 10th

Netherlands
World ranking: 13th
The last WCQ brought about four years in the wilderness for the Dutch. This time, they're determined to right that wrong, and they're more than capable of doing so. They're without two notable players in Michael Rippon and Stephan Myburgh, but I don't think this damages their chances too much. Rippon has been their main spin bowler for the last few years, as well as a useful batsman, but the addition of Roelof van der Merwe is, while not quite a like-for-like, certainly an adequate one. Indeed, their middle order of ten Doeschate, van der Merwe and Borren is formidable, though slightly on the old side. Their batting tails off fairly rapidly, but they will be hoping to not have to rely on their tailenders. Their pace attack is young but fearsome, with van der Gugten the veteran at 27. Seelaar is returning to his old position of main spin bowler, which suggests that the Dutch may be light on for spin - something that may cost them at some point.
Predicted finish: 2nd

Papua New Guinea
World ranking: 16th
Morea, Siaka, Vala. If PNG is going to finish high enough to keep their ODI status, those are the three batsmen that will do it for them. PNG is a workmanlike team, which has served them well enough in the WCL Championship, as they've been able to get the job done often enough to not have to slug it out in WCL Div 2. But here, it may not be enough. Their bowling attack is probably the weakest of all the sides here, lacking any significant wicket-takers, but they do tend to keep totals down to something chaseable. Their strategy will probably revolve around doing exactly that, but if their big three fail to fire, they won't be doing much winning.
Predicted finish: 9th

Scotland
World ranking: 14th
At the 2015 World Cup, Scotland's chances of winning a match boiled down to whether Josh Davey could take enough wickets to keep the opposition to either a chaseable total or below the total they were chasing. He did take the most wickets in the group stage, but it wasn't enough to get Scotland their first World Cup win. He's not here (for unknown reasons), and Scotland haven't replaced him with another wicket-taker. Their side is noticeably on the younger side, which suggests they're using this as prep for the future more than thinking they have a real chance of getting to the final. Their batting is deep and fairly potent, and they have plenty of all-round options to choose from. If they had just one or two wicket-takers, they would be a real chance of getting to the final. As it is, they'll have to rely on some big batting performances.
Predicted finish: 6th

United Arab Emirates
World ranking: 17th
A lot can change in two years. At the beginning of the WCL Championship, the UAE were awful and didn't look even remotely deserving of the World Cup spot they had nabbed in 2015. This, in turn, resulted in them dropping down to WCL Div 2 despite a strong late run. Although they very nearly missed out, they squeaked through to victory in that tournament, and they could absolutely pull of an upset here. They have a solid batting line-up, no longer dependent on Shaiman Anwar, and an equally solid spin trio in Raza, Qaider and Mustafa. In a group stage that is pace-heavy, that could cause their opponents some challenges. However, they're still one of the lesser sides in the competition, who very nearly finished 4th in WCL 2 behind Canada and Namibia. They can pull off a few wins, but they won't be challenging for the final.
Predicted finish: 7th

West Indies
World ranking: 9th
Who would have thought that the former world champions would be reduced to this? To be honest, looking at the state of their team, it's not that surprising. They may be T20 champions and rebuilding at Test level, but their OD squad leaves much to be desired - though only in one department. Their bowling line-up is probably the best here, with a good mix of pace bowlers (including some genuinely fast guys, a rarity in most teams) and two good spinners. But their batting is thin. Really thin. Gayle and Samuels are past their peak, and the rest of the batting is unimpressive, with their real Hope (Shai) forced to don the gloves. Warm-up matches are generally a good indication of what's to come in the real matches, and not one of their batsmen fired in them. Perhaps, if they have their backs to the wall and the world against them, they'll pull something out of nowhere. But they can't afford to wait too long in this format, because if they do, the final will already be out of reach.
Predicted finish: 5th

Zimbabwe
World ranking: 10th
The addition of Williams and Zhuwao technically shouldn't change anything, especially given Williams hasn't played for a while. But, somehow, it does. Both will probably play from the first match, which adds just enough heft to their batting (and with Williams, spin bowling) to give them a chance. They're at home too, which in theory helps them out, but in practice the conditions they'll be playing in are unlike what they would normally be using at international level. Their pace attack has some big names back in Jarvis and Vitori, but it's very much an up-and-down group, and unlikely to rip through any line-up. Their batting is good, but lacks any actual openers, which is why the addition of Zhuwao may be good for Masakadza, who can come in at three and allow all those below him some room to move. Their spin bowling will be crucial to their chances, led by captain Cremer and assisted by all-rounders Raza and Williams. If their batting, which has been in poor form, can fire, they have a real shot. But they'll need to be ready from the get-go.
Predicted finish: 4th
Click to expand...
Great preview. I'm going with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. I like the look of the Zimbabwe's team and Afghanistan should be a lock. I really think it's for the good of Cricket that the Windies don't qualify and can't see them doing much at the actual tournament hopefully things will change if they don't make it. I can't see Ireland making it and i'm a bit worried about their future outside a few players. I can see the Netherlands finishing above them. My prediction is:

1.Afghanistan
2.Zimbabwe
3.Windies
4.Netherlands
5.Ireland
6.Scotland
7.Hong Kong
8.PNG
9.UAE
10.Nepal
 

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2019 "World" Cup Shamblefier - Scotland robbed again, no Associates at World Cup for first time ever

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