ICC Cricket World Cup Group Stage Open thread (Non Australian games)

[beez]

Pathetic from Pakistan, fingers crossed Canada get up.

 

[XFactor1979]

This Canadian team will be more remembered just like these guys here:

Known to inhabit ->

and not actually:

and unfortunately nobody knows who these guys are->

 

[XFactor1979]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/503927.html

^ Unless Canada get up over Pakistan tonight

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

Waqar Younis might want to take out a life insurance policy before this game ends.

 

[stmookeyj]

The Canadians don't need heroics, just pick off 4 an over, leave the decent balls and cruise.

 

[stmookeyj]

2/16 now, they won't get within 100 at this rate. All they need to do is use their brains and play smart cricket.

 

[Jimpson]

Terrible, terrible umpiring

 

[P.A.F.C]

Gee these Canadians are a bit slow, eh?

 

[stmookeyj]

Still no ned for panic yet. Go at this rate until about 35 overs, then with wickets in hand go for it at just after the ball change.

 

[XFactor1979]

Gee these Canadians are a bit slow, eh?

And the Quebecois would say:

"Mon oeuil!"

"Pourquoi faut moque notre l'equipe de cricket?"

"Sapristi!"

 

[Notorious_29]

After going to be to miss the Indian - England tie, and the Irish win, I'm staying up tonight, to make sure I don't miss another epic. As long as Hansra is still there they are a chance, only need another 74 runs.

As I speak Afridi gets Cheema, hoping this goes down to the wire.

 

[XFactor1979]

This is not going too great for the Canadiens

Although sometimes a game which is a low scoring thriller can be equally entertaining than these cliched inflated run chases

 

[XFactor1979]

Challenges remaining- Canada 2 - 2 successful, 0 unsuccessful
Pakistan 1 3 successful 1 unsuccessful

^

 

[Notorious_29]

Afridi picks up his 5th wicket, and it seems all but over now.

 

[TheBrownlowMan37]

****ing Afridi ruining what would have been a giant upset.

 

[Notorious_29]

14 wickets @ 5.14 for Afridi now for the tournament. Quite easily leading the wickets leader board.

 

[Crickfan]

Dont see much hope for the Candadians now -- Afridi's finished them.

Pity really -- back to back giant upsets would have highlighted ICC's shortsightedness of denying minnows exposure of playing against better opposition. Also would have raised questions abt next WC format.

 

[krisholio14]

183 was always going to be enough against Canada. Their batting is terrible, and the Paki's have been bowling well of late.

 

[Donners]

Can't believe Afridi is only 31; he seems to have been around forever!

 

[rickyp]

Can't believe Afridi is only 31; he seems to have been around forever!

31 based on Pakistan records, more likely closer to 40 than 30

 

[Joe Mama]

Dont see much hope for the Candadians now -- Afridi's finished them.

Pity really -- back to back giant upsets would have highlighted ICC's shortsightedness of denying minnows exposure of playing against better opposition. Also would have raised questions abt next WC format.

I agree 100 % (especially after Ireland's win against England & the first up game against England by the Dutch), the only reason why the ICC wants to do this is because of Indian Television stations demanded a smaller tournament, where India would be there for most of it (I know that India bankrolls the sport, but they seem to be myopic in their thinking).

As Peter Roebuck wrote in the Age today, the Dutch are missing 4 of their best bowlers (Dirk Nannes being one of them), take the best 4 bowlers out of any side and they will struggle, and although Kenya have struggled (they're in a rebuilding stage compared to 2003), and apart from last night, Canada has as well, but who cares ?, they are worth persevering with. And they'll only get better by playing better teams on a regular basis.

Also Cricinfo have really got stuck into the ICC about this as well, saying how wrong this is, so it isn't just Roebuck taking them to task here.

That's what Zimbabwe are doing now to get back into Test Cricket (playing New Zealand & Bangladesh in tests and hosting A tours from Australia & South Africa), and that's what the sport should be doing for the Associate Nations, have our A team or Under 21's or 23's tour these countries regularly.

Did we want to axe Sri Lanka from playing in the World Cup after they struggled in the 70's & 80's ?. No, cricket stuck with it and now they are one of the favourites. (Bangladesh after similar problems have also turned the corner, and are starting to play well).

Reducing the World Cup to 10 is one of the most short sighted decision that cricket (well Indian Television and the BCCI) has ever made, because cricket needs to look outward, and not recede into the 10 team click.

 

[Joe Mama]

My idea for the World Cup (If we did have a 10 team tournament, which I don't support) would be having the top 8 teams in the ODI rankings automatically qualify and have the teams ranked 9-14 play off in a qualification tournament (where they play each other once) where the top 2 go through to the World Cup (similar to how they did it in 1979 when Sri Lanka & Canada qualified).

Of course for a 12 team tournament (which I believe is the right number, the same as what they had in 1996 & 1999), it could be a top 10 teams, then the top 2 qualifiers in a round robin tournament of teams ranked 11-16.

Or they can just leave it as it is, and not worry about it.

 

[XFactor1979]

The tournament can progress a lot faster with more games each day

Ie football's world cup has 4 games a day to fast forward things!

and for game 3 of the group stage, games are played at the same time to avoid collusion

Of course the money-hungry BCCI wouldnt want that, they'd be missing out on some valuable advertising $$$ earned from a frivolous game between the netherlands and ireland

 

[Kahuna]

This could get ugly for the Zimbos, hopefully Vettori can get amongst the wickets but he doesn't look too healthy in the field at the moment.

 

[XFactor1979]

Almost time for a new thread... it didnt take long to finish this thread after all! With a game tonight between two test nations we'll be finished with 1000 posts

Edit - Ugly, dog day afternoon for Zimbabwe this afternoon against New Zealand, Zimbabwe just could not get any control into their innings