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Bunch of choking bottlers
By Will last year, mid-September, 8 Comments »
South Africa really are a most monumental, unabashed, incomparable Eddie[1] of winning bottlers ever conceived. You have to laugh, really. I’m assuming they’ve lost, having only just been informed by a surprisingly demure text message which read: the boks have done it again.
Bless ‘em.
[1] My suggestion for the collective noun of losers: an Eddie (the Eagle) of losers
8 Comments »I must be getting old
By Scott last year, mid-September, 3 Comments »
I remember back in the day when going at 5 runs an over was a fair rate of knots. In this brave new world of Twenty-20, even 10 an over isn’t always enough, as the West Indies found out this morning. Pity Chris Gayle, who scored the first ever International century in this form of the game, 117 off 57, and still ended up on the losing side.
A hell of a way to make a living, being a bowler in this day and age.
3 Comments »Here’s hoping South Africa can put on a decent show
By Scott last year, mid-September, 7 Comments »
We are two days out from a ‘brave new world’, with the Twenty20 World Cup about to start in South Africa. I must confess to having mixed feelings, at best, about this form of the game. It certainly can be entertaining, but it is a form of cricket that seems to be fundamentally slanted in favour of the batsmen, leading to ’slogathons’, rather than an even contest between bat and ball.
But my own preferences are neither here nor there. It seems to me that for the sake of cricket generally, this tournament needs to be successful. 2007 so far has not been a cricketing year to get enthused about; there has been very little Test cricket so far, and the 50 over World Cup was such a let down that it damaged rather then enhanced the game. The English summer failed to reach memorable heights either, with jelly beans rather then batting or bowling providing the most talked about incident.
So it is incumbent on South Africa to put on a good show to boost the morale of cricket lovers. Having the tournament being won by a rank outsider, rather then Australia, would also help this cause. But at the very least, happy cricketers playing exciting cricket in front of large crowds is certainly a step in the right direction. The good news on that score is that the South African authorities seem to have taken on board the lessons to be learned from the West Indies tournament.
7 Comments »Twenty20 Champions League
By Scott last year, at the start of September, 1 Comment »
Momentum is gathering for an international Twenty20 Champions League to take place involving teams from India, Australia, England and South Africa. This could be an interesting way to expand the game and also it would provide much needed financial stimulus to first-class teams, although there might be pressure on to include privately owned franchises as well.
I personally don’t care that much for the ultra-short version of the game, but as something that keeps the game in the public eye it can’t be a bad thing. What could be a bad thing is the conflict between first class teams and international boards over the availability of International players.
The joker in the pack is the Indian Cricket League. We live in interesting times!
1 Comment »Three lions of South Africa
By Will last year, mid-July, 2 Comments »
First there was Kevin Pietersen. Then a growing army of South Africans, fed up with their lot (and what a lot…), joined him over here as part of a growing band of Kolpakians. Allan Donald was soon poached - and now Jonty Rhodes is next. What ever is going on in South African cricket?
I think it’s great having Donald and Rhodes over here. I don’t believe a foreign coach is necessarily a bad thing, but you do have to wonder how and why South Africa are unable to employ such high-profile former players.
“As with the rest of the support team we want the right person to do that job,” said England coach Peter Moores. “When we’ve got the right bloke we can look to bring him in and see how he goes. We have seen that in other specialist positions for coaches.
“We are talking about people who could make a genuine difference to international performances - and they don’t always grow on trees. If we get a fielding coach we want him to influence fielding in England not just at England level.”
From Cricinfo.
2 Comments »Thanks for coming
By Ian last year, at the end of April, 18 Comments »
Gadzooks - yet another one sided match. And in a tourney of one sided matches, this was about the most imbalanced. “They’ll choke,” said the Aussies on the boat this morning after a choppy overnight crossing from Musquite, and choke they did. All the confidence the Boks showed in Barbados against the English had evaporated. What they could have given for the captain’s performance that Jayawardene provided yesterday!
And so on to Barbados for the final. All we want is a proper game of cricket. Can the plucky Sri Lankans test the Aussies? So far they have lost no more than six wickets and they’ve bowled out every opposition - it would be harsh if they are not recoronated world champions. But all the more delicious for all that! That said, it would be wonderful to see Adam Gilchrist score some runs in the final. So far he was scored two runs in the two innings I’ve seen.
Before we get stuck into a few sundowners on St Lucia, here’s a team we’ve put together entitled ‘Thanks for coming’. It’s a team that at the start of the tournament could have been the stars, but they have flattered to deceive. No doubt, we have missed out the odd loser or two.
1. Michael Vaughan 2. Chris Gayle 3. Sachin Tendulkar 4. Ross Taylor 5. Inzi 6. Michael Hussey 7. MS Dhoni 8. Shaun Pollock 9. Shahid Afridi 10. Saj Mahmood 11. Makhaya Ntini
Ian Valentine is a freelance journalist blogging the World Cup for The Corridor
18 Comments »Live chat: Australia v South Africa, 2nd semi-final, St Lucia
By Emma last year, at the end of April, 79 Comments »
So much for essay writing, this is going to be far more interesting. The two, of course, haven’t played since the group stages, and Australia still haven’t lost a game. Will this be the one? South Africa have won the toss, and elected to bat.
Catch Will, and the scorecard, over here. In the meantime, chat away!
79 Comments »Live chat: England v South Africa, Super Eights, Barbados
By Will last year, mid-April, 11 Comments »
I can’t believe it’s come to this. South Africa were the No. 1 ranked team in the world a fortnight ago, mixing brilliance and audacity with complacency and bottling. England really could make the last four, like it or lump it. Do they deserve to be there? Do they heck. But it would shake things up and give them genuine belief they can make the final.
With Pietersen facing the country of his birth, today’s match ought to be a real firecracker. Check the scorecard and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
11 Comments »Waiting for Tuesday
By Ian last year, mid-April, 10 Comments »
Morning. I’m writing this from the boat in Barbados just a few moments before the start of the Aussie-Sri Lanka contest, a possible dress rehearsal for the final.
Word among the Australians here is that their team will carry on steam rolling the opposition, as long as Hayden and Gilchrist continue to boss the opening exchanges. There is also a train of thought though that a Sri Lankan win might be just what the Aussies need to guard against complacency, probably their greatest threat to another WC win. So, perversely perhaps, if the Aussies do win today, here’s hoping they win at a canter.
We arrived on Saturday to the good news that Craig McMillan’s all round heroics had sunk the South Africans. Just what was needed to make tomorrow’s clash a belter. Despite a string of average performances, I can’t see anything other than an England win and I’ll repeat my prediction of a Strauss ton. The locals are rooting for us too, as are the Aussies on the boat, albeit for different reasons. Out of the remaining teams in the tournament, the Boks are the only one who still give them the willies. This baggage dates back to the 438 run chase and an insecurity that no total is too big if Herschelle Gibbs is in the mood.
Finally, just a quick word on Barbados. It’s just beautiful. While the Windies have failed to deliver on the pitch, the benefits to the island are plain to see with widespread infrastructure development including new roads, houses and businesses. Whether this is true for the rest of the Caribbean, I can’t be sure, but even in the four years when I last visited Barbados, the improvements are all too obvious. I can also report that the medical services here are excellent after one of our party fell off the aft deck and sliced his finger by gripping too hard on his punch glass. No doubt a common injury in these parts. And apart from a close shave with a Japanese catamaran, it has been a case of lie back, relax and wait for Tuesday.
Ian Valentine is a freelance journalist, blogging his diary of the World Cup for The Corridor
10 Comments »It all comes down to Tuesday
By Will last year, mid-April, 5 Comments »
So New Zealand are through to the semi-finals. Rajesh has written a really useful piece on who might take the final semi-final spot, and how England’s win (or loss) impacts on the other contenders.
Scenario 1: England beat South Africa
England will then be level with South Africa on six points, and will have an excellent opportunity to seal their semi-final spot with a win against West Indies. South Africa will finish their Super Eight campaign on six points, and will sweat on the results of the other games to keep them in the hunt: for them to go through, West Indies will have to beat England, which will then leave three teams - South Africa, England, and West Indies or Bangladesh - on six points. Net run rates will then come into play, which is again bad news for South Africa - they are currently languishing at -0.21, and a defeat against England won’t help their cause much. Graeme Smith might just regret the fact that he bowled five overs for 56 against West Indies, allowing them to come within 67 runs of their 356.
England going past South Africa will also suit West Indies and Bangladesh perfectly. Brian Lara and Habibul Bashar have been talking about their World Cups being over already, but they just might have rushed it a bit. If England’s victory margin against South Africa is a narrow one, and if West Indies thrash Bangladesh and England (it might look unlikely at the moment, but nothing’s beyond a team which has Chris Gayle and Lara in their batting line-up), their NRR might just sneak up beyond that of England and South Africa. Ditto for Bangladesh, if they beat Ireland and West Indies.
Scenario 2: South Africa beat England
Realistically, that’s South Africa’s only chance of making it to the last four. A South African win will also shut out England, West Indies and Bangladesh, making two of the last four matches - West Indies versus Bangladesh and West Indies versus England - completely redundant. Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa will then be the four semi-finalists, with the rest of the matches only deciding the positions within the top four.
Tuesday, as Rajesh puts it, really will be a cracker.
5 Comments »New Zealand v South Africa, Super Eights, Grenada
By Will last year, mid-April, 2 Comments »
Something’s wrong in the universe when Craig McMillan can take three South African wickets. I’m not watching it, and have only just switched on the radio - ensconced in Devon and magnetised to the beach and the outdoors. But it’s clouded over with a sea fog here and it’s high time for a drink and to keep my eye on this match. South Africa are wobbling, to say the least. Incidentally my hosters were switching things today and apparently the site was buggered earlier. Apologies for that. All seems fine again now - if painfully slow.
Anyhoo, here’s a photo
And here’s the scorecard.
2 Comments »South Africa smash and grab
By Mike last year, mid-April, 3 Comments »
Three days ago they were pedestrian, and that’s a compliment. Today South Africa were devastating, inflicting a forth successive loss and certain elimination to hosts West Indies (there’s actually still a mathematical chance). The sudden turnaround is sure to renew the hopes of the Proteas while West Indies’ imminent exit will surely empty a couple more seats for the remaining games. I’m suspicious that many weren’t watching anyway.
AB de Villiers smashed his maiden one-day century leaving the field with cramps, dehydration, heat exhaustion and some fond memories. Boucher bashed the third fastest fifty (at least this one came against respectable..er opposition) in World Cup history and Gibbs recovered from his calf strain to bash another fifty of his own. Even Kallis looked like a one-day player.
Thoughts? I’m not going to bed anytime soon. It’s still daylight here.
Scorecard here and Bulletin here.
3 Comments »Bangladesh sink sloppy South Africa
By Will last year, at the start of April, 18 Comments »
Get in there! The Deshis are doing it. Rumours of infighting in the South African squad (Kallis was threatened to be moved down the order. He wasn’t happy about it. So he went out there, trying to smash it around and was less than amused when he got out.)
This is just what this doomed tournament needs. Check the scorecard out and leave your thoughts.
18 Comments »Wake me up for the semi-finals!
By Scott last year, at the start of April, 9 Comments »
Between being peeved, along the lines that Will has laid out below, and the sheer monotony, I have lost interest. Unless something amazing happens, I won’t be turning on the telly until Australia play England on Sunday night.
Well, tonight Ireland play South Africa, and if Ireland actually get close, you might want to comment here. Fulminate away.
9 Comments »Video highlights of Sri Lanka v South Africa
By Will last year, at the end of March, 2 Comments »
Video highlights of Malinga’s four-in-four and the most exciting match of this year’s World Cup to date. Eat that, ICC.
Click here if you can’t see it above.
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