ICC World Cup 2019 (50 overs) in England

[Ken Gargett]

7 hours ago, JohnS said:

Hehe...I think the result was great for world cricket to be honest. Yes, it was a tremendous game and well done to New Zealand making it to the World Cup Final for the second time (in a row) when no one gave them a chance.

yes, staggering result. must say i was swapping between origin and the cricket from the start - and had no real intention to watch the game. but suddenly india are 3-5. then 4-25 after about 15 and they put down a catch that could have iced it. amazing and brilliant game. that innings by jadeja was majestic but nz held on. i had hoped india would get up as think they are the best chance of stopping england but i could not help but cheer for the kiwis as underdogs. 

what a game. 

[JohnS]

In regards to today's semi-final, Australia vs England....speaking objectively, (of course) I can't discount the fact that England are the number one ranked team in the world and despite losing to Australia the last two times they've met (and one of these was a warm-up match just prior to the World Cup) they should be favourites. Also, they are the home nation. Lastly, we need to factor that around 80% of victories in this 2019 World Cup have come from the team batting first, and scoreboard pressure (i.e. the team batting first has an advantage in whereby the second team is deemed 'under pressure' in chasing a target rather than setting one up) plays a bigger part in these knockout games if you go by past results.

[Emaresee]

So... yesterdays final. What a day. It wasnt the big hitting showcase that might have been expected... it was altogether more intriguing!

I confess to finding the morning a little pedestrian at first. I had hoped for a higher octane first innings, but after a while the pressure cooker of tight bowling an nuggety batting really captured me. The Lords pitch wasn't one for the batsmen and it didn't have much in it for the bowlers. Both had to be on their game to make a difference. Watching the mornings play while scoring an u8's cricket tournament I thought to myself, I'll enjoy a cigar with the afternoons play. The afternoon came, and frankly there was too much going on to take that cigar. England were properly put to the test. 

I'll park the hyperbole and the ball by ball replay analysis and simply say  the following; for me the biggest victory of yesterday was the showcase of emotion, mental & physical endeavor, luck judgement & drama, that is sport! The never give up spirit of both teams was spectacular. 

 

In the end I was drained... too tired and elated to consider having a cigar! I am sure I will find a moment soon to re-watch the highlights while enjoying a fine stick!

 

[Webbo]

That must have been the closest, most exciting 1 day game ever. Fair play NZ for the way they took the defeat, don’t think I could have been so magnanimous 

[Ken Gargett]

Did not watch the New Zealand innings - it was on our free to air but one of the lesser "regional" ones - the main channel chose to show the netball ahead of it (most aussies' idea of a nightmare is a kiwi/pom final in anything - washed out would have been the only acceptable result). But even so, netball?

I turned over (not from the netball) and saw the first two overs for England. Roy could have been out three times in his first four balls - escaped by literally a millimetre or two each time. I thought that definitely means it is not New Zealand's day. I did set the tape and fast forwarded through this morning and stopped for wickets or whatever - cannot believe the bloke who caught stokes and stepped out and gave up six. For the rest of his life, "dropping the world cup" is his nightmare. What a dill.

Then the tape died as New Zealand were walking out to their super over. And I started doing other things and completely forgot about it.

I thought stokes deserved man of the match - even fast forwarded and even with that idiot and his foot, it seemed a cracking innings at a crucial stage.

Only later did I realise I did not even know who won. so it was mid morning before i even heard the result. 

And now we have the umpires saying that a mistake was made in that last over and England was given an extra run in error. I reckon if i was a NZ player, i'd just be crawling under the blankets for a month. 

The worst thing about it all as far as I am concerned is that it will give England a lot of confidence for the Ashes. otherwise, rain would have been fine!!

But overall (and ignoring our meek but deserved exit), a one day comp that far exceeded my expectations. New Zealand tried to do a Stephen Bradbury. Not sure what happened to India. We got as far as we deserved. The poms probably deserved it after the last few years.

As for close games, they do not get much closer. the very first World Cup final is still perhaps the greatest one day game i've seen - 60 overs an innings back then. clive lloyd with a ton, walters runs, lillee and thommo. viv richards in the field - australia lost five wickets to run-outs. and then lillee and thommo in a last wicket partnership in the dark almost to try and get us over the line and falling agonisingly short. 

Interesting thing here is that a lot of utter morons are now calling for Carey to replace Paine for the Ashes. The bloke has been a terrific captain for us in terrible times. Carey gets a few runs in one day games and people want him in. his first class average is 29. And he is a far weaker keeper. I do not understand humans.

[Emaresee]

I think he has to rationalise that he didn't give away a wicket, six runs and the World Cup he managed to take a catch on a ball that took him over the rope. He couldn't take the catch inside the field of play...  that's kind of just it. 

All in all it was a hell of a nail-bitter on so many levels. Fair play to the Kiwis for their good grace, their disappointment will be etched into peoples memory perhaps longer than the jubilance of the English side, who were no less deserving. 

was it the best cricket in a final? not sure it was. Was it the most dramatic final and the most remarkable spectacle... I reckon so. 

Ashes... back to a very different game and two sides that have some very different challenges to overcome... and with Edgbaston first up its set for a good start!!!

here's hoping for a great series all round!

 

[JohnS]

@Ken Gargett, it's not all bad news for Australia as Shaun Marsh unfortunately had his wrist broken last week and will unlikely play. Now if only the selectors can extend the same gracious sentiment to his brother Mitchell by allowing him another year or two and actually do something at the first-class cricket level before trying anything again at test level. Same for Alex Carey.

In regards to the Ashes, we have some fine bowling options (James Pattinson is bowling really well) and the batting will be stronger with Warner and Smith. For me the question is Matthew Wade. The guy is an annoying git but his first-class, BBL and Australia A form is quite something else. Justin Langer, the Australian coach, no doubt hates him because Wade is no-one's lackey and is a person who speaks his mind, but I think Langer will have to pick him at some point.

Tim Paine has done an outstanding job as Australian captain in the past 12 months for all that has happened and he deserves to continue to lead the team.

Now for the World cup final...can anyone think of how one team (i.e. England) won a match with so much luck without actually winning and the other side (i.e. New Zealand) had no luck and still did not manage to lose. The strangest game I have ever seen. Dumb, dumb, dumb to concede a match to a super over or amount of boundaries. One-day cricket was first played at international level in 1971 and it's always been a draw or a New Zealand win based on the 8 wickets lost to England being all out. These changes to the rules are beyond stupid. I doubt they'll stay as they cheapened the whole contest.

[frenchkiwi]

21 hours ago, JohnS said:

@Ken Gargett

Now for the World cup final...can anyone think of how one team (i.e. England) won a match with so much luck without actually winning and the other side (i.e. New Zealand) had no luck and still did not manage to lose. The strangest game I have ever seen. Dumb, dumb, dumb to concede a match to a super over or amount of boundaries. One-day cricket was first played at international level in 1971 and it's always been a draw or a New Zealand win based on the 8 wickets lost to England being all out. These changes to the rules are beyond stupid. I doubt they'll stay as they cheapened the whole contest.

Yep it seemed the two English openers survived a scare every 3 balls on average. I hope they went home to buy lottery tickets. England had so much rub of the green they could have rolled joints out of it. The extra runs off a diving Stokes (who is a kiwi, small mercy or supreme irony - take your pick) were just the cherry on top.  Eng had the much superior batting team but were still dominated by a cracking bowling attack, just like India in the semi-final.

The most disappointing thing for NZ is that of all the teams, the English conditions (occasional swing, often green bowler friendly wickets) gave them the best chance they would ever have of winning a world cup with so many batsmen out of form. But these very conditions also made for a great world cup, contest between bat and ball almost every game, great crowds ...  we could almost give the cup to england as gracious visitors, if it were not for the highly inconsiderate timetable down under.

So for NZ it will forever be - A Most Inglorious Draw, ... and for England - A Most Fortunate Winning Draw.

They are probably still frenchkissing their sisters as we speak.