Cricket: More Than a Game

SpaceDog wrote:

Well I must say I am a bundle of nerves! I didn't really care who wan in the final back when I bought my tickets to the game and thought New Zealand had no chance, but slowly over the last 8 months my hope has been building and now with one game to go I think i9 may get an ulcer before the end of the day!

Same here! Start of the match is at 8pm for me so I'm unlikely to see it through, but... c'mon boys.

http://www.hauraki.co.nz/listen/radi...

What an amazing game of cricket. The ebb and flow over the whole day was extraordinary.

Well played to New Zealand. Our guys fought hard and made mistakes, but they were from trying too hard rather than giving up. But we paid the price for our fast bowler's inability to bowl yorkers at the death.

SA and NZ both have made it one step further than ever before in the tournament and I hope the Black Caps go on to win.

What a fantastic game. Delighted with the result, of course, but as a spectacle I was on the edge of my seat for every ball. Feel bad for SA, hours of cricket coming down to a lucky bounce here and a fraction of a degree there, but what a perfectly balanced semi-final. Anybody's game right till the end. (Well, one ball short of the end!)

Man, that game was just heart breaking! Was on the edge of my seat all morning.

Really feel for AB and the team!

Firdose Moonda's piece for Cricinfo really tugged at my heart strings. The team really put absolutely everything out there today.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cric...

Despite the quality of play from SA - they had 2 losses prior to semi finals. India and NZ have none and the Aussies 1.

So I guess their being the first to go home is a reflection of form.

Bruce wrote:

Despite the quality of play from SA - they had 2 losses prior to semi finals. India and NZ have none and the Aussies 1.

So I guess their being the first to go home is a reflection of form.

True. Still hurts like hell though!

Edit. Good luck with your team today. Hope the game is as epic as the previous SF.

KramNesnah wrote:

Hope the game is as epic as the previous SF.

Not quite. Shame, as I woke up before 5am to catch the last half of India's innings. Dhoni didn't seem to have a plan, or if he did it didn't work. Pity that India's campaign ended with a whimper.

When the Aussie innings stalled a bit around the 40th over I thought they would end up at least 20 runs short of of par. Mitch Johnson's clean hitting got it to what I thought should have been par.

I was at a work function for the first half of the Indian innings so I need to see the replay but it seems like a good job was done in keeping things too tight to chase hard enough and a steady procession of wickets.

So I will end up with a WC winner that makes me very happy with an Aussie win, or a winner that I am totally OK with if the Kiwis can pull it off.

McCullum deserves some kudos for the attacking spirit with both bat and ball. Multiple slips for extended periods to keep the threat of wickets in the SA's minds was a stroke of genius.
Their batting may not cope as well on the MCG which is significantly larger than the rugby fields they have been playing on. Will Boult or Southee be able to move things around as much?

A couple of years ago I despaired about the loose technique of Steve Smith and considered him unlikely to hold a place once the best bowlers in the world got a crack at him.
I was completely wrong.

Starc was the man. He set the tone from the very first over and the Aussies put in probably the best performance in the field of the Cup.

Oh damn, Oz is back.

This team can go on to do great things in the next 4 years. I've no doubt they will be the top dogs again.

Unfortunately the Final was very one sided. Not the most thrilling game ever, but when has a CWC final ever really been.

Anyway, well done to OZ. Hope we can knock you guys off your perch in the near future!

RIP Richie Benaud.

Absolute giant of the game. Will miss him.

Good knock, Richie.

Been some really good games in the IPL this season. Albeit, I think it's helped by the fact by the time I'm finished work I get to see just a bit into the 2nd innings, but there's been plenty of exciting games. Shame England don't really have any of their players, would rather see them out there than in a test against the West Indies.

I'll always love Test Cricket first, but it's good to have a league with all the best players in the world in it. I think the 50 over game needs to be phased out a bit. I've never really liked it, I went to England V Sri Lanka last year at Durham and it was one of the worst games I've ever seen, especially since it was £65 a ticket. I think England could do with replacing the 40 over league with a 20 over one. I think they're a bit scared that'll overkill things on the T20, but I think it'd get people more into the county game. I don't think it needs to replicate the IPL bidding style, just have a 20 over league, it'd be great.

Anyway, got the test against New Zealand at the end of the month at Headingley and then onto the Ashes at Edgbaston in July, I can't wait to see my second Ashes test! =D

Congrats on the win. We didn't have our best knock and a few of your guys, especially Stokes, had great games. Felt like ours to lose -- and sure enough!

Not many teams score over 500 in the first dig and lose.

Root and Stokes have come back from nowhere to being the key components of that English success. Root is averaging over 100 since coming back from being dropped. Stokes made a great debut and then couldn't buy a run for a year or so. Now he's killing it again.

Looks like the weather is conspiring to try to rob us of a win and a series draw! Would be a shame, slipping from three to seven instead of four in the rankings, though that does show how balanced the middle is right now. Been a great series, and disappointed that there are only two tests in it. Sacrifice a couple of ODIs for a third, at least!

no audio but holy hell, what a delivery!

Well that was not the result I was looking for!

SpaceDog wrote:

Well that was not the result I was looking for!

Can NZ knock it off?! Stop giving England confidence...

AP Erebus wrote:
SpaceDog wrote:

Well that was not the result I was looking for!

Can NZ knock it off?! Stop giving England confidence...

I think the boys are still in shock over just how big the MCG was.

Couldn't believe it when my mate text me with the English total. It's like we have entered the 21st century of 1 day cricket around 10 years too late like but still.

After that innings and a couple of ciders I feel OK going to bed.

EDIT: I didn't watch the England innings, that was a close thing!

SpaceDog wrote:

After that innings and a couple of ciders I feel OK going to bed.

EDIT: I didn't watch the England innings, that was a close thing!

I listened to the second half on TMS... If Buttler and Morgan hadn't gotten out, I think they would have chased it down. Doesn't sound like the NZ attack is much outside of Boult.

Just a few hours before the next round of The Ashes kicks off again.

On paper, the Aussie attack looks a bit more potent but will they adapt to the English pitches? If so, I think 2-1 or 2-2 retention of the Ashes for Australia. If they don't, 2-1 or 3-1 to England.

Here's to some sleepless nights ahead.

Unfortunately, the Brad McNamara lead coverage with Channel 9 is our only viewing option.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blo...

It does sound as though the Australian supporters who are genuinely interested in the game are not exactly being well served. Is the radio coverage any better (I often watched Sky's coverage with TMS on, when I was back in the UK)?

Strangely enough, as I was reading that, a random TISM song popped up on my player - "The Parable of Glenn McGrath's Haircut". Quite pertinent, in a number of ways.

Let's just hope from an England supporter point of view that the first ball isn't a Steve Harmison special.

Poor bowling after lunch to compound dropping the most in form English batsman.

Advantage England.

I though with a few late wickets the Aussies finished up the day alright, although that middle session was brutal.

As has often been the case in recent years our bowling attack doesn't look anywhere near as threatening once they get away from fast, hard pitches. It will be interesting to see if they can wrap up the tail quickly today.