Sports Cricket World Cup 2023

[Ever Hopeful]

It is funny, we spent so long giving Finn Allen a chance, but he technically wasn't up to it. Yet I think in a cup where technique isn't important he is probably our missing ingredient. Just come out with minimum footwork and cream the ball. Bracewell would have been handy too. Even old man Guptill would have had things tilted in his favour.

Is the pitch a complete batsman's paradise or are our bowlers just very average?

We bowled poorly for a few overs, but mostly the former.

 

[Riz]

This is getting old bro.

Our shit team is in the finals of the World Cup, considered the most likely to trouble India, and the winner of this game is favoured to take the cup.

This version is for batsman, bowlers across the comp are getting savaged. Bowlers have 3-4 pieces of their armory missing. Boult and Ferguson have no pace in the pitch, no bounce, no seam, (Ferguson doesn't swing it anyway). Lambs to slaughter, this isn't ODI cricket as we know it so our bowlers should not be viewed under that lens.

We've lost the toss, India have pulled a shifty with the pitch, we are playing a dominant team in the back yard, half chances haven't gone to hand. This Indian batting line up haven't failed once in 10 games.

The NZ is shit narrative is not indicative of where things are at.

Well said, we can only develop the players we have. There aren't any bowlers kicking the door down to be in the side, we have very limited resource to choose from.

 

[Riz]

Fun fact... India have over 1000 professional cricketers in their country to choose from, we have just over 100.

 

[Makasene]

Unfortunately for us the toss was disproportionately important to us

India could have and probably would have won this game regardless of batting first or second. We simply had to bat first.

The ball will swing under lights for the first 10 overs or more. We got no swing in the heat. - Boult bowling around the wicket in his second over was a swift admission of that.

Fun fact about this ground - Batting averages in the powerplay first innings, about 40. Batting averages in the 2nd innings, 9. Tells you all you need to know about what will happen with the new ball when we come out to bat.

I suspect they will push this total towards 450. We will get nowhere near it.

I'm not to upset though, this Indian team is one of the best white ball teams I've ever seen assembled - literally no weakness. They should win this World Cup very comfortably.

 

[Defence]

It is pretty crazy we compete with them at all really- there’s 1.4 BILLION of them- they’ve overtaken china now and crickets their religion.

Still sucks to get smashed like this.

 

[Makasene]

It is funny, we spent so long giving Finn Allen a chance, but he technically wasn't up to it. Yet I think in a cup where technique isn't important he is probably our missing ingredient. Just come out with minimum footwork and cream the ball. Bracewell would have been handy too. Even old man Guptill would have had things tilted in his favour.



We bowled poorly for a few overs, but mostly the former.

I wouldn't change any of our top 4

I doubt we will see Finn Allen play for NZ again - he is awful.

I don't quite understand the comment about technique. India have scored their runs today playing proper cricket shots through the line.

Finn Allen would have been an abject failure at this tournament

 

[Makasene]

It is pretty crazy we compete with them at all really- there’s 1.4 BILLION of them- they’ve overtaken china now and crickets their religion.

Still sucks to get smashed like this.

India will never forget the most forgettable tournament haha

There has not been adequate balance between bat and ball in this tournament which is a real shame.

The 2019 tournament was epic because all games were a contest.

2015 matched this tournament more similarly in terms of big scores but it also had a larger amount of teams which was made up of minnows.

We're not out of it yet as the Australian chase showed, although that was a day game, similar conditions for both teams. I have a dreaded feeling this will match the South African game, batters paradise in the first innings, bundled out by a moving ball in the second

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I'm not to upset though, this Indian team is one of the best white ball teams I've ever seen assembled - literally no weakness. They should win this World Cup very comfortably.

Neither am I in the context of this cup. I'm disappointed that cricket is being played in conditions that don't allow the full spectrum of skills in cricket to be at play.

When all players can exhibit their full range of skills, India come way back to the pack.

I wouldn't change any of our top 4

I doubt we will see Finn Allen play for NZ again - he is awful.

I don't quite understand the comment about technique. India have scored their runs today playing proper cricket shots through the line.

Finn Allen would have been an abject failure at this tournament

Agree, he is awful. But there is not enough in the wickets to exploit the deficiencies of some of the players in the comp and he could have come out and swung. He hits a very clean ball.

The NZ top order is excellent technically, but to be at the forefront of this World Cup I think you need to throw out the rule book to a point. Conway, Williamson, Smith, Root, Labuschagne etc are able to bat at a good rate, but are not going to keep up with the other guys that are just tearing the bowlers apart.

We don't have a top order player with a licence to explode like an Allen or Guptill could have. Would I have them in my team, hell no. I still think Allen had the attitude required here though.

Maxwell's innings was phenomenal, so was Head's. Fakhar's was destructive. None involved much footwork. Batsmen are able to set up camp and throw their hands at the ball. You don't get away with that anywhere else in the world. Nor should you.

 

[tajhay]

Looking at the scoreboard (haven't caught any of the game yet) it's likely to be a score of around 370 to chase? Prob more.

I still remember the days when 180 odd was a decent score. Anything around 220-240 was a tough chase.

Used to be into cricket till all the matchfixing furore esp with Cronje. So many big names guilty and implicated. Is it still likely to be happening? Or has the riches of IPL dampened its impact to players?

 

[Makasene]

Neither am I in the context of this cup. I'm disappointed that cricket is being played in conditions that don't allow the full spectrum of skills in cricket to be at play.

When all players can exhibit their full range of skills, India come way back to the pack.



Agree, he is awful. But there is not enough in the wickets to exploit the deficiencies of some of the players in the comp and he could have come out and swung. He hits a very clean ball.

The NZ top order is excellent technically, but to be at the forefront of this World Cup I think you need to throw out the rule book to a point. Conway, Williamson, Smith, Root, Labuschagne etc are able to bat at a good rate, but are not going to keep up with the other guys that are just tearing the bowlers apart.

We don't have a top order player with a licence to explode like an Allen or Guptill could have. Would I have them in my team, hell no. I still think Allen had the attitude required here though.

Maxwell's innings was phenomenal, so was Head's. Fakhar's was destructive. None involved much footwork. Batsmen are able to set up camp and throw their hands at the ball. You don't get away with that anywhere else in the world. Nor should you.

We are lucky to have discovered Ravindra who has produced a lot of runs quickly at the top.

But yes this has been a poor tournament for the game. I'm not one for conspiracies but the owner of a Multi-billion dollar T20 tournament hosting a 50 over format and doing their darndest to produce a replica style of game across 50 overs is not out of the question

 

[Inruin]

Does Williamson not rate Phillips as a bowler? Since he has been back as captain I feel he has underutilized him in favour of others who haven't delivered.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Does Williamson not rate Phillips as a bowler? Since he has been back as captain I feel he has underutilized him in favour of others who haven't delivered.

The second best spinner in this team is Williamson himself.

 

[Inruin]

I hope Mitchell gets going on this pitch.

 

[Makasene]

Does Williamson not rate Phillips as a bowler? Since he has been back as captain I feel he has underutilized him in favour of others who haven't delivered.

Phillips as an off-spin bowler is on a hiding to nothing against India with 5 right handers in the top innings.

I think above all, Phillips has over delivered with the ball at times. He has moved back towards his mean which is a better than part-time bowler but hardly an all rounder

 

[Makasene]

I hope Mitchell gets going on this pitch.

In the middle overs hopefully.

We need to be about 90/1 after 10.

We'll want an absolute max of 120 off the last 10 overs. Probably need 6 wickets in hand to attack that properly

That leaves about 200/3 to be scored at 6.67 between overs 10 and 40

Easy peasy

 

[tajhay]

Total sea of blue shirts in the crowd. Where's all the Indian fans who were wearing black caps jerseys earlier in the comp lol

 

[Inruin]

Phillips as an off-spin bowler is on a hiding to nothing against India with 5 right handers in the top innings.

I think above all, Phillips has over delivered with the ball at times. He has moved back towards his mean which is a better than part-time bowler but hardly an all rounder

On a slow pitch, 5 overs at 6.5 an over is more than acceptable and underutilized, especially in tonight's conditions

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

Is it just me or has Latham looked a bit disinterested this tournament?

starting to fell that way now...

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

Total sea of blue shirts in the crowd. Where's all the Indian fans who were wearing black caps jerseys earlier in the comp lol

they are wearing them underneath the blue shirts incase a miricle happens

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Hooping around more than the first morning of an NZ test. At least the outfield is lightning. Shami just moves the ball enough, which is probably what you need in these conditions.


...and first ball. Bit of a gulf in playing conditions each team has faced here...