2007 Cricket World Cup (West Indies) thread

[Highflyer_GP]

I am proudly South African! As contradicting as dat sounds I dnt support d Proteas, they nt good enough imo n they play standard boring cricket, they gt no flair. Im indian n i support al d indian teams then SA.

So Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies are Indian teams? Then wtf is India there for? Please dude, we're disappointed with Sa's performances but we criticise with the aim of progressing. You don't want us to ever progress, so why stay here if you support anyone who plays against SA?

Do not call yourself proudly South African when you contradict yourself by not wanting us to progress.

PS: If I recall your first choice team is Pakistan, that would mean that you're of Arabic (not Indian) descent, no?

 

[killadoob]

i will not watch sa again plz pathectic


world cup is over let aus win done

sa is not worth watching

 

[Highflyer_GP]

i will not watch sa again plz pathectic


world cup is over let aus win done

sa is not worth watching

As upset as I am, I think this is the wake-up call that they needed. Remember Aus's performance after they were beaten by Bangladesh?

Tactically we stink, and that's something that really needs to be worked on. I mean why continue with Pollock and Ntini for 10 overs in every match, it's becoming so fscking predictable. Why not rotate the bowlers? Why doesn't Smith try something different and bring himself on as 1st change while the powerplays are still in effect? Why send in the wrong batsmen for the wrong occasions?

 

[Abe]

As upset as I am, I think this is the wake-up call that they needed.

The problem is that I think the hurdle is too big now even if they wake up. They effectively have to win 5 games on the trot to win the world cup. Against, WI, NZ, ENG and then probably SL/NZ and AUS. That is really tough considering one day cricket is a 50/50 game and 75/25 at best. That needs luck. A loss against ENG/WI/NZ would have been a wake up call but Bang should have been a game to fix our RR and get some confidence. The other teams are likely to turn a positive RR against Bang and that means we are unlikely to win on RR through to the next round so 2 wins from 3 aint enough.

 

[Abe]

I am proudly South African! As contradicting as dat sounds I dnt support d Proteas, they nt good enough imo n they play standard boring cricket, they gt no flair. Im indian n i support al d indian teams then SA.

Not good enough? I suppose the no 1 ranking was a mistake? How about the beating of India, Aus and Pakistan in SA? Sorry, I forgot that India is playing really exciting cricket right now. I get extremely frustrated with SA because of what I believe are stupid mistakes and bad decisions but that does not mean that I run around supporting everyone else.

You have lost all credibility with me. Why don't you speak the truth. What you gave above were excuses not the real reason.

 

[JK8]

I dnt know how much u know about cricket, but fyi no1 beats SA at home! That doesnt make them d best in d world! As 4 there rankn, they were just more consistent than Aus was in d last year, n they were ahead by a decimal! Subcontinent cricket is far more excitin, thats were all d legends of d game are from! Deal with it, thats cricket, SA should stop tryn to copy d Aussies n they need a better selection process!

 

[curiouswanderer]

As upset as I am, I think this is the wake-up call that they needed. Remember Aus's performance after they were beaten by Bangladesh?

Tactically we stink, and that's something that really needs to be worked on. I mean why continue with Pollock and Ntini for 10 overs in every match, it's becoming so fscking predictable. Why not rotate the bowlers? Why doesn't Smith try something different and bring himself on as 1st change while the powerplays are still in effect? Why send in the wrong batsmen for the wrong occasions?

yup definitely...we need to win our remaining games and also ensure that we are not complacent at all...

Problem with Smith bowling is that he's part time. He wont be very effective in the powerplays. Wondering if Polly needs a rest. He's becoming too predictable. He bowls a good length but once u've figured him out, it's easy pickings. We just too short in the bowling department. Our middle order isn't helping either. I say we drop kemp for pieterson who can at least bowl. Kemp is overrated.

 

[curiouswanderer]

Not good enough? I suppose the no 1 ranking was a mistake? How about the beating of India, Aus and Pakistan in SA? Sorry, I forgot that India is playing really exciting cricket right now. I get extremely frustrated with SA because of what I believe are stupid mistakes and bad decisions but that does not mean that I run around supporting everyone else.

You have lost all credibility with me. Why don't you speak the truth. What you gave above were excuses not the real reason.

JK8 is right about the home wins that propped us up to first place. We're extremely good at home and play poorly overseas, evident in the Champions trophy , your to Sri-Lanka where we lost 5-0 and the tri-series tournament in Aus a few years back. We do no adapt to conditions properly except on flat pitches.

Best cricket isn't played in subcontinent JK8. It's just very popular there and they prepare flat pitches like never before. So there u have batsmen who can score easily. Now look at 2 of 4 subcontinent teams didn't even make the Super Eight.

 

[kingrob]

I don't think everything is lost, maybe it is just the 'wake-up call' that SA needed.

And maybe Smith will stop sending in the other team to bat first. We're not very good @ chasing a total - we need to post a good total to defend.

 

[krycor]

Well this just makes the super 8's interesting.. consider this while hoping SA win the next 3 games.. which are on better pitches.(Remember Sa wining vs SL was not a given, infact they were planing for a loss and 2 wins of the 3 games played there)

April 8, 2007 - Today
Australia vs England
Will the English pull an upset? Might look unlikely but who knows. Hopefully not

April 9, 2007
New Zealand vs Ireland
Ok not a notable game perhaps but on this slow track who knows..

April 12, 2007
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand
Someone gonna lose this, I'm hoping Nz win this one. Then a loss for SL puts them on the same points as SA./2 losses in the super 8's

April 16, 2007
Australia vs Sri Lanka
Another interesting game.. Consider the one above this one.

April 20, 2007
Australia vs New Zealand
Hopefully Nz win it, might put them on top of table..

 

[krycor]

btw Anyone know what the pitches are like in Grenada and Barbados ?

 

[Fiekus]

I dnt know how much u know about cricket, but fyi no1 beats SA at home! That doesnt make them d best in d world! As 4 there rankn, they were just more consistent than Aus was in d last year, n they were ahead by a decimal! Subcontinent cricket is far more excitin, thats were all d legends of d game are from! Deal with it, thats cricket, SA should stop tryn to copy d Aussies n they need a better selection process!

I don't get your argument? Pitches at home are supposed to favour the host nation. So YES I would expect SA to be virtually unbeatable at home and useless in the sub-continent. I must be blond BUT are the subcontinent teams world beaters away from home? How many times have India or Pakistan lost 5 nil away from home, in either SA or Aus. Even the mighty Sri Lankas saw their @ss in Australia. I don't get it JK8

And as for subcontinent cricket, it HAS to be more exciting, considering the following the game has, a hundred thousand people at a game, wow! But then again bud, subcontinent cricket are also renowned for their match fixing antics so yeah, I agree with you, MUCH more exciting hey

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Not happy today. My own country (India) and my recently adopted country (SA) both being knocked out by Bangladeshis. Life sucks for now. I hope SA would bounce back and win the WC. It will be a mission for sure of course.. Congratulations to so-called lighties though.. what a super bunch of youngsters.
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p.s.

I find it quite interesting to note that some members make accusations against subcontinent teams at the drop of the hat (see below). Which world do you live in guys? Are you people above board and and only subcontinent teams can be into match-fixing etc?? How would you feel if someone makes similar accusations now?

fewl (18-03-2007)
Both the Pakistan and India games yesterday were fixed. It's no accident that the World Cup always throws up these ridiculous upsets in the group stages

Fiekus (08-04-2007)
subcontinent cricket are also renowned for their match fixing antics so yeah, I agree with you, MUCH more exciting hey

 

[hj2k_x]

I don't think everything is lost, maybe it is just the 'wake-up call' that SA needed.

And maybe Smith will stop sending in the other team to bat first. We're not very good @ chasing a total - we need to post a good total to defend.

Yes , let us hope so. Bat damn it, bat!

 

[feo]

As upset as I am, I think this is the wake-up call that they needed. Remember Aus's performance after they were beaten by Bangladesh?

Tactically we stink, and that's something that really needs to be worked on. I mean why continue with Pollock and Ntini for 10 overs in every match, it's becoming so fscking predictable. Why not rotate the bowlers? Why doesn't Smith try something different and bring himself on as 1st change while the powerplays are still in effect? Why send in the wrong batsmen for the wrong occasions?

I agree totally here. Looking at Smith you can just see the predictability in his eyes. I mean looking at a captain like Ponting, he never gives away anything in the interviews and he always adjusts to situations in match. Damn right about the 10 over Ntini/Pollock thing, why doesn't Biff bring himself on at first change or at least mix it up a bit and let Langevelt and Nel open the bowling? Langevelt can swing it and Nella is like a raging bull (that's a good thing ).

I dnt know how much u know about cricket, but fyi no1 beats SA at home! That doesnt make them d best in d world! As 4 there rankn, they were just more consistent than Aus was in d last year, n they were ahead by a decimal! Subcontinent cricket is far more excitin, thats were all d legends of d game are from! Deal with it, thats cricket, SA should stop tryn to copy d Aussies n they need a better selection process!

Firstly saying you're proudly a Saffer and openly supporting subcontinental teams just confuses me. Nobody here who calls themselves Proudly SAns would even dare support anyone else. As for your other points, I agree SA are virtually unstoppable at home. And yes they were more consistent than the Aussies and who gives a fsck whether it was by a decimal, we went tops so deal with it. We're not at no.1 any more though . Subcontinental cricket is far more exciting heh? Thats a generalisation if I ever heard one. Why would we try to copy Aussies FFS, we hate them!

Well I seriously hope Biff sorts everything out before Tuesday. WI have a knack of messing up our WC and even if they're in k@k form, they'll take some hope from us losing against the Bangladeshis.

GO SA!!

 

[JK8]

What's your problem? You are a South African or at least stay here yet you support every country except SA. Why stay here if thats the way you feel? I worked in NZ for a year but I will be damned if I said anything bad about them when I was there. It's common courtesy.

The thing is im not just a little cricket fan boy, I know and played criket most of my life, I can call myself an enthusiast. I cant support SA if IMO they not good enough and theres to much politics with our cricket board.

So Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies are Indian teams? Then wtf is India there for? Please dude, we're disappointed with Sa's performances but we criticise with the aim of progressing. You don't want us to ever progress, so why stay here if you support anyone who plays against SA?

Do not call yourself proudly South African when you contradict yourself by not wanting us to progress.

PS: If I recall your first choice team is Pakistan, that would mean that you're of Arabic (not Indian) descent, no?

Ok 95% of all the Indians in SA are of INDIAn origin, be it Muslim, Hindhu, Tamils, Gujeratis etc etc. We just classed as Indians.
But I should have rather said Sub-continent.

Not good enough? I suppose the no 1 ranking was a mistake? How about the beating of India, Aus and Pakistan in SA? Sorry, I forgot that India is playing really exciting cricket right now. I get extremely frustrated with SA because of what I believe are stupid mistakes and bad decisions but that does not mean that I run around supporting everyone else.

You have lost all credibility with me. Why don't you speak the truth. What you gave above were excuses not the real reason.

Everyone makes mistakes, even Aus makes mistakes. The knock out of Pakistan and India was a shock to all cricket lovers and those that know the game, the are such nations that no matter who wins this WC (Ireland/Bangladesh excl) the cricket world will know it as the WC when the 2 powerhouses got kicked out in the first round!

I don't get your argument? Pitches at home are supposed to favour the host nation. So YES I would expect SA to be virtually unbeatable at home and useless in the sub-continent. I must be blond BUT are the subcontinent teams world beaters away from home? How many times have India or Pakistan lost 5 nil away from home, in either SA or Aus. Even the mighty Sri Lankas saw their @ss in Australia. I don't get it JK8

And as for subcontinent cricket, it HAS to be more exciting, considering the following the game has, a hundred thousand people at a game, wow! But then again bud, subcontinent cricket are also renowned for their match fixing antics so yeah, I agree with you, MUCH more exciting hey

Not really favour as such, we have VERY boucy wickets the Aussies have to and they cant bat here. We need slower wickets but our Cricket Boards wont allow it coz games tend to be slower and crowds dont really fill grounds!

It is more exciting, watchin the guys like Waqar and Akram bowl, everyone just wants to watch them bowl, even with Akhtar and Murali and now Malinga, they exciting bowlers and all are un orthodox players!
I liked ol Paul Adams he could have been SAs hero in this WC.

Yes , let us hope so. Bat damn it, bat!

Bat till number 9 but still they sucked in the last 3 matches, whats the point of having them, and besides they a batting team that bowls a few.

 

[feo]

You guys think there'll be any changes to the team for the next match? Maybe:

Kemp out - Hall in
Ntini out - Nel in

Gibbs??

 

[Boodles]

You guys got the Nos1 ranking through OZ dropping series - not because SA played better. SA (and the fans) were certaintly cock-a-hoop about winning the tourn., and much of that was based on having the no.1 ranking (sure u won your home series but u normally do so u cant of been overly confident based on that). and having that ranking doesnt mean youll win WC - and that has been the impression that has been given. OZ play today and whilst i hope they win, if they dont its not the end of the road - take each game as it comes. The WC is not about winning every game, its about winning the final of which it doesnt matter how u get there.

 

[kingrob]

You guys think there'll be any changes to the team for the next match? Maybe:

Kemp out - Hall in
Ntini out - Nel in

Gibbs??

Kemp has just being a major disappointment so far in the World Cup - the funny thing is that he CAN bat like a demon possessed!! Don't know what is wrong with him, maybe lack of confidence?

Ntini has also not performed well, but I think he will stay for the 'quota' thingie.

Hall is a great all-rounder and can bat as well. Not so sure about Nel, if he has a bad day - it's REALLY bad...

 

[feo]

Yeah but many guys argue that can you really be called the best in the world if you struggle your way to the finals and then win it? So to me it does matter how you get to the finals. I'll support SA all the way, to bounce back and (hopefully) win the next three matches with a bang so we can at least go into the semis on a high.

EDIT. Agreed king, Kemp just doesn't have the sparkle like when he plays in SA home games. I too just don't get whats wrong with him.

lol now they take AA and stick it in cricket. *shakes head* But Ntini just hasn't been performing he needs to up his game or make space for Nel. Hall is the only one I think must be in the team for the next match.