Cricket!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

It's alright. They can whinge that they "didn't have their full team".

Didn't stop them celebrating when they beat an England team with numerous key players missing - but we didn't whinge about it, we just got on and kept playing (albeit badly).

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

Lee's out of the world cup. If the Aussies build could have got any worse, one of their best strike bowlers is out. I'd love to feel sorry for them, but i just can't bring myself to do it.

[Zaz]

Hilfenhaus should have got the nod ahead of Clark =/

[Chris the Human]

I don't see Lee's absence as terrible - on form Clark has been far better lately. Would rather it be Tait going out to make room for him, but what can you do. With him on deck and the Punter/Gilly combination - we'll come good.

[Zaz]

Clark was mediocre in the one day series though. I reckon he's a test bowler, not a one day bowler.

[Mongrel]

Clark is just a handy bowler in one day cricket because he doesn't have enough variation and is too predictable. The difference between Clark in ODIs and McGrath is that McGrath has a slower ball, an off cutter and a brilliant yorker, while Clark only has a leg cutter to go with his length deliveries.

[Zaz]

He's been working on a bit of variety, apparently, so we shall see what he pulls out.

I still would've liked to see Hilfenhaus get the nod though. Oh well, I guess that's next World Cup.

[Zaz]

In some of the warm up matches so far, South Africa only got 192 against Ireland, Bangladesh beat New Zealand and this guy:

got both Pieterson and Collingwood out.

Also, plubby; Clarke, Watson and Haddin were the highest scorers for Australia against Zimbabwe. So ha (Hussey and Hogg got 20 runs between them )

[Mongrel]

To be fair, Leverock bowled very well against the Poms. Good bounce and turn.

[gunnar hendershow]

Alright folks. Living in the US it is very hard for me to catch the Cricket World Cup. I'm assuming there is a website somewhere that hosts live TV streams of the games. But I haven't found it. My friend from the Bahamas (huge West Indies supporter) is in more need of this than I am since he has to come back to the States in a little under a week and will be in the States until the end of the World Cup.

[Mongrel]

Great to see the cheating fucks lose.

[Sandars]

Irish joy at a tie as Zimbabwe choke

The Bulletin by Martin Williamson

March 15, 2007

Zimbabwe 221 (Matsikenyeri 73*, Sibanda 67) tied with Ireland 221 for 9 (Bray 115*)

Zimbabwe tied with Ireland in one of the greatest World Cup matches ever, the game at Sabina Park producing some of the most pulsating, enthralling cricket you could ever ask to see. Zimbabwe will wonder how they threw away an almost certain victory, and while the points are shared, the day belonged to the Irish, and in particular their batting hero Jeremy Bray. It was they who were celebrating at the end while the expressions on the faces of the Zimbabwe side were of utter bewilderment.

Zimbabwe had seemed to be cruising when on 93 for 1 chasing 222; within 45 minutes they were teetering on 133 for 5. But Stuart Matsikenyeri and Brendan Taylor, with plenty of time available to them, steadied the ship and guided Zimbabwe falteringly towards the finishing line. As Ireland started to look sloppy in the field, there appeared to be only one winner.

Then the wheels really came off. Taylor was run-out in desperately unlucky circumstances at the non-striker's end after a fortuitous deflection off the bowler's wrist. That did not seem crucial at the time, but it was the turning point. When Gary Brent fell leg-before with ten needed, the jitters really set in among a very inexperienced side.

Matsikenyeri was the difference between the teams but he was not on strike - he faced only 15 of the last 30 balls - as the penultimate over started with nine still required. Kevin O'Brien, in only his second over of the innings, had Prosper Utseya caught off a full toss with his first ball, and then Christopher Mpofu was stranded at the wrong end off the last.

Matsikenyeri took five off the first three balls of the last over, bowled by Andrew White. Rainsford chipped a single off the fourth, leaving Zimbabwe needing three from two. Matsikenyeri then top edged and an airbourne Trent Johnston at short third man couldn't quite cling on to the ball, and then his shy at the bowler's end was thwarted by some unsubtle but effective blocking by Rainsford who threw himself in the path of the throw.

With the scores tied, Matsikenyeri had to get something on the ball but he played and missed, and while the attempt to stump him failed - he never left his ground - Rainsford, who had charged towards his colleague, was left stranded. Zimbabwe had lost four wickets for nine in 15 balls in one of the most sensational World Cup chokes.

Zimbabwe had been in trouble twice earlier. They struggled early on when a battling 67 from Vusi Sibanda bailed them out. Terry Duffin and Chamu Chibhabha both came and went without ever looking remotely in touch - Duffin dropped behind the wicket twice in four balls before finally being caught off the fifth.

Sibanda kept the scoreboard ticking along with some well-struck drives, but he lacked any support. Sean Williams came and went after a most bizarre cameo, batting like a man who wanted to be showered and back in his hotel within the hour. He threw the bat at everything and almost inevitably and immediately holed out. Two balls later Zimbabwe could have been in deeper trouble when Matsikenyeri was left stranded when sent back by Sibanda, but Kyle McCallan failed to gather Kevin O'Brien's throw with Matsikenyeri flailing in no-man's land. It was a crucial miss.

Sibanda's excellent innings ended in unfortunate circumstances when he stepped back on his stumps as he looked to punch the ball into the covers, sparking delirious celebrations among the small but hugely vocal Irish contingent - which included two of the unlikeliest Leprechauns you will ever see. For five overs it could have gone either way, but Matsikenyeri and Taylor dug deep and appeared to have weathered the storm.

After the heart-stopping drama of the final overs, it was easy to forget that Bray's unbeaten 115, which earned him the Man-of-the-Match, had bailed Ireland out after their top order had also come apart at the seams. Bray, who batted right through the innings, was the only batsman who came to terms with Zimbabwe's wibbly-wobbly seam attack which at one stage threatened to bowl out Ireland for under a hundred.

Bray, who sounds more Wagga Wagga than Wicklow, was a virtual bystander as Ireland's top order came and went, perishing to inauspicious shots against bowlers who lacked pace but not nagging accuracy. All Ireland's top five are left handers, and they were unable to cope with balls angled across them.

They were a wicket down inside the first over when William Porterfield nicked Chris Mpofu, and although the loquacious Taylor spilt the chance, Sibanda dived across from second slip to snatch the rebound. Eoin Morgan, highly touted as being one who might follow Ed Joyce onto bigger things, survived a few alarms before edging to first slip. Mpofu bowled a super first spell and a lamentable second one at the death.

The innocuous-looking Elton Chigumbura then ripped through a paper-thin middle order. Bray, who smacked some sumptuous cover drives and two off-side sixes, needed someone to stay with him. O'Brien began to look like he would do that until he fell to a limp jab to give Taylor a second catch. At 89 for 5 an early finish was in store.

But Bray, who smacked some sumptuous cover drives and two off-side sixes, finally found support from White and Johnston, and as the scoreboard ticked over, Zimbabwe's fielding lost its shape. Chigumbura's Chaplinesque drop at deep square leg will take some beating in this competition, but he was not alone - Rainsford, the victim on that occasion, spilled a chance the next over.

Bray's hundred, which was delayed by a brief rain break, came up with a slashing cover drive and he and the swishing Dave Langford-Smith made Zimbabwe pay in the last few overs. It provided the platform to send the Leprechauns into seventh heaven, but Zimbabwe, who have had so little to cheer in recent years, will be left wondering quite how they blew it.

[SwantonEdge]

One of the greatest World Cup matches ever? pfft :thumbsdown:

Zimbabwe should have had it, than they choked. Ireland could have had it, but couldn't get there. Both teams played pretty poorly.

So, England vs. NZ tonight. Come on Kiwi.

[Sandars]

Latest Cup Results:

Game 6:

England: 7/209 (50 overs)

K. Pietersen 60 (92)

P. Nixon 42* (41)

lost to

New Zealand: 4/210 (41 overs)

S. Styris 87* (113)

J. Oram 63* (83)

by 7 wickets.

Game 7:

South Africa: 3/353 (40 overs)

J. Kallis 128 (109)

M. Boucher 75* (31)

H. Gibbs 72* (40)

G. Smith 67 (59)

(During his innings of 72 not out, Herschelle Gibbs became the first player in International cricket to hit 6 sixes off one over, that bowled by Daan van Bunge.

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/australia/...ory/285608.html )

defeated

Netherlands: 9/132 (40 overs)

R. ten Doeschate 57 (74)

by 231 runs.

[The Future]

Bangladesh are holding their own against India, I really hope we can somehow win this then all we have to do is get rid of Bermuda to get into the next round.

[SwantonEdge]

Ireland just knocked out Pakistan while Bangladesh upset India.

[Mongrel]

Gahahahahaha!

Take that you cheating fucks. That's karma.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Mmmm karma. BYE BYE PAKISTAN YOU CHEATING SCUMBAGS!

South Africa to win the world cup. Kallis is looking frightening and their batting lineup is just immense.

[gunnar hendershow]

I watched the Matchcast (Since it's all I can get ;_ of Ireland and Pakistan. It is a good day.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Just watched the highlights.

1) My Kentish lad O'Brien's 72 (out of the 108 that ireland had scored until his dismissal and he didn't come in until number 4!) was a phenominal innings.

2) Some of the umpiring decisions (especially the so-called "bat-pad" which was about a foot off hitting the bat) were diabolical.