Cricket......

[TNT1]

43/6...

 

Holy smoke!

[TNT1]

Crisis! 111/8.

 

I need a whiskey!

['Dale]

Lanka vs Windies...

 

Gonna be a good final.

[TNT1]

Lanka vs Windies...

 

Gonna be a good final.

 

I don't think so. This was the Windy moment. The final will see them crumble like a fresh muffin.

 

I feel bad for them, but they only had this one great performance in them.

[TNT1]

All over!

['Dale]

 

 

I don't think so. This was the Windy moment. The final will see them crumble like a fresh muffin.

 

I feel bad for them, but they only had this one great performance in them.

 

Hope not, man....

They can do with some success after many lean years.

[dev null]

Aus vs. WI:

Now that is what a choke looks like!

 

Umm, No. A choke is when you are about to win, and you don't. That was a sound drubbing.

[Christie]

Aus were favourites. They were the dominant team in the tournament, heading the list of players with most sixes, wickets, runs etc, as their commentators reminded everyone. They beat the Windies in the group phase, when they were chasing a big score. Losing does not mean choking, but 45/6 looked like a choke to me.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Christie

[Christie]

Some speculating/ranting/whatever about or t20 side:

 

1. There is no need to smash from ball 1, but you have to put bad balls away from the first over. From over nr 3, at least 2 boundaries per over must be hit during the powerplay overs. On turning wickets, the players who can do this may be different from seaming decks of England.

 

2. Im not sure if an anchor batsmen is needed. I tend to think it is needed, but he has to bat faster than a run per ball. Between Faf, Amla and Kallis, I think we have the right players, and against India it was the best order, imo. Duminy is a similar player to Amla, and can be used as alternative.

 

3. For the middle order, batsmen who can score quickly after using no more than 6 balls to get their eye in, is needed. De Villiers can do this, but he needs to be fresh and focussed. It is time for him to give up the gloves in some forms of the game, perhaps tests and odis, but still keep in t20. Duminy and Behardien batted too slowly at the start of their innings to be ideal in the middle order. Albie Morkel, plus another like him, should be 5 and 6. Im thinking De Villiers, Morkel, Levi. Behardien could shape on non turning pitches, and if we can find a big hitting keeper, he could bat at 6.

 

4. Next would be Peterson. Our best player of the tournament. Against Pakistan, SL kept losing wickets, but a lot of their tail scored 15 or so quick rns each. Philander may be able to do this, as well.

 

5. For the bowlers, Steyn is a must. For the rest, Morne Morkel, Tsotsobe, Philander and Tahir should be considered. I think they missed a trick by not playing Philander in the limited version in England. Also, on the dryer wicket we played on during the super8, Tahir could have worked with his variations. He was not so effective on English wickets, where his stock leg-spinner did not turn much, but he got enormous turn and bounce if he hit the foot marks. One problem he has is not being able to hit the foot marks 4 or 5 times in a row. However, on a dry pitch, he could be awesome, or at least worth a try.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Christie

[TNT1]

Some speculating/ranting/whatever about or t20 side:

 

1. There is no need to smash from ball 1, but you have to put bad balls away from the first over. From over nr 3, at least 2 boundaries per over must be hit during the powerplay overs. On turning wickets, the players who can do this may be different from seaming decks of England.

 

2. Im not sure if an anchor batsmen is needed. I tend to think it is needed, but he has to bat faster than a run per ball. Between Faf, Amla and Kallis, I think we have the right players, and against India it was the best order, imo. Duminy is a similar player to Amla, and can be used as alternative.

 

3. For the middle order, batsmen who can score quickly after using no more than 6 balls to get their eye in, is needed. De Villiers can do this, but he needs to be fresh and focussed. It is time for him to give up the gloves in some forms of the game, perhaps tests and odis, but still keep in t20. Duminy and Behardien batted too slowly at the start of their innings to be ideal in the middle order. Albie Morkel, plus another like him, should be 5 and 6. Im thinking De Villiers, Morkel, Levi. Behardien could shape on non turning pitches, and if we can find a big hitting keeper, he could bat at 6.

 

4. Next would be Peterson. Our best player of the tournament. Against Pakistan, SL kept losing wickets, but a lot of their tail scored 15 or so quick rns each. Philander may be able to do this, as well.

 

5. For the bowlers, Steyn is a must. For the rest, Morne Morkel, Tsotsobe, Philander and Tahir should be considered. I think they missed a trick by not playing Philander in the limited version in England. Also, on the dryer wicket we played on during the super8, Tahir could have worhked with his variations. He was not so effective on English wickets, where his stock leg-spinner did not turn much, but he got enormous turn and bounce if he hit the foot marks. One problem he has is not being able to hit the foot marks 4 or 5 times in a row. However, on a dry pitch, he could be awesome.

 

And change the captain.

 

Also, what happened to Rusty Theron? He used to be unstoppable on sub continent pitches.

[deanbean]

Just finished watching "Fire in Babylon" the story of WI the cricket team of the late '70s and 80s, it's on supersport at times. Well worth the watch, if only to see footage of Tony Grieg swallowing his words- "We'll make them grovel", what an idiot thing to say about a team with 4 bowlers capable of bowling over 150km/hr.

[deanbean]

And change the captain.

 

Also, what happened to Rusty Theron? He used to be unstoppable on sub continent pitches.

Rusty's been injured, just started playing first class cricket recently.

"Change the captain"- think that would be a stupid thing to do, give the oke a chance before you haul out the long knives. Why is changing the Captain the universal Saffer solution when things go wrong? Not long ago he was everyone's darling, now he must be chopped?

[TNT1]

Rusty's been injured, just started playing first class cricket recently.

"Change the captain"- think that would be a stupid thing to do, give the oke a chance before you haul out the long knives. Why is changing the Captain the universal Saffer solution when things go wrong? Not long ago he was everyone's darling, now he must be chopped?

 

Ah, hope he makes a return to the national team. I like that oke's cricket.

 

As far as the captaincy goes, they should never have taken it away from Botha in the first place.

[G-Unit]

 

 

Ah, hope he makes a return to the national team. I like that oke's cricket.

 

 

 

As far as the captaincy goes, they should never have taken it away from Botha in the first place.

 

I agree that Botha is an excellent captain, but the problem is that he is not always the best option to play as a bowler. Then you sit with a situation that a player is getting picked just because he's a good captain, and keeping someone better out the team (ala Smith).

[Christie]

A very fast path to selection would be for a bowler to be able to bowl 4 or 5 toe crunchers in an over. Too bad Alfonso Thomas emigrated.

[deanbean]

Ah, hope he makes a return to the national team. I like that oke's cricket.

 

As far as the captaincy goes, they should never have taken it away from Botha in the first place.

I think Rusty's a good limited over player too.

I agree with you about Botha, and he's always gong to find a way to work a player out, I think he has been unlucky WRT selection, we'll see when he gets back from Aus.