World Cup Rest Days
After England’s game the other day, there was a couple of days without cricket, so I took the chance to not post also and keep myself fit for the rest of the tournament!
Tomorrow is kinda Judgement Day for England against our old friends Australia. The time for talking and saying stupid things like “this is where the world cup starts” is over - just get out there and give the performance of your lives boys. We’ll be struggling to do anything more in the competition if tomorrow goes wrong, and we still don’t know our best team, which seems ludicrous but we have chopped and changed now for years so I think we’re all used to it!
The only thing that could save us going home early is how South Africa are doing at the moment against Bangladesh. Chasing 252 to win they are struggling 4 wickets down with only 71 runs on the board as I type this. If they go on to lose, the fourth semi final spot could well be up for grabs and a few teams could be interested. Should be an interesting game tomorrow anyway, and I hope the boys just remember how to beat them like they did in the CB series!
England vs Sri Lanka Part 2
Well Michael Vaughan was double bluffing as I suggested in the last post as Strauss wasn’t selected for this game after all! In an incredibly close game, England lost and will be struggling to make the semi finals without some big results in the next few games starting with Sunday and our old friends Australia.
Back to today’s game, England fielded and bowled ok, if not spectacularly. The total of 236 was thought by many to be too little, but despite some good knocks from KP and Bell early on England were struggling. Freddie tried to hit the leather off the ball ridiculously early in his innings to continue to fail with the bat, and it was left to some great batting by Bopara and Nixon to get us close. Needing 3 off the last ball, it wasn’t to be.
We still ran a very favoured side very close, and I think we can take some heart from this game. There is still some room for things to be changed in the England line up, however. I was speaking to a mate this evening who suggested Bopara at the top of the innings which he’s done for Essex, and I think I agree despite thinking Bopara hadn’t done much in my last post! As an England fan you’re allowed to change your mind regularly! Joyce has had a good run in the team and just isn’t getting the runs we need, and Australia on Sunday is only going to get harder.
Chris Broad has also been brought into the team after Jon Lewis had to return to England to be with his wife. I think there is a huge amount of potential in Broad, but I don’t expect to see him play in the world cup. It should help him get ready for the county season though in warmer climes than England! Who’d be playing cricket this early in the year eh?!
England vs Sri Lanka
Michael Vaughan did a great show of how to let slip the changes you’re going to make in a press conference yesterday in the Caribbean. There had been some talk about whether Andrew Strauss should come into the team as opener after Ed Joyce had failed to set the world alight. It wasn’t certain though, but Vaughan managed to confirm those thoughts.
When asked about facing the strange action from Malinga he said “It’ll be strange for myself and Andr..” at which point he stopped what he was saying and carried on as if he hadn’t let it slip! Class Vaughany, especially if you now don’t open with Strauss and it was a double bluff!
The way England are playing at the moment I can actually see both Joyce and Strauss playing. Dalrymple and Bopara havn’t made strong claims to stay in the side, and against the stronger sides I can see an argument for playing an extra batsman. We shall see though in the game later today which England aren’t expected to win. Whether we’ll play better being the underdogs remains to be seen!
World Cup Gone Sour?
There’s been a bit of talk in the media over the past few days that the world cup isn’t living up to the Caribbean carnival it promised, and to the spectator thousands of miles away it does feel a bit like that. The grounds are woefully attended when games are on, and there are ludicrous stories coming out about some of the restrictions in place.
I’ve heard on the radio of people who hadn’t been allowed in the ground as they were wearing something which may have had a sponsor on the shirt, and they were worried if the TV cameras picked it up! Shocking, someone wearing an England one day shirt but not the “official” world cup one without a sponsor. And the most ludicrous story I’ve read is this one. They had even taped over the name of the manufacturer of the toilet as they weren’t an official sponsor! Yes really!
I still don’t think its as bad as the media are making out though. I’m starting to enjoy the games (when its not raining - I reckon there were less rained off games when it was held in England!), and they’ll only get better as they start to mean more. I think the ICC have cocked up by charging too much in most cases, for most things, and they’ve come out looking pretty bad so far. But give it a couple of weeks, some close games and people will soon find that more interesting that toilets!
Malinga Makes History
There have been 59 hat tricks in international cricket, but never once has anyone managed to take a wicket with a fourth ball. Step up Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka against South Africa yesterday.
With South Africa walking their way to victory and 5 wickets down, yesterday’s game became very tense as South Africa almost threw it away. With two balls in one over, and then the first two with his next over, he became the first player to ever take four wickets in four deliveries. There’s no doubting that Malinga’s slingy action is a bit odd, but he manages to get some wicked swing and reverse swing on the ball, and it did for four of the South Africans.
South Africa won in the end, and it keeps the super 8 table tight at this very early point, but Australia are looking ominously good on the top of the table. And their next three games are against Bangladesh, England and Ireland.. so that’s another 6 points for them then!
ICC Demand YouTube Videos Removal
Now this news is sad. The ICC have requested to YouTube, and the request has been accepted, that all clips to do with the cricket world cup be removed from the video sharing site. They cite copyright reasons, and say they are trying to defend the exclusive deals that certain companies have to broadcast games.
I’m sorry, but do the ICC really want to clamp down on something so pointless? The only clips I’ve seen are short clips, and I even linked to one of them earlier this month, when Gibbs hit six 6’s in an over. People watch the minute long clip, then go back to what they were doing. They couldn’t see the clip anywhere else so quickly and simply, and have done absolutely no harm to the exclusive broadcasters.
The thing is as soon as a clip is taken down, probably 10 more have taken its place. This is an issue with YouTube I admit, as copyright isn’t something that should be flaunted lightly, but why are the ICC going down this route when seeing things like this probably helps bring people to the game? You’re not able to watch live cricket, neither are you able to watch full highlights, so I really don’t see the problem. And i’m not the only one who thinks this, the cricinfo editor admits the same thoughts here. Lighten up ICC, please..
Amusingly, I also saw that cricinfo are doing 3D updates of the world cup. After the action has taken place, and with a delay of an over or two, the action is replicated in 3D on the cricinfo 3D site. Not the way I’d choose to watch my updates but I appluad them for their creativity!
