Cricket

I don’t think I’ll look at this section for a couple of weeks after this performance.

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Me too. Pete will have it all to himself… :grin:

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I refer myself to my previous post.

Scoreboard pressure is a real thing.

Just woke to the news sorry guys but I think my interest level is nil.

I do hope you get some test cricket soon, who’s on tour?

From July 10th Windies x3 then Sri Lanka x3 Tests. That first game is Jimmy’s farewell.

I guess you can say that the two best sides are in the T20 final. I hope the weather and the pitch allows a good game. SA v Afghanistan was apparently a dreadful surface for any match let alone a semi.

Bruce

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Game on SA v India – no spoilers.

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Discuss?

Bruce

Lots of ifs, buts and maybes to my eyes e.g. had Sky not taken that catch, SA + 6 runs would have made things very interesting…they just ran out of batting. Agree, though, that a couple of SA’s wickets were lost injudiciously (QdK and Klaasen), but that’s T20 for you.

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I heard the last 5 overs as I was driving back from our game. Bumrah the difference?

Bruce

Bumrah contained things (as usual), and there was an over from Axar which went for >20, which helped SA along a lot (leaving not far off a run a ball IIRC), but SA have quite a long tail at this level. I think Klaasen chasing a wide ball, which he could have played far differently, opened the door to the tail. And Sky’s catch to get rid of Miller off a wide-ish full bung was the final nail – if that had gone for 6, the game could have turned.

Must be said, India were never ‘out of the game’ IMV. Even with SA chasing ~ 30 runs off 30 balls (after Axar’s 20-odd) , you knew India had the bowlers to change the game, and so they did.

The organisers must be content.

The best thing about this tournament was the fact the wickets could be described as “sporty” . This gave lesser teams a chance and produced more variety than we usually see.
Well done India as most would agree they were the best team in the competition.

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This was the worst thing.

A lack of fairness turning some games into a farce.

If the weak teams are not good enough, they should not win due to pitches being such a joke.

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Boring bring on some real cricket.

This is a short form game and it’s good to see the dice is not always loaded against weaker teams. The wickets made for a better game than would otherwise have been the case. It’s better than watching 220 play 90!

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I thought the way India engineered a break in play towards the end, it was like watching a dinks break where there is almost certainly a wicket falls.

SA lost momentum, that was gamesmanship

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For me, seeing a bit of swing and seam(?) movement > over #4, plus (and crucially) some turn, is how cricket should be played. Batting sides must play with an element of circumspection.

Where I struggle at this level, is the erratic bounce, strips of poor general condition, and sand-based outfields, as the latter can be dangerous for players.

Unquestionably, India have the tools for most conditions – best side won, and the final was a good game to watch.

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I only watched a few clips and heard some commentary over the weeks but hard to disagree with India as the best team.

I heard a long discussion in a rain break about match timings and ticket prices. Some pretty strong comments about the local population basically being ignored in favour of the world TV audience and wealthy visiting fans. We all know where the money and centre of gravity is for T20 but encouraging a healthy Windies cricket culture is good for the game overall yet seems to have been ignored. One person described fans at grounds as just ‘TV extras’, which was a pretty memorable comment.

I am not sure all the pitches were on the right side of sporting vs unfair. Some sounded dangerous and would have been unacceptable for longer formats. A bit of balance between bat and ball has to be good (Bumah player of the Tournament says something) but not sure it was always quite right.

Bruce

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Interesting.

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A new survey shows the growing importance of T20 cricket among players :point_right: Player survey reveals T20 World Cup has closed gap on ODI World Cup | ESPNcricinfo