WC2007: Super 8

[evertonfan]

That's what I think mufc. He's just a two length bowler; Speed for hire.

[aussie1st]

Symonds joins the party now, doesn't look like Ireland will make 100 here.

[manee]

Ireland: 76/8

Symonds is a handy bowler, not too slow and gets some bounce.

[aussie1st]

Also gets some good movement if the ball is swinging.

Hogg now in the wickets, he is causing these tailenders all sorts of problems.

[masterkhan]

I was Right When I said they Will All Get Out Under 100

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Game will be finishing soon :( Punter could have chosen bat first for some amusement :p

[Will_NA]

Have they got out for less than 100 yet?

[evertonfan]

Not yet. 88/9

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Lowest score on this ground is 114 :p can Ireland cross that barrier ;)

[aussie1st]

All out for 91, that was a good last wicket partnership from that pair. Tait gets a run out too :)

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Good throw from Tait :clap Ireland all out for 91 , so thats the lowest total on this ground now :p

[angryangy]

That's what I think mufc. He's just a two length bowler; Speed for hire.Considering how he bowled against England, that's something of an over-simplification. There was never going to be a lot of back-of-length in this game from Tait, if you saw the ball after his first two wickets, you'd know what I mean. It was a very good ball and not in a million years would any of the Irish get their bat to it in time for a nick. It was the full stuff that they were done by (even for McGrath) and so there was plenty of it.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Hussey is opening up with Gilly thats good , Hussey can score a fifty now :clap

[aussie1st]

Been some good fielding by Ireland so far. And just after the commentators commented about our luck of boundaries Gilly whacks 2 of them.

[Sureshot]

Tait still manages to go at over six when the opposition score under a hundred in 30 overs, wonderful.

Though, I see he is very dangerous, just probably the most extreme example of a wicket taking bowler going for runs as a negative.

[manee]

Hussey is in bad form, hopefully he can bat himself out of it here with a good 30 or 40.

[aussie1st]

Hussey is starting to look good again, cracked some very nice 4s.
Gilly gone from the around the wicket line, was a good ball from Johnston. Interesting celebration from Johnston there. :)

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Gilly gone , i hope next we see Roy coming and join Hussey

[aussie1st]

Some good powerful hitting by Roy and then Hussey. Good to see we finished before the lunch break and to win of a 6 even more better.

[John Adams]

Let's just say that if I were Hussey there, I'd have done the Johntson dance after hitting that six! :) A great win yay!

[masterkhan]

people want it a six and they got one
good batting from hussy

[John Adams]

The kids wanted it most lol

[masterkhan]

The kids wanted it most lol
Yeah they were happy :happy
but not the Ireland Fans Bad Day For them :brickwall

[John Adams]

lol I guess. I wonder how many will turn to the guiness lol :D

[masterkhan]

lol I guess. I wonder how many will turn to the guiness lol :D
LOL Good one
No Guiness For today I guess

I wish Pakistan were in the super 8 at least we could won some matchs

[irottev]

Wow, thats a thrashing if I ever saw one. Tis a shame Aussies didn't bat first.

[cric_craze]

i want england to beat south africa for some odd reason . and i want pieterson to thrash them

[evertonfan]

I wish Pakistan were in the super 8 at least we could won some matchs

Too bad you couldn't beat the worst team in the Super 8's then isn't it?

And no, i'm not referring to England.

[Will_NA]

LOL Good one
No Guiness For today I guess

I wish Pakistan were in the super 8 at least we could won some matchs

Yeh, me too. In fact, I'm starting a petition to allow Pakistan into the Super 8s on the grounds that 'They would win some matches' even though they couldn't beat either West Indies or Ireland who are bottom of the Super 8s. :rolleyes:

[cric_craze]

Yeh, me too. In fact, I'm starting a petition to allow Pakistan into the Super 8s on the grounds that 'They would win some matches' even though they couldn't beat either West Indies or Ireland who are bottom of the Super 8s. :rolleyes:

good to hear from a english fan

[IloveGilly]

Nice to see that Hussey found some form again, but even more disappointed Ponting didn't choose to bat first. What was so hard about pushing Hussey, Symonds and Hodge up so they'd get a bat? Ponting must be overconfident with his top order.

[LA ICE-E]

I know Ireland were going to lose all there matchs in the super 8
Like you knew Pakistan was going to beat them too? It's likely but that doesn't mean they performed better than Pakistan this world cup.

Well aussies demolishing Ireland here. I reckon the game shouldn't take to long into the night / afternoon
Well the aussies thrashed most teams in their way so far in the wc from '99.

Yeah they were happy :happy
but not the Ireland Fans Bad Day For them :brickwall
yes it is, disappointing but again look at the opponent. They can thrash all top 8 teams anyway.

LOL Good one
No Guiness For today I guess

I wish Pakistan were in the super 8 at least we could won some matchs
Why couldn't Pakistan win against West Indies and Ireland then? What's up with all these talks now...yeah Ireland played bad but i didn't see any team play very well against Australia. They like thrashed every team the played so far. You could never make sure the top 8 goes through. never. that's not sports, unless you want to make it like all fixed games. No matter what the format you can't make sure they go through. Ireland wasn't competitive this game, yes true but WI wasn't competitive the whole super 8 and just look at who they faced- Australia who are like in a different level than all the other teams. Like it's said when a top 8 loses to a minnow, this one bad performance shouldn't say all about Ireland...they still deserve to be here and have prove to have more heart than the Pakistan and India and was indeed competitive in most of their matches.

[IloveGilly]

World Cup results aren't always as accurate as they should be. You could be in such good form for 4 years before that but then you might lose 1 game which ruins your whole campaign. That's what happened to India and Pakistan, they lost at the wrong time.

[angryangy]

Yeah, the point that's been made time and time again is that India and Pakistan are obviously capable of playing better than they did. Pakistan were never going to have a good World Cup (unfortunately exceeding expectations in a different way), but India were fielding their best team.

[LA ICE-E]

World Cup results aren't always as accurate as they should be. You could be in such good form for 4 years before that but then you might lose 1 game which ruins your whole campaign. That's what happened to India and Pakistan, they lost at the wrong time.
Nothing can be done about that. Australia dominated since '99 at the wc, if they lose in the semi's that just ruins their whole campaign. Well that's the world cup it's a tournament not the rankings. A point people needs to get.
Yeah, the point that's been made time and time again is that India and Pakistan are obviously capable of playing better than they did. Pakistan were never going to have a good World Cup (unfortunately exceeding expectations in a different way), but India were fielding their best team.And that would probably not be good enough either. Just compare them to how sri lanka, new zealand, australia's playing. Ireland are obviously capable of putting a better fight than they did today but still you all of a sudden hear critics criticizing them again for one game when though they did far better than anyone expected them to do. And no point blaming the format, nothing can be done to ensure a certain team getting through.

[John Adams]

I just don't understand why Gilley hasn't learned to close the gap betwen bat and pad yet? After he got bowled by Plunket months ago, he should of never gotten bowled that way last night! Even though Plunkets ball was yorker length, it's the same kinda way he got out against Ireland..meh..

[Adarsh]

It's mainly because he's a backfoot player. For balls on a good length he prefers to play from the crease. Yesterday, and to the yorker from Plunkett, he should have got his front foot forward which would have made his forward defense more compact. Come to think of it, I can't remember Gilchrist ever playing a classical forward defense !

[charith]

Hmmmmmm how come NZ or SL have no super8 games at the Kensington Oval? SAF jus have one game there whereas AUS has an equal no of games there and in Grenada. Might be a disadvantage to NZ or SL if they make the final not having had a game there.

[John Adams]

About Gilley again, yea even in the 2005 Ashes series he was bowled like that, so if he hasn't learned from back then, then I guess it was wrong for me to expect him to learn from earlier this year lol. Well that's just a weakness of Gilleys batting, and that's that really..just suprised he can't rectify it in the nets at least...

[angryangy]

Tonight's match is on free-to-air in Aus by the way.

[masterkhan]

come on New Zealand
But Can New Zealnad beat South Africa?

[Work Horse]

This will be a good game. I really hope; for all of Englands sake that New Zealand give South Africa a thrashing.

[Will_NA]

Come on Bond

[evertonfan]

I love South Africa but for once i'm hoping they get cained.

[Will_NA]

The good thing about this match is that SA can blast their hearts out and give great entertainment but NZ are a great chasing team.

Then again, England need SA's NRR to take a bashing so come on NZ

[aussie_ben91]

Smith & de Villiers are toast. How much movement does Bond want?

[wolf]

Then again, England need SA's NRR to take a bashing so come on NZ

Also if both England and New Zealand beat South Africa, we probably won't have to beat West Indies.

And New Zealand have a wicket! Bond has got Smith. 3-1.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Smith is out , Bond struck in his first over :)

[Will_NA]

2 down!!! AB deV gone!!

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

What is happening with the Proteas :eek: both openers returned to pavillion

[evertonfan]

South Africa struggling. This game is very similar to the way that the game on Thursday panned out.

[aussie_ben91]

4th duck for the tournament and his got a 92 & 146 to go with that.

Kallis the big wicket now. It just seems impossible to score runs at the moment.

[Adarsh]

That was an awesome ball from Franklin. The first few balls were all slanting away and a couple beat De Villiers's outside edge. I was thinking to myself that Franklin doesn't have the ability to bowl the inswinger and then bam, he's nails it!

[Will_NA]

This is exactly the kind of innings Kallis will enjoy. The role of the re-builder. He can score at his own pace now.

[Work Horse]

Kallis has been unstopable in this tournament. Franklin is ripping them up, I predict low 200's

[Adarsh]

The overhead conditions and the quality of the bowlers is what is making this hard. There is nothing really wrong with the pitch! Every ball the batsman keeps tapping the pitch, but it's the swing and where the ball pitches that is causing the problems. I've seen nothing untoward happening as far as the pitch is concerned.

[evertonfan]

If South Africa bat 50 overs at this rate they'll make 44....

They just need a loose delivery to set them on their way.

[Will_NA]

bond and franklin have bowled beautifully. i predict 230 will be a very good score

[Adarsh]

If South Africa bat 50 overs at this rate they'll make 44....
They'll be pretty pleased with that! 44 could be a competitive score!

[aussie_ben91]

The overhead conditions and the quality of the bowlers is what is making this hard. There is nothing really wrong with the pitch! Every ball the batsman keeps tapping the pitch, but it's the swing and where the ball pitches that is causing the problems. I've seen nothing untoward happening as far as the pitch is concerned
The ball keeps nipping around off the pitch. It's obviously coming onto the bat slow and then another ball it rises off the pitch.

I think it's great. If your gonna have short boundaries then why not have a bowler friendly pitch?

[Will_NA]

and they say england score slowly during the powerplay :D

[aussie_ben91]

South Africa's batting outclasses NZ's by miles. I could only imigane how NZ would be going atm.

[Adarsh]

Runrate has gone over 1 now. The floodgates have opened.

[evertonfan]

That's more like it. I could see Kallis eyeing that up for a while now.

[aussie_ben91]

Shane Warne would be a nightmare on this pitch.

Shot from Kalliss.

[angryangy]

The ball keeps nipping around off the pitch. It's obviously coming onto the bat slow and then another ball it rises off the pitch.

I think it's great. If your gonna have short boundaries then why not have a bowler friendly pitch?Because it's a matter of fairness to both teams. Noone likes results to be decided by the toss of the coin.

If the movement and variable bounce in this pitch is caused by moisture, don't expect the new ball to be as tough come NZ's innings.

It's very difficult to create the paradigm ODI pitch for this reason, so often the fairest thing to do is create a pitch which does little and changes little.

[masterkhan]

good start from New Zealand but Gibbs and Kallis are helping South Africa now.

[icyman]

I back the Kiwis to come through this one.
Fleming will score runs today !

[masterkhan]

if the kiwis gets kallis and gibbs out then they will have a chance.

[Will_NA]

if the kiwis gets kallis and gibbs out then they will have a chance.

A chnace of what?

They aren't out of the game at this stage. In fact, they are a long way off.

Patel is getting drift

[evertonfan]

If either of these go on to get a century it will be one of the finest in this World Cup.

Hmmm, I jinx a lot of batsman...

[John Adams]

Fleming will score runs today !


Wana bet? :laugh though I hope you're right...

[masterkhan]

G.Smith really need to score Runs He Is really out of form.

I haven't seen a great innings from G.Smith

[evertonfan]

I haven't seen a great innings from G.Smith

Ever?

[masterkhan]

Ever?
No just this World Cup

[PhilD123]

Big wicket of Kallis, c'mon you Kiwi's!:p

As someone said, if New Zealand win this, then if we beat SA then we're through, with the only exception of if the West Indies thrash us heavily, although I wouldn't bet against it:p, despite their form so far in the super 8's.

[masterkhan]

now they need to get Gibbs.

[Will_NA]

No just this World Cup

He was playing brilliantly against Australia before he severely cramped up

[angryangy]

Smith has scored 4 half centuries in this tournament, I don't know what you've been watching.

[aussie_ben91]

Glenn McGrath the Player of the Tournament so far? Sheesh.

[Will_NA]

Never write him off

[icyman]

Playing safe and slow though.
They'll need to pick up the pace from now on,else it will be easy meat for the Kiwis.Well,if the Kiwis decide to attack Pollock,consider it over for SA.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Gibbs is playin well and good support from Prince too :clap i reckon 220 will be in the board :)

[icyman]

The middle-order needs to fire up though,they havnet been in the greatest of form in this tournament.
I'm looking forth to some lusty blows from Justin Kemp. :p
Ooops, forgot that he ain't there-How about Hall though ?

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

The middle-order needs to fire up though,they havnet been in the greatest of form in this tournament.
I'm looking forth to some lusty blows from Justin Kemp. :p
Ooops, forgot that he ain't there-How about Hall though ?



Yes , Kemp have to play his role tonight , till so far he is totally disppointing ;)

[icyman]

I sort of miss the Super-Sub idea.
They should have implemented it this World Cup,could have been great.Teams could have done with it by introducing hard-hitters at the required time.And it would have been wonderful on the slow pitches of the Carribbean !

[Will_NA]

Yes , Kemp have to play his role tonight , till so far he is totally disppointing ;)

That's gonna be hard since he's not playing :rolleyes:

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

I sort of miss the Super-Sub idea.
They should have implemented it this World Cup,could have been great.Teams could have done with it by introducing hard-hitters at the required time.And it would have been wonderful on the slow pitches of the Carribbean !


Super Sub was the worst thing :p , thanks God No more Super Sub :upray

[Vcassano]

That player of the tournamant thing's a complete joke. Jayawardene's on there, as is Collingwood but no Pietersen? Mental.

I really don't want New Zealand to thrash South Africa, a reasonably difficult win would be fine because I fear South Africa will bounce back well from a humiliating defeat, a la Bangladesh.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Boucher gone , great captaincy by Fleming :clap he has done the right thing bringinf Mcmillan into the attack :)

[nightprowler10]

The kiwis' fielding has been top notch in this tournament. They must shave off 20+ runs from the opposition's total due to their excellent fielding.

[angryangy]

It's very easy to say this won't be enough, but can we be sure? The pitch didn't really seem to improve, the coming new ball might be pretty scary against a shaky top order. Also, if the pitch has come good, you'd expect a competent batsman like Pollock to be able to find the boundary. Bowlers who were thoroughly attacked still only went for 4-5 runs an over.

It's possible that it's still be drying and it might be a very good surface in an hour or so, but hopefully there's plenty for the bowlers to work with so that we get a convincing contest. On that note, mixed signs for Peterson; Patel was very restrictive, but Vettori wasn't. Will he play a key role?

[dhoni dhamaka]

micmillan 3 wickets! :eek:

i think NZ will lose about 5-6 wickets but still win in about 35 overs because you cant rule out pollock and ntini..... :thumbs

theyre real devestating bowlers....... :gundown :cutit

[icyman]

That player of the tournamant thing's a complete joke. Jayawardene's on there, as is Collingwood but no Pietersen? Mental.



It depends upon the number of man of the match awards a particular player wins.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Stephen Fleming pass 8000 runs :clap great moment for him

[angryangy]

Ooh got him. Third time lucky, eh?

Still, if South Africa win from here, New Zealand will have some choking questions to answer. It was always going to be a messy skirmish, but you have to say South Africa just haven't given 110 percent today. The middle order were undisciplined after good starts, they put down a few too many catches and haven't really given NZ a fright with deadly accurate throws. It's been a good performance, but they need to step up and do even more to actually win.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Fleming out after a good knock :clap finally Pollock got his man :)

[gambino]

bangladesh will have a very good chance for semis if england beat south africa though and lose to windies

all bangla will have to do is beat ireland and windies
which isnt too hard a task with the form windies are in

[LA ICE-E]

then it shouldn't be hard for england to beat WI either with form the WI's are in

[irottev]

We never looked like losing that. Well done guys. A few silly shots at the end made us look a little shaky but really, we were never going to mess that up. They paced it well.

Styris has been brilliant. Another great knock. Well done. McMillan got wickets lol, great captaincy Fleming. Brave move and it payed off big time. He didn't really need to bowl him. Great allround performance.

Shane Bond yet again superb. Franklin, looks so much better with some assistance. SPinners did well too.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

So its now Aussie and Kiwis are in the Semi final , two spot still left :p

[evertonfan]

I thought Franklin was immense today Irottev and I feel his performance was left unsung by the commentators. As good as Bond was, I think Franklin was the main man today.

New Zealand got the best out of the conditions, that's all you can ask from your team really. The captain puts you into field and his team responds like that. Must work wonders for team spirit.

And Ireland are officially out of the running for a semi-final place now. Not that they were ever going to get there anyway.

[irottev]

Fleming's had a good tournament. People say he's no good, he needs to give up captaincy, he's "tentitive", etc. Without him, we would have a very unstable opening partnership. Played well, it's just a shame he got out when he did and not batted through. I love wathcing him play the spinners. Hit 1 nice drive off Pieterson.

Winning to toss played a part, but with us having played a match earlier we summed up the pitch well and did the right thing. SA fought well, their bowlers never gave up. A few chances went down but England will be happy with the result, a spots still open for them ;) They just need to beat SA.

[aussie1st]

Nice win for the Kiwis, looks like we should get a Aus v NZ final if all things go according to plan.

Macca had one of his good days I see with 3 wickets and then some runs.

[Cricketman]

Well played NZ. Really top notch stuff in the field, backed up by no hiccups with the bat. Awesome.
Got to say that Pietersen shot in the last over was class :)

[aussie1st]

About Gilley again, yea even in the 2005 Ashes series he was bowled like that, so if he hasn't learned from back then, then I guess it was wrong for me to expect him to learn from earlier this year lol. Well that's just a weakness of Gilleys batting, and that's that really..just suprised he can't rectify it in the nets at least...

Gilly had this problem even further back than that. Caddick was one that exploited it along with Cairns think it was back in the 99 WC.

[surendar]

Suprised to see Patel having bowled well than Vetto.. and also Kiwis using two spinners in a major game. Anyways, well done Kiwis.. Aus and Kiwis already in semis. Lankans will be there for sure i guess. If i am right, SA Vs Eng going to decide who is going to be knocked out.

[angryangy]

Fleming's had a good tournament. People say he's no good, he needs to give up captaincy, he's "tentitive", etc. Without him, we would have a very unstable opening partnership. Played well, it's just a shame he got out when he did and not batted through. I love wathcing him play the spinners. Hit 1 nice drive off Pieterson.

Winning to toss played a part, but with us having played a match earlier we summed up the pitch well and did the right thing. SA fought well, their bowlers never gave up. A few chances went down but England will be happy with the result, a spots still open for them ;) They just need to beat SA.Fleming's critics still have plenty of fuel from that innings. He really shouldn't have made it to fifty, but he got the absolute best possible luck from players who really can make those kinds of catches look easy.

[irottev]

Suprised to see Patel having bowled well than Vetto.. and also Kiwis using two spinners in a major game. Anyways, well done Kiwis.. Aus and Kiwis already in semis. Lankans will be there for sure i guess. If i am right, SA Vs Eng going to decide who is going to be knocked out.

I'd take Vettori's crucial wicket. THe economy was better which proved important.

I think we have to stick to two spinners. Gillespie doesn't have time to get back into form. The only problem will be death bowling and maybe if we get thrashed at both ends early on.

And yeah, Fleming maybe shoulda been out, but dropped catches, you have to make the most of. Like Hayden did against us. His other innings have been great. Also Smith would have batted so he made the right call at the toss.

[John Adams]

Gilly had this problem even further back than that. Caddick was one that exploited it along with Cairns think it was back in the 99 WC.

Mate you shouldn't of said that, simply coz it makes Gilley look like more of a fool lol. Almost 10 years, heck maybe ever since he's held a bat for the first time playing cricket as a kid, he's probably had that problem. :eek: Haha

Now let me congratulate Fleming on his fifty runs. I'm glad I didn't make an actual bet on him not getting any runs lol, though I admit I didn't think SA would bowl alot of rubish at him, but credit to him for dealing with that rubish, though some balls were good of course. Pollocks one that beat him early was a rippper! Well done NZ! Is SA still the 2nd best team?

Oh and thanks for the positive reps to whoever gave them to me! :)

[aussie_ben91]

Gilchrist only knows one way and that's to slog the ball around the park. Of course his going to have a weakness as his technique isn't as high tuned as what the normal casual batsman would have.

[John Adams]

Well when he slogs out for little runs, that doesn't do the team any good...meh I'm just thinking out loud. I know his a great asset, but just hate when he gets out the same way over n over for years now...

[masterkhan]

Are Sri Lanka In The Semi-Final?
because they only lost one game in the super 8.

[Adarsh]

Well when he slogs out for little runs, that doesn't do the team any good...meh I'm just thinking out loud. I know his a great asset, but just hate when he gets out the same way over n over for years now...
There are some things that will never change. Ever. You can try and improve it but it'll always be there. For example you can't make some one like Ganguly dive for the ball. It's not in him. Gilchrist's technique is that he likes to punch good length ball off the back foot through the covers. Some times that means he doesn't get to the pitch of the ball and therefore has problems when the ball swings, either into him or away from him (Flintoff).

[icyman]

Are Sri Lanka In The Semi-Final?
because they only lost one game in the super 8.

Yes they are,and I think the semis will look somewhat like this-
Aus v Saf
Srl v Nzl

with Aus- Nzl contesting the Finals !

[aussie_ben91]

This is heartbreaking for many Subcontient supporters. This could be India vs Pakistan going on at the moment.

[masterkhan]

This is heartbreaking for many Subcontient supporters. This could be India vs Pakistan going on at the moment.
That's is true It would have been a great match :(

[evertonfan]

That's is true It would have been a great match :(

Who's to say this one won't be a great match?

[masterkhan]

can Bangladash Go to the Semi-Final if they win this match?

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

can Bangladash Go to the Semi-Final if they win this match?


No i think :p

[aussie_ben91]

My god, Ireland are going alright.

[rashik007]

No i think :p

Still a faint hope If Bangladesh wins against both Ireland and West Indies
and then England beats South Africa and then West indies beats England convincingly Bangladesh goes

There r lots of "ifs" so very little possibility :rolleyes:

[angryangy]

My god, Ireland are going alright.I think there's a rhyming cricket catchphrase which sums up Bangladesh's day.

3.6 Shahadat Hossain to Porterfield, 1 no ball, dropped! Was a no-ball anyways, but still, Porterfield lunges forward and drives one in the air to a diving Razzak at cover, who gets to it and then lets it pop out

17.5 Mohammad Rafique to Porterfield, no run, dropped! Full and flat on off stump, chipped back in the air to his left, he steps across and reaches out, grabs it with his left-hand, and then lets it slip out! Poor cricket

25.5 Saqibul Hasan to Morgan, FOUR, dropped!, and Morgan's not wasting time! Comes down the track second ball, chips in the air over midwicket, the ball sails down to Shahadat, who doesnt judge it standing well inside the ropes, he backpeddles and lets it go over his head

40.6 Mohammad Rafique to KJ O'Brien, FOUR, dropped! Oh lord! Tossed up on leg stump, O'Brien comes out and collects it on the full, chipping in the air out to Razzak at cow corner, who backpeddles hard, gets a hand to it, lets it go and looks on as the ball rolls over the ropes...shameless stuff that!

[Cricketman]

can Bangladash Go to the Semi-Final if they win this match?
They have to beat WI too, i think.
They don't look like winning this match after that horrid innings. They got kinda lucky with the runouts.
They need Tamim to fire to have a chance.

[masterkhan]

243 is a good total but I think Bangladash can chase it down.

[afreedee]

243 is a good total but I think Bangladash can chase it down.
Yeah. But it won't be easy:noway

Lol, i keep thinking of when Bangladesh chaased down 250-ish to beat the Aussies back in 2005

[John Adams]

There are some things that will never change. Ever. You can try and improve it but it'll always be there. For example you can't make some one like Ganguly dive for the ball. It's not in him. Gilchrist's technique is that he likes to punch good length ball off the back foot through the covers. Some times that means he doesn't get to the pitch of the ball and therefore has problems when the ball swings, either into him or away from him (Flintoff).

Yes mate good points. Gilley is what he is, and I should be happy that he is as good as he is many times in the past, and hopefully in the future as well. :)



Lol, i keep thinking of when Bangladesh chaased down 250-ish to beat the Aussies back in 2005

Well we all have our off days lol ;)

[rashik007]

Bangladesh`s run rate is not gud. tamim should fire up

[masterkhan]

Will Ireland finally Win a match in the super 8 But Bangladash need to start playing fast now the run rate is not looking good.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Bagladesh lost their first wicket , Shahriar Nafees gone , Tamin is playing like a test match :eek:

[masterkhan]

bangladash are making this game hard for them self

a four and a six by Aftab Ahmed well done

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Aftab Ahmed is out , huge blow for Bangladesh :(

[masterkhan]

Come on Bangladash you beat South Africa Then I am sure you can beat Ireland.

[angryangy]

It must be said, Gilchrist slaps more good length balls for four than he lets through.

Shariah Nafees is on such a bad run, no starts in 7 innings. He might need to talk to Matthew Hayden about patience.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Now another wicket , Sakib is out too :( Ireland is really making it difficult for Bangla

[masterkhan]

errr!! Come on bangla just play careful from now on

[rashik007]

Nice to see some bengali support!
It would have been IND vs PAK
but seeing Ashraful`s batting this match is on!

[rashik007]

that shot was simply stupid :mad

[masterkhan]

Woops Mohammad Ashraful is gone

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Ashraful departed also , now now way out for Bangladesh :(

[evertonfan]

If Ireland win today then they will have beaten more Test playing nations than England in this tournament...

[rashik007]

we r screwed need a miracle now

[masterkhan]

they can still win it is not over yet

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

they can still win it is not over yet

No good batsman left now :( a miracle is needed though i doubt whether any miracle will happen ;)

[masterkhan]

Everyone is On Bangldash Side I guess No One Like Ireland

[Drewska]

Err..I'm supporting Ireland, because they rock.

[stevie]

McCallan has really impressed me throughout this tournament, solid performer for Ireland. Can't see Bangladesh getting out of this one, even with Bashar at the crease.

[Kev]

Guys, Can you at least try to post a bit more than just a running commentary of action as it happens, this is supposed to be a thread about the games, not a description of the action. Use chat if you want a text commentary.

[Drewska]

McCallan has really impressed me throughout this tournament, solid performer for Ireland. Can't see Bangladesh getting out of this one, even with Bashar at the crease.

Yep, he reminds me of Ashley Giles when he was at the top of his game (don't laugh) during 2004 where he was deadly accurate and got some turn. And he isn't one of those club cricket standard spinners from Holland and Bermuda.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

I dont understand how Bangladesh gave up today's match :eek: after some great win in this World Cup :p

[stevie]

I dont understand how Bangladesh gave up today's match :eek: after some great win in this World Cup :p

I think Simon Mann on BBC radio just summed it up beautifully. "When they're good they're very good, when they're bad they're very bad."

Not often you see Bangladesh in a tight match, it has to be said.

[rashik007]

I m liking Ireland
ryt now there fielding, commitment and enthusiasm is awesome

I think Simon Mann on BBC radio just summed it up beautifully. "When they're good they're very good, when they're bad they're very bad."

Not often you see Bangladesh in a tight match, it has to be said.


exactly :crying

[Drewska]

exactly :crying

Well at least this World Cup Bangladesh are now making it as a major nation, rather than being there to make up the numbers. They've had two very clinical wins against major nations (which they are becoming) and I wouldn't bet against them beating the West Indies. Bangla have almost arrived.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Rafiquie is good hitter :p but in this tournament , he have done nothing with the bat , and today again he was disapointing :(

[rashik007]

Bashar in all respect is an aweful captain!

[Drewska]

Bashar in all respect is an aweful captain!

To be honest I think Bashar is a waste of time, he doesn't seem to have a cricketing brain, he has a negative effect on other players (has poor body language and is a crap runner for example) and his batting isn't good enough for ODI's, although his average of 34 in tests shows he is suited to that arena.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Bashar in all respect is an aweful captain!


Did Bashar won the toss today or Johnston won it ;)

[rashik007]

To be honest I think Bashar is a waste of time, he doesn't seem to have a cricketing brain, he has a negative effect on other players (has poor body language and is a crap runner for example) and his batting isn't good enough for ODI's, although his average of 34 in tests shows he is suited to that arena.

exactly thats what our selectors doesnt understand! :rolleyes:

Did Bashar won the toss today or Johnston won it ;)

Johnston did

gudness Ireland won and they deserve it. Mind it its no fluke

[Jaztheman]

Ireland deserved it fully in my eyes, poor display by bangladesh

[manee]

Not often you see Bangladesh in a tight match, it has to be said.

I was just thinking that after their loss to Australia.

[aussie1st]

Good performance from Ireland they clicked while Bangladesh had another one of those off days. Must say Nafees has had one quiet tournament.

[irottev]

Wow Ireland won! Well done! They've been great finds. Bangladesh...well...sounds like a pretty poor performance. Aside from 4 run outs!!! what the heck?

[Sureshot]

Bashar is slower between the wickets than Inzy in hibernation! Watch the ball Habibul.

Well done Ireland though, they were brilliant in all 3 aspects, fully deserved win.

[LA ICE-E]

That's is true It would have been a great match :(
and still was!

If Ireland win today then they will have beaten more Test playing nations than England in this tournament...
Yup, Ireland are now going to be in the main odi table!!!!!!!!
http://www.icc-cricket.com/odi/associates.html
Mind, that Bangladesh beat more top 8 nations too than England at the moment but england still have a chance to qualify for the semis!

Everyone is On Bangldash Side I guess No One Like Ireland
No, a lot of people were rooting for Ireland!

[angryangy]

Bangladesh dropped catch after catch; Ireland shouldn't have made 200. Still, the game was well within reach until Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful squandered good starts with very silly shots.

[LA ICE-E]

Well at least this World Cup Bangladesh are now making it as a major nation, rather than being there to make up the numbers. They've had two very clinical wins against major nations (which they are becoming) and I wouldn't bet against them beating the West Indies. Bangla have almost arrived. Bangladesh isn't part of the top 8/9 yet but they ,even after this loss, isn't part of the minnows. Hope this will shut the hell up with those critics saying Ireland wont win a game and all that! Both Bangladesh and Ireland deserve to be there and they have proven more than enough that they deserve it! These are making the wc (which is overshadowed by things happening out of the field) better. Bangladesh should be proud too(not for today but for this wc overall). Ireland did themselves proud and the ICC's development program proud and their country proud! They were competitive through out the wc and deserve way from credit than the are getting.

Bangladesh dropped catch after catch; Ireland shouldn't have made 200. Still, the game was well within reach until Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful squandered good starts with very silly shots. Critics like you will never give credit huh but always criticize the other team to take away things from the underdogs. Even with the catches held ireland could have got 200 and Ashraful was out on a good shot but just wasn't the right place. What's you're point? Why don't you ever give ireland and bangladesh credit when they deserve it? you just have to criticize and pick on things without ever giving them the due credits.

I didn't know what I wanted from today's games because if Ireland won then critics like you are going to bitch about it's just bangladesh they beat and how sucky Bangladesh is and how their wins were just fluke and how they are minnows too so no credit to Ireland etc. if Bangladesh won you guys would be like oh, I predicted Ireland wouldn't win a game, Pakistan would be much better. Ireland don't deserve to be there, they didn't make any impact bla bla bla...its a lose lose situation. So best would be a tie but still then the critics are going to say some.

Both teams deserve credit and give it to them instead of criticizing them all the time. Bangladesh are no longer a minnow(even after this game otherwise pakistan,india and south africa are too) and they showed that this world cup. Ireland proved way way way more than anyone expected. This is their 1st world cup and they have won and tied against 3 test nations! They are now part of the main odi table! They have proved more than Kenya had last wc when they made it to the semis. But take nothing away from Kenya either because they are a good team too and won the World Cricket League! So just give credits to the teams when they are due instead of trying to criticize them all the time.

[Justcrazy]

Bangladesh isn't part of the top 8/9 yet but they ,even after this loss, isn't part of the minnows. Hope this will shut the hell up with those critics saying Ireland wont win a game and all that! Both Bangladesh and Ireland deserve to be there and they have proven more than enough that they deserve it! These are making the wc (which is overshadowed by things happening out of the field) better. Bangladesh should be proud too(not for today but for this wc overall). Ireland did themselves proud and the ICC's development program proud and their country proud! They were competitive through out the wc and deserve way from credit than the are getting.


Critics like you will never give credit huh but always criticize the other team to take away things from the underdogs. Even with the catches held ireland could have got 200 and Ashraful was out on a good shot but just wasn't the right place. What's you're point? Why don't you ever give ireland and bangladesh credit when they deserve it? you just have to criticize and pick on things without ever giving them the due credits.

I didn't know what I wanted from today's games because if Ireland won then critics like you are going to bitch about it's just bangladesh they beat and how sucky Bangladesh is and how their wins were just fluke and how they are minnows too so no credit to Ireland etc. if Bangladesh won you guys would be like oh, I predicted Ireland wouldn't win a game, Pakistan would be much better. Ireland don't deserve to be there, they didn't make any impact bla bla bla...its a lose lose situation. So best would be a tie but still then the critics are going to say some.

Both teams deserve credit and give it to them instead of criticizing them all the time. Bangladesh are no longer a minnow(even after this game otherwise pakistan,india and south africa are too) and they showed that this world cup. Ireland proved way way way more than anyone expected. This is their 1st world cup and they have won and tied against 3 test nations! They are now part of the main odi table! They have proved more than Kenya had last wc when they made it to the semis. But take nothing away from Kenya either because they are a good team too and won the World Cricket League! So just give credits to the teams when they are due instead of trying to criticize them all the time. lol you funny...Irleand Ireland Ireland Ireland....is Ireland visiable on the map? Or i have to use microscope to see how big it is. Boy, Ind-pak are classic teams and just gifted those matches to minnow teams like Ireland and 4ft tall bangli school boy cricketers. Dont compare those massive teams with amatures. Thank is you!, Inzi rocks!

[LA ICE-E]

lol you funny...Irleand Ireland Ireland Ireland....is Ireland visiable on the map? Or i have to use microscope to see how big it is. Boy, Ind-pak are classic teams and just gifted those matches to minnow teams like Ireland and 4ft tall bangli school boy cricketers. Dont compare those massive teams with amatures. Thank is you!, Inzi rocks!
Thanks, I know I'm funny but wasn't being funny there. And yeah, tells me a lot that you know little about what you're talking about. If you don't know if Ireland is visible on the map or not than that tells me you're not very smart. If India and Pakistan are classy teams then why could they win two games at the world cup? Gifted? No, India got dominated by Bangladesh and Pakistan too against Ireland. 4ft Bangladeshis? Well I don't think Sachin is very tall either. Bangladesh isn't armatures and even though Ireland is(some of them are not) it's just sad that those "massive" teams couldn't pull of a win against the so called "minnows". !st learn and know what you're talking about then say somethings.

And good luck to Afghanistan though, hope they make the 2011 wc. Is cricket doing any good there? I would like to know because cricket would benefit from having nations like Afghanistan play. Wouldn't you like it if you guys beat those massive teams? Or would you still say they let you win?

[irottev]

I'd ignore his comments. He never has anything useful to say.

[Justcrazy]

Bangla is still minnows they are all underdogs and I think they need some tight louda to play Cricket.

[irottev]

Their batsman have potential, they playedsome wonderful shots. And then you see them get caught playing stupid shots like reverse sweeps and ramp shots, slogs. They need to mature and get experianced for that I guess.

[LA ICE-E]

Bangla is still minnows they are all underdogs and I think they need some tight louda to play Cricket.
If the critics like ponting is saying they are not "minnows" anymore who are you saying they are. There's a difference between underdogs and minnows. Sri Lanka are underdogs in tomorrows games doesn't mean they are "minnows". Ireland is still a "minnow" but is showing great signs of a better cricketing future for them and so are teams like kenya and netherlands.

Their batsman have potential, they playedsome wonderful shots. And then you see them get caught playing stupid shots like reverse sweeps and ramp shots, slogs. They need to mature and get experianced for that I guess.
true

[charith]

It'll be a cracker of a game. Can't wait. Too bad Malinga isnt playing. Would've loved to see how Ponting and Co. handled him.

Dress rehersal for the final maybe.

[aussie1st]

Will be interesting seeing how SL handle Tait seeing as they have their own slinger in Malinga.

[charith]

Hehe check this out.. Slingers havin a laugh!!

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290669.html
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290668.html
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290670.html

[aussie1st]

Lol they photographed the right pair just a shame we won't be able to see two slingas in action.

[donkey]

Hehe check this out.. Slingers havin a laugh!!

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290669.html
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290668.html
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/image/290670.html

And malinga is the one with blonde hair...ahhh the irony :p

[kookaburra69]

Malinga looks soo tiny compared to Shaun Tait.

[aussie_ben91]

Tait is better. 8/43 in domestic OD cricket. The opposition got pwned. He'll be the 1st bowler to take 10 wkts in a ODI.

[Punk Sk8r!]

I don't think Tait is better atm, Malinga has more precsion with his slinging whereas Tait sprays it a bit. But I reckon in a year or two Tait could be one dangerous bowler if he gets his line right his fully lenght usually troubles top batsman.

And why won't we see the two slingers in action?

[aussie1st]

And why won't we see the two slingers in action?

Malinga is injured and pretty sure he has been ruled out of the clash.

[Damo01]

Damn it! I would like to see Malinga in action tonight against Australia. Ah well, should be a good game hopefully. Don't want to be bored and find the Aussie easily beat Sri Lanka.

[John Adams]

lol Malinga's action looks illegal, Tait's action looks almost legal haha in my opinion of course...I love the true genuine round straight arm bowling actions, like Shane Warne had. :)

[aussie_ben91]

I have to say I agree with Fanny Adams very muchly on this topic.

[Sureshot]

Tait is better.

If Giles was Australian he'd sure have pushed Warne as much as MacGill did.

[John Adams]

If Giles was Australian he'd sure have pushed Warne as much as MacGill did.

Not going by last Ashes series lol. Though in the 2005 series he did well :)

[Sureshot]

I was actually being Sarcastic John ;)

Tait has talent, but he's not as good as Malinga. He can be, but he sprays it around more than even an out of form Harmison.

[John Adams]

Haha yea Tait is way wood at times for sure, and lol ok I didn't know you were being sarcastic lol, I guess you agree Sureshot that Panasar is much better than Giles at present?

Oh and *slaps ben* for the fanny remark :laugh

[Sureshot]

Montys miles ahead of Giles, looks like Giles might actually have his career stopped though as his hips gone again.

Btw, it's wayward. Not way wood :D

[charith]

Well when u sling its impossible to bend ur elbow so both actions are legal. I tried it and yeah ended up bowling it over the batters head!!

[John Adams]

Hehe ok waywood, I guess my spelling was as waywood as Tait's bowling can be at times :D hehe

Well when u sling its impossible to bend ur elbow so both actions are legal. I tried it and yeah ended up bowling it over the batters head!!

lol why sling in the first place?

[charith]

I dont knw if anyone else has noticed this but at the point when tait releases the ball his head is actually looking upwards? I.e. he's not looking at the target. Whereas malinga keeps his eye on the batsmen throughout his run and release. Maybe that can explain taits waywardness at times?

Hehe ok waywood, I guess my spelling was as waywood as Tait's bowling can be at times :D hehe



lol why sling in the first place?
hehe tried to get extra pace. it as in the nets but yeah no harm done. I'll stick to my offies.:D

[John Adams]

Haha not you mate, Malinga ;)

[charith]

Haha not you mate, Malinga ;)

well dats hw he has bowled. he used to play alot of beach cricket as a kid on the sand with tennis balls. so to get bounce he used dat action to sling it. Is awesome how no one intervened and made him change his action. normally bowling coaches try to get perfect actions like mcgrath vaas. Its like Thommo as well. Slingy round arm

[Adarsh]

Surely you'll get more bounce with a high arm action than a slingy one ?

[charith]

Yeah prob to do with gettin more pace off the sand? I don't think he even played hardball cricket for his school. THey just picked him up and put him into first class cricket i think just based on his pace.

[John Adams]

Well in the end, since the ICC accept Murili's action as legal, then I can't complain about Malinga :laugh

[charith]

Well in the end, since the ICC accept Murili's action as legal, then I can't complain about Malinga :laugh

Sorry i just want to clarify, how is malinga's action illegal? coz he doesnt throw it coz its impossible to. Its also between 90 and 180 degrees at delivery, 180 being your arm touching your head and 90 being your arm being parallel to the ground. Just curious as to how you think its illegal.

[dhoni dhamaka]

Well in the end, since the ICC accept Murili's action as legal, then I can't complain about Malinga :laugh

malingas action is not illegal because he just has a unique action wheras people accuse murali because of his release. :working

[John Adams]

Well in my opinion I believe an arm that aint straight aint legal, and no I aint picking on Sri Lanka only. I think Brett Lee and others are in the same category. But I think Malinga and Murili are extreme cases. But meh it's not like what I think will have any bearing on world cricket lol I just wish the pure straight arm action was allowed only, but it is the way it is, and I gotta just learn to accept it all...

:)

[Sureshot]

Malinga's arm is as straight as a ruler. Anyway the whole chucking thing has been done to death.

[John Adams]

lol straight but almost 45 degree angle haha ok nevermind yea its all old news :)

[masterkhan]

Bangla is still minnows they are all underdogs and I think they need some tight louda to play Cricket.
Man Whats His problem
I Don't Bangla is a minnows team but they are sometime good and sometime bad.

[ishangodbole]

srl lanka sucks aussie rocks

[aussie1st]

I dont knw if anyone else has noticed this but at the point when tait releases the ball his head is actually looking upwards? I.e. he's not looking at the target. Whereas malinga keeps his eye on the batsmen throughout his run and release. Maybe that can explain taits waywardness at times?

Was noticed when he first played for Aus A, Richie commented on it. Can't be going too bad though if he has an 8 fer in the OD form of the game.

[Sureshot]

lol straight but almost 45 degree angle haha ok nevermind yea its all old news :)


The 'angle' is irrelevant in terms of how the ICC judge a bowlers action, all to do with the the bend of the elbow during delivery iirc.

[andrew_nixon]

Well in my opinion I believe an arm that aint straight aint legalThen your opinion bears no resemblance to the actual laws of the game, which state that the arm can not straighten during the action. It doesn't say it has to be straight.

[aussie1st]

SL won the toss and elected to bat. From the pitch report sounds like it will hold no fears for the batters but will assist the spinners as the game goes on so batting first works perfectly for SL.

[symonds_sixes]

Hope we bat first! I'm gonna stay up and watch the first 50 overs.

[aussie1st]

Hope we bat first! I'm gonna stay up and watch the first 50 overs.

Toss has already been done :) Go to cricinfo to find the toss outcome before the TV coverage.

[aussie_ben91]

Well that sucks. I hope Tait hits Jayawardene in the head for batting first.

[senthu@bm]

Surprise, surprise, Sri Lanka have rested Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan

[aussie1st]

Lol you gotta to be kidding me. SL has rested Vaas and Murali. How disrespectful! I can see where they are coming from seeing as they have qualified but resting players against Australia hmmm.

[aussie_ben91]

Sri Lanka looks like their just trying to make excuses now.

[Kev]

It's not disrespectful, It's disappointing from a spectators point of view but in the end it doesn't matter if SL win or lose this match so why risk your key players? Wouldn't they be sick if they played today and got injured for the semi's?

Also from a Sri Lankan point of view why give the Australians free practice against their best bowlers in what is now a pretty meaningless match.

If anything is at fault its the way the tournament is structured. Yes it should be a big game but the points situation has dictated that it isnt.

[John Adams]

Then your opinion bears no resemblance to the actual laws of the game, which state that the arm can not straighten during the action. It doesn't say it has to be straight.

Not like I ever consulted an official cricket rule book, but no problem, opinions will always differ....

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Surprise, surprise, Sri Lanka have rested Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan

Thats more than a shock , they are preparing for final ;)

[aussie1st]

It's not disrespectful, It's disappointing from a spectators point of view but in the end it doesn't matter if SL win or lose this match so why risk your key players? Wouldn't they be sick if they played today and got injured for the semi's?

Also from a Sri Lankan point of view why give the Australians free practice against their best bowlers in what is now a pretty meaningless match.

If anything is at fault its the way the tournament is structured. Yes it should be a big game but the points situation has dictated that it isnt.

Well for me resting players is disrespectful. We did it against Ireland, others have done the same. It would be like us resting players after being 3-0 up in the Ashes. In saying that I have no problem with it I see where they are coming from.

[Kev]

Some of us wish the Australians had have rested some players in the Ashes ;)

When you are playing this many one day games in such a short space of time why not rest players, It happens in other sports all the time. There's no rule that says you must play your best side if you are playing the best opposition. Its not about having respect for teams, its about getting to the next round and also ensuring your team is fit to get through that too.

[aussie1st]

It's a smart move no doubt, heck I wouldn't mind if we did the same. We did it against the Kiwis in NZ and all the papers were talking about it as devaluing the series.

[Adarsh]

If I'm right, Bandara and Kulasekara haven't played a game so far. Can't remember. If that's the case they should be given a go. If Murali or Vaas get injured then at least you know that the back up has been given a go and less unpredictable.

[King Pietersen]

Nice start for australia, Sangakarra unlucky to be given out for the 2nd one but nice bowling from Mcgrath and Bracken, with an "entertaining" spell from Shaun tait, them 5wd's were awesome :P

[aussie_ben91]

What was Hayden doing? Caught it and stopped and looked at the ground and made out as if he dropped it. :)

Sri Lanka sure are cautious. Let Tait line em up like tenpins and injure their batsman!

[aussie1st]

Geez Bracken is bowling well today, causing all sorts of problems for the batters. 2nd wicket was a bit weird, Hayden didn't jump up for joy straight away looked like he had dropped it.

[Damo01]

Holy Crap!!! HAHAHAH What happening with Sri Lanka?!?!?

Not good start for Sri Lanka by losing 3 wickets so early...

Man...we are seeing some excellent bowling performances from the Australians..

[irottev]

This might be over quickly. 3 down already and I wouldn't bank on the lower order to save them. The top 4 are strong and the rest below average in my opinion. Go Aussies!!!!

Sri Lanka should have learnt to bowl first. With no Murili or Vaas it's a strange call if you ask me.

[manee]

This might be over quickly. 3 down already and I wouldn't bank on the lower order to save them. The top 4 are strong and the rest reasonably average in my opinion. Go Aussies!!!!

Sri Lanka should have learnt to bowl first. With no Murili or Vaas it's a strange call if you ask me.

Common opinion about the Sri Lanka middle order. Jayawardene is a fantastic batsman and Chamara Silva averages about 80 in this year.

[Adarsh]

I disagree with you there. The Sri Lankan middle order is quite strong, imo. Jayawardene is class. Chamara Silva has shown that he's a very capable batsman, and Dilshan is one of the best lower order batsmen going around at the moment.

EDIT: jinx, manee!

[aussie1st]

Well according to the pitch report the pitch wasn't meant to poise any fears to the batters and the spinners would come into play late in the game. Seemed perfect for SL, although was expecting Murali to be bowling 2nd. Still Bandara is a decent spinner.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

I disagree with you there. The Sri Lankan middle order is quite strong, imo. Jayawardene is class. Chamara Silva has shown that he's a very capable batsman, and Dilshan is one of the best lower order batsmen going around at the moment.


No doubt about it , but with 3 wikcets down so early can they handle the presuure ;) this the test for them

[Damo01]

things aren't working for Tait...He getting expensive....

[aussie1st]

Seems like he is having one of those off days. Don't think this pitch really suits him but he could come good at the death.

[Adarsh]

The only reason he's in the team is to add variety. Yep, the Australians didn't have a bad bowler before but now that's sorted out !

[angryangy]

Batsmen are getting away with a lot of poor shots against Tait, edges still going a long way. Needs to find the edge of the edge, perhaps.

I disagree with you there. The Sri Lankan middle order is quite strong, imo. Jayawardene is class. Chamara Silva has shown that he's a very capable batsman, and Dilshan is one of the best lower order batsmen going around at the moment.

EDIT: jinx, manee!Don't forget Russel Arnold, very accomplished worker.

[aussie1st]

The only reason he's in the team is to add variety. Yep, the Australians didn't have a bad bowler before but now that's sorted out !

Well as long as the other 4 bowlers don't have off days then we are fine. If he clicks then 10 wickets here he comes.

[Adarsh]

IF, is the main word. Thing is he's very inconsistent. A few years ago Bond and Lee were like Tait, Bond not so much I suppose. But then they learnt that they needed to bowl good lines and get swing which makes them much harder to face.

[aussie1st]

He gets swing it's just the line and length. With his action I can't see him being a consistent bowler and he has said he won't be changing his action.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Jawawardane and Silva playing quite well , good recovery by Lanka :clap

[aussie1st]

Good knock from Silva comes to an end. He seemed to have problems scoring against the spinners so no surprise the Hogg got him in the end.

[angryangy]

Hogg has quite surely stopped Sri Lanka from building a large total, momentum is all Australia's way now. They can still make a tidy sum, however, but it remains to be seen whether Kulasekera and Maharoof are up to defending it.

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

What kind of shot that was from Dilshan :eek: he know he have to stay there , now i reckon whether 220 will come up or not :p

[aussie1st]

Good show of faith from Ponting on Tait. That what I like about him as you don't just cast him off if he has a bad day. Once again just needed that one wicket and the Aussie machine starts of again.

[angryangy]

Oh!

That might be the chop on of the century.

[aussie_ben91]

I'd laugh if Tait ended up taking his 1st 5fer after what he was bowling earlier.

[Damo01]

Australia has got their game back as I can see. I reckon Australia is going to win this...unless things happen naturally unexpectedly when Australia comes into bat. Still I think Sri Lanka need get at least over or close to 250+ to be able to be defendable.

[aussie1st]

Won't happen now as Bracken has come back to the party again. Tait could get a 4 fer if Bracken lets him although Tait's full ball hasn't been working too well today.

[angryangy]

His bouncers have been pretty good today, Jayasuriya got away with a top edge for four as he so often does.

Bracken strikes. Not much of Sri Lanka is left now.

[aussie_ben91]

Gee wiz, 8 overs, 3 wkts for only 9 runs conceeded by Andy G. That's got to be up there with the best.

[aussie1st]

Tait's bouncers are usually hard to get away. Same happened in the CBS against the English when he was getting hammered but they were getting out to his bouncers.

Last time I saw Bracken's figures was Bangladesh spinner at the previous WC I think it was. Didn't take any wickets but was as economical.

[aussie_ben91]

One of the Irish bowlers bowled 8 overs, conceeded 5 runs and took 2 wkts in the Pakistan match I think.