Yeah, but boy, they’ve started the right way, haven’t they?
I came home to change the video tape for the second innings, but I’m too hooked at the moment to go out again…
India look to be cruising. The Little Master was good, even by his standards. His thigh strain will need to be nursed. In the event I think it was good he got out when he did - his fitness is pivotal to India’s chances.
It was great to see Pakistan lift at the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket, but Rahul Dravid’s played a very mature hand. He’s a fine team player.
Things are looking up for India. The batting’s producing and the bowling’s showing more than expected.
Well, Pakistan got ripped a new one…
Best game I’ve seen in a long time.
Duke, I managed to tape it - just, because the Indian innings went half an hour over time and the end made it onto the tape by less than a minute. It’s now up to you to find the video that can play it.
IMHO, except for the first 12-13 overs in the Indian innings, the rest of the proceedings were nothing out of the ordinary.
That will be the end of Pakistan as well won’t it? India have certainly improved since they were over here.
In pool B Kenya beat Bangladesh, keeping them in the running for an unlikely visit to the super sixes. Anyone know what kind of odds were being offered on this before the start of the tournament?
I think Kenya has already booked its place.
May be once Duke gets the tape, he can share it with me! 
Interesting point - Sri Lanka and Kenya are already through to the Super Sixes in Pool B.
If NZ manage to go through, unlikely though it is, Kenya will go into the Super Sixes with two wins to its credit.
It looks like a team should automatically qualify for the Semis if they get two wins in the Sixes, so…
Kenya - two wins away from World Cup glory?
They sure as hell aren’t beating Australia. And they aren’t going to beat India.
That leaves potential qualifiers
- Zimbabwe - Maybe
- Pakistan - Distant possibility
- England - Nope
I didn’t see it, but that must have been a nail-biting finish.
Australia 208/8 (49.4) against England 204/8 (50).
England are now at NRR +0.8209
Which means, in Pak vs. Zim, possible scenarios
-
Zim win, they go through as 3rd team from Pool A
-
Pak win, they might go through if,
(dealing with only what I consider likely scenarios)
a) batting first, score 250 in 50, then bowl out Zim for 63 or less. Anything more, and Eng’s NRR will remain greater. Zim has to score (5.8*overs) + 106, in order to lose and yet go through (eg. if they get all out for 164 in 10 overs, Zim go through :smack: )
b) batting first, score 320 in 50, then bowl out Zim for 131 or less. Anything more, and Eng’s NRR will remain greater. Zim has to score (6.1*overs) + 164, in order to lose and yet go through (eg. if they get all out for 225 in 10 overs, Zim go through :smack: :smack: )
c) batting second, limit Zim to 200 in 50, Pak gets runs in 13 overs. Zim can’t go through unless they win outright.
d) batting second, limit Zim to 250 in 50, Pak gets runs in 16 overs. Zim can’t go through unless they win outright.
Well, England might just make it after all.
Pakistan need to bat first and post a HUGE total. Will make for an exciting match.
Davison is at it again, scoring (what I believe) the fastest 50 in World Cup off 26 balls. As of time of writing, is on 60 off 37. But team’s reeling with 3 down, so might not last as long as he did against WI.
Pool B crunch match coming up in 3 hours. I call SA.
Sri Lanka are 3/182 after 38. Going pretty well. I think they’ll win, because I think Vaas will be a handful as it gets dark. I did love the pre match blather by Barry Richards - he went into great detail about when high tide was and its effect on the match.
I notice the Australian press is talking about a selection dilemma due to Bichel’s performance. For me, there’s no issue: drop Brett Lee. I don’t care how fast he bowls, he’s getting spanked. He’s better than he was a year ago, but he’s still decidedly two-lengthed. During the English innings last night they kept saying how good it would be if another wicket fell, because Lee could really tear through Caddick, Giles and Anderson. WTF? If this guy is need Lehman to get batsmen out so he can bowl yorkers at the tail, how is he worth his place?
It’s do or die for SA in this match against Sri Lanka. However their bowling performance this match has been below average and if they do get through to the Super 6, then they’re gonna struggle with a bowling performance like today.
RSA 53/0 off 9.1 overs, chasing SL’s 268/9. In a day/night match, probably too much to ask for, although Sri Lanka’s bowlers have been a tad toothless in the earlier games.
Actually, that’s not unheard of. Wilf Wooller of Glamorgan always used to consult the tide tables when they were playing at Swansea (the St. Helen’s ground is a few hundred meters from the sea). Not sure if it would have any appreciable effect on the match, though.
South Africa have slumped to 179/5 after 37 overs. Go the Sri Lankan bowlers I say!!
And its a tie?! The heavens opened and the game was called off. Once again South Africa are out of a world cup due to rain.
South Africa are out and Sri Lanka, Kenya and New Zealand qualify for the super six.
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. The newspapers and talk radio shows are going to have a field day of note tomorrow. I wonder who is going to be saddled with the blame. Pollock has been getting some major heat from the public, and the inclusion of Donald in the squad was also not seen as favourable by some.
Deja vu all over again for South Africa–though I would have to say this was a fairer result than their last rain-affected horror story. Actually, I think the most galling thing for SA has to be that they’ve now left the last two World Cups after ties.
And the unexpected consequence of the Duckworth-Lewis rule was…if they’d lost five wickets instead of six, they’d have gone through. As the Australian team learned, and South Africa seemed to forget to their cost, the number of wickets lost affects your Duckworth-Lewis score. Hence the premium on keeping your wickets intact when rain is threatening.
Oh, before I posted last I should have said–thanks so much to BigNik for taping India v Pakistan. Sounds like a cracker of a match! Cheers, mate!