Going to be really anticlimactic when David Warner smashes us to all parts tomorrow and then scores a ton at SR of 135 to win the final.
On the plus side, there might be a ton of tickets for the final about to hit the secondary markets. Maybe I need to switch the Dope off and see if I can score some.
Great win to the Kiwis. Hopefully they will be playing Australia but whatever, I won’t be disappointed if they do win the World Cup.
And I see I am a few posts too late. However I thought India were home. I don’t think I have correctly predicted any game.
That was very exciting as a (relative) neutral just watching the text commentary - must have been amazing for any Kiwis seeing it play out! Great game, well done NZ, but will they be able to lift themselves to the same level (or better) for the final?
Nah Elliott smashing a six to win four years ago was just slightly better. But yes a great game to watch as a New Zealander.
I saw an interview with West Indian wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon where amongst the usual questions, he was asked, what was his greatest disappointment in cricket. Surprisingly, his answer was Allan Border not getting his hundred in the first innings of this game because he deserved a century in each innings.
Great stuff. who needs a 350+ run-fest eh?
I’m *quite *hopeful for England’s chances tomorrow…if we bat first
What an absolute choke job by India. Perhaps time for Kohli to give up the captaincy. Has he ever come up big in an important Final?
I don’t think choke is the right description. When NZ’s innings was drawing to a close yesterday, all the talk was of how it looked like it was going to be an inadequate total and a fairly comfortable chase by India. However, the rain changed the conditions enough to swing the pendulum in NZ’s favour, they did a good job of putting on an extra 30 runs this morning (they had plenty of wickets in hand to do so), then some great bowling by Henry and Boult reduced India to survival mode. India were never in the game until Jadeja played an inspired innings, backed up by Dhoni, which gave them a decent chance. But it was always likely another wicket would fall eventually and NZ stuck to their task well. They deserve their place in the final but I think they remain second favourites to whoever they end up playing.
Tomorrow’s game is too close to call whoever wins the toss, I think. Rain might be a factor again.
I couldn’t watch today due to work, so was going based on what the top 3 did.
Has been an exhilarating tournament.
We haven’t had the minnows pinching an historic win, largely because the minnows AFG and BAN, are both handy sides.
But we have had a keen contest to make the finals and the four finalists all going in through euphoric waves of ingress and “we’ll all be 'rooned” egress. And in terms of egress, I assume there are heavy bookings on cheap return flights to Mumbai.
But the points above, both correct imho, are a worry.
This tournament shouldn’t swing on the toss of a coin.
Due to it’s disrupted nature, this was the only game of the tournament I watched the full game. Sorta lucked out!
IND as selected bat down to #8. Arguably the best ODI batting line up ever fielded chasing 4 an over against a team who began their inning with 1 run off the first three overs and the worst opening PowerPlay of the tournament.
If you’d have asked Ladbrooks for odds that NZ’s record would only last 24 hours you have been told not even Pakistan could tank that badly.
As ugly as it was, I really admired Taylors knock for NZ.
In poor form at a time when his team needed to him push the pace and allow Williamson to anchor the innings. That partnership has delivered before on more than the odd occasion. But he was in such wretched form he couldn’t, even looking embarrassed at his off-timing and lack of placement. This, in turn meant Williams had to take the role to force the pace. It cost him his wicket and the game could have just limped to the ordained conclusion from there.
But Taylor didn’t throw it away. He had to bat through, and he did. Despite though looking apparent he wasn’t enjoying the experience.
With IND batting from 6-92 and needing 120 at a run a ball, there are only two guys in cricket history you’d think of putting any hard-earned on to get your mob over the line; Michael Bevan and MS Dohni.
MS Dohni batted based on his legend, keep in bare contact with the target then win it off his own bat with audacious slogging in the last two overs.
But the task left by the top order was both too many runs and too few balls and in fact was only achievable due to Jadeja’s sublime effort.
As it was, Dohni batted too slow for too long, contributing to Jadeja’s dismissal by a hoick of desperation that wasn’t needed if they were just 10 runs closer.
If IND had needed 20 off the last 12 they would be odds on to pinch it. They actually needed 37 from 18 and the soprano was clearing her throat. The building crescendo caused Jadeja’s demise.
When Dhoni launched the final effort he clubbed a six over point, then patted one back to the bowler and the required rate went up. Oh shit. The enormity of the task sunk in and he had to do it in evens.
Off the back foot he was slow to get going, turned like the QEII and never got into top gear on the return leg and was caught short by two inches.
Cracking game of cricket for the purists and the populists alike.
PT, I realise that for me as well it was the first full game I have watched in the tournament (discounting rained out games),
As regards the only players to back being Bevan and Dhoni sure, but I think Lance Klusener or Brian Lara as well.
You summarised the game superbly. In Hindsight Taylor’s innings was good although I thought it was shite at the time.
Moving forward, I understand there could be some bad weather at Birmingham for this game. As I have been wrong in every forecast so far I predict either a walk in the park for England or a tight contest.
It is an inherent problem that is hard to fix. Someone has to bat first and as the game has a large strategic element regarding pitch, weather, light and ball condition, it is hard to avoid some degree of unfairness.
I’ve not done the maths but I wonder if it is possible to eliminate some of the unfairness by allocating toss “wins” ahead of time. Maybe the lower 5 ranked teams get choice on 5 occasions and the top teams only 4 (out of the 9 games they play in this 10 team group) So there is no toss to be made and some of the random nature is removed.
I’ve often advocated for this in Tests as well. In a 5 game series the lower ranked team gets allocated the choice in, e.g. tests 1, 3, 5
It could be bollocks and it certainly isn’t perfect but perhaps worth a thought.
Finch tosses coin, Morgan calls tails, it’s heads.
Collective “oh fuck” from the crowd.
You reckon it’s like worth actually playing now? ������
GAME ON!
England have preferred to chase over the last four years though, so we will see.
Good toss to win though.
If we get half as many twists and turns as the last game it’ll still be a good match.
And Jarrod Kimber’s article on the first four overs of the first semi-final on cricinfo is a great read.
After last nights quota of beer I am not sure I am up to this.
Teuton, I thought the current English approach was to bash a huge total on a good wicket and then dismiss the team chasing?
Shit. That is all.
Wales on fire! Carey in already.