Raining in Southampton with SA on 29/2 after 7.3 overs. Would they be the happier side to see it rained off from here, or do they need to go all out for the win to have any chance?
Great quote on Cricinfo: “It’s the sort of weather that leaves sheep waterlogged.”.
I don’t think either side will be happy with losing the point, to be honest. SA now need to win all their games and still might not qualify.
Weather forecast for Bristol tomorrow isn’t looking promising either.
It’s chucking it down now and set to continue all night, so even if tomorrow starts brighter, probably take a while to get enough water out of the surface to be able to play.
Is there a specific reason why they can’t set a schedule so that there is a rain date automatically for the next day? I assume part of it is logistics-related, i.e. travel and lodging, but think that a 10-team championship should be able to accommodate rain dates. It just seems unfair to have the most prestigious championship in the sport to have unplayed matches.
It’s all logistics, and therefore costs.
There actually aren’t that many outside broadcast units in the country capable of covering an ODI - the hotspot cameras and hawkeye systems and such aren’t off the shelf, and they are currently running at one game a day, with some double headers. There’s also the broadcasting itself, and the channel space and the staff (including the commentators!), and also the hospitality staff in the ground.
To make preparations for every game to possible need a rain day would cost a lot of money.
All three knock-out games have rain days in place.
I just thought I’d watch the last 20 odd overs of the Australian innings- they were doing well. The first ball I saw Maxwell was bowled!
Any tem that counts on any of the Marsh brothers is not really strong and seems we will have both them here.
Just on a different topic, has anyone else had issues with some deliveries of the Pakistani bowler Shaheen? It may just have been the angle I saw the delivery from.
Great finish to this one, 400+ looked possible for Australia and they’ve somewhat fluffed it. And now the Pakistan tail is wagging with some degree of control.
Not what I was expecting.
Mockers!
Shame Pakistan couldn’t quite pull it off. They made a good start and were sitting pretty at 130/2, but a couple of mini-collapses (and good bowling, to be fair) have done for them. Australia lucky to get away with this one, I fear they will take this and the Windies result and use it to build confidence. I’d rather be facing Pakistan than Australia once we get to the KO, even with the risk that Pakistan might pull off a blinder.
Inability to take catches is really costing Pakistan.
I went to bed about midnight with Pakistan somewhere like 1 wicket for 40 and I thought on that ground Pakistan would win. I think Australia can count themselves lucky- Pakistan were inept in the field and Australia has a very ordinary attack once Cummins and Starc have finished. No idea why their best spinner is not playing.
So, England have saved the sunny weather for themselves and used it to stomp all over WI. I thought the two drops would cost us (especially as they were off Gayle and Russell) but fortunately neither went on to a big score. Good bowling by our attack with an unlikely bonus of 2 wickets from Root. And once again a solid start set an impregnable platform for the chase, despite Roy’s injury. The current top 4 in the table (NZ, Eng, Aus, India) now looking by far the most likely to be contesting the semis, though no doubt Pakistan will have something to say about that.
I think it will be England and India in the final, althought the Kiwi’s are always a good one day team (and Test Team). Australia have too many weaknesses and if Starc/ Cummins get hurt or Warner/ Smith don’t fire you can write them off. Nevertheless they are doing better than I expected and maybe the cards will fall into place.
In last nights game (for me) Root got a couple of unexpected wickets. It seems as if the Windies are running out of steam.
Although I will be cheering for Australia, if I bet on cricket I would have money on India.
I have to say that Gayle seems to be a bit of a busted flush. Of course he is immense fun and entertaining in many different ways but is he really the player that the Windies need?
Are they playing him out of habit? Anyroad, it was a bit of stroll for England yesterday and all the more impressive given that they were down a couple of front line batsmen.
Today sees what should be stroll for Australia but as I speak Sri Lanka are 94-0 after 11 chasing 335. Who are this team? and what have they done with the real Sri Lanka?
Afghanistan are stuttering to 69-2 after 20 against NZ with rain in the air. A stop-start game isn’t going to help them at all.
There’s been a lot of chat about the current top four being nailed on finishers, but there’s a lot of games to go and there’s some big games to play. And Sri Lanka here are showing that all those “should win” calculations don’t mean anything until you get out there and play!
The real Sri Lanka return (to earth, with a thud) and join West Indies and Pakistan on the list of teams that had chances against Australia, but couldn’t close it out.
England may yet mess it up (or India might lose to Pakistan), but right now the top four are looking pretty secure.
I think you are very close to the mark with teams that “had a chance against Australia but couldn’t close it out”. The better teams will close it out.
When I went to bed Sri Lanka looked very comfortable.
I tend to agree re Gayle, although one good innings from him and the game is virtually over. However they are pretty far apart these days. Really doesn’t strike me as a team player and quite a few reservations were aired after his infamous “Don’t blush baby” several years ago.
There’s no team in “Universe Boss” and his knees have been gone for years. But he was absolutely monstrous against England in the Caribbean last winter (400+ runs in 4 innings). And he hasn’t exactly been bad in this World Cup - his lowest score in three innings is 26 - so you can hardly blame him for West Indies failing. Maybe his timing has started to go just slightly and the big outfields are making it show.
It looks like ComedyPakistan have turned up to play India. This could be a very long day for them.
1-206 after 35 without significant fireworks so 350 is on
After a rain break, Kholi misses a hook by inches but walks. Blames a click in his MRF bat handle.
Heh, opportunity for another bat maker to be his sponsor.