T20 World Cup: Live Matches Discussion

First topic message reminder :

Hi all,

I've set up our very own 606v2 T20 World Cup SuperBru tipping competition for anyone who is interested.

http://www.superbru.com/worldt20/player_home.asp

First game is Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe on Tuesday, September 18 at 19:30 (local time) in Hambantota.

The full list of fixtures is here:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2012/content/series/531597.html?template=fixtures

The pool code for 606v2: playsacs

Everyone is welcome.
Enjoy the matches and best of luck to your team.

Who do you think will win?

123 the final score which shouldn't really be any trouble on this pitch for this Australian line-up.

Australia cruising 40/0 off 4. Once again goes to show you can have a couple of quietish overs (9 off 2) even in T20 to play yourself in.

Becoming a bit of a non-event which is making my prediction look a bit daft. I felt they should have bowled first even though the pitch would say otherwise. Put the pressure on the out-of-form Australia to post a score. Oh well.

Dockrell, Ireland's best bowler, gets Warner caught on the mid-wicket boundary. Mr Cricket walks out.

Kicking myself. Way too conservative in the SportsBru tipping.
'Mon Ireland... a few wickets please.

Mr Cricket gone, as is Watson who was run out by Johnston in typically lazy fashion.

A couple more wickets and I get the prediction right...

Couple of half-chances missed by Ireland. In reality they've been far too behind the 8 ball from the first 6 overs of the game. Even 140 (which was still possible with the O'Briens together) wouldn't have been enough.

can't understand why they bat KOB at No.6.....he should be coming lowest 3 if not opening in T20

You can't drop anything in Twenty20

Aus looked pretty good, but in reality this is the ideal pitch for them and Ireland's poor start made it very hard to recover. I still think their bowling is get-after-able. Nasser thinks their batting is top heavy and it's true that after White it looks a bit on the weak side (though there's plenty of it): Bailey Wade Maxwell Christian doesn't look hugely destructive to me...

With all due respect to Ireland , Australia should normally expect to beat them fairly comfortably.
I don't think this is a particularly strong Australian team , but it is quite capable of winning a T20 match against another team in this tournament , on a good day. The question is will there be enough good days ?

Suspect a lot will turn on Warner and Watson at the top of the order. Hussey remains a threat to anyone too , but after that the batting looks a bit chancey to me.

MfC, those last 3 can be very destructive (at home) but these low, slow conditions may not suit them as well.

I just feel that things seemed to slow down after Watson's wicket. Need to up the anti and see White and Bailey time the shots a bit better in a situation like that. Still, a win is a win but a few sides could really choke us if we lose early wickets and the pressure is on.

Ireland had by their standards a pretty poor outing: nervy with the bat, then Rankin lost his line and Dockrell was a bit short.

Australia looked sharp in the field, but that's to be expected.

Starc looks like a good top and bottom bowler, gets swing up front and bowls a good yorker. Cummins could do some damage if he can bowl full and straight with his pace. Hogg could do ok, but the better teams will see him as an opportunity. Watson is usually reliable, and with his cutters on the slow pitches he'll be tough to get away. Christian I'm not sure about, Maxwell can chip in a bit, but I'd like Mckay in there partcularly on the slower wickets.

Batting wise there is quality down the order, but it is either out of form (White), out of place (Bailey) or raw (Maxwell, to a lesser extent Wade). Again though you would expect one of the top 3 to fire in most games, so if a couple of others chip in with 20s or 30s then you can score 160+.

I think part of Australia's problem is that they're still figuring T20 out. Watson seems to have been opening the bowling recently and that seems to have worked, but they seem unsure of their plans and best formulae. If it all comes off it's a dangerous squad, and could beat anyone, but they don't have the T20 pedigree of the leading sides.

Ireland will look to improve against the West Indies, but for me that's a poor match-up, as they'll struggle big time with Narine, and I'd fancy a couple of the West Indies batsmen to really get going. Their chance is for Rankin to get a couple of strikes up front and then a magic spell from Dockrell, backed up with tight stuff from the medium pacers.

Afghanistan win the toss and bowl, logical decision against India.

Team news to follow...

TEAM NEWS

India: Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Raina, Sharma, Dhoni (c/wk), Ashwin, Pathan, Zaheer, Balaji.

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Javed Ahmadi, Karim Sadiq, Nawroz Mangal (c), Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Gulbodin Naib, Izatullah Dawlatzai.

assume Hamid Hassan is still not fully fit, big blow for the Afghans. India choosing to stick with the 4 bowlers, leaves them looking very weak in the bowling department IMO. With Ashwin and Pathan there do they really need 7 batsmen?

Gambhir's feet are stuck to the crease......all throuhg the 3 innings in NZ tests as today...and he pays the price

indian bolwing not looking potent at al with 2 hittable medium pacers......balaaji and Pathan......and no 5th bowler.

The pitch assisting pace and bounce and afganistan opening owlers getting some bite off the pitch

Ireland showed a surprising lack of heart, the result was never in doubt. But it's the opposite here, Afghanistan showing loads of energy in the field. Hope Afghanistan give us our first upset of the tournament today.

great start by Afghanistan here, India 22-2, and looking like they might need that extra batsman. Both openers gone. Now then...

sewhag has recahed expiry date

29/2 after 5 overs, cracking start by Afghanistan, hope they keep it up!

Good start by the Afghans although these 2 could easily take it away from them.

Yuvraj is out, massive wicket for Afghanistan.

C'mon Afghanistan!! Oh this would be monumental, I'd love it.

they put down a sitter off Raina...who contnues to struggle against spin ( as he does against short pitch and swinging deliveries also)

pitch is spinning as well as bouncing........150 will be a good tota...India should not be tooo ambitious

Kohli dropped on the boundary. Huge miss. Six as well, to add insult to injury. That is three drops now, and you can't give players the quality of Kohli more than one life. If they had taken those catches India would be 80-5 and be in real trouble...

Two dropped catches by Nabi. Bound to prove costly.

Maybe Afghanistan need to bring the deadly 'RPG Singh' in to the attack Sorry..

Agree, JD. They've had the chances and I'd have backed them for the upset had they held them. Alas, a harsh lesson.

It's getting away from the Afghans now, they need wickets deperately.

Raina down again. This is becoming a little bit embarrassing for the Afghans. A shame, because they have bowled well on the whole and have been let down in the field.

Afghanistan may well be leaving with a horrible 'what if' feeling.

they have talent....and pluck....but lack discipline and organization

I would like to see them compete with the bat also

Kohli gone for a very nice 50, eventually well caught on the boundary. India will be looking for at least 150 here, and that should be enough but India do have a weakness with bowling and it only takes one big knock but you would think that would be enough.

Kohli gone for 50 - Afghanistan hold on to a catch! They have to keep India to below 150 to stand a chance.

Is Monty Panesar the Afghan fielding coach?

Dhoni will have to get going right away. The Indian bowling is not their strong point, they won't feel comfortable if they don't score 160 at least against this trigger happy Afghan lineup.

india's problems are the openers...wasting too much time..and then always catching up.

ideally they should send Rohit and Virat to open....

scoring 30 in the last couple of overs, might just prove a touch dificult, MSD hasn't quite got himself going as yet.

Far too many extras from the Afghan boys, their inexperience showing a bit.

india playing one batsman too many.......with Pathan...they should have played Dinda in place of one of the batsmen

and 2 greate strikes off the last 2 balls takes the requiremtn to 160......and the game beyong Afgansitan's reach.

as observed earlier.....they are poorer cousins of Bangladesh.......lacking organization and discipline........too many missed opportunities given by them

not quite 160, but India would take 159.

Exactly 8 an over required for Afghanistan then.

Unfortunately the Afghans have let themselves down in the field. They have obviously been taking catching tips off England, and if they'd held those simple chances they'd probably be in with a very real chance of winning this.

As it stands, I think they've got little to no chance.

24/0 after 3 overs, steady as she goes.

This is brilliantly entertaining from the Afghans! They are not going to go down without a fight, which is good to see. Shahzad is brilliant value!

Back of a length against the Afghans then, England should take note.

This Indian attack looks a vit average to me: Zaheer is ok, but at T20 level does he have enough variation? Ashwin is a very good bowler and will be tough, but Balaji and Pathan are distinctly ordinary, and the 5th bowler could be a problem (although there are plenty of options). I would have thought Dinda and another spinner (Ohja and Rahul Sharma not even in the squad?) would have been better bets.

First 6 of the innings there. 42/1 after 6 overs. Afghanistan are still in it.

10 off the 7th over, 52/1.

Now a wicket has pegged Afghanistan back, 52/2.