World T20

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The ICC have run some poor events in yesteryear but this is already taking the biscuit


No tickets on sale still, reports Delhi are pulling out as a host and Pakistan might not even be allowed to play. Oh and Australia have already announced their squad

But everything is "progressing smoothly" according to the latest ICC press release...

Sri Lanka batting weak, Matthews on one leg he'll get out I reckon

They need to get after this Willey over. If isn't swinging he is the most hittable of the English bowlers.

If you genuinely think Sri Lanka are favourites, get on the 11/4s!

England surely still in front.

Game over, to not defend 170 after being gifted 15/4 in 4 is horrific.

Still squeeky bum time. Now the penultimate over will decide the match.

Need another wicket, England. Still in their hands.

22 needed from last two overs. Sri Lanka still favourites. But there is still scope for them to panic.....

this chaka guy......batting at No.8 on debiut......has two T20 domestic hundreds...has take pressusre off mathhews

Lanka ahead now with 22 off 2 in my view

England still fav after that 4

even if they get 7 or 8 runs this over and do not lose Matthews...Lanka will be ahead i think

Oh my Lord. What a catch. Saved four runs and captured a wicket.

Root. You beauty.

Batsman saving the bowlers even when theyre bowling right now

Good over by Jordan so far. Eng is through to the semi finals

djkbrown2001 wrote:Good over by Jordan so far. Eng is through to the semi finals

Never in doubt.

So 15 off 6 required, Mathews on strike for the last! Stokes to bowl it. Great game.

Nice over Jordan, but Mathews will do this in 3 balls. That Mooen over was unforgivable

Where are the Jordan detractors?

so 15 off the last over......Matthews on strike....he will win it for lanka is my bet

Fair play to Jordan, heres not been great this tourney, but that waswell bowled.

Oh you HAVE to run him out there

Jump Adil, jump!

MattewS take a bow. A very brave innings

England NZ should be interesting

Stoke don't bowl a no ball. Lol

That's a really good last over from Stokes too. In general the seamers were excellent today, Mathews just played the spin exceptionally well.

Well the seamers have saved it, that's well played. They have salvaged the pride of their bowling unit.

Fantastic over from Stokes...

Just about! Very gutsy by Mathews, but no fairy-tale conclusion.

Hopefully England will decide to play for the full 40 overs in the semi-final!

well played Matthews....anotehr day......not restricted by the Hammy he would have finished it off.

Good show Eng.....second team throuhg to semis

Some excellent bowling in that last couple of overs brings England a narrow victory. Good game.

England will beat NZ. NZ is due a bad game.

I am calling it now.

Eng vs Aus final.

England, I hate your guts sometimes... you have a very very up and down bowling unit, and throw away good positions regularly But those were two clutch final overs

A lot will be made of Mathews injury but he only opened up in those four overs of spin so don't think it played a massive role.

JDizzle wrote:Jump Adil, jump!

I jumped higher off my chair than he did!

There's two things this England team does...

1. Never wins easy
2. Never gives up

Needed to win all three after the Windies loss - have done so. Needed to chase 230 against SA - did that. Collapsed to 60-6 against Afghanistan - managed to come back and win. Sri Lanka needed 40 off 4 with their two best hitters in - came through.

More often than not they're winning the big moments, and are always in the game. But when they're on top they'll never put away a side either!!

What a semi final against NZ it should be

If England can pick up early wickets again against NZ i.e. Guptill and KW, they'll have a great chance as I don't think the NZ middle order is that good...

Nicely done! England and a certain Mr Jordan have surpassed all my expectations so far. Anything is a bonus from here, but would rather lose in the semis than the final!

VTR - top post. Well said about Mr Jordan!

That was heart racing stuff - well done England for pulling through. A crazy qualification campaign but they've made it and shown great resolve throughout. Strangely proud of those lads.

Hats off to Angelo Matthews for making a real game of it.
Even more hats off to Willey, Jordan and Stokes for that bowling at the death
A whole hat stand off to Jos Buttler.

I can't decide whether Morgan getting Rashid and Ali's overs out of the way when he did was good captaincy or not. It put the side under real pressure, but maybe it was better that Willey, Jordan and Stokes knew what they had to do with their final overs - rather than Sri Lanka knowing what they would need to plunder off the spinners if they were left to the end? Because they would have fancied any target wouldn't they, especially if Matthews was still in - it was easy pickings? I'm going to give Eoin the benefit of hindsight that a semi final place deserves.

My reaction to the catch from Root must have been heard three streets away!

For me, the tournament is now officially a success, regardless of what happens next. (I'm going to make sure I remember this during the New Zealand game and just enjoy it!)

There is a risk of no subcontinent team in the semis.
That would be hard to rationalize given that pitches have spun.
That said India has a slightly more than 50% chance of winning tomm
So my proposition might be a purely theoretical one
Reagatfs

KP_fan wrote:There is a risk of no subcontinent team in the semis.
That would be hard to rationalize given that pitches have spun.
That said India has a slightly more than 50% chance of winning tomm
So my proposition might be a purely theoretical one
Reagatfs

KP_F - you must be hoping for a good pitch tomorrow? Not a slow turner? Think the Indian batsmen prefer the harder wickets myself

Strings - I kinda think Eoin could've got Rashid/Ali on right after the powerplay to get their overs out the way when Matthews wasn't properly in. Think he left it a little late to bring them on myself. Bit it's nit picking!

Still not convinced by our bowling. Batting as we know is pretty hit and miss. If our number comes up we could beat NZ, but I wouldn't put money on it.

I would like to see a pitch similar to the one that Eng - SL got today.....
our seam bolwing matches that of Aus
spin is superior
batting a notch lesser

GSC wrote:Still not convinced by our bowling. Batting as we know is pretty hit and miss. If our number comes up we could beat NZ, but I wouldn't put money on it.

If we get a pitch like today I think we'll run NZ close (ie. one that isn't great for the spinners). If it's a turner we ain't got a chance against Santner/Sodhi

Strings Philander wrote:That was heart racing stuff - well done England for pulling through. A crazy qualification campaign but they've made it and shown great resolve throughout. Strangely proud of those lads.

Hats off to Angelo Matthews for making a real game of it.
Even more hats off to Willey, Jordan and Stokes for that bowling at the death
A whole hat stand off to Jos Buttler.

I can't decide whether Morgan getting Rashid and Ali's overs out of the way when he did was good captaincy or not. It put the side under real pressure, but maybe it was better that Willey, Jordan and Stokes knew what they had to do with their final overs - rather than Sri Lanka knowing what they would need to plunder off the spinners if they were left to the end? Because they would have fancied any target wouldn't they, especially if Matthews was still in - it was easy pickings? I'm going to give Eoin the benefit of hindsight that a semi final place deserves.

My reaction to the catch from Root must have been heard three streets away!

For me, the tournament is now officially a success, regardless of what happens next. (I'm going to make sure I remember this during the New Zealand game and just enjoy it!)

Hi Strings and all - as Olly suggested, I would have been inclined to bring one of our spinners on a little earlier. However, in the euphoria now of post match victory and a semi-final place assured, we shouldn't overlook that neither Moeen or especially Rashid bowled well. That certainly relates to today but probably also through the whole of the tournament so far where I reckon / guess their figures (runs conceded and almost definitely wickets taken) compare poorly with the spinners of most other nations. That imo needs to come under the microscope more than Morgan's captaincy.

Today there were a few too many half-volleys and full tosses from our two slow men but even ignoring those deliveries, insufficient variation for my liking. They need to mix up the flight and pace more - properly utilise Buttler as a wicket taking ally and bowl at times with the aim of a stumping. I've seen the Australian leggie Zampa in particular push the odd ball through quicker and wider with success. Too many of Rashid's balls seemed to be floated up with the hoped for aim of a boundary catch - taking nothing away from Matthews' great hitting and even greater willpower but that's a dangerous game and almost proved fatal.

Regardless of what happens from here, I'd consider it a good result for this young and relatively inexperienced England team to have got further than Pak, SL, Saf and one of Ind/Aus. And while the odds are stacked against them in the SF, if I were a Kiwi fan I wouldn't be buying any tickets for the final just yet with 100% confidence. You never know.

http://m.hindustantimes.com/world-t20/world-t20-india-australia-game-moved-to-turning-track-on-host-s-request/story-OBjL3W8e8GB0PDcTZDC9aO.html

Haha what a farce, complete and utter farce

C'mon Aussies

Sc*m

Bruce Oxenford just gave the worst decision out ever, and it was over turned rightly

Rameez Raja literally just said "spinners aren't interested in turning the ball anymore"

Um have you been watching this tournament rameez....

they didn't learn the lesson from the NZ game

favoring the pitch towards spinners doesn't necessarily improve India's chances.
that said there is nothing wrong in principle home team exercising it's prerogative