Rest of the World

First topic message reminder :

Rahkeem Cornwall makes it to West Indies Test squad
He is an all-rounder from the islands of Antigua and is perhaps the heaviest cricketer ever. He stands at a towering height of 6’6” and weighs around 140 kg.

Cornwall made his first-class debut in 2014 and has since become a regular for Leewards Islands, even captaining them earlier this year. He has 260 wickets from 55 first-class matches and finished as the leading bowler in the most recent regional four-day tournament.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8044/scorecard/1195616/brisbane-heat-vs-melbourne-renegades-big-bash-league-2019-20

ouch

Like England in penalty shootouts, New Zealand have lost another Super Over.

Pleased that the Zimbabwe fielder Kevin Kasuza is OK after being hit on the helmet at short leg in the Test today.

But, IMHO, it's quite wrong that a ball hitting a helmeted fielder and richocheting for a catch is allowed. It should be a dead ball.

I am entirely opposed to fielders (except the w-k) wearing any sort of protection. They are gaining an unfair advantage. They are saying I want to field in close but I'm worried about being hit, so I'm going to wear a helmet, a box and shinpads.

No one wants to see nasty injuries to fielders but if you're worried about being hit, don't stand so close.

Can't agree with that point, sorry!

I think those close in grabs off the spinners are a brilliant part of the game, wouldn't want to see that go away. I don't recall too many dismissals where the ball richoted off short leg and was caught by someone else, though it can and does happen sometimes. But really, the game tends to favour the batsman, so I love a bit of kamikaze close in fielding

I know a lot of people won't agree with me, VTR. But it's not kamikaze fielding cos they've got helmets and protective clothing.

Now if you wanted to see kamikaze fielding you have to go back to the pre-helmet days of Brian Close and co.

sirfredperry wrote:Pleased that the Zimbabwe fielder Kevin Kasuza is OK after being hit on the helmet at short leg in the Test today.

But, IMHO, it's quite wrong that a ball hitting a helmeted fielder and richocheting for a catch is allowed. It should be a dead ball.

I am entirely opposed to fielders (except the w-k) wearing any sort of protection. They are gaining an unfair advantage. They are saying I want to field in close but I'm worried about being hit, so I'm going to wear a helmet, a box and shinpads.

No one wants to see nasty injuries to fielders but if you're worried about being hit, don't stand so close.

I don't mind a catch off the fielder's body...but does it not become "dead" once it strikes his helmet ? Unless they have changed the law - again.

Have to check : would be odd if runs were not allowed , but allowing a catch from such a rebound seems unfair.

Reminded of the old Brian Close tale of being hit on the forehead and the rebound caught at slip. Asked did he not fear what might have happened had he been struck on a more vulnerable part of his head he said not really - batsman would then have been caught in the gully...

An excellent finish in the offing in Harare...where Zim look set to create a mega upset.

I had $20 in on Zim @ 5times return somewhere in 3rd session where they were 300ish for 4 and with Lanka having to bat last.

Sikandar Raza has medicore stats...but is having the game of his life....and he turns up every now and then with Super performances

Zimbabwe - from the Guildfordbat school of thought! Bat on for one ball this morning, hit it for six and declare.

Sri Lanka openers have 10 minute turnaround, and Zim got the choice of roller on the pitch this morning too. Clever stuff

New Zealand needed 18 off 18 with seven wickets left to beat India in a T20...they tied it another losing three in the final over.

Another super over for New Zealand!

And as sure as anything, New Zealand lose the Super Over. Again.

Zimbabwe have been unfortunate with the weather, but I think they were a bit too conservative with their declaration as well.

NZ is proving to be the inheritors of the C-Tag

India is finding a way of winning it...... although they experimented too much today.

India's pace bowling resources are in such plenty that they can be fitted in 3 international sides now
neverthless since the return from injury ....Bumrah has not been in top form

Fate intervenes in Zim's quest in the form of rain......fortunately I had cashed out of bets 365 on a whim before the rain came at half the payout but still a neat 2.5 times retunr

New Zealand losing super overs is definitely a deterioration from the days when they used to tie them

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Zimbabwe - from the Guildfordbat school of thought! Bat on for one ball this morning, hit it for six and declare.

Sri Lanka openers have 10 minute turnaround, and Zim got the choice of roller on the pitch this morning too. Clever stuff

Olly - thanks for posting this. Love it!

NZ have recovered from the choking hazard of losing the T20 series 5-0, by winning the ODI series against India 3-0 which is a fair achievement. De Grandhomme hitting a 21 ball 50 today.

Two test series between the two later this month. England need a couple of Kiwi wins to have a chance of getting to the final of the Test Championship.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28726640/t20-champions-cup-part-icc-events-2023-2031

But when will they play the 10 ball world cup? 

Interestingly although the proposal will see more cup games for the top teams only the ICC is pushing that this will help them get an income to distribute to the wider global game whereas some of the bigger nations are concerned it will stop them making as much money form bilateral series and domestic tournaments.

Gooseberry wrote:https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28726640/t20-champions-cup-part-icc-events-2023-2031

But when will they play the 10 ball world cup? 

Interestingly although the proposal will see more cup games for the top teams only the ICC is pushing that this will help them get an income to distribute to the wider global game whereas some of the bigger nations are concerned it will stop them making as much money form bilateral series and domestic tournaments.

Someone on twitter (can't remember who) put it well;

"Member nations - the schedule is too busy, one world cup per format
Associate nations - we need more opportunities to play member nations
ICC - how about more tournaments in all formats for member nations"

Kiwis had a good first day...India 122/5 off 55 in a weather interrupted first day.
NZ , like most teams , seem to really grow extra muscle at home.

And a great day for debutant Kyle Jamieson who picked up 3/38, including the wickets of Kohli and Pujara. Was a great toss for the Kiwis to win and it’s little surprise to see them start strongly as they have a formidable  home record (like most test teams!).

NZ keeping s good grip on this with Boult doing considerable damage with the ball (3 cheap top order wickets ) after a swashbuckling tail end batting effort helped the host to a lead of 183.
India still 39 behind with the top four gone - including a strangely out of sorts Kohli , bounced out by Boult.
Rahane still there and will hope to bat deep with the later order (the very competent Pant and Ashwin still to come ) so they will hope to get a lead that might provide a chance ...but I reckon they're going to be struggling to manage that. One more wicket early tomorrow and NZ will be very close to a win.

A joy to watch Boult and Southee this evening - superb seam bowling

No surprise to see them win, but the margin was phenomenal. They hammered India. Puts England’s recent defeat in perspective.

NZ all over India in the second match...

Boult on fire...has the tourists staggering at 90/6 after two days , leading by just 97.  Still have a little batting : Pant and Vihari in occupation and Jadeja to come ; but you'd think the hosts will sleep better overnight.

Earlier , Jamieson - what a useful addition to NZ's list he is proving ! - and Wagner dragged the home team from a perilous 177/8 to trail by just seven on the first innings. Ball is keeping a bit low at times but it doesn't look unplayable yet...think India will need some serious tail wagging to stay in this.

Another fantastic bowling performance by New Zealand. India need at least another 100 runs to make things competitive, but difficult to see where it's coming from.

India have been comprehensively outplayed by New Zealand in this series.

It shows just how difficult it is for teams to win away in Test cricket and also reveals the trouble Indian batsmen still have - even Kohli in this series - with swinging, seaming conditions.

Interesting that Kohli feels sides should get double points in the Test Championship for away wins. He has a point and one England would have benefitted from in South Africa.

sirfredperry wrote:India have been comprehensively outplayed by India in this series.

Bit harsh on New Zealand there. 

When was the last time a team won a series bowling first in all tests? 


Very good victories for them. Kholi is points toward the toss and conditions but would they really have bowled first themselves? India even got the higher first innings total in this game and only lost on wicket to the new ball which suggests it was a bad decision by NZ to bowl first. The other excuse from the previous test was Bumrah being burnt out, he took 5/105 in this test. 

Looking down the order they stacked the batting, so really it is just a collective inability to deal with the moving ball thats cost them.

Gooseberry.

Stupid me. Meant to say Indian have been comprehensively outplayed by NZ. Have now corrected my post.

Twice India got themselves in good positions in this match but failed to press home their advantage.

May be they ought to publish two sets of batting Test averages - one for runs made in home Tests and one for scores in away Tests.

Warner, for one, is averaging far more at home than away and Kohli probably is too.

Slightly different for England who sometimes get some difficult conditions in home Tests. May be some stats guys can come up with home-and-away figures for, say, Alastair Cook.

I'm just glad we played NZ at home when we did in those awkward conditions with half their team missing. Could easily see Australia having trouble on Kiwi soil. Well done to them though. Love hearing Ian Smith getting excited and actually coming away with a positive result too.

sirfredperry wrote:Gooseberry.

Stupid me. Meant to say Indian have been comprehensively outplayed by NZ. Have now corrected my post.

Twice India got themselves in good positions in this match but failed to press home their advantage.

May be they ought to publish two sets of batting Test averages - one for runs made in home Tests and one for scores in away Tests.

Warner, for one, is averaging far more at home than away and Kohli probably is too.

Slightly different for England who sometimes get some difficult conditions in home Tests. May be some stats guys can come up with home-and-away figures for, say, Alastair Cook.

Cook was always the exception, his away scores were generally better than his home ones. Perhaps understandable for an opener these days where the dukes ball is near unplayable at times, but things can be very easy batting first in much of the rest of the world. 

Averaged 44.37 at home and 46.48 away. The gap narrowed a bit in his later years but still remains an anomaly.

Unlike India England really dont have excuses to struggle as much as they do in New Zealand with the bat, the bowling isnt much different to what they'd face at home...if anything theres less from the seam due to the Kookabura ball. New Zealand just straight up out played them. 
Coupled with the India result and the issues they faced in Aus it does suggest they are a fairly solid unit. And Australias demolition of them, home advantage and injuries aside, suggests they really have continued their improvement too. 

India I guess just came under prepared as is often the case. Maybe a bit of slack attitude too? But really they have been comprehensively outclassed and just had no answer to the NZ bowling. Id still peg them as number one, with Aus and NZ next then England. 

Theres green shoots for England but this next Sri Lanka tour looks like a step back if they are missing 5+ bowlers including their entire first choice spin trio plus an opening batsman.

It's impossible not to be impressed by Williamson and his NZ team, he aside they're not the most talented side in the world but you feel that unlike India and Kohli his players respect him a lot as do players from other teams.

Handsome win for the Kiwis
They are always hard to beat at home. Had expected India to do better than they did though. Were they overconfident ? Or just not so good on seaming pitches perhaps . Their bats have often struggled in England so guess that is consistent.
Of course India has a good pace attack these days so the efforts of some of the less famous NZ bats to do a serviceable job in tough conditions merits a lot of praise.

Makes the rankings race for the Test Championship more interesting...

alfie wrote:

Makes the rankings race for the Test Championship more interesting...

 
A 2-0 win would leave them a point behind Aus and 3 behind NZ which looks initially in the chase for second place, but a 2-0 loss puts them way off and nearer SA than the final. 

However the home series against Pakistan and West Indies dont give England much scope to dramatically improve their rating even if they managed to win every test. To get level with NZ they have to win all 8 remaining tests this year. Realistically they are not going to do that even if they are stronger than all the teams they are facing.  

Doesnt look like any of the other top nations have tests scheduled yet till after the world T20. Aus an New Zealand have a bizarre split home/away white ball series coming up but no tests. India are playing SA in a really pointless ODI series. New Zealand heading to the West Indies and have no tests scheduled, and SA arrive straight after to play a bunch of T20s there. 

End of the year Aus host India which will be feisty. If as youd expect they win that it puts them firmly in second place. England then go to India which is absolute make or break for any vague hope they have remaining but most likely consolidates Indias position in the top 2. 
New Zealand have a home series against Pakistan which they should win but wont boost them much. 
Aus then finish things off with a trip to SA which they will fancy but they could lose. 

So really this win has given NZ a pretty strong chance of making the top 2. Aus have their fate in their own hands to a large extent, hammering India and beating SA should see them comfortably in the top 2. India should make it regardless of their result in Aus but England could upset that if they can get a fit spin unit to rival the Swann/Panessar duo. NZ's fate really rides on others results.

 England just have to play like world champions for the next 12 months. Its the target they set themselves and 7 away tests does put fate in their own hands to a large extent, but their chances are very faint even if they are a side on the up. I dont fancy them to win two tests in SL and India is always going to be a tough place to visit.

Certainly wouldn't put money on England winning much in Asia ! But cricket is a funny game... A year ago no one would have fancied Australia to be in as apparently strong a position as they are at present. What the next few months bring I will wait and see...

A bit of rain here this evening thanks to Ex-TC Esther which is expected to linger around until Friday. Great for the farmers but not for this Women's T20 World Cup.

The Thai women played quite well to put on 150 runs earlier today. It was great to see them hit some boundaries against Pakistan but unfortunately not a single ball was bowled in the Pakistan batting innings. So one point each for that match.

Chances are slim too for any play between the Windies and South Africa which is supposed to be underway right now. If there is no result again then each team receives a point which would mean India v England and SA v Australia for the semis at the SCG on Thursday afternoon/evening here... but like I say, it's quite probable it could still be raining then as well.

Alfie, you'd think they'd have a contingency plan to move the semis to the MCG or even Adelaide or Perth where it looks quite sunny and dry?

The windies game getting rained off would be bad news for england, they really needed SA to lose today. Weather reports make the semi finals very doubtful, and if they cant complete 10 overs a side ( with only an extra half hour available) the side who tops the group progresses. No reserve days as theres only a short break to the final.

Its absolutely typical of cricket to manage to get a major tournament scheduled during a period of unusually wet weather after one of the hottest driest spells in recorded history

Be a bit unlucky to have two full days washed out inside a week ! But I gather the forecast is pretty dire...

if it does come to pass I'd suggest it might at least cause the good people of Sydney to go easy on the jokes about Melbourne weather for a while

You really would think a reserve day or a possible relocation might have been planned for such a big event - at least they have a spare day for the final. I will keep my fingers crossed that things aren't as bad as feared...

What jokes, alfie? Enlighten me please.

Pal Joey wrote:What jokes, alfie? Enlighten me please.

Oh maybe they don't these days ...I seem to recall we used to be mocked a bit for having four seasons in one day (not without some justice , to be honest !)
Might have been just a few ex - Sydney residents transplanted here and doing a little stirring ...

All this global warming seems to have made assumptions about seasonal conditions a bit less reliable anyway.

Australia ticking over rather nicely against SA in the second ODI : 77/1 in the twelfth. Slowed just a little after Warner departed for a very rapid 35 but they are still looking likely to put a very healthy total on the board.

Might need it of course - pitch looks very batsman friendly.

Can't watch too much...the timing of these matches is not very nice for people in these parts who have to work in the morning...

Looks like SA are finding some form just in time for last year's world cup.

Afraid I hexed Australia then... minutes after I posted Smith and Labuschagne went out and it was basically downhill from there...

SA do seem to have unearthed a few new prospects - at least for the white ball game.

A very impressive 3-0 mauling by the Saffers over the Aussies.

Impressive performance by the Aussie ladies in front of a packed MCG. I think that may have been the highest attendance for any women's fixture in any sport any where in the world.

The semi finals leave a bad taste. Australia may have been the best team but seeing ground staff rush around to ensure a stitch up went ahead isn't a good look.

Not sure it was a stitch up as such, Soul but I must admit there was a frenzy of activity when there seemed barely any window of opportunity available when the rain stopped for a few hours. I was thinking it wasn't going to happen since it had been coming down pretty heavily all day.
It was very heavy at around 3pm especially. It wasn't right to award the match the way they did though. Has to be a reserve day in future.

Feel a bit for the Indian girls - they seemed to be well off their best on such a huge occasion. Relatively simple dropped catches in the field and losing those early wickets - plus Bhatia copping it on the head didn't help. Our 'goils' played well though... like wolves on a hotplate.

Tiger, I think the football world cup at the Rose Bowl had about 92,000 back in 1999.
Actually just checked... 90,185 when whatshername ripped her shirt off (to reveal a sports bra) and went a bit wild after scoring the winning penalty.

Have been off grid drinking Guiness at a music festival so didn't see the final...but not too surprised to note Australia dominated. They really hadn't been playing as well as they could in the lead up (pressure of being home favourites ? Arguably slightly fortunate to survive to the final in fact) but their sheer class was likely to surface at some point : and I think the fact that they were able to come back from an early reverse and "win ugly" to keep their hopes alive served to instil confidence in their ability to turn it on in the Big Game.
India by contrast hardly put a foot wrong in qualifying. Were almost due a bad game ...and nerves seemed to play a large part : couple of dropped catches at the start apparently and downhill from there ? They should be proud of their tournament though : their time will come.
A good tournament , with some surprises along the way and a worthy winner . Only marred by the somewhat farcical semi final mess...surely the last time such an event is left without provision for a reserve day !

Well done Australia

No posts on here since March. Something must have happened in the past eight months!

Enjoyable ODI series between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, part of the Super League, came to an end today - Pakistan winning 2-1.

The second ODI was a comfortable win for Pakistan, but the first ODI saw Zimbabwe come up just short chasing 282, with Brendan Taylor hitting a century and an impressive knock by the young Zimbabwean Wesley Madhevere.

But the third ODI, today, saw proper drama. Zimbabwe made 278/6 batting first. Pakistan slumped to 6/2 and 88/5, then Wahab Riaz struck a battling half-century (yes, really). Babar Azam made a near match-winning 125 but fell with just seven balls to go. A horrific misfield then cost Zimbabwe victory off the last ball, which sent the match into the second Super Over in ODI history.

Pakistan were nearly bowled out for nothing in the Super Over, losing a wicket off the first ball and a top-edge narrowly missing the fielders off the second ball. In the end, they made a grand total of two runs, and Zimbabwe got home pretty comfortably in the end. Could be 10 crucial points in their quest to qualify for the World Cup.

Virat Kohli is going to miss the last three Tests of India's series in Australia to be at the birth of his child.

Goes without saying whatever he wants to do is the right decision here - but it is just a shame for the watchers that he won't be playing. Was really shaping up to be an absolute cracker of a series, but can't see India troubling Australia sans Kohli.

Enjoyed catching the highlights of those games, Duty. Wesley Madhevere looked a real talent, albeit a small sample size of course!

As well as England/South Africa starting soon, plenty of other cricket is making its way back into the calendar:

Big Bash starts on the 10th December.
Three match T20 series between NZ/WI starts on Friday, which is followed by two tests.
Three match ODI series between Aus/Ind starts on Friday, followed by three T20s and four tests.
Three match T20 series between NZ/Pak starts on the 18th of December, followed by two tests beginning on Boxing Day.