The 2023 Cricket World Cup

First topic message reminder :

The ICC apparently changed the Champions Trophy qualification rules in March 2021.

It's just they never told anyone about it, never made a media release, and hence most teams were unaware of the alteration until yesterday.

I'll revise my question from yesterday to: Who on earth makes a change to the qualification format of a supposedly major competition and doesn't bother to tell anyone?

A weird world when Zampa gets smashed out of the attack and Maxwell and Head provide the economy and the wickets...

A quick shout out for Josh Hazlewood though, current figures 8 overs, 3 maidens, 2 for 12.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Also can someone explain why on earth SA batted first on winning the toss when they knew weather would be around?!!?

Was a bad shout. They psyched themselves out. Believed they couldn't chase any target, so were going to bat first no matter what.

Looks under par but that may be a vital innings yet. Can SA make inroads

I was going to say that Australia were the in form team of the tournament in that after losing their first two matches of the tournament have proceeded to win all their following matches.  Their first two matches were against India and South Africa and they narrowly won against NZ and they also had that weird match with Afghanistan.   However given that India have won all their matches it is difficult to compare Australia with India in terms of end of tournament form.

I can't see Australia not winning this comfortably

Aussies away to a bright start - aided by some wayward stuff from Jansen , who looks rattled.

Was a fine effort from Miller to get SA to some sort of a score - but I can't see Australia messing up this chase.  There is help there for the bowlers , sure. But sensible and positive batting will take care of it with no real time pressure.

Australia have just looked the more composed and confident side from the start. Probably the best side to (maybe) give India a contest in the final - so a good result

This is a procession so far. 60/0 after 6.

Had hoped some close KO games would leave some fond memories of this World Cup, but we're heading for two comfortable SF wins from India and Australia (yes, NZ did have us dreaming for a bit, but they were always behind). What a terrible competition.

Ah, a wicket. Maybe a full-scale collapse now?

Warner has taken the RR out the game, should be a fairly simple chase now

Crazy stuff. Rabada and Jansen smashed everywhere and Markram bowls a wicket maiden.

Although now Rabada has Marsh , out to a great catch by RvdD : so maybe some life in the game yet ?

Need another 3-4 fairly quickly I think

Can't wait for Australia to be 100/8, but South Africa still lose.

Head taking back control very swiftly - though he really should have been caught then by the sub fielder.

SA better bowl the spinners or this will be over very early ...

Considering that Smith and Labuschagne are at 4 and 5 I'd say that they've done the right thing by being so aggressive. Cut the head off the chase, basically take RRR out the equation. Smudge and Marnus can pick off singles, play the percentages.

Starc chose a decent day to remember he was the best white ball bowler in the game for a good few years until Bumrah came along. His record for first over wickets must be absurd.

If Australia were to win this CWC it would be fairly amusing. They appear to have put basically no planning into white ball cricket since about 2015. Just turn up, throw the thoroughbreds together in a vaguely XI shaped entity and do well. Won that World T20 when Finch couldn't lose a toss. May well find themselves in a CWC final here.

It's days like this where the ghosts of Ashes past seem to haunt my perspective. The Aussie seam attack somehow appear broader shouldered than any human I've seen when stuff like this is happening. When changing ends between overs they seem to move in slow motion, swaying to a musical arrangement like something from Peaky Blinders. I both crave it and fear it. Cricket is a brutal and emotionally manipulative game.

Ultimately an India Australia final is win win for most of us - because one of them will lose and it will be hilarious.

There is enuf turn in the pitch,.....that that ubiquitous 275 would have been defendable

Well they've had the good sense to bring the spinners on - and Maharaj has very quickly done the trick, Had to bowl Head because it seems no one wanted to catch him...

Still think Australia well in control ; but another wicket now might induce some nerves.

Marnus tremendously lucky then ! Survived by an umpire's call - just. Really think that would be given on field most of the time...

Luck not with SA at present.

South Africa needed that umpire's call to go their way.

Duty281 wrote:South Africa needed that umpire's call to go their way.

how would that have made and difference
Impact was outside the line of off

Manus & Smith need to use their feet and knock ball around..else they could still choke
there are more than 15 over of frontline spin still availbale
This is a 7.5/10 turning pitch

KP_fan wrote:

Duty281 wrote:South Africa needed that umpire's call to go their way.

how would that have made and difference
Impact was outside the line of off

No - it was umpire's call on impact so would have stayed had it been given. But history now.

Anyway Labuschagne's luck has run out now as this time he is on the wrong side of an umpire's call lbw...

133/4 so not quite over yet !

212 looking a bit of distance away with 11 overs of maharaj & shamsi still in hand

alfie wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

Duty281 wrote:South Africa needed that umpire's call to go their way.

how would that have made and difference
Impact was outside the line of off

No - it was umpire's call on impact so would have stayed had it been given.  But history now.

If impact is outside the line of off
and
if ball pitches outside the leg
it's N.O regardless of the umpire's call

Hmm. Daft swipe by Maxwell and it's five down... Pressure starting to tell ?

If Smith stays in Australia still win. But if he were to go ...

Spoiler:

Was yellow/orange on impact, so if the umpire had said 'out' it would have stayed 'out'.

Academic now. South Africa have a fifth and a chance.

KP_fan wrote:

alfie wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

Duty281 wrote:South Africa needed that umpire's call to go their way.

how would that have made and difference
Impact was outside the line of off

No - it was umpire's call on impact so would have stayed had it been given.  But history now.

 

If impact is outside the line of off
and
if ball pitches outside the leg
it's N.O regardless of the umpire's call

No no no - you have that one all wrong , KP_fan. It was totally umpire's call. Hence why SA did not lose a review.

Smith needs to play a test match like inning and shepherd them thru
Not lose more than Inglis to remaining overs of spin

Duty281 wrote:

Spoiler:

Was yellow/orange on impact, so if the umpire had said 'out' it would have stayed 'out'.

Academic now. South Africa have a fifth and a chance.

yes I see even the impact outside off was an umpire's call

Problem for SA is that they haver only six more overs from the Spin Twins. And Smith is playing very calmly : he is invaluable to Australia in these situations.

Inglis backing him up well too

There is absolutely no reason to remove spinner
on the contrary only chance of winning for SA is to bowl Aus out and for that they needed to put more close-ins to the spinners

Bavuma has been horrible with the bat & pretty mediocre as a captain

I think this is all but done now. Australia have it in the bag unless they have about three rush of blood throwaways now ...

OOOPs ! Smith does just that Six down...

Surely they can't lose from here ?

This is actually turning into a classic, definitely game of the tournament so far because of what's at stake

This is where depth of batting is required
Nos 7 and 8 have put 14 runs against hostile fast & square turning balls...& unbroken

VTR wrote:This is actually turning into a classic, definitely game of the tournament so far because of what's at stake

Actually several of the best contests in this WC have involved Australia . So a good thing they look ready to take on India on Sunday...

Just 25 needed so SA need a miracle.

VTR wrote:This is actually turning into a classic, definitely game of the tournament so far because of what's at stake

20 or 30 more runs from SA would have certainly made it interesting. Only needing 2 an over has meant the Aussie lower order batsmen have been able to just accumulate rather than taking any risks. Surely Aus have still enough batting left to accumulate the last 20-odd runs

SA needs to close out singles ...move many in the ring
Bavuma is better than only Babar

Inglis gone. Surely they can't mess this up.

Still had too many fielders back that Markram over... Aussies can easily get' em in singles.

14 needed now...nearly there.

7 from 5 overs with 3 wickets left. Feels like they're deliberately dragging it out

Just 7 needed now so all but over.

But if SA had held their catches - admittedly most not easy - they'd have won this. They won't now.

Marky wrote:7 from 5 overs with 3 wickets left. Feels like they're deliberately dragging it out

Keeping me up to ridiculous hours

Well done Aussies

Won it , essentially , by superior fielding - and the first ten overs of both innings.

A good effort by SA with the ball but just not enough. 250 or so might have been a winning score

Aus certainly have the match winners to scare India. But should be a comfortable host win

A lot closer than it seemed it would be after 6 overs, but South Africa's losing record in semi-finals continues all the same.

A bit like yesterday's game, really. The team that was behind after the first innings kept the hope alive for a little longer than anticipated, though the expected outcome was still reached.

I don't think SA would have been able to challenge India adequately in a final, so I'm somewhat glad Australia have made it because we might get a close game. Although perhaps not as close as four years ago!

Aus again found just enuf resources to overcome the challenge.

Starc and Inglis with few runs so far scored valuable 45 runs between them.worth gold

God forbid if India gets to needing 40 with 6 wkts down in such conditions...they will divine intervention.
Very tough side Aus, favorites for Final.

Me too, alfie. Was hoping to get to bed by 03:33.

Knew it would be tense match even with that low total from SA and the blistering start from Head and Warner. I thought Inglis, the Yorkshireman, played a great part in getting us across the line. I was on edge for every ball bowled by Maharaj and Shami... but somehow they managed to survive.

Anyway, as good as a final for me. Call the engravers... I think India will be too strong and the fanatical home crowd will lift them up another notch in the decider. Still might tip Australia in the tipping comp though... or maybe not?

Never in doubt but closer than maybe expected given S. Africa were always on the back foot.

The pitch was difficult but SA left 30 to 40 runs on the table lacking smart cricket

No way are Australia favourites, no more than New Zealand were yesterday. They've already lost to India and almost lost to Afghanistan. Of course they can win it, but something like 70-30 in India's favour, or make it 80-20 when pitch curation is factored in!

Yeah, India have won ten on the bounce and have home advantage, they're clear favourites. I think the closest they've been pushed to defeat in this whole World Cup was either when NZ had India 191/5, chasing 274, or when England limited India to 229 after the first innings. Other than that they've cruised the tournament.

Australia's form has been much shakier.

But it's a one-off game, so Australia do still have a realistic chance of victory. One amazing innings, one magic spell. That's all it takes in a one-off. And the pressure is all on India.