The Cricket Thread.

[DB83]

I'll throw some more thoughts in to the 'format' debate.

Most other sports use a Group>>QF>>SF>>F format. So four groups of 4 does work. Even if a fancied team does not get beyond the group stage (just think back a few years ago at Twickers ) And it can be 'adapted' to all but assure that that the right teams progress by using the rankings when the draw takes place by keeping the top four apart.

Unfortunately as with any sport these days money talks. Whoever holds the broadcasting rights wants a good return for their investment as do the venues.

No format is perfect but, personally, I do like the current one (as long as the weather does not screw it). And you do get these 'grudge' games like what 'hopefully' will take place tomorrow.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by DB83

No format is perfect but, personally, I do like the current one (as long as the weather does not screw it).

Yes; the weather is quite capable of affecting any format. Broadcasters (& probably many crowd attendees) have no interest in preparing backup days in case of rain--a bowl of scheduling spaghetti. As ever one is left trying to find the least worst compromise--a bit like life? Duckworth-Lewis-Stern is not perfect but generally better than any of its predecessors.

[buttsie]

The medias call that this was Englands WC to lose felt like typical home town hype

The No 1 ranking has never guaranteed any favours in any WCs

The stand out team so far is India

The final 4 most likely England , India , NZ where they lose for the 8th time in a semi , Australia (If they manage to work out who should be in the starting 11
while 3 or 4 of them win them enough matches)

No replay rained out matches are a bad joke imho

How hard would it be on players to comeback the next day or the next
and play the match.

I guess it will take a big name nation finishing 5th because of rained out matches
before change will occur

[scoundrel]

I agree that we have had too many rained off fixtures. There should be provision to re-schedule a rained off match at the end of the round and before the next stage of the tournament, particularly where the outcome would potentially change the top four teams.

England is a rainy place, but this many rained off games is unusual. One of the advantages of playing in England in June is that we enjoy good light well into the evening, and in fact the light can still be perfectly playable after 9pm. This has helped us to finish some other rain-affected games this year.

It is looking very likely that the last four will be India, England, New Zealand and Australia.

[victor meldrew]

Pakistan gave won the toss and put India in. The weather might be a factor as forecast sunshine and showers during the afternoon, continual steady rain late evening onwards.

[scoundrel]

India have motored along to 136 off 24 overs but have finally lost their first wicket. Pakistan can't let India carry on scoring this quickly or the target will be at the 300 level, which Pakistan wont be able to chase down. If Pakistan can knock over two or three more quickly now, they're right back in contention.

Otherwise, not.

[stardust2003]

theres no way back for Pakistan .... they ll never get into the top 4....
if there had been a quarter final stage they maybe could have got into
the last 8 ..... but no, they ll soon be on the plane ....

[effCup]

Originally Posted by stardust2003

theres no way back for Pakistan .... they ll never get into the top 4....
if there had been a quarter final stage they maybe could have got into
the last 8 ..... but no, they ll soon be on the plane ....

If there'd been a qf stage then many of the games played to date wouldn't have been necessary at all. So then Pakistan would have lost fewer games to date and they perhaps wouldn't now have needed a qf round to save them from those earlier (but perhaps non-existent/phantom) losses. Sounds like catch-22. The answer may be for them to have simply played better earlier? There's only so much blame a side can place upon the competition format... although perhaps someone will one day invent a final game format that caters to three+ participant teams.

[DB83]

Seems that the Windies have flattered to deceive.

Had Oz, previously, on the rack but still lost.

Put in today by the Banglas, got a decent 300+ score and still lost.

Seems they are rather one-dimensional.

The commentators think that the top four, as it stands, will not change but the Banglas are not out of it just yet.

[scoundrel]

Somewhat bizarrely, England now top the table, after a ferocious thrashing administered to poor old Afghanistan, who had no answers when Eoin Morgan came in on the 30th over and started to see if he could physically destroy the ball. Thing is, Afghanistans statistics now show Played 5 - Lost 5; and yet I don't think they've played badly. They have certainly played better overall than Sri Lanka and arguably better than South Africa. There's no justice.

England's top place partly reflects that no England game has been rained off so far. More significantly, England have yet to play India, Australia or New Zealand. Hopefully Eoin Morgan's back will behave itself, and Jason Roy's hamstring wont keep him out of the rest of the tournament - James Vince's dismissal on 26 was a very familiar example of silly boy disease, a talented player of attractive shots whose attention span is too short to watch a Road Runner cartoon. However, Joffra Archer and Mark Wood bowled accurately and with plenty of pace; not even India, Australia and New Zealand will find it easy to dominate these two. In a sudden death semi-final everything is up for grabs; but as long as they don't pick up more injuries, England won't be the ideal team to draw in the semis.