The Official Cricket Thread

[Vincent Vega]

What does everyone make of the Pietersen juggernaut that seems to be developing? BBC saying six counties looking at signing him, and that he's willing to jib the IPL because incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves has said he will be considered for England if he joins a county team and gets runs. Surely he cannot line up in the same side as Cook, Broad and Anderson after his book and all his comments since? And I'm sure Peter Moores can't wait to see Pietersen in his team again. I can't believe this Graves arsehole has opened the door, surely England just need to move on from Pietersen and start looking to the future?

[Phoenix]

Pakistani collapse coming up.

[lifetime fan]

Ireland have been, and are still being, utterly pathetic. Pakistan have ten wickets in hand, and need less than four an over...PUT EVERYONE ON THE BOUNDARY.

True, but they've still acquitted themselves far better than England have this tournament.

[Jairzinho]

True, but they've still acquitted themselves far better than England have this tournament.

 

Yeah, and I'm better at tennis than Stephen Hawking.

 

 

It's just the bog standard clueless, negative, shithousery in the field.

 

You have two choices

 

- Don't attack, they get the runs in 45 overs, 0% chance of winning.

- Attack, they'll probably get the runs in 40 overs, but you give yourself a tiny chance of winning.

[Phoenix]

Such a boring match.

[Jairzinho]

The absolute farce of trying to pass a complete arbitrary figure.

 

If I was Akmal, I'd say you've got this over, or I'm belting the first ball of the following over out of the ground.

[Jairzinho]

The excruciating pantomime is over.

[Son of L8]

What does everyone make of the Pietersen juggernaut that seems to be developing? BBC saying six counties looking at signing him, and that he's willing to jib the IPL because incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves has said he will be considered for England if he joins a county team and gets runs. Surely he cannot line up in the same side as Cook, Broad and Anderson after his book and all his comments since? And I'm sure Peter Moores can't wait to see Pietersen in his team again. I can't believe this Graves arsehole has opened the door, surely England just need to move on from Pietersen and start looking to the future?

 

It's mental what Graves has done by opening his gob.

 

Say Pietersen does join up with Surrey, they've got five games scheduled in the championship before the second Test against NZ, along with a couple T20s. If Pietersen knocks out a couple of hundreds in that time, then we lose the first Test at Lord's with key batsman failing (which, let's be honest, is far from unthinkable), they'll practically have to give him a spot for the second Test. He will have given up nearly a quarter of a million pounds in India to play in England because the ECB chairman basically said "if you score runs, you'll get picked". In that scenario, the new head of English cricket will publicly look like a complete cunt if Pietersen doesn't play at Headingley.

 

Graves has backed the whole of English cricket into a ridiculous corner. All anyone can do is hope KP doesn't make runs, or that we muller the Windies and then NZ with the whole top and middle order getting scores.

[lifetime fan]

Fuck Kev and fuck the ECB.

[sir roger]

I am an unabashed fan of KP, and I think he has been treated very poorly by the ECB, but the ship has sailed & he needs to leave it alone & stick to the IPL / Big Bash type finale to his career.

 

The sooner Moores & Downton are both expunged from the England set-up the better.

[A_S]

Good pub debate going on.....

 

Trying to pick a best XI for Test, ODI & 20:20 from the current century

 

De Villiers & Kallis seem to be very popular in all forms at present.  Feisty battle between Gilchrist & Sangakara for WK in all forms

 

Good shout! I'd go: 

 

SEHWAG

AMLA / TENDULKAR

PONTING ©

DE VILLIERS 

PIETERSEN

KALLIS

SANGAKARRA (+)

POLLOCK

STEYN

MURALITHARAN

MCGRATH

 

There are a couple of iffy selections there, ie Tendulkar could definitely make a case, but if we are talking about all 3 formats and a balanced side, that is about the best all-round team I could come up with. Sangakarra definitely gets the keeping gig, as his batting numbers even after keeping for so long are simply ridiculous. Incredible bowling line-up that took loads of wickets but conceded fuck all runs. 

[A_S]

South Africa v Sri Lanka

 

New Zealand v West Indies

 

Australia v Pakistan

 

India v Bangladesh

 

 

I've bolded who I think will progress to the semi-finals. No great surprises, but then they've done enough to each avoid the other favourites at the first knockout stage. Sri Lanka are probably the best bet to cause an upset in those games listed (and are batting first, always handy if a decent score is made).

[Son of L8]

Quick wicket to SA gives them an early dart at Sangakarra.

 

Abbott bowling some beautiful stuff.

[Son of L8]

They'll be all out for under 150 at this rate. Hardly any resistance at all.

 

And JP Duminy of all people has taken a hat trick against Sri Lanka. A complete collapse.

[Jairzinho]

Bugger.

[Navman]

Yep

 

Sad day all round

 

We will be back for the t20 20 World Cup in India next year

[lifetime fan]

South Africa through to the semis ready to bottle it again.

[stringvest]

Gutted to see SL go out without putting a challenge in.  Thought they were playing into form at the right time after a miserable series against NZ, but there was nothing today.  Still, looking forward to seeing Sanga at surrey this summer. 

[Jairzinho]

Test squad, glad Lyth has finally got a go -

 

Full England squad: Alastair Cook (capt, Essex), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Gary Ballance, Joe Root (both Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Jos Buttler (wk, Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (wk), Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett (all Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Mark Wood (Durham), James Tredwell (Kent)

[A_S]

Bangladesh have started pretty well here. 

[A_S]

Bangladesh need to keep this as close to 300 as possible. Battled well but India's batting class showing at the moment. 

[Jairzinho]

Sharma seeing it like a beach ball at the moment.

[Jairzinho]

Just as I say that...

 

Great yorker.

[A_S]

The Indians are getting it done right now, just 4 wickets away from bowling out every team they've faced so far this World Cup. Very impressive when it looked as though it would be their glaring weakness. Coupled with their strong batting line-up, it is no surprise they've gone this well so far. 

[Major Tom]

Alastair Cook should probably shut up.