Category: Cricket

Cricket: NZ level series with narrow win

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Just like the test series, New Zealand bounced back from a first up defeat, to square the Twenty20 Cricket series against Pakistan.  After falling to a six wicket first up loss, New Zealand strangled the Pakistan batsmen to defend their rather lowly 140/4, eventually bowling out Pakistan for 127.

Anton Devcich was the hero for the Black Caps.  The bit part cricketer showed his prowess with both bat and ball to claim the man of the match award.  He scored 21 with the bat and took 2-16 in a display that significantly heightens his chances of featuring in the upcoming Cricket World Cup.

Earlier, a slow pitch made things challenging for all the batsmen with no one from either side topping 33.  In New Zealand’s dig Kane Williamson (32), Tom Latham (26), and Luke Ronchi (31) were the main contributors; Ronchi particularly proving effective, striking at 163 including 20 from a Shahid Afridi over.  Of the Pakistan bowlers Umar Gul was the most impressive.  Returning to cricket for the first time since April the lanky seamer returned 2-24 from his 4 overs, cementing his position as one of the finest bowlers in T20 cricket.

Attempting the very gettable chase, Pakistan were faced with Devcich’s spin from the opening over and struggled to get the ball away., and they stuttered to 24-3.  However with Ahmed Shehzad at the crease and the likes of Umar Akmal and Afridi to come the target was always within reach.  Even with 39 required off 18 the task looked possible, and when Jimmy Neesham sent down the worst over of the match (conceding 15 from the first 5 balls) it looked almost assured.  But the final ball was telling, Afridi nicked a short ball from Neesham to Ronchi to curtail the chase and deprive the fans of a gripping finale.

Another split series means the one-day cricket series will have to be used to split the sides.  World Cup tinkering will also be on the agenda, as will monitoring the injuries of Corey Anderson and Martin Guptill.

New Zealand 144 for 8 (Williamson 32, Ronchi 31, Gul 2-24) beat Pakistan 127 (Shehzad 33, Afridi 28, Mills 3-26, Neesham 3-25) by 17 runs.

Cricket: Pakistan too strong in series opener

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Pakistan proved far too good for an under-strength New Zealand side in the first of two back to back Twenty20 International Cricket matches.  New Zealand’s decision to rest captain Brendon McCullum; and seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee backfired as Pakistan easily chased down a mediocre target of 136.

New Zealand’s effort to set an imposing total was under immediate threat as they fell to 15-3 when Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, and Anton Devcich were all dismissed inside three overs.  Repair work was performed by Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi.  Anderson in particular looked to have NZ back on track for a respectable target after making his way to 48 with four 6s.  Unfortunately, his and New Zealand’s momentum was cut short when he fell looking for a fifth maximum and the Black Caps managed just 135 from their 20 overs.

Sarfraz Ahmed expertly guided Pakistans response.  The wicketkeeper made 76 not out from just 64 balls and was involved in the crucial 43 run partnership with Umar Akmal that saw them home.  Of the New Zealand attack only seamers Mitchell McClenaghan (4-21-1) and Adam Milne (4-18-0) displayed any semblance of a threat in what was otherwise a sensible and measured cricket innings.

We thought the positivity of the test series might flow through NZ’s cricket into this match so we gave them a chance to upset Pakistan here, but it will be hard to back them for game two which is played tomorrow.  As always after suffering a defeat, NZ will look to bounce back while Pakistan will be seeking to further destroy NZ’s confidence before the one day cricket series begins.  NZ need runs from Taylor and Guptill, and wickets rather than cheap overs from their spinners Nathan McCullum and Devcich to support the fine work of their pace attack.

Pakistan simply need more of the same.  They’ll be hoping for more crease time for Sarfraz, Awais Zia and Haris Sohail, but a 2-0 win will be consolation if not.

Game Two Odds

New Zealand $2.3

Pakistan $1.62

Cricket odds courtesy of Sportingbet Australia

Game Two Predictions 

Flipping a coin will be about as successful as following our predictions.  This could go either way.  But once again go with New Zealand to hit the most sixes.  Those leg side slogging Kiwis…

Cricket: Hit and Giggle gives NZ youngsters a chance

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Resting and rotation are sacrilegious words in New Zealand sport after disastrous Rugby World Cup efforts in 2003 and 2007. However, the New Zealand cricket team has opted for exactly that by resting Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult and Tim Southee. This has immediately seen their odds worsen amongst bookmaekrs. Rotation does though allow for a lot of tinkering and testing. New Zealand will get to check the progress of both speed merchant Adam Milne and beard merchant Anton Devcich who have been drafted into the squad for those leaving.

Pakistan will not underestimate their opposition. They too are looking to incorporate new faces into their squad. Although these aren’t exactly ‘new faces’ rather than old faces rejoining the squad for the first time. Umar Gul has been injured for long periods, Wahab Riaz returns, as does Ahmed Shehzad who was last sighted suffering a frightening head injury.

The transition from test cricket to T20 cricket will be even more fascinating for the inclusion of a host of new faces.

The Last Time These Two Met

Notwithstanding the recent drawn test series, the sides most recently met in a T20 cricket match in 2012 during the ICC World Twenty20. In that game Pakistan won by 13 runs.   They also lea the overall head to head 6-3.

The Teams

Pakistan (likely): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Awais Zia, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Saad Nasim, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Anwar Ali/Umar Gul, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Raza Hasan, 11 Mohammad Irfan

New Zealand (likely): 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 James Neesham, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Daniel Vettori, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Adam Milne

The Key Players

Umar Akmal – At his best Akmal is a destructive middle order dasher capable of taking any international cricket attack apart. Conversely, at his worst he is terrible. He has failed to register a half-century in his last 11 first class innings. Pakistan will be hoping the best comes out against NZ as it did on test debut when he scored 129 and 75.

Kane Williamson – Captaining the side in McCullum’s absence will be a challenging prospect for the top order batsmen, but with former captains Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills to help out, he should have all the support he needs. Williamson will be hoping the leadership doesn’t get in the way of his run scoring that peaked at the recent Champions League T20 Cricket Tournament.

The Odds*

Pakistan – $1.62

New Zealand – $2.25

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

This is crazy good money for New Zealand. The Kiwi’s are quality limited overs crickets. The following are all reasons why we’re predicting them to prevail: fielding, Vettori’s economical four overs, Six hitting from Taylor, Anderson, Neesham, Guptill and Ronchi.

Actually put money on NZ to hit the most sixes ($1.83) too.

Cricket: Buttler and Root deliver much needed win

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Buttler and Root sounds a bit like a law firm, but instead of saving clients, this twosome saved their country from utter panic, and did an excellent job at rejuvenating the one day international cricket series against Sri Lanka.   Facing a difficult target in a rain-reduced match England desperately needed to avoid going three nil down in the best of 7 series.  They achieved that thanks to a calm Joe Root innings (48 off 48) and a rapid Jos Buttler cameo (57 off 37).  Also deserving of a mention is Moeen Ali who again provided early impetus to the England innings by racing to 58 from 39 balls before being dismissed.

Earlier in the day Sri Lanka had responded well to early wickets (and early rain delays) as they amassed a challenging total of 242/8 from 35 overs.  The total was constructed around a patient 63 from Kumar Sangakkara with support from Thirimanne and Prasad.  The latter pair piled on 62 runs from the final five overs to set up the challenging total; a total that could have been more imposing but for Duckworth-Lewis.  Chris Jordan justified his inclusion in the side, playing his first cricket for some time the seamer took 2 important wickets (Sangakkara and Angelo Matthews).  Chris Woakes (3-41) also ensured that Sri Lanka’s total was not completely out of sight and a series lifeline was on offer.  The one downside to England’s fielding effort was a potential slow over rate penalty incurred by captain Alastiar Cook.  The under-pressure skipper could miss the next game of cricket, which will make things super interesting if his replacement makes runs.

The tone of England’s chase was again set by Moeen Ali.  The left hander made his fifty from 29 balls; slightly slower than his feat in game one but still quick.  Hales and Cook contributed too to a balanced pace before Hales contributed to Ali’s demise, running him out when the score was 103.  Mid chase wobbles threatened to derail the England momentum when series star Ravi Bopara and the out of sorts Eoin Morgan were out.  However, the unbroken 84 run partnership between Buttler and Root settled the match and saw England home by 5 wickets.

Hopefully you got in on our prediction with Centrebet paying out an England win at $1.95.

England 236 for 5 (Moeen 58, Buttler 55*, Root 48*) beat Sri Lanka 242 for 8 (Sangakkara 63, Thirimanne 62*, Woakes 3-41) by 5 wickets (D/L method)

Cricket: Wet game three to add to England’s woes

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Chaos vs. consistency is the theme for game three today. Sri Lanka are enjoying their turn to dish out the punishment after being whipping boys in India, and have developed a nice consistent tempo to their game. On the other hand, the chaotic English side is within touching distance of a complete meltdown.

Loses in the first two matches of the cricket series have again subject their captain to speculative media attention, and the batsmen’s frailties against spin are becoming glaringly obvious.   Too many of their players are out of form. Cook, Bell, Morgan, and Butler are all quality players in their own right, but England need a lot more productivity out of them if they are going to compete in this series or the Cricket World Cup.

Sri Lanka just need to keep winning and prepare themselves for sterner tests.

The Last Time These Two Met

The second one-day international cricket match was the opposite of the first. Dull, one sided and timid would have all featured on the synopsis of the highlights package as England slumped to an eight-wicket loss.

The Teams

Sri Lanka: Dilshan, Kusal, Sangakkara, Thirimanne, Mathews, Kandamby, T Perera, J Mendis, Prasad, Herath, A Mendis.

Kandamby replaces the unavailable Jayawardene.

England: Cook, Moeen, Hales, Root, Morgan, Bopara, Buttler, Stokes, Woakes, Jordan, Finn

Three changes for England. Hales, Stokes and Jordan to replace Bell, Gurney and Tredwell. Hales is officially the best T20 batsmen in the World (ICC Cricket Rankings). He opens in every format he plays, but is strangely being asked to bat three here, or not so strangely if you consider Alastair Cook the England captain also prefers to open.

The Key Players 

Ajantha Mendis – He may not make it into the final XI for Sri Lanka’s crucial Cricket World Cup games but boy does he love playing against England. After already taking five wickets in the two matches thus far his average against England has lowered to 26 with an RPO of under 5. Expect him to take wickets again.

Alex Hales – Hales is a destructive cricketer. He averages an impressive 37 from his 33 international T20 games at a strike rate of 138. The unwritten rule of T20 cricket is that a batsman is reasonable if his strike rate and averages totals over 160. Hales achieves that, and some. The test will be whether he can start well against spin if asked to.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.85

England – $1.95

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Centrebet.

The Prediction

Rain is predicted to wreck havoc on this one so the toss could be quite crucial. England can’t get it done on the field so maybe a bit of luck will help them here. I’m going for them to win the toss and to win the match. Jayawardene’s absence a big factor in the decision.

Cricket: New Zealand secure surreal record-breaking win

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In a match delayed and deeply affected by the loss of Phil Hughes, New Zealand played with the kind of freedom that coincided with the feeling that there is more to life than cricket.   Led by their imaginative and aggressive captain Brendon McCullum, the Black Caps played their cricket without pressure, rather with fun as the predominant aim.

The result was a startling display of record breaking batting feats, even after losing a crucial toss and being well behind after the first days play. New Zealand’s innings and 80 run win was built around a monumental first innings effort of 690. The total, New Zealand’s best ever, featured massive hundreds to McCullum (202) and Kane Williamson (192), and half-centuries to Ross Taylor (50), Corey Anderson, Mark Craig (65), and Tim Southee (50). It was an emphatic response to Pakistan’s first innings of 351, which for all intents and purposes should have been even better considering their position of 281-3 at the end of the first day’s cricket.

The returning Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 197, spearheaded Pakistan’s effort when the majority of his colleagues fell for the guise of left-armer Mark Craig. Craig’s 7-94 is comfortably his best bowling figures in Test cricket; the figures also overshadowed the return of Daniel Vettori, who managed a solitary wicket in each innings.

New Zealand’s emphatic response to losing the first test and drawing the second was to pepper the boundary while scoring at just under 5 runs per over in their first dig (in fact, NZ managed their largest number of innings boundaries in their short test cricket history). McCullum’s positivity was undoubtedly at the heart of that response (he managed 21 4’s and 11 6’s in his knock) and obviously contagious amongst the other players as they began the task of taking ten wickets on the flat deck.

Trent Boult was the catalyst for the ten Pakistan wickets that fell on day four and completed NZ’s victory. His opening spell of 3-19 was menacing as it was skillful and removed any chance Pakistan had of holding out for a draw. Only Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed offered anything resembling fight, and even there efforts include luck and endeavour rather than resistance.

The cricket test will be remembered not necessarily for the fantastic individual performances that were abundant in each of the teams turns at bat, but for the spirit in which it was played. Throughout the game, very few bouncers were bowled, wickets were not celebrated, and tributes flowed for a fallen superstar.

New Zealand 690 (McCullum 202, Williamson 192, Rahat 4-99) beat Pakistan 351 (Hafeez 197, Craig 7-94) and 259 (Shafiq 137, Boult 4-38) by an innings and 80 runs.