Category: Cricket

Cricket World Cup: Day 28 Recap and Day 29 Preview

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Day 28 Results

1. India v Zimbabwe

Brendon Taylor’s final game for Zimbabwe almost followed the script.  The final innings hundred was there – an incredible collection of reverse sweeps, powerful lofts, and cheeky ramps – and at 93/4 the victory looked a possibility too.  Unfortunately, India’s powerful middle order covered over the top order cracks and completed victory by 6 wickets and 8 balls remaining.  The crux of the chase was an unbeaten 196 run partnership between Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.  The pair rescuing a dire situation for the unbeaten Indian side, after the top order had collapsed to 93/4.

Earlier, Taylor had thrilled a large Auckland crowd with a final international innings of the highest quality. He scored 138, including 70 from his final 29 balls.  He was supported by Sean Williams in the most significant partnership of the innings, before Sikandar Raza added a quickfire 28 just as the momentum threatened to collapse.

Eden Park is always a difficult ground to defend totals on, and it proved too tricky for the Zimbabwe bowlers as Raina and Dhoni maturely saw India to their sixth World Cup win.

India 288 for 4 (Raina 110, Dhoni 85) beat Zimbabwe 287 (Taylor 138, Williams 50, Yadav 3-43, Mohit 3-48, Shami 3-48) by 6 wickets

 

2. Australia v Scotland

Australia comfortably beat Scotland and the rain to wrap up second spot in Pool A.

Opting to bowl first to beat the rain, Australia quickly gained the ascendancy with quick wickets to all of the bowlers.  In fairness, the Scottish batsman, who have struggled all tournament, contributed to their own demise with a host of rash shots and an unusually aggressive mindset.  In all, Scotland made just 130, with a brief break in the play for weather not able to save them from somewhat of a humiliation.

Mitchell Starc took 4 wickets to leap to the top of the wickettaker charts, Cummins had three, and Watson, Johnson and Maxwell all got in on the action.

Australia then used the chase to give Michael Clarke an extended bat.  He opened and made 47, and Finch, Watson, Faulkner and Warner all pitched in with handy efforts at better than a run a ball.  The win sets up a quarterfinal against the winner of todays Ireland v Pakistan match.

Australia 133 for 3 (Clarke 47) beat Scotland 130 (Machan 40, Starc 4-14, Cummins 3-42) by seven wickets

 

Day 29 Matches

1. West Indies v UAE, McLean Park (Napier – cloudy, windy, chance of rain), starts 11:00am local time

West Indies – $1.04

UAE – $11.00

West Indies must beat the UAE today and then await the result of the Pakistan / Ireland game from Adelaide.  Task number one will be tricky given the cyclone from Vanuatu threatening to bring adverse conditions to the East Coast of New Zealand.  It might also be tough if Chris Gayle is passed unfit to compete; his back still a big worry.

The final chance for UAE to register a win comes at the familiar location of Napier where they have based themselves for much of the tournament.  They’re coming off a relatively poor showing against South Africa, so they’ll need to improve if they are to crash the West Indies party.

2. Pakistan v Ireland, Adelaide Oval (Adelaide – partly cloudy), starts 2:00pm local time

Pakistan – $1.27

Ireland – $3.82

Ireland’s most important Cricket World Cup game in history will settle a tense Pool B.  Ireland need a win to make it through to the knockout stages for the first time (they have previously made the Super 8’s in 2007).  They could also hope for an abandoned game in Napier, but they would much prefer to be the masters of their own destiny.

Irelands’s poor net run rate is their major issue heading into the final match.  They’ve done commendably to beat UAE, West Indies and Zimbabwe but need to muster every ounce of skill and self-belief to do the unthinkable.

 

Day 29 Multi

The “Gayle Force Upset” Multi

Chris Gayle loves McLean Park, a test 197* springs to mind as evidence of his love of the small ground, but he’s also doubtful with a bad back.  If he plays we’re backing him to perform amongst the cyclone.

Gale To Top Score at $2.88 + Ireland winning Head-to-Head at $3.82 = $11.00

Odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

Cricket World Cup: Day 27 Recap and Day 28 Preview

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Day 27 Results

1. New Zealand v Bangladesh

Martin Guptill and the lower order helped New Zealand get past Bangladesh in their final Pool game of the Cricket World Cup, but only just.  Chasing 289 to win, the Black Caps looked to be cruising with Guptill and Ross Taylor controlling the chase, however, the brave Bangladeshi slow bowlers refused to give the game away and took it right down to the wire.  In the end, cameos from Corey Anderson (39), Daniel Vettori (16) and Tim Southee (12) were needed to see the locals home with seven balls to spare.

Bangladesh had earlier recovered from a poor first ten overs – they were 29/2 – to post an excellent 288.  That was largely thanks to Mohammad Mahmudullah’s second consecutive hundred.  His 128 was as good if not better than his previous knock against England.  If featured, nervy start, in which a couple f chances went down within his first few balls, but then controlled aggression and supreme patience.  He allowed others to build partnerships around him and later destroyed Mitchell McClenaghan in the final overs.

Bangladesh’s tactic of using slow bowlers to curb Brendon McCullum’s free scoring worked well.  Shakib bowled an opening over maiden and then removed McCullum and Williamson shortly after.  The plan was working and they should have been well on top had they reviewed an LBW decision against Guptill that went against them.  Guptill got to 100, Taylor to 50, and New Zealand seemed on course before allowing the late pressure to get a bit much for them.  Instead of cool heads, Guptill; Taylor; Elliot; Ronchi; and Anderson all went for wild swipes and perished.

And just when Bangladesh started to believe, Shakib, the hero of the innings with four important top order wickets, went for 12 to lose by 3 wickets.

New Zealand 289 for 7 (Guptill 105, Shakib 4-55) beat Bangladesh 288 for 7 (Mahmudullah 128*, Soumya 51) by three wickets

2. England v Afghanistan

The second match of the day was damp, dull and decidedly English in conditions and appearance.  Sydney’s persistent rain had reduced play to just 50 overs and reduced the crowd to a sparse smattering.  It was befitting of the England Cricket World Cup campaign that this was how it ended.  No bright lights, no powerful opposition and no fanfare.  Simply a final Pool game won comfortably against an associate nation.

All five bowlers took wickets for England, again there was no standout, and they chased their target of 100 easily.  Just one down, with runs to Ian Bell and Alex Hales.  Ian Bell scored another half century, his third of the tournament, but that just accentuates the problems with England.  Not enough hundreds, not enough wickets, no x-factor and carrying a captain averaging 19 in the tournament.

A comfortable win to finish for England, a disappointing final effort from Afghanistan despite bringing plenty of value to the occasion.

England 101 for 1 (Bell 52*, Hales 37) beat Afghanistan 111 for 7 (Shafiqullah 30) by nine wickets (D/L method)

Day 28 Matches

1. India v Zimbabwe

India – $1.10

Zimbabwe – $7.00

India will look to continue their unbeaten World Cup run that spans not only this edition but also 2011’s tournament.  Five from five this year and verging on ten in total, the Indians ave been mightily impressive, despite being given very little chance to do well at the onset.

So dominant have they been, they’ll relish a challenge and the chance to give more batsman game time if Zimbabwe can come to the party.  That could be too much to ask, but we hope not, especially for Brendon Taylor, who deserves a fitting farewell in his final match for Zimbabwe (he’s signed for Nottinghamshire on a Kolpack deal).

2. Australia v Scotland

Australia – $1.01

Scotland – $17.00

Australia will make short work of Scotland in the second of the day’s matches.  Scotland have been the biggest disappointment of the associate nations and you get the feeling they’ll just want to get home.  The only unanswered questions in this match are the size of the total if Australia bat first, the overs taken to chase down Scotland’s effort if they bat first, and whether Shane Watson will play (which might be a tip for who gets the quarterfinal spot).

Day 28 Multi

The Test Best Double

During the Australian Summer two batsman stood out amongst a number of fine efforts.  They were both captains of their sides at various times in the series and both made centuries for fun in the four test series.  That’s why we’re backing them to succeed today.

Virat Kohli to Top Score at $4.75 + Steven Smith to Top Score at $5.00 = $23.75

Odds from Unibet Australia.

Cricket World Cup Day 26 Recap

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Not for the first time in this Cricket World Cup, AB de Villiers stole the show and guided his country to an easy win.  De Villiers crossed 400 runs for the tournament in top scoring with 99 to see his side beat UAE by 146 runs.

South Africa’s win guaranteeing them a place in the quarterfinals – more than likely facing Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Day 26 Results

South Africa v UAE

UAE’s bizarre decision to bowl first ultimately came back to haunt them as they let South Africa amass 341 in their 50 overs.  Admittedly, it wasn’t the 400 that South Africa had mangled against the West Indies and Ireland, but that was probably due to the slowness of the surface rather than any bowling feats.

They did account for Hashim Amla early.  He was out in just the third over looking to force the ball of the back foot.  They also cottoned on to the strategy that most teams should be using and kept liability Quintin de Kock in for 45 balls.  He is so woefully out of form that leaving him out there is one of the only chances to keep South Africa under wraps.  De Kock scratched around for 26 but his demise brought the arrival of de Villiers.

As he so often does, he started tamely.  Scoring off most balls he faced and collecting the information on the pitch and the bowlers before exploding.  He eventually fell one shy of a century, but had already added the requisite impetus to the innings, which was expertly finished by Farhaan Behardien.  The UAE bowlers were their own worst enemies at times.  Conceding no balls that turned into free hits, and failing to stick to a set length.  The spell of Mohammad Tauqir was the glaring exception.  The old fashioned off-spinner was super effective on a well suited wicket.

Rilee Rossouw and David Miller also chipped in with fast paced knocks.  Setting a total hasn’t been an issue for South Africa in this World Cup or in the past few years of ODI cricket, chasing has, so there are still some question marks over their ability to cope with pressure despite de Villers believing they are still the best team in the tournament.

UAE’s batting effort was particularly sedate.  One-sided associate chases often turn into survival and practice cricket rather than aggressive pursuits of unrealistic targets.  That’s completely understandable on account of the experience that needs to be gained and filtered through World Cricket.  It occurred here too, as Swapnil Patil and Shaiman Anwar batted plenty of time to see the UAE through to 195.

The United Arab Emirates side needs to find the form that saw them get close to beating Ireland and Zimbabwe if they are to compete with the West Indies in Napier on Sunday; South Africa on to the quarters.

South Africa 341 for 6 (De Villiers 99, Behardien 64*, Naveed 3-63) beat UAE 195 (Patil 57*, Anwar 39, Morkel 2-23) by 146 runs

Cricket World Cup: Day 25 Recap

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Kumar Sangakkara became the first player in the history of one-day international cricket to score four consecutive hundreds with another classy display against Scotland.  Sangakarra has now racked up 496 tournament runs in 6 digs, including tons against Bangladesh, Australia, England and Scotland.  His and Tilakaratne Dilshan’s hundreds were enough to see them past Scotland by 148 runs on Day 25 of the World Cup.  Here’s a rundown of the action:

Day 25 Results

Sri Lanka v Scotland

As soon as Angelo Matthews won the toss, the cricketing world began to believe that Sangakkara could do the unthinkable.  And when Thirimanne was dismissed with 44 overs remaining, the chance of Sangakkara scoring four hundreds back to back was almost inevitable.  To his credit Sangakkara still batted for his team, still scored his runs at a rate of 130 per 100 balls faced, and sure enough got to three figures.

Tilakaratne also scored a hundred, largely forgotten though, next to Sanga’s effort.  The pair put on a masterful stand of 195, that was capped off with a rapid 51 from Matthews, and saw Sri Lanka through to an unbeatable 363/9.

Sangakkara as he so deserves, will get most of the credit.  He becomes the first player to score four hundreds at a World Cup, and has surely announced his retirement some 30 years too soon.  This guy could bat on for years and still chalk up the personal milestones as frequently as he does.

Scotland were probably in awe too.  That might explain their struggle to get close to the 363.  That or 363 is a huge total and they never really had a chance.  Kyle Coetzer, one player who might’ve given the total a run was out second ball of the innings and from there Sri Lanka just eased through the motions.  Freddie Coleman and Preston Mommsen scored half centuries to add respectability to the total, but no more.

We thought Mommsen was in for a big performance, and although he didn’t pay out, his innings was one of the few standouts in another disappointing batting effort from the Scots.  Kulasekara and Chameera were the most successful bowlers with three wickets apiece.

Kumar’s quest for 5 begins on 18 March against a yet to be determined opponent.

Sri Lanka 363 for 9 (Sangakkara 124, Dilshan 104, Mathews 51, Davey 3-63) beat Scotland 215 (Coleman 70, Mommsen 60, Kulasekara 3-20, Chameera 3-51) by 148 runs

Cricket World Cup: Day 25 Preview

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A slightly different approach today.  Rather than answer the three pressing questions of world cricket, we’re updating the odds on our favourite Cricket World Cup markets:

The Odds Update

The Cricket World Cup Winner

Australia are firming as overwhelming favourites despite their Pool game loss against New Zealand at Eden Park.  Two huge totals against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan has reaffirmed the punters belief.  New Zealand has shortened to second favourites as the pre-tournament and current odds indicate:

Australia – $2.90 $2.30

New Zealand – $6.00 $4.20

South Africa – $4.00 $4.50

India – $10.00 $5.50

Sri Lanka – $11.00 $20

The Top Run-Scorer

Kumar Sangakkara has such an appetite for runs that it’s hard to see him lose this lead unless his side can’t make the semi-finals (giving one player two more innings than him).  He’ll look to feast out again today against Scotland and could make it four hundreds in a row.  Amla and de Villiers also looking good on that list.

Kumar Sangakkara (372) – $15.00 $4.50

AB de Villiers (318) – $14.00 $5.50

Shikhar Dhawan (333) – $41.00 $6.00

Hashim Amla (295) – $11.00 $6.50

Virat Kohli (263) – $15.00 $12.00

David Warner (243) – $9.00 $12.00

Brendon McCullum (249) – $15.00 $13.00

The Top Wicket-Taker

The swing bowlers dominate the top few places on the wicket-taking charts with left armers Starc and Boult the favourites.  Both New Zealand and Australia have final matches left against lesser nations (apologies Bangladesh) to up the tally ahead of the knockout stages.  The two New Zealanders also play their knockout games in Wellington and Auckland (if they win) and both venues have taken swing in the tournament so far.

Mitchell Starc (12) – $10.00 $5.00

Trent Boult (13) – $26.00 $5.50

Tim Southee (13) – $23.00 $5.50

Mohammed Shami (12) – $51.00 $10.00

Daniel Vettori (12) – $34.00 $10.00

Ravi Ashwin (11) – $67.00 $13.00

Today’s Matchup

Scotland v Sri Lanka, Bellerive Oval (Hobart – fine weather forecast), starts 2:30pm local time.

Scotland – $13.00

Sri Lanka – $1.03

Sri Lanka can reaffirm their third place position in Pool A and get some practice ahead of their quarterfinal showdown with South Africa or Pakistan.  In seeking their fourth win of the tournament they’ll hope to bury some Glenn Maxwell shaped demons, and find a better solution to death bowling.  They’ll also hope Herath is available to reduce the pressure on young spinners Prassana or Senanayake.  Dinesh Chandimal has left the tournament injured, and in his absence the batsman can feast out on runs against Scotland’s inexperienced attack.

Scotland have two games left to find a World Cup win.  Their most recent effort was one of their best.  A total of 318 thanks largely to Kyle Coetzer against Bangladesh might have been enough on another day, and they’ll need something similarly impressive today to compete with Sri Lanka.

Today’s Bet

The “Preston is in England not in Scotland” Bet.

A bet celebrating England’s early World Cup exit with a slap in the face top score by a bloke with the same name as a city in Lancashire.

Preston Mommsen to Top Score – $6.50

Odds taken from Sportsbet.

Cricket World Cup: Day 24 Recap

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India won the battle of the ‘I’ nations with a one-sided victory over Ireland in Hamilton on day 24 of the Cricket World Cup.  India’s ninth win in a row made possible because of a fine opening partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.  See more on the action below:

Day 24 Results

India v Ireland

Ireland made it nine World Cup wins on the bounce with a comfortable eight wicket win over Ireland.

The defending World Cup champions made light work of Ireland’s 259, requiring just four of their batsman to pad up and 36.5 overs to get there.  Ireland’s 259 always looked 50 short on a pristine Hamilton surface, and that proved to be the case when Dhawan and Rohit combined to knock off 174 of them in the opening stand.  The win means India top Pool B, and keep their incredible run of victories from the 2011 tournament going.

Ireland had earlier started the day in exceptionally positive fashion.  Openers, William Portefield (67) and Paul Stirling (42) set Ireland on their way to a big total by adding 89 for the first wicket and seeing off India’s surprisingly effective seam bowlers.  However, the introduction of spin through Ashwin, Raina, and Jadeja slowed the European Champions momentum and cause more than a few rash strokes.  The wickets tended to arrive in clumps, and despite the best efforts of Niall O’Brien (75), the regular wickets meant Ireland fell well short of the 300 they were on track for earlier.  In fact, it took a giggly last wicket partnership to get to 259.

India will be grateful they could sneak in a full 10 overs from Raina – that shouldn’t happen in international cricket, but it did, and he took a bonus 1-40.

India’s run chase was a canter. Dhawan’s second hundred of the tournament flung him to second on the run scoring charts, and further outlined just how dangerous the Indian team are from 1-11.  He was dropped twice and the punishment went on to become a record opening stand for India at World Cups.  Rohit Sharma also made light work of the chase with a quick 64, before Kohli and Rahane finished off the win in style.  The Irish bowlers have always been the weak link in the side, and unfortunately they were too unthreatening on a docile Seddon Park pitch.

One more game each, India against Zimbabwe; Ireland a crunch potential qualifier against Pakistan.

India 260 for 2 (Dhawan 100, Rohit 64) beat Ireland 259 (N O’Brien 75, Porterfield 67, Shami 3-41) by 8 wickets