Tag: UAE

Cricket World Cup Day 29 Recap

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The Cricket World Cup has officially reached knockout stages after the Pool games wrapped up yesterday.  The West Indies and Ireland sealed the final two quarterfinal spots in Pool B with effortless wins against UAE and Ireland respectively.

The quarterfinals are now confirmed as:

Sri Lanka v South Africa

India v Bangladesh

Australia v Pakistan

New Zealand v West Indies

Here’s how yesterday’s games panned out.

Day 29 Results

1. West Indies v UAE

The West Indies put their indifferent form and the threat of Cyclone Pam behind them to comfortably seal their place in the Cricket World Cup quarterfinals with a win over the UAE in Napier.

Needing to progress their net run rate and beat impending rain, the West Indies did everything right after winning the toss and dismissing the UAE quickly.  It could well have been even quicker after the associates were 6/46; Jason Holder doing most of the damage.

There was a slight recovery.  Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz were the architects; the pair adding 107 for the 7th wicket and extending the match for the brave souls that did turn out to a rather grey McLean Park.  Aziz’s innings was particularly surprising given his highest first class score is just 4.  Both Aziz and Javed notched fifties, delaying the inevitable, and causing the West Indies to nervously glance skywards as the partnership progressed.

The West Indies easily reach the mediocre target.  They needed to chase it within 33 overs to ensure a playoff position (barring a tie on the later Adelaide game), and managed to do with 3 overs to spare.  The relatively unused extended squad members, Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter, did the bulk of the scoring.  Charles looked frenetic, Carter composed as their fifties atoned for Chris Gayle’s absence.

The West Indies set a date with New Zealand in Wellington where they’ll believe anything can happen.

West Indies 176 for 4 (Charles 55, Carter 50*) beat UAE 175 (Aziz 60, Javed 56, Holder 4-27) by six wickets

2. Pakistan v Ireland

Ireland’s fairytale run in the Cricket World Cup came to an abrupt end when they were well-beaten by Pakistan in the final Pool game of the tournament.

After witnessing the West Indies dispatch the UAE, Ireland needed at least a tie to make it through to a knockout match but failed to summon the batting performance necessary to test a vulnerable Pakistan batting unit.  William Porterfield (107) fought bravely, but lacked support in a total that appeared to be 50 short of a competitive score based on the surface, and 80 short based on the Irish bowling attack.  What Riaz the best bowler with three wickets, with the other 7 shared amongst Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali, and others.

In reply, Pakistan never threatened to let nerves get the better of them.  They chased the total with remarkable ease to set up a quarterfinal against tournament favourites Australia.  Sarfraz was the star of the show.  He made a mature hundred to anchor the chase, after the bulk of the total was knocked off by him and Ahmed Shehzad (63).  Sarfraz has made an excellent contribution in the two games he has featured in, with both bat and gloves.  6 dismissals and 150 runs is an excellent return from two games, and he has likely secured a place in the starting team for the Australian match also in Adelaide.

Pakistan 241 for 3 (Sarfraz 101*, Shehzad 63) beat Ireland 237 (Porterfield 107, Wahab 3-54) by seven wickets

 

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 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 18 Recap

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Australia made it three scores of over 400 in just five days as they heaped all sorts of misery on a powerless Afghanistan side on day 18 of the Cricket World Cup.  In the day’s other match, Pakistan boosted their chances are quarterfinal qualification with  comfortable win over UAE in Napier.

Read on for more on the two games.

Day 18 Results

1. Pakistan v UAE

Pakistan’s batsman were under about as much pressure as naughty selector Moin Khan in the lead up to this match.  The under-performing batsman had failed to score over 240 in any of their matches prior to batting on the road that is McLean Park – a disappointing return given the ease at which sides have put big scores on the board in this World Cup.  Yesterday was different story however, as Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Misha-ul-Haq combined to see them through to a much more respectable, and eventually game winning 339.

The total was always going to be too much for the UAE side, even though they have the tournaments leading runscorer in the midsts.  Shaiman Anwar scored 62 to take his World Cup tally to 270, but found little support from his colleagues.  A cautious approach was taken with emphasis on batting the 50 overs rather than threatening the target.

The win may well ease the tension amongst Pakistan fans, but could also set them up for heartache if they can not carry the form on to the knockout stages. Mohammad Irfan is a concern, he  bowled just three overs  before leaving the field.

Pakistan 339 for 6 (Shehzad 93, Sohail 70, Misbah 65, Guruge 4-56) beat UAE 210 for 8 (Anwar 62, Afridi 2-35) by 129 runs

2. Australia v Afghanistan

Australia set the record for the highest ever World Cup total in their huge win over Afghanistan in Perth in the day’s second game.  Led by breathtaking efforts from David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, the Australians  reached new levels of freakishness, and after a stop start campaign thus far, built some important World Cup momentum.  With Warner at the crease a team total of 500 was looking possible, and an individual 250 on offer, even with some useful yorkers being fired in at times by the inexperienced Afghanistan bowlers.  Warner departed f0r 178, but that just brought Maxwell to the crease who smashed and reversed his way to a brutal 88.  Much like AB de Villiers, the Big Show can score all round the park and outlined his credentials as a quality one day international finisher.

He was aptly supported by Steven Smith, who made the most of his promotion to 3 at the expense of Shane Watson with a composed 95.

Starc, Johnson and Hazlewood then took most of the wickets as Australia skittles out their opponents for just 142.  A 275 run winning margin – the second biggest winning margin in the history of ODI cricket.

Australia 417 for 6 (Warner 178, Smith 95, Maxwell 88) beat Afghanistan 142 (Mangal 33, Johnson 4-22) by 275 runs

Cricket World Cup: Day 15 Recap

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A match between two top tier sides finally went down to the wire in the Cricket World Cup yesterday.  Kane Williamson’s maximum ensuring New Zealand shocked the world best Australians by one wicket in a low scoring but highly entertaining affair at Eden Park.

Keep reading for more details on New Zealand’s one wicket win.

Day 15 Results

1. Australia v New Zealand

The talk of theoretical three hundred strong totals was quickly cast aside as New Zealand and Australia collectively struggled to score 300 runs between them.  The sub par batting performances from both sides, however, didn’t detract from the incredible spectacle that left everyone in attendance satisfied, if a little surprised their day had ended two hours ahead of schedule.  New Zealand got by by one wicket thanks to a nerveless Kane Williamson six off Pat Cummins, despite the bowling heroics of Mitchell Starc at the other end.

Australia’s fast start against a nervous Tim Southee gave no indication of the inept display that was to follow.  At 30-0 off just 2.1 overs, Australia looked destined for a sizeable total.  Even after Aaron Finch was  removed the next ball, they still managed to get to 80-1 with Shane Watson and David Warner going along nicely.  Southee had proven expensive in his opening spell in a display that highlighted the small margin for error at Auckland’s concrete jungle.  But as Australia looked to heap more misery on the Kiwi bowlers, Brendon McCullum pulled a masterstroke by introducing the left arm spin of Daniel Vettori in just the seventh over.  His introduction stifled the scoring rate and caused Shane Watson to err and throw away his wicket, pulling him straight to deep square leg for 23.

Tim Southee removed Davey Warney (as he is affectionately known by all Australian commentators) next ball, an then Trent Boult returned the remarkable second spell bowling figures of 5/1 to see Australia slump to 106/9.  While the bowling was accurate, the batting was horrendous.  Four players getting bowled is disappointing at international level (FYI, New Zealand had the same number later in the night).  Brad Haddin and Pat Cummins managed to add some respect to the total; Haddin made 43 and if he had eked out a few more might have done enough to get his side home.

New Zealand’s pursuit of the small total started off without a hitch.  A Mitchell Johnson no-ball resulted in a free-hit six to Martin Nuptial and the Black Caps were on their way.  McCullum continued his free scoring approach to small targets.  The swing from the hip mentality served him well only until Mitchell Johnson landed a nasty blow on his forearm that upset some of his momentum, but he still managed a 24 ball fifty.  From there New Zealand lost wickets in clumps to accurate, fast insignia of Mitchell Starc.  Starc took the wickets of Taylor and Elliot either side of the lunch interval, and then another two in two when he dismissed Milne and Southee to set-up the thrilling finish.  Australia needed one wicket for a famous comeback victory.  New Zealand needed six runs to win the Chappell-Hadley Trophy.  Mitchell Starc had two balls at number 11 Trent Boult.  Boult survived and Williamson deposited Cummins into the stand to seal a famous win and all but ensure New Zealand a home quarterfinal.

New Zealand 152 for 9 (McCullum 50, Williamson 45*, Starc 6-28) beat Australia 151 (Haddin 43, Boult 5-27, Southee 2-65, Vettori 2-41) by one wicket

2. India v UAE

The second match of the day was a disappointing dull affair as the UAE failed to match their more experienced opponents in all aspects of the game.  Betting first the minnows only mustered 103.  All out in 31.3 overs, without any threat of putting together a useful total.  India’s bowling is on the improve, but it shouldn’t strike any fear into teams, and certainly not all out for 103 type fear.  Nevertheless, that is what transpired.  Ravi Ashwin the star of the show, picking up four cheap wickets and providing the perfect support to Yadava and Kumar who had earlier taken wickets in their opening spells.

The target was knocked off with consulate ease.  Rohit Sharma made an unbeaten half century and Virat Kohli added 33 unbeaten runs to wrap things up with little fuss, little energy exhausted, and no injuries.  The perfect result for the Indians who appear to be getting stronger and stronger.

India 104 for 1 (Rohit 57*) beat UAE 102 (Anwar 35, Ashwin 4-25) by 9 wickets

Cricket World Cup: Day 15 Preview

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Four hundred was scored at the Cricket World Cup yesterday and it is conceivable it could occur again today at the tiny Eden Park ground.  But will it be Australia or New Zealand threatening the record book.

Check out the preview of the action below:

The One Most Important Question

Who wins in Auckland today?

The comments from Craig McDermott about the Australia squad having the equivalent four Brendon McCullums was right on point.  The Australian squad is perfectly suited for the way one-day cricket is played at the moment; aggressive fast bowlers who take wickets to stifle opposition momentum, destructive batsman that case boundaries at every moment of the game, and a brilliant fielding unit with confidence beyond belief.  That’s why we’re picking the older Trans-tasman brother to get one up over their hosts.  New Zealand still have a soft underbelly and we’re worried how they will respond.

Today’s Matchup

1. Australia v New Zealand, Eden Park (Auckland – sunny skies predicted), starts 2:00pm local time

Australia – $1.60

New Zealand – $2.35

Eden Park’s postage stamp dimensions provides the major challenge for bowlers in the early match of Day 15 of the Cricket World Cup.  The two favourites come together in a pool game of significant interest, that many are predicting to be a precursor to the World Cup final.  Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament thus fa, however, Australia have only got through the one match so far and haven’t played for two weeks due to a Cyclone washout in Brisbane.  Their’s been plenty of confrontational talk in the lead up to this one, and Eden Park is expected to be at capacity for the famous trans-tasman duel.

2. India v UAE, WACA (Perth – hot and humid), starts 2:30pm local time

India – $1.02

UAE – $14.00

India can firm their chances of the top qualifying spot in Pool B with a win over associate UAE in Perth today.  The Indian’s have shown considerable promise in their opening two encounters and are again expected to be too strong for the UAE today.  Of most interest will be whether Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli can score more runs and make a play to be the tournaments top run scorer.  That of course may be dependent on whether they bowl first or bat first.

No surprises expected in this one.  India should get by pretty comfortably.

Today’s Multi

Williamson to Top Score and New Zealand to Win – $7.50 + Virat Kohli to Score 50 – $2.20

= $15.75

Cricket World Cup odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.