Cricket Banter

Big result coming in Malahide probably!! NZ 217 for 8 needing another 84 to beat Ireland. The boys in green have been magnificent today, First in compiling 300 and now the score as we stand, all on a pitch which has offered quite a bit to the bowlers who show the best skills, equally too the batsmen who - having been asked serious questions from the opposition attacks - yet apply themselves with high skill also, have been rewarded. This could be another headline written by Ireland, and with few - if any - of NZ frontline players missing! - maybe T Boult who obviously would make a difference, but that is about it!

A great thing to attach to these ODI's - qualification for the World Cup. It means that teams can't afford to put out 'scratch' line ups!

^^ Forget all that I put in the last message!! Implosion in the final over to concede 20 to get NZ the victory! Really poor captaincy, and bowling disciplines at the death!

(10-07-2022 12:59 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  

(09-07-2022 12:29 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  

(08-07-2022 13:21 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Sri Lanka v Australia 2nd Test - Galle Day 3 Close
Australia elected to bat
AUS 364 & 151 (41 overs) Labuschagne 32 Khawaja 29 Warner 24 Green 23 Prabath 6-59 Theekshana 2-28 Ramesh 2-47
SL 554 (181 overs) Chandmal 206 no Karunaratne 86 Kusal 85 Kamindu 61 Mathews 52
Starc 4-89 Swepson 3-103 Lyon 2-194
Sr Lanka won by 39 runs

Ireland go again today, with the knowledge that they can compete with New Zealand. Let's hope they can park what happened, & not let it affect todays performance. These things can happen, & are becoming much more common. Batsmen seen to have most of the answers right now. Only a handful of world class bowlers consistently get it right in the death overs.

West Indies v Bangladesh 2nd ODI Guyana (2.30)
Bangladesh elected to field
WI 108 (35 overs) Paul 25 no Mehidy 4-29 Nasum 3-19
BAN 112-1 (20.4 overs) Tamin 50 no Das 32 no
Bangladesh won by 9 wickets

Another day, another self inflicted defeat for Ireland. Chasing 360, Ireland were beaten by one run, but that doesn't reflect the position they put themselves in, before more brainless batting raised its ugly head yet again.

Even when Stirling gave his wicket away for - albeit after a quality knock of 120 - Ireland were comfortable at 241 for 3. Even after that, they were in a position to just knock the ball around, and chip away. Instead, Ireland in the form of Tector and dockrell gave NZ their opening by surrendering their wickets too - Tector (shouldn't have his quality knock go unrecognised) instead of going deep, fell in to the trap of believing (this happens way too much) that he needed to get the team there by big hits and boundaries - same with Dockerell. After they again gave the Kiwis an easy out, The lower order just couldn't stretch to the winning line.

It is so frustrating to see the team - once again - throw away another victory, and indeed the series as they had the first ODI in their pocket too. Valuable points in world cup qualification squandered against the highest ranking team, when such points against the best are so valuable, given that Ireland should pick up expected points against those teams in and around them. They would have been a cushion against a banana skin result that Ireland have sometimes been known to 'slip' up on, which could mean they miss out on the next WC tournament.

I am convinced that the teams issue is psychological, as they constantly match higher ranked teams for skill. I am no psychologist, but I believe that Ireland need to employ one, as this keeps happening - psychology training should be every bit as important as 'skill drills'. Cricket is played just as much between the ears as the batting and bowling as we know, and we need to see Ireland finally understand that.

Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1st Test - Galle Day 1 Close
Sri Lanka elected to bat
SL 222 (66.1 overs) Chandimal 76 Theekshana 38 Oshada 35 Shaheen 4-58 Hasan 2-23 Yasir 2-66
Pakistan 24-2 (18 overs)

West Indies v Bangladesh 3rd ODI - Guyana (2.30pm BST)
Bangladesh elected to field
West Indies 178 (48.4 overs) Pooran 73 Carty 33 Taijul 5-28 Mustafizur 2-24 Nasum 2-39
Bangladesh 179-6 (48.3 overs) Das 50 Tamin 34 Nural 32 no Mahmudullah 26 Motie 4-23
Bangladesh won by 4 wickets

(16-07-2022 09:26 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1st Test - Galle Day3 Close
Sri Lanka elected to bat
SL 222 & 329-9 (96 overs) Chandimal 86 no Kusal 76 Oshada 64 Nawaz 5-88 Yasir Shah 3-122
Pakistan 218 (90.5 overs) Babar 119 Prabath 5-82 Ramesh 218 Theekshana 2-68

Not sure where else to post this, but the rumours of the forthcoming draft International scheduling is thoroughly shameful if it proves to be the final itinerary. The West Indies thoroughly shafted by England, with no proposed tour to the Caribbean for -5 years wasn't it?? while more 'lucrative' series get priority. After all the efforts the W Indies made to tour England during some of the worst times of covid - if this does prove to be correct, England deserve a huge rocket somewhere very painful.

It is plain nonsense that International cricket fixture scheduling is still based on self interested 'back scratching', instead of objective, purpose lead management from the centre! We know the ICC are incapable (and incompetent) in equal measure, so we need a new organisation that - instead of being the dog who is being wagged by the tail controlled by the nation bodies - is all powerful, and makes decisions in the best interests of the sport - with the participating nations either signing up or sodding off as with golf's LIV.

The West Indies rely on an England tour financially (another issue to be addressed from the centre) and have a perfect right to feel betrayed and hacked off.

How can you have a world championship, with two nations not playing each other in series close to one another??