2015 Cricket World Cup Australia/ New Zealand

[jd1981]

I know we have Cricket thread but I thought the World Cup deserves its own thread.

I predict Australia to beat South Africa in the final.

I think England will be very Jekyll and Hyde but will go out in a quarter final.

The reality is the group stages are almost going to be a formality and the quarter finalist will be top 8 test playing nations.

I think New Zealand may be worth a shout to.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Australia look likely winners, but Pakistan could be the surprise package. On their day they are a match for anyone, but are so very unpredictable.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I fancy New Zealand to do very well. Should England get through the group, they cannot meet Australia, New Zealand or South Africa in the quarter-finals so there is a possibility of maybe making the semi-finals. That would be a very good tournament.

 

[jd1981]

I think Pakistan, India, Sri lanka and Bangladesh will struggle with quick paced Aussie wickets as per usual can't see past the three Southern Hemisphere teams personally.
If England reached a semi final it would be seen as a good effort.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

There is bound to be one really bizarre game in the group stages. I fancy the West Indies to beat up a top side on one day when Gayle is in insane form, but then do very little else.
.
The way that the quarter finals are being set up, there is absolutely no advantage in finishing higher in the group stage, as long as you qualify. It actually feels rather unfair on India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. One of those teams could dominate a group stage, and they are still going to get Australia, England, New Zealand or South Africa.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

West Indies biggest problem is they have very little fight when things get tough. That plus having possibly the weakest bowling line up of the major nations.

 

[jd1981]

I think India will struggle to make any impact, really poor side outside there sub continent comfort zone.

 

[east-coast-wolves]

Ireland to fail to cause any upsets sadly.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I think India will struggle to make any impact, really poor side outside there sub continent comfort zone.

They do, but really they shouldn't. India always produce top class cricketers. Why they struggle away from home is a mystery.

 

[Kenny]

Well, England warm up game against the Windies is a stroll. Bowled them out for 122, 5 wickets for Woakes.

Currently 78-1 (Moeen gone for 46) in reply

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Ireland to fail to cause any upsets sadly.

Have Windies in the first match and that is realistically our only hope, England might hopefully batter all confidence and spirit out of them today.

 

[Kenny]

Well, England warm up game against the Windies is a stroll. Bowled them out for 122, 5 wickets for Woakes.

Currently 78-1 (Moeen gone for 46) in reply

Finished 125-1. Would have been better doing a nets session I think.

 

[east-coast-wolves]

Have Windies in the first match and that is realistically our only hope, England might hopefully batter all confidence and spirit out of them today.

Yep. But form coming into this has hardly been scintillating from anyone.
Tim Murtagh will be a big miss.
And like Joyce says, this could be Ireland's last appearance at a WC for a while.

 

[Sniffer]

Pakistan seem to be cruising to the England total of 250. They are now 204 for 4 having been 78 for 4.

Bopara fails again with the bat and is used for just 2 overs. Will Ballance replace him in the starting line up for the World Cup?

 

[Lord Knows]

Michael Clarke made a comeback yesterday with 64 for Australia against UAE. Low key but putting himself back in the picture.

 

[Sniffer]

England lose by 4 wickets. In other warm up games New Zealand thrashed South Africa and Zimbabwe chased down a large total to beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Take out Morgan's 121 in Sydney and his current run of scores (not counting games vs the Prime Minister's XI and the like) reads:

5, 0, 4, 0, 2, 0, 0.

 

[Sniffer]

Take out Morgan's 121 in Sydney and his current run of scores (not counting games vs the Prime Minister's XI and the like) reads:

5, 0, 4, 0, 2, 0, 0.

His record prior to the above was piss poor too. I'd have had Bell captaining the side.

We will rely heavily on the top 7 scoring the runs to win the games in this world cup and out of those Bopara and Margan are in no sort of form. Woakes hasn't really got any ODI scores of any note and neither have Broad, Anderson or Finn. How Paul Collingwood can describe the English ODI batting line up as the best we've ever had is beyond me.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It is fairly perverse how Ballance averages around 50 in domestic List A cricket and yet he seems to be on the outside. I really don't get why he didn't go to Sri Lanka.

Bell
Hales
Ballance
Taylor
Root
Moeen
Buttler

If we weren't three days before the start of a tournament then I think that is the best way to go from the selected players (Hales doesn't convince me but he would do better than Rav or Morgan right now). We won't do that now though.

Buttler is vice captain now for some odd reason.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I think that the world cup is far too long. It is going to take about five weeks to play the pool games. Seven weeks in total for the tournament is too long.