Ian Chappell predicts an Anzac Battle

[Zinzan]

A slightly arrogant but interesting article

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/current/story/288035.html

 

[_Ed_]

Hope he's right, but I'm not confident of NZ reaching the final.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I've had money on an Australia/New Zealand final since before the WC started. Always seemed a reasonable possibility to me. South Africa and Sri Lanka have played some good cricket as well though, and New Zealand will need to beat one of them to make the final, or come up against Australia in the semis.

 

[Zinzan]

I've had money on an Australia/New Zealand final since before the WC started. Always seemed a reasonable possibility to me. South Africa and Sri Lanka have played some good cricket as well though, and New Zealand will need to beat one of them to make the final, or come up against Australia in the semis.

My gut feel is that Aust and NZ will finish 1 and 2, so I don't think they will meet in the semi's. My only worry is that NZ will crumble under pressure in a semi as they have so often before. I just hope with the experience and newfound belief NZ seem to have at the moment, they will cope under pressure

 

[jammay123]

when he mentions who can win it he leaves england out. i know england dont have a big chance but it a bit harsh him completly dismissing englands chance. he is arogant

 

[Perm]

Hope he's right, these battles that we will have against Sri Lanka and South Africa could go either way I feel. I just hope we make it to the final and don't choke in the semis.

 

[Craig]

when he mentions who can win it he leaves england out. i know england dont have a big chance but it a bit harsh him completly dismissing englands chance. he is arogant

Something we didn't know?

Anyway going on current form in their last two matches, Australia would need to score 370 to beat New Zealand as obviously chasing 350 is quite capable for them. Whilst I don't mean to be going off topic, but really chasing scores like 320 are probably not that hard to do anymore when you have the likes of Oram, Styris, McCullum etc.

 

[corza_nz]

i hope hes right an anzac final would be awesome. although nz are playing really well im still not 100% convinced they can go all the way to the final but fingers crossed.

 

[Poker Boy]

A slightly arrogant but interesting article

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/current/story/288035.html

Arrogant? Ian Chappell? Surely not!!

 

[Richard]

when he mentions who can win it he leaves england out. i know england dont have a big chance but it a bit harsh him completly dismissing englands chance. he is arogant

Well, yeah, he is, but dismissing England's chances is hardly an example of such!

 

[Tim]

I hope for the sake of the game in this country that we do pull it off. It would be interesting though if both the Black Caps and All Blacks won their respective world cups...who would be voted team of the year at the Halberg awards? lol

 

[LA ICE-E]

well if the no can stop the aussies from making it to the final than you might as well give them the trophy before the match because the aussies dont mess up in the big games/finals....

 

[adharcric]

The Kiwis could certainly upset the Aussies in a high-scoring encounter, but I can't see them getting past Sri Lanka or South Africa in a semi-final clash.

 

[Tim]

New Zealand know they can beat both though. They defeated South Africa in the Champions Trophy by a considerable margin in the end and have played Sri Lanka so often in recent times that they should be comfortable with playing Murali.

NZ's ability to beat the top sides is seriously undersold at times. Sure we do badly against Australia every now and then, but who hasn't?
I'd say we've got fairly even records with Sri Lanka & South Africa over the last 3 years.

 

[LA ICE-E]

in recent years how many times have the aussies lost a match in the final? (bar the last two)

 

[pup11]

Seeing the way Sri lanka is shaping up one would be stupid to count them out of contention for the finals, I expect the Aussies to be #1 semi-finalists and Kiwis and Lankans to be #2 and #3 respectively and South Africa as #4 semi-finalists.


So the semi-finals IMO would be :-

1. Aus v/s SA
2. NZ v/s SL


So first both the Aussies and the Kiwis would have to win their semi-final games before we can think about an Anzac finals.

 

[Dick Rockett]

I hope for the sake of the game in this country that we do pull it off. It would be interesting though if both the Black Caps and All Blacks won their respective world cups...who would be voted team of the year at the Halberg awards? lol

The All Blacks would, no doubt about it. And it would be an injustice.

Edit: Umm, actually addressing the topic of the thread. A fair enough column by Chappell, imo. Although given the way he talks up New Zealand, one wonders why he used the "Australia first, daylight second" argument.

In addition, isn't it hilarious how quickly the pundits change their tune? A few games ago the Aussies were a bunch of has-beens on the way out, now they're nigh on unbeatable. Also, I can guarantee that if New Zealand get thrashed by anyone in this tournament, the talking heads will be popping up out of the woodwork claiming that they knew all along we were never going to succeed. Jonathan Millmow is the one that springs to mind. Total bandwagon jumper, that man.

 

[The Baconator]

Distinct possibility IMO. Wouldn't want to call a winner though, not out of this, or the four near-certain semi-finalists.

 

[Evermind]

Really, I think the WC is pretty much over as a contest. Australia are gonna run away with it. I just don't see any other side beating them - it'll be fun to watch, though, no doubt.

 

[LA ICE-E]

its not fun watching the same team win over and over again but they do look like they are unbeatable atm