*Official* Champions Trophy Discussion Thread

[Perm]

Great to see Harry back!

 

[Loony BoB]

Harris must be getting on Good to see him in the squad, though.

 

[Perm]

Well in a team total of 305/5 I would've expected somebody to ton up.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

South Africa
Thandi Tshabala has been recalled to the South Africa team to cater to the spin role.

GC Smith (c), MV Boucher (wk), JH Kallis, SM Pollock, AB de Villiers, AG Prince, HH Dippenaar, HH Gibbs, CK Langeveldt, M Ntini, AJ Hall, A Nel, R Telemachus, JM Kemp, T Tshabalala.

Sri Lanka
Kaushal Lokuarachchi has been recalled to the Sri Lanka team for the Champions Trophy.

DPMD Jayawardene (c), KC Sangakkara (wk), TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya, WU Tharanga, LPC Silva, M Muralitharan, WPUJC Vaas, SL Malinga, CRD Fernando, MF Maharoof, MS Atatpattu, KMDN Kulsakera, CM Bandara, KS Lokuarachchi.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Australia v Pakistan
Australia
ML Hayden
BJ Haddin (wk)
RT Ponting (c)
MJ Clarke
BJ Hodge
MEK Hussey
SR Watson
GB Hogg
NW Bracken
SW Tait
SR Clark

Pakistan
Imran Nazir
Shoaib Malik (c)
Salman Butt
Mohammad Yousuf
Yasir Hameed
Shahid Afridi
Mohammad Salman (wk)
Saqlain Mushtaq
Mohammad Khalil
Mohammad Asif
Umar Gul

Cricket Web XI v New Zealand
Cricket Web XI
DP Towns
LA Camps
BJ Goff (c)
MW DeSilva
RJ Dauth
MJ Robbins
AJ Crampton (wk)
TC Halsey
KR Clapham
DJ Watt
KJ Gough

New Zealand
PG Fulton
SP Fleming
RL Taylor
SB Styris
CZ Harris
CD McMillan
BB McCullum (wk)
DL Vettori (c)
MR Gillespie
MS Mason
JS Patel

South Africa v Sri Lanka
South Africa
GC Smith (c)
AB de Villiers
HH Gibbs
AG Prince
HH Dippenaar
JM Kemp
MV Boucher (wk)
AJ Hall
M Ntini
A Nel
T Tshabalala

Sri Lanka
MS Atapattu
WU Tharanga
KC Sangakkara (wk)
DPMD Jayawardene (c)
LPC Silva
TM Dilshan
KS Lokuarachchi
MF Maharoof
CM Bandara
CRD Fernando
SL Malinga

 

[marc71178]

Come on CW - get the win on the board early on...

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Interesting to see Markus and Cloete being rested for one of the key group matches.

Good luck CW.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Interesting to see Markus and Cloete being rested for one of the key group matches.

Good luck CW.

This is the warm-up, New Zealand are in the other group.

 

[marc71178]

So does it count as an official ODI then?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

So does it count as an official ODI then?

Shouldn't. Not by precedent, anyway.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Warmup matches

Cricket Web XI v New Zealand
at Sardar Patel Stadium

Scorecard
Ball By Ball

Cricket Web XI completed a reasonanle warm-up match with several answers against New Zealand, with Liam Camps and Dinu de Silva both staking their claims for spots, while the bowlers came back from early setbacks to eventually complete a convincing death performance.

Daniel Towns scratched around for 14 at the top of the innings, as Mark Gillespie had good control early on. None of the New Zealand bowlers really succeeded in keeping the run rate down to any great degree, however, and Camps especially got free rein as he eased his way to 91 with three massive sixes. Dinu de Silva and Rob Dauth played able hands in support, while Halsey and Crampton took Mason for 17 in the 48th over, requiring Harris to bowl the final over, with success.

New Zealand thought they had paced their innings just right, with Fleming and Taylor just beginning to cut loose off Camps and Halsey once the 30-over mark was passed. When de Silva put down Fleming on 85 off Watt, they required 94 to win in 14 overs with nine wickets in hand and were heavy favourites.

However, Fleming launched Robbins to a waiting Camps at mid on, and after the experiment of promoting Harris as pinch-hitter failed, a swift collapse followed. Clapham and Goughy were the chief destroyers, with Goughy getting a beauty to move past McMillan's outstreched bat on 26, then varying his length well to get Styris and Vettori out in the 48th over. With 28 off 12 balls required to win and McCullum and Gillespie at the crease, Watt completed a fine bowling performance with full deliveries to Gillespie, who obliged by padding up three times; the final time the ball touched the bat and was well held by Goughy diving forward from midwicket.

Cricket Web XI 260 for seven (50 overs)
LA Camps 91 (93), MW de Silva 56 (73), RJ Dauth 30 (35), TC Halsey 22* (15)
MR Gillespie 3/48 [10]

New Zealand 240 for eight (50 overs)
SP Fleming 86 (125), RL Taylor 52 (68)
KJ Goughy 3/48 [10], KR Clapham 2/41 [10], NJ Robbins 2/44 [8])

Cricket Web XI won by 20 runs
Man of the Match: LA Camps (Cricket Web XI)

Australia v Pakistan
at PCA Stadium

Scorecard
Ball By Ball

Despite wobbling to two for two against Asif and Gul, Australia came back to post a competitive total after their middle order, as per usual, stood up when counted. Both Ponting and Hodge struggled out of the blocks, and the total was 31 for two at the end of the tenth over; then Ponting took on Asif, and the pressure relented. The third-wicket stand was eventually worth 124 runs before Hodge hoiked Afridi to Gul at square leg, and though Asif was reintroduced and removed Ponting caught at point, the spinners had little success trying to stop Hussey and Clarke from scoring.

Hussey's 62 was a masterclass, showing signs of a return to form, annd despite late breakthroughs from Asif - who earned well-deserved figures of four for 51 - and Gul, Australia set a more than competitive 270 for Pakistan to chase.

Pakistan began positively, and were not deterred by the early loss of Shoaib Malik to Shaun Tait. They batted Bracken out of the attack after three overs, and it took Brad Hogg's variations of pace to slow the run rate down. A couple of dropped catches by Michael Clarke did not help the Australian cause, but they took wickets relentlessly - however, not quickly enough to stop Pakistan. Yasir Hameed and Shahid Afridi put on 42 crucial runs for the fifth wicket, and with Tait on to bowl the penultimate over and seven to win, the outcome was given. Mohammad Khalil smashed a short ball deep over midwicket for six runs, and Pakistan won the opening clash by three wickets.

Australia 269 for seven (50 overs)
BJ Hodge 63 (84), MEK Hussey 62 (60), RT Ponting 59 (78), MJ Clarke 49 (57)
Mohammad Asif 4/51 [10], Uamr Gul 2/45 [10]

Pakistan 270 for seven (48.4 overs)
Imran Nazir 70 (102), Salman Butt 44 (60)
GB Hogg 2/40 [10], NW Bracken 2/54 [9], SW Tait 2/55 [9.4]

Pakistan won by three wickets
Man of the Match: Mohammad Asif (Pakistan)

South Africa v Sri Lanka
at Sawai Mansingh Stadium

Scorecard
Ball By Ball

The Sri Lanka bowling attack showed it is perfectly capable of handling without Vaas and Muralitharan, as early breakthroughs choked the South African effort.

Malinga and Fernando bowled threatening lines in their opening spell, and though de Villiers launched into Fernando, it was the latter who triumphed as a yorker was nicked back and South Africa had slipped to 51 for three. With Ashwell Prince outside edging a regulation ball from Bandara for eight, rebuilding was required from Dippenaar and Boucher, and though they added 78 the run rate slipped precariously. The three spinners got through creditably on the slow wicket, with combined figures of four for 116 in thirty overs, while Malinga closed off the innings well.

The chase was a formality. Tharanga was uncharacteristically brutal, hitting a couple of sixes as he got into his groove against Tshabalala and Nel, while Atapattu eased into form with a fine unbeaten 88. Sangakkara and Jayawardene completed a rout, and South Africa will need to lift their game considerably if they are to have any hope of progressing.

South Africa 210 for eight (50 overs)
HH Dippenaar 47 (83), MV Boucher 45 (71)
SL Maling 2/39 [10], TM Dilshan 2/40 [10], KS Lokuarachchi 1/34 [10], MF Maharoof 0/18 [6]

Sri Lanka 211 for two (38.2 overs)
MS Atapattu 88* (120), WU Tharanga 79 (81)
AJ Hall 1/38 [7]

Sri Lanka won by eight wickets
Man of the Match: MS Atapattu (Sri Lanka)

 

[Magrat Garlick]

<insert generic soft drink here> presents: Australia vs Cricket Web XI

The clash of the one-day international titans, Australia and Cricket Web XI, will be covered live on MSN and in a ticking scoreboard on the forums. Coverage is estimated to start at 1:30pm British time (10:30pm Sydney, 8:30pm Perth, 5pm India).

The rivalry between these two neighbours has become intense in recent years, with several memorable moments. Some highlights...

World Cup final Season X:

48.5 Hoy to Symonds, SIX, smacked over midwicket for his second six of the day. Australia have been impervious, is this really going to be enough to win another World Cup title?

43.2 Tait to Robbins, OUT, once again Ponting holds a catch, and with only three wickets left CW have a mountain to climb. 62 needed off 39

World Cup super eights, Season X:

10.1 Hoy to Martyn, OUT, stunning! Hoy bowls a quick delivery a bit outside the off stump, attempted drive from Martyn, inside edge crashes into middle stump, Hoy has his third!

38.6 Hoy to Tait, OUT, all forgiven! yorker, Tait attempts the pull shot, nowhere near and that's the fifth man bowled in this innings, a testament to a largely stunning bowling performance, Australia all out for 158!!

25.6 Gillespie to Chaulk, OUT, not over yet this! partnership has posted 28 and looked very confident, but now Chaulk makes a big hoik and it ends up in the hands of Hussey at backward square, magnificent catch but CW aren't going to be very pleased with this. 43 needed, four wickets in hand...

35.5 Tait to Robbins, one run, single, the batsmen are elated, they've put on a vital 43 to finally secure this match for CW XI, who go top of the Super Eights after having played four matches, the semi-finals are looking close!

ODI series Season X:

24.1 Halsey to Jaques: full toss... driven... brilliant stop! And a mixup here! Goff fires to the 'keeper... direct hit! He's walking! Jaques goes!

44.1 Lee to Chaulk: BANG!!! That's clear out of the ground! An extraordinary shot from Ash Chaulk, who's having a great series.
46.5 Clark to Robbins: driven past the bowler... they go through... that's it! The Cricket Web XI take the game by 5 wickets and a first ever series win over Australia! Super effort from Robbins and great support from Chaulk.

Test series, season X:

115.4 Ponting to Goff: captain against captain and Goff takes this one... for FOUR! 150 up for him!

73.6 Pickup to Clark: Swing. Miss. Hit. Pickup rattles Clark's off' and middle stumps. The innings is over and that leaves the Cricket Web XI with 55 runs to win this 3rd and final Test match, and the draw the series at 1-1.

8.3 Gillespie to Mamesh: SHOT through the covers! That's it! FOUR runs to win the game in style! A really dominant finish for the Cricket Web XI, who have finally finished off a game in this series. A rare Test match win!

Don't miss the next episode of this continual rivalry - this time for a spot in the semi-finals of the second most important ODI cricket tournament in the world.

 

[shortpitched713]

Pakistan
Imran Nazir
Shoaib Malik (c)
Salman Butt
Mohammad Yousuf
Yasir Hameed

Best/actually worst top order ever. 3-4 openers.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Well played in the warm-up lads, still room for improvement, including my bowling.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I'm hoping that generic softdrink is Fanta.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'm hoping that generic softdrink is Fanta.

If you say so. The wonders of genericness.

 

[Johnners]

nah not Fanta, go for Creaming Soda.......

 

[bugssy]

nah not Fanta, go for Creaming Soda.......

yer creamy soda!

 

[cbuts]

was i dropped or rested?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

was i dropped or rested?

You're a sure starter and it was a warmup game.