*Official* Semi Final 1 - Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

[Tendulkar_200*]

May be you have a point, but may be not. On a belter I'd back Malinga over Kulasekara to bowl at orthadox batsman. On a pitch with bit of seam, or stopping Kula is difficult to play. 7-0-19-1 and 5-0-38-1 proves my point.

But I'd be happy to leave him out against a side like India on a belter of a pitch and play more pacy, bouncy and wild Fernando instead of.

That's true, if it is a slow pitch, Kula is difficult to get away.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Flem if you want to see an example of bad infotainment for sports then go watch some of the crap that the Pakistani and Indian media are spouting about the upcoming match.

 

[Himannv]

Yeah but SL will probably play 3 spinners which shows how much they value Kula's rating.
I back the NZ batsmen against Kula. Malinga is more of a threat.

Kula might step in if Murali is injured.

Last time NZ faced Sri Lanka, Kula was the most economical of all the bowlers with just 19 runs off his 7 overs + a top order wicket.

In T20's he has played more games against NZ than any other team and has his best numbers against them.

Wouldn't be too quick to write him off tbh.

 

[Flem274*]

FMD, this Firdose Moonda is having his dick sucked by some **** on the cricinfo twitter feed. **** articles=good obviously.

/rage rage rage

 

[smash84]

FMD, this Firdose Moonda is having his dick sucked by some **** on the cricinfo twitter feed. **** articles=good obviously.

/rage rage rage

just like Got_Spin on his days, you seem to be in form today

 

[BeeGee]

Punching above their weight makes me rage the most.

Indeed. You'd think that after endlessly trotting out that little gem someone would be smart enough to realise that maybe NZ aren't punching above their weight, maybe it's just that everyone is underestimating NZ's weight.

Anyway, I prefer pugilating above their girth.

 

[BeeGee]

Has anyone else noticed that the vast majority of media interviews lately have been fielded by Ross Taylor and not Vettori? Looks like the reins have already begun to be passed.

 

[M0rphin3]

NZ to win the toss, bat first, win the game.

 

[BeeGee]

NZ to win the toss, bat first, win the game.

Bat first is probably the way to go considering this piece of info:
Used wicket for Black Caps World Cup semi | Stuff.co.nz

A used pitch is only going to get more and more difficult to bat on as the game progresses. ITSTL.

 

[Lostman]

Would have preferred the other wicket used in the Pak v Aus game. tbh
That one spun a lot more.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Would have preferred the other wicket used in the Pak v Aus game. tbh
That one spun a lot more.

Was hoping for a glass wicket covered in soap tbh.

 

[Himannv]

A bloke walks into a brothel and says: "I'm a bit kinky, how much for total humiliation?"

The madam replies $60.

"Wow, what do I get for that?" he says.

She says: "A cap with a leaf on it and a New Zealand Cricket XI shirt."



(I'll get me coat...)

 

[Woodster]

Bat first is probably the way to go considering this piece of info:
Used wicket for Black Caps World Cup semi | Stuff.co.nz

A used pitch is only going to get more and more difficult to bat on as the game progresses. ITSTL.

It's interesting they're going to use the same pitch as the one they played on against England. The perks of being a host nation, and it's no surprise they're going to do what they can to assist the spinners.

NZ's ability in playing the SL spinners will be key, that's nothing new. Reckon SL would take the scalps of Ryder, Taylor and B. McCullum for a combined total of 100 runs or fewer right now if they could, and that would put them in the box seat. Their approaches are going to be very interesting. Although India v Pakistan is the one that captivates the neutral more than this, if NZ turn up and perform, we could have a belter.

I sincerely hope they put in a better showing than England did, and we have a much more competitive match in the semi-final than SL did in their quarter-final.

We allowed the spinners to bowl at us, were reluctant to use our feet or to go over the top with any real conviction. NZ must do this to upset the rhythm of the SL spinners. Be more proactive than we were, rather than being content to push and prod around and hope they give you a bad ball, force them into it and put them under pressure. Easier said than done sure, but we didn't even try anything (unless you count Strauss' rather troubled innings and cross the line swipes against Dilshan).

I look forward to seeing NZ's batting plans, and also if SL go with Dilshan opening again (the bowling that is).

Best case, NZ bat first and put up a more than battling total, worse case NZ line-up get into a mess against the unorthodoxy of the SL spinners.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

A bloke walks into a brothel and says: "I'm a bit kinky, how much for total humiliation?"

The madam replies $60.

"Wow, what do I get for that?" he says.

She says: "A cap with a leaf on it and a New Zealand Cricket XI shirt."



(I'll get me coat...)

where did u hear that?

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Gotta laugh at the cricinfo headline.

"Mismatch unless NZ raise their game"

How about
"NZ will lose unless they play good"?

Absolutely fantastic journalism.
Why not "Mismatch if SL bat like poo"?

 

[Woodster]

Gotta laugh at the cricinfo headline.

"Mismatch unless NZ raise their game"

How about
"NZ will lose unless they play good"?

Absolutely fantastic journalism.
Why not "Mismatch if SL bat like poo"?

Must admit I saw that earlier and thought it was very harsh.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Trial by spin awaits New Zealand

Also gotta love their stats.

The overall stats for the two teams against the other top sides in this tournament shows the gulf, especially in the batting line-ups: Sri Lanka average more than 43 runs per wicket compared to New Zealand's 25.20. Sri Lanka's top three are among the five highest run-getters in this tournament, and all of them have scored more than 350 runs at a 60-plus average.

New Zealand's highest run-getter is Ross Taylor with 288, but he is the only one to score more than 250 for them. The only aspect where New Zealand are well clear of Sri Lanka is in clearing the boundary - they've hit 34 sixes to Sri Lanka's 12. In fact, Taylor alone has struck 14, which is more than what the entire Sri Lankan team has managed.

Of course, that would have nothing to do with batting first against minnows, will it?

 

[Mike5181]

its that George Binoy guy again. He has never rated us
Blogger: User Profile: George Binoy

 

[Cruxdude]

Gotta laugh at the cricinfo headline.

"Mismatch unless NZ raise their game"

How about
"NZ will lose unless they play good"?

Absolutely fantastic journalism.
Why not "Mismatch if SL bat like poo"?

It actually means NZ will be humiliated unless they play good.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Thanks for that Captain Obvious.