1st Quarter Final - South Africa v Sri Lanka (18th March)

[Zinzan]

Really surprised with the Abbott over Philander selection, be interesting how he goes here.

 

[smash84]

kusal panicking?

 

[Contra]

gone!

 

[thierry henry]

Two obvious questions (and maybe I should just learn to google)...

(1) Is Senanayake injured?

(2) Why is Ajantha Mendis soooooo far down the pecking order? I understand the justified belief that he has become less effective over the years, but this isn't really reflected in any significant way in his ODI numbers, even when you break them down to the last year or the last couple of years- still averages low 20s! Is it really that bad?

 

[ankitj]

This guy a slogger? Was only a matter of time.

 

[smash84]

wtf is kusal doing?

 

[Contra]

Really surprised with the Abbott over Philander selection, be interesting how he goes here.

Abbott's taken wickets pretty much every match he's played I think. Philander isn't that good in ODI's in any case.

I might also be slightly biased as Abbott's been my fantasy pick for a while now (including this game)

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

always on the cards

Can Sanga score 5th in a row

 

[Zinzan]

Ah poor batting...Jeez de Kock almost bottled that diving across in front of 1st slip, did brilliantly to get it on the 2nd attempt.

 

[smash84]

what a catch, shouldn't have gone for it but held on did de kock

 

[Jono]

Good experiment Lanka you bunch of dumb ****s. Grow some balls for once

 

[Niall]

Could be imagining things, but isn't Perera championed by Jaya? Only reason I could justify such a hack been tolerated so long.

 

[Cabinet96]

lol Kaushal. Why was he even playing?

 

[viriya]

Kusal /facepalm

 

[_Ed_]

Eeep.

 

[viriya]

lol Kaushal. Why was he even playing?

Dammit get the name right. And he's playing cos Chandi is injured.

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't mind Kaushal playing tbh, but yeah, Perera opening with Thirimanne at 6 is dumb if they actually do it.

I really like Kaushal so I struggle to get worked out over that either, but it was predictable in its slight irrationality that they'd pick him. The least conventional sense a viable selection actually makes, the more likely Sri Lanka are to make it in a knockout match/final.

 

[Prince EWS]

Kusal opening might not be a bad idea.. he's pretty useless anyway, but he is less useless as an opener. Thiri has been giving a slip catch in every single game, and he's shown that he can handle finishing before.

Thirmanne is much less useless as an opener though, and he's been doing okay, and opening is more important than batting six anyway. It was a silly call.

 

[smash84]

de kock living dangerously going for that catch

 

[Contra]

Saffas chatting about after that wicket