1st Semi Final - New Zealand v South Africa (24th March)

[Jono]

AB de Villiers

oh my times have changed

 

[JediNudist]

Not attacking doesn't necessarily mean surrendering. They can keep rotating strike and ensure Boult isn't bowling six deliveries at one player.

Southee has been average by his WC standards since his 7-fer against England. If he continues to bowl the same way then Proteas wouldn't be too bothered facing him.

On top of that Kiwis would be picking a bowler whose job was restricted to bowling in the nets throughout the tournament or a bowler who hasn't been with the team for 7-8 weeks and his first WC game would be a semi-final.

I have to admit keeping bowlers on ice has backfired. Mitch should have played against Scotland as well

 

[Burgey]

What as opposed to SA losing both games to the only half-decent sides they played? I don't get this logic at all. I heard someone earlier today arguing that it will stand SA in good stead having lost 2 games while qualifying and I just don't buy it. If anything it should make them more nervous and tentative.

I don't think it makes one sliver of difference at all, to either side. It's a one-off, KO match. I think there's an element of trying to analyse how the difference group matches will help or hinder each of these teams in this game because they're both unknowns at this stage of the tourney. But I don't buy it. NZ will win IMO, but it wouldn't be a massive surprise if SA sneaked it on the back of one or two match winners.

 

[Burgey]

oh my times have changed

I know, he was such a downhill skier early in his career, but he's improved massively.

 

[BeeGee]

What as opposed to SA losing both games to the only half-decent sides they played? I don't get this logic at all. I heard someone earlier today arguing that it will stand SA in good stead having lost 2 games while qualifying and I just don't buy it. If anything it should make them more nervous and tentative.

There is no logic in it. People are scratching around trying to find reasons why NZ won't win. It's just like after the game against Aus when a bunch of Aussie fans were using NZ's batting collapse as evidence that Australia would beat NZ if they met in the final. Happily ignoring Australia's worse batting collapse and the fact NZ won the game.

People don't like change. NZ being good at cricket doesn't fit their narrow, static world view.

 

[Zinzan]

I have to admit keeping bowlers on ice has backfired. Mitch should have played against Scotland as well

I'm not sure that cricketing cliche about 20 minutes batting in the middle being worth more than 4 hours in the nets is quite as relevant when it comes to bowling.

Don't get me wrong, real match time is still important for bowlers, but not as much as it is for batsmen.

 

[anil1405]

Yeah time to let the teams do the talking

You've still got to wait 20 hrs for that. Enough time to think of 101 ways that NZ bowling wont **** up.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

You've still got to wait 20 hrs for that. Enough time to think of 101 ways that NZ bowling wont **** up.

big words from the batting lineup who couldn't handle india or pakistan

 

[Prince EWS]

big words from the batting lineup who couldn't handle india or pakistan

Didn't realise South Africa's batsmen took turns posting from anil1405's account.

 

[robbypark]

AB de Villiers

That sure didn't mean much against Pakistan and India.

Now I would like a legitimate reason please.

 

[Zinzan]

Love AB, I mean who doesn't, but boy he's setting himself up to look like a complete toss-pot if they don't get up tomorrow.

I mean rather than being quietly confident, measured and acknowledging it's still a one-off KO game and anything can happen on the day, all he seems to be doing is talking up how much better his team is than everyone else.

Who knows, it might the best approach psychologically, but not sure it would sit well with me if I'm a SA fan.

 

[Burgey]

That sure didn't mean much against Pakistan and India.

Now I would like a legitimate reason please.

He's the best ODI batsman in the world and a match winner. If you don't respect that then you're too stupid to be allowed to bet on sport.

If you need another reason, Amla is also a fine ODI player. Both he and de Villiers possess the sort of technique which enables them to deal with quality pace bowling, because of their test match pedigrees. They also have a bloke who takes the new ball who's pretty handy when it swings or seams. I know he's no Trent Boult, Tim Southee or Ewan Chatfield, but Dale Steyn is a handy opening bowler whose jock strap those other three would hope to be good enough to carry. Lastly, they have a better spinner in LO cricket than NZ.

I don't know why you felt the need to ask your question in the first place if you're incapable of recognising that a bloke who's batting as well as de Villiers poses a threat to NZ's chances. But, as I said, load up.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Didn't realise South Africa's batsmen took turns posting from anil1405's account.

Well I sent AB and Amla emails and they told me all about it

 

[Zinzan]

They also have a bloke who takes the new ball who's pretty handy when it swings or seams. I know he's no Trent Boult, Tim Southee or Ewan Chatfield, but Dale Steyn is a handy opening bowler whose jock strap those other three would hope to be good enough to carry.

Lol @ your sarcasm about NZ fans attitude towards Boult/Southee & co. You don't really think even the most black & white NZ fan would rate Southee or Boult up there with Steyn do you?

 

[Burgey]

Zinzan, I'm just covering myself from the "You haven't said we're the greatest ODI side in history for 15 minutes so you are therefore underrating and insulting us" brigade, which seems to be growing by the day for some reason (not saying that's you btw).

It would make for an interesting (though self-evident) psychological thesis on the nature and effect of insecurity in the sports fan.

 

[Flem274*]

you know burgey is afraid of a team when he starts trying to troll its fans using straw men who don't exist outside of a few posters everyone knows are hopelessly biased anyway.*

*the exception being sri lanka who he has cracks at because of one member

 

[Zinzan]

Zinzan, I'm just covering myself from the "You haven't said we're the greatest ODI side in history for 15 minutes so you are therefore underrating and insulting us" brigade, which seems to be growing by the day for some reason (not saying that's you btw).

It would make for an interesting (though self-evident) psychological thesis on the nature and effect of insecurity in the sports fan.

I get it. I suppose the only context here is that we've been extremely long suffering fans, hence the slight over-excitement & exaggeration now we're one of the better sides going around.

 

[Burgey]

I'm not scared of NZ as a team because I haven't the emotional investment in Australia winning the WC tbh. I hope they do, but if they don't I won't be as disappointed as if they lost a test series against a country they have a big rivalry with. And as I said even before I started the WC Predictions Thread, I've tipped NZ to win the whole shebang.

But sure, if the fear thing works for you then run with it.

 

[Jono]

Love AB, I mean who doesn't, but boy he's setting himself up to look like a complete toss-pot if they don't get up tomorrow.

I mean rather than being quietly confident, measured and acknowledging it's still a one-off KO game and anything can happen on the day, all he seems to be doing is talking up how much better his team is than everyone else.

Who knows, it might the best approach psychologically, but not sure it would sit well with me if I'm a SA fan.

He's going to be upset if he loses, whether he looks like a dill or not. So he may as well try and big up his team's confidence.

Its a bit different to Faulkner telling the media he doesn't like the West Indies players before a knock out game against them.

 

[Flem274*]

burgey the answer to your question from a million pages back in the QF thread is NZ cricket has been pulverised by australia and the poms and the south africans for most of existence, so much so even jammy countries away from home like india try to act like big shots and patronise the team with the little kiwi trier line. now that we're winning again it still gets reeled out at every opportunity (botham saying the attack has no world class bowlers or whatever it was - i didn't hear it admittedly).

some fans get furious at this and are desperate for the day we get the same hype and exaggeration of quality every crappy aussie or pom with a nice cover drive gets. most of us realise that despite the attempts of Baz to change the honourable loser narrative (the 80s and 00s sides were too humble) using a new hyper-aggressive brand of cricket we will never get full credit for anything ever.

most fans know and accept we don't get to write the story. we just get to taste the delicious scrummy tears of the self styled big shots when they can't handle losing to us. i love nothing more than a bitter whiny article after we wipe the floor with the inferior "big three". more like big flops trollolololololol