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Group B - India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka
- Thread starter James
- Start date
tobe_ornot2
Banned
Ind and SA to qualify from this group. Having said that, Pak could pull off 2 upsets. They have beaten SA in the last ICC tourney and hold a 2-1 CT record over India but I just feel their team is too ageing and too inconsistent.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
Pak ODI team is still 2-3 ODI guns short of being a solid side that can beat the top 3-4 ODI sides in the world '
The loss of Sharjeel is huge as he was the only guy in the country who could score at a SR of 100 plus from the start.
Azhar and Shehzad are slow starters, followed by Babar, another slow starter. You compare that with Top 3 of India or South Africa in their group or even Bangladesh.
They barely make 70 in their first 15, and 100 by the 25th over. And then they lack the power hitters down the order to make up for the lack of runs in the beginning.
So they're always playing catch up.
The loss of Sharjeel is huge as he was the only guy in the country who could score at a SR of 100 plus from the start.
Azhar and Shehzad are slow starters, followed by Babar, another slow starter. You compare that with Top 3 of India or South Africa in their group or even Bangladesh.
They barely make 70 in their first 15, and 100 by the 25th over. And then they lack the power hitters down the order to make up for the lack of runs in the beginning.
So they're always playing catch up.
tobe_ornot2
Banned
I agree somewhat but we have to remember that a lot of the Indian batting order has yet to come into top form. I'm not sure how some of them are playing in the IPL but I've heard lots of good things about Gambhir and yet he is not in the squad. Somehow, MS and Yuvi have made it in. Also I remember a stat being run in the last Pak/WI ODI series and I don't remember India being all that high up in rr for ODI cricket. I think NZ, Aus and Eng topped out but I may be wrong.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
India might be behind those teams in terms of RR but compare this top order with Pakistans'
Rohit
Dhawan
Kohli
Azhar
Shehzad
Babar
Rohit
Dhawan
Kohli
Azhar
Shehzad
Babar
OverratedSanity
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Babar's pretty damn good in ODI's isn't he?
Niall
International Coach
Rohit and Kohli are likely to bat a higher strike rate than the Pakistani top order. Yuvi is a tough one, past it, but has shown decent enough form recently. Dhoni giving it a wack in the IPL also.
Pandya is a type of lower order blaster that Pakistan would love, their version is Umar Akmal who has stagnated for so long. I don't think India is perfect, Dhawan faltering, Rahane is the Indian Ian Bell and the absence of Pant is depressing, but they look stronger on paper in all aspects, batting, fielding and arguably bowling.
Very impressive numbers, looks his strongest format so far. Pakistan side is basically a side that belong a bygone era,accumulators galore. Sharjeel absence is a killer for them.
vcs
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Also mental strength and calmness which plays a big role in these kind of matches. Probably the most important factor TBH, when it comes to the lopsided record in ICC tournaments.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
Good in the context of his team - Averages 50+ and is generally their best ODI batsman.
But his team is 15 years behind the top tier teams, so he is still at least 5 years behind the likes of Kohli, QDK, Warner, AB or even a Root.
Struggles with strike rotation, can take a fair bit of time to get set as well
Niall
International Coach
Umar Akmal fails fitness tests, called back from England | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo
Umar needs a long time out of the side, the very least he could do is get in shape as he is not exactly scoring a million runs these days.
Umar needs a long time out of the side, the very least he could do is get in shape as he is not exactly scoring a million runs these days.
Niall
International Coach
Fair point, fat lads have skills, but the issue with Umar is he would have more rope if he was bossing it in cricket and he isn't really. Arthur is fed up of Pakistani cricketers not been in shape and I don't blame him. Its absurd how older guys like Younis and Misbah are in absolutely peak conditions and the younger players like Akmal are constantly out of shape.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
That was a totally different era. Most teams in the 90s had unfit players. Fitness standards now in cricket are totally different and one of the reasons for Pakistan's decline in LO is how far they are lagging behind.
Good decision. The only point to note is what kind of tests were conducted prior to the squad announcement that U Akmal managed to pass them?
Good decision. The only point to note is what kind of tests were conducted prior to the squad announcement that U Akmal managed to pass them?
Pratters
Cricket, Lovely Cricket
Yesterday, a friend sent a meme to me which showed Pakistan as 'toilet' in a map. When I told him that the people there were just like they are in India, he started abusing Pakistan. The polarisation and anti Pakistan rhetoric in our country is dire to see. Will be dire to see these people bash Pakistan during the match. Usually, I look forward to these games but I would have preferred that we didn't have this game in the current environment of hate which exists.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
The political environment in the last 4-5 years in both the countries is the worst I have seen in my lifetime. I thought the Shiv Sena destroying the Delhi pitch in 1999 and protesting against the tour was bad but this is on a whole new level. The jingoism and hatred on both sides is reaching scary levels now and I really fear for that region.
OverratedSanity
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Come on, the two countries were literally fighting an actual war in 1999.
Black_Warrior
Cricketer Of The Year
That is different though. War time relations cannot be compared with normal times. But what I am referring to is the hatred and vitriol and alarmingly dangerous pronouncement of 'anti national' and 'treachery' that is seen on various mediums - media/new channels, not to mention FB/Twitter in both countries. Maybe 99 didn't have twitter so it wasn't as loud but the kind of stuff I see on a daily basis on social media today is unbelievable.
A good example, every time an Indian cricketer or commentator paid tribute to Misbah/Younis on twitter recently, almost all of them got called out for being 'traitors' and 'praising the enemy'
Last year when Afridi said in a Press conference in India during World T20 how much he was appreciated by the Indian crowd, he got called out in Pakistan for being disloyal. This is Afridi - the single most loved and popular cricketer in Pakistan
This is unprecedented. I have never seen Indian/Pakistani players/commentators facing that kind of backlash for praising each other. Not even in 1999.
A good example, every time an Indian cricketer or commentator paid tribute to Misbah/Younis on twitter recently, almost all of them got called out for being 'traitors' and 'praising the enemy'
Last year when Afridi said in a Press conference in India during World T20 how much he was appreciated by the Indian crowd, he got called out in Pakistan for being disloyal. This is Afridi - the single most loved and popular cricketer in Pakistan
This is unprecedented. I have never seen Indian/Pakistani players/commentators facing that kind of backlash for praising each other. Not even in 1999.
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OverratedSanity
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Ah, you're right about that. The government we elected in obviously didn't help matters.