10th Match - Australia v West Indies

[Burgey]

It took some pretty appalling cricket from Australia to get into that position to begin with tbf. Just as you can't assume Starc will reproduce his spell, you can't assume Warner and Khawaja will reproduce their particular brands of brain explosion either. Khawaja was Haddin 47 all out level ****. It's all a pretty even WC so far though, for sure.

I can't overstate Finch's skippering in those last ten overs though. FMD he played that beautifully. I can't help but think Smith would have been far more formulaic and tried to bowl out the part timers and left Starc & Cummins with too much to do in overs 48-50. Was just the right move to put pressure on the Windies when they were coasting.

 

[trundler]

Maxwell's shot was brain-dead as **** too. Should get more flak.

 

[Burgey]

True, but I left him out of that post because I actually *do* expect him to repeat that sort of ****.

 

[CricAddict]

All in all, loved this match. One of the best matches in this World Cup with a lot of drama. Hope many more matches provide similar thrill.

 

[Neil Young]

Holder's press conference was great. Excellent spokesman for the Windies and a top player to boot.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah. Quality cricketer and seems a good bloke too

 

[Stapel]

(being a bit harsh on WI but let's be honest you wouldn't have backed either Afg or WI as top 4 teams)

I think Eng, Ind & Aus are favourites, whereas the 4th spot is up for grabs by all others, except Afghanistan. Pretty impressed by WI so far!

 

[Midwinter]

So whats the rumpus about the umpiring ?

When I went to bed, people were complaining the umpires weren't calling enough wides for the short pitched balls above shoulder height.

What happened when WI were batting "

 

[Hicheal Michael]

Not calling front-foot no balls is a great way to prevent spot fixing tbf.

 

[morgieb]

So whats the rumpus about the umpiring ?

When I went to bed, people were complaining the umpires weren't calling enough wides for the short pitched balls above shoulder height.

What happened when WI were batting "

I went to bed not long after Gayle went out, but in his innings:

* Given out caught behind off a ball he didn't hit. I will say this one I think it's fair enough that the umpire got confused. The ball was near his body and the sound was woody. You wouldn't have expected it to be a case of "taking the inside edge of the stumps and not dislodging it".
* Given out LBW, then overturned because it was missing leg. This one was much dodgier, on replay looked to be clearly missing leg. Even live it looked legsidish.
* Given out LBW, this time his review was turned down. However the ball before a massive no-ball was missed, accordingly the ball that dismissed him should've been a free hit. Also the LBW was umpire's call...while it's the sort of umpire's call that an umpire should give out, you could argue given what happened in the other two deliveries he deserved a 50/50 to go his way.

 

[morgieb]

Yeah it also took some really bad cricket from WI and bowling that you wouldn't expect Starc to always replicate to get them back in and they still just barely scraped over the line.

Not convinced by them, but then again none of the other teams are looking particularly dominant either.

Yeah I don't think our two games have been particularly good. That said our spirit remains outstanding and most of the other sides are flawed too. I feel like we're behind England, slightly behind India and on par-ish with New Zealand but better than the others. England's the only side that scares me but their weaknesses are obvious and I could see it getting exposed big time when they can least afford it.

 

[Beamer]

Yeah, feels like this WC may just be a year too soon for this side.

Definitely this. I've said before, but we're more experience for Hope, Hetmeyer and Pooran and a Rakheem Cornwall away from being a superb side.

Shows the folly of the previous selection policy as the young batsmen have developed significantly by being able to play alongside Gayle and Russell.

 

[Beamer]

I can understand the the Windies fans are furious though. When things don't go your way and it feels like the umpires are picking on you it can lead to resentment. It's why all umpires should be picked on all the other things they do and not their decision making, which is only a small part of their job.

Yeah. I don't think it changed the match outcome but it is hard to take when every single major error is against one team. There was also the inescapable impression that Gaffney couldn't wait to trigger Gayle (reading twitter this morning it's actually non Windies fans being most vociferous about this point). Also that no-ball was so big there is no way a competent umpire should have missed it. I don't think it is too strong to say that those two umpires should be benched for a while or at the least we're owed an apology from the ICC.

 

[Beamer]

Holder's press conference was great. Excellent spokesman for the Windies and a top player to boot.

Yep agreed. He's great with the media. The place for complaints is behind close doors directly to the ICC. It's only if something like that happens again that I would expect him to use his press conference to point it out.

 

[TNT]

Yeah. I don't think it changed the match outcome but it is hard to take when every single major error is against one team. There was also the inescapable impression that Gaffney couldn't wait to trigger Gayle (reading twitter this morning it's actually non Windies fans being most vociferous about this point). Also that no-ball was so big there is no way a competent umpire should have missed it. I don't think it is too strong to say that those two umpires should be benched for a while or at the least we're owed an apology from the ICC.

When teams get a few go against them it can seem like a problem but DRS was introduced to eliminate these events and DRS did its job. I've watched many matches where one team cops a run of incorrect decisions and no doubt it will happen again.

 

[mr_mister]

He just simply wasnt looking for no balls during that over. No way you could miss it if you looked for it. Probably a little on edge after two howlers the last over, was trying his best to focus his eyes forward and not miss another lbw

 

[Beamer]

He just simply wasnt looking for no balls during that over. No way you could miss it if you looked for it. Probably a little on edge after two howlers the last over, was trying his best to focus his eyes forward and not miss another lbw

I suspect your right. Doesn't excuse the performance though. We can't justify that in the sports premier tournament. It slightly detracts from what was an excellent game between two exciting sides.

 

[Beamer]

When teams get a few go against them it can seem like a problem but DRS was introduced to eliminate these events and DRS did its job. I've watched many matches where one team cops a run of incorrect decisions and no doubt it will happen again.

Yeah agreed I don't have an issue with DRS. it actually kept the match competitive because if the umpired had their way the match would have been trashed.

But I do think the reasons behind the one-sidedness of the umpiring should be explored in this game. It wasn't as if one attack was so much better than the other (unlike the Aussie juggernaut that used to get lots of decisions against us in the 2000's). Mikey Holding thinks it was the Aussie appealing and the umpires were weak. Perhaps that's right, I'm not sure. Either way, it shouldn't be swept under the carpet but dealt with behind closed doors.

 

[mr_mister]

Holding was livid. Liked his conviction.

 

[Burgey]

Nah thats piss poor from holding if he said that. Not surprising as he’s always sooked it up, but he’s wrong. The appealing was hardly over the top at all ffs. Wasn’t a single comment made about it. The umpires just got them wrong and DRS sorted it. It happens.

He’s always liked a conspiracy theory when **** doesn’t go his way. Never says a word when England gets the rub of the green, mind. Knows where his bread is buttered