Minnows

[G.I.Joe]

I don't think Australia have a problem with touring India.

 

[Uppercut]

Ireland to get hammered on Subcontinent pitches.

Unfortunately this is quite likely- the Irish team struggles horribly on subcontinental tracks and I rather worry about how they'll cope with being badly overestimated, for once. The fact that they'll be playing plenty of matches should offer the players plenty of invaluable experience on such pitches but an unfortunate side-effect is that the ICC are likely to use their struggles as an excuse to cut Associate involvement for the 2015 tournament, which would otherwise have the potential to be a pretty massive tournament for Ireland. It might even be better for everyone if Afghanistan were playing instead- the neutrals would get more exciting games with a greater chance of an upset, Afghanistan would get the chance to impress in conditions in which they typically excel and the rest of the Associates, Ireland included, would benefit in the long-run.

I was quite justifiably pretty confident ahead of our tournaments in England and the West Indies and in Ireland we can give anyone a game given the chance, but in India we'll need a completely uncharacteristic pitch or one of our opponents to have a particularly bad day. Conditions play an even larger role in Associate cricket than they do at test level, so people tend to underrate Ireland's potential to cause an upset when conditions suit but overrate that potential on tours like these. Hate to say it but this time round it's pretty unlikely we'll do anything special.

 

[Migara]

Ireland are bit hard done by IMO. If they had their matches in SL where the white ball moves around a bit would have helped them. On other hand SL pitches are not batsmen friendly, and there is a chance that a side like Irish may be shot out against pace and spin both when you play on a difficult pitch.

 

[Uppercut]

Ireland are excellent at batting on those wickets though- it's what we do. The more seam/swing there is for the faster bowlers and turn/bounce for the spinners there is the better because chances are our opponents are going to find it much harder to adapt than we are, especially if we're playing someone from the subcontinent. A sort of Kandy-day-one pitch would be absolutely ideal.

We will, however, force you to temporarily redefine the word "flat" in relation to pitches- the slow, low featherbeds we're used to seeing India pile 300+ on cause our batsmen all kinds of problems.

 

[gvenkat]

Ireland will get hammered. Mark My words. South Africa and India will Pummel them.

 

[Migara]

Ireland are excellent at batting on those wickets though- it's what we do. The more seam/swing there is for the faster bowlers and turn/bounce for the spinners there is the better because chances are our opponents are going to find it much harder to adapt than we are, especially if we're playing someone from the subcontinent. A sort of Kandy-day-one pitch would be absolutely ideal.

We will, however, force you to temporarily redefine the word "flat" in relation to pitches- the slow, low featherbeds we're used to seeing India pile 300+ on cause our batsmen all kinds of problems.

SL pitches are slow low, and ball stops on them. Hence spinners get bounce, pacemen get seam movement (of course they have to bowl wicket to wicket as Vaas used to do). Atmosphere is moist, and ball swings, but since the bounce is low, wicket to wicket is the formula to get the lbws (catches won't carry to slip unless off a drive). That is the very reason everybody struggles in SL (may be compounded by the fact Vaas and Murali were there), even Indians. The plus factor is, because the pitch has it for every body, good bowlers can shot out oppositions, and technically correct players will be the only ones to score big. Wild sloggers have very less success in SL especially in the ODI game.

 

[Blaze 18]

The biggest problem is that the best Minnow side is not playing the tournament.

Afghanistan ?

 

[Migara]

Afghanistan ?

 

[morgieb]

Afghanistan ?

They probably are if you take conditions into account.

 

[jashan83]

From the minnows I hope make Bangladesh loos big time. They are a forced test side. Just by winning against NZ should not change the perception for them.

Rest Ireland and Kenya have best chance to cause upsets, but this time I don't see any major upsets happening

 

[MW1304]

Kenya have the best chance, for me, but can't see any minnows making a difference this time. Unfortunate.

 

[Cokolo]

Netherlands for me, Ten Doeschate and Tom Cooper are both class players plus the win over Bangladesh last year would definately boost their confidence, in a group with Bangladesh and Ireland will be tricky for them and I don't see them beating Bangladesh next time round when a home world cup means so much to Bangladesh.

 

[Trendsetta]

Well we beat west indies in 96' after having never been in a world cup or win the ICC trophy anything can happen who knows!

 

[alvarez]

Kenya have just lost 3 warm up matches to Indian state side Gujarat.

There were some good signs in the 3rd match with Seren Waters making a century and Collins Obuya 93. A bit of a worry that their bowlers weren't able to defend 293 though.

 

[Julian87]

Don't know if I'd call Tom Cooper a class player tbh. Especially at this level. In all honestly he's a player who rides on form. He can go for year long trots.

 

[Kensashi]

I'm rooting for the Dutch to make some waves at the WC! C'mon Ten Doeschate!

 

[alvarez]

All of the minnows played a few practice matches last night.

Kenya defeated Afghanistan by 49 runs.

Canada defeated Netherlands by 4 wickets

Zimbabwe defeated Ireland by 7 wickets.

 

[Howe_zat]

Worrying for the Netherlands.

I'm told they were lacking Cooper and RtD, can anyone confirm?

 

[alvarez]

Worrying for the Netherlands.

I'm told they were lacking Cooper and RtD, can anyone confirm?

Correct. Both players are yet to join the squad as far as I know.

 

[alvarez]

Kenya have defeated Ireland by 3 wickets in a warm up match today.

Kenya 178/7 defeated Ireland 176 all out.