*Official* Semi Final 1 - Sri Lanka vs New Zealand

[Bahnz]

Yeah, need to find someone to open with Guptill though. I'd imagine the selectors will start out with the same old suspects - How, Watling, Redmond etc

Reckon Nicol will be next on the merry-go-round actually. That is if his form doesn't collapse at the start of next season.

 

[_Ed_]

Yep, Nicol deserves a shot. His one-day form was ludicrously good this season.

 

[Sanz]

Pakistan are clearly the under-dogs out of the remaining three teams so I'll give them my support I think!

This is what we get for bringing so much traffic to CW.

 

[Sanz]

So much for "Mismatch unless NZ raise their game"

NZ batted like poo.
Fielded worse than against SA.
Southee bowled like poo.

And it was still reasonably close.
Maybe some respect next time? Nah, who am I kidding. NZ will never get that.

Sri Lanka deserve the win. NZ just aren't capable of stringing good games together. One of the top 4 needed to score big. The wicket of Taylor was key, a long hop that he would normally smash for 6 goes straight down the fielders throat. In the 34th over or something, was it? Yet again, building a platform for the latter stages only to lose important wickets right before the last 10 overs. The wickets of Kane and Styris also. Kanie was looking so good, and then he walked across his stumps.

Meh, at least NZ showed some fight. Made it interesting near the end.
The reasoning behind Ryder bowling was to bowl NcCullums remaining 2 overs, because obviously Vettori thought spin wasn't a great idea. I agree. Hindsight being 20-20 and all, he got a lot of stick. But I'd imagine NcCullum would have got tonked, tbh. It was a gut call that didn't work out.

Go Sri Lanka in the final!

NZ team earned a lot of respect today.

 

[Athlai]

At least we got close I guess. Fell short in the batting and in the bowling today. 30 more runs could've done it, breaking that partnership earlier could've too. Came so close to getting into Sri Lanka's long tail.

 

[Francis]

I'm really impressed by the way people handled this defeat. I remember in the last World Cup when Sri Lanka knocked-out New Zealand there were questions over Murali's action etc here, and really I felt it was a reaction that occurred because it was 50/50 over who would make it to the final.

This time I don't think anybody really disputes that Sri Lanka were definitely 100% the better side. They really made a slow mess of things though. I mean they had that game under control, and gave New Zealand a small glimmer of hope.

I don't think anybody is going to argue it: Sri Lanka were the better side. I think if both sides played each other seven times, Sri Lanka would win five or six out of seven, so I'm glad they went through. I wanted a strong team in the final and that's what we got.

I was thinking it would be nice if Tendulkar or Murali could get a World Cup... let us hope one of them gets it.

 

[Hurricane]

At least we got close I guess. Fell short in the batting and in the bowling today. 30 more runs could've done it, breaking that partnership earlier could've too. Came so close to getting into Sri Lanka's long tail.

I blame Oram for the batting.

Let the witch hunt begin.

 

[silentstriker]

I'm really impressed by the way people handled this defeat. I remember in the last World Cup when Sri Lanka knocked-out New Zealand there were questions over Murali's action etc here, and really I felt it was a reaction that occurred because it was 50/50 over who would make it to the final.

This time I don't think anybody really disputes that Sri Lanka were definitely 100% the better side. They really made a slow mess of things though. I mean they had that game under control, and gave New Zealand a small glimmer of hope.

I don't think anybody is going to argue it: Sri Lanka were the better side. I think if both sides played each other seven times, Sri Lanka would win five or six out of seven, so I'm glad they went through. I wanted a strong team in the final and that's what we got.

I was thinking it would be nice if Tendulkar or Murali could get a World Cup... let us hope one of them gets it.

Err, Murali has a world cup already? Or did he not play in 1996 - I have no memory of ODI games.

 

[Bahnz]

I'm really impressed by the way people handled this defeat. I remember in the last World Cup when Sri Lanka knocked-out New Zealand there were questions over Murali's action etc here, and really I felt it was a reaction that occurred because it was 50/50 over who would make it to the final.

This time I don't think anybody really disputes that Sri Lanka were definitely 100% the better side. They really made a slow mess of things though. I mean they had that game under control, and gave New Zealand a small glimmer of hope.

I don't think anybody is going to argue it: Sri Lanka were the better side. I think if both sides played each other seven times, Sri Lanka would win five or six out of seven, so I'm glad they went through. I wanted a strong team in the final and that's what we got.

I was thinking it would be nice if Tendulkar or Murali could get a World Cup... let us hope one of them gets it.

IIRC it was fiery that got stuck into Murali's action after that game, as he was wont to do from time to time. He was banned long ago. The real issue for him, and others, was a catch he claimed which appeared to touch the grass first. His sportsmanship was called into question and all sorts of nasty things were said. Nowadays, given how little most people think of the use of cameras to decide 50/50 catches, we probably wouldn't bat an eye at it. Anyway, most of us were just really ****ed off at such a lame display. We put up a lot more fight this time, which is both good in that we won some respect, and bad in that we're left to ponder what might've been if we'd played just a little bit better.

 

[Isura]

Yup, Murali played in the 96 final.

 

[Teja.]

Talking from my NZ fan perspective, While I'm happy with how NZ have done in this tournament in general, I'm not particularly pleased with yesterday tbh. The tremendous batting lolapse when 240-260 was there for the taking, not opening the bowling with Southee and McKay and a few other bowling change errors were really annoying. Those might/might not have changed the end result but you try as hard as you can! A bit surprised with how 'happy' the NZ fans are atm.

 

[Himannv]

Man it sounds as if you are still drunk lol

I was. Hungover now. Damn headache.

 

[Hurricane]

Talking from my NZ fan perspective, While I'm happy with how NZ have done in this tournament in general, I'm not particularly pleased with yesterday tbh. The tremendous batting lolapse when 240-260 was there for the taking, not opening the bowling with Southee and McKay and a few other bowling change errors were really annoying. Those might/might not have changed the end result but you try as hard as you can! A bit surprised with how 'happy' the NZ fans are atm.

Mate the way we were going making the quarterfinals wasn't being taken for granted before the tournament started. We are ranked 8th in the world and we finished in the top 4. Salut to Dan Vettori and the men from the long white cloud.

I reckon we were about two more top players away from going all the way. We really did need Brendon McCullum to fulfill his potential instead he played like poo. And we needed Mills to play even though McKay did well. Mills may have taken 2 wickets at the top to get amongst them early.

I am not sure what to make of McCullum any more. Is he weak against spin?

 

[social]

Reckon the Kiwis will wake up this morning thinking that that was an opportunity lost

IMO, SL are comfortably the best team in this competition but a target of 240-250 would've been really tough in those conditions for anybody and they should have got very close to that

Bottom line is that you are highly unlikely to win big games without taking some risks and the stategy of playing bowlers out at the death in the hope you'll get a chance to have a swing at someone in the last over or 2 played right into SL's hands

 

[TT Boy]

Mate the way we were going making the quarterfinals wasn't being taken for granted before the tournament started. We are ranked 8th in the world and we finished in the top 4. Salut to Dan Vettori and the men from the long white cloud.

I reckon we were about two more top players away from going all the way. We really did need Brendon McCullum to fulfill his potential instead he played like poo. And we needed Mills to play even though McKay did well. Mills may have taken 2 wickets at the top to get amongst them early.

I am not sure what to make of McCullum any more. Is he weak against spin?

McCullum just doesn’t do WCs unless it’s against the minnows. He averaged 23 in the 2007 WC thanks to a highest score of 52* against Canada and a 47 against Ireland, in the 5 other times he had a bat in the WC, McCullum scored a combined total of 19 runs and 4 of those games were against test playing nations. Fast forward to this WC, McCullum’s highest score against a test playing nation was 16 and over 85% of the runs he scored was against non-test playing nations. Not point looking over the 2003 WC, he only batted 3 times.

 

[Jono]

Williamson's wicket was the key. Was batting brilliantly and then decided he'd walk across his stumps and play an awful shot.

****ing modern day batting. Can **** me sometimes.

 

[Smudge]

WOW! WHAT AN AMAZING GAME OF CRICKET!

BEST GAME OF THIS WORLD CUP FOR ME.

I seriously would have to say that was the best match of the World Cup. The guts and determination of Sri Lanka was quite incredible. And I'm so happy for all their players.

Really... I mean wow! That game gave me more happiness than any other cricket game during the whole year. I was really worried when Sanga went

The better team won, and we're all better for having seen such tremendous athletes play this game from Sri Lanka.

Really, I have to say that is defnitely the most entertaining world cup game so far... especially the ending.

Really?

You think that game was better than England vs. South Africa, England vs. Ireland and England vs. India?

Jono, of course he thinks it was better. It was a play-off game that NZ lost - that equals happy happy, joy joy for Francis.

 

[TT Boy]

Williamson's wicket was the key. Was batting brilliantly and then decided he'd walk across his stumps and play an awful shot.

****ing modern day batting. Can **** me sometimes.

Yet one of the best shots of the NZ innings was when Williamson took a length ball on middle/off from Malinga and put him away onto the onside for four. Modern day batting at its finest.

 

[Mike5181]

I think New Zealand fans were starting to have doubts about Kane Williamson but he looked class against Murali and Malinga when he can't of seen them much before. We have definitely found a gem.

 

[Jono]

Yet one of the best shots of the NZ innings was when Williamson took a length ball on middle/off from Malinga and put him away onto the onside for four. Modern day batting at its finest.

Firstly, I did say sometimes.

Secondly, I don't think that's so modern. Laxman's been doing that for 15 years.