The World Cup [admin's warning: contains cricket]

[Resurrection Ox]

I see that the cricketing authorities are now giving away thousands of tickets to local school children in order to try to cover those embarrassing banks of empty seats we see on the telly, but still confiscating drinks bottles on entry to the grounds, so people are forced to pay a fortune for water under the hot Caribbean sun (when it comes out).

What a disaster this World Cup has become, both on and off the field, what with the major cricketing audiences having lost their team at an early stage and the fiasco of such high ticket prices which deter the local population from attending.

p.s. and now we have cheating by Sri Lanka

Rubbish. That World Cup game last night was totally compelling stuff. Bopara and Nixon were heroes. What cheating? Who's to say the guy wasn't nervous and couoldn't release the ball from his hand?Marvellous entertainment anyway.

I completely ignored the Champs League hue and cry.

By the time I come back we will be in the playoffs.

[GodalmingYellow]

I see that the cricketing authorities are now giving away thousands of tickets to local school children in order to try to cover those embarrassing banks of empty seats we see on the telly, but still confiscating drinks bottles on entry to the grounds, so people are forced to pay a fortune for water under the hot Caribbean sun (when it comes out).

What a disaster this World Cup has become, both on and off the field, what with the major cricketing audiences having lost their team at an early stage and the fiasco of such high ticket prices which deter the local population from attending.

p.s. and now we have cheating by Sri Lanka

Rubbish. That World Cup game last night was totally compelling stuff. Bopara and Nixon were heroes. What cheating? Who's to say the guy wasn't nervous and couoldn't release the ball from his hand?Marvellous entertainment anyway.

I completely ignored the Champs League hue and cry.

By the time I come back we will be in the playoffs.

I think its a Snake wind up ResOx.

Technically either the bowler or the batsmen can pull out of the delivery at any time up until the ball is released by the bowler.

Easy to say from the comfort of the living room, but if only Bopara could have got a slight touch on a reverse sweep, the match result would have been reversed. Excellent match and really England's main problem came from the top of the order (again). Vaughan doesn't deserve his place IMHO, albeit that he got a very unlucky dismissal, exceptionally well taken by Sangakarra.

[A-Ro]

Vaughan doesn't deserve his place IMHO, albeit that he got a very unlucky dismissal, exceptionally well taken by Sangakarra.

At the time I thought he should have left it, it would have been called a wide and we'd probably have gone on to win.

[GodalmingYellow]

Vaughan doesn't deserve his place IMHO, albeit that he got a very unlucky dismissal, exceptionally well taken by Sangakarra.

At the time I thought he should have left it, it would have been called a wide and we'd probably have gone on to win.

I thought about that too. In his defence, I think with Sangakarra standing up to the seamer, most deflections would have been past the keeper for 4.

Having said that Vaughan has failed with the bat at ODI level for some time. Yes he's a good captain, but I imagine Colly wood be a good captain too.

[SmileyMan]

The openers are a bit of a makeweight at the moment. I'd always take Vaughan for his captaincy skills, but Joyce for Strauss surely has to be tried against Oz.

Bell's dismissal was very unlucky.

Also, we might have won if we hadn't leaked so many singles off of Vaughan and Panesar in the middle overs. Lots of ifs and buts. Who knows. The Sri Lankans might have bowled better to compensate.

Must win against a Ozzies and the Saffers now. Tough call, but I think we put up a good fight yesterday, considering how bad we've been recently at ODIs.

[DLT]

But what about Nixon's reverse sweep for 6. Never seen one hit like it.

Cracking game.

[GodalmingYellow]

But what about Nixon's reverse sweep for 6. Never seen one hit like it.

Cracking game.

Exactly. As Nasser Hussain said, how did he even get the leverage and power for that shot.

Its probably the best shot I have ever seen.

I'm less convinced than others that beating the Aussies is a must. Pretty much every team will lose to them in Super 8s, the points lost against them is the same for one and all. Obviously if we beat them, then bonus time.

We still have to play the Boks, Bangladesh, and Windies as well, and I would consider putting money on us winning at least 2 of those, and I rarely put money on anything.

Bangladesh, Windies and Ireland will miss out on the semis making it 4 from 5 of Aussies, Boks, Kiwis, Sri Lanka and us. The Kiwis have some tough matches coming up.

[DLT]

Surely we have to beat either the Aussies or South Africa to have any chance.

I believe not qualifying will do us more good in the end.

We need to re focus on how we develop and integrate young players into the team and a semi final or final appearance would give the bosses of English cricket a chance to fudge decisions that need to be made.

We have wasted the likes of Shah, Tremlett and Broad pratting around with Dalrymple, Harmie and Lewis.

[A-Ro]

Also, we might have won if we hadn't leaked so many singles off of Vaughan and Panesar in the middle overs. Lots of ifs and buts. Who knows. The Sri Lankans might have bowled better to compensate.

If the umpires had let us have 6 balls in the 26th over instead of 5 it might have been a bit closer at the end.

[GodalmingYellow]

Also, we might have won if we hadn't leaked so many singles off of Vaughan and Panesar in the middle overs. Lots of ifs and buts. Who knows. The Sri Lankans might have bowled better to compensate.

If the umpires had let us have 6 balls in the 26th over instead of 5 it might have been a bit closer at the end.

This is true, though we'll never know. 26th over was about the time that Bell was fannying around wasn't it? I do wish he'd realise that ODI's are not the same as test matches.

[GodalmingYellow]

Surely we have to beat either the Aussies or South Africa to have any chance.

I believe not qualifying will do us more good in the end.

We need to re focus on how we develop and integrate young players into the team and a semi final or final appearance would give the bosses of English cricket a chance to fudge decisions that need to be made.

We have wasted the likes of Shah, Tremlett and Broad pratting around with Dalrymple, Harmie and Lewis.

I dunno. Lets say NZ lose to SL and SA and Oz wich is pretty likely, assuming they beat Ireland, they'll have 8 points. If we beat Bangladesh and Windies, which again is pretty likely, we'll have 6 points and a win against SA could see us through on run rate at the expense of NZ.

Its not impossible, ut granted a win against Oz would make it a lot easier.

[Snake]

Being as I started this one can I ask admin to delete the whole thread in the light of tonight’s result, please?

Ta.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

But what about Nixon's reverse sweep for 6. Never seen one hit like it.

I saw Graham Thorpe do that to Ashley Giles at the Oval a few years ago.

[Kernow Yellow]

As Aggers said on TMS, tonight was the best thing that could have happened to English cricket. We're a poor team (and an abysmal one day team), and a lucky result against SA would have allowed us just to paper over the cracks again. Not that all the luck in the world would have saved us from that total mauling.

We need wholesale changes in both personnel and approach if we are to regain the optimism of a couple of summers ago - which anyway only came about because McGrath trod on the ball in an unfortunate Billy Hamilton-esque scenario.

See how I linked it all back to OUFC?

[A-Ro]

As Aggers said on TMS, tonight was the best thing that could have happened to English cricket. We're a poor team (and an abysmal one day team), and a lucky result against SA would have allowed us just to paper over the cracks again. Not that all the luck in the world would have saved us from that total mauling.

We need wholesale changes in both personnel and approach if we are to regain the optimism of a couple of summers ago - which anyway only came about because McGrath trod on the ball in an unfortunate Billy Hamilton-esque scenario.

See how I linked it all back to OUFC?

we all knew we were lucky less than 2 years ago, The Ashes series reinforced that, nobody exected a good world cup but I'm still VERY disappointed with todayt's performance.

Vaughan has proved that he is not a one day batsman therefore not a one day captain. We were compromised by having to drop Joyce to retain Vaughan. Collingwood or Strauss should be given a chance as captain. I heard that Stuart Broad had been taken over as an injury replacement and I think it's about time he was let loose on the world.