World Cup 2015 (IV)

Well, it was effectively over after five balls. NZ needed to post well over 300 and a major contribution from their captain was a must.

Australia were the strongest team and with home advantage throughout the knockout stages it was always theirs to lose. Bowling potency and batting depth meant it would take an exceptional effort to stop them, shame NZ didn't really get into the match. Probably the best chance the Snoozers will ever have to win it, though a lot of their players should still be around in 2019 where English conditions might suit. Hope McCullum signs up for another four-year cycle, he would be a big loss to ODI cricket.

Only one genuine contest at the business end of the tournament, which is disappointing, and most of the nailbiters involved minnows, who (barring England) probably won't even be competing next time...

PeterCS wrote:Well, that was easy.

What happened to the mighty NZ batting of the rest of the tournament? Excellent bowling, or failed to rise to the occasion? (Obv I didn't stay/get up to see it!)

Johnson, Starc, Faulkner bowled well enough.

But not all of the NZ wickets fell to good deliveries. Although, in cricket, sh?t sometimes happens, I think they did not quite bring their A-game today.

Well done Australia.

The favourites won.

Amazing surprise.

OP Tipping wrote:

Fred Nerk wrote:Even ignoring hindsight it's hard to see what they were aiming at with the 2011 mob....a few too many 'last hurrahs', and 75%-all-rounders like Hastings and (in those days) Smith. A nod to 'development' rather than a serious commitment to it.

It is not as though there were a bunch of  good options

Just 5 of the 2007 squad made 2011; just 5 of the 2011 squad made 2015.

The 2011 squad - polluted by the utter effluent of Tait and by Lee, who was by that stage no better than Tait - looks even worse with hindsight because of the failure to kick on of Ferguson, D Hussey, and White.

taipan wrote:Well done Australia.

The favourites won.

Amazing surprise.

shirley it is time for the saffies or the poms to break their ducks in the next wc..

meanwhile ..great result for the Oz and a fantastic effort from NZ...

of the rest the saffies finally choked when it mattered in the last 10 overs of the SF

the Bannies had a great tournament, but lacked the bowling to apply pressure to Oz in the SF

Hard to split Aus and NZ in this tournament. NZ beat Aus in Auckland, and Aus beat NZ in Melbourne.

This final could have been a different story had it been played in Auckland, but obviously it wasn't so we'll never know.

I don't think Australia will EVER learn to win with grace and dignity. They gave send-offs (the ugliest and most cowardly form of sledging, as the batsman has no choice but to walk off) to pretty much every NZ batsman, reinforcing their reputation as the ugliest team in world cricket on the biggest stage of all. Well done them.

Thanks Trev, thanks very much.

Henry wrote:Hard to split Aus and NZ in this tournament. NZ beat Aus in Auckland, and Aus beat NZ in Melbourne.

This final could have been a different story had it been played in Auckland, but obviously it wasn't so we'll never know.

I don't think Australia will EVER learn to win with grace and dignity. They gave send-offs (the ugliest and most cowardly form of sledging, as the batsman has no choice but to walk off) to pretty much every NZ batsman, reinforcing their reputation as the ugliest team in world cricket on the biggest stage of all. Well done them.

I saw one send-off, given by Haddin to Guptill. It was indeed ugly and should not have occurred. Was there some background to this?

As for the rest ... "every NZ batsmen" ... well, I suspect that was in your imagination. You see what you wish to see. You really hate us all, don't you ... how depressing. I cannot conceive of a hatred so great that you imagine things where they do not exist, just so that you can shoot them down.

Starc seems to be a gormless gentle giant; I've never seen Smith do anything on the field that did not bring credit to the game and to him as a person, and even Clarke, who I'm not a big fan of, was very gracious in victory yesterday, praising NZ handsomely before accepting any kudos that might be coming Australia's way. He almost choked up at the mere thought and mention of Phil Hughes; I actually thought he was going to lose it for a moment, but he pulled himself together.

Haddin's always been a bit of a hard qunt; but you don't have to tarnish a nation or even all its cricketers because of his poor behaviour.

Graeme Swann to lead a sprinkler dance and/or piss on the pitch, anyone?

.

Not to condone it, but the Kiwis aren't exactly Saints in that area.
But at least no one has pissed on the Pitch, so we are still ahead of the Poms in that area.

I'm viry gled no Kuywuys pussed on the putch.

I'm very glad it's over. Did we win?

lardbucket wrote:

Henry wrote:Hard to split Aus and NZ in this tournament. NZ beat Aus in Auckland, and Aus beat NZ in Melbourne.

This final could have been a different story had it been played in Auckland, but obviously it wasn't so we'll never know.

I don't think Australia will EVER learn to win with grace and dignity. They gave send-offs (the ugliest and most cowardly form of sledging, as the batsman has no choice but to walk off) to pretty much every NZ batsman, reinforcing their reputation as the ugliest team in world cricket on the biggest stage of all. Well done them.

I saw one send-off, given by Haddin to Guptill. It was indeed ugly and should not have occurred. Was there some background to this?

As for the rest ... "every NZ batsmen" ... well, I suspect that was in your imagination. You see what you wish to see. You really hate us all, don't you ... how depressing. I cannot conceive of a hatred so great that you imagine things where they do not exist, just so that you can shoot them down.

Starc seems to be a gormless gentle giant; I've never seen Smith do anything on the field that did not bring credit to the game and to him as a person, and even Clarke, who I'm not a big fan of, was very gracious in victory yesterday, praising NZ handsomely before accepting any kudos that might be coming Australia's way. He almost choked up at the mere thought and mention of Phil Hughes; I actually thought he was going to lose it for a moment, but he pulled himself together.

Haddin's always been a bit of a hard qunt; but you don't have to tarnish a nation or even all its cricketers because of his poor behaviour.

Graeme Swann to lead a sprinkler dance and/or piss on the pitch, anyone?

.

Haddin also gave Elliott a send-off. Gratuitous really.

Anyone else left with a slightly hollow feeling?..I was expecting a much tougher battle.

yeh. bit of an anti climax. loosing maccullum and guptill so early took a lot of interest out of the game

Agreed.....even at 3/150 the snoozies were behind the 8 ball

Blackadder wrote:Not to condone it, but the Kiwis aren't exactly Saints in that area.
But at least no one has pissed on the Pitch, so we are still ahead of the Poms in that area.

Someone must have taken a dump, I saw a big Watson there.

hehehe...even the watson dump (or shd that be dump watson) could not detract from the sight and sound of the great G in near full capacity.

That's there, and a home win to add to it (if the stadium wasn't full of Indians).

Mind, I still think Watson is decent enough in ODIs, but he is a piece of shit. That said, Australia should pick him for every test, especially when they tour India. An all rounder adds to the balance, after all.

trike

we do... if he's done his homework

We'll do that for him, if he can't.

'team of the tournament' selected:

The selection panel chaired by Allardice also included former Engalnd skipper Michael Vaughan, umpire Richard Kettleborough, journalists Andrew Alderson (New Zealand Herald) and Chloe Saltau (The Age) plus Indian broadcaster Harsha Bhogle.


ICC World Cup XI

Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
Brendon McCullum (New Zealand (captain)
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) (wicketkeeper)
Steven Smith (Australia)
AB de Villiers (South Africa)
Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
Corey Anderson (New Zealand)
Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Morne Morkel (South Africa)
Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe) (12th man)

Guptill played only one really good innings, never been good enough against the top teams. Anderson, don't think he could be left out after his tournament.

If a most wasteful team of the tournament were to be made, I'd have McCullum there too. Could've easily had two big centuries, and be a bit better against Starc too. Harsh for Taylor.

hard to argue with that although it seems strange that the runners up get five players and the winners only three

One only of the semi-finalists got none (perhaps the votes are in a helicopter somewhere).

Perhaps Shakib should be in where Vettori was chosen?