Wow this Munro guy is capable of some pretty fast scoring. NZ team is just too exciting in every department. I hope they win the WT20.
Cricket
- Thread starter EdWeatherall
- Start date
Williamson dropped twice off Amir. Simple catches. Cnuts.
Amir 
Why are you drooling?Amir
Can't believe Afridi is still playing. Swear he's been around for some 20 years now.
Pick the right players, get the right team balance and all of a sudden look ten times more dangerous. Who would've thought eh? Just need Rizwan in for the fat idiot Maqsood and that XI is good to go for India.
If Gul can get anywhere close to his best then this bowling line-up is as good as any in the WT20. Three proper strike seamers, off-spinner, leg-spinner, slow left-armer.
If Gul can get anywhere close to his best then this bowling line-up is as good as any in the WT20. Three proper strike seamers, off-spinner, leg-spinner, slow left-armer.
Rizwan for Maqsood and I wouldn't mind Anwar Ali for Gul. Better fielder and can blast down the bottom. Let's see how Gul goes though.
Another thing going in Anwar's favour is that he bowls the new ball. I guess Pakistan will mostly open with a spinner but neither Wahab nor Gul are very effective in the first 6-8 overs. One death specialist is essential, two might be slightly overkill.
Amir and Wahab are fine for the death overs IMO.
Feel bad we discarded Anwar after he bowled well in the T20's against England and the way he won the T20 with the bat against SL.
The group 2 in WT20 is a tough one. India, Pak, NZ, Australia in same group. Add to that, potentially Bangladesh from Group A qualifiers!
Gul/Afridi not being in the ODI squad means he will be getting at least some cricket.
It's comfortably tougher than the other group I feel.
8 points difference between WI at the top and India in 8th position on the ranking. Basically anyone can win it. Even England stand a chance for once.
Yup. Predicting the semifinalists too is tough at this stage.
Shocking start. 34 runs in the powerplay on an absolute belter. Both openers gifting their wickets and Maqsood playing like a clueless idiot as usual.
Reflection of the players in the top 3. None of Hafeez, Shehzad or Maqsood can be considered attacking players.
Shehzad is a hack who has been a leech on Pakistani cricket. It's fine to take a few balls to get yourself in, but for a modern batsman to be unable to rotate the strike is absolutely criminal.
Need to score 12 an over from this point to get a respectable score. 170 is an absolute minimum and even that is under par
Hafeez has shown adaption recently so he doesn't look too out of sorts. Maqsood is just cretin.
If cricket was about playing the most fancy shots for fewest runs then Shehzad would be GOAT.
Ahmed Shehzad - Pakistan's Virat Kohli
What a shock that the innings gained momentum the minute Maqsood got out. Why the feck is the best batsman batting at 5 in T20s? Should be Malik at 3, Akmal 4, Rizwan 5.
Well below par once again. Can't expect the bowlers to perform miracles time after time.
Well below par once again. Can't expect the bowlers to perform miracles time after time.
We seem to play our cricket with an odd sense of procrastination - the top order plays dot ball after dot ball and leaves the responsibility to other batsmen.
We should have easily hit 180, or even higher, if Maqsood and Shehzad aren't there to prevent any momentum from being built up until half the innings is over.
LVG would love watching us play.
Pathetically timid display today that has been tonked by New Zealand.
Need to rethink our batting approach because this is not going to get us anywhere. It's criminal in a 20/20 game to be 60-odd after 10 overs.
Need to rethink our batting approach because this is not going to get us anywhere. It's criminal in a 20/20 game to be 60-odd after 10 overs.
Not much the bowlers can do tonight. If you don't get more than 170 on the flatest of tracks you don't deserve to win many games.
Ahmed Shehzad - Pakistan's Virat Kohli
oh yeah i remember this. Pak media once asked him if he would marry anushka
Guptill gone beast mode. Shocker.
Yeah Pakistan won't get anywhere close to this total.
Amir looks half the bowler right now. Perhaps it was unreasonable for most of us to expect that he'll come anywhere near to his previous level. Getting tonked in the last two matches.
Very harsh. Flat tracks, 55m boundaries, monstrous hitters that have torn apart most bowlers at home the last 12 months. Obviously he will be a bit rusty at the start. Give him a few months with the Asia Cup, WT20 and full tour of England coming up and I think he will do well.
Brutal loss
Guptill gone nice and early! Shame Irfan didn't play in the T20s, Guptill doesn't look overly confident with the awkward bounce.
Kane and Elliott bowled in the same over, Anwar Ali on fire.
Thrilled by Amir's bowling tonight. Truly amazing.
Inept captaincy means the target is 90-100 runs higher than what it should've been. 6 down for 100 odd, seamers completely on top and the idiot puts on spin from both ends including himself. He should never even be in the ODI team never mind captaining it.
Bowler friendly pitch so NZ are easily favourites at this stage. Pakistan rarely chase down anything above 220.
Bowler friendly pitch so NZ are easily favourites at this stage. Pakistan rarely chase down anything above 220.
Don't even know where to begin with that performance.
Problems with the Pakistani team:
- Ahmed Shehzad: Hits three boundaries to score the most stylish 25 ball 12 you'll ever see. Woefully inept player that can only play dot balls, score a 4 once every 10 balls or play ugly across the line shot to get out.
- Wahab Riaz: If he can't open the bowling then he shouldn't be in the team. He certainly can't prevent runs from being scored against him and is an absolute liability at the death. Living off his reputation of that over against Shane Watson in the World Cup.
- Mohammed Hafeez: A know-it-all without any execution. "Professor" is the right nickname for him as those who can't do, drop easy catches. Talks about ethics when he himself has been done for tax evasion and banned from bowling because of cheating. Hypocrite of the highest order.
- Anwar Ali: Did not look like a batsmen at all. Who decided he is an all-rounder? His wickets today were also very lucky rather than the result of good bowling.
- Maqsood: Jesus fecking Christ how is this guy an international player. Played a late pull shot to Grant bloody Elliot of all people? He's been disastrous since his first few games.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/35398547
This is stupid and reminds me of the Kieswetter incident which is mentioned in the article. What is the point of 'protective headgear' if there is a gap big enough to fit a cricket ball through, the exact object you are trying to avoid being struck by. I can appreciate that professional cricketers will say they need as big a gap as possible to see the ball but surely it's not a lot to ask that the gap be slightly smaller than a cricket ball so there is no chance of this occurring?
the gap is smaller, the problem is the metal guard is removable and if not properly adjusted is bigger than the ball. Sad as it is to admit, especially as Kieswetter's ended his career, but its no ones fault but the players if the ball gets through the gap.
Don't understand this bit
Why would anyone, especially a supporter of a country other than Pakistan, cheer him? He is a cheat who should never be allowed to play cricket again. Same with drugs cheats, don't ban them for X years, ban them forever! They tried to cheat your sport. The sport you have paid your ticket money for they tried to cheat it. I would love to ask the New Zealand fans that cheered him what their reasons were. Could be that a strong contingent of Pakistan fans were present but I still find it bizarre that he would be accepted so easily back in to the sport.
On the subject of the stadium announcer, top banter skills!
Why would anyone, especially a supporter of a country other than Pakistan, cheer him? He is a cheat who should never be allowed to play cricket again. Same with drugs cheats, don't ban them for X years, ban them forever! They tried to cheat your sport. The sport you have paid your ticket money for they tried to cheat it. I would love to ask the New Zealand fans that cheered him what their reasons were. Could be that a strong contingent of Pakistan fans were present but I still find it bizarre that he would be accepted so easily back in to the sport.
On the subject of the stadium announcer, top banter skills!
He was a kid at the time who was misguided by seniors. Chill.
Ah bless his cotton socks, that's alright then! If you're old enough to play cricket for your country then you're old enough to know cheating is wrong no matter who is trying to influence you.