Like a lot of cricket fans in the UK, I’ve been sneaking in a bit of World Cup action before I go to bed. When Scotland were reduced to 14-4 by 10.30pm, I thought I might actually see a result before dropping off.
It wasn’t to be. Scotland showed a little bit of fight to recover to 142 all out, with both Machan and Berrington making fifties. They also showed a lot of fight with the ball, and some Kiwis might have been worried when they slipped to 137-7 in reply. You can see brief highlights above.
Although Scotland’s performance has be somewhat worried they can cause an upset against England (look deep into your heart and you know anything’s possible with our lot) I’m actually going to put a positive spin on this result:
New Zealand were playing superb cricket before this game, and it’s possible this rather lacklustre performance might slow their momentum somewhat before their game against Moore’s Muppets this weekend. Or perhaps I’m just clutching at straws? And if so, isn’t that what being an England supporter is all about?
James Morgan
Interesting thoughts James, but I suspect you are clutching at straws. The scare against Scotland will shake off any Kiwi complacency and they will probably be sharper against England as a result.
The prospect of the Jocks upsetting England is more intriguing (if a nightmare one for England fans). Paul Collingwood will no doubt get everything out of the players he has available and will certainly make the Scots believe they can do it.
On that note, are any TFT contributors sufficiently disenchanted with the England set-up to discover some Scottish heritage and switch sides for the day? (Despite my family connections north of the border, I will not be one of them.)
Dave Richardson speaks. Not a good idea.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2015-dave-richardson-says-minnows-need-to-follow-irelands-example/story-fni2usfi-1227223259373
Ireland’s win increases the pressure on Scotland, Afghanistan and UAE? Not West Indies and, say, Bangladesh? What is he on?
Nice use of “minnows” in the headline by the newspaper as well….
Just wanted to say how nice it is to open the site and be greeted by a photo of Paul Collingwood.
I don’t even want to talk about Dave Richardson. Too dispiriting.
Not strictly relevant to this posting, but I’m putting it here as the most recent post.
An interesting article on English ODI batting from Aakash Chopra:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/830359.html
“There are two typical English responses to a spinner: one, sweep (orthodox or reverse), and two, go deep inside the box to score runs. Rarely do you see an English batsman use his feet to get to the pitch of the ball, or use his wrists to put the ball in gaps while lunging forward.
Singles are the lifeblood of one-day cricket, and if you haven’t mastered taking them, you’re doomed. Also, if the sweep is your preferred shot for taking singles or scoring boundaries, you are flirting with danger too often. It doesn’t come as a surprise that since 2011, England batsmen top the list of total number of dismissals while sweeping against the spin.”
Share your comments on Scotland vs new Zealand match on
https://www.stubchat.com/#/event/-JiKOoOfiIVRyia0nfx6
Terrific post about how ICC ranking are biased against new nations:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/17/the-spin-icc-associate-nations-cricket-world-cup#comment-47705382
If Ireland beat Afghanistan would they get more, the same or fewer ranking points than Australia if they beat Afghanistan? What about beating India?
Click the link and read on…..