2019 ICC Cricket World Cup

[GoTfan]

Okay, I have no real defence for the umpiring in Australia vs West Indies. And I'm an umpire.

EDIT: It nonetheless disgusts me when people insinuate that the umpires are somehow racist (wouldn't be on the Elite International Panel if they were) or say that umpire are what is wrong with the game. You do realise that if they don't show up at the ground, you don't have a game? Without umpires, you do not have a match.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

just not australia please

I am hoping to see Australia win a 6th world cup title to add to the 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 & 2015.
Come on Aussie come on!

Having grown up in the Warne-McGrath era, I've been very spoiled.

I think this quote from the Don is very fitting for how Australia play cricket in general.

Okay, I have no real defence for the umpiring in Australia vs West Indies. And I'm an umpire.

EDIT: It nonetheless disgusts me when people insinuate that the umpires are somehow racist (wouldn't be on the Elite International Panel if they were) or say that umpire are what is wrong with the game. You do realise that if they don't show up at the ground, you don't have a game? Without umpires, you do not have a match.

Bad umpiring is unfortunately always going to happen. It's not an easy job. Even with all this tech. things get missed. It's improved but it's not perfect and will never be perfect.

[Santander]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

[GoTfan]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

India does have something of what you would call an Australia-like reputation. There was the whole 2007-8 Border-Gavaskar Trophy which I'm not even going to get into right now because it will spark a flame war.

There was also the kerfuffle when they were introducing the DRS a few years ago. Most nations welcomed it. Again though, the BCCI threw a tantrum and demanded it be removed from cricket while their team simultaneously compalined that umpriing decisions were going against them.

Finally, and one reason they're REALLY disliked in Australia is Phillip Hughes. Shortly after he died, it was apparent that it affected the whole Australian team in general and Michael Clarke in particular, as the two were very close friends. The first two tests of the series that year were postponed to give the team time to mourn. In response, the BCCI released  a statement that basically said "The series cannot be delayed on account of one man."

Since then, I think the Indian team has calmed down, and I always make a point of differentiating between the BCCI and the Indian team. hell, Kohli (whom I used to hate with a burning passion) showed what a class act he is when he apologised to Steve Smith for the crowd.

[Santander]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

India and Australia (and to a lesser extent Bangladesh) are the most hated teams in the world. Neutrals tend to support West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa, and for people of my vintage, Pakistan.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

India does have something of what you would call an Australia-like reputation. There was the whole 2007-8 Border-Gavaskar Trophy which I'm not even going to get into right now because it will spark a flame war.

There was also the kerfuffle when they were introducing the DRS a few years ago. Most nations welcomed it. Again though, the BCCI threw a tantrum and demanded it be removed from cricket while their team simultaneously compalined that umpriing decisions were going against them.

Finally, and one reason they're REALLY disliked in Australia is Phillip Hughes. Shortly after he died, it was apparent that it affected the whole Australian team in general and Michael Clarke in particular, as the two were very close friends. The first two tests of the series that year were postponed to give the team time to mourn. In response, the BCCI released  a statement that basically said "The series cannot be delayed on account of one man."

Since then, I think the Indian team has calmed down, and I always make a point of differentiating between the BCCI and the Indian team. hell, Kohli (whom I used to hate with a burning passion) showed what a class act he is when he apologised to Steve Smith for the crowd.

2007-08 Border Gavaskar trophy, the Australians behaved bad too . Ricky Pointing claiming that catch was disgraceful. Now Australia deserved to win that series but India weren’t the only ones who played bad


Many Indian fans also don’t like the BCCI either

[Santander]

Brilliant win by Bangladesh today. Shakib is a terrific player, maybe the best all-rounder in the world right now. (certainly best that bowls spin... maybe better than Stokes, too) Slightly lacking in power with the bat (as typical with Asian, and especially Bangladeshi batsmen), but the 50-over format suits him, and his left-arm spin is good enough to make it into most sides on its own merits.

[GoTfan]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

India does have something of what you would call an Australia-like reputation. There was the whole 2007-8 Border-Gavaskar Trophy which I'm not even going to get into right now because it will spark a flame war.

There was also the kerfuffle when they were introducing the DRS a few years ago. Most nations welcomed it. Again though, the BCCI threw a tantrum and demanded it be removed from cricket while their team simultaneously compalined that umpriing decisions were going against them.

Finally, and one reason they're REALLY disliked in Australia is Phillip Hughes. Shortly after he died, it was apparent that it affected the whole Australian team in general and Michael Clarke in particular, as the two were very close friends. The first two tests of the series that year were postponed to give the team time to mourn. In response, the BCCI released  a statement that basically said "The series cannot be delayed on account of one man."

Since then, I think the Indian team has calmed down, and I always make a point of differentiating between the BCCI and the Indian team. hell, Kohli (whom I used to hate with a burning passion) showed what a class act he is when he apologised to Steve Smith for the crowd.

2007-08 Border Gavaskar trophy, the Australians behaved bad too . Ricky Pointing claiming that catch was disgraceful. Now Australia deserved to win that series but India weren’t the only ones who played bad


Many Indian fans also don’t like the BCCI either

I'm not going to deny that.

The reason I have a grudge against them is because of their reaction in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

The implication that Tendulkar was a boring player is a bad Take even for you.

[Santander]

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

The implication that Tendulkar was a boring player is a bad Take even for you.

Tendulkar was unquestionably an exceptionally talented, effective, and accomplished player. He averaged 50 in every continent in Tests, and he played 200 of them. He's a legend.

However, people are never going to wax wistfully about his poetically beautiful technique the way they do about David Gower or Mahela Jayawardene (not knocking that, Bradman was unorthodox too), he didn't have the big personality of someone like Freddie Flintoff or Keith Miller, and considering the longevity of his career, he doesn't have as many classic performances as legendary match winners like Viv Richards or Ian Botham. To put it another way, I don't think Tendulkar ever made a neutral fall in love with the Indian cricket team the way others have done for their team. But perhaps I'm just biased.

[morgieb]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

Lack of meat in their diets, obviously. That's why they haven't produced any good fast bowlers.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

Lack of meat in their diets, obviously. That's why they haven't produced any good fast bowlers.

Didn’t Australian fans like Warne more than McGrath and also Warne was the better of the two as well .

Similar for India but with Kumble who’s was by far their best bowler

[Santander]

Unfortunately, Pakistan were beaten by a better side today. I will be happy if anyone but Australia or India win.

Why do you dislike India so much

Unlike any other major cricketing nation, India has produced very few truly ravishing players, other than Syed Mushtaq Ali, Tiger Pataudi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. (all Muslim or Sikh... only the minority players are interesting) Every other major country has produced far more interesting players.

Lack of meat in their diets, obviously. That's why they haven't produced any good fast bowlers.

Didn’t Australian fans like Warne more than McGrath and also Warne was the better of the two as well .

Similar for India but with Kumble who’s was by far their best bowler

It's okay to think Kumble was the best Indian bowler of all-time but it's outrageous to say he was "by far" the best when there were players like Kapil Dev, Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar to play for India.

[GoTfan]

Another good win for Australia. Think we might actually have a chance of winning this thing.

[Santander]

Brilliant win by Sri Lanka today. Led by the senior players. Hopefully England give a better account of themselves in their next 3 matches against the top of the table teams.

[GoTfan]

Wow. Can't say i saw that coming. Thank you Behrendorff and Starc.

[Santander]

England is a grossly overrated team. Root, Buttler, Stokes, and perhaps Archer are world-class, and the team has a strong home record, but they are clearly the 4th best team at the World Cup after Australia, India and New Zealand, imo. (NZ aren't amazing on paper but Taylor is a different animal after eye surgery, Williamson is the best batsman in the world, and Ferguson is as good as Archer) Moeen, one of my favorite players in the world, is sadly looking like the bits and pieces player that he is at international level.

[GoTfan]

England is a grossly overrated team. Root, Buttler, Stokes, and perhaps Archer are world-class, and the team has a strong home record, but they are clearly the 4th best team at the World Cup after Australia, India and New Zealand, imo. (NZ aren't amazing on paper but Taylor is a different animal after eye surgery, Williamson is the best batsman in the world, and Ferguson is as good as Archer) Moeen, one of my favorite players in the world, is sadly looking like the bits and pieces player that he is at international level.

I went into this expecting us to end up near the bottom.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Australia looking strong.

I want Bangladesh to make the semi-finals.

But NZ and India will two of the other spots.

Shakib Al Hasan has been incredible.

[Santander]

Shakib Al Hasan has been incredible.

Indeed, Shakib is a brilliant player. He could make it into virtually any side in the world on his left arm spin on its own, but he is a properly talented batsman as well. You simply cannot underestimate how much he is adored by Bangladeshis... Having been at a Bangladesh match this World Cup, I can say from experience.

Also, I'll be at at least 1-2 more World Cup matches this weekend, weather permitting.

[OSR stands with Israel]

England is a grossly overrated team. Root, Buttler, Stokes, and perhaps Archer are world-class, and the team has a strong home record, but they are clearly the 4th best team at the World Cup after Australia, India and New Zealand, imo. (NZ aren't amazing on paper but Taylor is a different animal after eye surgery, Williamson is the best batsman in the world, and Ferguson is as good as Archer) Moeen, one of my favorite players in the world, is sadly looking like the bits and pieces player that he is at international level.

I went into this expecting us to end up near the bottom.

Why, the only reason Australia struggled so much over the past year was because of the fact that Steve Smith and David Warner were suspended.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Shakib Al Hasan has been incredible.

Indeed, Shakib is a brilliant player. He could make it into virtually any side in the world on his left arm spin on its own, but he is a properly talented batsman as well. You simply cannot underestimate how much he is adored by Bangladeshis... Having been at a Bangladesh match this World Cup, I can say from experience.

Also, I'll be at at least 1-2 more World Cup matches this weekend, weather permitting.

Which ones

[GoTfan]

England is a grossly overrated team. Root, Buttler, Stokes, and perhaps Archer are world-class, and the team has a strong home record, but they are clearly the 4th best team at the World Cup after Australia, India and New Zealand, imo. (NZ aren't amazing on paper but Taylor is a different animal after eye surgery, Williamson is the best batsman in the world, and Ferguson is as good as Archer) Moeen, one of my favorite players in the world, is sadly looking like the bits and pieces player that he is at international level.

I went into this expecting us to end up near the bottom.

Why, the only reason Australia struggled so much over the past year was because of the fact that Steve Smith and David Warner were suspended.

Trust me, as an Aussie, there were quite a few other problems at the same time.

Confidence in Cricket Australia plummeted. The public was badly divided between those who considered the punishment too harsh or just fine. Then there was the protracted battle with the Players' Association over the bans which ended in Sutherland's resignation. Magellan terminated their sponsorship agreement, which sent them scrambling to find another one. Bidding money for the TV rights took a nosedive when they were valued at $900 million at one point.

[Santander]

Shakib Al Hasan has been incredible.

Indeed, Shakib is a brilliant player. He could make it into virtually any side in the world on his left arm spin on its own, but he is a properly talented batsman as well. You simply cannot underestimate how much he is adored by Bangladeshis... Having been at a Bangladesh match this World Cup, I can say from experience.

Also, I'll be at at least 1-2 more World Cup matches this weekend, weather permitting.

Which ones

NZ vs Australia or England vs India are obviously both terrific matches. Logistics may be tough (matches are at Lord's and Edgbaston) as I have plans to be in northern England that weekend. Perhaps the battle of the 'stans at Headingley will be easier to get to.

I'm also pondering going to Bready in Northern Ireland to watch Ireland vs Zimbabwe, the two teams I enjoy watching most.