Congratulations Australia - Finally it's over!

Australia were clinical throughout this tournament and they bludgeoned the Lankan bowlers in the final as well. Too bad the weather didn't allow for a complete game, but at least the winner was obvious towards the end. Playing in complete darkness for the last 10 overs was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. This WC has been the worst that I've witnessed.

I guess we'll find out over the next few days about what really went on between the umpires, Ponting and and Jayawardene, but for now, it's all about Australia. They rocked the entire time, they won convincingly and thoroughly deserve the accolades.

Somehow, or the other, the rest of the World needs to figure out just how to beat these bastards...

World Cup 2007 final - Sri Lanka vs. Australia

1300 GMT
Too bad Vaas is being pummeled around a bit. Usually he's the conservative one. This does jar Jayawardene's plans a bit. Also there is no movement on the wicket or in the air. A bit surprising. 46/0 after 10 overs. Australia looking good right now, but this is their lowest 10 over score to date in this World Cup.


1305GMT
Great. Fernando just got smacked by Gichrist for 16 runs. He dropped a really difficult chance too. At least they have Hayden quiet for the time being. Bring on Murali. Oh wait. Murali's on. Cool. Someone out there is listening to me!

Bring me ice cream!

Hmm...that didn't work out as well.

Decent first over from Murali.

1330GMT
God damn Gilchrist. 112/0 after 17 and the 2nd power play is left. This is awful. I think 270 is what they are aiming for. 240+ is difficult to get. Atherton is right. In the shorter form of the game, Australia hold the advantage. They have the big power hitters. Sri Lanka have just Jayasuria and Tharanga compared to Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Symonds, and Watson. And as I write this, Gilchrist smashes another 6. This is carnage...

1507GMT
281/4 is the final score. I guess Sri Lanka did well to restrict the Aussie to under 300. At one point, one assumed a score of 320 was possible. What was interesting is that they scored at 7.5 runs/over throughout their innings. Though the desire was there, there wasn't an acceleration at the end to 9 or 10 runs an over. Anyway, I think Australia have batted Sri Lanka out of this game. I just Jayasuria can get them close.

1631GMT
couldn't. Okay. The Sri Lanka are 100/1 needing 8.16 runs/over. Could this be the game? Can this be the partnership. Sangakarra and Jayasuria are waking up. The last 5 overs have yielded 54 runs. The pitch feels the same to me, but it was strange how Bracken was swinging the ball while Vaaspowerplay is over. These guys need to stay at the wicket and keep getting a boundary every couple of overs. Or someone just needs to go berserk. I volunteer Jayasuria.

This is looking like a great game! The crowd is electric. Wow. This is what was missing throughout the cup. And this is what a Caribbean crowd is supposed to sound like! It's not too late for this crappy tournament to end on a high.

Dammit. It's drizzling.

Oh, and Red Sox - Yankees. Top of the 2nd. Game still tied.

Sri Lanka has my support, but Australia holds my bet

Comparing the Aussies and the Lankans isn't terribly hard. Both are two very different teams.

Sri Lanka has a more varied bowling attack. Yet their 4th specialist bowler is the weak link. Australia on the other hand have 4 bowlers, who on the whole, may be a bit more one-dimensional, as compared to the Lankans, but are more effective. Both teams utilize their all-rounders for the 5th bowling option, so they are pretty much even out there.

The glaring difference is the middle order. Sri Lanka's middle order, is nowhere close to Clarke, Hussey and Symonds. Their is an over reliance on Jayasuria, Tharanga, Sangakarra and Jayawardene.

Though I really want Sri Lanka to win, I feel this over-reliance on the top order will be their downfall. But it can't be helped now. I was thinking maybe giving Attapattu a game earlier might strengthen the batting, but its too late for that now. If I were Sri Lanka, I would bat first, because I don't think their batsman can withstand a pressure of a chase against the Australians. Their strength is their bowling, and Jayawardene knows how to utilize his bowlers to apply the pressure and get 10 wickets.

It's going to be tough. The Australians play a brutal game. Sri Lanka is the one team that has looked close to beating the Aussies in this cup. I certainly hope that happens on Saturday...

Super 8's preview and predictions

India's out and it just got a bit more boring

Though, we all agree, they deserved to go, while Bangladesh thoroughly deserve it!

But still, one can be sad that the clash between India and Pakistan is not going to happen anymore. That was going to be one fun match. But there are still some epic games left. I am looking forward to Eng-Aus, NZ-Aus, and especially SL playing anyone. More on this in a few paragraphs.

Is the criticism on this World Cup's format justified?

I read some dude talking about how just 2 bad games in the first round was more than enough to kick a good side out of the World Cup. He concluded that such a format was not the right one for ensuring that the best teams play each other in the super 8's.

Well, that's retarded! This is the World Cup after all, teams should be playing their best and their hardest, and yes, 2 bad days SHOULD be enough to boot a good team. If they're good, then they should under-perform. Pakistan and India obviously didn't play well and were beaten by better sides on that day. So, I think the fellow's argument is a bit skewed and he is probably just hurt.

Bangladesh and Ireland's chances

Pretty much zilch to be honest, but Bangladesh have a shot for the semis. They have the capability of beating England, West Indies and New Zealand on their day. I hate predicting stuff, plus I am nowhere as good as this chap, so I'll just discuss match-ups and leave the predictions up to you.

My final four

No sooner than I said I don't do predictions, here I am telling you who I think the semi-finalists will be. I lie.

Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka.

Yes Sir. That's it. No England. No Ireland. No Bangladesh, and no West Indies. Well, maybe West Indies. It's either West Indies or New Zealand, I believe. But I'll probably change my prediction anyway by the time the semi-finals come around and I find out I was wrong. I'll subsequently edit this entry, announce that I was right in my predictions all along, and that I am the best.

Yeah. That's right. It's not so difficult to edit this blog entry. I have the password.

Who do I want as the WC champion?

Sri Lanka! Yup. I really like these guys. Been a big Lanka supporter for years now. I know you couldn't tell. But lets hope these plucky buggers can bring us the World Cup.

Australia continue the minnow bashing

Oh...apologies to all! Did I just call South Africa a minnow?

I amuse myself. Anyway Mathew Hayden just smashed the fastest ODI century in World Cup cricket. His 66 ball century is also the fastest hundred by an Australian. Bloody hell! Is it just me, or are way too many records being broken this WC?

I am not one for conspiracy theories, but its rather interesting how some bloggers pointed out that Pakistan seemed to play on the most seam-friendly tracks in the tournament. Agreed, that as professionals, those buggers need to be able to play on all surfaces. But knowing the Pakistani tendency to receive a bumjacking on bowled-friendly conditions, I wonder if the authorities thought about it. Seems like the West Indian group has the lowest scores of all the other groups.

I think I am going to copyright the term bumjacking.

Anyway back to the minnow bashing. Kallis just got Hayden out and Clarke walked in.

Back from California: omarlovescricket returns to cricket blogging

Ah - I'm back from sunny San Francisco. It was a welcome break away from the bitter cold. Though, upon my return, I learned that the weather this past weekend at home was actually pretty warm. Balls! Such is my luck.

What you missed
Fans and haters of omarlovescricket must visit the Bay area at some point. There is no cricket there, unfortunately, but there are plenty of wineries, even more wineries, spectacular views and great food! It's a beautiful city. Very picturesque.

Cricket stuff I missed
Upon my return, I was excited to learn that Australia have been white-washed in New Zealand. Well that's spectacular news! Always refreshing to see the great Aussies getting whipped. Naturally, Gilchrist followed up their embarrassing series loss with the expected, "We didn't really want to tour New Zealand in the first place" argument. Well, Mr. Gilchrist, boo fucking hoo!

Mathew Hayden smashed 181 runs! Bloody hell. King can't be too pleased about this. Apparently Hayden also poked fun at Inzi after his feat, which doesn't make me too happy either.

I was gone for a week, which is adequate time for a Pakistani controversy. Apparently Woolmer called Shoaib Akhtar "blacky". Sigh....

Ahmer sums it up.

Pakistan is also in the midst of dope testing all its players. The whole world awaits the results...

Michael Holding, another omarhatescricket favorite, in an undiplomatic manner, slams the associate nations playing the World Cup. Zainub at Sundries sums it up. Though I agree with Holding, I also recognize that the ICC isn't perhaps doing enough to promote the quality of cricket in these nations. I am, however, confidant that these nations will improve with time.

And last but not least, another cricketing hate list spawns. Billu.net has recently just launched a blog series discussing (or rather cursing) various characters they don't want to ever invite for dinner.

Thank you England!

England beat Australia in the 2nd final to win the Commonwealth Bank series!

Yes!

What an incredible victory! It's hard to express my joy. My depression over Pakistan's thrashing yesterday at the hands of the South Africans, has been pretty much appeased by England ending their tour on a high note.

As my readers can probably gauge, I support Pakistan most of the time, but I also support any team battling Australia. I admit having a lot of respect for Australian cricketers and their aggressive and clinical style of cricket, but their domination is boring, their arrogance is irritating, and seeing them lose on their own soil is pleasing as hell. We all love the underdog, and after a dismal series, England have really pulled this victory out of a hat. After a terrible hiding in the Ashes, its great to see England return home with their heads held high.

This also spells great news for the rest of the cricketing nations. Australia have been beaten convincingly, very soon before the World Cup, and that too in a format in which they are expected to dominate. They're probably still going to be the favorites to lift the cup, but I bet they're not going to be as cocky as before.

Anyway....Brilliantly done!

England extend 'winning streak'

Agreed, it's only a 2 game winning streak, but under the circumstances, its quite an achievement! It was a long shot to the finals, but as I had hoped, it just might turn out to be an interesting battle versus Australia. The advantages of streaks in ODI cricket are quite short lived, and as a result England will be quite confidant going into the first final having beaten Australia in their last encounter. The Aussies will also be taking this game very seriously and will not be resting Ponting or any key players. Since they were beaten pretty effectively last time, they must have realized that this English side may have finally got their act together.

Have they gotten their act together though? Don't know. From the match reports, the bowling wasn't too penetrating, while the top order was a quite brittle. Lets hope for the sake of competition that the English streak extends to 3 games!

Check out Monty and Vaughan do the tango in this picture. Should Vaughan really be stressing his knees this way?

England finally beat Australia

Australia's utter dominance down under in this Commonwealth Bank series against New Zealand and England made this series quite boring to follow. Though its good to see England finally beating Australia. No doubt, this victory will do them a world of good. I glanced at the points table and both New Zealand and Eng are tied with 9 points apiece. They both have a chance of making it to the final.

The batting finally came together, with Joyce providing the anchor and everyone batting around him. Its tough to score a century anyway, and for his maiden century to be against Australia in such trying times is an even bigger deal.

I'm also pleased to see Australia getting whipped in this game. Arguably, their loss shows their over-reliance on their skipper, Ricky Ponting, who was rested for this game. Now wouldn't it be amusing if England make it to the final and beat Australia? Well, unlikely as that may be, it would the dreamiest way to end this dreadful and demoralizing winter tour.

Dear England, you depress me...

You showed no fight.

I'll be honest, I knew you would lose the Ashes, but I didn't think you would get rolled over so emphatically. Your victory last year will now be looked upon as just an anomaly. I am disappointed that did not play up to your full potential. I guess I'm more disillusioned (and impressed) by how ruthlessly the Aussies are playing now. Even with aging players, they continue to dominate this game. Last year's victory was a glimpse of perhaps a new era. That Australia were, in fact, beatable, that they have weaknesses just like all of us. There were indications that perhaps the world order of cricket might have changed slightly against their favor.

Not quite so...Their incredible run until this series, their planning, their desire to reclaim what should have been theirs was insurmountable. They were more aggressive and they knew how to get it. They tried new strategies, new field placings, new sledges....yet you were were stuck in glorious 2005 series. And lost or drew series after series in between.

So many mistakes. Where could I start? Playing both Giles and Jones was foolish. Choosing Flintoff as captain was foolish. Leaving out Panesar was dumb. Ignoring Mahmood was just silly. How can a bowler get into his stride, if you're not going to bowl him. He's the fastest of the lot. Give him first change and 20 overs an inning. And your batting was too defensive. While Australia scored at 4.5 runs an over, you would score at 2.5 runs. The best defense is offense. Lets not even talk about field placings. I have no clue what Flintoff must have been thinking when he placed his men.

Hope you recover soon. Sorry for the curtness in advance.

Sincerely

Warne, McGrath and now Harmison retire

Retirements in cricket, it seems, are cyclic. A few players announce their departure within a season of each other. They come in patches, and may or may not, mark the end of certain style of cricket that that particular team plays. It's too early to tell what affect Warne and McGrath's retirement will have on Australian cricket. And we still have 2 more tests to go. Since its all happening so fast, one probably wont be surprised if Langer and Hayden hang up their bats. One thing is for sure though. This Ashes meant a whole lot more to Australia. Announcing your retirement after retaking the series so emphatically, indicates how satisfied they are with their accomplishments, and how they would like to end their international careers on a high.

Though McGrath's retirement is still yet to be confirmed, its still a whole lot of retirement talk this past month. Martyn announced it after the 2nd test while Boje silently parted ways with South Africa soon after. I assumed McGrath would stay till the World Cup. Harmisson, on other hand, bar a game here or there, had become a liability for England in ODI's.

The big news is Shane Warne though. Sad day for cricket. As far as I can remember, he's been cocky, arrogant, and a his rise to cricking stardom coincided with Australia's dominance this past decade. He's been an incredible part of Australia's success. There is no doubt that he is the best at what he does. The numbers speak for themselves. But more than that, he was an integral part of the Aussie aggressive, in your face, mind games, which propelled them to the top and intimidated all others.

England can't win....can they?

226 runs required of 72 overs...

Flintoff on 51 off 66 balls.

Peitersen is 50 off 128 deliveries.

Both are batting well and have attacked Australia this morning. Do you think they can do it!?

UPDATE: Nevermind. I spoke too soon. Flintoff and Jones out.

Australia ruthless

I went to bed after Hussey made his century thinking Australia were well and truly in charge of this game. I felt sorry for England. But they seemed to bowl with no strategy. Australia, on the other hand, amended their first innings mistakes, conquered Harmisson and Panesar, and set about trying to win the test match. Drawing the game was never an option for the Aussies.

They were in control of the situation. Clarke and Hussey were dancing down the pitch, taking singles on both sides of the wicket, and smashing boundaries at will.

Naturally, I didn't think anything more would shock me afterI woke up this morning, got my cup of coffee, and checked the scoreboard.

My goodness. 102 from 59 deliveries? Are you kidding me?

Gilchrist has effectively ended this series! His onslaught, though I haven't seen it yet on reply, must have been incredibly demoralizing. No wonder most bowlers chose Gilchrist as the "World's Scariest Batsman".

The Aussies have not only given it to England like no other, but they have embarrassed the opposition beyond belief. England have been put in their place. Their Ashes win last year was an anomaly. What I am enjoying about this is how confidant everyone in their camp seemed to be coming in this Ashes series. All the talk in their media was Ashes, Ashes Ashes and how they were the 2nd best test team in the World. Their thrashing at the hands of Sri Lanka and Pakistan was a clear indicator that their class was temporary. Australia don't look like they are going to let up. I am no one to predict but 5-0 seems like the likely scenario. Save face and fly home now is my advice to the English camp.

Monty on fire!!!

Oh! How England must be regretting not playing Panesar in the first 2 test matches! This is great stuff from him on a day one pitch. If only this were the 1st test and not the 3rd...

On a side note, its great sportsmanship how Gilchrist chooses to walk. That's pretty respectable in today's game.

Poll shows 97% of the world* thinks Australia will win the Ashes

There you have it folks. The people have spoken. Australia will win the Ashes.

Though some might say 30 is too small of a polling number to make such broad-based assumptions, I shall stand by my poll and claim that it was a fair survey. I feel 30 a fairly decent sub-section of our populace, and this blog probably attracts a diverse community! The blog stats, after all, indicate that most of my visitors actually hail from the UK. So, in conclusion, 29 to 1, or 97% feel the Aussies will win.

In other news, I shall update my blog poll of the week...umm every week.

*refers to the 30 chaps who took my poll.

Damien Martyn retires

One of Australia's most dependable batsmen, Damien Martyn announced his retirement today. A bit sudden don't you think? And during the Ashes too. Doubt it will effect the outcome though, since rumors pointed towards Andrew Symonds playing in his place anyway. I'd like to say something about him, but I guess he was one of those players who let his bat do the talking for him.

Though wasn't he the fellow who pushed Sharad Powar during the Champions Trophy presentation ceremony?

But you might be wondering how I can tie this up and relate it to Pakistan. Well, while going through his career stats, it was interesting to note that his career test average, as it stands now, is 46.38. His average against Pakistan, however, was a lofty 61.57, which is almost 15 runs higher! Thats also his highest test average against any opponent.

But wait...there's more!

His ODI average against Pakistan though, is on the opposite end of the spectrum. After 28 ODI's, he averaged just 28.31 which incidentally is his lowest average against any country! How interesting is that?

Well, I think it is!

Ashes: Exciting first session goes Australia's way

The first session just ended and the one thing that stood out for me was Flintoff's fiery exuberance after getting Hayden's wicket. That just serves to complement my beliefs that playing Australia in the Ashes really brings out the best in him. I say that because he was quite dull in Pakistan.

As for Harmison, I don't think he should have been taking off so early, after just 2 overs. Langer was playing streaky shots off him initially and Flintoff was perhaps hasty in his decision. Certainly won't help the chief strikers confidence if your captain takes you off at the first sign of trouble. He should have been given some time to settle into his stride. His second spell was a lot smoother.

Langer, on the other hand, is on a personal mission. He is batting superbly. His aggressive batting is similar to Lara's batting intent yesterday.

Just as I finish this, Langer gets caught! Flintoff strikes! Its swung England's way again! Here comes Martyn....

Great - The Ashes is finally here!

On a side note, thank goodness the Ashes start tomorrow!

I am pretty tired of reading all the hype about them during the past year and I really just want this series to start. The English media in particular seemed to ignore most of the cricket their side played since they won the last Ashes. It's definitely a big deal for both sides, but I don't know if its worth numbing down all the cricket that's not the Ashes. Australia, on the hand, won 11 of 12 tests since, won the Champions Trophy and pretty much were back to their winning ways.

The English batsmen do have what it takes to stand up to the Australia and their bowlers have the ability. Their only hope is that they play brilliantly. Though no one has been really impressive on the English side in the past 15 months, besides perhaps Ian Bell and Alistair Cook, the Ashes brings out the killer instincts amongst players on both sides. I feel England need to work really hard and NOT play the way they have been playing prior to this.

Should be a fun series. I plan on watching it as well. For the sake of the media and fan hype, I hope England does well. My prediction, however, is that they are going to whipped well and truly by the Aussies.

As for all the Australians and all the racism (which definitely exists - from personal experience), I hope this crap stops. I am not too fond of the Aussie mind games and their incessant sledging. It cheapens the sport and make the players and fans look like common bully's and uneducated fools. Just play or watch the damn game, appreciate its competitiveness and keep your mouths shut!

Is cricket a good workout?

Most people I talk to don't really associate playing a day's game of cricket with any meaningful excercise. Usually they just brush it aside. After all they assume, one just stands in the same spot all day, smelling the danderlions and waiting for the ball to come your way.

Anyway it seems like cricket is definitely shaping (pun intended) towards a more health conscious arena with an increasing focus on running between the wickets, saving runs, and athletic fielding.
I had noticed this picture of the Aussies a while back and was really surprised/impressed. Those guys are cut!

Anyway, recently, an interesting post on cricket-blog pointed me towards an article about how the Aussie coach was using GPS to track his players movements. Whatever wierd method he is trying, Buchanan's work is certainly paying off.
Can the Pakistani's take them on? Yesterday, I would have said NO...but today I found out that Shoaib is allegedly on steroids...so I would put my money on Younis, Inzy and Shoaib!