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Group B - Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Chris Riddell

Cricket Spectator
Smith Rebuttal

Not happy, Smith :@ :@ :@ :@ :@ :@ :@ :@ :@ :@



I don't think the pitches are going to provide a 100 overs of good cricket."


Good cricket CAN occur in a game where the scores are low, and there is a REAL battle between bat and ball. I find it, as I'm sure other true fans would agree, just as exciting to see teams hit 195 and struggle against superb bowling and a challenging pitch, as compared to teams who hit 435 on a roadway of a strip.

When Smith was done criticising the pitch he trained his sights on the ICC for the scheduling of matches in this tournament. "It's a bit tough to work that out. You have eight days to the next game and then two games in three days. It could have been spaced a lot better,"

South Afirca has games on the 16th, the 24th (8 days) and the 27th (3 days).
India have a 11 day break before thier next game, and then play on the 26th and 29th. Remember that the semis are on the 1st and the 2nd of November.

New Zealand has games on the 16th, 20th (4 days) and the 25th (5 days).

It's the luck of the draw, and there are teams with a 'worse' drawe than you, so keep quiet.

In contrast, Stephen Fleming did not slam the pitch as Smith did. "Yes, the pitches are a bit different this time around, from what we usually experience in India.... Our job is to play in whatever pitches given to us and play accordingly."

Now that's how a captain should behave.

I hope Smith is sanctioned by the ICC over this outburst. I know it will probably never happen, but at least a 50% match fee fine is appropriate.

He has lost my respect..

Edit:
Smith offered his congratulations to Sri Lanka before realising he had got the opposition wrong.

You idiot.
 
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Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Dasa said:
Impressive pile of crap there from Smith.
I particularly like this part:
"It's always tough to sit and moan about a wicket when you've lost"
...doesn't seem too tough for him.
Haha, that sentence really doesn`t make chipmunk.
 

Sir Redman

State Vice-Captain
16 tins of Spam said:
People like that are funny. My dad is one of them - he hates Stephen Fleming for absolutely no reason.

As far as the conversion rate goes, try this: MD Crowe, 4 hundreds, 34 fifties. Where are the critics? :ph34r:
The main criticism of Fleming is his test conversion rate. Off the top of my head, he's got about 9 centuries and 40-odd fifties. Compare that to Crowe, who's got 17 hundreds to 18 fifties.
 

Mahindinho

State Vice-Captain
sideshowtim said:
Write him off at your peril. 6 ODI tons at the age of 21 is a magnificent achievement.
Even the most fervent Sri Lanka fan would have to admit that most of those weren't exactly against the toughest opposition!

Four against Zim/Kenya/Bangladesh, and two (plus a half-century) against a fairly demoralised England side. I was lucky enough to see the one at Headingley - there were some lovely strokes as Tharanga and Jayasuriya ripped England apart, but the bowling was shocking.

I won't rate him as that good until he scores consistently against Ind/Aus/Pak/SA/NZ...hopefully, that'll be in the next couple of weeks :)
 

sideshowtim

Banned
5.1 Iftikhar Anjum to Tharanga, 3 runs, good length outside off, Tharanga stands and punches that in the gap between cover and mid-off and runs hard, they get three in the end, well run

Pure class! :p

Doesn't matter who he hits them against apparently, if Murali is allowed to take alot of wickets against the crap teams and have people defend them as "still international sides" then I don't see why Tharanga shouldn't be the same!
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
sideshowtim said:
What's the pitch like? If it's better than what NZ and SAF played on yesterday he'll make a ton. Go Tharanga GO.
Looks a decent batting wicket (hence Jayasuriya’s confidence), bounce has been pretty consistent and there is nearly zero seam or swing. But the Pakistani bowlers have been pretty poor especially Rana, you don’t bowl short on these sort of wickets.
 

sideshowtim

Banned
Wow! Jayasuria is going nuts! Man I wish I could watch this! 47 off 31!

I really doubt Asif and Ahktar would've let his balloon out to 0/62 off 8 overs....Pakistan already feeling their absence.
 
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Mahindinho

State Vice-Captain
sideshowtim said:
Doesn't matter who he hits them against apparently, if Murali is allowed to take alot of wickets against the crap teams and have people defend them as "still international sides" then I don't see why Tharanga shouldn't be the same!
Yes, but Murali's proved time and again that he can get wickets against any team, in any conditions.

I am so _not_ going to get into a Murali vs. Warne argument here ;)
 

sideshowtim

Banned
8.3 Gul to Jayasuriya, 1 run, short of length delivery on the middle and leg, Jayasuriya goes on the backfoot and pulls it to mid wicket, straight to Afridi at short fine leg, that is dropped, he has failed to cling onto that one, that was a straight forward chance

Tut tut, can't afford to drop those ones in a tournament like this, especially a bloke like Jayasuria who can be devestating. You need to get him out there as quick as you can. Pakistan not feeling too confident at the moment.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
sideshowtim said:
8.3 Gul to Jayasuriya, 1 run, short of length delivery on the middle and leg, Jayasuriya goes on the backfoot and pulls it to mid wicket, straight to Afridi at short fine leg, that is dropped, he has failed to cling onto that one, that was a straight forward chance

Tut tut, can't afford to drop those ones in a tournament like this, especially a bloke like Jayasuria who can be devestating. You need to get him out there as quick as you can. Pakistan not feeling too confident at the moment.
His out now.
 

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