*Official* Semis and Final Thread

[Top_Cat]

I'd hardly call that suicidal. 9 1/2 times out of 10, Bichel either wouldn't have thrown the ball or if he had, would have missed by quite a distance. The percentages were certainly with Aravinda in this one but he just ran out of luck, really.

[aussie_beater]

Bichel was pretty much on his follow-through and so the ball hadn't travelled too far for a run to be taken, but I agree that most bowlers would have found it hard to pounce on it like Bichel did and make a stunning direct throw as well, all in lightning speed.But I still think that the run was misjudged given the fact that it was to be taken against the best fielding side in the world and there wasn't a need for a cheeky single at that point.

[aussie_beater]

Did Gilly walk or it was a misunderstanding ?

I think he did, although some commentators are suggesting otherwise saying that it was a misunderstanding and actually Gilly thought that Koertzen had said "Out" instead of "not out".But he sure stood his ground initially when Koertzen just began shaking his head and then suddenly turned around and walked. But it was surely a little bizarre if he did walk, as he waited for a while till the Sri Lankans started to show their disappointment, and then decided to go.

[luckyeddie]

I'm 100% certain he walked

[krkode]

Maybe he knew in his heart that he was out and felt guilty for all the times he didn't walk...

Or maybe he really needed to go to the bathroom

[Anil]

Originally posted by krkode
Or maybe he really needed to go to the bathroom

That's it!!! You really solved that mystery, buddy! How did I never think of such a simple solution!!!???

[Eclipse]

He walked no doubt about it he was off before the umpire had even said anything Gilchrist did not even look at him.

Gilchrist does walk occasionaly infact if he knows he is out he usualy does.

[krkode]

He later said he didn't hear the "not out" by the Umpire so he walked...

He may also have done it to avoid the trashtalk he would receive from the Sri Lankan players if he hadn't walked, because they know and he knew that he was out...

But I stick to my bathroom theory..

[luckyeddie]

Apparently, it's raining in Durban today - I've just checked weather.com and it was described as 'light' at present.

There's a 90% chance of thunder tonight, 60% of heavy rain tomorrow and 40% on Friday.

D/L anyone?

If no match is possible, India are in the final.

Luckily, it is the best ground regarding drainage (they say).

[Rik]

Originally posted by krkode
Guys, isn't it obvious?

He supports England. Now that England isn't in the tourno anymore, he supports Kenya.

sheesh, people need to be spoon fed nowadays

And Rik, you suck for that comment :P

Oi, I supported both Zimbabwe and England but both were knocked out :P

Oh and you suck because you keep using ":P"s

So there :P

[marc71178]

I thought you supported INdia?

[Anil]

Originally posted by marc71178
I thought you supported INdia?

True, Marc, Rik is a staunch India supporter...

[Anil]

Well....It's Australia(10-0) vs India(9-1) in the finals. Appropriately, the two best teams have made it.

An assessment:

Batting: Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting, Martyn(?), Bevan, Symonds, Lehmann.....vs Tendulkar, Sehwag, Ganguly, Dravid(?), Kaif, Yuvraj, Mongia.....hmmmm...looks more or less even. The Indian top and middle order have been more consistent while the Aussie lower order have produced inspired performances to bail out their team in a couple of tight situations.

Bowling: Again these two have been the best bowling sides in the competition although Aus enjoy a clear edge in this department. McGrath, Lee, Bichel, Lehmann, Hogg vs Srinath, Zaheer, Nehra and Harb.

Fielding: The Australians are definitely much, much better at this although the Indians have improved a lot.

Competitive spirit: Both teams rate pretty high in this department. The Aussies have come back from the dead on a couple of occasions and produced adrenalin-pumping victories while the Indians after a bad loss against the Aussies have never really looked down the barrel so far.

All in all, if both teams play to potential, should be a high-quality, enjoyable encounter with the Aussies having an edge going in.

....and at last my 1000th post!!!

[krkode]

Congrats, Anil!

This is probably the biggest match India has played in the past 20 years and the biggest some of the current players will ever play in their careers

I just hope the 20 year "wait" won't end up in nothing:

In fact, I think India has gone far enough to please me. I won't be disappointed if we lose the finals, but I will sure as hell be happier if we win :P

Saturday night, I pay a visit to some good relatives of mine to watch this game :duh: OH BOY!!

[aussie_beater]

The Aussie bowling department and the Indian bowling aren't too far away on current form with the Aussies having a slight edge with Lee's pace and form as well.

But in my opinion what makes the Aussie bowling look a tad more potent specially when playing India, is the vulnerability of the Indian batsman when trying to play their shots against that nagging offstump line or the rising delivery.But one heartening thing is that the the Indian batsman have coped well in this tournament and the Indian top order looks in better shape then the Aussie top order.

And on top of it all, the match is being played in Wanderers which is the fastest wicket in all of SA.

It should be a fascinating match.