Cricket - The Greatest Game of all

[Blademaster]

The ICC is extremely being short sighted by not supporting Associate teams and ensuring they retain a level of professional skill necessary to compete at the level of full ICC Members. ICC need to expand the membership of cricket playing nations and get more fans and viewership. India need to realize that it has great power and that it has a responsibility to promote cricket among Associate nations and encourage other nations to follow.

I would reduce Test cricket matches and introduce more ODI and Twenty20 matches between Full Members and Associate teams in between World Cups and encourage more revenue sharing so Associate cricket teams can use that money to build a domestic audience and encourage more domestic support for cricket. I would also introduce regional championships such as continental cups like FIFA does and promote cricket. Encourage Canada, USA, and other Latin countries to play cricket and promote it. Do the same thing for Africa and Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

[bolo121]

yes indeed the ICC er i mean the BCCI are being complete dicks on this.
We need to back the associate teams otherwise cricket will never grow.

I personally would love to see Ireland grow and develop themselves.

[Oracle]

yes indeed the ICC er i mean the BCCI are being complete dicks on this.
We need to back the associate teams otherwise cricket will never grow.

I personally would love to see Ireland grow and develop themselves.

BCCI is the dictator of World Cricket, and you know how dictatorships end. There is hardly any accountability. What do we eat? Grass? 1.25 billion in population, and we don't have a single fast bowler? Politics, un-accountability, regionalism is stifling Indian cricket.

[Bigfella]

yes indeed the ICC er i mean the BCCI are being complete dicks on this.
We need to back the associate teams otherwise cricket will never grow.

I personally would love to see Ireland grow and develop themselves.

All they care about is the money. Associates offer no prospect of providing it, so they will be left to rot. The saddest thing is that the cost of really promoting cricket in the Associates is the budget of one or two IPL teams. Associate nations need a few scraps from the table, regular games against Test nations & access to the World Cup. They are going to end up with close to none of that. But hey, as long as the BCCI makes a quid.

BCCI is the dictator of World Cricket, and you know how dictatorships end. There is hardly any accountability. What do we eat? Grass? 1.25 billion in population, and we don't have a single fast bowler? Politics, un-accountability, regionalism is stifling World cricket.

Corrected that for you. A few years ago the BCCI decided that players who had signed up with a rival to the IPL should be punished. They leaned on other cricket boards to ban those players. A small taste of what they have in store for world cricket now that they completely run the show. I'm afraid that the politics, unaccountability, regionalism & corruption that has troubled the administration of Indian cricket are now the world's problem. Big nations like Australia will survive, but smaller nations & fringe ones are stuffed.

[tantalus]

Ireland beat Zimbabwe by 5 runs.

We batted 321 and took 4 early wickets. Zimbabwe still manage to get themselves in a position of needing 7 from 6 balls with all the momentum in place.

Followed this one via live text, and on the phone for the last couple of overs with my brother.

Unbelievable stuff.

Controversy with Williams, haven't seen it, could have been a 6 or a wicket on 46. They gave a wicket.

Super catch by Porterfield to get Panyangara on 47.

It looks like the Zimbabweans effort is in vain as they need 26 from the final 2 overs and the luck is indeed with the irish.

But 19 on 49 looks like it has us buried once again when Mupariwa hits 2 fours and a six in a row, devastating...

Final over. We take Chahaba who I was told hit the ball onto his own stumps. Chatar gets a lucky single which gets Mupariwa back in the slot, he hits high, high and we get him, all out for 326, we survive with 5 runs remaining.

What a game, what a finish.

And what a day, Pakistan beating SA was awful news, but this covers over that with ease, even if we don't qualify, this was surely live on in the memory.

[Bigfella]

It is still going to come down to the last game - Ireland v Pakistan. Pakistan should win, but if Ireland can find a way....

[InExile]

It is still going to come down to the last game - Ireland v Pakistan. Pakistan should win, but if Ireland can find a way....

There is also the India vs Ireland game; India have looked very strong in this tournament but do have a knack of screwing up.

Ireland deserve to be in the QFs after their performance, so will be rooting for them in both games.

[Blademaster]

There is also the India vs Ireland game; India have looked very strong in this tournament but do have a knack of screwing up.

Ireland deserve to be in the QFs after their performance, so will be rooting for them in both games.

I am rooting for at least two associate teams to make it to the QFs and at least one one associate team making it to the semi-finals. I am disgusted with BCCI and ICC for cutting down the number of teams for the next cricket cup. They are destroying the game of cricket and ruining any long term prospects for international events for the game of cricket. They are too greedy for their own good and for the good of the game.

[cataphract]

Impressive batting by Afghanistan today to recover from 59/6.

Ireland and Afghanistan are entirely deserving of qualification. I hope they do so at the expense of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

[bolo121]

The aussies going well today.
A few hiccups initially but Glen Maxwell is taking them apart.
You gotta feel for the poor lankan bowlers.

[bolo121]

What a waste, Sanga in the form of his life but Sri Lanka lacks the talent to support him.
Once him, jayawardne and dilshan retire there will be a huge gaping hole to fill.

[InExile]

Bangladesh on course for around 280, not a bad effort.

Quite an absorbing contest between two evenly matched teams ;)

[InExile]

This World cup is set up quite nicely, no team is out and away the best so should be an intriguing contest till the end.

India is performing quite well so hope they can keep it up, but they will be sorely tested if they get to the semis to face Australia or NZ. South Africa haven't looked their best; but their problem in the previous world cups has probably been peaking too early so perhaps this time around might be different for them and they will fire at the right time. Pakistan are too unpredictable but can beat the best on their day. Sri Lanka haven't looked capable of beating the top teams in this tournament so don't see them getting past the Semis. NZ has the best bowling attack probably, but their batting looks to be vulnerable if McCullum doesn't fire.

Australia are probably the best team overall, but they definitely are beatable as NZ has already shown.

[bolo121]

Lots of expectations for a good fight between Sri Lanka And South Africa.
All dashed, the lankans collapsed with hardly a fight.

[cataphract]

India batting first at the MCG. I expect us to score 300-odd and win the game by ~50 runs. Should be a great watch.