Off Topic Cricket Thread

Just slowly building for The Ashes, nothing more ...............Todays update.

 

A tad more passing news .............. nothing much, just a smallish win.

 

And you get another trip to the Mother Country in June to play some other colonials! Well done indeed.

 

You couldn't do a clean sweep

 

Nah............ thought l'd mimic your football prediction scoring.

 

India do England over in the ODI series 2-0 too. They seem to bring through new talent easily, why can't we get investment in grassroots cricket to emulate India's success?

 

Agree & don’t know what’s happened to our Men & Women’s T20 & ODI game, playing awful lately & totally been out played

 

They began to believe their own hype, especially the women and sat on their laurels while the Aussies and Indians knew they had to improve. They did improve leaving us behind

 

Close finish in the England v Afghanistan game. 24 needed off 18 for England with Overton and Archer at the crease.

 

Just watched it & another abysmal display & rightly knocked out

 

Disgraceful

 

Absolute shambles at the moment. Buttler gotta go as captain and not sure whether Mccullum is the right coach aswell, without Stokes implementing his theology on the field. Way too many ****ters in this squad who don't have it in them. Diabolical how Bairstow has totally been left out to dry, proven performer at the top of the order and World Cup winner, who was going through a rough patch, but don't tell me Salt is better. The bowling unit just ain't up to scratch either, the back up bowlers just aren't good enough, although I'd stick with Carse who hopefully isn't badly injured. This current team just doesn't seem to have the belief running through it that Stokes exudes. Morgan was a superb leader, and we need to find someone of similar ilk. Root, as ever, just remains class !

 

Like the women’s team, won a couple and sat on their laurels while others (Aussies and Indians and Afghanistan) got better, awful performance

 

NZ overpower SA to make Champions Trophy final

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01:42


Media caption,
'What a player!' - Williamson's terrific century

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

• Published
  5 March 2025, 16:55 GMT
• 62 Comments

Updated 16 minutes ago
ICC Champions Trophy semi-final, Lahore

New Zealand 362-6 (50 overs): Ravindra 108 (101), Williamson 102 (94); Ngidi 3-72

South Africa 312-9 (50 overs): Miller 100* (67), Van der Dussen 69 (66); Santner 3-43

New Zealand won by 50 runs


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Scorecard

New Zealand powered their way into the Champions Trophy final with a thumping 50-run win over South Africa after centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson.

The Black Caps opted to bat first in Lahore and posted a tournament-record 362-6 in a superbly-paced one-day innings.

It was built on a 164-run partnership for the second wicket between Ravindra and Williamson, who registered their fifth and 15th ODI hundreds respectively.

Despite both falling shortly after reaching three figures, New Zealand kept going and plundered 110 runs from the final 10 overs thanks to the big-hitting of Daryl Mitchell, who made 49 from 37 balls, and Glenn Phillips, who finished unbeaten on 49 from 27.

Facing a daunting total, albeit on pitch that could hardly have been friendlier to the batters, South Africa attempted to mirror the Kiwis' approach.

The chase started well, with Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen putting on 105 for the second wicket.

However, unlike Ravindra and Williamson, they were unable to kick on, with New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner dismissing them both - and the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen - in a brilliant spell during the middle overs.

With the required run-rate climbing quickly, South Africa had to keep attacking but the wickets kept tumbling and, despite David Miller bringing up a 67-ball century from the last ball of the match, they finished well short on 312-9.

New Zealand will now travel to Dubai to face India in Sunday's final, hoping to win the trophy for a second time, 25 years on since they won their only ICC white-ball title.

 

Seriously hope New Zealand stuff them in the final, would be what they deserve after coming so close in recent white ball tournaments. Can they overcome India in those conditions ? Doubtful , but one can hope !

 

Everything has been set up by ICC for India to win...... hope the Kiwi's can do it....

 

If they can do the same in the final, bat first and put a big total on the board then scoreboard and crowd pressure may do for India as well.

 

England 466-2 on the first day of the test against Zimbabwe. And it’s not stumps yet. Target has to be the 506 they got on day one of that test in Pakistan.

 

England scored 506 against Pakistan a few years back, the highest score on day one of a test, could be beaten

 

Are Zimbabwe just ****e? Going at well over five an over and four maidens all day.