Well. The Final.
I’m not one for previews, as I think the hype of these things gets too much. Too many people getting far too carried away, with silly press, silly angles and me being world class Mr Grumpy.
I want New Zealand to win. It’s anti-big three, the Aussies need something like this in their own back yard to go spectacularly wrong (with apologies to my Aussie mates), and well, the Black Caps appear to be nice guys playing above themselves.
But the Aussies are going to win. Just feel it in my bones. They needed to be got shot of before the Final for me, and they never really looked like being defeated in the knockout phase.
Comments as and when. I’ll be on, I’m sure, in the morning. Good luck New Zealand.
Being Outside Cricket 
Good luck New Zealand. I think most cricket fans outside Australia will be supporting New Zealand. I hope they have not peaked too soon. Beating Australia at the MCG would be a fantastic achievement.
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Evening Mr Grumpy!!! I don’t think so.NZ to win.😁😁😁😁
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I have not been anti-Australian in cricket for what seems a long time now. I have always liked Michael Clarke, and he’s probably been in my top five favourite world batsmen since the Ashes series of 2009. I was also unashamedly delighted by Mitchell Johnson’s renaissance, especially after English writers started trying to belittle what he achieved in 2013/14 (I mean, imagine if Saint Jimmy ever took 37 wickets in a series and then went to SA and took another 12 in one match…).
But, I confess, I am *desperate* for New Zealand to win tonight. I will be supporting them more keenly than I have supported England in any match since the India tour of late 2012. Yes, I want to see the first World Cup winner from outside the Big Three since 1996. Yes, I want the ECB to be deeply embarrassed by the fact that we would only see the “World champions” twice on our shores in at least twelve years while boring everyone senseless with Australia and India overkill. But, politics aside, I just love what they’ve done in this tournament, and I don’t want McCullum to end up as just another Lance Klusener.
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Australia are going to win aren’t they? Bastards. It’s not even like they’re particularly evil (a bit evil), just that they’re…..well them. And they’re going to win.
Bugger. Come on New Zealand makes us smile.
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McCullum bowled third ball! Lovely swinging yorker from Starc. Pitch map of Starc’s dismissals in the WC shows he has only taken two wickets with short balls.
NZ won plenty of games in the run-up to the tournament without McCullum contributing. Time for Williamson and Taylor to step up. Guptill overtaken Sangakkara as tournament top scorer with top-edged hooked six over the keeper – these small boundaries…..
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NZ ten over score: 31-1. Just a little under their tournament average of 77.
McCullum’s average innings in the competition has been 19 balls. NZ have been used to batting for long periods without him.
Very difficult to know what’s a good score here. Guptill being bowled second ball by Maxwell hasn’t helped getting there whatever it is.
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guptill just out now . Talor hits first ball for four
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NZ 39 for 3. Not looking good.
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Elliott given LBW sweeping at Maxwell but overturned on review. Would have been 66-4.
Horrible decision by Dharmasena – the ball was barely hitting a fourth stump.
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Decent rebuilding job going on with Elliott and Taylor. In our office pool I had 540 runs combined for final. 270 would be a decent target to set from here, I think
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Interview with Srini! The tournament is great! The ICC are great! Incomprehensible nonsense on the associates! Harsha Bhogle not exactly Paxman – or Pat Murphy.
‘1984’ was nothing like this.
And Giles Clarke (with Wally Edwards) a few overs later!
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If anyone was wondering what Uncle Giles said, he wasn’t asked about the associates by our intrepid interviewer. Instead he was asked about his favourite part of the WC which, after remembering not to say TV revenue, he said was the work of all the volunteers. He likes free labour does our Giles.
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Too bad you can’t put cricketers on a tour for $500 these days Giles. Or get rid of the 90% superfluous support staff. Just look at the “revenue” generating potential of these ideas Giles. Indentured servitude.
Come to think of it, it seems to resemble England somewhat, with several players playing through injury, no matter how severe they are (Prior, Broad) …
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Oh and Srini is one odious individual, but we all know that.
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F*©&¡^? #%[[%©&s!
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See above.
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PP disaster for NZ. Taylor out to the first ball (very good catch by Haddin). Anderson bowled second ball. Ronchi caught at slip in the next over.
Incredibly it could have been worse – Elliott would have been run out by two yards if a throw had hit the stumps.
72 years of experience at the crease for NZ now. C’mon Dan!
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“I don’t want to be writing NZ off” says Bhogle as he does just that.
Tubs points out NZ have scored more than Australia managed last time they batted against NZ.
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As Han Solo said after hearing that guttural noise in the garbage…
It’s worse.
Vettori out.
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The ball that bowled Vettori swung 28cm according to ball-tracker. Last ten overs 7/33. Brilliant run out from Maxwell to end it.
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Joy: Dave Richardson on TMS during the interval. TMS asked for suggested questions on Twitter. Guess what happened next…
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Agnew will be doing the interview. He’s already asked for questions on “issues other than the associates” and stated that Richardson has “quite a record of being open and honest”.
So this sounds promising, eh?
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Those remarks by Agnew have pissed Nick Sharland (the man behind the 10-team petition) off.
Richardson hasn’t arrived yet. Fifteen minutes to the restart…
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Dave Richardson seems to have morphed into Greame Smith
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And…. they’ve given up on Dave.
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By the way, Agnew’s explanation of Richardson’s no-show:
He must have got lost on the way because the MCG is so big.
Anyway, enough of that: the next two hours sound like they might be better than the last two!
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Apparently I went for a shower and missed Dave!
Check Nick Sharland’s tweets for a couple of absolute A1, 24-carat Richardson PEARLERS though.
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Pretty sure Aus are going to win at this point.
Have to say that the inevitability reminds me that ODIs would be much better as 2×25 (so 4 innings) matches. Would even out some of the toss/pitch/lights vagaries. There’d be more intrigue because if you bowl well at first you still have to think about how you bat, rather than (as will be in this case) coasting to a win because you know you have enough time to play like Alastair Cook and still win.
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Graeme Smith says “why would England not pick Kevin Pietersen” when asked by Agnew.
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one down! Come on NZ!
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Ain’t happening, is it?
50-1 already.
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Matt Henry comes on. Warne talks up how Warner is going to slaughter him. Warner mishooks to deep square leg. Warne puts it down to “extra bounce and zip under the lights”.
Something must be done.
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Heavy bails need banning, not big bats.
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Good stat from Brian Lara – Australia’s average age is 27 which makes them the youngest team of the four Semi-Finalists. Wasn’t inexperience one of our excuses?
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I went to the loo and Guptil got out. I made a cup of tea and Taylor got out. When the Aussie innings started I began making lots of cups of tea but now I can’t watch because I’m in the loo all the time. Even more disappointingly, neither tactic, one deliberate,one forced, has worked.
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Tut tut! It seems to me that both teams have missed a trick in not studying the stats about the length of the boundaries and subsequent field placings, and the fact that the slow ball bouncer gets the highest % of wickets???
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I’ve forgotten that I predicted the Aussies to win on here, not that it was an outlandish prediction, nor was it based on any sentiment. I would have loved to have seen the Kiwis do it but the likes of Smith and Johnson, who had quiet tournaments up to the knock-out stages have come to the party. Way more depth with the bat than other sides with the likes of Maxwell and Faulkner able to kill sides off from lower down the order (or up if Aussies show flexibility and decide to promote them). Perhaps the only thing they truly had missing was a spinner, but that is less relevant in Australia and even then Maxwell did ok when he was given overs despite only giving notional revs.
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Second worst final in the history of the World Cup?
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Not if your an Aussie.
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England V Windies, England V Australia and England V Pakistan were all much worse
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You bet they were
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The 1987 final takes second place in my “most heartbreaking England matches since 1981”.
No, the winner is not Adelaide 2006, because I was in hospital and not following cricket.
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I’ll take a punt on this one as your most heartbreaking (although the match that preceded this has a strong claim as well):
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63528.html
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You obviously know me far too well after all these years BTL.
Notwithstanding a huge fondness for the 2-2 draws in 95 and 03, and the 2-1 win in SA in 04-05, that 89-90 series is still my third favourite after 2005 and 1981. It’s also why I have no patience at all with anyone who argues we only won in 05 because McGrath stood on a ball. Basically this always sounds like someone with no sense of history, who never truly experienced the contrasting emotions of a series like 89-90. There are way too many variables in a proper full-blooded Test series, and 89-90 proves it like almost no other I lived through.
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1999 also followed an all-time classic semi-final that KO’d SA. #parallels
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A defeat that ranks highly with me is the WC match against Australia in 2003.# Andy bloody Bichel.
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One of the other key moments in the 1987 final (apart from Gatting’s famous reverse sweep) was when a certain Paul Downton threw his wicket away with a pre-meditated a slog down the ground. also off Alan Border, straight to long off. Reminded me a bit of some of the worst of KP, although of course that KP didn’t do that in the final he played in!
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I was thinking of the 1999 final as the worst. Pak elected to bat, got bowled out cheaply, and Australia chased the target down in 21 overs, for the loss of just two wickets. None of the other finals were that one-sided.
1987 may have been quite frustrating for England supporters, but the game got decided at the end of the game.
Australia just won.
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Sorry that should have been Pakistan.
I still have to get used to “Paki” being okay online when talking to Pakistanis who don’t reside in the UK (they use it themselves), but not okay in England. No offense intended of course.
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An anzac squib of a match, winners are the seagulls! So, ECB, where is our pace attack for the summer? or will be full of midpaced droppings?
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I wouldn’t worry. Our Chairman of Selectors, James Whitaker, is in full control of the situation.
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Pigeon droppings more like.
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Cue Clarke MotM ahead of a Mitchell…
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Surprised you were wrong, even more surprised at Faulkner! It should have been Starc for the defining ball of the match in the first over…
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‘in his first over’
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I love Brendan McCullum. What a great interview. The man is a prince.
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Disappointing but not really surprising. Australia just had more depth in both batting and bowling.
Interesting aspect to me is in a sport where we are constantly told by the pundits that the bowlers have no chance with the big bats, and the short boundarys, and the field restrictions, it was the best bowling attack that has won the completion. And New Zealand’s opening bowlers have also been right up there.
Once again the folly of England thinking is revealed in how effective the Yorker is. How many times have we been told it is not a good ball for the modern era? I bet the great Pakisan bowlers would have a field day in today’s climate.,Stark has proved that.
As we saw in the last ashes, great fast bowling is still very effective. England needs to try and find some guys who can learn how to do it. I don’t think the ECB is looking in the right place. I doubt they will find them in places like Bedford school. Better, quicker pitches may help as well.
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Brendon McCullum is a true sportsman with class that so many cricketers are sadly lacking😇😇😇
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Oh no not really. Our Mr Cook is number one cricketer in the world don’t you know. Mr Clownton, said so, don’t you know. LOL
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LCL still out on ‘Freedom’ ? 😉
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I think the only appropriate response to that match, for a variety of reasons, is . . .
Bugger.
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I concur! Period.
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I would have been happy to see NZ win, but I actually like this Aust team. I’m impressed with the way they turn players who are potentially quite good into absolutely top notch world class performers. I didn’t think Starc had it in him to be more than an also ran with the odd good performance. Didn’t think anything would come of Smith. And Maxwell for all the nonsense surrounding him doesn’t seem to have too many tickets on himself.
The game was up after the first over, really. Starc was happy that their “plan” for B McC worked. Good plan too, by the looks of it — bowl a couple of unplayable deliveries to set him up for the 90 mph inswinging yorker.
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“Risk averse” runs through everything England Cricket is like a stick of Blackpool rock! “Have a bloody go mate!” seems to be the Aussie mantra?
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Why can’t England produce a McCullum?
I’m looking for his Tweets criticising the dismissals to pushes and prods and strangely can’t seem to find them…..
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There is positive and negative and there is you Aggers
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Congratulations Australia. But you only won because Alastair Cook wasn’t there to provide leadership for England. 🙂
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Australia look even more of a juggernaut than ever. Can’t see why this team shouldn’t play the Ashes. For the sake of shoehorning a spinner in, or Rogers, why change things? Seriously, they look like they are playing with twelve men, not the ropey ten that England seem to think are sufficient.
Never want to be in a world where Brendon McCullum ain’t swinging from the hip right from the off. Go stick it up yer jacksie, Aggers.
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Can’t believe the Aggers tweet, what an idiot. I bet if McCullum had come off in the final. Say 50 odd off of 18, Aggers would have been the first to comment on how great his ‘controlled aggression’ is or how he perfectly treads the line between ‘positivity and recklessness’. I loathe lazy tweeting like that, especially from a so-called journalist.
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We had a gunslinger. He was called Ali Brown. He scored a century in his 3rd ODI. Held our fastest ODI 50 for ages. Made domestic double tons in limited overs cricket. He never played a test. He rarely played ODI after his debut.
I’m not saying he was the answer in any way, but Brown was always told what he couldn’t do, rather than what he could. Whenever he failed, he was called out. Alex Hales is this generation’s Ali Brown.
The reason for this, of course, is that Aggers attitude. He’s by no means alone. When England learn to embrace the likes of Brown, Hales et al and forgive their failures, and still think in terms of Ballance, Bell and Cook, we might have a way forward.
Of course, that’s hoping for too much. We are a conservative (with a small c) bunch and that attitude doesn’t work. It’s all hard work, discipline and conforming.
I am alive, Bogfather. Doing something else today…
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Evening LCL! Good points. I was young and naive to the ways of cricketing management when Brown first came on the scene. I remember him scoring a massive double hundred and being selected to play in the Texaco trophy (think they were the ODIs at the time). As I said I was young and could not understand why he was so quickly jettisoned by England, my view was simple, surely you wanted this guy playing for England, as when he came off he would win the match. Still think he should have played more internationally.
I think you could put Trescothick into the group you mention. Played some amazing innings, remember the test century (180 odd or more) in Joburg circa 2004 which along with Hoggy secured an unlikely last day victory. Yet all the press ever banged on about was lack of footwork and no centuries against Australia. Fortunately Fletcher saw what he could do, not what he could not do…….oh for a coach in that mould.
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Same goes for any number of sportsmen Matt le Tissier, Glenn Hoddle, Danny Cipriani. It’s a national disease. What we like most, of course, is destroying these talents by asking them to deliver the impossible, to give them one chance, ideally for half a game,before discarding them for failing to deliver.
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Preview of the forthcoming Test series from Tony Cozier:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/856715.html
Generally a thoughtful piece but the “mediocre” comment from Graves gets some attention. If it starts to go pear-shaped in the West Indies, who’ll be the first Cultist to start wielding it as their excuse?
(Not saying it was a particularly clever comment by Graves though).
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Don’t you just love the picture in that piece of Cook who looks like he is wearing a Google glass unit.
He looks like a complete pillock. Perhaps Moores can stream instructions to him.
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