ICC World Twenty20 [18/09 – 7/10] *** Spoilers ***

[Sankari]

LOL India. Not only did they fail to restrict SA, they only won the game by one measly run.

Nope they were knocked out when Pakistan beat the Aussies this morning...it's Paks, Australia, SL and WI's in the semi's

Smart money's on Pakistan, IMHO.

 

[TheCenturion]

Thank god India got knocked out. Test cricket is the priority for them now

T20 is boring and poor, Test cricket is REAL cricket.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

Test cricket is the priority for them now

Wut?

What planet is that on then?

 

[Yas786]

LOL India. Not only did they fail to restrict SA, they only won the game by one measly run.



Smart money's on Pakistan, IMHO.

Dunno about that, we have to get past SL in the semi and they seem to be in pretty good form at the moment.

So far we have been the only t20 team to reach every semi final since the t20 WC has started, not a bad record, just hope we can overcome SL in the semi and then go onto beat either you or WI's in the final.

Personally i have my money on SL winning it and if they do then i wouldnt begrudge them winning the tournament.

Thank god India got knocked out. Test cricket is the priority for them now

T20 is boring and poor, Test cricket is REAL cricket.

LOL would you still be saying that if India went thru to the semi final rather than Pak?? T20 is hardly boring, Test cricket is about as boring as paint drying on the wall...only time i ever pay any attention to Test cricket is when the Ashes are on or when Pak is playing..even then i find it a bore compared to the T20's.

 

[TheCenturion]

LOL would you still be saying that if India went thru to the semi final rather than Pak?? T20 is hardly boring, Test cricket is about as boring as paint drying on the wall...only time i ever pay any attention to Test cricket is when the Ashes are on or when Pak is playing..even then i find it a bore compared to the T20's.

I hate T20 cricket. Test cricket is awesome, because it's about real skill. The true skills of a team are on show in Test cricket, not in T20 cricket.

 

[Craterloads]

I hate T20 cricket. Test cricket is awesome, because it's about real skill. The true skills of a team are on show in Test cricket, not in T20 cricket.

Convenient timing for these statements

Pak have a nak of beating the Srilankan's, but on home turf i'd have to give the edge to Srilanka.

Australia, to me were not trying too hard today, seems they were content with just getting the run rate sorted. I suspect we would have a tougher game against them in the final, if we get there.

Hope west indies beat the aussies, if gayle clicks then its certainly a possibility.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

The true skills of a team are on show in Test cricket, not in T20 cricket.

Ah yeah, India can concentrate on getting back to number one, yeah?

Like **** they will

 

[Intratech]

Lots of India fans MAD right now. I don't understand Indian Cricket fans at all, when the Windies lose they don't hesitate to bring it up and take the mick but when India lose and you do the same they get all ******off. Can't wait until tomorrow to wind up a few.

 

[TheCenturion]

Convenient timing for these statements

Nah mate, check previous cricket threads. My hatred for T20 is no secret. In fact, check the first reply to this thread.

Crap format, crap tournament

Ah yeah, India can concentrate on getting back to number one, yeah?

Like **** they will

I ****ing hope they try hard in Tests now. None of this T20 or IPL BS. The IPL sucks, it's boring and fans don't realise what a **** deal they're getting.

 

[ringo747]

So far this series I have probably watched about 2 innings. There really is no appeal at all for this format. Hopefully it all fades out but I can't see that happening.

 

[TheCenturion]

So far this series I have probably watched about 2 innings. There really is no appeal at all for this format. Hopefully it all fades out but I can't see that happening.

I guess in a way it epitomises life. These days, people are interested only in the result, and not in the journey. People want a quick fix. Things like weightloss pills and T20 cricket provide them with the quick fix.

I guess people's impatience and narrow mindedness is damaging cricket

 

[e36Adz]

Test cricket is real cricket and is the true measure of skill definitely, but T20 has it's place and I would hate to see it go. Did you watch the WI vs NZ game the other day? Match tied, super over, Gayle walking to the crease, it's just pure entertainment. You are guaranteed to see boundaries cleared and wickets flying, it is a quick fix yes but it's enjoyable!

Anyway, well done to the most unpredictable team - Pakistan for being yet again being unpredictable and thumping what was looking like an unstoppable Aussie team, Watson is a beast but we tamed him today. Pakistan are the most consistent team in T20 World Cups reaching at least the semi finals every time, who would have thought that? Consistency isn't a word that comes to mind when describing the Pak cricket team.

Pak vs WI Final would be awesome.

 

[TheCenturion]

Yes but in T20 cricket, the quality of cricket just isn't there. Quality>Entertainment

This is one of my favourite cricket videos, I watch it a lot. Nothing like this will EVER be possible in T20 cricket.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

Of course the quality of the cricket is there in T20, what a ridiculous thing to say. The consistent top batters, bowlers and fielders all use proper cricket techniques. Slogging/slapping the ball will only get you so far and average bowling will be easily exposed.

I used to think that T20 was just a fad but I've now realised that it definitely has its place. It's influencing other forms of the game too, there are far more variations in bowling now, there are also more unorthodox batting shots appearing and some fantastic fielding - I'm not sure how much of this is purely down to T20 but it has had an impact. It'll never replace test because you simply can't compare the two.

I find it funny that you (especially considering how well you know the India team) seem to think that the Indians will concentrate on test matches. This is the nation that has the IPL, the nation that only became test number 1 because it played most of the tests at home (against poor quality teams) and a nation that prefers to reduce the number of tests played in any cricket series that they play - not to mention a corrupt board which is only interested in making money...

Wake up dude

 

[TheCenturion]

Of course the quality of the cricket is there in T20, what a ridiculous thing to say. The consistent top batters, bowlers and fielders all use proper cricket techniques. Slogging/slapping the ball will only get you so far and average bowling will be easily exposed.

A test batsman needs to be a 'complete' player. He needs to be able to play in all conditions, against all types of bowlers and play a variety of shots. Also in Tests, the skills of patience, endurance, stamina, fitness are important. In T20, a batsman needs to be able to clear the fence, by hitting the ball clean and long. The quality required of Test batsmen is far greater than T20. Yes, there is a certain quality required of T20, but I'd say it's far easier to achieve than Test quality.

Onto the bowling. I think T20 is very detrimental towards bowlers. If you look at T20 pitches, and compare them to Test pitches, in general there's very little assistance for bowlers on T20 wickets. They're quite flat and designed for big shots to please the crowd. Not only that, but in T20 a bowler can bowl 4 overs. 4 measly overs, that's insane.

I can think of many many Test players who've adapted their game for T20, I can't really think of anyone who went the other way.

I used to think that T20 was just a fad but I've now realised that it definitely has its place. It's influencing other forms of the game too, there are far more variations in bowling now, there are also more unorthodox batting shots appearing and some fantastic fielding - I'm not sure how much of this is purely down to T20 but it has had an impact. It'll never replace test because you simply can't compare the two.

I'm not saying T20 doesn't have its place, but I feel that it's just a crowd pleaser. As long as the crowds are happy, T20 is a doing a good job. What do the crowds like? They enjoy seeing the ball go in the air, they enjoy big shots. So that's what T20 is designed to give them.

I agree that T20 has had a positive impact on fielding because teams now realise that saving 5-10 runs in the field can heavily impact the match. This has trickled into ODI cricket and Test cricket where fielding standards have improved a lot (England's been crap in the field recently though )

The increase in bowling variations is a good and bad thing. It's obvious why it's good, but maybe not why it's bad. The Indian off spinner Ashwin has had a tremendous start to his Test career. In a couple of innings though, you can see that he's been trying too many variations. He was trying every over to bowl his carrom ball, to bowl a top spinner etc. In the recent test series against New Zealand though, he was unbelievable. He found the right line and length, flighted and span the ball well. His variations were used sparingly, as I think they should be. As a result he took 12/85 in the first test, and I can't remember what he took in the second. That's just one example.

Harsha Bhogle recently made a good point. He said that Zaheer Khan bowls these beautiful deliveries in Test matches that the best of batsmen struggle to deal with. Yet, he can come on and bowl in a T20 match and have some domestic player that no one knows whack him for six. Why do you think this is?

If you had to play a crap team against a good team. Eg: Afghanistan/Zimbabwe versus a top team like South Africa, in which format do you think the match would be the most competitive, and which do you think it would be most one sided?

I find it funny that you (especially considering how well you know the India team) seem to think that the Indians will concentrate on test matches. This is the nation that has the IPL, the nation that only became test number 1 because it played most of the tests at home (against poor quality teams) and a nation that prefers to reduce the number of tests played in any cricket series that they play - not to mention a corrupt board which is only interested in making money...

Wake up dude

Don't get me started on the IPL. That's a whole other thing. It's a ridiculous tournament, and its only positive is that it makes a LOT of money, because the ignorant masses lap it up.

I think I made my point badly. When I said that Test cricket was now the priority, I meant that India's next series is a 4-Test series against England, there is no limited overs cricket for India for a few months (thank god!).

And actually, think of certain players. Ishant Sharma plays almost no limited overs cricket for India, so he can be fit for Tests. He had ankle surgery so he could tour Australia and miss the IPL. Cheteshwahar Pujara, fantastic player and is in exactly the same mold as Dravid, a true classical test batsman.

You're wrong about why India became number 1 in Tests. Of course they are strong at home (that is no bad thing at all), but that alone can NEVER get any team to number 1. Look at India's away performances in the lead up to their number 1 ranking. At the turn of the millennium they became much better away from home. They won in England, New Zealand and the Windies, and drew in places like South Africa and Australia. And as for beating poor Teams at home, they beat England and Australia at home and drew with South Africa. Not exactly poor teams, are they?

India does not reduce the number of Tests it plays. If you look at the rankings currently, India has played the 3rd most amount of Tests, 2nd most ODIs and 4th LEAST T20 matches.

I just think that T20 removes all the intricacies that made me and millions of others fall in love with cricket. Instead it's a few sixes here and there and 3 hours later the match is over.

I hope you read this, I spent ages typing it

 

[GarethSouthgate]

I hope you read this, I spent ages typing it

Lol, I did read it all Too much info to quote separately so I'll state that I do agree with majority of it

 

[TheCenturion]

You agree with most of it? But that was all me countering the points you made

What don't you agree with?

 

[Hamster]

Pak 113/7. 27 needed from 14 balls. Tight one this!! Another super over?!!

 

[Yas786]

Meh game over, Paks again showing utter ineptness with their batting...absolutely no clue as to how to bat against SL :/ Typical rubbish performance from Paks as usual.

Losing stupid wickets at silly times has cost them the game.

Got my money on SL to win it this year, they look pretty strong bowling and batting wise.

 

[Hamster]

Nice death bowling from SL. Oh well, at least like India the Pakistanis don't have to travel that far to get home

Great day for the SL supporters winning against Pakistan at home!!