Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

With the CWC not many months away I'm going to work through the likely teams based on selection outside of Asia in the past two years (though some sides, particularly Australia remain uncertain).

This thread is for any CWC thoughts.

First England.

Bairstow
Roy
Root
Morgan
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen
Willey
Plunkett
Rashid
Wood

Chris Woakes should play (ahead of Willey or Wood) but he has actually only featured in six home ODIs in two years (Ball has played in 11).

Also played in the last twelve months in UK and non-Asian conditions: Hales, Overton, S.Curran, Vince, Billings, T. Curran.

I think the important thing for England is being flexible with that batting line up. With Hales on the sidelines, England need to be ruthless with any of that top 7 who arent showing form early in the tournament.

Wood averaged 60 at virtually a run a ball last year. Surely there is no way he is going to make it. He's a flop in international cricket, he's lost a yard of pace, he's hardly this nasty, aggressive wicket threat pace bowler that he is billed continually as. Not sure why they continue to pick him, but he has the capacity to lose England a game. Bowls a really hit me length too much of the time.

Surely that have to play Woakes? Ball has also proved to be absolutely useless in international cricket.

Very good thread, Arthur.

To start, Indian selectors have Dhoni as certain starter which spoils the whole team balance. Unless he shows dramatic turnaround of form, I don't see how we can even compete. Unless Rohit smashes two more double tons, Shikhar and Virat score few tons each I don't know how we will compensate for a very poor middle order.
Selection blunders will cost us this WC.

This is India's side based on selection in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa. Maybe not favourites for the WC this time, but we'll be expecting them to be in the semis. And they do have three of the best ODI players in history in the side.

Dhawan
Rohit
Kohli
Rahane
Iyer
Dhoni
Hardik Pandya
Chahal
Bhuve
Kuldeep
Bumrah

Also played: Raina, Shardul Thakur, Karthik, Kaul, Umesh Yadav, Rahul.

Others to play at home and elsewhere in Asia in the last year: Ambati Rayadu (who has played a lot), Jadhav, Jadeja, Pant, Chahar, Manish Pandey, Khaleel Ahmed, Shami.

If we accept that England are probably favourites (it feels weird to say, but given their number 1 ODI status, their incredible run of form being unbeaten in bilateral series over the last two years, and the fact that they are the hosts, it's hard to argue otherwise), then surely India are second favourites.

As you say, they have three all-time greats in the side, including one of the best orchestrators of a run chase in history and one of the best finishers, and their bowling attack is also very good. They are definitely capable of beating England, and I think that anything short of a final for India will be a disappointment.

That said, the format of this tournament is such that any team who gets to the knockouts will be capable of winning. Any of England, India, South Africa, New Zealand or Pakistan are easily capable of getting on a two-match roll with the talent they have, if they can make it that far (I don't favour Pakistan to make the knockouts, as they're probably not consistent enough over 9 games, but history shows us never to write them off in any tournament). Australia are currently in the doldrums in ODIs, but with Smith and Warner back, and the bowling they have available, you can't write them off either.

India have sprayed a lot of caps around in recent times (like Australia) yet they do have a familiar looking side. The eleven I named as their most chosen players outside Asia actually was the team that played together in SA. Their spinners will be useful in the format (don't forget that England have been producing flat pitches for their own batters which won't help average pacemen).

I prefer SA or NZ for the final though.

NZ have actually put together a pretty formidable ODI side despite, at least in home conditions. They're definitely going to be highly competitive in England.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:This is India's side based on selection in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa. Maybe not favourites for the WC this time, but we'll be expecting them to be in the semis. And they do have three of the best ODI players in history in the side.

Dhawan
Rohit
Kohli
Rahane
Iyer
Dhoni
Hardik Pandya
Chahal
Bhuve
Kuldeep
Bumrah

Also played: Raina, Shardul Thakur, Karthik, Kaul, Umesh Yadav, Rahul.

Others to play at home and elsewhere in Asia in the last year: Ambati Rayadu (who has played a lot), Jadhav, Jadeja, Pant, Chahar, Manish Pandey, Khaleel Ahmed, Shami.

I can't see how Pant is not in that team or is he keeping his 6 hitting for Tests? Dhoni would be better behind the stumps but his average this year is 20.00 s/r 71.42 from 20 games.

Can't see them leaving out the Dhoni though. Pant could play as a batter, but so far he's only played three ODIs, all against WI at home. I'm just picking on selection indicators.

I know he made a dead rubber hundred in England in Tests, but he had a poor series overall with bat and gloves. Different game in ODIs of course.

Blimey, the new Aussie kit is absolutely hideous.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... i-finisher

That seems like a throw back to when i was a kid watching the game.

It just goes from bad to worse........

Nothing wrong with a retro kit, but that one...is...well....

For some reason when i see that Kit i think of AB......

Perhaps they are trying to inspire the team with that..........

Its almost if Corporate Australia are trying to turn people against cricket.....

Dhoni does not deserves a place in ODI team and most of Indian fans even including his die hard fans are of this opinion However, we have history of letting some ex superstars a long rope regarding retirement. He will play in WC unless injured.

India has a very poor middle order including Dhoni and as a result of that I don't think we are favourites. The chief selector MSK Prasad seems to be a pupett. I doubt a international Indian selector will not see some obvious selection blunders which even arm chair Indian fans are seeing.

Dhoni playing a typically (of recent times) eccentric innings tonight.