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

I fancy Afghanistan could cause at least one upset. New Zealand at Taunton and England at Old Trafford might both be vulnerable if the pitches are typical.

I think the West Indies might be more of a force to be reckoned with than we would have thought a month ago.

I suppose while Gayle is in they can win any game.

Their pace attack is a real threat too, and with Lewis, Campbell, Hope and Hetmyer all there... and Holder knocking about they have a good side.

ianp1970 wrote:

Arthur Crabtree wrote:This thread is for any CWC thoughts.

First England.

Bairstow
Roy
Root
Morgan
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen
Willey
Plunkett
Rashid
Wood

I have a sneaky feeling the starting XI will be:

Bairstow
Roy
Root
Morgan
Stokes
Buttler
Moeen
Woakes
Plunkett
Rashid
Archer

Bayliss: Archer to get a chance in the summer.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... nother-day

Now a look at the popular Kiwi XI based on selection outside Asia in the last two years.

Munro
Guptill
Williamson
Taylor
Nicholl
Latham
Santner
Neesham
Southee
Boult
Ferguson

Henry and de Grandhomme are strong possibilities, and Sodhi might get a game.

They have one of the more settled sides in the game.

Third favourites behind England and India?

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Third favourites behind England and India?

To me, there is a big step downwards from 1-2 in the world, to 3rd. New Zealand occupy that spot, but there isnt much between the pack on the way down. Do New Zealand have the raw power to seem them to the trophy? Almost certainly not. You would think that they will have to stare down some big scores in the knockouts, I cant see them continually chasing them, even if they in an isolated case they might be able to. Tactically, they seem to be of a bygone era. A slogging pitch hitter at the top, who isnt there for the match winning big innings, but to make up for the middle order. The middle order has 3-4 odd players in it that have low 80s SRs. It seems almost like a team from the 1999 world cup or 2003; hit out in the powerplay at the start, keep wickets intact, bring in the lower order power hitters to finish.... wicket taking new ballers around pace off medium pace/spinners.

Their hopes pretty much lie in Martin Guptil for me. Guptil is a player who, when he is on form and confident, is a bruising hitter who can score big..... the problem is, he is completely the opposite when he isnt on form. He fumbles around batting out endless overs doing nothing. If Guptil has an off day, he leaves so much for 3-6 who arent big hitters generally. They need him to have a good tournament.

I guess there is still question marks about Munro; hes among the best T20 players on the planet, but has flopped in ODIs. Id just tell him to go out there and pretend its a T20, rather than holding himself slightly back..... the amount of 100s/50s he scores in T20, youd probably take an exact replica of his T20 career, and that would be a boost for the team.

Only 2 knockout games SP - possibly a third in a final group match to make the semis...

Could then benefit from favourable conditions and/or pitch in the first, then bat first in the second.

The hardest team to pin down is South Africa who have tried 30 players in the last year and three months, and have given four debut caps even as the WC looms into view as defections have speeded up change. Consequently a team based on appearances is likely to be misleading. But here we go.

de Kock
R.Hendricks
Markram
Amla
du Plessis
Miller
Duminy
Phehlukwayo
Rabada
Pretorius
Tahir

Dale Steyn will figure. The new players are Nortje, Olivier (already gone), B Hendricks and vd Dussen. Klaasen and Ngidi have played quite a bit.

It's automatic to assume SA will go out in the semis, but maybe that will be beyond them this time as they coalesce around a group of players either past their best, or very inexperienced.

New Zealand squad

Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Tom Blundell, Ish Sodhi, Colin Munro

Looks weaker than last time. Still good though. Experienced, apart from the uncapped Blundell. Maybe Boult is the best ODI pace bowler around?

Im happy seeing Blundell in there, much better keeper than the injured Seifert, and can strike the ball too....Sodhi over Astle was always gonna happen...Yes Sodhi is hopeless with the bat, but a big spinner of the ball and has performed well over the past 12-18 months for NZ

West Indies have named allrounder Andre Russell, who has played just one ODI since 2015, in their preliminary squad for the World Cup, but there was no room for Kieron Pollard or Marlon Samuels. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel returns, two years since his last ODI, while Evin Lewis and Kemar Roach were included having sat out the recent series against England with injury.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... misses-out

West Indies preliminary World Cup squad: Jason Holder (capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas

Pakistan taking on Kent today in a warm up

Pak batted first and racked up 358-7 Imad smacked 117* off 78 balls! Half centirues for Fakhar and Sohail too

In reply Kent struggling 16-2 after 9!