The Cricket thread

[stephenite]

Is there any suggestion that this might have been anything other than natural causes....

Fox Sports News here in Oz said that the Daily Mirror was running with a story about alcohol and perscription drug overdose, sadly. The Pakastanis have been on the streets burning effigys and in India the home of their wicket keeper was broken into and destroyed apparently, lunatics take thier cricket seriously obviously.

[Canalman]

Terribly sad news. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

[true ulster gael]

nothing like a lot of west brits jumping on a bandwagon

[ONeill]

Zimbabwe could put an immediate spanner in the works.

They batted their 50 overs on 202-5
At the min, Windies are 102-2 after 24.3 overs.

[ClosetotheHarte]

I'm anything but a cricket lover but that win over Pakistan definitely caught my attention at the weekend. Had anybody here actually believed it could happen before the game.
It was amusing to see a fairly large crowd of Irish fans (dressed in green for St Paddys Day) celebrating afterwards - at the Cricket World Cup!!! It looked surreal.
Can Ireland realistically expect to win another game? Is there any hope against the W Indies or is that the fairytale over?
I'm not going to become a Cricket fan or anything but I might just check out Ireland's next game!

[Star Spangler]

The main difference from here on in is that nobody is going to underestimate Ireland after the Pakistan game.  In the run up to the competition all the talk was that associate teams like Ireland shouldn't be allowed in the competition because they were so poor - nobody in their wildest dreams (or nightmares) would expect to lose to a team like Ireland.  That'll make things a lot more difficult now.

[Star Spangler]

I read an article on the amount of sponsorship that's involved with some of the teams and it makes the Ireland situation look even more remarkable.  Here's a quote;

The story is something similar for Ireland, which packed Pakistan off from the World Cup. Bank of Ireland had renewed its contract as the lead sponsor of the team in December '05. According to international reports, this was done for about £250,000 (Rs 2.1 crore) for a two-year period with the option to extend the sponsorship deal.

Given that Ireland has moved to the next round, the bank would get better mileage than its own projections.

Stack these against the Indian team's four-year sponsorship deal with Air Sahara for a staggering $70 million (Rs 314 crore). Of course, this may be like comparing apples with oranges, but the fact is—at least in this World Cup—David has bested Goliath.

[gerrykeegan]

Odds from The Paddypower website. Ireland will struggle having to play Australia, England and the West Indies, all on the same day, all at the same time!




World Cup Coupon
Start Match    Home Away 
20th Mar 2007
13:00 Kenya v New Zealand   
Sky Sports Interactive
  13 - 2    1 - 16    4 More bets Top Kenya Runscorer
Top New Zealand Runscorer
Highest Opening Partnership
Highest Score - 1st 15 Overs

13:00 Scotland v South Africa   
Sky Sports 1
  25 - 1    1 - 250    3 More bets Top Scotland Runscorer
Top South Africa Runscorer
Highest Opening Partnership

21st Mar 2007
13:00 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka   
Sky Sports Interactive
  9 - 2    1 - 8     
13:00 Pakistan v Zimbabwe   
Sky Sports 1
  1 - 7    4 - 1     
22nd Mar 2007
13:00 Canada v New Zealand    20 - 1    1 - 200     
13:00 Holland v Scotland    4 - 6    11 - 10     
23rd Mar 2007
13:00 Sri Lanka v India    8 - 11    evens     
14:00 West Indies v Ireland    1 - 25    8 - 1     
14:00 Ireland v Australia    14 - 1    1 - 100     
14:00 Ireland v England    6 - 1    1 - 12   

[Billys Boots]

That'll be a serious drain on resources alright Gerry. 

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Only just got back to the thread after the weekend.

Getting text updates through the day on Saturday from home - there were a few taxi drivers the other night - couldn't wait to get us out of the taxi - and there's a few lads in the office today keeping their head low.

Roll on Friday now for a match with the hosts.

[magpie seanie]

Had everyone I know that could possibly have been watching it tormented with texts and phone calls on Saturday (was drinking in the 'diggers - no telly!). Unbelievable. A lad I know (former Sligo player and one time contributer to this forum I believe) was on Sky Sports News telling us how it was "providence"!!!!! Gas.

[ONeill]

Ireland relying on Pakistan

IRELAND must rely on Pakistan, the team they beat in Saturday's World Cup clash in Jamaica, if they are to confirm their place in the next stage of the competition before their final group game on Friday.

Pakistan have beaten Zimbabwe 30 times in 34 meetings but this is hardly a normal week. They are out of the World Cup, their coach has died and their captain has announced his retirement from one-day internationals.

But, the Ireland squad still have faith in Pakistan turning up and doing themselves justice against the Africans tomorrow.

"They will still want to do well because they are using the match as a tribute to Bob Woolmer and it would look even worse if they lost all three World Cup matches," said Boyd Rankin, Ireland's in-form pace bowler.

"They will be going out to try and put on a good performance and hopefully by Wednesday we will be in the Super Eights. I think we deserve it."

And for Ireland it is then onward and upward with a game against England lined up for Guyana on Friday week, to start their bonus month of World Cup action, and Rankin dares to dream.

"It will be an unbelievable experience playing against all the top sides. I'm just looking forward to it. Hopefully everything goes to plan."

For Rankin, it could not have gone much better. The giant Bready pace man has taken a year out from his degree course to take part in Ireland's mammoth winter and he now feels part of the first-team set-up.

"Apart from a few extras in the last match against Pakistan it has gone very well," he says. "I have felt good since the start of January in South Africa and although I didn't get much chance in Kenya, the overs I got under my belt in Abu Dhabi gave me the confidence to perform here in West Indies.

"Against Zimbabwe, I thought I was unlucky but was happy enough and then against Pakistan I got the early wicket." Not any old wicket but the prize scalp of Younis Khan, for a duck. At the time you don't really think about who you are bowling at but it has started to sink in now, just how important it was."

"I'm just looking forward to bowling to all the big names at the World Cup. I daren't even think of the batsmen at the other end," added Rankin.
It promises to be one big name after another, but Ireland are ready.

http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000040/004094.shtml

[ONeill]

An Post has a free post address for anyone wishing to send good wishes to the Ireland team in Jamaica:

Irish Cricket Team,
PO Box 2007,
Dublin 1

The letters etc will then be redirected to the Team's hotel.

Right lads, I'll write her. Who'll post her?

[Hound]

The police have announced that Bob Woolmer's death is now being treated as "suspicious".

According to BBC 5 Live this morning, that means its very likely that its either murder or suicide.

Shocking, but thats what I'd thought it would be. Stephenite mentioned rumours about alcohol and perscription drug overdose

[Guillem2]

There is speculation in Pakistan that illegal bookies could be involved. Cricket is big business in the India & Pakistan.