Hard News: How about that cricket, eh?
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More on the graceful Aussie front;
But I love a reader comment on the original story in Sydney Morning Herald
"that was stereotyping, not racist. I checked with a couple indian guys at work, to see if they were offended. They all laughed. And one added that "good luck getting a taxi in melb" as 80% of melb Indian taxi drivers are Punjabi, and as I just learnt, the Punjabi men, are the most fanatical of all indian crick supporters."
So, just don't do what I did last night.
I walked into my local 7/11 to grab some milk, and I said the the owner (who I see all the time) "are you going to watch the cricket tomorrow"
He says "nope, why would I?"
I said "why not, what kind of patriotic supporter are you"
He said "Well, im the sri lankan kind of supporter" Im sri lankin. Not indian. That will be $4.30 please"Kapow!
I learnt a small lesson.
He's a nice guy. He put me in my place. I apologised, and am a little bit better as a person for it.
Aussies eh!? Gotta love 'em.
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Spotted in downtown Auckland today.
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Hmm, Aus 171/1 after 32.3 overs. Could be a very high scoring game.
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Paul Williams, in reply to
If you overlook those beamers he bowled …
I recall that too - I'm persuaded by his immediate reaction as well as the commentators analysis.
Either way, Steve Smith's just scored a tonne... Australia appears to be very strong position in the first innings.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Spotted in downtown Auckland today.
Same thing in Wellington's Civic Square, last time I passed by.
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Simon Chamberlain, in reply to
Fascinating, thanks for that.
Meanwhile, 6 Aussies (so far) out caught. Maybe Hayden should have warned them how big the SCG is...
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From the Twitter account of Kane Williamson, some brilliance. [EDIT: Not Kane Williamson, but still very funny.]
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Well, the second semi-final last night was unfathomable. Australia certainly bowled very well, but the lack of desire and determination shown by India was just weird.
Maybe we'll win on Sunday, maybe we'll go down. But I cannot imagine the Black Caps going down like that.
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George Darroch, in reply to
Australia certainly bowled very well, but the lack of desire and determination shown by India was just weird.
That was a strange and sad spectacle. Over after over of singles and dots. It was as if their strategy was "don't get bowled out", which they did anyway with precious little to show for it.
I went to bed at around over 35, when the required run rate had edged over 10.0 and there was no chance they would even approach the lead. Australia would not allow it.
This is how it is in cricket. In the sports I follow, wins are judged in seconds, sometimes hundreds of a seconds. All the competitors are strong. The score in cricket seems to be the result of ability and psychological voodoo.
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Hayden = typical male, thinking it's all about size. #MCGsobig
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Peter Darlington, in reply to
Well, the second semi-final last night was unfathomable. Australia certainly bowled very well, but the lack of desire and determination shown by India was just weird.
Maybe we'll win on Sunday, maybe we'll go down. But I cannot imagine the Black Caps going down like that.
India were partly strangled out of the match by a very decent bowling performance by Aus, and a relatively large total. Gotta admire the way Aus managed the game from Smith and Finch's batting onwards.
I'm pretty sure we'll lose on Friday. It'll be a combination of the moving away from home advantage, the draining epic of a match last Tuesday and the sheer step up in challenge of facing an in form Aussie side. The victory over them in Auckland will have done them more good than us as well.
But as you say, this Kiwi side knows only one way to play and if we chuck the kitchen sink at them and burn out big time, there'll be no complaints form me. It's been a hell of a ride!
Big ups to PAS's Richard Irvine as well, running social media and comms for the Black Caps. The "Back the Black Caps" campaign has been excellent as we've moved through the tournament.
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Mike O'Connell, in reply to
From the Guardian, Virat Kohli and co caught short as India fail to banish ghost of World Cups past. First time an Asian side hasn't made the finals since 1987. India were beaten at home in the semis that year against Gooch & co.
As this writer says "History does repeat itself, in the most painful ways."
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BenWilson, in reply to
Maybe we’ll win on Sunday, maybe we’ll go down. But I cannot imagine the Black Caps going down like that.
Yup I'd be a lot happier for us to go down like the Windies did to us, rather than how the Indians did to Oz - with a high run rate, so that if anyone does actually survive, it will still be a contest. But of course I don't want us to go down at all.
There's been quite a big difference in our preparation to this match - we've been well tested under high pressure now, whereas India coasted to the final, and the moment their winning formula of annihilating the other team with a bowling attack that takes every wicket didn't pan out, they didn't have an alternate strategy.
I still dare to dream that Oz is beatable. We did, after all, beat them in the pool.
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izogi, in reply to
Maybe we’ll win on Sunday, maybe we’ll go down. But I cannot imagine the Black Caps going down like that.
I think you took the thoughts out of my head from last night. I stayed up to watch, only to see a run-rate of about 10 climbing increasingly higher while they just pushed the ball around for 4 or 5 singles an over, with no apparent urgency to even try to do anything (risky or not). Then to top it off, Dhoni ran himself out in a way that made it look as if he simply didn't want to ruin his 'finishing' record by being not-out in a losing game. It's as if they had no plan to adapt to the situation in front of them, and yet from what I've been reading it's apparently Virat Kohli's fault that the team didn't win, or something.
I think one of NZ's strengths is an ability for the rest of the team to adapt (or at least adjust) when individual performers fail (which will always happen), even if those attempts to adapt sometimes fail miserably. I don't care so much if they lose on Sunday, and hopefully it's at least competitive. More than anything, though, I'd feel very really sad if they simply give up 2/3 of the way through the game, as India seemed to do.
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Pretty much any of the sixes NZ hit at Eden Park the other night would've been sixes at the MCG, too.
Also, if the Aussies are so good at playing on big grounds, why did they only hit four sixes at Eden Park compared to NZ's six ?
It will be a superb game and the intense Trans-Tasman rivalry will motivate NZ no end, let alone that it's a final. Also, it'll probably be Vettori's last game for NZ, so he'll be wanting to give it all and the team for him, too.
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I do understand the modest expectations of kiwi fans, however I am certain there'll be no such modesty in the team. This team are playing the best cricket for at least a decade, they've got three superb bowlers who'd make it into any team, and a top 5 - 6 who've consistently fired in this tournament. They have plenty of momentum and good reason to think they can be the Aussies again.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
but the lack of desire and determination shown by India was just weird.
...perhaps one could make a book on it?
<nudge, nudge> -
Russell Brown, in reply to
Then to top it off, Dhoni ran himself out in a way that made it look as if he simply didn’t want to ruin his ‘finishing’ record by being not-out in a losing game.
That was just weird. Yes, it was a great throw to run him out, but he gave up before the ball even hit the stumps. The earlier run-out of Jadeja was nearly as bad – how on earth in their situation would you not be backing up furiously as the non-striker? Yet he went from a standing start.
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BREAKING!!!
The Phoenix Foundation got together today and recorded a song for the Black Caps. It's called 'Big Mac'.
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Alan Perrott, in reply to
full credit to those fullas - liked the Taylor line.
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Here's the deal. I want NZ to win. 100%.
If John Key heads off to the MCG ("What by-election?") I will want them to win 90%.
If he turns up on the telly at the game, 80%.
If he turns up in the dressing room, 60%.
If he wears one of those silly shirts and catches the ball ... COME ON Australia!
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izogi, in reply to
…perhaps one could make a book on it?
<nudge, nudge>I think I'd give them the benefit of the doubt without more evidence. I'm just still struck by the way in which that innings seemed to unfold. It really was boring to watch, and not because they were trying and failing so much as not seeming to try at all after plan A didn't work. I guess teams have different qualities and personalities but I can't imagine any NZ team, or Australian team, giving up in the way that India seemed to last night, especially with such a crucial result on the line. Or maybe I'm wrong?
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Dave Patrick, in reply to
If John Key heads off to the MCG (“What by-election?”) I will want them to win 90%.
If he turns up on the telly at the game, 80%.
If he turns up in the dressing room, 60%.
If he wears one of those silly shirts and catches the ball … COME ON Australia!
If he gets in to another awkward 3-way handshake on the winner's podium like he did at the Rugby World Cup final, can we just revoke his passport and leave him in Melbourne?
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FWIW, this is quite a good-natured piece on tomorrow's final from an Australian perspective.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
I’m pretty sure we’ll lose on Friday
Lucky we aren't playing on Friday
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