I feel sorry for one so cynical

I think rather than conspiracy, Steven was suggesting it was a poor design option by the architects. One of those

"... wouldn't it be cool if we had windows around the top layer and you'd see sunlight streaming through to make the building feel less overwhelming and monolithic ..."…

So Steve, would you have complained about the shadows if Aussie batted first? My dollar would say that you would be screaming at the TV telling "our" bowlers to use the speckled light on the pitch to their…

Better players? Some, but not all surely.

Better on the night? Definitely. Starc's bowling was superb. Four ducks in our lineup. I'm very disappointed in the result but bloody impressed by the Blackcaps tournament.

There is certainly an advantage in hosting a tournament – ask Australia. But even then, the draw wasn't that friendly. New Zealand had to back up and play a semi-final two days…

Bollocks.

No doubt playing at the MCG helped Australia but the (largely flat and perfect for ODIs) wicket had nothing to do with it. Nor did the wickets in NZ which were also largely flat. No seaming wickets, no uneven bounce anywhere.

Dismissing the performance…

Might have been better if we were.

Lucky we aren't playing on Friday

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…

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…

The Phoenix Foundation got together today and recorded a song for the Black Caps. It's called 'Big Mac'.

That was just weird. Yes, it was a great throw to run him out, but he…

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…

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…

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…

As this writer says "History…

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…

Maybe we'll win on Sunday, maybe we'll go down. But I cannot imagine the Black Caps going down like that.

Meanwhile, 6 Aussies (so far) out caught. Maybe Hayden should have warned them how big the SCG is...

Same thing in Wellington's Civic Square, last time I passed by.

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.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67518823/Australian-Today-show-host-Karl-Stefanovic-sledges-Indian-cricket-fans

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…

Yes, according to Mark Stafford from the TAB, favouritism changed 31 times during the match.

As for Hayden, he's right about the MCG, but never mind. We need a new panto villain. Wayne Barnes is getting old.

If you overlook those beamers he bowled ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4X7vGq8i_o

Not so long ago, critics (including the Australian team)…

Don't think I can ever remember a game that swung back and forth so often – when we were batting it seemed like every over, even every ball,…

From what…

I can't work out if it's because they're tone…

That's good to hear, Stuart. My 15 year old lad adores cricket but is…

That is wonderful. Just magic.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10155334830985368&pnref=story

So now I really want India to win.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/67509456/Aussie-great-Matthew-Hayden-says-massive-MCG-boundaries-will-expose-Black-Caps

Sadly, I said the same thing about the size of the MCG boundary after our semi final win and I hate to be agreeing on anything with that guy.

I don't think anyone would seriously compare the Windies bowlers with the South Africans, on a good day for either team. It's not that their bowlers were bad, last night -…

I was thinking "Meerkat"

That's awesome!

Yes, and McCullum seems to understand the new rules very well. We may not…

It did strike me as strange in that…

Grant Elliot is old. Old enough to have lost the sledging snarl of youth, Old enough to enjoy the game. Old…

Yeah, they got very samey.

Some people seem to object very strongly to to the one-more-playe- in-the-circle thing, but it actually incentivises the taking of wickets as the best…

The whole idea is that you will power on when you have have wickets and overs to spare. And this instance…

That's a bit shit. So there was no B team or B grade?

I could say the same, Missy. Calling me nobody, huh!

Heh. I loved playing cricket through primary & intermediate. I had a major shock when I started secondary school, and suddenly found it treated so seriously.…

I read that as accepting the handshake but too emotionally drained to get up and be the gracious loser ... just yet. I certainly didn't read it as petulant and nothing about the SA team afterwards was anything but shattered and gracious.

It was one of…

I've had the same impression from living in Melbourne for 3 years (I've since returned). Australia looks much more towards the rest of the world than towards NZ, except when there's a reason. Where sport's concerned, they'll get behind whichever Australian…

Yeah, duh. I misread a tweet crediting it back to the discussion (ie: you) and and popped it into the comments while I was working on something else because it was so cool … then realised what the tweet meant …

Nobody reads my posts, do they? Typical.

We'll give Steyn the benefit of the doubt, he was in the line up shaking hands at the end.

On the other hand Elliott might have been getting one last sledge in....
There's a meme of that photo doing the…

I don't think that’s universally true. The great West Indian sides of the 70’s and 80’s commanded…

The disappointment would have been overwhelming.

That photo of Elliott offering a hand to Steyn is interesting, if you watched it live on the telly Steyn petulantly pulls his hand away from Elliott, turns his back and refuses the hand up.

I'm not sure what the playing conditions in…

Having lived in Sydney, I think that's definitely true. And I think the feeling here in NZ is fed by a perception that Australia dismisses and ignores NZ to a degree.

if ya can't get to a…

That was always my take. There’s generally a fondly paternal attitude, a sense that they’re actually pretty glad to have a stable and peaceful (and small) neighbor with similar European heritage, and they seem to…

Yeah Prime changed its frequency a while ago go here to tune your freeview to pick it up

And I live in Oz so will support them unless they play NZ.

Also, lots and lots of Australians were barracking for the Kiwis last night – I had lots of SMSs from Aussie's advising me the score…

Then we heard the roar of the crowd at Eden Park – we live in Morningside – so we just had to switch over to see what…

I wasn't filled with confidence when Vettori walked out and said so. My husband, said,…

My Mrs called him some very, very bad names...

These are the moments fans love about cricket, and often the players we remember most. As my Dad would say…

And his fielding is superb, that one handed catch at the Basin on Saturday against Windies an absolute blinder.…

Yeah, I don't see sledging as 'part of the game' or necessary. It makes something pleasant into something quite unpleasant. I know of a few sports where that kind of behaviour would see you heavily…

Barely comparable! :-)

It is indeed, which is fantastic.

I’m married to an Ozzie. Usually, I support them against anyone else.

My dad was Australian. Half my family is Australian. I understand your…

"Sledging inevitable in Cup semi-final – Faulkner"
http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/854317.html

Two teams who fought as hard as i’ve ever seen on a cricket pitch to…

I am one of those who know about cricket through their kids playing. At primary school it was an inclusive sport through local clubs so all kids could play, girls…

"Grant David Elliott (born 21 March 1979 in Johannesburg) is a New Zealand cricketer god."

Technicalities.

The All Blacks go into world cups with the burden of the expectation of the nation they will be victorious, baring their being undone by unspeakable acts of perfidy by dark combinations or being guilty of…

I'm married to an Ozzie. Usually, I support them against anyone else.

I am not a regular coffee drinker, but for some unknown reason had made a strong plunger last night. You can only imagine what the last half hour did to…

I think the wet ground made the ball…

__There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night —
Ten to make and the match to win —
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.
And it's…

Isn't it cheating to start a day early? Shame on you India.

Not about the telly, but if you're desperate, I've had to watch every game up until now on WatchCric.net. It's not a nice option, low res and full of ads and popups, but it works.

If resetting and auto-tuning didn’t work, it may be that your aerial is bung.

Well, maybe... It picks up the shopping channels just fine, though.

Dude. We support NZ, and anyone playing Australia.

It's never great when a result is affected by weather, and SA had been…

It explodes at about 11pm. Neat! Particularly in India. The end was good timing for India – just as they would have been getting home from work.

It may be somewhat traitorous of me to the region and my…

I've seen Vettori up close, and he's a tall, athletic man. His bowling action is, of course, graceful and balanced. But he bats…

If resetting and auto-tuning didn't work, it may be that your aerial is bung.

Exactly. It was the…

The final will be no trouble now, eh?

(Sadly I was reduced to following it on a ball-by-ball text feed on the internet. I've recently got back from a year in the US, and last…

When he went I thought the chance of victory had gone too.

When Dan came…

I predicted at about 3pm that it would go the last over and somehow Vettori would be there

*He kept mixing up his cricket terminology with his baseball terminology, urging Elliot to do a "walk-off" and "call his shot like Babe Ruth", but that added an extra layer of…

This is a fun visualisation of the #NZvSA hashtag last night. http://trendsmap.com/v/ykNe/w

With 5 overs to go I was resigned to losing in the semifinals for a 7th time.

For the last two overs I was on the edge of my seat, not even wanting to talk.

That has to be the best…