World Cup 2015 Thread

News/Comment on the 2015 Cricket World Cup Thread:

 

England squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

 

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has withdrawn from Pakistan's World Cup squad as his bowling action is yet to be cleared by the International Cricket Council.

 

Cricket World Cup 2015 squad lists
AFGHANISTAN
Afsar Zazai (wk), Aftab Alam, Asghar Stanekzai, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Javed Ahmadi, Merwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Nawroz Mangal, Samiullah Shinwari, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.
AUSTRALIA
George Bailey, Michael Clarke (capt), Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.
Injured Clarke named in Australia squad
BANGLADESH
Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Arafat Sunny, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
ENGLAND
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan (capt), Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.
Ballance recalled by England
Morgan replaces Cook as captain
INDIA
Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Akshar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
Yuvraj left out of India squad
IRELAND
Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wk), William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig Young.
Ireland name unchanged squad
NEW ZEALAND
Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi (wkt), Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.
New Zealand recall all-rounder Elliott
PAKISTAN
Ahmed Shehzad, Ehsan Adil, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Khan, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Younus Khan.
Misbah to retire from ODIs after World Cup
SCOTLAND
Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer (vice-capt), Freddie Coleman, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Hamish Gardiner, Majid Haq, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen (capt), Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw.
Mommsen to captain Scotland
SOUTH AFRICA
Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers (capt & wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.
SRI LANKA
Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga (subject to fitness), Angelo Mathews (capt), Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Sachithra Senanayake, Lahiru Thirimanne.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Shahzad, Khurram Khan, Krishna Karate, Manjula Guruge, Mohammed Tauqir (capt), Muhammad Naveed, Nasir Aziz, Roshan Mustafa, Saqlain Haider, Shaiman Anwar, Swapnil Patil.
WEST INDIES
Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder (capt), Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.
Gayle accuses West Indies of 'victimisation'
Holder replaces Bravo as skipper
ZIMBABWE
Regis Chakabva (wk), Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura (capt), Craig Ervine, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Solomon Mire, Tawanda Mupariwa, Tinashe Panyangara, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor (wk), Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.
Teams were required to name a 30-man provisional squad before finalising a 15-strong squad for the competition by 7 January. Injured players can only be replaced with special dispensation from the International Cricket Council.

 

Latest World Cup Betting:

Australia 11-4
South Africa 4-1
India 4-1
New Zealand 7-1
Sri Lanka 7-1
England 10-1
Pakistan 10-1
West Indies 12-1
Bangladesh 100-1
Ireland 200-1
Zimbabwe 200-1
Afghanistan 500-1

Surely England are far too short at 10-1? I would have them at around 16-1
I backed Australia about a month ago (at 11-4 then so no movement in that price)

 

England batsman Gary Ballance has suffered a fractured finger in Australia but is expected to be fit for the World Cup. There will not be an additional batsman called into the squad for the on-going tri series.
Ballance sustained the injury - to his right little finger - during fielding practice in Canberra where England played their two warm-up matches.

 

Group stage
Pool A: England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Afghanistan (Qualifier 2), Scotland (Qualifier 3)
Pool B: South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland (Qualifier 1), UAE (Qualifier 4)

 

February
14 Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Christchurch (22:00 GMT, 13 Feb)
14 England v Australia, Melbourne (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
15 South Africa v Zimbabwe, Hamilton (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
15 India v Pakistan, Adelaide (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
16 West Indies v Ireland, Nelson (22:00 GMT, 15 Feb)
17 New Zealand v Scotland, Dunedin (22:00 GMT, 16 Feb)
18 Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Canberra (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
19 Zimbabwe v UAE, Nelson (22:00 GMT, 18 Feb)
20 England v New Zealand, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
21 Pakistan v West Indies, Christchurch (22:00 GMT, 20 Feb)
21 Australia v Bangladesh, Brisbane (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
22 Sri Lanka v Afghanistan, Dunedin (22:00 GMT, 21 Feb)
22 South Africa v India, Melbourne (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
23 England v Scotland, Christchurch (22:00 GMT, 22 Feb)
24 West Indies v Zimbabwe, Canberra (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
25 Ireland v UAE, Brisbane (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
26 Afghanistan v Scotland, Dunedin (22:00 GMT, 25 Feb)
26 Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Melbourne (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
27 South Africa v West Indies, Sydney (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
28 India v UAE, Perth (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
28 Australia v New Zealand, Auckland (d/n) (06:30 GMT)
March
1 England v Sri Lanka, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (22:00 GMT, 28 Feb)
1 Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Brisbane (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
3 South Africa v Ireland, Canberra (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
4 Pakistan v UAE, Napier (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
4 Australia v Afghanistan, Perth (d/n) (06:30 GMT)
5 Bangladesh v Scotland, Nelson (22:00 GMT, 4 Mar)
6 India v West Indies, Perth (d/n) (06:30 GMT)
7 South Africa v Pakistan, Auckland (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
7 Zimbabwe v Ireland, Hobart (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
8 New Zealand v Afghanistan, Napier (22:00 GMT, 7 Mar)
8 Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
9 England v Bangladesh, Adelaide (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
10 India v Ireland, Hamilton (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
11 Sri Lanka v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
12 South Africa v UAE, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
13 Bangladesh v New Zealand, Hamilton (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
13 England v Afghanistan, Sydney (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
14 India v Zimbabwe, Auckland (d/n) (01:00 GMT)
14 Australia v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
15 West Indies v UAE, Napier (22:00 GMT, 14 Mar)
15 Pakistan v Ireland, Adelaide (d/n) (03:30 GMT)
Quarter-finals
18 Quarter-final 1, Sydney (03:30 GMT)
19 Quarter-final 2, Melbourne (03:30 GMT)
20 Quarter-final 3, Adelaide (03:30 GMT)
21 Quarter-final 4, Wellington (01:00 GMT)
Semi-finals
24 Semi-final 1, Auckland (01:00 GMT)
26 Semi-final 2, Sydney (03:30 GMT)
Final
29 Final, Melbourne (05:30 BST)
NB All knock-out matches have reserve days. Fixtures and start times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made

 

West Indies' worries ahead of World Cup 2015 have intensified with their premier spinner Sunil Narine deciding to pull out of the squad. Mystery spinner Narine decided to give himself more time to work on his bowling action, which was reported as suspect in successive matches during last year's Champions League T20 where Narine represented Kolkata Knight

 

Pool A: England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland - my thoughts:

England - in my opinion poor leadership from the ECB has meant that England are still in transition in a World Cup year - they have only had 4 years to plan!! Let's be honest they are unlikely to win, but I can see them being a dangerous side and can beat anyone on their day. The recent warm-up games have gone quite well, and I expect them to make the QF's and might even get to the semi.
Australia - favourites for the tournament and smhbcfc's bet (I took 11-4). The side is backed with players that can win games on their own, and I especially like the Warner/Finch opening partnership. However the weight of expectation for the home team could make things difficult, and there are rumours of problems with Michael Clarke coming back into the team if his is fit (surely he must play if fit??)
Sri Lanka - well beaten in New Zealand and I think may struggle on quick bouncy wickets. I think likely to sneak into the QF's in 4th.
New Zealand - real contenders for me. They have a good captain backed up by excellent one-day batters and a bowling wicket that's taking wickets in all forms of the game. Usually excellent in the field as well. This is a good side and should easily qualify from the Group.
Bangladesh - the team most likely to hurt the "Big 4", but unlikely to so on these wickets. However if someone like Tamin has a good day, then they can win.
Afghanistan - the stronger of the 2 qualifiers for whom success would be win 2 games
Scotland - will look to win their first WC match - enough said! Seriously though it's all about continued development.

Prediction - Australia to win the Group with NZ second. England to qualify third and Sri Lanka getting the last spot.

 

ENGLAND will benefit from the conditions. Pace and bounce in the wicket helps both the batsmen and bowlers - and we won't get undone by mystery spin. But are we really good enough? We don't have enough explosive batsmen. If Bell gets a big score, then 300 is possible, but otherwise we nudge and prod the ball around for 180-200 off 40 overs, then hope Buttler can get us to 275+, which won't be enough against the best sides. And although Anderson and Finn are good bowlers in these conditions, if they don't get wickets early, they finish up as cannon-fodder like the rest. Q-F at best.

AUSTRALIA have such batting firepower that they can set or chase down huge totals. I'm not sure their bowling is good enough to contain other big hitting sides and if they get Gayle or McCullum or de Villiers on a good day in a knockout game, it could be all over. Favourites though.

SRI LANKA have some class players with bat and ball and have a chance, but the conditions, I agree, are not ideal for them and limit their bowling options.

NEW ZEALAND won't win games consistently, but if they get through to the knockout stages, they can beat anyone on their day. They have hitters capable of chasing down any total.

THE REST are making up the numbers - but one of them will probably beat England!

 

Pool B: South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE - my thoughts:

South Africa - favourites to win the group and the most likely to upset Australia. A side packed with talent in every department. Here's a stat for you - South Africa have scored 25 centuries in the last 30 ODI's!
India - a dreadful tour of Australia so far with key players struggling in the conditions. They have match winners in their sife and will be capable of beating anyone. They will qualify from this group, but I can't see them be consistent enough to win it
Pakistan - as usual with Pakistan anything could happen!! I can't help thinking that the loss of Saeed Ajmal is going to hurt them
West Indies - amazingly they are going into a World Cup without Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine. If they were all available I would fancy them to get to the semi's. Chris Gayle can win matches from the top of the order on his own, and perhaps all the problems may galvanise them?
Zimbabwe - not good enough to beat any of the Big 4
Ireland - have upset big teams in the past (England for one) and would be happy if they won 2 games
UAE - rank outsiders

Prediction - South Africa to easily win the group, but then harder to predict. I'm going for Pakistan, India and West Indies in that order.

 

Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the World Cup after failing a fitness test. Junaid had already pulled out of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand due to a thigh injury sustained in training. Pakistan will announce a replacement in their 15-man squad shortly.

 

Ben Stokes hit 151 off 86 balls (15 sixes) for England Lions today.

He's been left out of the England World Cup squad because England are awash with players who can do this

 

Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez has been ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury, dealing another blow to the team's preparations.
The 34-year-old veteran of 155 one-day internationals has been replaced by left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed, 25.

 

India pacer Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the 2015 World Cup due to a knee injury and will return to India. Mohit Sharma, who was travelling in Australia with the team, was named Ishant's replacement after the World Cup's Event Technical Committee approved the change

 

Morgan needs to make some use of the all-rounders in the bowling giving him more options at the death i.e. not having to bowl 10 overs from a quick who is leaking runs.

 

Excessive sledging at the World Cup will see players fined or banned as part of an International Cricket Council "crackdown" on poor behaviour.

 

Yes, especiaily Bopara - taking pace off the ball

 

Bopara - one of our more consistent performers dropped for Balance who hasn't played any cricket recently, who makes these decisions? They need shooting.