ICC WORLD CUP 2023 DISCUSSION THREAD!

[Sithara007]

So far, Pakistan are playing bad cricket, and South Africa are almost on the moon and looks like a completely different side. Still, this very same Proteas outfit choked against the Dutch and in the last T-20 WC managed to lose the semis seat to the Pakistani team so anything is possible with these 2 teams.

Pakistan's only hope would be some assistance with the deck to their bowlers where they can trap one of SENA countries. I don't see them winning if their bowlers fail again.  

They don't have a quality spinner and despite repeated failures, they are not going to drop Shadab Khan and Usama Mir. Shaheen Shah Afridi has completely lost his rhythm and there is no one to back him up as Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are also out of form. They may experiment with Mohammad Wasim today, but I am not sure whether he will make a difference. Their batting isn't much better either. Babar Azam has scored a grand total of 157 runs, at an average of 31.40. Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique have runs to their name, but the strike rate is low.

BTW, this tweet sums up the frustration of Pakistani fans:
https://twitter.com/ShortCover_/status/1711690825401250084

[JSRAW]

So far, Pakistan are playing bad cricket, and South Africa are almost on the moon and looks like a completely different side. Still, this very same Proteas outfit choked against the Dutch and in the last T-20 WC managed to lose the semis seat to the Pakistani team so anything is possible with these 2 teams.

Pakistan's only hope would be some assistance with the deck to their bowlers where they can trap one of SENA countries. I don't see them winning if their bowlers fail again.  

They don't have a quality spinner and despite repeated failures, they are not going to drop Shadab Khan and Usama Mir. Shaheen Shah Afridi has completely lost his rhythm and there is no one to back him up as Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are also out of form. They may experiment with Mohammad Wasim today, but I am not sure whether he will make a difference. Their batting isn't much better either. Babar Azam has scored a grand total of 157 runs, at an average of 31.40. Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique have runs to their name, but the strike rate is low.

BTW, this tweet sums up the frustration of Pakistani fans:
https://twitter.com/ShortCover_/status/1711690825401250084

That's one shitty tweet that tells you more about the average Pakistani fan.

Both teams have more or less the same kind of spin attack. SA's spin department went under the radar because of seamers/batters success, let's see how they perform in the middle phase of the inning when they are bowling first and don't have the luxury of a mammoth total.

[Sithara007]

That's one shitty tweet that tells you more about the average Pakistani fan.

Both teams have more or less the same kind of spin attack. SA's spin department went under the radar because of seamers/batters success, let's see how they perform in the middle phase of the inning when they are bowling first and don't have the luxury of a mammoth total.

Once again the South African seamers gave them a good start, with Marco Jansen picking up Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq. Then Mohammad Rizwan was nabbed by the South African find for this tournament, Gerald Coetzee. Now it is up to  the two spinners - Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi to build on their success, with Aiden Markram as the backup. Babar Azam is looking comfortable so far, but Iftikhar Ahmed seems struggling. Now it is going OK for Pakistan, but if they lose one more wicket before they reach 150-160, then it will get difficult for them.

[AirtelBuzz]

That's one shitty tweet that tells you more about the average Pakistani fan.

Both teams have more or less the same kind of spin attack. SA's spin department went under the radar because of seamers/batters success, let's see how they perform in the middle phase of the inning when they are bowling first and don't have the luxury of a mammoth total.

Once again the South African seamers gave them a good start, with Marco Jansen picking up Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq. Then Mohammad Rizwan was nabbed by the South African find for this tournament, Gerald Coetzee. Now it is up to  the two spinners - Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi to build on their success, with Aiden Markram as the backup. Babar Azam is looking comfortable so far, but Iftikhar Ahmed seems struggling. Now it is going OK for Pakistan, but if they lose one more wicket before they reach 150-160, then it will get difficult for them.

Certainly the South African bowlers got off to a good start today as they picked up three wickets for Pakistan for 121 runs.Before the start of the World Cup, Pakistan was not such a shaky team, they played well in every series and won the series.Coming to the World Cup, Pakistan are showing a different form, they seem to be a very weak team.Pakistan's semi-final dreams may already be over after losing to Afghanistan.Expect Pakistan to play well against South Africa today.

[pakhitheboss]

Saud Shakeel's innings was the reason why Pakistan was able to cross 200 runs. The way Pakistan's opening and middle order batted if he had not played so well then Pakistan won't stand where it is now. I was not hoping Pakistan to choose to bat first after they won the toss. I felt they should have bowled first and then chased the target. Now I understand why they choose to bat first, as this team lacks the confidence to chase runs. If South Africa had batted first they might have gone beyond 300 runs which would have been difficult for the Pakistan batter.

[libert19]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

[pakhitheboss]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

271 is the target for RSA to chase and the way this wicket is not turning out it will be easy for their batter to chase. If Pakistan can get an early breakthrough then they would have a chance to win the game. Spinners will again play a crucial role but the question is does Pakistan have enough runs on the scoreboard to defend their target? I am not confident with 270 runs as I feel a target of 300 runs would have given them a good advantage today.

[JSRAW]

Pakistan didn't play their full quota so one would think that Saffa's bowlers did a fine job but i'd argue they were sloppy with their bowling and gave plenty of freebies.

They leaked 19 extra with 11 wides and leggie Shamsi bowling no balls. Seamers bowling no ball is justifiable but for spinners, it's blasphemy and Proteas spinners also have a habit of bowling one dolly per over. They were lucky today because Pakistani batters love to play dot but in the future, this would cost SA too much if they continue to do this against top teams.

From Pakistan's POV, it seems like no batters want to take any responsibility, literally everyone got the start but failed to convert into a big one. One of the reasons the scorecard reads 270 and not 300.   

[synchronym]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

Pakistan get all out for 270 I was hoping that today's match might be that Pakistan can play full overs but bad luck Pakistan can't play full overs again. I think the target of 271 runs is not too big for South Africa. If Pakistan could score 300 plus runs, Pakistan could have won today's match. Pakistan batsmen could not bat very well.  So now Pakistan bowlers should go closer to winning today's match with their good bowling. South Africa's current score is 34 runs for 1 wicket in 3 overs. In the end, it is now to be seen how many runs Pakistan can stop South Africa.

[Jateng]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

Pakistan set a target of 270 runs and all out in just 47th Overs Not a huge, but not a bad total for Pakistan. Babar and Shakeel scored both fifties, cameos from Shadab and Nawaz helped Pakistan reach 270. South Africa aren’t known for good chasing nowadays so much. So the match is not over yet. Marco Jansen took 3 wickets and Gerald Coetzee took 2 wickets showcased their pace bowling brilliance against Pakistan. Tabraiz Shamsi is the pick of the bowlers for South Africa so took 4/60 excellent bowling spell and Restricted Pakistan to 270.

[Sithara007]

South African run rate has dropped after Quinton de Kock got out to the bowling of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen are at the crease and both of them are in poor form. Anyway, it will be better for them to dig in and build a good partnership rather than becoming too adventurous. Getting full 2 points from this match should be a priority for South Africa, rather than maintaining their net run rate. If they lose a couple of quick wickets, then things can really get interesting, as this match is is being played by two teams who have the reputation as chokers.

[cryptoWODL]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

271 is the target for RSA to chase and the way this wicket is not turning out it will be easy for their batter to chase. If Pakistan can get an early breakthrough then they would have a chance to win the game. Spinners will again play a crucial role but the question is does Pakistan have enough runs on the scoreboard to defend their target? I am not confident with 270 runs as I feel a target of 300 runs would have given them a good advantage today.

271 runs is not much in this tournament almost most of the teams are scoring 300 plus runs.Still playing today with South Africa every South African batting is in great form now.Especially their team's Henry Klassen is a very aggressive batsman.After the dismissal of Quinton de Kock, South Africa's run average has also dropped slightly.At the moment, the South African team's collection is 81 runs for 2 wickets.If Pakistan can bowl well today, they may have a chance to win.

[Fuso.hp]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

271 is the target for RSA to chase and the way this wicket is not turning out it will be easy for their batter to chase. If Pakistan can get an early breakthrough then they would have a chance to win the game. Spinners will again play a crucial role but the question is does Pakistan have enough runs on the scoreboard to defend their target? I am not confident with 270 runs as I feel a target of 300 runs would have given them a good advantage today.

271 runs is not much in this tournament almost most of the teams are scoring 300 plus runs.Still playing today with South Africa every South African batting is in great form now.Especially their team's Henry Klassen is a very aggressive batsman.After the dismissal of Quinton de Kock, South Africa's run average has also dropped slightly.At the moment, the South African team's collection is 81 runs for 2 wickets.If Pakistan can bowl well today, they may have a chance to win.

South Africa need just 126 runs to win against Pakistan. Chasing a target of 271 runs, South Africa lost two early wickets. Despite losing two early wickets, South Africa were able to put together a good third-wicket partnership that helped them post 143 runs in 23 overs, although the last two wickets were within a few overs. With six wickets still in hand, it was only a matter of time for South Africa to score 126 runs. Pakistan is going to lose one more match, if Pakistan lose this match then their dream of playing semi-final is over and they won't be able to secure semi-final even if they win all the next matches. Pakistan is not as bad a team as they are in this World Cup tournament.

[vennali]

Surprised that Pakistan managed to get 270 while they were struggling early on with wickets falling consistently up top. Being down 129-4 with not a ton of batting coming up. Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan stabilized the innings and helped Pakistan to a respectable total. South Africa's batting has looked quite solid other than one freak of a game against Netherlands. They look on the money to chase down anything around 300 or above comfortably. Will see if the Pakistani bowlers can finally step up and give their side a much much needed win. I'd still give an advantage to RSA at the 1st innings break.

Edit: My eariler message didnt go through and I just noticed. I guess it still stands. Definitely Advantage RSA now, being up 188/4 in 29 overs. Makram and Miller are the reliable middle order batsmen that would fit into any team in the world right now. Is this curtains for Pakistan's World cup ambitions?

[Shishir99]

South Africa needs 83 more runs from 21 overs. All they need is to wait and keep going and not lose any further wickets. But I believe their batting lineup is strong enough to chase this total down. Pakistan and Bangladesh has the same problem, once they start losing wickets, they could collapse within a couple of overs scoring 20 or 30 runs.

Markram and Miller have to stay to chase this down since the required run rate is too low. So, they don't have to rush on bowler unless they want to improve their NRR. Another bad day for Pakistan cricket.

[Fuso.hp]

South Africa needs 83 more runs from 21 overs. All they need is to wait and keep going and not lose any further wickets. But I believe their batting lineup is strong enough to chase this total down. Pakistan and Bangladesh has the same problem, once they start losing wickets, they could collapse within a couple of overs scoring 20 or 30 runs.

Markram and Miller have to stay to chase this down since the required run rate is too low. So, they don't have to rush on bowler unless they want to improve their NRR. Another bad day for Pakistan cricket.

6 wickets in hand and 66 runs needed to win we don't count the balls because the way South Africa are batting they don't need to count the balls. Aiden Markram may be on course for his third century of the season as he remains unbeaten on 77 runs. A batsman who can patiently score 77 runs will not miss the chance of a century. If Pakistan lose this match, they will lose four matches in a row. Pakistan's game looks like they are playing like Bangladesh for some reason. Just like Bangladesh makes easy matches difficult, Pakistan is making easy matches difficult. Pakistan got only 2 wins in this tournament that too against easy opponents.

[GigaBit]

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

Currently the South Africa team has a current run rate of 6.28 and Required run rate is 3.85 so I think they are now back from the danger zone they were. Now if they stand on the field only to play defensively then they can easily win the match. In the field currently has a good partnership of Aiden Markram and David Miller so victory here is almost certain. Aiden Markram has already scored 77 runs off 76 balls in today's match, hope he doesn't miss a chance to score a century. The team has about 65 runs left to win. South Africa remain top of the points table in this tournament but would have been leading in the points table if they not lost to the Netherlands.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

Currently the South Africa team has a current run rate of 6.28 and Required run rate is 3.85 so I think they are now back from the danger zone they were. Now if they stand on the field only to play defensively then they can easily win the match. In the field currently has a good partnership of Aiden Markram and David Miller so victory here is almost certain. Aiden Markram has already scored 77 runs off 76 balls in today's match, hope he doesn't miss a chance to score a century. The team has about 65 runs left to win. South Africa remain top of the points table in this tournament but would have been leading in the points table if they not lost to the Netherlands.

Fifth wicket down for Proteas but they are still in the safe position to win this game.

Just 47 needed from 80+ balls and one settled batsmen is in the middle then surely the game is finished now and probably the end of Pakistan's hopes too.

If SA deserved to be in 1st place then they should have won a match against Dutch but they didn't so it happens in cricket but regaining from the loss matters/.

[Out of mind]

Pakistan at 267-8, they still have 5 overs left and RR is fine but they don't have any batters left. As long as Nawaz is playing, they have hope 300, which would be a good total against SA.

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

271 is the target for RSA to chase and the way this wicket is not turning out it will be easy for their batter to chase. If Pakistan can get an early breakthrough then they would have a chance to win the game. Spinners will again play a crucial role but the question is does Pakistan have enough runs on the scoreboard to defend their target? I am not confident with 270 runs as I feel a target of 300 runs would have given them a good advantage today.

271 runs is not much in this tournament almost most of the teams are scoring 300 plus runs.Still playing today with South Africa every South African batting is in great form now.Especially their team's Henry Klassen is a very aggressive batsman.After the dismissal of Quinton de Kock, South Africa's run average has also dropped slightly.At the moment, the South African team's collection is 81 runs for 2 wickets.If Pakistan can bowl well today, they may have a chance to win.

South Africa need just 126 runs to win against Pakistan. Chasing a target of 271 runs, South Africa lost two early wickets. Despite losing two early wickets, South Africa were able to put together a good third-wicket partnership that helped them post 143 runs in 23 overs, although the last two wickets were within a few overs. With six wickets still in hand, it was only a matter of time for South Africa to score 126 runs. Pakistan is going to lose one more match, if Pakistan lose this match then their dream of playing semi-final is over and they won't be able to secure semi-final even if they win all the next matches. Pakistan is not as bad a team as they are in this World Cup tournament.

It is true that the way South Africa bat, there is no need to count the balls, they just need a few more runs to win. At the moment Aiden Markram is batting at the crease, and he might end up scoring a century, I believe he will win today's match. Pakistan managed to score good runs today, but with these runs it would never have been possible to beat South Africa. And right now South African batsman Aiden Markram has collected 90 runs, he will soon get out of the field with a century, and he will not miss this opportunity. Also, comparing Pakistan with Bangladesh would be wrong because Pakistan has performed better than Bangladesh. Although Pakistan was not playing well at the moment which is why they are not getting a win against any team and I think South Africa will be difficult to beat against a team like Pakistan.

[Fuso.hp]

I have doubts if SA will win today or not, all their high scores came while batting first, they are such a fail in this tourney when chasing as we saw them against the Netherlands.

Currently the South Africa team has a current run rate of 6.28 and Required run rate is 3.85 so I think they are now back from the danger zone they were. Now if they stand on the field only to play defensively then they can easily win the match. In the field currently has a good partnership of Aiden Markram and David Miller so victory here is almost certain. Aiden Markram has already scored 77 runs off 76 balls in today's match, hope he doesn't miss a chance to score a century. The team has about 65 runs left to win. South Africa remain top of the points table in this tournament but would have been leading in the points table if they not lost to the Netherlands.

Fifth wicket down for Proteas but they are still in the safe position to win this game.

Just 47 needed from 80+ balls and one settled batsmen is in the middle then surely the game is finished now and probably the end of Pakistan's hopes too.

If SA deserved to be in 1st place then they should have won a match against Dutch but they didn't so it happens in cricket but regaining from the loss matters/.

One thing I have noticed from Pakistani bowlers is that they get wickets but they get them at the very end when not getting wickets is the same thing. Against Australia we saw that Pakistan could not dominate the Australian batsmen at first but later they were able to all out Australia when Australia's total crossed 350 plus. South Africa needed just 21 runs to win at this point as Pakistan fell by seven wickets. If Pakistan could have put South Africa under such pressure before 20 to 40 runs then Pakistan would have won this match. Needing 21 runs from 56 balls and three wickets in hand, South Africa are still likely to win this match, but if the Pakistani bowlers can pull off a surprise, this match can be won by Pakistan.