ICC Men's Cricket World Cup
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Paitoo
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If Heinrich Klaasen plays like he did against Australia 4 weeks back......I hope Timba Pakistan ko pel dega.
Maula Jatt
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That incompetent ugly fat midget Jay Shah messed it up tbh
I am not even going to bring up other countries
2011 WC itself was MILES ahead of WC 2023
Actually had a opening and closing ceremony
Wasn't this politicized
Legendary official WC anthem
Fans in every single WC game
Close encounters (Ireland vs England)
All time boring WC has to be 2007
baajey
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bhai jaan tab halaat kuchh waise they.....vs sl
Archie
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NZ vs SA Final loading
Its all going to be about who chokes first in the final
NZ will beat India in Semi Final 1, while SA will beat Eng in Semi final 2
Aus will finish 5th
Pak will finish 6th
BD will finish 7th
SL will finish 8th
Afg and NED will fight each other for 9TH PLACE
Lets see how well this prediction goes
All BETS ARE WELCOME
Its all going to be about who chokes first in the final
NZ will beat India in Semi Final 1, while SA will beat Eng in Semi final 2
Aus will finish 5th
Pak will finish 6th
BD will finish 7th
SL will finish 8th
Afg and NED will fight each other for 9TH PLACE
Lets see how well this prediction goes
All BETS ARE WELCOME
ghazi52
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October 13, 2023
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday said the team remains confident going into a “massive” World Cup clash with arch-rivals Pakistan at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The two powerhouses renew their rivalry on Saturday at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, named after the Indian Prime Minister.
Favourites India have won their two opening matches of the 50-over showpiece event to get past five-time winners Australia and then Afghanistan.
Rohit said the team has momentum after they won the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and then beat Australia in a three-match series.
“Rhythm is very important. If you look at it in other terms, it is called momentum,” Rohit told reporters on the eve of the hotly-anticipated match.
“We have played seven or eight matches in India and before that in Sri Lanka and here too we played two matches of the World Cup.”
He added: “The bowlers have shown very good performances. Whether it is spinners or seamers, whenever they have got a chance to put pressure on the batsmen, they have done so. All the batsmen have scored runs.”
Tournament favourites India beat Australia by six wickets and then hammered Afghanistan by eight wickets riding on Rohit’s record seventh World Cup century on Wednesday.
India also enjoy an unbeaten record against Pakistan in seven World Cup meetings but Rohit doesn’t read too much into it.
“I am not a person who looks into all those kind of stats. We’ve got to play good cricket on that particular day to win the game and that is what we will be focusing on,” said Rohit.
“And how we are going to play good cricket, which is understanding the conditions, what is required from the team’s perspective and things like that.”
Rohit, who had earlier spoken about shutting out the outside noise for the big game, said the team’s focus remains on playing a quality opposition.
“Like I said many times before, in the context of it, yes, it’s a massive game. But for us, what is important is, we are playing an opposition tomorrow, which will be quality,” he said.
“So, we’ve just got to come against a quality opposition and play good cricket, which we’ve done in the last two games. And hopefully we can again show some consistency in our performance.”
India crushed Pakistan by 228 runs in the Asia Cup Super Four contest — their last ODI meeting — in Colombo last month.
But Rohit said there will be no “psychological advantage” against a side who have also won their first two matches in the World Cup.
“As I said, we should not pay too much attention to what is already over, he said.
“We should pay attention to the fresh day, the fresh opposition. Both the teams will start evenly. I don’t think there is a favourite or an underdog. “
Rohit says India in nice ‘rhythm’ ahead of Pakistan clash
AFPOctober 13, 2023
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday said the team remains confident going into a “massive” World Cup clash with arch-rivals Pakistan at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The two powerhouses renew their rivalry on Saturday at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, named after the Indian Prime Minister.
Favourites India have won their two opening matches of the 50-over showpiece event to get past five-time winners Australia and then Afghanistan.
Rohit said the team has momentum after they won the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and then beat Australia in a three-match series.
“Rhythm is very important. If you look at it in other terms, it is called momentum,” Rohit told reporters on the eve of the hotly-anticipated match.
“We have played seven or eight matches in India and before that in Sri Lanka and here too we played two matches of the World Cup.”
He added: “The bowlers have shown very good performances. Whether it is spinners or seamers, whenever they have got a chance to put pressure on the batsmen, they have done so. All the batsmen have scored runs.”
Tournament favourites India beat Australia by six wickets and then hammered Afghanistan by eight wickets riding on Rohit’s record seventh World Cup century on Wednesday.
India also enjoy an unbeaten record against Pakistan in seven World Cup meetings but Rohit doesn’t read too much into it.
“I am not a person who looks into all those kind of stats. We’ve got to play good cricket on that particular day to win the game and that is what we will be focusing on,” said Rohit.
“And how we are going to play good cricket, which is understanding the conditions, what is required from the team’s perspective and things like that.”
Pakistan ‘quality’
With Pakistan fans still awaiting visas to travel to India, the huge stadium is expecting a capacity home crowd for the key contest.Rohit, who had earlier spoken about shutting out the outside noise for the big game, said the team’s focus remains on playing a quality opposition.
“Like I said many times before, in the context of it, yes, it’s a massive game. But for us, what is important is, we are playing an opposition tomorrow, which will be quality,” he said.
“So, we’ve just got to come against a quality opposition and play good cricket, which we’ve done in the last two games. And hopefully we can again show some consistency in our performance.”
India crushed Pakistan by 228 runs in the Asia Cup Super Four contest — their last ODI meeting — in Colombo last month.
But Rohit said there will be no “psychological advantage” against a side who have also won their first two matches in the World Cup.
“As I said, we should not pay too much attention to what is already over, he said.
“We should pay attention to the fresh day, the fresh opposition. Both the teams will start evenly. I don’t think there is a favourite or an underdog. “
ghazi52
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SPORTS
October 13, 2023
AHMEDABAD: Defiant Pakistan captain Babar Azam declared Friday that “records are meant to be broken” as his team looks to break free of India’s World Cup stranglehold when the bitter rivals clash on Saturday.
India boast a 7-0 record over their neighbours in World Cups despite Pakistan having a healthy 73-56 overall advantage since their first one-day international clash back in 1978.
“I don’t focus on the past,” said Babar Azam on Friday. “Let’s focus on the thing to come as we know records are meant to be broken.”
“We will try to play well and it all depends on how you play on the day, just like we did in the first two matches,” added the skipper whose side have two wins from two at the World Cup after seeing off the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Babar Azam said he has told his players that Saturday’s clash inside the 132,000-capacity Ahmedabad stadium is a “golden opportunity” to write their names into World Cup folklore.
“The India-Pakistan match is a big game, high intensity. Every such game is challenging,” added Babar Azam, a survivor of the 2019 World Cup clash in Manchester which India won by 89 runs.
“I have told (the players) it’s the best opportunity to perform. It is a big stadium that can accommodate many fans, it’s a golden opportunity for us to perform in front of these fans.”
Under Babar Azam, Pakistan broke a Twenty20 World Cup sequence of five defeats (from 2007 to 2016) against India with a 10-wicket rout at Dubai in 2021.
“Didn’t we break the Twenty20 record? I am not worried about the past.”
Babar Azam also shrugged off the prospect of having virtually all of the 132,000 spectators screaming support for India with no Pakistan fans having been successful in securing visas to cross the border.
“It’s not pressure,” said Babar Azam. “We have played at big stadiums like at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).
“But, yes, all the support, I think, in Ahmedabad will be for India. It would have been better had Pakistan fans been allowed.
“But I expect fans will also support us as well.”
Pakistan fans from around the world have faced visa glitches due to strained relations between the two countries, who have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2007.
Pakistan did tour India for limited-over matches in 2012 but that did not revive full tours which stalled in the wake of the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
Babar Azam admitted conditions in Ahmedabad are different from those at Hyderabad where Pakistan played two warm-up matches and their first two World Cup games.
“Yes, the conditions here are different,” said Babar Azam whose team beat the Netherlands by 81 runs and Sri Lanka by six wickets.
“You are better off at a venue where you have spent a few days but we will adapt.”
Babar Azam admitted Pakistan will look for wickets from pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi who has yet to fully fire at the tournament.
Shaheen Afridi has just two wickets from two matches at a cost of 113 runs.
“He is our main bowler. Shaheen Afridi himself has a belief that he is a big match bowler,” said the captain.
SPORTS
‘Records meant to be broken’: Babar Azam shrugs off India stranglehold
AFPOctober 13, 2023
AHMEDABAD: Defiant Pakistan captain Babar Azam declared Friday that “records are meant to be broken” as his team looks to break free of India’s World Cup stranglehold when the bitter rivals clash on Saturday.
India boast a 7-0 record over their neighbours in World Cups despite Pakistan having a healthy 73-56 overall advantage since their first one-day international clash back in 1978.
“I don’t focus on the past,” said Babar Azam on Friday. “Let’s focus on the thing to come as we know records are meant to be broken.”
“We will try to play well and it all depends on how you play on the day, just like we did in the first two matches,” added the skipper whose side have two wins from two at the World Cup after seeing off the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Babar Azam said he has told his players that Saturday’s clash inside the 132,000-capacity Ahmedabad stadium is a “golden opportunity” to write their names into World Cup folklore.
“The India-Pakistan match is a big game, high intensity. Every such game is challenging,” added Babar Azam, a survivor of the 2019 World Cup clash in Manchester which India won by 89 runs.
“I have told (the players) it’s the best opportunity to perform. It is a big stadium that can accommodate many fans, it’s a golden opportunity for us to perform in front of these fans.”
Under Babar Azam, Pakistan broke a Twenty20 World Cup sequence of five defeats (from 2007 to 2016) against India with a 10-wicket rout at Dubai in 2021.
“Didn’t we break the Twenty20 record? I am not worried about the past.”
Babar Azam also shrugged off the prospect of having virtually all of the 132,000 spectators screaming support for India with no Pakistan fans having been successful in securing visas to cross the border.
“It’s not pressure,” said Babar Azam. “We have played at big stadiums like at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).
“But, yes, all the support, I think, in Ahmedabad will be for India. It would have been better had Pakistan fans been allowed.
“But I expect fans will also support us as well.”
Pakistan fans from around the world have faced visa glitches due to strained relations between the two countries, who have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2007.
Pakistan did tour India for limited-over matches in 2012 but that did not revive full tours which stalled in the wake of the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
Babar Azam admitted conditions in Ahmedabad are different from those at Hyderabad where Pakistan played two warm-up matches and their first two World Cup games.
“Yes, the conditions here are different,” said Babar Azam whose team beat the Netherlands by 81 runs and Sri Lanka by six wickets.
“You are better off at a venue where you have spent a few days but we will adapt.”
Babar Azam admitted Pakistan will look for wickets from pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi who has yet to fully fire at the tournament.
Shaheen Afridi has just two wickets from two matches at a cost of 113 runs.
“He is our main bowler. Shaheen Afridi himself has a belief that he is a big match bowler,” said the captain.
ghazi52
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Match preview ,,,
Shashank Kishore
13-Oct-2023
It turned out to be the match of the tournament, and perhaps for many of the fans, their lives. As people made a beeline for the exit at 3am, more than 30 hours after the match was scheduled to have begun, several were still revelling in the festivities that followed that emotional roller-coaster of a final.
Ahmedabad was the epicentre of Indian cricket that night, and the promise of a similar occasion, perhaps even grander, later in the year for a match they were all sure would be held in Ahmedabad, excited them.
That grand occasion is nearly here.
On Saturday, Ahmedabad won't just be the epicentre of Indian cricket, but world cricket, with 132,000 people - a decent chunk being celebrities, industrialists, politicians, friends of politicians and, of course, cricket administrators - congregating at what they say is the world's biggest cricket stadium to witness a match that makes the cricket economy - bilateral non-relations notwithstanding.
Welcome to instalment eight of India vs Pakistan at men's 50-over World Cups. Depending on whether you plan to sport blue or green on the day, you probably feel like gloating over that unmatched record or need no reminding of the duck you hope will become "ek-saath". In literal terms, that means "together" - like administrators from both sides who spar at boardrooms and in the media will be - but in this cricketing context, it refers to the scoreline that Pakistani fans, and the players, will hope for at the end of the night: 1-7.
Pakistan have spent two weeks in Hyderabad, and are among the teams that will travel the least at this World Cup. Whether by design or accident, that should be a blessing in disguise, for a game of this magnitude will need plenty of recovering from anyway. And in a twisted sort of way, perhaps, the Pakistan players will have it a tad easier, in that at least they won't need to be juggling match passes for long lists of friends and family - due to all the visa issues.
It's the kind of game that can take up mind space for days, if not longer. Sachin Tendulkar, for example, revealed that Centurion, and nothing else, was on his mind for over a month, until the sides met on that memorable day in March 2003, because he was reminded of it wherever he went and by whomever he met - from those on room-service duty to the fans to the media. MS Dhoni, whose hotel room was apparently never shut while on tour, decided he needed to make an exception ahead of the 2011 Mohali semi-final.
In a nutshell that's the essence of India vs Pakistan.
Pakistan WWLWW
Welcome to India vs Pakistan at the World Cup
The head-to-head, of course, has India leading 7-0. Pakistan will be very keen to end that jinxShashank Kishore
13-Oct-2023
Big Picture - Can the teams shut out the noise?
There was thunder and lightning. Rain that began as a passing shower turned into a deluge, sending people scurrying for cover to preserve - guess what? - their physical match ticket so that they could return the next day to watch a game of cricket, the IPL final no less.It turned out to be the match of the tournament, and perhaps for many of the fans, their lives. As people made a beeline for the exit at 3am, more than 30 hours after the match was scheduled to have begun, several were still revelling in the festivities that followed that emotional roller-coaster of a final.
Ahmedabad was the epicentre of Indian cricket that night, and the promise of a similar occasion, perhaps even grander, later in the year for a match they were all sure would be held in Ahmedabad, excited them.
That grand occasion is nearly here.
On Saturday, Ahmedabad won't just be the epicentre of Indian cricket, but world cricket, with 132,000 people - a decent chunk being celebrities, industrialists, politicians, friends of politicians and, of course, cricket administrators - congregating at what they say is the world's biggest cricket stadium to witness a match that makes the cricket economy - bilateral non-relations notwithstanding.
Welcome to instalment eight of India vs Pakistan at men's 50-over World Cups. Depending on whether you plan to sport blue or green on the day, you probably feel like gloating over that unmatched record or need no reminding of the duck you hope will become "ek-saath". In literal terms, that means "together" - like administrators from both sides who spar at boardrooms and in the media will be - but in this cricketing context, it refers to the scoreline that Pakistani fans, and the players, will hope for at the end of the night: 1-7.
Pakistan have spent two weeks in Hyderabad, and are among the teams that will travel the least at this World Cup. Whether by design or accident, that should be a blessing in disguise, for a game of this magnitude will need plenty of recovering from anyway. And in a twisted sort of way, perhaps, the Pakistan players will have it a tad easier, in that at least they won't need to be juggling match passes for long lists of friends and family - due to all the visa issues.
It's the kind of game that can take up mind space for days, if not longer. Sachin Tendulkar, for example, revealed that Centurion, and nothing else, was on his mind for over a month, until the sides met on that memorable day in March 2003, because he was reminded of it wherever he went and by whomever he met - from those on room-service duty to the fans to the media. MS Dhoni, whose hotel room was apparently never shut while on tour, decided he needed to make an exception ahead of the 2011 Mohali semi-final.
In a nutshell that's the essence of India vs Pakistan.
Form guide
India WWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)Pakistan WWLWW
ghazi52
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Abdullah Shafique would not have been playing had Fakhar Zaman shown a semblance of form in the lead-up to the tournament. But, on World Cup debut, his century and his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan helped put together a record chase against Sri Lanka. Expectations are bound to rise, but he seems level-headed enough to deal with the attention that may come his way. Saturday will be a test of that.
Shubman Gill, who missed India's first two games with dengue, has recovered well enough to have a 99% chance of playing the game. He had had a net session immediately upon arrival in Ahmedabad, where he joined up with the rest of the team after a spell away to recover. If that 1% comes into play and Gill doesn't feature on Saturday, it's likely Ishan Kishan will continue to open. Only last month, Kishan counter-punched to make an 81-ball 82 against Pakistan in Pallekele, so there's enough recent evidence of his being quite ready to face an attack of this quality.
It can also be quite tempting to play Mohammed Shami, given his IPL record here. Also, pacers have bowled a bigger percentage of overs than spinners (59.8% versus 40.2%) and have more wickets (38 to spin's 23) in ODIs here since 2021. But the team management leans towards having some batting cushion at No. 8, which none of their frontline pacers provide. So, for now, it could be another opportunity for Shardul Thakur.
India:
1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Abdullah Shafique's century would have Pakistan feeling good about their opening combination•ICC
Pakistan have little reason to change a combination that worked wonders for them against Sri Lanka. There's just a one small concern. While Hasan Ali picked up four wickets, he did get taken for plenty. If they are looking for a change, there's Mohammad Wasim waiting in the wings.
Pakistan:
1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Ifthikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Hasan Ali/Mohammad Wasim, 11 Haris Rauf
Babar Azam on Pakistan's winless run against India in ODI World Cups
"All the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. It can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheers, the noise in the ground. The boys really enjoy it."
In the spotlight: Jasprit Bumrah and Abdullah Shafique
Jasprit Bumrah will be playing a World Cup game on his home ground, but seems immune to all the pressure. When the inevitable question on playing Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium came up at a press interaction, he quipped he was more keen to first make a quick dash home to visit his mum. And if he's got his head in the right place, form is on his side too: Bumrah heads into the game on the back of a stellar show against Afghanistan, a four-wicket haul that would have won him the match honours on most nights but was overshadowed by a Rohit Sharma special that time.Abdullah Shafique would not have been playing had Fakhar Zaman shown a semblance of form in the lead-up to the tournament. But, on World Cup debut, his century and his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan helped put together a record chase against Sri Lanka. Expectations are bound to rise, but he seems level-headed enough to deal with the attention that may come his way. Saturday will be a test of that.
Team news: Shubman Gill very much in the picture
Shubman Gill, who missed India's first two games with dengue, has recovered well enough to have a 99% chance of playing the game. He had had a net session immediately upon arrival in Ahmedabad, where he joined up with the rest of the team after a spell away to recover. If that 1% comes into play and Gill doesn't feature on Saturday, it's likely Ishan Kishan will continue to open. Only last month, Kishan counter-punched to make an 81-ball 82 against Pakistan in Pallekele, so there's enough recent evidence of his being quite ready to face an attack of this quality.
It can also be quite tempting to play Mohammed Shami, given his IPL record here. Also, pacers have bowled a bigger percentage of overs than spinners (59.8% versus 40.2%) and have more wickets (38 to spin's 23) in ODIs here since 2021. But the team management leans towards having some batting cushion at No. 8, which none of their frontline pacers provide. So, for now, it could be another opportunity for Shardul Thakur.
India:
1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Abdullah Shafique's century would have Pakistan feeling good about their opening combination•ICC
Pakistan have little reason to change a combination that worked wonders for them against Sri Lanka. There's just a one small concern. While Hasan Ali picked up four wickets, he did get taken for plenty. If they are looking for a change, there's Mohammad Wasim waiting in the wings.
Pakistan:
1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Ifthikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Hasan Ali/Mohammad Wasim, 11 Haris Rauf
Pitch and conditions
Hot and dry on the weather front. There could be some dew later in the evening, which will also mean the team batting first will want to go hard. It's a black soil surface, next to the one that played host to the tournament opener where New Zealand's top order made merry. As such, it should be a belter of a surface for the organisers want to make it a spectacle in every sense.Stats and trivia
- Rohit Sharma has been out five times in 13 innings against left-arm pace in the powerplay since 2021. It's all then set up for another exciting round of Rohit vs Shaheen Shah Afridi
- India's bowling strike rate of 32.5 in the powerplay is the best among all teams in ODIs since 2022. In this phase, Siraj has taken most wickets for India (32).
- The 67 innings Imam-ul-Haq took to get past 3000 runs in the previous game makes him the second-fastest behind Hashim Amla to get there in ODIs. The glaring concern, though, will be his five dismissals in seven innings this year against short-pitched bowling, including in the opener against Netherlands. This is something India's pace attack may want to exploit first up.
- Babar Azam has hit just 71 runs in five innings since his 150* in the Asia Cup opener against Nepal. This is his joint-longest streak of not scoring 30 or more in an ODI innings.
Quotes
"I don't focus too much on what has happened in the past and focus on what's coming ahead. These records are made to be broken and we will try to break it."Babar Azam on Pakistan's winless run against India in ODI World Cups
"All the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. It can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheers, the noise in the ground. The boys really enjoy it."
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October 13, 2023
Australia got their tactics and team selection all wrong in Thursday’s World Cup defeat by South Africa and the five-times champions must quickly get their act together if they are to avoid a group-stage exit, said former skipper Michael Clarke.
The 134-run loss in Lucknow marked a second straight defeat at the 50-overs showpiece and Clarke said things do not get any easier with Sri Lanka and Pakistan up next for Australia, who have failed to reach 200 runs in both games so far.
“I’m not saying our World Cup is over. We could still qualify with two losses, but Sri Lanka are going to be tough in those conditions. We haven’t played Pakistan yet,” Clarke told Sky Sports Radio. “We’ve got some really tough cricket ahead of us and if we play like this, we are not qualifying. I’m more worried about the subcontinent teams. “If we’re getting shown up like that against South Africa, with the spin in the sub-continent teams … we’ll be laughable.
De Kock stars as South Africa crush go-slow Australia in World Cup
“If we’re not careful the conversation we’ve been having for the last three weeks about the Wallabies, in two weeks’ time we’ll be having that about Australian cricket,” said Clarke, who won the World Cup twice with Australia in 2007 and 2015. The 42-year-old also said captain Pat Cummins “got it wrong” tactically.
“He won the toss and bowled, I think he ball-chased and I don’t think he was aggressive enough. I don’t think he looked to take wickets,” he added.
“The easiest way to slow scoring is to take wickets yet we continue in Twenty20 cricket and one-day cricket, try to prevent runs. How is Cummins not bowling in the first 10 overs? “I love him and I’m more than happy for him to be captain but he’s got to do some work on that.” Clarke also criticised the decision to drop wicketkeeper Alex Carey after the opening defeat to India.
“I don’t think selections were right. I’m unsure how you can take Alex Carey to India in the World Cup squad, give him one game and then drop him,” he said. Australia face Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday.
Clarke sounds World Cup warning for Australia after South Africa defeat
ReutersOctober 13, 2023
Australia got their tactics and team selection all wrong in Thursday’s World Cup defeat by South Africa and the five-times champions must quickly get their act together if they are to avoid a group-stage exit, said former skipper Michael Clarke.
The 134-run loss in Lucknow marked a second straight defeat at the 50-overs showpiece and Clarke said things do not get any easier with Sri Lanka and Pakistan up next for Australia, who have failed to reach 200 runs in both games so far.
“I’m not saying our World Cup is over. We could still qualify with two losses, but Sri Lanka are going to be tough in those conditions. We haven’t played Pakistan yet,” Clarke told Sky Sports Radio. “We’ve got some really tough cricket ahead of us and if we play like this, we are not qualifying. I’m more worried about the subcontinent teams. “If we’re getting shown up like that against South Africa, with the spin in the sub-continent teams … we’ll be laughable.
De Kock stars as South Africa crush go-slow Australia in World Cup
“If we’re not careful the conversation we’ve been having for the last three weeks about the Wallabies, in two weeks’ time we’ll be having that about Australian cricket,” said Clarke, who won the World Cup twice with Australia in 2007 and 2015. The 42-year-old also said captain Pat Cummins “got it wrong” tactically.
“He won the toss and bowled, I think he ball-chased and I don’t think he was aggressive enough. I don’t think he looked to take wickets,” he added.
“The easiest way to slow scoring is to take wickets yet we continue in Twenty20 cricket and one-day cricket, try to prevent runs. How is Cummins not bowling in the first 10 overs? “I love him and I’m more than happy for him to be captain but he’s got to do some work on that.” Clarke also criticised the decision to drop wicketkeeper Alex Carey after the opening defeat to India.
“I don’t think selections were right. I’m unsure how you can take Alex Carey to India in the World Cup squad, give him one game and then drop him,” he said. Australia face Sri Lanka in Lucknow on Monday.
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Thursday, 5pm IST. Hundreds of locals have gathered under the Ashram Road flyover in Usmanpura, Ahmedabad. They are there to catch a glimpse of the Pakistan team as they head for training. There's still 30 minutes to go before the bus leaves the hotel, but two days out from the contest of the World Cup, anticipation is heightening and security cover is already at the level you'd see on most match days for other games.
But this is a game like no other. India versus Pakistan. In India for the first time in seven years. In front of what could be a record crowd of more than 100,000 people. They played in front of 90,000 at the MCG in last year's T20 World Cup. Expect this to be louder and far more partisan than anything these Pakistan players would have come up against in their careers.
Before the Pakistan team bus leaves the hotel, out walks Mohammad Bashir, known more famously as Bashir chacha. He was a crowd favourite in Hyderabad during Pakistan's first two World Cup games, and now Ahmedabad locals get their first sighting of him. He could possibly be the only Pakistani fan at the game on Saturday. How's that for a daunting position to be in?
"Jeetega bhai jeetega," Bashir asks of the crowd, having scanned the scene for a minute. "India jeetega," is the instant response, loud in volume but not visceral in tone. The mood is good natured enough for Bashir to counter with a shout of "Pakistan jeetega". The locals gather around him for selfies and the media can't get enough of the man who moved from Karachi to Chicago four decades ago.
Bashir's attire on the day - a combined Pakistan and India outfit - is in keeping with his life story: his wife is an Indian from Hyderabad and he's got used to being sledged by her. Remember, India have a proud 7-0 record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups. "Usne mujhe bola phir sharminda hoge, maine bola jaana toh hai (She told me I'm going to be embarrassed again [by Pakistan losing], I said it doesn't matter, I have to be there [in Ahmedabad])."
As of Thursday, he didn't have a ticket to the game yet, but he's optimistic. In 2011, ahead of the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in Mohali, his plea for tickets was fulfilled by MS Dhoni. He says Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have arranged tickets for him on many occasions.
Thursday, 5pm IST. Hundreds of locals have gathered under the Ashram Road flyover in Usmanpura, Ahmedabad. They are there to catch a glimpse of the Pakistan team as they head for training. There's still 30 minutes to go before the bus leaves the hotel, but two days out from the contest of the World Cup, anticipation is heightening and security cover is already at the level you'd see on most match days for other games.
But this is a game like no other. India versus Pakistan. In India for the first time in seven years. In front of what could be a record crowd of more than 100,000 people. They played in front of 90,000 at the MCG in last year's T20 World Cup. Expect this to be louder and far more partisan than anything these Pakistan players would have come up against in their careers.
Before the Pakistan team bus leaves the hotel, out walks Mohammad Bashir, known more famously as Bashir chacha. He was a crowd favourite in Hyderabad during Pakistan's first two World Cup games, and now Ahmedabad locals get their first sighting of him. He could possibly be the only Pakistani fan at the game on Saturday. How's that for a daunting position to be in?
"Jeetega bhai jeetega," Bashir asks of the crowd, having scanned the scene for a minute. "India jeetega," is the instant response, loud in volume but not visceral in tone. The mood is good natured enough for Bashir to counter with a shout of "Pakistan jeetega". The locals gather around him for selfies and the media can't get enough of the man who moved from Karachi to Chicago four decades ago.
Bashir's attire on the day - a combined Pakistan and India outfit - is in keeping with his life story: his wife is an Indian from Hyderabad and he's got used to being sledged by her. Remember, India have a proud 7-0 record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups. "Usne mujhe bola phir sharminda hoge, maine bola jaana toh hai (She told me I'm going to be embarrassed again [by Pakistan losing], I said it doesn't matter, I have to be there [in Ahmedabad])."
As of Thursday, he didn't have a ticket to the game yet, but he's optimistic. In 2011, ahead of the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in Mohali, his plea for tickets was fulfilled by MS Dhoni. He says Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have arranged tickets for him on many occasions.
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