I feel violated.
I've only just learned that Worcestershire cricket club's nickname is "The Pears."
I went to T20 finals day last year and decided to adopt them as my team for the day, based largely on the fact that Moeen plays for them. Turned out pretty well.
YOOOOOOUUU PEARS sounds angelic after an eight pint day.
Jesus, that looked painful.
Have England ever had two 90mph opening bowlers in any form of the game before? Wood is ticking here.
Did Devon Malcolm and Gough ever cross over as 90mph bowlers? Probably missed each other.
Think they were on the 94/95 Ashes tour together. Not sure if Devon’s pace was going by then though
Yeah and I don't think Dazzler was more more than a young buck at that point either.
No Morgan, no Bairstow, no show from Buttler, a mini-collapse thrown in and they've still chased down 340.
Mental.Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician
That is England's third successful chase of over 340 this year. In the entire history of ODI cricket only 12 teams have done it.
Can't wait for us to BOTTLE it.
We had a good go at bottling that game last night, but Pakistan's shambles experience got the better of us in the end.
I would say us and India should be a lock for the semis (although India's team is really quite conservative and very dependent on Rohit and you know who), and then the other two spots are pretty much up in the air. I could do without an England-India final really. Couldn't eat curry again.
How very James Vince.
500 could be on today.
Massive jinx, but if Buttler gets anywhere near batting the overs out here this could be anything.
Huge top edge literally the next ball after posting that and Root out next ball.
Fairly phenomenal work from Rashid there. Does he get credited that run out or does Buttler (unjustly) get it for the throw?
Cricinfo has them both listed but that last one is all him. Jesus
Yeah, that was amazing.
Received some betting info for the cricket:
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Any thoughts from you people who know about cricket?
I'm a twit
Pretty sure that source has just picked the player with the most runs and the player with the most wickets since the last WC and fluffed it out
That reads like the author's never heard of cricket before. Picking Kohli for top run scorer is like tipping Messi for Liga top scorer.
For runs I'd look at Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam and Jonny Bairstow. Wickets, hard to say really, could be anyone.
160/1 is probably right, looking around the double would be 120/1 or so but Rashid is probably underpriced.
Do english pitches get dry?
The green English pitch is a myth really. You never see anything with grass on it, and if it isn't a flat road it'll just be slow and tacky.
NZ is the only place you see green decks in pro cricket now.
Is this our World Cup kit? Hmmmm.
It's pretty vile, isn't it?
Somerset back to donning cricket. We’re on for the treble this year. Mega day at Lord’s y’day. I am currently still very much fuelled by cider.
You will never win the title, don't get your hopes up.
My hopes are stratospheric.
Six of the eight Hundred team names will be (Manchester and London 2 tbc):
London Spirit
Trent Rockets
Birmingham Phoenix
Southern Brave (yep, 'Brave')
Leeds Superchargers
Welsh Fire
So, so awful.
Trent Rockets sounds like it should be the name of an American sportsperson.
Also sounds like something Sadio Mane gets on the end of.
I'm a twit
I didn't know they liked each other that way.
World Cup morning. We might well lose, you know.
You're not trying to suggest it's not COMING HOME are you?
Here we go
Imran Tahir is a fucking pest.
I'm all in on Team NZ, I reckon.
I'm liking both of the uniforms on display here. England particularly is nice and classy.
Tournament is probably England's to lose, but it just takes one bad day at the back end.
Really? I can't be doing with the England kit.
I assume it must at least be good given our record in the last few years but how good is our bowling?
Because unless somebody goes mental and piles on a heap of runs here this is not looking like a promising score as it stands.
If we get 300 think that will play ok. No guarantee of that though.
Archer is a massive addition to the bowling.
Apparently 311 already bests our top score of the last World Cup.
Which was the one where everybody else was smashing 400s all over the shop, right?
Archer.
Sounds like a massive fluke for de Kock there.
Archer is the business. He is the counter point to the tiny doubts that have crept in about our chances in this tournament.
Fulfils three roles with the ball. New ball fire, middle overs wicket taker and good at the death.
Archer is phenomenal. Cannot wait for the Aussies to cry that he isn't English.