On 10/21/2023 10:50 AM, John Hall wrote:
In message <uh0kk6$1pgh7$1@dont-email.me>, FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer <FBInCIAnNSATerroristSlayer@america.com> writes
Defending Champion England is set to lose to South Africa today.
SA amassed 399/7
England is 24/3 in 5.1 overs now.
From now England HAS TO WIN every one of their remaining matches
including vs stronger teams Australia, Pakistan and India to make the
Semis UNLESS other stronger teams in the top 5 fuck up their chances
which is UNLIKELY.
I think it is pretty much CURTAINS for England in this World Cup 2023.
England mightily disappointed in this ODI World Cup.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2023-24-136785
6/england-vs-south-africa-20th-match-1384411/full-scorecard
I can't disagree with any of that. Our NRR is marginally better than Afghanistan's at this point, which is all that keeps us from the bottom
of the table.
Yet another mistaken decision at the toss. Buttler did admit after the
match that, given how hot and humid it was, it might have been better to
bat first. Topley's injury and Willey's cramp late on didn't help, but
SA were so massively superior that probably none of that affected the result. England played well for the first 6 overs of the match and the
last 8 or so when Wood and Atkinson had some fun, but in between they
were pretty poor, with the last 10 overs of SA's innings being a total horror show.
I think Butler really fucked up with his decision to FIELD after winning
the toss.
It also APPEARS that England team management DIDN'T prepare well in
terms of tactics especially in a VERY CRUCIAL MUST WIN GAME for England
to stay in the semis race.
Butler chose to FIELD based on a sample of four matches and moreover he
DIDN'T EVEN CONSIDER the weather AS A FACTOR at all.
Columnist Matt Roller:
England were simply exhausted, and not for a lack of basic fitness. "It certainly looked a bit like a warzone there at times," Mott said. The
problem stemmed from Buttler's choice to bowl first when he won the
toss, a decision he explained by saying: "[This is] generally a good
ground for chasing, so that's the reason behind it."
But like so many decisions England have made in this World Cup, the explanation relied more on the past than the present and the future.
England wandered out to field at 2pm, when Mumbai's heat and humidity
were at their most oppressive. It was a simple recipe for disaster: 11 Englishmen, left in the pan for four hours until fried to a crisp.
The evidence underlying Buttler's assertion was scant. Chasing teams had
a 75% win record in men's ODIs at the Wankhede over the past decade, but
the sample size was all of four matches. There is a strong chasing bias
in the IPL, but the physical requirements of 90 minutes in the field in
the evening are hardly comparable to a full afternoon in the blazing sun.
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* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)