Monthly Archives: March 2015

Cricket World Cup: And then there were four! 

March 21, 2015 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , Leave a comment

The Cricket World Cup has reached the knock out phase and after the quarter finals Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand have made it through to the final four!

To be honest I think most people would have said at the start of the tournament that these were the four teams who would make the semi-finals and given how they dominated their respective quarter final opponents the favouritism that has vested in these teams has been well founded it would seem. 

Here are some initial thoughts on the coming semi finals: 

New Zealand v South Africa (Eden Park)

Home ground advantage vests in the Black Caps, as it has the whole tournament, and one expects that they will be backed by yet another delerious crowd.  Both sides have much to prove in this fixture given that both of them have been regular “bridesmaids rather than the bride” in the Cricket World Cup in the past. For two teams who have some of the most explosive batting in the tournament in their line ups it is strange to say but I think this game will come down to the respective bowling units of each on what is a postage sized ground in Auckland.  Boult v Steyn, Southee v Morkel, Vettori v Tahir are all match ups that make the mouth water.  

I am going to stick with the home team in this game: I tipped at the start of the tournament that they would win the tournament and nothing has changed after their performance in the quarter final.  

Australia v India (Sydney Cricket Ground)

These teams have played so much this summer that they must be getting sick of each other by now! The crowd at the SCG will be heaving but one wonders whether Cricket Australia is worried it will be an Indian supporting crowd given the sudden “Wear Gold” campaign that has popped since Friday night’s victory.  The batting line-ups, again, of the two teams appear to be evenly matched.  It is in the bowling that the key differences appear.  Mitchell Starc is head and shoulders the best fast bowler in this game.  On the other side of the ledger are two excellent spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja.  The premier bowlers being so different the pitch could effect the outcome of this game.  

This fixture is very hard for me to pick.  My heart says Australia but my head is leaning towards India.  I might reserve the right to hold judgment at this stage until just before game time when the pitch has been reviewed.  

I can not wait for these two fixtures: they will be much closer than the quarter finals and one expects that the cricket will only get better! 

Cricket: Mustafa Kamal it is time go and go you must NOW!

March 21, 2015 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

India and Bangladesh fought out the second quarter final of the Cricket World Cup on Thursday.  India won the game moderately easily after amassing 302 batting first, an innings anchored by a 137 run innings from Rohit Sharma.

Sharma’s innings had a tone of controversy about it: on 90 he hit a waist high full toss in the air that was caught.  However, the umpires decided, as the laws of cricket prescribe, that it was a no ball and Sharma was judged to be not out.

In a game where Bangladesh only scored 193 and, frankly, were outplayed in all aspects of the game that should have been the end of it.

It wasn’t though because Mustafa Kamal made these comments on Bangladesh TV:

“There was no quality in the umpiring. It looked like they took the field after it (the outcome) was pre-arranged,” he alleged.

“I cannot represent the Indian Cricket Council. If someone has imposed a result on us, in that case no one can accept it,” added Kamal

Who is Mr Kamal you ask? Well he is the President of the International Cricket Council.  That’s right: this is the man elected by the members of the ICC to lead the Council.  He just called the umpires in the second quarter final, Aleem Dar and Ian Gould (two of the best in the game), match fixers and cheats.

Yes, the CEO of the ICC, David Richardson, has come out in the strongest possible defence of the umpires and yes, Mr Kamal has stated that he was commenting as a fan of the game and not the president of the ICC.

However, frankly, the context of the comments means absolutely nothing! This is not some bloke in the pub or on social media blowing up about a bad umpiring decision.  This is the president of the governing body of the game of cricket internationally saying that the umpires are cheats.  That is just not acceptable no matter the excuse and no matter how much the CEO of the ICC bites back about those comments.

This is simple: Mustafa Kamal CAN NOT be the president of the ICC for another second.  Every second he remains the president of the ICC there is a question mark around the integrity of the umpires in question, the Indian team and, more broadly, the game.  He must go! If he does not do it of his own accord then the ICC should convene a meeting of its board immediately (not after the World Cup is over), via phone if necessary, and vote Mustafa Kamal out as president for bring the game into disrepute.

Mustafa Kamal: your comments are disgrace, against the Spirit of Cricket and defamatory.  Do the right thing and quit for the good of the game.

Punting: Mid-week Mega Multi

March 17, 2015 By in Shumpty Speaks, Shumpty's Punt Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

There is a ton of sport on overseas at the moment and that means there is some value to be found for punting looking to invest. 

Here is an eight leg multi that I am very keen on tomorrow:

Leg 1: Athetico Madrid to be the only goal scorer in the Champions League fixture against Leverkusen.

Leg 2: Total game score under 5 goals in the Ottawa Senators v Carolina Hurricanes fixture in the NHL.

Leg 3: Boston Bruins to cover the line (-1.5 goals) against the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL.

Leg 4: Total game score over 197.0 points between San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks in the NBA.

Leg 5: Total game score over 5.0 goals between San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets in the NHL. 

Leg 6: Orlando Magic to cover the line (+11.50 points) against the Houston Rockets in the NBA. 

Leg 7: Total game score under 5.50 goals between New York Islands and Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL.

Leg 8: Total game score over 199 points between Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA. 

Please note: THIS MULTI WILL KICK OFF AT 5:45AM WEDNESDAY MORNING SO GET ON EARLY!

This multi should return around $200 for every dollar invested.

As always:

  1. Please gamble responsibly. 
  2. Whilst all care is taken with these tips, no responsibility vests for losses incurred.

Good luck and good punting! 

Cricket World Cup: Quarter Final’s Crystal Ball

March 17, 2015 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

After 42 games involving a spectrum of cricket that ranges from the mediocre to the sublime and all parts in between, we are now down to the final 8 teams. If you had have been asked on 14 February when this tournament started who was in your final 8 these are the 8 teams many would have chosen with the notable exception of England being in there instead of Bangladesh.

With New Zealand and India going through undefeated in their respective pools, they, righlty in my view, are the top seeds going into the finals stage.  Here is how the quarter finals have been matched up: 

  • 1st Quarter Final: South Africa (2nd in Pool B) v Sri Lanka (3rd in Pool A)
  • 2nd Quarter Final: Bangladesh (4th in Pool A) v India (1st in Pool B) 
  • 3rd Quarter Final: Australia (2nd in Pool A) v Pakistan (3th in Pool B)
  • 4th Quarter Final: New Zealand (1st in Pool A) v West Indies (4th in Pool B)

Each of these games looks to be absolutely quality encounter.  Here are some thoughts on the keys to each game: 

South Africa v Sri Lanka

This is about the pick of the games for mine and could all hinge on who bats first.  South Africa have struggled chasing totals in this World Cup but when they have batted first they have been largely unstoppable.  Sri Lanka possess the best batsman in world cricket for mine in Kumar Sangakkara but have been a little bit thin on form after him in the order.  South Africa has the edge with the ball.  I am prepared to back the South Africans in this fixture but I will be getting very nervous if they loose the toss and have to chase a target. 

Tip: South Africa

Bangladesh v India

This has just been an amazing four weeks for the Indian cricket team.  They were just destroyed in Australia before this tournament in all forms of the game but have shown, again, that the maxim “Form is temporary, Class is permanent.” rings true.  There is no better tactical captain nor judge of a run chase in the current game than MS Dhoni and they possess the best remaining spin bowling attack in the competition.  Bangladesh look on paper to be vastly out matched in this fixture however they seem to find a way times to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat.  India will win this game with class all over the field. 

Tip: India

Australia v Pakistan

To start rhetorically: is there a more enignmatic cricket team in world cricket than the Pakistan team? Some days they look like a club side, a very bad club side, and yet other days they conjour the sublime.  They will have confidence from both the ghosts of 1992 and their win against South African earlier in the tournament.  Australia have the ability to bat teams out of games with power all through the line up.  The blossoming of G Maxwell as a force in this tournament has been a highlight so far.  Starc’s bowling aside, there remains a significant question mark over the bowling attack whose talisman, Johnson, has lost his way again.  Australia should win this game but it may hinge on which Pakistan team actually turns up. 

Tip: Australia 

New Zealand v West Indies

Can anyone see New Zealand being beaten in this game? If Chris Gayle plays many will suggest that he could play a big innings but I think that is a false hope given his form (one big knock aside) this tournament.  I would back the New Zealand swing bowling against Gayle et al every day of the week and, to me, that makes this fixture the easiest one to pick.  Setting aside the bowling of New Zealand for a moment, in McCullum the Black Caps also possess the best opener in the competition backed by a solid, if not spectactular, middle order.  Add the New Zealand crowd to this and this game is a no brainer. 

Tip: New Zealand

I know I have picked all of the favourites here but that it the way this tournament has gone so far and I do not really expect it to change.  The Sri Lankans are the best placed team to pull an upset whilst Pakistan may also surpise.  

The Sheffield Shield Final: Cricket Australia has gotten this spectatularly wrong!

March 17, 2015 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , 1 Comment

In case you have missed it, the Sheffield Shield season is drawing to a close with Victoria winning the right to host Western Australia in the final.

Unfortunately for the Victorians, the MCG is not available due to World Cup duties and their attempts to hold the final at an alternate venue has fallen to the requirement that the game be held at a venue suitable for a first class fixture.  

In this context one turns to the the Sheffield Shield’s 2014/15 Conditions of Play which state: 

The team that finished first on the points table at the conclusion of the preliminary matches shall earn the right to host the final at a suitable first class venue within its state, provided that this venue is acceptable to Cricket Australia.  Should the team waive this right, the choice shall be offered to the team that finished second.  Otherwise the decision shall be made by Cricket Australia.

That should mean that the Victorians, having not been able to source a qualifying ground within its state (my emphasis added), have waived their rights to host the final and the Western Australian ought to have the right to host the final offered to them. 

Instead, Cricket Australia has decided, unilaterally it would seem, to host the final at the Bellerive Oval in Tasmania without first offering the final to the West Australian cricket team to host. 

This is an absolute travesty on two counts: 

  1. The playing conditions clearly state that the game should have been offered to West Australia to host; and 
  2. Cricket Australia knew at the start of the summer that there was a three in six chance of this problem, potentially arising, given that Adelaide and Sydney are also hosting World Cup games over the next two weeks, and still they included the playing condition they have now ignored. 

The failure to comply with the playing conditions is astonishing.  If the Victoria Cricket Association can not host the final, or did not plan to host the final and thus did not prepare a second ground, they have no one to blame but themselves and they should not benefit from Cricket Australia now trying to, seemingly, right this perceived wrong.

This game should be being played in Perth as the playing conditions allows: simple.  To play it elsewhere is just another indication of how little importance Cricket Australia places on the traditions of the first  class game in this country and the rules it itself has set.