Quote from: JSRAW on Today at 05:59:19 AM

Quote from: Sithara007 on Today at 05:13:41 AM

Quote from: JSRAW on Today at 04:40:16 AM

Each team is scheduled to play 9 matches in group matches so it's a long tournament.

New Zealand started well but they can't be complacent from here, it applies to everyone because 3-4 losses in the group can dent their chances as i believe knockout entries will come down heavily on NRR.

Yes.. the last 1-2 entries for the semi-final stage will be decided solely on the basis of NRR. That said, I am still disturbed by the fact that we are yet to get a close match in this world cup so far. Look at the results till now:

1. New Zealand vs England - NZ by 9 wickets (13.4 overs)
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5. IND vs AUS - IND by 6 wickets (8.4 overs)
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10. RSA vs AUS - RSA by 134 runs

Out of these 11 matches, only the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan can be considered as even remotely close.

The worrisome part is even BIG-3 matches turning into one sided affairs and the way Australia played its 2 matches, it feels like they are just surrendering. Their planning is in shambles, the middle order is not clicking, the player getting dropped after just 1 match and there is virtually no strategy as far as the spin department goes.

On the other hand teams like NZ and SA upping their game. Kiwis in particular were in bad shape before the WC.

Pitches for this World Cup are more batting-friendly, and the way this World Cup is going, many people will stop following it because it is getting boring with every passing match. Small teams like the AFG or BAN have no chance of winning in these conditions. We might not see an upset in this World Cup (except for the Pakistan vs Afghanistan match in Chennai -chance of a potential upset-). We are into the 12th match of the tournament and haven't seen a thriller yet.
Australia looked off-colour in the last two games. No strategy from the Australian side thus far; hopefully, we will see some wow cricket in the upcoming AUS matches. They have lost 4 consecutive matches in the World Cup for the first time in the last 48 years.
I think players' IPL experience will come in handy when performing in these conditions.