New Zealand at the World Cup

It is hard to know whether to feel good or bad about the NZ performance at the Cup. On the one hand they made the semi's and performed very well up until the last few games destroying England, the West Indies and South Africa.

On the other hand they flattered to decieve, losing decisively to Sri Lanka, Australia and Sri Lanka again in the semi. In the end, when the pressure came on, they did not rise up.

Over all I am deeply disappointed. In none of these important games did they compete. The losses to Sri Lanka were particularly disappointing because it was the same bogies that came home to destroy them; Murali, Malinga, Jayasuriya, Sangikara. Surely after playing Sri Lanka repeatedly for the last 3 years we could have done better. Then Fleming's over-confidence which served only to motivate Jayawardena etc! He has egg all over his face in my view.

Then there were the disappointing performances of Bond, Vetorri, Fleming, MacMillan, McCullem, Oram and co in the games that mattered. I still cannot erase the images of the batting capitulation in the semi final! It was not as if the dismissals were due to pressure; they were poor shots which demonstrated a tremendous lack of confidence or ability to function under pressure.

Styris was magnificent as was Bond in the earlier part of the tournament. I felt sorry for the young Ross Taylor whose injury caused him to lose form.

One wonders how much the loss of Vincent affected the team; it disrupted what had become a solution to the problem of the top order. His loss alone may have changed the balance of the tournament and team.

So all in all I am disappointed.

So what should happen? I do not think anyone has to be sacked immediately. Fleming has stood down. The players will be selected on form as they should be.

What about Bracewell? I am not sure he has the kind of character that lends itself best to an effective international cricket coach. He clearly has fallen out with players including Cairns and Astle. He is too strong a personality for me. I prefer the cricket coach to be a background guide and leader; giving strategy, selection, motivation, confidence, encouragement and managing the team well. The captain is the leader in the cricket and Fleming has not been the same under his management. Bracewell reminds me too much of John Mitchell when he was AB coach; too many wierd selections. He too struggled with some of the older more experienced players like Anton Oliver and Andrew Merhtons.

For me I would like to see John Wright get a crack. He has coached in the most difficult nation in the world and came up trumps. I think he would complement the likes of Fleming, Vetorri, Oram, McMillan and Styris who will give leadership. Otherwise, bring back Steve Rixon!

Cricket World Cup: What can we learn?

So Australia won the cricket world cup as I predicted on Monday 29 January in this blog. It was not even close; the truth is, they demolished the world! The supposedly next best in the world South Africa, the Kiwi's, the Sri Lankans and more swept aside. Hayden, Ponting, and all the bowlers were sublime. And when it really matters Gilchrist does what only Gilchrist can! So what can we learn.

1. Australia are the very best nation in the world.
2. Even with the retirement of Warne and now McGrath they will remain number one.
3. Pakistan, India and others need to sort their collective acts out. When one considers how many people play cricket in these nations, their performances were disappointing.
4. South Africa could not handle the pressure. I thought it was tragic that they felt that they had to play differently to win the semi against Australia. They tried to smash the Aussies instead of trusting themselves. This indicates that they were psyched out.
5. NZ for the fifth time could not make the final. This indicates that they are in much the same boat as South Africa.

As for the tournament itself it was a shocker; the worst international world cup I can remember in any sport. It started with a death. India and Pakistan capitulated absolutely embarrassingly meaning that the Super 8 lacked spark. West Indies underperformed and so the home nations did not get into it. The pricing and limitation on enjoyment at the games was seriously affected. The tournament was way too long; 2 games a day would sort that out! There were only one or two close games between the top teams. The umpiring was poor. Then it finished with boring semifinals with NZ slaughter by Sri Lanka and Australia demolishing South Africa. Finally, the Final was a farce. It should have been a 50 over match with extra days up their sleeves. Then the finish of the final was a joke!

But it didn't matter in the end. Australia are so far and away the best cricket nation in the world that I think it would have been better to simply award them the cup and save the world all the hassle. If they had, Bob Woolmer would still be alive.