The Associates thread

[The Speaker]

Pretty convincing win for the Dutch.

And many months later, they posted a convincing win not just of a match, but of the WCL Championship, getting them the 13th place in the 2020-2022 ODI League.

Buuuut that's not enough for their 2019 World Cup qualifying games to be afforded ODI status.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22107414/no-change-odi-status-world-cup-qualifier-games

 

[The Speaker]

To sate my own interest, I have put together two 'teams of the tournament' based on the concluded Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship.

WCL:

Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong) - 678 runs @ 75.33
KJ Coetzer* (Scotland) - 574 runs @ 52.18
Babar Hayat (Hong Kong) - 543 runs @ 49.36
Shaiman Anwar (United Arab Emirates) - 431 runs @ 35.91
CS MacLeod (Scotland) - 440 runs @ 55.00
MG Rippon (Netherlands) - 246 runs @ 30.75, 23 wickets @ 16.08
MH Cross+ (Scotland) 232 runs @ 29.00, 24 dismissals
SM Sharif (Scotland) - 19 wickets @ 22.68
N Vanua (Papua New Guinea) - 23 wickets @ 21.21
Nadeem Ahmed (Hong Kong) - 24 wickets @ 15.25
AC Evans (Scotland) - 24 wickets @ 18.54

A Vala (Papua New Guinea) - 399 runs @ 30.69, 14 wickets @ 19.00

Despite the predominance of Scottish players, the Netherlands finished first ahead of them. Their matches against each other were rained out - had they been played, Scotland may have finished first instead. Only one player (38 year old Anwar) is not from a top four team.

IC:

WTS Porterfield (Ireland) - 586 runs @ 48.83
EC Joyce (Ireland) - 700 runs @ 70.00
Babar Hayat (Hong Kong) - 712 runs @ 71.20
A Vala (Papua New Guinea) - 700 runs @ 63.63
Asghar Stanikzai* (Afghanistan) - 624 runs @ 78.00
RE van der Merwe (Netherlands) - 490 runs @ 54.44, 18 wickets @ 29.88
Mohammad Shahzad+ (Afghanistan) - 393 runs @ 65.50, 7 dismissals
Dawlat Zadran (Afghanistan) - 83 runs @ 27.66, 20 wickets @ 15.77
TJ Murtagh (Ireland) - 26 wickets @ 16.96
Ahmed Raza (United Arab Emirates) - 32 wickets @ 21.31
VJ Kingma (Netherlands) - 20 wickets @ 20.75

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) - 141 runs @ 23.50, 23 wickets @ 13.85

Unsurprisingly dominated by Afghanistan and Ireland, but even seventh place PNG got their captain in there. Shahzad was selected as keeper because no-one else was good enough.

 

[Marklar_33]

And many months later, they posted a convincing win not just of a match, but of the WCL Championship, getting them the 13th place in the 2020-2022 ODI League.

Buuuut that's not enough for their 2019 World Cup qualifying games to be afforded ODI status.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22107414/no-change-odi-status-world-cup-qualifier-games

Drives me mad that ALL these matches aren’t ODIs. Games in Asia Cups used to get status before all these qualifiers were in existence, and at least the matches in this tournament are more even on paper

 

[The Speaker]

Drives me mad that ALL these matches aren’t ODIs. Games in Asia Cups used to get status before all these qualifiers were in existence

It's silly. All 50-over international games between two members of the ICC should be considered ODIs. Tests I get, ODIs not so much.

 

[Cochblocked]

To sate my own interest, I have put together two 'teams of the tournament' based on the concluded Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship.

WCL:

Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong) - 678 runs @ 75.33
KJ Coetzer* (Scotland) - 574 runs @ 52.18
Babar Hayat (Hong Kong) - 543 runs @ 49.36
Shaiman Anwar (United Arab Emirates) - 431 runs @ 35.91
CS MacLeod (Scotland) - 440 runs @ 55.00
MG Rippon (Netherlands) - 246 runs @ 30.75, 23 wickets @ 16.08
MH Cross+ (Scotland) 232 runs @ 29.00, 24 dismissals
SM Sharif (Scotland) - 19 wickets @ 22.68
N Vanua (Papua New Guinea) - 23 wickets @ 21.21
Nadeem Ahmed (Hong Kong) - 24 wickets @ 15.25
AC Evans (Scotland) - 24 wickets @ 18.54

A Vala (Papua New Guinea) - 399 runs @ 30.69, 14 wickets @ 19.00

Despite the predominance of Scottish players, the Netherlands finished first ahead of them. Their matches against each other were rained out - had they been played, Scotland may have finished first instead. Only one player (38 year old Anwar) is not from a top four team.

IC:

WTS Porterfield (Ireland) - 586 runs @ 48.83
EC Joyce (Ireland) - 700 runs @ 70.00
Babar Hayat (Hong Kong) - 712 runs @ 71.20
A Vala (Papua New Guinea) - 700 runs @ 63.63
Asghar Stanikzai* (Afghanistan) - 624 runs @ 78.00
RE van der Merwe (Netherlands) - 490 runs @ 54.44, 18 wickets @ 29.88
Mohammad Shahzad+ (Afghanistan) - 393 runs @ 65.50, 7 dismissals
Dawlat Zadran (Afghanistan) - 83 runs @ 27.66, 20 wickets @ 15.77
TJ Murtagh (Ireland) - 26 wickets @ 16.96
Ahmed Raza (United Arab Emirates) - 32 wickets @ 21.31
VJ Kingma (Netherlands) - 20 wickets @ 20.75

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) - 141 runs @ 23.50, 23 wickets @ 13.85

Unsurprisingly dominated by Afghanistan and Ireland, but even seventh place PNG got their captain in there. Shahzad was selected as keeper because no-one else was good enough.

Good work. I don't know how Rath wasn't nominated for Associate player of the year especially considering Two of the 3 nominees are Porterfield and Khan who aren't associate players anymore

 

[The Speaker]

Ireland pummelling both the UAE and Scotland in their tri-series in Dubai. Won the first two matches against the hosts, easily beat Scotland after that and have now scored 331 for the Scots to chase down. To be fair, the Scots are clearly not playing a full-strength team, with no Coetzer, Sharif, Mommsen or Davey, among others.

 

[PhatBoy]

While I’m undecided about the overall upshot of Ireland and Afghanistan joining the test ranks, I think as well as obviously strengthening the game, it will really benefit the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. While ‘easy kills’ can flatter a team only for them to get a shock against the better sides, at the moment it is hard for them to ease players into test cricket because they’re forever getting regular heavy defeats. Against these two sides who will still give them a competitive test, it gives them a chance to develop a bit more imo.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

Ireland pummelling both the UAE and Scotland in their tri-series in Dubai. Won the first two matches against the hosts, easily beat Scotland after that and have now scored 331 for the Scots to chase down. To be fair, the Scots are clearly not playing a full-strength team, with no Coetzer, Sharif, Mommsen or Davey, among others.

The Scots did pretty well in their chase. 307 was a good total from their weakened team. Michael Jones has been a real find for them, back-to-back 50s for a 20-year-old opener is a big positive.

They are just carrying too many poor players right now, having players who average less than 20 in your top 6 is a recipe for disaster right now.

 

[The Speaker]

Scotland took care of the UAE in their first match thanks to a century from Matt Cross, and have set them a target of 300 in the last match of the series. Jones was batting at nine and Leask opening for reasons that are beyond me.

 

[KangarooUnicorn]

Ireland pummelling both the UAE and Scotland in their tri-series in Dubai. Won the first two matches against the hosts, easily beat Scotland after that and have now scored 331 for the Scots to chase down. To be fair, the Scots are clearly not playing a full-strength team, with no Coetzer, Sharif, Mommsen or Davey, among others.

Preston Mommen retired from International cricket in 2016 I think? His twitter Bio also notes he is an "Ex-Scotland Cricketer".
Not sure why Sharif didn't play that particular game though as he has played in other games during this series.

 

[The Speaker]

Preston Mommen retired from International cricket in 2016 I think? His twitter Bio also notes he is an "Ex-Scotland Cricketer".
Not sure why Sharif didn't play that particular game though as he has played in other games during this series.

Looked like they just wanted to rotate everyone through.

Mommsen is officially retired but went on leave from work to play in Namibia, and would probably prefer to be playing cricket.

I want to know where Davey is.

 

[The Speaker]

spirit of cricket right here

 

[Marklar_33]

Wow. That’s a tad shithouse!

 

[The Speaker]

WCL Div 2 starts today in Namibia, the top two teams will be going through to the World Cup Qualifier.

Really hard to tell who's a good chance of making it. The six teams are Kenya, UAE, Nepal, Namibia, Oman and Canada.

 

[Resistor]

Canada just smashed Oman

 

[The Speaker]

The Nepal/Namibia game isn't over yet - the covers are only just coming off the ground - but already today's matches have firmed a few things up in my mind.

1. Oman is nowhere near Afghanistan, despite the apparent similiarity in their rise up the rankings. Oman is really much more similar to the UAE, and in that sense has only risen up the rankings due to some clever investments in the national team, much as the Emirates did a number of years ago.
2. The UAE still has international status, which is why their annihilation of Kenya today isn't that surprising.
3. Winning at associate level is all about having few weaknesses, rather than big strengths. Nepal may end up winning today, but their chances of qualifying will always be low for as long as their weak batting line-up fails to back up their good bowling. Canada and the UAE both won big today, and neither are stand-out teams, but they are teams with good all-round capabilities and no glaring deficiencies.

Canada and the UAE have both made life much easier for themselves today. It's only one match, of course, but they're the two teams that it's most difficult to see getting comprehensively beaten.

 

[ioppolo]

The Nepal/Namibia game isn't over yet - the covers are only just coming off the ground - but already today's matches have firmed a few things up in my mind.

1. Oman is nowhere near Afghanistan, despite the apparent similiarity in their rise up the rankings. Oman is really much more similar to the UAE, and in that sense has only risen up the rankings due to some clever investments in the national team, much as the Emirates did a number of years ago.
2. The UAE still has international status, which is why their annihilation of Kenya today isn't that surprising.
3. Winning at associate level is all about having few weaknesses, rather than big strengths. Nepal may end up winning today, but their chances of qualifying will always be low for as long as their weak batting line-up fails to back up their good bowling. Canada and the UAE both won big today, and neither are stand-out teams, but they are teams with good all-round capabilities and no glaring deficiencies.

Canada and the UAE have both made life much easier for themselves today. It's only one match, of course, but they're the two teams that it's most difficult to see getting comprehensively beaten.

So Canada are having a resurgence of sorts? They got really, really bad for a while there.

 

[The Speaker]

So Canada are having a resurgence of sorts? They got really, really bad for a while there.

The thing is, even though they dropped to division three, they were never really super bad. They've always been a decent-but-not-great team to some degree or another. Even though they came 2nd in div three, they just blew the winner of that same division away. They have better infrastructure than all the other teams bar the UAE.

Compared to what they're up against, 'decent-but-not-great' (which the UAE also are) should be enough. Nepal has probably the best bowling attack in Associate cricket, but also a paltry batting line-up that would struggle in Div 3. Namibia have lost some good players and probably belong in Div 2 at the moment. Kenya's team has been more-or-less the same for years, and has been hurt by being wildly inconsistent. And who knows with Oman?

 

[The Speaker]

Namibia is in the middle of a drought right now.

The Namibian team has been cost an easy victory over Kenya due to rain, after bowling them out for 83.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

Namibia is in the middle of a drought right now.

The Namibian team has been cost an easy victory over Kenya due to rain, after bowling them out for 83.

I don't know how they will be able to complete the tournament. Most days this week have expected rain and Namibian grounds are not built to handle it.

 

[The Speaker]

I don't know how they will be able to complete the tournament. Most days this week have expected rain and Namibian grounds are not built to handle it.

I don't understand the logic of having the tournament in Namibia's wettest month.

If it was so the winners could easily get to Zimbabwe, then they should've stuck with the original plan and had the Qualifier later in the year in Ireland and Scotland, and held this somewhere else.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

I don't understand the logic of having the tournament in Namibia's wettest month.

If it was so the winners could easily get to Zimbabwe, then they should've stuck with the original plan and had the Qualifier later in the year in Ireland and Scotland, and held this somewhere else.

That would be better.

The other problem with Namibia is that they have only one city for the games to be played. So if it rains, all games are washed out.

In a genuinely unpredictable series which has 5 teams that could advance (sorry Kenya) this is a farce.

 

[The Speaker]

The table right now looks a bit weird. Nepal are second, but have won both their games by the skin of their teeth while chasing low totals (as usual). Namibia should be second, but have to replay their match against Kenya, and I don't see them doing quite so well as they were doing. The UAE have been brittle in their batting, which means Oman would fancy their chances against them tomorrow, and may actually be best placed to go through with Canada, even though they're currently 5th.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

Disagree on Oman. Their only chance is to win both games and then make it through on NRR. It is a difficult proposition unless Canada destroys Namibia and Nepal.

 

[The Speaker]

Disagree on Oman. Their only chance is to win both games and then make it through on NRR. It is a difficult proposition unless Canada destroys Namibia and Nepal.

Their last match is against Kenya, who are the worst team here, and who will be playing for the third day in a row.

All three games looking like see-saw contests right now. Nepal have only themselves to blame for letting Kenya get to 104 so far, but they've taken quick wickets now and might be able to run through them. The UAE chose to bat first and are looking shaky after a strong start. Namibia are nearly at 150 after 30 overs, but have already lost five wickets (though they do bat deep).