World Cup prediction thread

[Atom Ant]

He has been. He's just having a bit of fun.

Has he shown up yet? LOL

 

[footyfan1978]

Has he shown up yet? LOL

I believe he did.

 

[Atom Ant]

I believe he did.

That's good then, shows he isn't typical a Indian supporter and vanish when they get smashed, but they are a shit team.

 

[footyfan1978]

That's good then, shows he isn't typical a Indian supporter and vanish when they get smashed, but they are a shit team.

Would not say they were a shit team. Just not ever likely to be good enough to make the final. They got as far as they probably should have.
South Africa for mine were always the only team I thought that may make the final apart from Australia and New Zealand.
Always sensed from before the tournament started it was a three way race and it proved to come down to a thriller in New Zealand to decide the side that would meet Australia. Had to always back Kiwi's on their own turf. In the end South Africa lost three games so no doubt we have the two best teams playing off and after the first meeting it really will be worth the wait to see us meet again in the final on Sunday.

 

[footyfan1978]

Always interesting and fun to see how we go picking the finalist in 14 team World Cup before it started.

Posted the ones that actually did get it right or close to the mark.

Group A
1. NZ
2. AUS
3. ENG
4. SL

Group B
1. IND
2. SA
3. PAK
4. IRE (surprise, surprise)

QFs
NZ vs IRE
AUS vs PAK
ENG vs SA (surprise, surprise part 2)
SL vs IND

SFs
NZ vs IND
AUS vs ENG

Final
NZ vs AUS

NZ win the World Cup, and net me a tidy profit.

whoever wins the NZ/India eden park semifinal will win the world cup

Top scorer: Williamson
Top wicket-taker: McClenaghan

Way off with semi-finalists and leading wicket taker but got the two teams that made it.

Group A:

Australia
New Zealand
England
Sri Lanka
Scotland
Bangladesh
Afghanistan

Group B:

South Africa
Pakistan
India
Ireland
West Indies
Zimbabwe
UAE

QF's:

Australia vs Ireland
New Zealand vs India
South Africa vs Sri Lanka
Pakistan vs England

SF's:

Australia vs England
New Zealand vs South Africa

Final

Australia vs New Zealand

Most runs: Aaron Finch, Kane Williamson tie.
Most wickets: Trent Boult

Ireland and England did not even make quarter finals but got the two finalists correct.

South Africa will fail like they always do. It amazes me how people keep picking them to win these tournaments.

Got this right. Lost count how many semi-finals they lost.

my girst prediction wont happen

west indies won't make the qtrs.
bangladesh to surprise
south africa to crumble at the qtrs

final 4 aus
nz
sri lanka
england

aus v nz final

nz win

Way off with England and Windies did make it but picked the right finalists to finish the World Cup off.

I can see it ending in an Australia v New Zealand final.
South Africa obviously a big chance too but they lack the allrounder killer punch the Aussies got,
Aussies more vulnerable if Faulkner and Clarke do not get fit.
Australia going to have players down to number 10 in order that can turn a game with bat.
That will count even when top order has a day off like they did against Poms last game.
Johnson and Watson freshening up before World Cup is not what the other nations needed.
Kiwis got some serious weapons too but not as many.
However on the final day anything can happen.
India beat West Indies in 1983 World Cup when Windies were clearly number one so not over until it is over.

South Africa have Duminy as their AR, and Steyn and Philander are no mugs with the bat.

Yep Duminy is a good bowler and, if he plays, Behardien can help him make up the last 10.

Correct but seriously Steyn and Philander are not even in the ball park of batting ability of Mitch Johnson and Mitchell Starc. Not even close. Duminy probably as much as an allrounder as Steve Smith for us but we rarely use him as have far more options. South Africa don't have as many part time options. Australia probably going to have three front line pace bowlers like Johnson, Starc and Cummings, then Maxwell off spin and Watson decent medium pacers. If Faulkner fit he is excellent 4th bowler with ways he mixes up things. South Africa allrounders are not of same ability of Faulkner, Maxwell and Watson. Geez, we could even bowl Warner and Smith if we needed to. If Duminy does not work South Africa in a lot more trouble. We also got Mitch Marsh as back up allrounder so that weaponry is serious to call upon as Dale Steyn can attest. Not sold on Behardien at this level but will be interesting to watch. If Aussies smash Imran Tahir again what can South Africa do ?

My thinking with South Africa is it needs their big guns to fire. AB de Villers, Steyn, Morkel, Amla and de Plusses going to have to carry some of there lesser lights through. Their 4th and 5th bowlers do not scare me and if you can stop de Villiers (not easy) and Amla you half way there.
If you stop Warner and Aussie top order it is not over for us and that is where I see the difference in depth of talent. We got more talent resources to call upon for most situations. However AB de Villers and Amla been in good form recently so they will be hard to stop.

Not far off with my own one but Steyn was an epic fail in semi-final for South Africa so one of their big guns just did not fire. As I pointed out our late order is something other sides do not have. We can lose wickets and still keeping scoring big as Johnson perfectly showed in semi-final.

Yeah but AB and Amla are better than our best and in a final (or SF/QF) that means a lot.

If we're dependent on Johnson and lower contributing with the bat we're pretty stuffed

Not to mention Du Plessis and De Koch too...their batting lineup is ridiculous

Nobody ever said we reliant. Just saying it is there the rare times we need it. They are a really nice bonus coming in at 9 or 10. RSA do not have that luxury. AB is great though, I give them that. They should expect a lot of top order success with their batting. Who knows, maybe as good as Aussies in West Indies World Cup where most bowlers never even got a bat all tournament.
No reason not to expect a great final whomever is in it. My tip is Aus v NZ but certainly RSA have a great chance aswell. A side with Steyn and AB can never be written off. Can't really rate the rest as far as winning the whole thing but any could upset these main 3 chances on their day.

Pretty spot on with that happy to say. Johnson illustrated my point in semi-final. If Australia had scored 20 runs less maybe India could have had a more realistic chance. They basically got Warner, Clarke and dangerous Maxwell out relatively cheap but we still won because the depth in our batting runs so deep we do not rely on any one or two players.

We bat deeper though. Prefer seeing Maxwell/Haddin/Bailey coming in at 6/7 than Behardien

Correct although for us Bailey was only needed in game one and did the job when needed.

My World Cup predictions:

• Ireland will make the QF, replacing one of Pak or WI.
• Pakistan will have consecutive games that include something like 4/375, then all out for 130, losing to Antarctica or the Outer Hebrides in a gettable run chase.
  
• India will lose in the QF stage, then go home complaining about *something* and claiming ODIs don't count - T20 is where it's at. Effigy shops in Mumbai to experience sales spikes.
• The sold-out India v Pakistan match at Adelaide Oval will be a cracker under lights - and followed by dozens of Port Power posters wondering how much of a cut the SANFL is getting.
  
• South Africa will find a way to lose a semi final. It's tradition.
• Sri Lanka to be labelled "the sleeping giant" all the way through the Group Stages due to uninspiring performances.
  
• It will be an Aus v NZ Final, and the Trevor Chappell incident will be replayed 500 times.
• Brendon McCullum to be Player of the Tournament.
  
• My TV to be replaced after a week after I forget one day to mute the Nine commentary team.

Got the final correct.

Group A
Australia
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
England
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
Scotland

Group B
South Africa
Pakistan
India
Ireland
West Indies
Zimbabwe
UAE

Quaters
Australia vs Ireland
New Zealand vs India
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
South Africa vs England
Semis
Australia vs Sri Lanka
New Zealand vs South Africa
Final
Australia vs New Zealand
Most Runs: Steve Smith
Most Wickets: Dale Steyn

Not bad but so many over rated England.
They did not even make finals and quite a few tried to be cute with Ireland making it. They were plucky team but their bowling not up to the standard needed to go that far.

This thread is about prediction. I predict Australia the likely winners because of more players in squad that can all have moments they win it for you. If Clarke does not come back, not the end of world. I for one hope he does. Wish we had Pattinson in squad too but cannot have everyone 100% at same time.
Lucky we got a bit of depth for one day side.

All posted before the tournament started.

And after Australia and New Zealand won their first games we had one more predict Aussie v Kiwi final

Australia v New Zealand

Now lets enjoy the final and see which co-host gets the joy of holding up the Cup.
Been terrible World Cup in terms of tv coverage but least the semi-finals we all seen and this last week has done the World Cup justice despite a piss poor format by ICC.
Go Australia today!!!!

 

[lionbear]

Today:

The Aussie in me says Australia
The Cricket Lover in me Says New Zealand because they are clearly regardless of todays result the best performed team throughout the tournament.

The realist in me says Australia comfortably:
Australia Bat First they will set a score too high to chase.
Australia bat second, New Zealand wont get the swing in the mid autum air to defend a total.

McCallum most probably needs 150 to give them a chance.

Wont be a blow out like some are predicting, but I am expecteing Australia to win without much damage to my nails of the edge of the seat.

 

[footyfan1978]

Today:

The Cricket Lover in me Says New Zealand because they are clearly regardless of todays result the best performed team throughout the tournament.

McCallum most probably needs 150 to give them a chance.

First part is nonsense in terms of saying whole tournament. This game today will decide the best team in tournament. We have the highest score of the tournament and the highest total by any team in a World Cup Semi Final so not overwhelmed in terms of what has happened so far. Our only blip on radar is a very narrow lost to New Zealand when we could not have batted worse. That was on their conditions and without the star finisher in Faulkner.


If McCullum scores 150 that does a lot more than just give them a chance. They are right in it even if he only scores half that.
I expect a close game but Vettori could play a key role, even more so than McCullum but he is key wicket for Australia to get obviously.
Neither side relies on just one or two players. The best team will rightly prove themselves the best in tournament today.
Bring it on.

 

[little graham]

Our only blip on radar is a very narrow lost to New Zealand when we could not have batted worse. That was on their conditions and without the start finisher in Faulkner.

.

We hadn't played for two weeks remember?

 

[footyfan1978]

We hadn't played for two weeks remember?

That is right. Silly format made that delay worse.
Thankfully we had games a lot closer recently.
Games 4 days apart is a lot better format.
A week apart is stupid.

 

[little graham]

That is right. Silly format made that delay worse.
Thankfully we had games a lot closer recently.
Games 4 days apart is a lot better format.
A week apart is stupid.

Especially when one gets washed out.

 

[footyfan1978]

T20 cricket will never have this pressure.
Unlike T20 cricket, one day cricket there is still the fear of your side being bowled out. The reason why talk of removing this middle format of cricket just plain dumb. Still some semblance of a contest between bat and ball that virtually non-existent in T20 cricket.
Looks like side with best strike bowlers going to take the title.
Good for cricket as a game in general.