Ireland-West Indies, Friday 2.30pm

1

Pakistan and Zimbabwe begins at 2.30pm today and after that we’ll know what we have to do against the Windies on Friday. It seems pretty callous talking about today’s game after Bob Woolmer’s passing but if the Pakistanis play to their ability in honour of his memory and win then we are through the Super 8 section ahead of Friday’s game. It’s impossible to predict what’ll happen though given the trauma of the last few days for the Pakistan players.

If Zimbabwe win then it puts the pressure on us. Surely we can’t beat the Windies on their home turf?! It could come down to run rate to see who qualifies along with the hosts but if we do go through (and England beat Kenya in their last group game) then our first Super 8 game will be against them in Guyana on Friday week. hi5

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If we need a result against the Windies then I presume Trent will play - if we’re already through can you see them deciding not to play him given his shoulder problem? Not really saving him for the Super 8’s but giving him time to recover from his injury.

Is the run rate calculation our Run Rate achieved less our Run Rate allowed = our net run rate for determining the order?

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Net run rate is the deciding factor. AFAIK that is, as you say, achieved minus allowed but I want to find the actual definition. TJ has led the team superbly so I reckon he’ll be desperate to play even if we’re already through. I would expect him to play too unless there’s a real riski of damaging it further. From the reports I read it seems he’s doubtful but with it bordering more on him being available that rested.

Zimbabwe have won the toss and will bowl.

4

Pakistan are 300-8 after 46 overs so I can pop open the champagne I bought in the pub last week. Imran Nazir made 161.

Still need to beat the Windies on Friday in order to carry the points through to the Super 8s!

Strong speculation now that Woolmer was murdered which is awful. Being linked with mafia gambling rings at the moment.

5

Questions!

How many players on the Irish team are infact Irish? Not throwing stones just yet but heard on radio today that a number of them are Australian, storeee?

Is cricket not a shamefully easy game to play? And why are we not a world force in it?
Stiking a ball from a standing postion (a ball which one can leave if its not going to hit its small target), catching the ball unopposed, its not that hard is it?

6

Squad of 15 made up of 11 Irish, 3 Australians and 1 South African.

Ireland squad
Player D.O.B. Born Bat/bowl
Andre Botha 12/09/1975 Johannesburg, SA LHB LFM
Jeremy Bray 30/11/1973 Newtown, Aus LHB
Kenneth Carroll 22/03/1983 Dublin RHB LB
Peter Gillespie 11/05/1974 Strabane RHB RM
Trent Johnston 29/04/1974 Wollongong, Aus RHB RFM
Dominick Joyce 14/06/1981 Dublin RHB
David Langford-Smith 07/12/76 Sydney, Aus RHB RFM
Kyle McCallan 27/08/1975 Carrickfergus RHB OB
John Mooney 10/02/1982 Dublin LHB RM
Paul Mooney 15/10/1976 Dublin RHB RM
Eoin Morgan 10/09/1986 Dublin LHB RM/WK
Niall O’Brien 08/11/1981 Dublin LHB WK
William Porterfield 06/09/1984 Derry LHB
Boyd Rankin 05/07/1984 Derry RHB RMF
Andrew White 03/07/1980 Newtownards RHB OB

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I’m guessing your edit was Londonderry -> Derry on Porterfield’s name?

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No, initially just gave the first line and then found the full listing of players on another site.

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Jamaican police confirm Woolmer was murdered

Jamaican police have confirmed that Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was strangled to death and they have launched a murder inquiry.

Woolmer (58), was found unconscious by staff at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Sunday morning, the day after Pakistan’s shock defeat to Ireland in the Cricket World Cup, and taken to hospital where he later died.

Police revealed on Tuesday that they were treating the former England batsman’s death as “suspicious.”

Jamaica’s deputy police commissioner Mark Shields addresses a Kingston news conference They initially stopped short of saying that he had been murdered but, at a press conference yesterday evening, revealed Woolmer’s death “was due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation”.

“Bob was a large man - it would have taken some force,” deputy commissioner Mark Shields said. “Hopefully we will bring the killers to justice as soon as possible. We will use every energy we possibly have to track down the killers.”

There is growing media speculation that Woolmer had fallen victim to a “betting mafia”.

Asked about these suggestions, Mr Shields said: “Everything you have heard would be a line of inquiry.” He said no stone would be unturned into discovering why Woolmer was murdered.

Mr Shields said there could be one or more people involved in the actual killing but added that there was no evidence of forced entry into his hotel room. Mr Shields also denied an Indian television report that arrests have been made in the inquiry.

The police have seized the hotel’s electronic security recordings as part of the investigation and are still awaiting results of toxicology and other tests.

Pakistan’s cricketers and team officials will be swabbed for DNA today by police as a routine exercise today. They were finger-printed yesterday at the hotel where Woolmer was murdered. They were supposed to undergo DNA tests on the same day but police allowed them to catch a flight to Montego Bay, where they are staying at the behest of the Jamaican Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller.

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Yeah, that’s shocking stuff alright.

Can’t really believe it but it’s a sick world we live in! There’s rumours that he was about to go public with corruption claims in his new book.

Always thought Hansie Cronje’s death in that plane crash was suspicious myself too.

11

what sort of allegations could Woolmer had revealed? would it not be more likely that a pakistan ‘supporter’ murdered him. really terrible case no matter what the cause of death.

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I don’t know exactly - was just reading all the conspiracy theories on the web.

No sign of forced entry to his room, doesn’t appear to be any clues in the cctv footage either. It’s a huge mystery.

13

Come on Ireland.

Into these fooks.

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we are currently 51 for one after being 18 or so for one wicket. riding our luck a little. i stuck a tenner on them at 8/1. currently 5/1 which i still think is good value. bandage please give your thoughts when you log on at some stage today.

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We are 61/1. Doing well and run rate is good which could be valuable later on.

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61/2 Morgan tried a hook shot and was caught.

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not looking good. we are 121/5

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Decent enough performance by Ireland against the team I think will win it.

Fast start but rode our luck with a few plays and misses but got really bogged down when Bray went. Powell bowled really well and the pitches are slow and low over there so when the medium pacers and Gayle’s spin was introduced into the attack we just couldn’t get the ball away at all. Botha made 28 from 56 and Kev O’Brien 17 from 46 for example. We missed TJ’s big hitting down the order but still scrambled lots of 1s and 2s to post a competitive score.

Windies batted very well in fairness to them. Sarwan was happy to just sit in and allow Chanderpaul to attack. We lacked a bit of discipline at times but it was no disgrace to be beaten by them.

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Bandage what do you think of Lara’s captaincy. I think it is a bit suspect. Are their bowlers good enough when they come up against Australia? I am thinking of having a punt on the winner. The following are the odds. Anything there of good value?
Australia 11 - 8
Sri Lanka 4 - 1
South Africa 5 - 1
New Zealand 11 - 2
West Indies 13 - 2
England 12 - 1
India 40 - 1
Bangladesh 50 - 1
Ireland 300 - 1

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I don’t think you should rely on me for cricket advice piedpiper. But I do think they’ve got a well balanced attack. A good mixture of fast bowlers, medium pacers and Gayle’s bowling his off spin really well at the moment. Agreed that Lara’s captaincy can be hit and miss at times but I think 13/2 is very good value.

After Australia’s win yesterday and Symonds returning to the team it’ll be hard to look past them but 11/8 isn’t good value at all really.

I also like Sri Lanka at 4/1. Any team with Murali is always a threat and Vaas is in good form too and they have good batting depth.

Thing is any of the 6 teams left (excluding Bangladesh and us) could beat any other on any given day.