The Biggest Sporting Event of the Year is...

[Broken Record]

Matter of fact, I'm in the process of getting a group together to start a league here in St. Louis. As soon as we can reserve a pool and find an adequate supply of racquets, helmets and horses we're going to be all set to get started.

So I assume you already have a stockpile of aluminum bats and shuttlecocks then?

[yh]

shuttlecocks

Tee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee

[Fred T. Jane]

Ouch.

West Indies (241-9) defeated Pakistan by 54 runs (187-all out), obviously buoyed by the Windies' superior shutlecock play.

[officeglenn]

shuttlecocks

Tee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee

Oh, grow up, Yale.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my vacation at Lake Titicaca. Try to make a joke out of that, Mr. Smart Guy.

[Lee.]

I hear they catch some real whoppers along the rocky bottom of Lake Titicaca.

Bonus points for whoever knows where that's from.

[Breakwood]

The West Indies started fairly quickly with the bat, but slowed down quite a bit durring the middle of their innings. The tail end of their order however was very solid. They put up 80 runs in the final 10 overs, including a six on the final ball of the innings by Corey Collymore (I think it was his first six ever!).

Pakistan was outmatched by the West Indian bowlers. Pakistan's first wicket was lost on the 3rd ball of the innings! They never got going, as the Windies bowling attack was very solid, including quite a few maiden overs at the beginning of the innings. Pakistan weren't able to get anything going, and started losing wickets quite quickly near the end of their innings.

Tomorrow we have Australia taking on Scotland, in a match that the Aussies should be able to win quite easily.

Also Canada takes on Kenya, in a match where Kenya is favoured, but not by very much. Either side will be capable of taking this one!

[Breakwood]

Day 2 is over, without any suprises.

Australia easily put up 334 while only losing 6 wickets. Scotland in reply managed only 131 all out in 41 overs. No suprise there, Australia wins by 203 runs.

Canada fell to Kenya in group C action. After starting off well, Canada's bottom order couldn't get anything going losing their last wicket on the last ball of the innings, all out for 199. Kenya's reply was quite solid, aided by some poor Canadian fielding, and wild Canadian bowling. Canada gave up 28 extras as Kenya surpased Canada's total in 43 overs, while only losing 3 wickets. Kenya wins by 7 wickets.

[BB61]

Now that I've found the real thread...

Sri Lanka takes on Bermuda tomorrow, while Zimbabwe takes on Ireland. I didn't know they played cricket in Ireland. I thought the only thing they used sticks and balls for there was hurling. And that sport with the sticks and balls.

I think both Bermuda and Ireland are up against it. That said, I think the former will give their opponent a better match.

[Alphabet Man]

Watched two and a half overs of the end of Scotlands innings, watching it on my 3 phone on the train station.

I think we played quite well against a team we were meant to beat anyway. Despite the result, Scotland weren't all that bad. I mean one of there guys hit a half century. Their top-order didn't do them much favours.

Ponting hit another century. And Hogg hit 40 off 15 at the end of our innings.

Bermuda i think won't do much damage, I'm not sure who they play but against a non-Test playing country they might compete.

Out of the minnows, Kenya look to be the best although they have gone backwards since the last CWC. Scotland I think shoudl use the World Cup to try get some results, and build on it for the next CWC. Canada will do the same. I think, the Canadians and Scots need to get more ODI's against Test countries.

[Alphabet Man]

If some of you don't fully understand our favourite summer sport, take a look at this beginners guide...its quite humourous

http://foxsports.com.au/cricketguide

[Breakwood]

The matches of the day are in the books.

Bermuda (78 all out) were thrashed by Sri Lanka by 243 runs (321-6).

Ireland and Zimbabwe battled it out today aswell. What a match it was too. Who'd have thought on the opening day of the NCAA tournament, that the most thrilling match would be the Cricket between Ireland and Zimbabwe!

Ireland opened up at the crease and scored 221 all out, setting a target of 222 for Zimbabwe to win. Going into the final over Zimbabwe was 213-9, needing 9 runs for victory. They scored 8 runs in the first 5 deliveries of the over. It all came down to the final delivery! On that ball, the batsman was unable to steer the ball past the wicket-keeper, and the match ended in a draw!

That's right, 9 hours of play and a draw is the final result!

[Alphabet Man]

IRELAND! How the hell did they get a tie. Zimbabwe needed only 41 runs of the last 9.5 overs when I last checked (thats about 59 balls), would have thought they'd be a certainty to win.

IRELAND will go far. Okay maybe not but let them have there time in the sun.

[Alphabet Man]

This was on ESPN.com

Are you ready for some ... cricket?

By Michael Davies

Page 2

I know you guys already know this, but in case you've been hiding under a rock and neglected to check your local newspaper's sports section, or haven't caught any edition of "SportsCenter" since the Super Bowl, the I.C.C Cricket World Cup "kicks off" today in the Caribbean.

Contested over a zippy and action-packed 40-something days, at unfinished stadiums from Jamaica to St. Kitts, cricket's Technicolor-outfitted bat-and-bowl-a-thon features teams from all over the world -- or at the very least, parts of the world historically forced to play the game at the point of a musket by the English.*

*The only exception to this is the Dutch, who have absolutely no reason to be playing cricket at all.

So I know you've already entered your office pools and worked up your brackets; I know you know all the players and have mastered the difference between a straight drive, an off drive, a cover drive, a square cut, a late cut and a thick edge to third slip; I know you haven't quite gotten over the shock of the talented U.S. team buckling under the intense media pressure and not even qualifying for the big dance.

ICC Cricket World Cup

The group stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup opened Tuesday and continues until March 25. The Super 8 stage runs from March 27 to April 21. The semifinals will be played April 24-25, and the finals will be Saturday, April 28, in Barbados. Follow all of the action on cricinfo.com . Michael Davies will provide weekly coverage of the tournament here on Page 2.

But here's my preview anyway:

The Rules

If there's anyone out there who still doesn't know how to play this game? Come on, where have you been?! This is the 2007 equivalent to not knowing how to play Texas hold 'em circa 2004.

Like Robin Williams once said, cricket is just baseball on Valium.

The biggest international matches are contested over five days, the teams both wear white trousers, white shirts and white sweaters and a large percentage of the games end up with no result. At the Cricket World Cup they're playing the bastardized one-day version of the game in brightly colored outfits (the Dutch wear bright orange -- natch) and the games are extremely fast-paced (read: only five times slower than baseball) and controversial (almost always end up with one team winning and one team losing -- purists hate that).

There are 11 players on each team. Some are specialist batters or batsmen. Some are specialist pitchers (bowlers). Most valuable in the one-day game are all-rounders, players who can bat and bowl (like Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff of England). There's also a catcher (wicket keeper) whose job is basically to be shorter than everybody else and to verbally abuse the opposing batsmen at every opportunity.*

*In a bizarre twist to the rules enacted just this year in the wake of the success of the Harry Potter novels, the wicket keeper can also win the game at any moment by catching the opponent's Golden Snitch.

The wicket keeper is also the only one who gets to wear gloves. The others have to field the ball (as hard as a baseball, and traveling faster) with their bare hands. This is the one aspect of the game seemingly beyond the grasp of any American I have ever taken to see cricket, even among those who have mastered the intricacies of the L.B.W. (Leg Before Wicket) rule. This is also why Americans will never really take to the game, until we take back the colonies (one reality show at a time) and force you to play the game at the point of a musket (the Iraq war has been tough on us, those are basically the only weapons we have left, and maybe a couple of WWII Spitfires and amphibious landing craft).

Other than that, the object of cricket is to score more runs than your opponent and do so in a somewhat gentlemanly fashion without exerting too much effort. Well, the gentlemanly and effortless part only really applies to the English who are particularly strong in the effortlessly gentlemanly department. Just not so good at scoring more runs than their opponents.

If you want to understand more, just type "rules of cricket for small children, parrots or Americans" into your favorite search engine and prepare to be utterly confused. A better bet might be to sign up for DirecTV's Cricket Ticket or watch online at Willow.tv (Pakistan and the West Indies are playing as I type this). You will still be confused, but it's an absolutely thrilling way to pass eight and a half hours.

Groups and Teams

Group A

Australia: They're aggravatingly good and the favorites. But they're like the cricket equivalent of the German football/fussball/what you call "SahKa" team for me. They all have stupid nicknames like Ponty, Gilks and Mutton and I'll be heavily cheering against them.

South Africa: Unfortunately, the second-best team in Australia's pathetically weak group is playing horrible cricket right now. South Africa is not helped by the fact that its roster of medium-paced bowlers is getting slogged all over the Caribbean in warm-up matches on fields (wickets) which seem to be favoring slow, spin bowling.

Scotland: I lived in Scotland for four years and didn't see cricket once. Last summer I saw five cricket games going on at the same time in a single park off the Long Island Expressway in Queens. Even if the Scots are any good (which they're not), not sure how they'll recover from the shock of feeling warmth and seeing that big, shiny, yellow thing in the sky which hurts your eyes when you look right into it.

Netherlands: I went on some school trips to play cricket against Dutch teams in the early 1980s and even though they were really good on the pinball machines in the clubhouse, spoke English perfectly and had incredibly fit girlfriends, they couldn't play cricket at all. Nothing much has changed.

Group B

Sri Lanka: Conditions in the Caribbean certainly seem to favor the talented Sri Lankans -- it's hot, humid, wet and the pitches are slow and unpredictable. Also, no one's actually sure where their country is or who they are so when you suddenly find yourselves being beaten by them you start thinking: "What the heck? We're being beaten by Sri Lanka, and we're not even sure what that is!?"

India: They quite like cricket in India, and a few hundred million might be expected to tune in for their opening match against Bangladesh on Saturday.

Bangladesh: I have never seen Bangladesh play but the cab driver who picked me up at Newark the other day and took me into lower Manhattan assured me they're going to win the whole thing.

Bermuda: Without any doubt, my favorite team in the tournament. They're part-timers, amateurs, school teachers, office workers and in the case of 280-pound Dwayne Leverock -- large policemen. Unfortunately they have no chance of winning.

Group C

New Zealand: Often confused by Americans with Australians which annoys them no end. Most fun to do it on purpose when you have already been told five times where they're from. Also fun to hear a New Zealander say "deck chairs" -- especially a lady. Really good at rugby, pretty good at cricket, wear black a lot which can be a problem in the heat.

England: The New York Knicks of world cricket. Have plenty of talent, were losing everything a few months ago and now seem to be finding a way to win occasionally. Secret to their success will be fan favorite Monty Panesar, a slow, left-arm spinner who throws a mean, sliding knuckleball! Their fans, the "Barmy Army" will travel in large numbers to the Caribbean and are odds-on favorites to win the World Cup of Beer and Rum Consumption.

Kenya: I didn't even know that they play cricket. Should be entertaining.

Canada: If Steve Nash is playing, they'll pass the cricket ball well and shoot better than you'd think from the outside. If he's not they'll lose a lot, maybe even to Kenya.

Group D

Pakistan: The most unpredictable team in world cricket -- who knows, they might turn up dressed as pirates -- but certainly capable of thrashing anyone. Missing some players but should make it into the second phase, "The Super 8," with ease. If they end up playing India, expect war, and not much customer service on your PC help line.

West Indies: The host nation should be the favorites, other than the fact that no host nation has ever won the Cricket World Cup and these guys are more unpredictable than the Pakistani squad. These guys should an advantage though, eating their familiar food and drinking their regular Red Stripe, playing on the dodgy pitches in the unfinished stadiums they're used to. Their fans will win the World Cup of Continuous Drum Beating and Dancing. No contest.

Zimbabwe: The fact that they're still even playing cricket is remarkable enough. Also, they're capable of being quite good. If the Windies and Pakistan aren't careful, this could be the surprise team in the group stage. Or otherwise, I might not know what I'm talking about.

Ireland: This might be a misprint. Ireland can't possibly be in the Caribbean for the Cricket World Cup. According to the Harry Potter books though, they're very good at Quidditch.

Tournament format: It goes on forever and I don't understand it. But the final is in Jamaica on April 21. And, that's OK guys, I'll take one for the team and fly down for that.

Three Great Quotes I Couldn't Find A Way To Get In …

It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavours look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. I don't wish to denigrate a sport that is enjoyed by millions, some of them awake and facing the right way, but it is an odd game.

-- Bill Bryson, "Down Under"

Cricket is battle and service and sport and art.

-- Douglas Jardine, captain of England, 1931-34

When's the game itself going to begin?

-- Groucho Marx, watching a match at Lord's, attributed in The Guinness Dictionary of Sports Quotations

Michael Davies is a British-born television producer who has covered two FIFA World Cups for ESPN Page 2. Last year his projects for ESPN included the critically acclaimed documentary "Once In A Lifetime" about the N.Y. Cosmos and the not-so-critically-acclaimed World Series of Darts.

[Breakwood]

No real suprises from today's action.

South Africa (353-3) trounced The Netherlands (132-9) by 221 runs, in a rain shortened match. Each team played 40 overs each. The big news from this one was the unbelievable feat reached by Herschelle Gibbs. Gibbs hit 6 sixes in one over off of Daan van Bunge. I can't think of any way of comparing this to the mainstream North American sports, but this is an amazing feat.

In the other match, New Zealand (210-4) deafeated England (209-7) by 6 wickets. Looking at Englands score, Kenya might have a chance at beating them, in the final group match when they play eachother.

Tomorrow we will see India play Bangladesh and Pakistan play Ireland.

{Add-on}

Here is Cricinfo's commentary from Gibbs' historical over:

29.1 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Violence! Gibbs charged down the track and hoicked it over long on.

29.2 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Murder! Floated on the leg and middle stump line and Gibbs sends it soaring over long-off.

29.3 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Carnage! Flatter one this time but it makes no difference to Gibbs. He just stands there and delivers. This one also has been sucked over long off

29.4 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Wah Wah! Low full toss and guess where this went Yep. A slap slog and it went over deep midwicket! He is going to go for 6 sixes in this over!

29.5 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, Short in length, on the off stump line and Gibbs rocks back and swat-pulls it over wide long off. SImply amazing. What a batsman. This is pure violence!

29.6 van Bunge to Gibbs, SIX, He has done it! One-day record. No one has hit six sixes in a row. GIbbs stands alone in that zone. And the minnow bashing continues! Full and outside off and bludgeoned over deep midwicket

[Alphabet Man]

I can't think of any way of comparing this to the mainstream North American sports, but this is an amazing feat.

I would say its the same as an average player in baseball hitting a home-run over the fence six-times in a row from six shots. Or hitting a three 10 times in a row.

Reminds me of Hookesy. Which reminds me why I currently strongly dislike Sunny (whatever his real name is) Gavaskar. :censored:head.

[Fred T. Jane]

I would say its the same as an average player in baseball hitting a home-run over the fence six-times in a row from six shots. Or hitting a three 10 times in a row.

I think it would be most analogous to having someone one hit six home runs in six straight at-bats... all on the first pitch.

[Alphabet Man]

IRELAND! IRELAND! IRELAND! IRELAND!

They will make the final and lose to Australia...thats how good they are.

That is, if we don't play them till the final.

I think Ireland are no through to the next round. It's really nice to see a non-cricketing country make the second round.

[Alphabet Man]

Sad news today with the news that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has died overnight, was found unconsious in his hotel room and died in hospital. RIP Bob, what you did for cricket certainly helped put it in the postion it is today, especially your work with England, South Africa and Pakistan as well as your work with the developing countries. You will be missed.

But on the bright side, Australia beat the Netherlands.

[Fred T. Jane]

Sad news there, mate, but nothing beats mediocre play like Freddy Flintoff getting tossed as vice captain!

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content...ory/285887.html

Flintoff sacked as vice-captain

Cricinfo staff

March 18, 2007

Andrew Flintoff has been sacked as England's vice-captain and will not now take over the leadership in the event of an injury to Michael Vaughan. The announcement was made after Flintoff had been dropped for England's must-win World Cup encounter against Canada, after allegedly capsizing a pedalo at 4am in the morning after the defeat against New Zealand on Saturday.

Flintoff later apologised for his actions: "I know that what I did on Friday night was completely wrong and I have to take full responsibility for it," he said. "There can be no excuses on my part. I know I shouldn't have done what I did and I have to accept the punishment.

"To my team-mates and the England supporters that I let down, all I can say is that I am extremely sorry and assure everyone that I will be giving 110 per cent for England for the rest of this tournament."

An earlier statement confirmed he would not no longer be England's No. 2: "The England & Wales Cricket Board have announced that Andrew Flintoff will not be considered for the England captaincy should Michael Vaughan be injured at any stage during the World Cup."

Flintoff was one of several members of the squad to be fined for a "breach of team discipline" in the aftermath of that match, although the other players alleged to have been involved were named against Canada. Ravi Bopara, the young Essex allrounder, stepped into Flintoff's role for his second ODI, and first World Cup outing.

"Andrew Flintoff has been given warnings about his conduct and disciplined for previous incidents of this nature," said England's coach, Duncan Fletcher. "In light of this and due to the serious nature of the incident which he was involved in at the hotel on Friday night, we have decided to take further disciplinary action against him.

"Andrew has been made fully aware of the team management's concerns and the fact that the ECB considers this type of behaviour to be totally unacceptable. He will remain with the World Cup squad and be available for selection for our next match against Kenya.

"All players involved wish to express their sincere regret for the embarrassment caused to their team mates, the England supporters and the ECB."

England's management had initially refused to speculate on a report in Sunday's News of the World, under a back-page headline of "Sunk' n' Drunk - Freddie fined after pedalo booze shame", that stated that Flintoff had toppled into the water after a late-night drinking session at the Rumours Nightclub near England's team hotel in St Lucia. Fans who witnessed events contacted several British newspapers to tell them what they'd seen.

Nasser Hussain, Flintoff's former captain, praised England's management for their hard-line stance on Flintoff's antics. "There is a history to this story," Hussain told Sky Sports. "It is not the first time. In Australia he had three or four warnings about his drinking. The management felt enough is enough. At some stage you have to have some strong management, even with your best cricketer. Well done England for finally for having some strong management."

David Collier, the ECB's chief executive, was also severely critical of the England team's behaviour. "The conduct of the players who have been disciplined was unacceptable and falls below the high standards of behaviour required of England cricketers. We fully support the England team management's decision to deal with this issue promptly and fines levied on the players concerned will be donated to the Cricket Foundation's charity, Chance to Shine."

[Breakwood]

Appearently Inzamam Ul-Haq has also retired after Pakistan's loss to Ireland. What a weekend in the cricket world.