How could a World Cup which began with so much promise end for New Zealand in two such horrendous defeats? How can the side which thumped Australia 3-0 suddenly turn into a side which can't bat, can't bowl and can't hit the wickets when fielding? If we have learnt one thing from this World Cup is that the New Zealand team is mentally weak. Australians respond to pressure with aggression. Sri Lanka respond with quiet determination. New Zealand gets the shakes. You could see it from the start of the semi-final. The no-balls, the wides, the balls sprayed all over the wicket. The batting was even worse. Styris and Fulton held out for a while, but the middle order folded like well-designed deck chair.
Perhaps I am just bitter as I write this. The semi-final is not yet over and for the second time this week I am feeling angry at having got up before 3am to watch nothing but heart-break and disappointment. Perhaps I need to find some positives. The form of Scott Styris and Peter Fulton should count then. As should Shane Bond's bowling in the first three-quarters of the tournament. And the fact that a country of only 4 million people can reach the World Cup semi-finals is something we should all probably be proud of. But at the moment, none of this consoles me. I don't feel proud, I just feel let down.
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
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2 comments:
Lets not kid ourselves, this was always going to be on the cards. Up until the Chappell/Haddlee series we'd been pretty average at best, dire at worst. I think the CH series clouded some of the more obvious faults we have, none bigger than Bracewell. The CH series was a group of players banding together and hitting their stride all at the right time. Then, come World Cup, we had a pretty easy ride into these semis. Because the WI and England were/are pretty dire, i only consider the victory over SA to be one of any merit. So i knew that to win this morning would e a hard task and im not suprised we've crumbled. I dont think Gillespies up to international level nor Mason or Franklin. Taylors form was hurt big time by his injury and we missed Vincent at the top.
I'm with both of you on all counts.
Gawd it was a stinker turning on the radio at 103/2 and then all of ten minutes later it being 112/5
I saw Vincent on Game Of Two Halves on Monday, and I felt like reaching into the TV, grabbing his shoulders, giving him a shake and wailing, "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!!?"
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