Anyone else not looking forward to it in the same way...

[Andybligzz]

Last night I went round to my parents for dinner and my father being a mad cricket lover and followed and played the game his whole life , while we were watching aus vs Sri Lanka he said “ it’s a shame about Zimbabwe not qualifying , they played some good cricket last time the World Cup was there “ comments like this hit home .

[zimbos_05]

Last night I went round to my parents for dinner and my father being a mad cricket lover and followed and played the game his whole life , while we were watching aus vs Sri Lanka he said “ it’s a shame about Zimbabwe not qualifying , they played some good cricket last time the World Cup was there “ comments like this hit home .

Are your parents Zimbos?

Also, Afghanistan seem to be showing they wont be as competitive as most feel.

And, how good is that England kit. Like the return to the lighter blue and the retro look. Bring back retro same design world cup kits.

[Andybligzz]

Last night I went round to my parents for dinner and my father being a mad cricket lover and followed and played the game his whole life , while we were watching aus vs Sri Lanka he said “ it’s a shame about Zimbabwe not qualifying , they played some good cricket last time the World Cup was there “ comments like this hit home .

Are your parents Zimbos?

Also, Afghanistan seem to be showing they wont be as competitive as most feel.

And, how good is that England kit. Like the return to the lighter blue and the retro look. Bring back retro same design world cup kits.

No but mums side is Rhodesian , who moved to Scotland then my mum moved here and met my father .

[Mr Twig]

Very empty feeling. Normally, I would be looking forward to the World Cup and counting down the months. Now it's like the World Cup has just sprung up from nowhere.

I did watch one of the warm-up games the other night and during the rain interruption, for some reason, they showed the highlights package from the Zimbabwe v Australia World Cup match from 2003. Great to see Zim on tv but it did hurt a bit.

[Googly]

Jeez this England team are looking good. Archer has been bloody fantastic. Perfect bowling action, and quick!!
I just dunno how u leave Miller out?

[Googly]

That was a killer blow to SA. They will struggle to pick themselves up from that.

[jaybro]

I’ll be honest I haven’t been following South Africa that closely lately, but why on earth was Miller not in the side ?

[Googly]

He’d have had to replace Pretorius or Duminy. As this 50 over stuff evolves it’s showing how important the finishers have become, the likes of Dhoni, Stokes, Buttler etc. England have two of the best.
That was a serious blow Amla took, that leaves psychological damage, his mettle will be tested the next quick guy he faces because he’s going to get some chin music. That was an error taking Archer’s short ball on early on in the innings and he paid the price, as did Du Plessis. I’m an Amla fan, he was looking sublime in the warm-ups. Markram’s Achille’s heel was exposed by Archer, it was the perfect delivery to him. It’s been spoken about a lot and it’s surprising he hasn’t mended it. VD Dussen looked at sea early on, but hung in there and played fairly well. His reversing saved him from an embarrassing strike rate. They will probably replace Pretorius with Miller in the next game? And who knows what they will do when Steyn is fit, Ngidi and Rabada bowled well.

[Googly]

They’ve got Duminy and Amla past their prime and praying for the planets to align, VD Dussen and Markram new to this level- no doubting their potential, but short on experience, De Kock who just plays the way he plays, but has to realize he’s now probably the best they’ve got and no longer has the license to just express himself, Miller who’s always been a bridesmaid and Phehlukwayo and Pretorius trying to fill Kallis’ shoes. It’s all a bit shaky.
They will do well to finish in the top 4. It’s a funny old game though and SA know how to scrap, they know how to choke a bit as well.

[sloandog]

Van Der Dussen I like; he may not be the prettiest to watch but he certainly knows how to grit it out. Out of his 9 knocks he's scored 5 half centuries in ODI cricket, which is pretty impressive really.

Out of the all-rounders they have I think Chris Morris and Andile are the most lethal in the latter overs of power play, but still, Pretorious I rate. They've got three solid allrounders in their squad, and I guess it's just a case of making sure they pick the best two to fit the conditions. Yesterday I would have chosen Morris over Pretorious.

Ngidi I don't think bowled all that well upfront and his pace was alarmingly down. Usually he breaks the 87mph bracket comfortably, but yesterday he looked like he was struggling to hit 85mph; i'll put it down to rustiness.

Archer is possibly going to be the find of the summer...yes it's really early days in career, but Jesus, he bowls 90-95 mph off an easy paced run up and strong, healthy action. Eat your heart out Shoaib Akhtar