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For the last two Thursdays me and some friends have met up at an Indian restaurant in Tulsa called Desi Wok. We've had chicken tikka marsala and watched the Cricket World Cup. I've enjoyed it. Especially the chicken. I would like Cricket if it was on more so I could figure it out.

Now India's coach resigns:

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/c ... 88789.html

Greg Chappell brought the curtain down on a controversial tenure as India's coach by announcing today that he would not be seeking an extension of his contract, which had ended along with India's participation in the World Cup. Chappell informed the board president of his decision on Wednesday, citing "family and personal reasons."

Chappell, 58, had served as coach since June 2005.

Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, said that Chappell had informed him about his decision in the afternoon. "Chappell's contract is over. It was up to the World Cup", Pawar told reporters. "I got a telephone call from him in the afternoon. Due to his family and personal reasons he was not interested in continuing the contract. He thanked BCCI for the opportunity."

So who won or is about to win this thing?

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/st ... 85,00.html

Bangladesh 251-8, South Africa 184
Bangladesh won 67 runs

Bangladesh might have become the target for the frustration South Africa have felt at being marooned in what some might consider the Caribbean backwater of Guyana for two weeks. Instead, the Asians proved they no longer belong among the minnows by beating their much vaunted opponents by 67 runs.
Bangladesh achieved the first half of the shock result by reaching 251 for eight, their highest World Cup score, having been put in to bat on a slow pitch. Mohammad Ashraful's pugnacious 87, which featured 12 fours, knocked more than a little of the swagger out of the South Africans.

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They are currently in the "Super Eights" phase of the competition, which has the following schedule:

Sun 8 35th Match, Super Eights - Australia v England
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

Mon 9 36th Match, Super Eights - Ireland v New Zealand
Providence Stadium, Guyana
D1 v C1
Tue 10 37th Match, Super Eights - South Africa v West Indies
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada
D2 v A2
Wed 11 38th Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v England
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
C2 v B2
Thu 12 39th Match, Super Eights - New Zealand v Sri Lanka
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada

Fri 13 40th Match, Super Eights - Australia v Ireland
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
A1 v D1
Sat 14 41st Match, Super Eights - New Zealand v South Africa
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada
A2 v C1
Sun 15 42nd Match, Super Eights - Bangladesh v Ireland
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
B2 v D1
Mon 16 43rd Match, Super Eights - Australia v Sri Lanka
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada

Tue 17 44th Match, Super Eights - England v South Africa
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

Wed 18 45th Match, Super Eights - Ireland v Sri Lanka
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada

Thu 19 46th Match, Super Eights - West Indies v Bangladesh
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
D2 v B2
Fri 20 47th Match, Super Eights - Australia v New Zealand
National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada
A1 v C1
Sat 21 48th Match, Super Eights - West Indies v England
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

The semi-finals are on April 24 and 25, and the final is on April 28.

Dill, can you explain how the winners are determined?

Mary1966 wrote: Dill, can you explain how the winners are determined?

There are 8 times right now in second round. They will play with each other once. Out of them, 4 will qualify for next round, which will be the semi-finals. First semi-final is between Winner of this round and 4th place team. Second semi-final is between 2nd place team and third place team. Winners of these two games will be the finalist.

GK: Right now Australia looks like unbeatable. They are clearly the best team and they have won the previous 2 world cups. If they win this thing, it will be a three peat. Right now Sri Lanka and Australia are almost a lock for semis. Other 2 places are up for the grabs between South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and England.

Mary1966 wrote:Now India's coach resigns:

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/c ... 88789.html

Greg Chappell brought the curtain down on a controversial tenure as India's coach by announcing today that he would not be seeking an extension of his contract, which had ended along with India's participation in the World Cup. Chappell informed the board president of his decision on Wednesday, citing "family and personal reasons."

Chappell, 58, had served as coach since June 2005.

Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, said that Chappell had informed him about his decision in the afternoon. "Chappell's contract is over. It was up to the World Cup", Pawar told reporters. "I got a telephone call from him in the afternoon. Due to his family and personal reasons he was not interested in continuing the contract. He thanked BCCI for the opportunity."

To follow it up, the Indian board has now done away with the guaranteed contracts for players and made it a performance based mechanism. Besides, they have stipulated restrictions on number of ad endorsements for every player - the money pit for current Indian players. They are coming down hard & fast on the players after the World cup debacle. The hunt for the next foreign coach is on as well.

For my part, I saved a bunch by deciding to stay back in town instead of joining my 3 buddies travelling to the Caribbean to watch these games. The vaunted India-Pakistan match is now slated as Bangladesh vs Ireland. My friends have returned back since.

Pakistan suspended all their players' contracts as well. The talk is that they are going to hire a Pakistani coach. The inquest on Bob Woolmer is going to be held on April 23rd.

The latest on the Super Eights:

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/ ... 90482.html

While New Zealand assured themselves of a place in the semi-finals with the win in Grenada - a result which also ensures Sri Lanka are in the semis, regardless of the results in their last two games - the defeat has put South Africa's semi-final prospects in serious jeopardy. With just one match to go, the South Africans are on six points, only two in front of England, who also have an extra match in hand. The two teams clash on Tuesday, in a must-win game for both. Not only is the result critical to those two teams, it will also impact a couple of other sides in the tournament.

Scenario 1: England beat South Africa

England will then be level with South Africa on six points, and will have an excellent opportunity to seal their semi-final spot with a win against West Indies. South Africa will finish their Super Eight campaign on six points, and will sweat on the results of the other games to keep them in the hunt: for them to go through, West Indies will have to beat England, which will then leave three teams - South Africa, England, and West Indies or Bangladesh - on six points. Net run rates will then come into play, which is again bad news for South Africa - they are currently languishing at -0.21, and a defeat against England won't help their cause much. Graeme Smith might just regret the fact that he bowled five overs for 56 against West Indies, allowing them to come within 67 runs of their 356.

England going past South Africa will also suit West Indies and Bangladesh perfectly. Brian Lara and Habibul Bashar have been talking about their World Cups being over already, but they just might have rushed it a bit. If England's victory margin against South Africa is a narrow one, and if West Indies thrash Bangladesh and England (it might look unlikely at the moment, but nothing's beyond a team which has Chris Gayle and Lara in their batting line-up), their NRR might just sneak up beyond that of England and South Africa. Ditto for Bangladesh, if they beat Ireland and West Indies.

Scenario 2: South Africa beat England

Realistically, that's South Africa's only chance of making it to the last four. A South African win will also shut out England, West Indies and Bangladesh, making two of the last four matches - West Indies versus Bangladesh and West Indies versus England - completely redundant. Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa will then be the four semi-finalists, with the rest of the matches only deciding the positions within the top four.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1811

Bob Woolmer could have been poisoned before he was strangled, tests suggest.


A post-mortem examination on the Pakistan cricket coach determined that he was strangled in his Jamaican hotel room.


But results from toxicology tests are understood to have brought a possible fresh twist to the investigation.


The discovery of poison, if confirmed, would add credibility to theories that Woolmer - who was 6ft 1in and 18 stone - was weakened and unable to fight back before he was overpowered by a mystery attacker.


It could also suggest that his murder was pre-meditated, rather than the result of a heat-of-the-moment dispute after Pakistan's shock exit from the Cricket World Cup three weeks ago.


Jamaica's coroner, Patrick Murphy, and Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry, will meet this week to finalise which witnesses will be required to give live evidence at the inquest, expected to begin next Monday.


The list is likely to include members of the Pakistan cricket team, who left Jamaica within days of Woolmer's murder.

Semi-final pairings almost set.

Australia vs South Africa
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka.

Make your picks. Its hard not to vote for Australia...they are overwhelming favorites..

I pick Sri Lanka. They are the most balanced team.

couple that with my hatredness towards Australia