Cricket World Cup 2011

[Tee]

Best cricket world cup I can ever remember and congratulations to India. Fantastic victory today and they have clearly been the best team throughout. Great team spirit and unity also.

Where will the next WC be taking place?

Also, 50 over ODI cricket is back!!!

[Baracus]

Aye Malinga the slinga is a proper chucker, the ****er

Never won the Ashes though has he.

:haha; The big one

Best cricket world cup I can ever remember and congratulations to India. Fantastic victory today and they have clearly been the best team throughout. Great team spirit and unity also.

Where will the next WC be taking place?

Also, 50 over ODI cricket is back!!!

Its in Aussie land and Hobbit land on 2015

Great World cup, just missing a player like Lance Klusener of 1999 world cup

[Neil Young]

Its in Aussie land and Hobbit land on 2015

2015 is when the final is. The group stage starts next month.

Seriously it was quite a good tournament but far, far too long.

[kingfunk]

Not content with voting to bar Ireland from the 2015 World Cup, the England cricket authorities yesterday attempted to gag Irish players from talking about their shameful decision.
In the wake of Monday's vote by full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) - including England - to restrict the next World Cup to the 10 Test-playing countries, several Ireland squad members reacted angrily.
William Porterfield, Niall O'Brien and Boyd Rankin all voiced their disappointment, while Gary Wilson tweeted: "That was a sh*t decision -- not a World Cup now, just a trophy with 10 teams."
Free speech is not something the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) encourages and Ireland's county-contracted players were all warned by email yesterday against making any further comments.
The employers' organisation of county cricket has the power to fine or even ban players for inappropriate behaviour and Alan Fordham, the ECB's head of cricket operations, has not ruled out taking action over comments already made.
In the meantime, the ECB wished to inform the players "to be very careful about what they are putting in the public domain".
The fury among cricket's smaller nations at being denied even the chance to qualify for the 2015 showpiece in Australia and New Zealand shows no sign of dying down and Ireland coach Phil Simmons yesterday added his voice to the outrage.
"Monday was a dark day for cricket but a great day for greed and fear!" Simmons said.
"It is hard to find words to describe this despicable decision, made by some who want to keep things among themselves and some who fear us.
"There can be no cricketing reasons for this decision as we answered the cricket question, the TV-rating question and we are 10th in the world -- so what else is needed?
"I'm afraid the next World Cup will be like the American World Series where you are crowned world champions but the world did not take part. Congratulations India on winning the last real World Cup and congratulations ICC for pulling the game we love back 10 years!"
Cricket Ireland have vowed to fight the decision and could have a legal case against the ICC on competition grounds because it is hard to see how a 10-team tournament could exclude Ireland -- a team ranked 10th in the world by the ICC itself -- in favour of 11th-placed Zimbabwe.
- David Townsend EXCLUSIVE

Irish Independent

[Shaggy]

Ah well, Ireland will just have to get themselves into the top 10.

[kingfunk]

To get into the "world cup"?

Terms and conditions apply ~ only top ten teams need apply this time ~ no party poopers aloud.

[Shaggy]

Not every team in the world qualifies for the football World Cup, this is no different. In football you have to qualify. In cricket you have to qualify by being in the top ten. It's not a free-for-all, got to earn your right to be there - like in any 'World Cup' competition.

[elrichio86]

Ah well, Ireland will just have to get themselves into the top 10.

They already are

But because they're not classed as one of the test-playing nations, whereas Zimbabwe (ranked 11th) are, they're excluded.

How they go about becoming a test-playing nation I don't know

[kingfunk]

So why not allow teams to earn their place like a "football" world cup? How much more exciting would it be?
Imagine the next football world cup just been the top ten ranked teams? It's a load of Bollox and just more proof that organisations like ICC and FIFA been run like communist countries.

[Shaggy]

They already are

But because they're not classed as one of the test-playing nations, whereas Zimbabwe (ranked 11th) are, they're excluded.

How they go about becoming a test-playing nation I don't know

Oh okay.

I have no problems with it being the top 10, for reasons stated above. It's not a free for all and there is no entitlement, but the Test status is a different matter. I hope they get that status, they can't be any worse than Zimbabwe.

[Shaggy]

So why not allow teams to earn their place like a "football" world cup? How much more exciting would it be?
Imagine the next football world cup just been the top ten ranked teams? It's a load of Bollox and just more proof that organisations like ICC and FIFA been run like communist countries.

Teams are allowed to earn their place. You earn your place by winning enough games to get in the top 10. Ireland getting test status is a different matter, as I said I have no problem with having to qualify for a tournament (be it through qualifying fixtures or playing your way into the top 10). There is no entitlement.

[kingfunk]

Like I said this play your way to top ten is just a farce, I'm sure there is less money to be made from having the likes of Ireland taking a place. Load of Bollox, LOB!

[Shaggy]

Why is it a farce? Why should it be a free for all? The football World Cup isn't, why should the cricket equivalent be? The competition goes on for two months (!!!), it clearly needs streamlining.

[Tee]

Should have kept the format as it was IMO. Just have more games played on the same day in teh group stages and reduce it to a 4 or 5 week tournament.

[Shaggy]

As Neil said before, they play thirty (30!) games to eliminate four teams! It's absolutely ludicrous.