congrats Ehsan Bhai.Your team is through.
Allan Donald speaks out!
**There are no words to describe how important the match against Sri Lanka is for South Afican cricket, so we haven’t talked about it. **
Obviously we have planned everything, studied each of their players on video and worked in the nets, but everybody understands how big this game is - there is no need to add further pressure by saying any more.
We had a chat on Saturday night to sort a few things out and gauge the feelings of the team.
Some of the guys were a bit hesitant but now I think everybody realises that our number one priority is to give Sri Lanka a good hiding.
Of course we won’t underestimate them, despite their up-and-down form, but if we had to play them anywhere it couldn’t be at a better place than Kingsmead.
There is unlikely to be much movement but the wicket will have bounce, and if the ball gets big on them regularly, that is one of their weaknesses.
We know that if we play positively, aggressively and take a couple of early wickets, we can knock them over for under 100.
**Their key man, of course, is skipper Sanath Jayasuriya - he can take a game away from you in the first 15 or 20 overs. **
But Makhaya Ntini has been brilliant of late bowling to left-handers, and the rest of the side got enough practice thanks to the Canada opener Ishwar Maraj the other day.
After the third dropped catch he just laughed, saying nothing could go wrong.
We had a few jokes after that win too, predicting how hard the press were going to be on us, and they were.
But I believe, from a team point of view and personally, that things are heading in the right direction.
**The dropped catches were disappointing but we know we have a good slip cordon, we know Mark Boucher has good hands; we just have to keep believing in them to get through this rough patch. **
I didn’t take a wicket but it was a flat wicket and I felt a lot better about what I was doing.
**I’ve had some great advice - people like my old coach Bob Woolmer spotting from outside what I couldn’t see myself - and I feel I’m really bouncing towards the crease again and getting my rhythm back.
I’ve talked a lot over the last few weeks about the kind of pressure we are under but it will only take us to win this game for a massive load to be lifted off our shoulders. **
In all likelihood, Sri Lanka would get into the Super Six too so we would carry the points through and give our chances of making the semi-finals a big boost.
**We have had loads of messages from supporters, and about 90% of them are still full of support. **
Our team manager reads a lot of them out - although he doesn’t bother with the few idiots who get on our backs.
I’ve had several ex-players phone to say, **“You can still do it”. **
**Everyone in South Africa wants it to come right for us in a really good performance, and there is no better time for everything to come together. **
Donald is sounding more like shoib with his arrogant statements like "We know that if we play positively, aggressively and take a couple of early wickets, we can knock them over for under 100". This is poor professionalism and captains should stronlgy urge their players to refrain from such idiocy. I think lankans wont be there to just be pushed over and will give proteas a ballsy game...despite their record against them. I am for SL since they have already been royally screwed by the ICC..which is showing its bias for SA to qualify since it equals great revenue for them.....when its obvious the whiny kiwis who should have gotten the heavier side of restrictions for qualification.
SA v SL will be an important and good match to watch and also NZ V canada going on.
Good fight by Canada. John Davison played a fantastic inning. :k:
Canada innings (50 overs maximum) R M B 4 6
I Maraj lbw b Bond 0 16 14 0 0
**JM Davison c Cairns b Harris 75 93 62 9 4**
N Ifill c McCullum b Oram 7 16 15 1 0
IS Billcliff c Fleming b Styris 8 31 24 0 0
NA de Groot lbw b Oram 17 56 49 3 0
*JV Harris c McCullum b Bond 26 62 39 3 0
+A Bagai b Oram 1 6 2 0 0
AM Samad lbw b Bond 12 21 20 2 0
A Codrington b Oram 7 30 17 1 0
A Patel b Styris 25 43 29 3 0
BB Seebaran not out 4 20 12 0 0
**Extras (lb 1, w 12, nb 1) 14
Total (all out, 47 overs, 197 mins) 196**
FoW: 1-21 (Maraj, 4.2 ov), 2-43 (Ifill, 7.6 ov),
3-80 (Billcliff, 14.5 ov), 4-98 (Davison, 22.4 ov),
5-123 (de Groot, 29.6 ov), 6-129 (Bagai, 31.1 ov),
7-152 (Samad, 36.3 ov), 8-153 (Harris, 38.1 ov),
9-173 (Codrington, 42.3 ov), 10-196 (Patel, 46.6 ov).
Bowling O M R W
Bond 10 3 29 3 (3w)
Adams 6 0 38 0
Oram 10 1 52 4 (7w)
Vettori 10 0 34 0 (1nb, 1w)
Styris 4 0 23 2 (1w)
Harris 7 1 19 1
Hey, we should ask Davison, whether he wants to move to Pakistan. 
R M B 4 6
CD McMillan c Bagai b Davison 14 18 13 3 0
*SP Fleming run out (Maraj) 5 7 2 1 0
NJ Astle st Bagai b Davison 11 8 8 2 0
CL Cairns c Maraj b Davison 31 40 28 2 1
AR Adams c sub (S Thuraisingam) b Seebaran 36 28 20 3 3
SB Styris not out 54 48 38 4 2
CZ Harris not out 38 38 29 4 0
Extras (lb 3, w 5) 8
Total (5 wickets, 23 overs, 94 mins) 197
DNB: JDP Oram, DL Vettori, +BB McCullum, SE Bond.
FoW: 1-19 (Fleming, 1.4 ov), 2-31 (Astle, 3.4 ov),
3-32 (McMillan, 3.6 ov), 4-97 (Adams, 10.4 ov),
5-114 (Cairns, 13.2 ov).
Bowling O M R W
Patel 3 0 32 0 (3w)
Davison 10 0 61 3 (1w)
Codrington 2 0 33 0 (1w)
Seebaran 7 0 61 1
Ifill 1 0 7 0
NZ win by 5 wickets.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
NZ win by 5 wickets.
[/QUOTE]
My goodness. 197 runs in just 23 overs? Ye Kiwis aaj kuch bohot zyaada Vitamin C waali Kiwi khaa kai aa gae thai? :D
Team coming 2nd in Pool B plays 2 Day/Night games in Super Sixes 
SL 268/9 off 50 overs.
SA 60/0 after 10 overs.
Even though this is a D/N match I heard on TV that off the 12 D/N matches played here, teh team batting second won 7.
South Africa 65/1 (11.1 ov)
They just lost blazing GC Smith for 35.
The ball isn't doing much today. I don't know if it's the conditions aren't the same or if the Sri Lankans haven't got seam bowlers to exploit it. Only Vaas is getting any movement at all.
South Africa 163/5 (33.0 ov)
MV Boucher (RHB) 6 9 0 0 66.67 Striker
SM Pollock (RHB) 5 14 0 0 35.
Go Lanka Go!
How come Kiwis lose to Kenya and their NRR is not affected at all. Whereas Sri Lanka gets a negative run rate after losing to Kenya by 53 Runs?. I don't think just forfeiting a match and getting a neutral NRR is fair. Kiwis should have been penalised heavier.
Ahem, the game is between South Africa and Sri Lanka or are the kiwis found in South Africa too??
**woo hoo, it has started raining rally heavily...
SA 229/6, they needed to be 230 according to that D/L method.
IF match doesnt finish in an hour, SA are out of the WC **
The only downside of SA going out is that New Zealand go through on sheer luck. Their spot should be given to the Windies who were robbed of 2 points by the weather against Bangladesh.
Kiwis don't deserve to go through after trying to deny plucky Kenya a fantastic WC campaign.
Yep, 2nd Favorites and 3 Favorites (almost) exit in first round!!
Pool B looks like crap without the Afrikaans. I bet all three teams from pool A will be in Semi-finals.
Kenya enters Supers Sixes with second most points after Australia. All they have to do is win ONE against pool A teams.
Thats Cricket for you!