@raznomore said in NBA season 2018/19:

@Sneakdefreak yeah I have seen this scenario this morning mentioned by several people on social media. Not sure how likely it actually is though.

Paul would work for OKC if they had another go-to player but they have absolutely no one.

Wait......it's all coming to fruition........Adams is about to become a 30-10 player ............

I'll see myself out

In all seriosuness I'd be surpised if Adams didn't average 18/10 this season.

@ACT-Crusader said in NBA season 2018/19:

@barbarian said in NBA season 2018/19:

Russ is a better player than CP3, so on a very basic level the Rockets should be a better team.

Will that actually happen? I'm not sure.

I think this is great news for the Rockets and in particular Harden. Harden will adjust his game as will Westbrook.

Bahahahaha. Bahahaha. Suuuuuure they will. This is a disaster waiting to happen with the union of two ball-hogs.

@rotated said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

@shark said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

Rosco will be around 38 and a very unlikely starter based on the longevity of NZ batsmen historically but stranger things have happened and he seems very fit.

It is concievable that he makes it. He doesn't have any of the degenerative injuries that usually see batsman forced out like knees or lower back - its mainly been his eyes, balls and that one leg injury and a broken arm against Australia.

It's probably more about the will to keep going and having a young family etc. Probably after this big summer he will sit down and have a think about it and maybe drop a format. I would hope the Test Championship might keep him interested until 2021 and from there perhaps 2023 is not a bridge too far? At any rate he probably doesn't need to be playing 5 match ODI series in Sri Lanka and UAE if he doesn't want to if it means elongating his career.

That's not to say we need him in four years, but it wouldn't hurt to have him playing a Waugh/Misbah/Jayawardne/Dilshan/Dhoni type role batting 6 maybe?

Well if he drops T20s he should be right because we have fuck all test and ODI cricket in our future.

Still struggling big time with the injustice of it all. This has been infinity times harder to process than getting reamed by Australia in 2015. We could have - possibly should have - won this final and title.

In 2015 I was consoled by being able to look forward and confidently expect we’d still have a pretty good side in 2019. We were always likely to still have Guppy, Kane, Rosco, Anderson, Henry, Southee, Boult and Milne from that side, and knew we were heading to a tournament played in conditions nearer to our own than anywhere else it could be held. I was confident we’d give it another tilt and distinctly remember predicting that on TSF in the aftermath of the 2015 final.

But fast forward and we’ve come as close as a team can possibly, possibly get without quite pulling it off, and I have little confidence in our team being as strong in the next tournament, to be played in far less suitable conditions. This year our team had three of our top five all time ODI batsmen in it, either at or near the peak of their powers, possibly our best ever ODI pace bowler, and a quality supporting cast with some fast improvers and only a couple of duds. You could say much the same of the 2015 side but throw in our greatest ODI spinner as well, plus a much better performed Southee.

In 2023 we’ll still have Kane and I have no reason to believe he’ll be any less of a player than he is now. So we’ll always be a chance. But I’m not sure how many of the current guys will still be around. Guptill, out of form this tournament but still only 32 currently, will probably be past it at 36. It’s possible we’re seeing him waning now, but I tend to think he’ll come right again and we’ll get another year or three out of him. Rosco will be around 38 and a very unlikely starter based on the longevity of NZ batsmen historically but stranger things have happened and he seems very fit. On balance though, probably not. Boult will be 33 and fairly long in the tooth for a pace bowler. Still a possible starter but highly unlikely to be operating at the same level.

Nicholls, Latham, Neesham, Santner, Sodhi, Ferguson and Henry will all be 32 or younger which helps the core. Add to that Corey Anderson, Tom Blundell, Will Young, Tim Seifert and Adam Milne. Ok I’m cheering up a little, but still need to see at least a couple of these guys develop into truly world class players in order to have any confidence. The Colins will be gone. One should never play ODI cricket again and the other will drift out of the side due to age prior to the next WC. Southee will also be a goner.

So the team for 2023? Well I’m assuming Guppy and Rosco will be gone, sadly. Boult may well be reduced to a Kyle Mills 2015 role as the experienced fourth seamer unlikely to play but in the squad. Kane will be there at first drop and I reckon Nicholls should have well and truly cemented a spot at 4 by then (same as in the test side) but may be needed at the top. Young shapes as a likely contender at 5 unless we stack the middle order with power allrounders in which case I can see Neesham batting there. There’s a chance Nicholls stays at the top of the order and Young slots in at 4, I guess. Latham will also contend for 4. At this stage the opening spots look problematic and particularly by then if Guppy is in fact history. Maybe Blundell takes one of these spots, or Seifert who appeals as a guy who can get us away to a flyer, McCullum-esque . I truly hope Anderson comes back as a true all rounder and reclaims a position. Santner will probably be there as a defensive spinner but hopefully not batting as high as 8 as he appears most unworthy of this spot in the ODI team at the moment. Team structure however may dictate that he stays there. Sodhi should play a lot more for NZ and should be in this squad. Latham looks likely to enjoy an extended run in the middle order. There will be new guys come in but it’s not hard to imagine a lot of our current quality performers still holding their spots. A possible 1st XI in India:

Seifert
Nicholls
Williamson
Young/Latham
Latham/Young
Neesham
Anderson
Santner
Sodhi
Henry
Ferguson

I’d love to see another hitter at 8. If Santners test batting develops and he starts not ducking under bouncers when we need runs then he may be more suited to 7, sandwiched between a couple of thugs.

@ACT-Crusader said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

4 seamers and no spinners in the tournament XI.

Shakib?

@rotated said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

@mariner4life said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

well, shit aye.

I'm actually not sure how to feel. We can't even fall back on being beaten by a better side on the day. Because we weren't beaten.

Get my rant in. What fuckwit came up with most boundaries as the 2nd tie-breaker? Effectively England have been handed the cup for having less scoring shots than us? In what way is that a good measurement? Get absolutely fucked. I am not having that. Celebrate you pommy (UN) fucks, we all know it feels hollow.

Two bad pieces of luck in the last couple of overs. But that overthrow 6 is about as unlucky as you can possibly get. Right there you know it is not your day. Fucking hell.

I thought we were 30 runs short, turns out we were one. Imagine if we didn't duck under the last ball of the innings?

This is about where I'm at with it too. Although in a way I feel bad for both sides as England will always have a bit of asterix on the title and the lack of closure will likely torment NZ more than a loss. I'm not entirely sure I would be that much happier if NZ had "won" on an equally ridiculous countback.

The NZ team can be very proud, they played great cricket and did not wilt under the pressure and in the last two games added more to the lore of NZ cricket history than other teams did in an entire four year cycle. I juts hope for the Black Caps that in time the absurdity and incredible nature of the result or lack thereof a little easier to swallow.

On the bright side I look forward to Kane on commentary at the 2039 CWC semi final talking about this game at length...

You're having a little tug on your own whizzer there if you seriously believe the Poms will give a second thought to the way they were awarded this WC. They won't give a flying fuck. It's in the record books, that's all that matters. And we'd feel exactly the same. At most they'll feel mildly sympathetic towards us but they'll feel completely justified in having taken this title, one way or another.

@SammyC I've been in since approx 7.45 and am proud that as yet I haven't bitten anyones' head off.

@NTA I'm ok with the super over. But I think using boundaries to then separate teams is a load of horse shit. We lost fewer / took more wickets.

End fucking of. Gah.

@Hooroo said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

It was quite fitting that the guy who made a hash brown of a review should be run out to lose the match.

Tremendous game though. Maybe the greatest ever I can recall. Gutted and proud all at the same time. We were incredibly unlucky today.

No consolation but funny when all and sundry were collapsing around him, A kiwi pulled them through. Super mental strength by Stokes.

I really am gutted but what a game of cricket. Happy enough for England too.

I really feel for Guppy. That was a truly cruel end to the tournament for him. But he did waste that review with Nicholls' assistance, and this probably (Taylor may have been out next ball anyway) contributed to the eventual loss. Then to be asked to squeeze out two runs minimum off the last ball of a super over to win the match was tough. The skipper was a much better bet to partner Neesham in that over.

@akan004 said in CWC Final - Black Caps v England:

@shark Apparently it used to be the least number of wickets lost in previous WCs. Just our luck that the fluffybunnies changed the rules for this WC.

You're kidding?? Ouch.