2015 Cricket World Cup Discussion Thread

[Tominator]

So the Cricket World Cup is around the corner, and what's better it's in Australia (and NZ)! Should be a cracking tournament, get the WC discussion going here.

[Sweetness]

My mates and I just booked our tickets to the Grand Final.
Now just for the Aussies to make it!

[_wato]

Think the winner of this could be any of a number of teams..

I am expecting the quarter finals to consist of SA, Aus, Pakistan, Ind, SL, WI, Eng and NZ with a dark horse to be a team such as Zimbabwe or Bamgladesh.

However, I think SA must start favourites, regardless of their status as chokers and their recent series loss to Australia.
Amla, Faf, AB, JP, Steyn, De Kock, Morkel, Philander etc. is such a good and talented core group of players and when you have such depth to choose from and the recent experience with playing and losing to Australia in these conditions, it could provide them with extra insight and such valuable information that others won't have. The hurting of losing past the group stage must haunt them, and they're too good a team to not have that extra drive and will to succeed.

[jobe#4]

Australia have so many people on the periphery of selection that we could probably have 2-3 teams

[henry]

Think the winner of this could be any of a number of teams..

I am expecting the quarter finals to consist of SA, Aus, Pakistan, Ind, SL, WI, Eng and NZ with a dark horse to be a team such as Zimbabwe or Bamgladesh.

However, I think SA must start favourites, regardless of their status as chokers and their recent series loss to Australia.
Amla, Faf, AB, JP, Steyn, De Kock, Morkel, Philander etc. is such a good and talented core group of players and when you have such depth to choose from and the recent experience with playing and losing to Australia in these conditions, it could provide them with extra insight and such valuable information that others won't have. The hurting of losing past the group stage must haunt them, and they're too good a team to not have that extra drive and will to succeed.

Do they have such depth though? The performance of their second string players in the series against us would have to put doubt in our minds about that.

I have no idea who will win at the moment, hoping the Aussies will, but I think it's very hard to go past India, they would be the favourites for me.

[Tominator]

Sean Abbott is a chance to be included in the preliminary 30-man squad according to Fox Sports

http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2015-sean-abbott-tipped-to-be-named-in-australias-extended-squad/story-e6frf3g3-1227146864319

Possible Australian 30-man squad:
Michael Clarke (c), George Bailey (vc), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Ben Dunk, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, Dan Christian, Sean Abbott, Moises Henriques, Matt Wade, Ben Cutting, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon

[jobe#4]

IMO Nathan Lyon will get eaten alive at the world cup

[PowerBug]

So some teams have named their 30 man squads for the World Cup:

New Zealand:
Openers: Martin Guptill, Anton Devcich, Tom Latham, Hamish Rutherford, Rob Nicol
Middle Order: Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Colin Munro
Keepers: Luke Ronchi, BJ Watling
AR: Corey Anderson, James Neesham, Daniel Vettori, Colin de Grandhomme, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Grant Elliot
Spin: Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum
Seam: Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Tim Southee

Sri Lanka:
Bats: Angelo Mathews, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Dimuth Karunaratne, Ashan Priyanjan, Kithuruwan Leviathan
Keepers: Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera
Spin: Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ajantha Mendis, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeevan Mendis, Ramith Rambukwella, Tharindu Kaushal, Lakshan Sandakan
Seam: Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Shaminda Eranga, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Gamage

Pakistan:
Openers: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam
Middle order: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal
AR: Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti
Keepers: Sarfraz Ahmed, Kamran Akmal
Seam: Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir
Spin: Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hasan, Yasir Shah

West Indies:
Squad: Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Imran Khan, Leon Johnson, Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Marquino Mindley, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kenroy Peters, Versammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor

England:
Openers: Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, James Vince
Middle order: Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, James Taylor
AR: Tim Bresnan, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Samit Patel
Keepers: Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler
Seam: James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jack Brooks, Steven Finn, Harry Gurney, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Boyd Rankin
Spin: James Tredwell

[Toga]

Getting excited about this :)

[PowerBug]

Getting excited about this :)

I was getting very excited, but that has since dropped a bit after realizing that the man bolded in my post above is very unlikely to make the 15-man squad.

[Nige]

The West Indies have some flowering ripper names haha.

[jobe#4]

I hope Faulkner gets games in the world cup

[Jukes]

Love how they give the city with the reigning T20 and 50-over champions just 3 group matches

#WestAustraliaBestAustralia

[GoLions]

Love how they give the city with the reigning T20 and 50-over champions just 3 group matches

#WestAustraliaBestAustralia

Does anywhere get more than 3-4? Pretty sure MCG gets 3 as well

[Jukes]

MCG gets 3 group stage yeah...plus a quarter final and the grand final. And 2 warm up matches.

Sydney has 3 group 2 elim 3 warm ups.

Perth 3, 0, 0