CWC Day 6 - England v Canada, Netherlands v Australia

DMC

So... the dust settles after Ireland's earthquake yesterday....

Um... no earthquakes today, mefiinks!

Predictions, please. I was tempted to say Austalia and England will win by an innings and 10 wickets, cos thats the only way I can see this going!

Even if Freddie falls off the wag... pedelo!

DMC

News of the Screws' World Exclusive.

FLINTOFF SHIPFACED
By DAVID NORRIE

BOOZED-UP England cricket hero Andrew Flintoff had to be rescued by frantic hotel staff after toppling into the sea in the dark.

The former skipper grabbed a pedalo from a beach near the team's 5-star Caribbean hotel at 4am after an eight-hour bender with team-mates.

He dragged it out to sea and was seen rocking it from side to side before it capsized.

The embarrassing incident came just hours after Flintoff, known as Freddie, scored a duck in England's defeat to New Zealand in their World Cup opener.

Freddie and four of his team-mates were disciplined following the bender at the Rumours club in St Lucia's Rodney Bay area for breaking a midnight curfew.

Ashamed

Flintoff, 29, and fellow Ashes hero Ian Bell were fined. Fast bowlers Liam Plunkett, James Anderson and Jon Lewis were docked part of their match fee.

The fines were handed out by head coach Duncan Fletcher at a meeting of the team's players and management.

An insider said: "They've let their country down. They've only been away a fortnight and this happens."

Other team members avoided being fined because they returned to the hotel at a reasonable hour.

A source close to Flintoff told the News of the World: "He's full of shame. He said he can't believe he's done it.

"He was out first ball in the game against New Zealand and has said he should have been focused on the next game. The team need to let their hair down once in a while but this was going too far."

A source at the Rex St Lucian hotel said: "Freddie could have drowned out there.

"It's rough in that sea at night and it's not particularly helpful if you've had plenty to drink.

"But Freddie feels ashamed for what he has done, he's full of regret.

"He knows a lot of young fans look up to him and he hasn't set the best example.

"It's fair to say the security guard shouldn't have let Freddie out but who's going to say no to Fred? You can't stop him when he wants to do something."


A source at the Rumours club said: "You would never have thought England had lost a World Cup game. If anything you would have thought they had just won the competition.

"Freddie was drinking beer as if it was going out of fashion. It was just like the scenes when they won the Ashes in 2005.

"Flintoff's perfomance was far superior off the pitch than it was on. He should have been up early in the nets practising, not drinking until the early hours.

"The other players weren't much better. They were all over the place. The last thing on their mind was cricket."

The club was packed with holidaymakers and members of England's supporters.

One disgruntled Barmy Army fan said: "I have spent thousands of pounds out here to pay for the tournament.

"I thought we had an outside chance of winning the competition but we will be lucky to beat Canada today at this rate."

It's not the first time Flintoff has hit the headlines for his boozing.

After England's amazing Ashes victory against Australia in 2005 the team went on a marathon drinking session and turned up drunk for their official reception at Downing Street the following day.

Flintoff, then captain, was pictured red-eyed on the bus during the team's victory parade through London. He later denied claims he had peed in a flowerbed in No10's garden.

Flintoff said later: "I'd warned my wife Rachael what was likely to happen if we won and she went to bed and left me in the hotel bar.

"I had most of my closest mates there and I didn't want the night to end. I was drinking pints of Lancaster Bomber.

"I drank and drank and drank. I went up to my room around breakfast time and got ready for the reception we were due to have before we got into the open-top bus. I had a bath, put my blazer on and had another bottle of lager before we set off."

But his antics seem tame next to other England cricketers, not least Ian Botham, the legendary all-rounder Flintoff is often compared to.

Botham hit the headlines in 1986 when model Lindy Field told how she had a cocaine-fuelled romp with him in Barbados, saying he broke the bed during sex.

And in 2001 it was revealed Botham had had a two-year affair with blonde Australian waitress Kylie Verrells behind wife Kathy's back.

Barmaid

In 1988 Mike Gatting was sacked as England captain after bedding barmaid Louise Shipman at the team hotel just hours before a Test match against the West Indies.

In 1997 spinner Phil Tufnell denied claims he had smoked cannabis at a bar during England's tour of New Zealand. Fast bowler Darren Gough admitted being drunk during a Test against South Africa in 2000.

And in 2002 batsman Graham Thorpe's wife Nicky claimed he had cheated on her seven times during their marriage.

Additional reporting: JAMES WEATHERUP and RYAN SABEY

© News of the World

county

i tend to agree,no shocks today,i dont think i could cope.what a last couples of days we have had

is_that_so

Ah yes Rumours - end of many a bad night. On topic, I'd agree today will be quiet with no surprises. The Netherlands are probably a good example of why some people don't want minor teams in the CWC.

mike65

England to win but not by a convincing (enough) margin.

Mike.

mike65

Anyone catch Nasser on SSN?

Freddie dropped.

Canada: G E F Barnett, A M Samad, A Bagai (Wkt), J M Davison (Capt), I S Billcliff, D R Chumney, A A Mulla, S Dhaniram, G R Codrington U Bhatti, A C Cummins.

England: M P Vaughan (Capt), E C Joyce, I R Bell, K P Pietersen P D Collingwood, R S Bopara, J W M Dalrymple, P A Nixon (Wkt) L E Plunkett, J M Anderson, M S Panesar.

Mike.

cgf

Flintoff dropped to dry out in more than 1 way.

New English Cricket anthem - "Pedaloo" to the tune of the memorible "Vindaloo" ??

mike65

England off to a flyer

England 23-0 (4 overs) 11 extras!

Mike.

mike65

"Flintoff has scotched rumours that he'll be sent home...and vodkad, ginned and Martinied them."
Tom Jones, Dubai, in the TMS inbox

31 for 0 (5.2 overs) Joyce on 17

Mike.

mike65

46 for no loss the opening pair seem very comfortable.

Another wide from Cummins before Codrington indulges in some Keystone Kops stuff out on the cover boundary, dragging the ball back only for it to rebound off his shin and over the rope. Nice shot by Joyce. This Codrington's a character, chasing down another Joyce drive and flicking it back to...no-one in particular. Cosy times for England, Joyce will be calling for his pipe and slippers soon

Mike.

mike65

Progressing at 6 an over Canada could in for a hiding.

"I think we should look on the bright side...at least Freddie didn't find a Jet-Ski..." Scotty, Southampton, in the TMS inbox

Mike.

mike65

62 with Vaughan now getting some runs.

Mike.

arbeitsscheuer

G'wan Ed Joyce.

I'd like to see him have a good game, he hasn't made a big score in a while, and he probably won't have a better chance to make one than against this lot. Thoroughly awful bowling attack for Canada... But then the associate nations can't all be as good as Ireland

mike65

Australia are 93 for 1.

Mike.

mike65

Chumney puts a tricky ball down, Joyce with the shot.

84 for 0

Mike.

mike65

Century is reached with no beads of sweat shed.

Agh! Vaughan sends ball straight to fielder Davidson . 101-1 Vaughan has never scored a century in one-day game. Still.

Ian Bell in.

Mike.

gero13

joyce playin well
46 not out must go on to make a century to secure his place in the squad
just being dropped

mike65

The run rate has taken a dive

136 for 1 (29.0 overs) they need to push on.

Australia are 148 for 3.

Mike.

mikeruurds

Interesting read over at Cricinfo:

Osman Samiuddin gives a Pakistani fan's perspective of the loss to Ireland and the furure for his team.

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/current/story/285881.html

Great read!

Title = The world's laughing-stock

mike65

151 for 1 (32.2 overs) It would be nice to get KP on just to liven things up.

Bell skies a ball and is caught. So KP in then!

"The security office and the forklift truck drive combine to get Bell out" - TMS!

Mike.

mikeruurds

mike65 wrote:

151 for 1 (32.2 overs) It would be nice to get KP on just to liven things up.

Bell skies a ball and is caught. So KP in then!


Mike.

Yeah... send in the South African

mike65

Joyce gone for 66 and some mediocre reviews.

Mike.

mike65

Disaster! :eek: England collapse 161 for 4. KP gone.

KP's gone! That was a load of old rubbish, prodding an absolute dolly straight back to Dhaniram. Dhaniram has a nice line in celebrations, this time it's the 'upside-down tortoise'. Good grief, England really are a mediocre outfit. - bbc text

Mike.

mike65

198 for 4 (42.1 overs) Looks like 240-ish at best from here.

Mike.

mikeruurds

mike65 wrote:

Disaster! :eek: England collapse 161 for 4. KP gone.

KP's gone! That was a load of old rubbish, prodding an absolute dolly straight back to Dhaniram. Dhaniram has a nice line in celebrations, this time it's the 'upside-down tortoise'. Good grief, England really are a mediocre outfit. - bbc text

Mike.

Frankly England are not consistent performers and, as usual, the English press have hyped them beyond all reason.

I personally would like to see them stumble in this competition. The team's actions after losing to NZ indicates the lack of respect that they have for Canada and for the competition as a whole.

They're just not that good.

Mike

Edit: This post will probably come back to haunt me

mike65

242 for 4 (46.4 overs) Collingwood has put his foot down.

edit Bopara gone for 29 so 242 for 5

Mike.

cgf

242-5 Bopara out attempting the reverse sweep.

Collingwood 50*

Pretty average effort from England.

Wonder how Flintoff will react to being releived of the vice-Captaincy


Aussies 288-3 off 45 - Hodge 95*


Dalrymple gone trying to play an undescribable shot.

mike65

Its hello and goodbye from Dalrymple

245 for 6 (47.4 overs)

Mike.

cgf

Hodge is, sorry was, going mad in the other match - out for 123.

Aussies 320-4 off 47.3

mike65

Collingwood 53 off 44 balls which puts Joyces knock into some context.

Mike.

cgf

A bit of a difference facing the new ball on a fresh track than coming in against demoralised bowlers with a shapeless ball.

Still, a fairly pedestrian effort by Joyce & Vaughan but they did build the platform etc.

mike65

And thats all folks, Collingwood the star batsman 62 off 48.

279 for 6

Mike.

cgf

Australia 358 for 5 in 50 overs. Clarke 93* Watson 12*

DMC

mike65 wrote:

Collingwood

FEC.

mike65

Well after Flintoffs carry on and his being stripped of the VC Collingwood has proberly just jumped a place or two. I guess KP is too erm expansive.

Mike.

DMC

He has. He's played a similar amount of ODI's. If Vaughan gets crocked, Collingwood is the man for this tournament. I still think that Alastair Cook is the long term captain, but not for a few years.

OMG, poor Bob Woolmer... oh no....

cgf

Yeah, shocking news about Bob Woolmer. Hopefully he'll be ok.

mike65

Barnett gone bowled by Plunket 8-1

Anyone who wants to follow this on fivelive via the web can do so by clicking this

Mike.

mike65

Canada just looking steady and bang! 22-2 Plunket bowling KP receives.

"I really can't believe what's going on with England. Nanny state and nanny cricket officials. English cricket started going downhill when Gower got disciplined for his aeroplane antics! You should be ashamed of yourselves." Richard 'Definitely a Bloke' Pierce-Saunderson

Mike.

mike65

50-2 going along quite well now.

Mike.

mike65

Canada now 51-3 Davison gone. Bowled Anderson.

Mike.

mike65

Canada 65-4 Billcliff gone. 17 overs bowled.

Umpire Parker looks a bit like the Bishop of Bath and Wells from Blackadder ll. Monty doesn't want to bend down too close to him, he might get a red hot poker where it hurts. Billcliff dabbles at Panesar, who is bowling tidily but without luck so far. Maiden. - TMS text

Mike.

DMC

I think Umpire Parker looks like Jim Ross, the WWE commentator

cgf

Good spot.

Check out the last line in this article

http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/2007/03/its_official.html


Hard to believe he was a keeper

cgf

Unlikely but

Canada 160 for 4 in 34 overs. Samad 35* Mulla 58*

against

England 159 for 2 in 34 overs. Joyce 65* Pietersen 5*

Required rate = 7.50 runs per over.


Aussies did it in style winning by 229 runs

county

england win by 51 runs,quite pathetic really

mike65

So then an England win as Canada dismissed for 228 for 7 but just 50 runs seperate the number 2 side in the world (as of 2006) and a bunch of ambitious amatures. Not good.

quite pathetic really

Heh! Did'nt see you there County.

Mike.

county

mike65 wrote:

So then an England win as Canada dismissed for 228 for 7 but just 50 runs seperate the number 2 side in the world (as of 2006) and a bunch of ambitious amatures. Not good.



Heh! Did'nt see you there County.

Mike.

iemillst

mike65 wrote:

So then an England win as Canada dismissed for 228 for 7 but just 50 runs seperate the number 2 side in the world (as of 2006) and a bunch of ambitious amatures. Not good.

Yep, its such a shame. Its frustrating seeing the way Australia were knocking the ball around the park against The Neths when Joyce, Vaughan, Bell et al seemed happy to get singles. England need to buck up their ideas to make any impression in the Super 8's.

Its as if the passion of a couple of years ago has gone completely. All that sponsors cash/media attention after the ashes win (a couple of years ago) gone to the lads heads perhaps?