What In Hell Is This Damned Racket In The 20/20 Cricket?

[Tony.London Suburbs]

I watch cricket much more infrequently now but this is outrageous.

Every time a boundary is scored in these 20/20 Matches someone presses a button and a noise blurts out??

What a racket....:X

[matthew123]

Watching it on TV, Sunday, they appeared to have a DJ on a raised platform at the Oval to carry out this 20/20 ritual.

[woofmarkthedog]

Dats 20/20 innit...............yeahhhh

W**F

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Its somewhat different to the atmosphere when I paid an old "tanner" (i.e.Under 3 pence) so watch the Teatime session at The Vauxhall End of The Oval after our Grammar School lessons which were 50 yards away...

John Edrich, Micky Stewart and Ken Barrington would not have approoved...:)

[Brendan]

Unfortunately they need all the racket these days to drown out the sound of English wickets tumbling.

[????]

hey, just cos you beat the jocks, it's not like they are dutch or anything

[SimonM]

Now listen carefully. It's not a racket, it's bat. Rackets are used in tennis, which is another sport we Brits are useless at (see Wimbledon, about to descend upon us)

[mockney piers]

James Lawton in miserable sod about something shock.

[????]

Mockney I'm almost giving up the Independent with his grumpy old man Fred Truman type rants....he was crap on the Tevez sh1te too

[mockney piers]

I know what you mean. Henry Winter's my favourite...but...the telegraph? (mind you, nice vanilla cryptic crossword there too)

[SimonM]

Lawton seems quite sound on 20/20 though!

[Ladygooner]

Can I just say that I am absolutely LOVING the 20/20 cricket! I know that I am missing my football but I find these matches so entertaining! None of these 5 day long cricket matches and then they say its a draw.......how does that work?! Anyone got any spare tickets to sell?

[Ted Max]

England going for the quick result here. Er...

[Brendan]

It was no surprise that SA were going to beat England decisively. But hey-ho it?s not real cricket, just a bit of fun, ungraceful slog-fest etc. etc.

Unfortunately that argument would only really hold up if England were any good at any of the other forms of the game.

One thing though. What?s the deal with the twonks it stupid clothes doing the break-dancing?

[Ted Max]

I've been boring strangers to death telling them to lump on South Africa heavily. Nearly the whole side played IPL, and most did well in it. They bat hard and long, and have most areas of bowling covered.

Also, Parnell and Steyn possess the sort of pinch-cheeked hunger usually found in depression-era New York street gangs.

The dancers are a homage to Billy Bowden's boundary signals.

[Brendan]

I did like Boycott?s pearl of wisdom at the end of the match though, ?That?s the only way you?re going to win this competition, by winning matches.?

Genius.

[????]

Ted S/A were 2nd favourites at 3/1 before the start.....I thought NZ offered better value though

[Ted Max]

Yeah, I know it's not a startling piece of knowledge, Quids, but I fancied Saf from long ago - although I have no idea how the odds looked then.

You have to look at how the groups stack up as well - and the ICC handily made that very predictable with their seedings.

If Saf win their group (they have to beat India, which I think they will) they will probably meet NZ in the semi. And I think they have too much game for NZ - similar teams, except Saf have the extra bit of class.

I think SL are the biggest danger to Saf because of their spinners, and the top order will put Parnell and Steyn under pressure. That's the final for me - SL v Saf. Either that or India v Saf, with India having done SL in the other semi.

One caveat: the very top of the order seem to have come off their peak a bit, but I'm trusting Gibbs to play at least one of his specials in the tournament.

Also, as I said, they are supremely rat-faced, which counts for something.

[????]

Yup - I think your analysis looks pretty sound. I'm gonna go and see what the odds are doing, India were favourites intially (NZ were about 8/1)

[????]

South Africa

3.3

India

5.6

Sri Lanka

5.9

New Zealand

8.4

Pakistan

11

West Indies

13

[Brendan]

Not just losing but losing while cheating too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/8096529.stm

[????]

oh come on, Donald used to distract people with that warpaint.......and 100mph deliveries

[Brendan]

I'm surprised any of them could concentrate at all with all the bloody break-dancing.

[????]

well England are really crap.....oh, hang on a minute

[Sherwick]

England! We're the greatest!!! (Probably lose to the Windies now...)