Cricket 34: Bring Your Own Sandpaper

[Paxter]

3 hours ago, ljkeane said:

I think you jumped the gun a little bit there Pax, the Windies were well in that until Starc got Braitwaite and Holder, but they'll still be very disappointed with that. They had plenty of chances to win the game and let them slip away. Russell in particular has let the side down for me, if he reins it in slightly and bats for 5 or 6 overs they probably win.

On the other hand that's a great result for Australia. They were under pressure throughout so to come out with a win will be great for their confidence.

Haha well I did have some money on the Aussies so maybe I was mentally pocketing my winnings.

I agree that West Indies will be disappointed. They should have won that game - I still can’t understand how they let Australia get nearly 300 after the start that they had.

[Raja]

Seems I missed a decent game

[Jeor]

That was a great game for the Aussies. That will give them a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament, to know that the lower order can rescue a total. I normally don't root for my own team but I'm starting to like this Australian side (minus Warner, who I hope gets a duck every time).

The West Indies showed that they were dangerous, though - and probably should have won. 

Excellent demonstration of why the DRS is needed. Michael Holding called the umpires weak for giving so many incorrect "out" calls when the West Indies were batting. Thanks to DRS the impact and actual outcome of those mistakes was mitigated.

[Paxter]

32 minutes ago, Jeor said:

I normally don't root for my own team but I'm starting to like this Australian side (minus Warner, who I hope gets a duck every time).

*vomits*

Will you still like them when they give Smith back the captaincy?

[williamjm]

2 hours ago, Paxter said:

I agree that West Indies will be disappointed. They should have won that game - I still can’t understand how they let Australia get nearly 300 after the start that they had.

It did feel like they had several opportunities to win the game, but kept letting Australia back into it. I think the Windies batting line-up could maybe have done with an extra specialist batsman, they do bat deep but it's asking a lot of the all-rounders if there are some early wickets.

[Paxter]

20 minutes ago, williamjm said:

It did feel like they had several opportunities to win the game, but kept letting Australia back into it. I think the Windies batting line-up could maybe have done with an extra specialist batsman, they do bat deep but it's asking a lot of the all-rounders if there are some early wickets.

Well they decided to drop Darren Bravo, which I think is a mistake. Yes his form is poor but he’s a proven performer and would add a lot of spine and class to the team.

[williamjm]

1 minute ago, Paxter said:

Well the decided to drop Darren Bravo, which I think is a mistake. Yes his form is poor but he’s a proven performer and would add a lot of spine and class to the team.

An in-form Bravo would definitely be very useful to them. Shai Hope did make a valiant effort to take on the role of anchoring the innings, but I think they could do with someone else to back him up.

Speaking of dubious selection decisions, Cricinfo are reporting that AB De Villiers offered to come out of retirement on the eve of the World Cup but the South African selectors turned him down. I can see why parachuting a player back into the squad after he's taken the decision to walk away isn't ideal, but for a player like ABDV I think I'd make an exception, particularly with South Africa in such a crisis.

[Paxter]

11 minutes ago, williamjm said:

Speaking of dubious selection decisions, Cricinfo are reporting that AB De Villiers offered to come out of retirement on the eve of the World Cup but the South African selectors turned him down. I can see why parachuting a player back into the squad after he's taken the decision to walk away isn't ideal, but for a player like ABDV I think I'd make an exception, particularly with South Africa in such a crisis.

Gobsmacked.

[Raja]

There's no way you include him in the squad if it's so last minute, imo ( I know SA have had injuries, and unless the situation is dire, then okay) 

 

[Jeor]

If the AB rumour is true then the timing of it will be the most significant thing.

I can sympathise with selectors if it was a really last minute, eleventh hour thing. To parachute a player into the squad, displacing someone who would have thought they were playing and potentially upsetting the makeup of the team is not an easy decision to make.

But if they did have any warning, you would have thought any sensible person would have taken it. Hindsight is 50/50 but the abysmal start they've had in the tournament is not a complete surprise.

[Consigliere]

CSA's decision looks bad because of how poor the team has been. Reports say that De Villiers made himself available for selection the day before the squad was announced so I'd say that the selectors made the right call. If AB wanted to go to the WC then he should have spoken up much sooner. CSA had even left the door open to him for WC selection on the proviso that he made himself available for the ODI series against Pakistan - he didn't. 

[Jeor]

Let India and Australia begin! India start slight favourites here.

With India batting first, this will be a good test for Australia to find a death bowler. I don't think we really have a good death bowler at the end of the innings, we rely on Cummins/Starc to take late wickets rather than traditional yorkers per se.

[ljkeane]

I can’t watch it because I’m away at the moment but following the score it looks like a good start for India.

[Jeor]

Definitely a good start for India. They're on track for 350 at this rate.

The pitch was taking a little bit of turn too. When Maxwell is getting a bit of spin from time to time, you know there'll be plenty there for the Indian spinners, so it looks like it could be a tricky chase for the Aussies.

[Jeor]

Well, good riddance Warner. A scratchy and unbearably slow 56 off 84 balls was definitely not what the doctor ordered in a chase of 353!

As it is we probably have no chance now because of all those wasted deliveries.

[Raja]

Woke up at 6am for this one, glad I did

I like beating Warner. Out of curiosity, why did Lyon not play? I don't really know enough about the australian line up atm to know. 

[Jeor]

To get to 300+ in the chase was actually reasonably creditable. But Warner had 50 dot balls in his 84, which could have been the difference.

Maxwell came in too late. He began hitting boundaries right from the start, and for a split second when Maxwell and Smith were upping the ante you felt it was possible. Carey showed once again that he's a good lower order bat.

But the main problem was conceding 120 off the last 10 overs (no death bowler, see) and then Warner's bizarre 56 off 84.

Plus, India just played really well. Built a big total off a solid opening partnership, had good bowling when it counted (Bumrah and the spinners strangled the middle order runs).

[Paxter]

Easy win for India. Australia didn’t play badly but they need much more from the top order.

I wonder whether the current top four of NZ, India, England and Australia will change much in the dozens of group games remaining!

[Paxter]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

Out of curiosity, why did Lyon not play? I don't really know enough about the australian line up atm to know. 

I think Coulter-Nile played too well in the previous game to be dropped. And they won't drop Starc or Cummins. 

[Jeor]

For whatever reason, the Australian selectors seem to think of Zampa as the ODI and T20 spinner, while Lyon is seen as a Test match specialist who only gets drafted in when there's a big need. I'm not sure why this is so, but Zampa has had (I think) a lot more T20 experience with the Big Bash etc so maybe that's why.