Australia wins by 275 runs after a spirited display from Afghanistan
Well, that took a little longer than Australia probably would have liked, but they’ve blown their rivals away tonight. The eye-popping 275-run winning margin was set up with the bat, where David Warner’s brutal 178, Steve Smith’s industrious 95 and a helter-skelter 88 from Glenn Maxwell helped them to an imposing 417-6.
Never overawaed or panicked, there was an admirable calmness to the Afghanistan reply - Asghar Stanikzai apart - even if they knew deep down that there was no hope of getting close. Nawroz Mangal did well with 33 and Najibullah Zadran’s 24 included a towering 98-metre six off Glenn Maxwell, but the Aussie bowlers were too quick and too good in the end.
Mitch Starc ended up with 2-18 from 6 (both of his wickets pure yorker porn), Josh Hazlewood was steady with 2-25 off 8 and Mitch Johnson explosive and hostile in equal measure with 4-22 off 7.3 overs.
This was a routine game for the Aussies as they fine-tune their campaign, but for Afghanistan it was a very clear reminder of the gulf they need to bridge in the big-time. Their performances at this World Cup sit right up there among the highlights so today should not linger as a negative, just a stepping stone on the way to better things.
Thank you all for joining us for all the action today and make sure you stop by for more live coverage from this 2015 Cricket World Cup. Adios.
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WICKET! Hassan c Warner b Johnson - Australia win by 275 runs
Afghanistan bowled out for 142 in 37.3 overs
Hassan is the last man to go, appropriately attempting a flamboyant stroke that was a little beyond him. Looking to crack one over mid on he barely gets a hold of it and just helps it into the hands of Warner at mid wicket. That’s it for the Afghanis. They made Australia earn that but the home side has ended up with the heftiest of all World Cup wins.
@rustyjacko Starc's yorker is getting to be the best around. Almost Akramish and almost in poor taste to whip it out today, I feel.
— Robert McL Wilson (@Parisbob2001) March 4, 2015
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37th over: Afghanistan 140-9 (Hassan 5, Shapoor 0)
Maybe the Australian fieldsmen are also fans of Shapoor. The cult hero paceman edges through to the cordon but he’s put down when Smith fails to reel in a catch low and to his left. It was a very tough chance but he might have held it.
WICKET! Zazai c Haddin b Hazlewood 10 (Afghanistan 140-9)
Hazlewood gets his second wicket for the night, coaxing a loose waft from Zazai, a shot from which a faint inside edge flies through to Haddin behind the wicket. There’s only stifled appeals because they feel it’s beyond asking for, but Kumar Dharamasena raises a finger to confirm the inevitable.
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36th over: Afghanistan 140-8 (Zazai 9, Hassan 4)
3-18 was a welcome return to form from Mitchell Johnson in his first six overs tonight and now he’s back in search of a 5-fer. Hassan faces up with an absurd number of slip fielders in place, but an edge late in the over fails to carry.
35th over: Afghanistan 138-8 (Zazai 9, Hassan 4)
Hazlewood gets a searching yorker on target to Zazai but the latter does well to jam it out and preserve his timber. The Aussies are a happy lot tonight; between balls Clarke and Finch are horsing around like schoolboys with beaming smiles on their faces. All the back-stabbing and angst will happen when they’re back in the sheds, I guess.
34th over: Afghanistan 135-8 (Zazai 8, Hassan 3)
Starc’s next over is basically one long, tantric build-up towards a climactic yorker that never comes. That’s where he’s at as a bowler in ODIs now; you expect a wicket nearly every over.
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33rd over: Afghanistan 135-8 (Zazai 8, Hassan 3)
Hazlewood reappears now but doesn’t quite nail his yorkers in the same manner of his bowling partner. For fans of Rambo headbands and face paint in professional sports, you’ll be pleased to know that Hamid Hassan is now at the crease. I hope he tries to punch a six. You wouldn’t put it past him.
WICKET! Dawlat Zadran b Starc 0 (Afghanistan 131-8)
Dawlat Zadran disappears almost as quickly as he arrives. This one comes down at 150.6 kmph and takes the base of off stump - another screaming yorker. Starc almost looks dowwnbeat as he raises an arm in celebration. Why the long face, Mitch?
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WICKET! Najibullah b Starc 24 (Afghanistan 131-7)
Mitch Starc sure knows how to crash a party. Just as we basked in the magnificence of Najibullah’s hitting an over earlier, Starc rips in a fast, in-swinging yorker that crashes into the base of middle stump and lights up the zing bails. Is there a better sight in fast bowling at the moment than Starc’s yorkers? Probably not.
31st over: Afghanistan 131-6 (Najibullah 24, Zazai 7)
Najibullah you genius! With Maxwell still wheeling away with his off-spin, the left-hander skips down the track and thumps a stupendous six over cow - all 98 metres of it according to an on-screen graphic. It’s up on a roof! That is prodigious hitting.
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30th over: Afghanistan 122-6 (Najibullah 15, Zazai 7)
Mitchell Starc is back now with his swerving pace and Shane Warne-approved body language. He can’t quite body language his way to a wicket but by the end of the over he’s built up a decent head of steam.
29th over: Afghanistan 121-6 (Najibullah 14, Zazai 7)
“It’s great to see them smiling,” says Shane Warne of the Afghani players. To be honest, what’s been notable from them in this tournament is the way that they haven’t smiled. They’re genuine competitors. Najibullah and Zazai know they have no hope hear and it looks like they’re annoyed by that, not resigned to it.
28th over: Afghanistan 120-6 (Najibullah 13, Zazai 7)
In a rare slip-up, James Faulkner is a little too overzealous to deliver to Zazai and oversteps the mark to cough up a fre hit. He folows that with a wide but Zazai can’t get hold of a slower ball next up so the bowlers’ transgression goes unpunished. The batsman ends the over with a rueful shake of the head.
27th over: Afghanistan 116-6 (Najibullah 13, Zazai 5)
Maxwell crashes back to earth, belted by Najibullah as the latter grows in confidence and starts expanding his strokes. From the final delivery he canes a quite stunning straight drive down the ground and it’s slamming into the fence before the bowler can even look around to see where it’s gone.
26th over: Afghanistan 105-6 (Najibullah 6, Zazai 1)
As Zazai gets off the mark, Mark Taylor goes completely off script about the length of this tournament, making the kind of observations that will probably see his microphone cord yanked sometime in the next five minutes. His heart is in the right place, but you have to wonder how familiar he is with the schedule for the next one.
Awesome, a CA board member and commentator doesn't realise the proposed 2019 is longer. Cricket governance.
— Russell Degnan (@idlesummers) March 4, 2015
25th over: Afghanistan 103-6 (Najibullah 5, Zazai 0)
Maxwell probably fancies himself to rip through a few tail-end wickets here but Afsar Zaazai keeps out the remaining four balls of the over to make it a wicket-maiden. Zazai can actually handle the bat, to be honest. He’s got an ODI half-century to his name.
WICKET! Nabi c Clarke b Maxwell 2 (Afghanistan 103-6)
Glenn Maxwell is thrown the ball and comes up with immediate gold, tempting Nabi forward into a sweep he doesn’t quite nail, flicking the ball into his own helmet and presenting Clarke with the simplest of catches running behind keeper Brad Haddin. Nabi reviews, thinking it had merely deflected off his arm, but replays indicate otherwise - the edge came first.
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24th over: Afghanistan 103-5 (Nabi 2, Najibullah 5)
With Marsh off receiving some medical treatment, Xavier Doherty has made an appearance as a sub-fielder in another constricting over from Faulkner. A single to Nabi is the only score.
23rd over: Afghanistan 102-5 (Nabi 1, Najibullah 5)
Johnson’s bowling with a scrambled seam tonight, as ever, but some odd things are happening when he slants one in to the left-hander Najibullah and it moves away off the pitch. The Afghanis move past 100 with a Johnson wide and the hairy, mean left-arm quick finishes by firing down another testing bouncer. Najibullah is up to the challenge.
22nd over: Afghanistan 97-5 (Nabi 0, Najibullah 2)
A keenly felt absence in the first few games of the tournament - particularly against New Zealand - James Faulkner appears now for his first bowl of the night and indeed his first since returning from injury. Najibullah gets him away for a single but it’s typical Faulkner fare; variations of pace and canny change-ups out the back of the hand.
What a catch Aaron Finch! https://t.co/vMbDzoz14i
— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) March 4, 2015
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21st over: Afghanistan 96-5 (Nabi 0, Najibullah 1)
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi has been joined at the crease by Najibullah Zadran now. Both have a decent old shift ahead of them with the Aussie quicks raring to go.
Mangal c Finch b Johnson 33 (Afghanistan 94-5)
What a catch! One brings two as Mangal departs. Johnson grabs the ball and fires down a short one and rather than yielding to discretion, Mangal flicks it dangerously in the direction of the cordon and watches Finch fling himself in the air like a salmon and take a wonderful two-handed catch in mid-air. He’s from Geelong, Finch - Aussie Rules football territory. You can’t half tell.
WICKET! Shenwari c Johnson b Clarke 17 (Afghanistan 94-4)
Shenwari has thrown away all of his hard work and he’s furious with himself. I’m furious with him. Michael Clarke is happy, he just floated one up on leg stump and watched as the batsman swept it around the corner to Johnson at short fine leg. It’s a disappointingly soft dismissal after Shenwari’s gritty display of an over earlier.
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19th over: Afghanistan 93-3 (Mangal 32, Shenwari 17)
We get one Mitch back - Johnson this time. 2-6 off 3 was a terrific first spell and he’s straight back on a probing if slightly full length before jamming one in short and getting a jumpy Shenwari straight in the grill of the helmet. It’s not condescending to call Shenwari a streetfighter because he genuinely does look like he wants to punch someone but instead he reacts to the Johnson bouncer by clobbering him for a boundary past mid off. Superb stuff.
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18th over: Afghanistan 88-3 (Mangal 32, Shenwari 13)
Clarke loves a bowl, doesn’t he? It’s not like anyone can argue with him but this match is treading water while he’s rolling his arm over. Unleash the Mitches, please.
After four Australian games at this World Cup, Michael Clarke has faced 18 balls. #CWC15
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 4, 2015
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17th over: Afghanistan 85-3 (Mangal 31, Shenwari 10)
Marsh’s concern seems to be a leg or groin complaint but somewhat disconcertingly, he’s thrown the ball and asked to keep bowling. Surely it’s worth a visit to the physios room first, no? Apparently not. He struggles away manfully in the final over before the drinks break but finishes by engaging in animated conversation with Clarke, the gist of which seems to be, ‘err, can I go off now or what?’
If Warner were a dog, he'd happily chase his ball over a cliff. Hard to think of a more committed fielder in the world. #AUSvAFG
— Pavilion Opinions (@pavilionopinion) March 4, 2015
16th over: Afghanistan 82-3 (Mangal 31, Shenwari 8)
As Clarke hurries his way through another over, Marsh continues to look very proppy and uncomfortable in the outfield. Mangal finishes the over by lapping two down to fine leg and the Afghanistan pair is making steady progress now.
15th over: Afghanistan 78-3 (Mangal 28, Shenwari 7)
If you were to judge it by the rabid intensity of David Warner’s fielding, you’d have no idea that this match is a one-sided one. He’d be excused for resting on his laurels after his batting heroics but he’s haring around and throwing himself into dives at the boundary when Marsh continues to get tonked about. His first two overs have gone for 22, Marsh. To make matters worse he’s pulled up lame after the over. Watch this space.
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14th over: Afghanistan 71-3 (Mangal 27, Shenwari 2)
Clarke’s aim is pretty clear at the moment; sprint through as many overs as he can and give his quicks some time to gather themseleves for another onslaught.
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13th over: Afghanistan 67-3 (Mangal 24, Shenwari 1)
Where Stanikzai failed, Mangal has succeeded. Mitchell Marsh appears to relieve Johnson and is welcomed to the fold with two towering sixes over cow and then a more classical cover drive for three. He really laid into the first of those sixes, Mangal. Just blasted it. Haddin has a forgettable moment to finish the over when he lets through four byes. This match is many things but dull is not one of them.
12th over: Afghanistan 48-3 (Mangal 9, Shenwari 1)
He copped a bit of grief earlier for not having a bat, but Michael Clarke has exercised his discretion here and given himself a trundle. His first over is pretty innocuous stuff so Shenwari is off the mark with ease.
11th over: Afghanistan 46-3 (Mangal 8, Shenwari 0)
Shenwari is at the crease now. He made 96 against Scotland, what can he pull off tonight?
WICKET! Stanikzai c Smith b Johnson 2 (Afghanistan 46-3)
There’s nothing surprising about this one. Stanikzai had shown his hand in all nine previous balls he’d faced when he stepped towards leg and carved Johnson high in the air in the direction of third man. There’s a moment of panic when it looks like the Australian fielders will collide in Waugh-Gillespie style but Steve Smith both snares the catch and avoids any unscheduled dental work. That was an insane innings from Stanikzai, idiocy of a type rarely seen in the somewhat dreary world of professional sport. There should be far more of it.
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10th over: Afghanistan 44-2 (Mangal 8, Stanikzai 2)
Hazlewood feels a counter-punch in this over in the shape of two contrasting shots from Mangal, the first a classical cover drive to the boundary and the next a straighter effort that bounces over the bowlers’ head and also reaches the rope. Hazlewood grins like a loon, but I don’t think he’s very happy.
Paul Ewart is also taking the positives from his situation. “Hello Russell, long-suffering England supporter here with an urgent question: What was David Warner thinking? Does he not know that 243 is a par score at this ground in this year at this time, with a cricket bat? Is this amateur hour?”
9th over: Afghanistan 36-2 (Mangal 0, Stanikzai 2)
Asghar Stanikzai appears at the crease know and cracks a wonderful cut shot off Johnson, one that would have gone close to the boundary had David Warner not dived and stopped it in acrobatic style. Warner’s dismount is so effective that a run-out looks a possibility, but the batsmen stand their ground.
Stanikzai is not backward in coming forward, it must be said. He’s trying to belt the cover off everything Johnson sends down. It’s all manic hand-speed and swiveling shoulders, which scares Glenn Maxwell away from the short leg position and also puts that poor young kid from earlier on notice too. If Stanikzai makes contact with any of these heaves it’ll be up in Row Z.
WICKET! Ahmadi c Clarke b Hazlewood 13 (Afghanistan 32-2)
Ahmadi departs in most unfortunate circumnstances when after hammering Hazlewood straight he’s denied any runs, let alone a boundary, when the ball thumps into his partners’ body. Two balls later he fishes outside off stump and sends a thick edge through to Clarke in the cordon.
“That’s something Ahmadi will have to learn for the next time he plays here in Perth,” says Cricket Australia board member Mark Taylor. Anything to share there, Tubby?
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7th over: Afghanistan 30-1 (Ahmadi 11, Mangal 0)
Nawroz Mangal is the new batsman for Afghanistan and he’s lucky not to catch an absolute snorter from Johnson first up because he struggles with the pace to start with. No shame there because it’s coming down at sizzling pace.
WICKET! Ghani c Faulkner b Johnson 12 (Afghanistan 30-1)
Mitch Johnson was nearly belted all the way back across the Tasman against New Zealand and he doesn’t exactly set the world alight early in his first over here. He’s turned for four byes and fires down a wide but then Ghani middles one straight into the hands of James Faulkner at a straight, short mid-on. The ball had angled in a little and although it was struck well, Faulkner barely had to move.
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6th over: Afghainstan 25-0 (Javed Ahmadi 11 Usman Ghani 12)
Hazlewood catches a severe case of the wides in this over, firing down two and just never quite looking like he’s going to fire. Might it be time for an early bowling change? He’ll probably bowl in bursts anyway.
5th over: Afghainstan 22-0 (Javed Ahmadi 11 Usman Ghani 11)
Ghani looks solid again here. He’s compact and economical in his movements to Starc and even clips a two around the corner from a ball that rose awkwardly into his ribs. Starc’s hardly hit his straps here, mind you. He’s muttering away at the end of the over, probably a sign that he’s off his game a little.
Brendon Julian finishes the over by calling Afghanistan “minnows”. Shame on you, Brendan, shame on you. They’re magnificos.
4th over: Afghainstan 16-0 (Javed Ahmadi 10, Usman Ghani 6)
There’s been some unconvincing defensive work happening so far but given width, Ahmadi belts Hazlewood for three and his expansiveness is contagious; Ghani clatters two more through the same region. That prompts a somewhat predictable response from Hazlewood; a steepling bouncer past Ghani’s left nostril.
This is positive stuff from Afghanistan though - not perturbed by the conditions or threatened by Australia’s tall timber - they’re on the offensive.
3rd over: Afghainstan 9-0 (Javed Ahmadi 7, Usman Ghani 2)
Is Starc getting a little carried away here? Shouldn’t he just bowl breathtaking yorkers, ball after ball? Do I place too much stock in the ability of cricketers to live a perfect manifestation of my dreams for them?
In this over it’s not until the fifth ball that he produces a 150kmph sandshoe-crusher. What was he doing the rest of the time? Being human, I guess. Usman Ghani might be considered super-human to have kept that jaffa out, now that I consider it. As you were.
2nd over: Afghainstan 8-0 (Javed Ahmadi 6, Usman Ghani 2)
Josh Hazlewood is back in the Aussie line-up today and he’s immediately swinging the ball in a gorgeous, exaggerated curve away from Ahmadi. The latter clips one around the corner for a single to fine leg but he might cause some problems here, the big New South Welshman. Afghanistan? They don’t look as flustered as they might be by this searing pace and sideways movement.
1st over: Afghainstan 7-0 (Javed Ahmadi 5, Usman Ghani 2)
Fresh from his devastating spell against New Zealand, Mitchell Marsh takes the new ball for Australia with Javed Omani facing the music. Starc’s first two deliveries both swing in sharply outside the off stump of the right hander and Glenn Maxwell hovers close by at short leg.
It’s a little streaky, but Ahmadi under-edges four between Brad Haddin and first slip to pick up the first four runs of the innigs. Next up Starc thinks he’s pinned him in front but Kumar Dharmasena is not interested in the slightest. It would have clipped leg, in actual fact. Unlucky. Luckier still for Afghanistan is the narrow avoidance of a bowler’s-end run-out when Ghani gets off the mark with two. So far, so frenetic.
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Some reading material before the Afghanistan innings gets started
Virat Kohli has gone off on one, ranting at a journalist in Perth. A week back everyone was having a whinge that the Indians wouldn’t talk to any media. They’re certainly making up for lost time.
Meanwhile, this kid has to be in the running for the ‘man of the match’ award for his brave front after being clocked by a David Warner six. His Dad? Not so much...
And the winner of Dad of the Year goes to...#CWC15 #AusvAfg #Aus #Afg pic.twitter.com/86tr6kh8jr
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) March 4, 2015
Hello cruel world, and welcome to today’s slightly dispiriting ride on the reality bus. Russell Jackson here joining you for the rest of this encounter, an innings in which I sincerely hope Afghanistan can pull back a little of what was lost amid that Warner-Maxwell demolition job.
You can get me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com or via twitter: @rustyjacko
The Afghanis were joy personified in beating Scotland. Tonight they’ve faced other emotions. That’s all part of cricket and I couldn’t help but ride a few of those punches with them. They’ll be back and we’ll all be watching. Who could look the other way while Hamid Hassan and Shappoor Zadran did their thing? Not us, right?
An awkward possibility dangles here though; for all their many virtues, this is not a batting line-up that has a particular fondness for extreme pace or bounce. The WACA surface and Australia’s goon squad of pacemen will therefore present a stiff challenge. A big ask? You betcha.
There you have it. Another glut, another run-fest, another display that crushes the hearts of romantics worldwide. It started so well for Afghanistan, early movement, good bowling, the wicket of Finch at slip, Warner looking as shaky as a palm tree in a gale. Then he clicked, and Australia clicked, and it was carnage thereafter.
Warner set the innings up, Smith offered the assured support, while Maxwell ostentatiously finished it off. Hamid Hassan battled hard to finish with 1/70 from his full allotment, while Shenwari and Ahmadi bowled nine comparatively economical overs between them, but the rest got tapped like Sarah Palin, and enjoyed about as much success.
Geoff Lemon signing off, Russell Jackson will be here shortly to guide you through Afghanistan’s damage control. A good opportunity to see whether they can muster some sort of resistance and gain some consolation in that way.
The UAE did just that against Pakistan today. In the meantime, here’s that match report.
I leave you with this thought from email correspondent Brendan Jones. “Clarke was standing at the dressing room door with his arms folded. For a moment I thought he was about to call the lads in and declare.”
Tough business, this international cricket stuff. Until next time.
WICKET! Marsh 8 (8 balls), c Najibullah b Mangal
50th over: Australia 6-417 (Haddin 20)
Might sound strange, but the Afghans are buzzing in the field after pulling Australia back in these last few overs. There’s an excellent stop at long-off after Marsh pounds a ball down toward the straight boundary, body on the line stuff.
Nawroz Mangal is bowling off-spin for the last over, captain Nabi searching for control, but it’s not working. Haddin drives straight down the ground for six and then for four. A single puts Marsh on strike, and he holes out to deep midwicket from the last ball of the match, trying to whip off his legs.
49th over: Australia 5-403 (Marsh 5, Haddin 9)
“The 300 comes up, in this case it’s another 400.” Did anyone trust Michael Slater in a run-chase? Hamid Hassan is bowling very well, only going for singles as the Australians keep going hard at each ball. The length isn’t giving them anything. Six from the over.
48th over: Australia 5-397 (Marsh 2, Haddin 6)
Clarke determined not to bat today, he’s bumped himself again for Haddin this time. Haddin batted eight in Australia’s last match. It was Dawlat’s slower ball that got him the wicket, and he uses it a couple more times to limit the scoring, but Haddin manages to glide him for four through third man. No respite.
WICKET! Maxwell 88 (39), c Nabi b Dawlat
Massive sighs of relief for Afghanistan, and Kevin O’Brien’s record for the fastest World Cup hundred is safe for now. Maxwell has just hit a full toss over mid-off for four, then tries to clear cover and doesn’t get the elevation. He still collected it, it was screaming past Nabi but the skipper got in the way and held on. Fine catch.
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47th over: Australia 4-386 (Maxwell 84, Marsh 1)
Faulkner falls first ball. Mitchell Marsh comes in, still no Clarke. Marsh gets off strike. Maxwell whacks what he thinks is a four down the ground, but Shenwari pulls out a magnificent diving save to slap the bouncing ball out of mid-air and back over the rope as it was about to leave the arena. He eats dirt, leaps up and charges back before sending off a howitzer throw. Such a competitor.
Only four from the over, which is a major triumph for Hassan in the circumstances.
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WICKET! Faulkner 7 (6 balls), b Hassan
Good to see Hassan can still muster a roar and a fist-pump even in these circumstances. Brilliant yorker, tailed in, Faulkner wanted to drive, bailed out and tried to defend, but it totally defeated him and bowled him middle and leg.
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46th over: Australia 3-382 (Maxwell 81, Faulkner 7)
Nabi back with off spin. Maxwell charges and belts it higher than he does long, but it has enough distance on the hang time to clear the rope at long on. Maxwell is getting the bulk of the strike, a couple of singles handing it back to him, and he’s conscientious about turning one run into two wherever possible.
Six more from the final ball, as Maxwell skips down again and sends that ball blotto, over long on once more. 81 from 34 balls. That, sir, is the sound of a deceased steed having corporal punishment applied.
45th over: Australia 3-366 (Maxwell 66, Faulkner 6)
Shapoor bowls a good yorker to keep Maxwell to one run, then a wide half volley that Faulkner can slice over packward point for four. When Shapoor gets on Maxwell’s pads the batsman absolutely beats that ball on the whip shot, sending it onto the grass bank for a crowd catch.
Shapoor beats Maxwell with a bouncer that tangles him up totally, but it’s called a no-ball for the front foot. Then Shapoor produces an excellent ball on the free hit, but there’s no one on the on-side to field the yorker, so Maxwell is able to dash two runs as the bowler himself has to chase it down. Whatever Afghanistan can produce, it ends up going Australia’s way.
Five overs left. 400 is on.
Also, check out the scores at the end of this over. Spoooooky.
44th over: Australia 3-350 (Maxwell 56, Faulkner 1)
Half-century! Glenn Maxwell goes to 53 from 21 balls, another reverse sweep from Nabi that flies away for four. He also picks up a couple of hard-run twos, and it seems like a moral victory when Nabi keeps him to a dot and a single from the last two balls.
WICKET! Smith 95 (98 balls), c Najibullah b Shapoor
43rd over: Australia 3-340 (Maxwell 47, Faulkner 0)
Maxwell hears my disbelief about the reverse-hit and says, “I want you to believe.” He does it again, from Shapoor this time, but this time hits it for six. Low full toss and wide of the stumps this time, but still. That followed a wallop off the pads through square for four.
Shapoor is wided for a bouncer, then a misfield at backward square yields three runs.
That brings Smith on strike, and his attempt to match the boundary-hitting form of Maxwell ends in the hands of mid-off.
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42nd over: Australia 2-325 (Smith 95, Maxwell 34)
What is that. That’s outrageous. That shouldn’t be allowed. Maxwell has been bowled a yorker by Dawlat, on about off stump. He’s crouched, reversed his bat, and reverse-hit it over third man for four. I have no idea how the physics of that even tally. It’s Matrix cricket. They work the singles and take nine from the over.
41st over: Australia 2-316 (Smith 92, Maxwell 29)
Four, as Smith drives Nabi through cover.
Six, as Maxwell gets every gram of that one, over wide long on.
Six, as Maxwell kneels and clouts the next over square leg.
17 from the over now. This is the less excellent side of Associate cricket, but we’ve seen some Full Member sides being smashed this badly in the last couple of weeks.
We had an excellent chat with Gideon Haigh about the better side of Associate cricket on the Guardian World Cup podcast, which also features me being a complete twit. Listen in for enlightenment and schadenfreude.
40th over: Australia 2-299 (Smith 88, Maxwell 17)
Dawlat Zadran has had a rotten day after a fine early spell, and it continues. Maxwell makes room outside leg and carves the full ball way back over the fence at deep cover. Extraordinary hand-eye co-ordination. He misses the reverse again, then edges just past short third man for four. 13 from the over, the numbers keep ticking. 17 from 8 balls, Maxwell.
The 300 is a whisker away and we still have 10 overs left. What will we see.
39th over: Australia 2-286 (Smith 86, Maxwell 6)
Hello sailor. His second ball, Glenn Maxwell reverse-sweeps Nabi for four. Of course he does. They’ve taken the singles excellently this innings, so they get eight from the over.
Great to see footage of Shapoor shaking David Warner’s hand as Warner left the ground. Classy effort.
38th over: Australia 2-278 (Smith 85, Maxwell 0)
Interesting. Michael Clarke, desperately short of match practice, has dropped himself down the order and sent in Glenn Maxwell. Smith opens the face and deliberately angles a yorker through third man for four. Outrageous shot.
Robert Wilson tells me there’s a large English-language section in the new Charlie Hebdo magazine, released today, which may or may not include his treatise on the LBW law. I never know what to believe, so best you verify for yourselves.
WICKET! Warner 178 (132 balls), c Nabi b Shapoor
Relief for Afghanistan. Warner goes the big swipe, top edges way into the blue sky, and Nabi settles underneath before taking a tough high catch at mid-on.
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37th over: Australia 1-273 (Warner 178, Smith 80)
Hassan is the man most likely. Bowls a leg-side pie but Smith hit it riskily toward short fine leg. No run. Yorker, yorker. Single, dot, single. But then Smith plays another yorker brilliantly, opening the face and somehow diverting it over cover, and with no sweeper it easily makes the fence for four. This is very harsh on bowlers.
36th over: Australia 1-266 (Warner 177, Smith 74)
Dawlat Zadran is back, and continues falling to pieces. He starts with a no-ball to Warner, full toss above waist height that Warner slams for four. Smith gets a full ball, shifts his front foot out of the way and drives dead straight for six. Dawlat then oversteps, and Warner slices the free hit through gully for four more.
18 from the over. Warner has broken his bat. Surprise surprise.
35th over: Australia 1-248 (Warner 168, Smith 67)
Hamid Hassan is back to try to change something. We’ve seen two 400s in the last week from South Africa, and a big 300+ by Pakistan today. Hassan does tighten things up though. Two singles from the over, and he nearly bowls Smith with a beautiful yorker that just misses off stump. Smith gets cautious and Hassan ties him down fro the rest of the over.
34th over: Australia 1-246 (Warner 167, Smith 66)
They just can’t slow things down. Shapoor cramps things up with three singles, then Warner goes well outside leg, Shapoor follows him, and Warner edges through his own legs and away fine for four.
Annoyed, Shapoor bowls a full toss that Warner sends over square for six. That’s his highest ODI score.
33rd over: Australia 1-233 (Warner 156, Smith 64)
Warner brings up 150 with a flat smeared drive from Nabi through long off. This is getting dispiriting very quickly for Afghanistan, who’ve played well so far in this tournament but have run into a team with a house to get in order. Warner’s second four for the over is much better timed, equally straight, equally lucrative. 11 from that over.
Warner has never faced more than 174 balls in an international innings. He could do today, from 120 at the moment, and if he does he’ll beat Gayle’s record for a World Cup score.
And the batting PowerPlay is about to start.
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32nd over: Australia 1-222 (Warner 147, Smith 63)
Everything must go. Warner has had enough of waiting around. Shapoor comes back and Warner produces his cleanest hit of the day, dead straight and way back into the stand. Next ball he goes more across the line, deep midwicket, and cleans up a boy in the crowd. The commentary makes jolly jokes about how they’re sure his ok. There were several dudes around him who all dived for the catch and nearly landed on him rather than making sure he didn’t get hit. Copped it on the chest and arm. Not great scenes all round.
15 from Shapoor’s over.
31st over: Australia 1-207 (Warner 133, Smith 63)
Big edge from Warner facing Nabi, I think it was from a full toss but it drifted in towards his feet and was nicked away. Easy for first slip, except there isn’t one.
30th over: Australia 1-203 (Warner 130, Smith 62)
Dawlat Zadran is back, but there’s no repeat of his earlier excellent spell.
Two runs from Smith to the on-side.
Four with the on-drive. Single.
Six from Warner, his first for the day, dragged away over long-on and clearing the rope on the slog-drive.
Six more, fuller pitch, a low full toss and it’s muscled even further back, into the seats straight.
Four from a top-edgy slashed drive that clears short third man and rolls away.
23 from the over. 27 from his previous five.
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29th over: Australia 1-180 (Warner 114, Smith 55)
“That’s Steve Smith’s half century, and it’s come at a very good time,” says Brendon Julian. Um, yes, this essential match in which Australia were really struggling? Mark Taylor also reckons Smith was coming out of “a bit of bad form” after a record-breaking summer and a low score in New Zealand.
Smith raised the milestone with a cut four from Nabi. A few singles, then Warner is dropped from the last ball. It bounced, he got a big top edge, and it hit the keeper hard in the sternum and bounced free. Would have been a miracle catch, but they needed it.
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28th over: Australia 1-173 (Warner 113, Smith 49)
One one one one one one. That’s Hamid Hassan’s over. Long-off, cover, long-off, cover. Are you sensing a pattern here?
Phill Withall is dropping me a line. “I had intended to write a witty, insightful and relevant bon mot. One that would go into OBO history and make me a real ‘Playa’. However every time a tapped on the email link on the page a picture of Nigel Farage pops up. I’m not sure if it’s your link or my phone but it has left me shaken and looking for a glass of wine.”
27th over: Australia 1-167 (Warner 110, Smith 46)
Steve Smith plays the shot of the day for my money. Yes, it was probably a full toss from Shenwari, but so elegantly whipped through midwicket that it made my eyes water with joy.
26th over: Australia 1-161 (Warner 109, Smith 41)
Thwock. Warner plays the ugliest pull shot you’ve ever seen, welcoming Hamid Hassan back by belting a ball from well outside off stump over mid-on for four. Dragged it utterly. Should have holed out but he got enough purchase. He follows up with a less ugly pull shot through wider long-on.
CENTURY! Waner 100 (92 balls), 11 fours
25th over: Australia 1-151 (Warner 100, Smith 40)
Smith gives Warner the strike early in the over, and Warner brings up the milestone from Shenwari’s bowling by scoring a two and then a single. Smith celebrates by backing away to cut another four. We could be in for something monstrous here.
Updated
24th over: Australia 1-143 (Warner 97, Smith 35)
Still just working the runs from Javed Ahmadi, six of them from the 24th over in ones and twos. This is looking very calm and easy for the Australians.
23rd over: Australia 1-137 (Warner 93, Smith 33)
Shapoor nearly had a good over there, four singles from five balls, but Smith shuffles in the crease to leg-glance a four from the last ball.
22nd over: Australia 1-129 (Warner 91, Smith 27)
The Afghanistanis are loving Javed Ahmadi’s steady overs, and the Australians are probably happy to consolidate. Warner gets a couple of runs, then a leg bye. Smith gets a single. That’s all. Classic middle overs bowling here.
21st over: Australia 1-125 (Warner 89, Smith 26)
Shapoor is back, the big frame thundering in to the crease and sending down moderate fire. They’re driving him aggressively, smacking each shot but they all go to sweepers. Only four singles from the over.
20th over: Australia 1-121 (Warner 87, Smith 24)
Javed Ahmadi keeping a lid on things, four singles from his steady off-breaks. Along they tick.
19th over: Australia 1-117 (Warner 85, Smith 23)
Warner drives Shenwari calmly and classily for four, amongst four singles in the over. Warner is closing in on a century here.
18th over: Australia 1-109 (Warner 79, Smith 20)
Javed Ahmadi comes on to bowl some offies, five singles result.
Interesting thoughts from Robert Wilson: “While I understand the vast outpourings of manlove for the plucky Afghanistan team, I think it’s a slight pity that none of that lump-in-throat sentimentality is left over for countries like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh - places which also offer considerable impediments on the route to international sporting success. It’s always the fluffiest puppy that gets chosen. And we try not to think of the needle for the others.”
I think a lot of it to do with a kind of entirely understabdable social Darwinist view. Afghanistan have made their luck, fighting their way up through the divisions from absolutely nothing to winning a World Cup game within a decade and a half. Bangladesh were playing similarly to win their Test status, but since then have done nothing with it. Despite having a couple of truly class players, too many of the rest haven’t come on. They’ve looked uninterested in this tournament.
And the administration of the game in Bangladesh has been a shambles. So has it been in Zimbabwe. Too much funding has achieved too little, too many questions are left unanswered. You feel for the players themselves, but the broader game in those countries have left onlookers with a sense of frustration, however fair or unfair that may be.
17th over: Australia 1-104 (Warner 77, Smith 17)
I’ve cursed Shenwari, he can’t keep it up. Drops short and Warner backs away to cut four. Over-pitches and is driven for two, short again and smashed through point again. Warner flying, 10 from the over. The hundred is up.
16th over: Australia 1-94 (Warner 67, Smith 17)
Warner is batting in the cap out there, with spinners at each end. The Aussies are happy to settle down, with a Smith single, Warner’s two through cover, then another run to close the over out.
15th over: Australia 1-90 (Warner 64, Smith 16)
Oh yes. The Anger Man, Samiullah Shenwari, is on to bowl his leg spin. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, find some clips of his match-winning knock against Scotland: the way he screamed at the ground when his partners got out, scolded them off the field after stupid shots, chewed the bat handle at the non-striker’s end.
He settles into a decent line in this over, and the batsmen can only get a single apiece, Smith’s from a last-ball full toss. That was good control from Shenwari early. It would be big for Afghanistan if he could maintain it.
Updated
14th over: Australia 1-88 (Warner 63, Smith 15)
What witchcraft is this? Hamid Hassan bowls a two-run over. A single to Smith, a single to Warner, then Smith is hit in stomach trying to pull, and blocks out the next two.
Anyone wondering about the coolness or otherwise of my colleague Russell Jackson, be advised that he just said, “There’s a time and a place for spontaneity.”
Just think that one over for a bit.
13th over: Australia 1-86 (Warner 62, Smith 14)
Nabi’s quiet spell didn’t last long. Seven from this over in an assortment of singles and twos. I wasn’t convinced by the decision to send Australia in, and I’m even less so now.
12th over: Australia 1-79 (Warner 57, Smith 12)
Hamid Hassan is continuing, going slightly short again, and being punished by Warner for another four through wide long-on. Warner is also ticking singles, and he bombs down the pitch from the non-striker’s end to scurry a leg bye with as much intensity as any run that has ever gone to his name. Plenty of pace between the wickets from Smith and Warner. Nine from the over.
Says Disco, “Normally after an early wicket, I’d be wincing at every ball to Watson, now I’m pretty relaxed, it looks a bit dicey but Smith and Warner are still going at a run a ball a piece.”
Or better. Here’s an article I wrote recently on the loving and hating of Shane Watson. Such an interesting character in the effect he has on others.
11th over: Australia 1-70 (Warner 51, Smith 10)
Mohammad Nabi decides it’s time for a change and goes to his off-spin. A good choice for this over at least, as they take only two singles from it. He bowls three dots to David Warner, which is good going right now.
10th over: Australia 1-68 (Warner 50, Smith 9)
Warner explodes. Hamid Hassan keeps bowling short.
Four, four, four.
Pull through square leg, slash over mid-off, fuller ball clumped down the ground.
Half-century for Warner from 40 balls.
9th over: Australia 1-54 (Warner 37, Smith 8)
Watch out Afghanistan, David Warner is getting going. Smacks four runs though cover from Dawlat. Then a very unjust wide is called. Warner bunts an attempted pull straight of mid-on for two, pulls two more square, then pulls again through wide long on for four. 13 from the over. That hurts. They’ve bowled well and still gone a run a ball from the first nine overs.
Says Vikas, who I’ll keep otherwise anonymous for obvious reasons, “Thanks for this OBO. It keeps me updated when I am at work. Most of the websites are blocked according to company policy. I follow all the OBO from The Guardian. This Australian batting order can collapse. Clarke after injury and unpredictable Maxwell. If Afghans can conjure a Aussie collapse this group will be wide open.”
I thought I’d better post this comment before Warner explodes.
Updated
8th over: Australia 1-41 (Warner 25, Smith 8)
Hamid Hassan is here. The head is banded, the face painted, the rage in his heart is beginning to simmer. Starts with a wide, that’s less menacing. Smith is starting to get ticking now: a single here, a double there, another single. Warner cracks three more on the drive. Smith taps another single to midwicket, then Warner goes through the covers for three more. Suddenly runs a little easier to come by. 11 from that over.
Asks Geoff Foley on email, “So, is [Russell Jackson] a bigger geek than yourself (be as candid as possible, noting he is in your living room)? Or should we all agree that Kimber wins owing to his love-fest for the beast that is Shapoor?”
Well, regular readers may know my thoughts on commentators sledging each other as a form of entertainment, and the tedium thereof. But Russell is insistent on two things: one, that he’s a nerd rather than a geek, given geeks are now apparently kind of cool; and two, that he was writing about Shapoor long before Kimber did. Apparently Russell bought the Shapoor EP, while Kimber is listening to the first studio release.
7th over: Australia 1-30 (Warner 19, Smith 4)
Warner is all over the place. He got up this morning and spread Vegemite on his thigh. He wore a cat instead of a helmet to the crease. Now he’s trying a terrible sloggy horizontal-bat drive, while squatting, at the widest legal delivery possible. Misses.
Warner eventually gets some runs with a three through point, then Smith wanders to the off side and flicks three more to leg.
6th over: Australia 1-24 (Warner 16, Smith 1)
I neglected to mention, please do drop me a line if you’re reading along: email is geoff.lemon@theguardian.com, or get on Twitter @GeoffLemonSport. I want to know everything. Everything.
Shapoor is getting into the Zadran double act, targeting Warner’s body and denying him room to smash. It takes four balls for Warner to get a single from a fuller one on his toes, then Smith can’t score from the last two balls. Tangles, leading edge. They’ve started tremendously, this Afghan opening pair.
5th over: Australia 1-23 (Warner 15, Smith 1)
And again, another top over from Dawlat Zadran. Makes Smith wait a couple of balls by shaping them outside off stump, then after Smith gets off strike, Warner booms two massive drives that don’t connect, nearly edging behind off both. Warner drives three from the last ball, but Dawlat is enjoying his day so far.
4th over: Australia 1-19 (Warner 12, Smith 0)
Clarke was listed to come in at No3, but in walks Steve Smith. This is where many people have suggested he should bat. Shapoor bowls a wide to Warner, then has a massive appeal for another one down leg side that takes the pad on the way through to the keeper. Warner responds by whacking another pull for four. That’s all he gets from the over, as he carefully defends a couple more balls, and finds the field from the last.
3rd over: Australia 1-14 (Warner 8)
What an over from Dawlat. He was on the dot throughout, cramping Finch, keeping him tied down, even diving to stop a drive from the fourth ball. For five deliveries Finch couldn’t get away, then Dawlat had his man from the sixth.
WICKET! Finch 4, c Mangal b Dawlat
Got him! Afghanistan strike early, Dawlat pitching up to Finch, getting some movement away and Finch went at it with a big drive that wasn’t really on. The edge carried to second slip and Mangal took it coolly falling away to his left.
Updated
2nd over: Australia 0-14 (Warner 8, Finch 4)
Hamid Hassan is being kept for first change. That’s handy. Shapoor Zadran is winding up that long run-up from the shadows of the grandstand. It’s double Zadran time.
Shapoor drops short first ball and is clobbered for four on the pull. He stays short for a couple of singles, then Warner goes hard at one outside off and edges past his stumps for two. Then he nearly edges one down leg side that instead comes off the pad and they steal a single, then Finch edges one down to third man. Plenty of encouragement for big Shapoor, but 10 runs fairly unluckily from the over.
1st over: Australia 0-4 (Warner 1, Finch 2)
Good start from Dawlat Zadran, who comes up with four dot balls to David Warner to start the match, then a top-edged single from a pull where Warner didn’t read the pace off the pitch. You’d take that any game. Dawlat loses his line to the right-handed Finch, bowling a wide, then Finch gets two more runs through mid-on.
A far more cautious start from Australia than last game.
Right. Afghanistan have been everybody’s second team this World Cup, unless you support Afghanistan in which case they’re your first. With me? Their thriller against Scotland was one of the all-time great stories of the Cup, given their rise from total obscurity less than 15 years ago. This will be one of their sternest challenges yet - we saw the UZE struggle mightily with the bounce and pace of the WACA pitch against India, and this team won’t have seen anything like this either. It’ll be a challenge for their bowlers to get their lengths right, and even more so the batsmen will have a challenge against the pace and bounce of the Australian pace quartet. Even Glenn Maxwell could get a few nicks behind on this bouncy surface.
Should be a fascinating game, to see how Afghanistan respond, and to see what Australia come up with after their bizarre, frenetic loss to New Zealand last weekend.
Many team news! People who have been waiting for Shane Watson to be dropped will be delighted. Shane Watson has been dropped. But instead of George Bailey coming back to stiffen the batting, everyone has been shuffled up the order to accommodate James Faulkner at No8. That means Clarke at 3, Smith at 4, Maxwell at 5 and Mitchell Marsh at 6. Hmm.
Pat Cummins is also out for Josh Hazlewood.
For Afghanistan, Gulbadin Naib is out for Usman Ghani, and there’s a complete batting order reshuffle, apparently, compared to their last game against Scotland.
Australia
Warner
Finch
Clarke*
Smith
Maxwell
Marsh
Haddin†
Faulkner
Johnson
Starc
Hazlewood
Afghanistan
Javed Ahmadi
Usman Ghani
Nawroz Mangal
Asghar Stanikzai
Samiullah Shenwari
Mohammad Nabi*
Najibullah Zadran
Afsar Zazai†
Dawlat Zadran
Hamid Hassan
Shapoor Zadran
Hello Aussies, hello Afghans, hello Ozzy Osbourne, hello Afghan hounds, hello everybody else who fits none of those categories. Geoff Lemon here with you as we prepare for Australia versus Afghanistan to face off for their Pool A contest at the WACA.
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi has won the toss and sent Australia in! Love it. No fear from the visiting side.
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Geoff will be here shortly... while you’re waiting, here he is in podcast mode, hosting this week’s Cricket World Cup show, featuring guests Russell Jackson (also here, later), Gideon Haigh and Adam Collins.
