Geoff Lemon on Australia's batting woe
Match report
And check out the latest standings, which show India are now up to third …
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That’s all from The Oval. Thanks for your fanastic company, as always. We’ll be back with the OBO tomorrow morning and every day of the World Cup. G’night!
Virat Kohli speaks. “Absolutely proud of the win. A top win for us. After losing that series in India we had a point to prove. We came here with intent from ball one when we were batting. The opening partnership was outstanding. It was absolutely the perfect game for us and with the ball it was an absolutely brilliant start. We were very professional and that always pleases me as a captain.” Enjoyed Pandya’s hitting, MSD at the end. “We played the way we wanted to play.”
Aaron Finch speaks. “They got 120 in the final ten over, which is a lot. We didn’t bowl out best stuff. We struggled to get wickets early on, that was the key. With experienced guys they had coming in, it made it tough. I think being a used surface didn’t help with the new ball there wasn’t a lot on offer earlier. But we could have been more back of a length early. But they bat very deep. They just outplayed us.” He also backed in David Warner.
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We’ll be back with the captains in a sec. Kohli and Finch are making their way to the middle for the presentation.
Shikhar Dhawan is player of the match or his 117. “Absolutely happy with that result. It is a great team effort, which is a great sign for the team. Very happy with the all-over performance. We are a great fielding side as well. We have a very balanced side with fast bowlers and spinners. I am happy to be part of it. We work really hard in the nets and that is why it is going our way as well.”
Never in doubt. Australia finish with a healthy 316 but they never were really in the chase, aside from about 10 minutes when Maxwell and Smith were together. The Australians didn’t go hard enough early. Or perhaps better put: India bowled so well, they couldn’t get away. Warner faced 48 dot balls in his innings of 56, for instance. Bumrah and Bhuvi, then Chahal especially, were just too good.
Smith (69), Khawaja (42) and Maxwell (28) all had moments - and Carey (55 not out) was excellent at the end - but the task was too great. India worthy winners.
INDIA WINS BY 36 RUNS! (WICKET! Zampa c Jadeja [sub] b Bhuvneshwar 1) AUSTRALIA ALL-OUT 316
There it is! Zampa spoons the final ball of the innings to extra cover, giving Bhuvi a well-earned third wicket. A fantastic performance from the men in blue.
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WICKET! Starc run out [Shankar/Bhuvi] 1 (Australia 313-9)
Bhuvi does well to collect a throw from the sub Shankar at deep cover. The third umpire confirms that Starc is about a metre short.
49th over: Australia 312-8 (Carey 52, Starc 3) Target 353 Bumrah gets through the 49th over of the innings with a series of slower balls and accurate yorkers. Just the one run off the bat, two byes coming as well when he beats Dhoni. Too good.
Carey to 50!
48th over: Australia 309-8 (Carey 51, Starc 3) Target 353 Shot. Carey pulls Bhuvi hard out to midwicket for four and follows it with a glance that takes him to a half-century in 25 balls - the fastest of this World Cup. We Will Rock You plays around The Oval between overs and the Indian fans can’t get enough of it. They’ve had quite the South London day out. This is a fine win they are about to celebrate.
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WICKET! c Dhoni b Bumrah 8 (Australia 300-8)
After carving Bumrah behind point for four earlier in the over, Cummins falls to the Indian attack leader when trying to launch him into the next postcode, tickling his slower ball through to Dhoni. Not far away now.
47th over: Australia 300-8 (Carey 45) Target 353
“I know I’m banging on unceasingly about the new rigour India have been rocking recently,” writes Robert Wilson. I don’t mind, if it helps me work out how I’m going to bash out 1000 words later tonight. “But there’s been a mistaken air of perplexity and mystification about the shape of this game in both innings. It’s all going to plan. The simple rule is if you think there’s something going on, there’s quite often something going on. People forget about the Windies heyday. Yes, there was flash and dash but it was also getting the foot on the throat early, relaxing those hammies and just staying in that inexorable and devastating posture until the oppo’s life and hope ebbed away. India have controlled this game utterly. They’re Jack Palance in a hotel room with an attaché case in a 1970s B-movie. Can’t you hear the Quincy Jones soundtrack as they emotionlessly assemble the sniper rifle?”
Okay, this is great. Next: can you get to the bottom of why every TV commentator identifies Pat Cummins Pat CumminGs? What’s going on there?
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46th over: Australia 291-7 (Carey 43, Cummins 1) Target 353 Carey is showing plenty. Granted, his dropping of Hardik Pandya from the first ball he faced is more important in the final analysis than the runs he is adding, but still, it’s a long competition and he is playing an important role at No7. A well timed slap over cover, picking up Bhuvi from well outside the off-stump, takes him into the 40s.
45th over: Australia 284-7 (Carey 37, Cummins 0) Target 353 Earlier the over, it was all going so well for Australia when Carey uppercut the first ball of Bumrah’s over for four. But along with the wicket, only two further singles came. They now need 69 from 30. Michael Slater still thinks they’ll win, for what that’s worth.
Fascinating email in from Kandukuru Nagarjun that I wish I had more time to engage with.
“Never mind one song,” he says, “our Usman’s name cues a whole genre: mystical Sufi music popular in Pakistan, India and several other countries influenced by the Ottomans and Persians. The word ‘Khawaja’ means ‘Sufi tutor’ in Persian and features in countless songs of the genre.
Here are two masterful ones: A Nusrat Ali KhanAn AR RahmanThe Rahman one (in Urdu/Hindi) starts like this. Loose translation: Oh Khawaja, my lord, helper of the poor, helper of the faith, come reside in my heart...
Khwajaji, Khwaja
Khwajaji, Khwaja, Khwaja Ji
Ya Gharib Nawaz
Ya Gharib Nawaz
Ya Gharib Nawaz
Ya Moinuddin, Ya Khwaja Ji
Ya Khwaja Ji Ya Khwaja Ji Ya Khwaja Ji Ya Khwaja Ji”
WICKET! Coulter-Nile c Kohli b Bumrah 4 (Australia 283-7)
Kohli gives it BIG after taking a well-struck NCN swipe at midwicket on the rope. Bumrah gets him with the slower ball, fingers run down the seam. Good bowling.
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44th over: Australia 278-6 (Carey 31, Coulter-Nile 4) Target 353 Hardik has one over left, and Kohli is giving it to him, I assume, so that Kuldeep doesn’t need to bowl his 10th at the death. Working around the field in 1s and 2s until the fifth delivery, Carey again nailed a strike down the ground as he did in the previous set, this time for four. Nine off it, which is still short of where they need to be but keeping Australia just within touching distance. They need 75 from 36.
43rd over: Australia 269-6 (Carey 23, Coulter-Nile 3) Target 353 Well, they need 12 an over and Carey just took 13 from Chahal’s 10th, finishing with 2/62 including the huge wicket of Maxwell. He got them with a fine slog sweep for four and a mighty strike over the legspinner’s head into the pavilion. He’s 23 off 10 balls.
42nd over: Australia 256-6 (Carey 10, Coulter-Nile 3) Target 353 Nine off the Bumrah over, helped by Jadeja when taking a ping when Carey who took him on at backward point. Missing the stumps (for one in his life) the ball ran away for four overthrows. Two a ball required for Australia, if you were wondering.
Back to our topic before all hell broke loose? “The most obvious earworm in relation to this game has to be Public Enemy Yo! Bumrah-sh the Show,” suggests Adam Levine.
“How about Adele belting out Rolling in Kuldeep?” emails Brian Withington. “The Australian batsman certainly haven’t been able to do much with him.” Very good.
41st over: Australia 247-6 (Carey 4, Coulter-Nile 0) Target 353 Another great bowling change from Kohli, no doubt knowing the ridiculous record Chahal has when it comes to Maxwell. There’s nearly a second wicket to finish the succesful over, NCN racing to the danger end when Carey called him through for two through midwicket. The throw misses and West Australian survives.
Sorry I haven’t been able to get to your emails over the last half an hour or so - too much going on in front of me. I’ll do my best to triage in an over or two.
WICKET! Maxwell c Jadeja (sub) b Chahal 28 (Australia 244-6)
No, THAT is the loudest roar of the day! DEAFENING as Maxwell holes out to midwicket, trying to register a second boundary for the over but picking out the wrong man with a skied hoick, Jadeja, on as a sub. Game over.
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WICKET! Stoinis b Bhuvneshwar 0 (Australia 238-5)
Bowled him! Second ball. The crowd go absolutely WILD in the stands. One precondition for a Maxwell Miracle was having an established player riding shotgun with him but that’s not happening now. Bhuvi went through Stoinis between bat and pad, who didn’t move his feet at all. Poor dismissal.
40th over: Australia 238-5 (Maxwell 23) Target 353
WICKET! Smith lbw b Bhuvneshwar 69 (Australia 238-4)
Smith has missed Bhuvi’s off-cutter when trying to work him through midwicket, struck on the knee roll. Given not out, Kohli had no hesitation sending it upstairs. The technology confirmed the former captain’s fate. Very, very out.
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39th over: Australia 235-3 (Smith 68, Maxwell 21) Target 353 Another big over, off the main man Bumrah. Maxwell as opened the door and Smith is walking through it. The former’s strike through midwicket to begin got the ball rolling, picking up the length early and smashing it to the Peter May Stand. Giving the strike back to Smith, he has a pop at the fourth ball and is rewarded for it, his inside edge running away for four. He somehow manages to get the last one away too, a bumper aimed at his lid. 13 from it. Maxwell has 21 from 9.
38th over: Australia 222-3 (Smith 60, Maxwell 16) Target 353 Maxwell begins his innings with three boundaries in four balls. It is Bhuvi who cops it, back into the attack and cut hard to the gap at backward point. SHOT. Next up: a gorgeous glide beating third man to the rope. He keeps going, two more to square leg. He misses Bhuvi’s slower ball but hammers a pull shot, albeit to the fielder on the rope. Smith’s turn, who glances perfectly to the fine leg boundary. That’s 15 from the over, if you don’t mind. The Indian fans know as well as anyone what Maxwell could do here if it comes together in the final ten overs. Don’t go anywhere.
37th over: Australia 207-3 (Smith 56, Maxwell 5) Target 353 Here is the thing: Maxwell will believe he can win it. There’s no doubt about that; it is just how he is built. Reflecting this, he smashes Bumrah straight back down the ground for four. What a shot. Amusingly, as he told us when talking to him before the tournament, he doesn’t do any gym work. His power is all a product of natural timing. Freak.
WICKET! Khawaja b Bumrah 42 (Australia 202-3)
What an option for Kohli to turn to after a good over for Australia: the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah. And he’s in the game within four balls, castling Khawaja when the left-hander tried and failed to lap him over fine leg. The crowd to my left are as loud now as they have been at any time today. They can sense how close India are to victory now. Then again, here comes Maxwell.
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36th over: Australia 201-2 (Smith 55, Khawaja 42) Target 353 Well, Khawaja goes bang/bang. Kuldeep is the man they are going after. Taking on his stock ball spinning away from him, the left-hander gets down on one knee to slog sweep him into the grandstand. And he does again, albeit along the ground and a fraction squarer, this time for four! With four more picked up along the way, the over is worth 14 for Australia, which keeps the rate required south of 11. That’s not for nothing. The final shot from Khawaja, two over cover, also raises the 200.
35th over: Australia 187-2 (Smith 54, Khawaja 29) Target 353 I like this from Kohli, getting Pandya back on to shake things up after boundaries from each of the last three overs from spin. Oh, scrap that: Khawaja has got stuck into an impotent short ball, creaming it through midwicket out to the Bedser Stand for four. The good news for India is that they have now exhausted the overs that they require from their fifth bowler. Bumrah and Bhuvi will be back soon enough.
I think that when you're chasing 350, giving Glenn Maxwell as long as possible to bat is probably the first strategic move you make, and work backwards from there. #CWC19
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) June 9, 2019
Smith to 50!
34th over: Australia 180-2 (Smith 53 Khawaja 24) Target 353 Ending the Kuldeep over with with a lovely cover-driven boundary, Smith records his second half century in a row from 60 balls. Kuldeep has 0/41 from his eight. Nothing wrong with that at all. Who will Australia target? They have to take someone down.
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33rd over: Australia 172-2 (Smith 47, Khawaja 22) Target 353 Boundaries in consecutive overs for Khawaja, sweeping and sweeping well. Chahal bounces back well, denying him a second chance to find the rope. Drinks! The required rate is 10.65; still 181 runs left to collect, more than what they currently have in 33 overs.
32nd over: Australia 165-2 (Smith 45, Khawaja 17) Target 353 Kuldeep has Khawaja on the rack until the final delivery, when the left-hander is able to, at last, lift him over fine leg for four. He made it possible getting across his stumps to create something. There has to be more of that over the next few overs to keep them vaguely in touch. Still, only six from it.
31st over: Australia 159-2 (Smith 44, Khawaja 12) Target 353 Dhoni stumping chance! He’s up after Smith’s inside edge ends up with him, removing the bails as the former Australian captain dives back. TV confirms that he’s safe - just. MS was involved in saving runs earlier in the over too, off his helmet, when Khawaja’s reverse crashed into it. Four off it. What does Smith do next? It has to be him.
Even Dhoni is confused by how Australia are approaching this run-chase
— Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) June 9, 2019
30th over: Australia 155-2 (Smith 42, Khawaja 10) Target 353 The crowd are cheering every ball, Kuldeep brought back and keeping Smith quiet with four dots through the middle of the over, landing his stock delivery in a dangerous channel time and again. He gets on to one pull shot but Kohli - shuffled back onto the circle by Dhoni, Clarke observes - has enough time to stop it. Two off it. Fantastic bowling. I said in my first post today that the Indian plan with the bat was executed to perfection. Their squeeze with the ball is going much the same way. They now need more than 10 an over to win. Wouldn’t have thought so.
29th over: Australia 153-2 (Smith 41, Khawaja 9) Target 353 Chahal does it again. Smith misses his sweep before giving the strike to Khawaja. The Queensland captain is very lucky not to give a catch back to the leggie off his leading edge, getting two instead. Smith picks out fielders on the circle from the final two deliveries, making just four from it. This chase is drowning.
28th over: Australia 149-2 (Smith 40, Khawaja 6) Target 353 Brilliant from KL Rahul, ensuring that another over elapses without a boundary by putting in a magnificent one-handed dive on the deep cover rope. Smith is trying his hardest to creates something - anything - by moving around the crease, but the shots aren’t bisecting the sweepers. 26 runs have been scored from the last five overs; Pandya just one further to bowl before Kohli can rotate between his top four.
David Warner's wicket saw Australia's WinViz fall from 26% to 11%. India are now 89% favourites in this match and are in command. It is going to require something very special for Australia to turn this around now. #CWC19
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 9, 2019
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27th over: Australia 144-2 (Smith 36, Khawaja 5) Target 353 In fairness to Khawaja, this is not an easy time to walk out. He’s resourceful here, using the pace of Chahal to paddle a couple fine. But other than that, with three singles to the sweepers, it is another over with only five from it. With that, the required rate inches up to 9.2.
Romeo informs me that Australia aren’t in as much trouble as Notts, who are all out for 162 with Kyle Abbott snaring 6/37 for Hampshire. I’ll take his word for it!
56 from 84 chasing 353, and a hand in running out Aaron Finch. That looks a pretty miserable innings from David Warner #INDvAUS
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) June 9, 2019
26th over: Australia 139-2 (Smith 34, Khawaja 2) Target 353 Five singles off Pandya. More importantly, that’s the seventh over he’s bowled. Add Jadhav’s, and Kohli is only two away from having his fifth bowler dealt with before over 30. Top captaincy.
“I’ll happily help out with your choice of music for the above, Collo,” offers Iain McKane. “We could set up the South London equivalent of Chicky’s Disco at the old Antigua Rec. I’m sure your pop-tastic young-person’s taste will leaven my heady mix of metalcore, ‘60s garage blues, and free-jazz into something palatable for the groovy Vauxhall cognoscenti.”
I’ve always said that this is the role I was born to play.
25th over: Australia 134-2 (Smith 31, Khawaja 0) Target 353 Khawaja, not known for his brisk scoring outside of the power play, joins Smith. He doesn’t have long to find his stride here. Not when the required rate is already at 9s.
WICKET! Warner c Bhuvneshwar b Chahal 56 (Australia 133-2)
Chahal is spun around to the pavilion end and it works! Coming down the track to take on the leggie against the wind, Warner doesn’t get all of it and Bhuvi is out on the rope to take the straightforward outfield chance. The end of an unflattering innings for the Australian opener. They’re in big strife.
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24th over: Australia 127-1 (Warner 56, Smith 27) Target 353 Kohli is trying to get through this fifth bowler overs as quickly as possible, throwing the ball back to Pandya for his sith. Warner times a potent pull shot into the gap but a boundary is prevented by some tag-team ground fielding on the rope out there. That aside, it’s another relaxed over where both sides seem happy to allow about a run a ball to be added for the time being. Who do Australia bring in next?
“Afternoon, Adam.” G’day, Phil Sawyer. “I can’t believe no-one has mentioned Ba-Ba-Ba-BaBar Azam.” [Ted Hastings] Now we’re cooking with gas. [/Ted Hastings]
23rd over: Australia 121-1 (Warner 51, Smith 26) Target 353 Okay, another crucial mini-period of this game with Jadhav into the attack with his side-arm nothings. Kohli is so clever in the way that he uses him, always when the pressure is on the opposition. But Smith knows his feet are fast enough to deal with any challenge this bowler presents and charges him accordingly, launching over long-on FOR SIX! They needed that. Helped by two legside wides, with the pressure now back on the pint-sized all-rounder, Smith gets down low to smash him through midwicket to slog-sweep four more! 15 from the over. Might that be the opening?
Warner to 50!
22nd over: Australia 107-1 (Warner 50, Smith 15) Target 353 That has to be Warner’s slowest half-century in ODIs, taking 76 to reach the mark. More important for India is that Chahal has raced through another over giving away just two singles. The required rate is now 8.8 runs an over. As I said an hour ago, this is perfectly set up for Maxwell to be the scapegoat, coming in with 10s needed.
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21st over: Australia105-1 (Warner 49, Smith 14) Target 353 Bumrah’s back for a second burst, having bowled just three overs in his opening spell. And Warner enjoys the pace on the ball, carving the first legal delivery (following a misdirected bumper) over the cordon. There’s not a lot going on for Australia thereafter, Bumrah on top with both his accurate slower ball and much faster bouncer, which hits Smith in his stomach/chest. Ouch. It’s very, very dark at The Oval now.
20th over: Australia 99-1 (Warner 45, Smith 14) Target 353 The DLS par score is 118 after 20 overs, which isn’t a bad guide to how far the Australians are behind the chase. At this stage, it’ll suit Kohli and Chahal for five singles to be taken from the leggie, mostly down the ground. They’re doing a fine job in defence of their total.
“It may be that because there is an electric circuit to the bails from the stumps, they are actually attracted to the stumps and hence harder to knock off,” Phillip Haran theorises. “Given everything else about them is the same, I think it most likely!” I’m going to get to the bottom of this after the game.
19th over: Australia 94-1 (Warner 42, Smith 12) Target 353 Warner gets a long-hop from Kuldeep first up and helps himself to four through cover. ‘Who Let The Dogs Out?’ plays around the ground. Hmm. As I’ve said to Surrey several times, I’m ready and willing to take over as the Cricket Ground DJ here at a moment’s notice. Three singles are added in the usual middle-overs fashion, Kuldeep mixing that up with a flighted leg break that Warner elects not to go after. No rain scheduled until 8pm tonight, the TV commentary says. Good. It sure is chilly, though.
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18th over: Australia 87-1 (Warner 36, Smith 11) Target 353 Chahal’s turn, which Smith doesn’t mind at all when taking two through the gap at cover from his first ball and two more through the midwicket region from the second. This is a bowler who has plenty of experience bowling Australia out, so they would have prepared well for his overs, I am sure. Warner adds two later in the over as well, sweeping off his glove into Dhoni’s pad - well away from his gloves. By the way, is anyone keeping their eyes on his gloves? I assume he’s followed the ICC’s orders?
17th over: Australia 79-1 (Warner 33, Smith 6) Target 353 Four off this accurate Kuldeep over, the Australians happy enough taking the singles on offer to sweepers square of the wicket and down the ground. No risks.
“Warner looks well off his stride here,” observes Bob Wilson. “A mix of his form and some really strangly bowling. Given his ‘temperament’, he’s bound to go all hormonal about it in a minute. Which will produce fireworks in one of two directions. Either way, a spectator win. I still do love watching him emote.”
Notwithstanding what went down in South Africa last year, he is very zen these days. For better or worse. Mind you, a bit of Old Davey Warner might be required as far as launching some sixes over cow corner. Not quite yet, though.
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16th over: Australia 75-1 (Warner 31, Smith 4) Target 353 Bad from Pandya to begin, overstepping from around the wicket at Warner who has a crack at the short ball, pulling it for four! He doesn’t make the most of the free hit that follows but it can only help the opener’s confidence. Pandya is back over the wicket at flings down a short ball that keeps Warner thinking. One, two, three singles finish the final over as they head into the drinks break. They now need 8.18 an over.
“Smith and Warner BARELY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE of this RRR,” lols Scott Oliver. “Yes, I know. Sorry.” Fair play. I’ve seen plenty worse.
At the drinks break they have a band playing Waltzing Matilda. Yeah, that might have worked if more than about 30 Australians were in the crowd right now.
15th over: Australia 67-1 (Warner 25, Smith 3) Target 353 Kuldeep nearly wins the wicket of Warner off an inside edge, that is provided the bails would have fallen off anyway. The former leadership axis exchange singles through the legside, the southpaw then keeping the strike with one down the ground.
Steve V has arrived in my inbox with his earworm.
“Somethin’ strange
In ya neighbourhood
Who ya gonna call?
JOS BUTTLER!!!”
Very good.
Michael Lacquiere has one too. “For a couple of decades the names Andy Caddick and Nasser Hussain have pleasingly brought to mind the lyrics of that fabled cricket anthem “Breathe” by their natural musical soulmates, The Prodigy - as in “Psycho somatic, Caddick Hussain”. You’re welcome!”
I LOVE THIS.
14th over: Australia 63-1 (Warner 23, Smith 1) Target 353 Smith joins Warner after the blunder instead of Khawaja, which is interesting but logical. He remains Australia’s best player, so it makes sense. Watching the replay back, Finch did hesitate when turning. As Clarke observes on telly, Warner was coming back for two from the moment he hit it. Where will Khawaja bat? Harsha Bhogle asks that of Clarke, who replies “Just after Coulter-Nile.” [Snake emoji]. Smith is off the mark from the final ball of Pandya’s over, tucking him around the corner.
WICKET! Finch run out [Jadhav/Pandya] 36 (Australia 61-1)
What a throw from Jadhav at deep point, Finch left a foot short at the non-strikers’ end coming back for a second after Warner creamed his square drive. Oh dear.
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13th over: Australia 59-0 (Warner 21, Finch 36) Target 353 “Something is going to give,” says Michael Clarke. He predicts that Finch hits some sixes or one of these two get out shortly. Neither here, the Australian pair happy to take six risk-free runs, most of those off the front foot down the ground where there are two sweepers. Clarke also speculates that they might promote Maxwell to three. Not completely out of the question. Warner is 21 off 43, in case you were wondering.
“I just don’t understand what the Aussies are doing here,” writes Avitaj Mitra. “You ‘consolidate’ and the required rate goes from 7 to 8.5 or 9. Then when Maxwell comes in, he’s got to go straight away and if he gets out cheaply, he’s a convenient scapegoat. I know the Indians are bowling very accurately but surely there’s got to be some sort of intent.”
Not wrong. All the hallmarks of a Maxwell The Villain afternoon coming up.
On a lighter note. “Every time Graham Onions gets a mention I get a full Booker T and the MG’s groove on,” reveals Adam Levine.
12th over: Australia 53-0 (Warner 19, Finch 32) Target 353 Great fightback from Pandya, keeping Warner quiet from around the wicket, mixing up his lengths at the Australian opener. Also astute captaincy from Kohli for persisting with him.
11th over: Australia 52-0 (Warner 19, Finch 31) Target 353 As usual, Kohli turns to spin as soon as the first ten overs are complete, the left-armer Kuldeep given the first opportunity today. Warner is watchful, driving him along the ground for an easy single, Finch then striking in the same direction for a couple. Good batting. He keeps the strike with a tuck around the corner. This is such an important period of Australia’s chase. With at least 20 to 25 overs of spin coming their way, they have to find a way to take them down to have any chance of getting these runs.
10th over: Australia 48-0 (Warner 18, Finch 28) Target 353 Shot! Pandya is bowling the final over of the power play and misdirects at Warner from around the wicket to begin, the opener helping it on its way to the fine leg boundary. Pandya bites back with the next one, getting a ball to take off from a length into the gloves of Warner. That stings. Giving the strike to Finch, the captain waits on a delivery short of a length to heave it over midwicket for SIX! The first big one of the innings, flat and hard. He goes again from the fifth ball, crunching him past point from the balls of his feet. Four more! And again from the final offering of the power play, smashing him from the back foot through extra cover to make 19 from the over. A lot of good work undone there. They end the opening stanza in fine form.
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9th over: Australia 29-0 (Warner 13, Finch 14) Target 353 Bhuvi is so consistent. They are able to score off four of the deliveries but all with pushes along the carpet from the stumps. Nothing to slap at, that’s for sure. He has 0/12 from his five.
8th over: Australia 24-0 (Warner 9, Finch 13) Target 353 Hardik Pandya is on to replace Bumrah are quality overs from him. Pandya has the ability to bowl some very nasty short stuff, and after his excellent cameo with the bat at No4 he will he will be backing himself. Yep, he’s into Finch’s chest after a couple of balls, but played well. Warner then takes one to point, Finch turning a couple around the corner that had him scampering back to the danger end. “When will Australia take them?” asks Michael Clarke on TV. They do need to shift some pressure back the way of India sooner rather than later.
A tweet in from Dan Guidone is on-point to begin: “You’re gonna be the one that saves me.... AND AFTER ALLLLLLLLLLLL.... #chanderpaul” “Ishant Sharma’s gonna get you!” adds Ben Broughton, a reminder of old OBO times.
And Brian Withington has some thoughts to share on zing bails. “Are we moving into a baseball type format where it’s three strikes and you’re out? Puts one in mind of the old WG Grace anecdote where the great man avoided the early inconvenience of being blatantly caught behind by browbeating the umpire, pointing out that people had paid their money to see him bat. When eventually dismissed by being comprehensively clean bowled, the wicketkeeper politely enquired why his lordship was leaving given that there was still one stump in the ground. Allegedly.”
Quite. Allegedly. The point made on TV is that bails were original there to help the umpire determine of the stump was it. Can’t sensor technology do that now?
7th over: Australia 19-0 (Warner 8, Finch 10) Target 353 Might it rain? Since moving down to this seat at the lunch break, I am sure the temperature has dropped several degrees. It nearly goes up again from the last ball of this Bhuvi over when Finch left himself exposed at the non-strikers’ end! Warner chopped onto his pad and started running, his captain following. He was sent back but it wouldn’t have mattered had Kohli’s throw been on target. It was a great pick-up and chuck at full pace and not far away at all. The only run from the set came at the start when Finch pushed to cover. Warner has faced 25 balls for his eight, which is more about the superb start from this brilliant pair of Indian seamers.
6th over: Australia 18-0 (Warner 8, Finch 9) Target 353 Bumrah to Warner, the man he bowled first ball. Anyway. There is a lot of respect here, the left-hander failing to execute a pull shot from the first ball, so he defended and left the rest. No inch given. Maiden.
“Surely this has been mentioned but if not,” emails Peter Gibbs, “can you ask if there are other examples of where a cricketer’s name gives one an earworm? In the same way that Shikhar Dhawanhas me singing Brick House by the Commodores on account of sounding like the lyrics: “Shake it down, shake it down now”
I even try to do it with the Walter “Clyde” Orange twang. (specifically at 2m06s but ..treat yourself to some late 70s funk ( and a share of my earworm pain).”
Excellent, excellent OBO areas. Hit me up. Name a player that does the same for you? For me, it’s Rabada. As in (and I’ve done this on the OBO many times). “Rabada’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble, Hey-la-day-la my Rabada’s back.”
5th over: Australia 18-0 (Warner 8, Finch 9) Target 353 Finch is playing Bhuvi well too, defending with a nice straight bat throughout. The Indian seamer misses his mark down leg with a slower one but is immediately back in his happy place. A savvy dive from Rohit at cover denies the right-hander a couple to finish. Both sets of openers just feeling each other out here; no major moves yet. Top contest.
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4th over: Australia 17-0 (Warner 8, Finch 9) Target 353 Right, Bumrah vs Finch - the contest the Indians want. And it doesn’t take long to find his inside edge, either. A couple of runs are added to the Australian tally but that’s a win for Bumrah, who went through Finch’s gate so routinely last summer. He fights back well, though, clipping a boundary with expert timing past the square leg umpire for his first four of the chase. He then keeps the strike with a nice deflection to third man. He’ll leave that over with a degree of confidence against his nemesis.
3rd over: Australia 10-0 (Warner 8, Finch 2) Target 353 Bhuvi is into his groove immediately, beating Warner with one that decked away from an ideal length. He’s such a classy bowler. A single to cover becomes two when Kohli has a ping, as you would expect from the Indian No1. Warner deals with the rest cautiously.
This has gone beyond absurd. It fundamentally changes the conditions for dismissal for batsmen. I can’t believe this hasn’t been fixed.
— GB (@gopalbx) June 9, 2019
2nd over: Australia 8-0 (Warner 6, Finch 2) Target 353 Surely NOT AGAIN? For the fifth time in the tournament the stumps have been hit with the zing bails not coming off. This is crazy. Bumrah deserves to have Warner first ball of his spell, chopping on awkwardly with the ball rolling back into the leg stump. It moved by the bail didn’t. How can this go on? The ICC must step in. Benefitting from the let off, Warner plays the shot that nets him the bulk of his boundaries nowadays, timing through cover from the balls of his feet for his first four.
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) June 9, 2019
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Warner 1, Finch 2) Target 353 “NO RUN!” roars Warner in his familiar way when pushing the first ball of the reply to cover. He’s away two balls later with a clip for one to midwicket. Finch gets on the front dog first ball, driving dead straight into the stumps, taking some pace of the ball to deny him a boundary but they come back for two. Confident start. But the real test for the captain will be against Bumrah, who owned him during the southern summer.
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The players are on the field. Nup, no booing for Warner. Not really. He’s taking the first ball this time around instead of the captain Finch. Bhuvi has the ball in his hand, starting off from the pavilion end. I’m sitting in the outside press box tribunes and it is LOUD. Should be fun. PLAY!
It is a bit of a cliche to say that every India game is a home game. But goodness me, this is a HOME GAME. From memory, some 300,000 Australians live in London but there aren’t many here today. It’s a sea of blue, to lean on a second cliche in the space of a paragraph. 79 per cent of tickets went to Indian fans for this fixture, I’m told. Perhaps the other 21 per cent were on-sold to Indian fans by savvy Australians who saw a chance to quadruple their money? That’s the best explanation that I can think of. I doubt they’ll boo Smith and Warner, right?
Thanks, JP! Great to have you back. Well, that was exactly as they planned it. No team in this tournament sticks to their plan quite like India. No matter what, they set up solidly. No mucking around. No audacious power-play antics. Instead of easing into the accumulation phase, this is when the turn up the volume, notch by notch, until the final ten. Then, with maximum flexibility and plenty of big hitters in the shed, it is party time. Every India batsman played their role to perfection in this after winning the chance to bat first. On a worn pitch, 352 is loads. Especially with Chahal and Kuldeep at Kohli’s disposal. In short, this is going to take something extraordinary from Australia.
India 352-5
Australia will have to break all manner of records if they are going to remain unbeaten in the 2019 Cricket World Cup after India methodically posted an intimidating 352-5 at the Oval.
After Virat Kohli won the toss and made the straightforward decision to bat first on a dry and wearing surface his openers put on a measured 127-run stand to afford India control of their destiny. Shikhar Dhawan played through the pain of a damaged thumb to top score with 117 while Rohit Sharma’s 57 helped see off the new ball threat of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
At 220-2 after 37 overs India’s innings could have lost momentum and the big score on offer sidestepped. Hardik Pandya’s blistering 48 and MS Dhoni’s quick-fire 27 ensured that would not be the case and along with Kohli’s typically assured 82 India posted the highest ever total against an Australian side at a World Cup.
Australia’s attack was ill-suited to a confusing Oval pitch. There was a hint of menace with the new ball but little bounce and no sideways movement. How much assistance it offered spin was hard to tell with Adam Zampa bowling poorly and Nathan Lyon not selected. Six bowlers each bowled at least six overs as Aaron Finch chopped and changed in the hope of breakthroughs that rarely came.
Australia now have a mountain to climb but in this new era of massive ODI chases it is far from insurmountable. Find out if they can make history with Adam Collins.
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50th over: India 352-5 (Rahul 11, Jadav 0) Rahul slogs the final ball of the innings over cow corner for four. Phew! What a finish. India end with a record breaking 352.
WICKET! Kohli c Cummins b Stoinis 82 (India 348-5)
After Stoinis struck with that superb wicket he gifted KL Rahul a six first ball with a leg-stump full toss. A single brought Kohli on strike but the skipper, starved of the strike, lacked timing and after a hard-run two he could only squirt a drive out to the cover sweeper on the full.
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WICKET! Dhoni c&b Stoinis 27 (India 338-4)
Marcus Stoinis has just taken one of the best caught-and-bowled’s you’ll ever see. To begin with he landed a decent yorker, one that Dhoni still managed to wallop, only to see the bowler stick out a big right paw and clutch the drive in his follow through. Super cricket.
How about this for reactions from Marcus Stoinis to remove MS Dhoni!
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 9, 2019
📺 Watch #INDvAUS on Sky Sports Cricket World Cup or follow here: https://t.co/Tu4uFzSGrM pic.twitter.com/zPXvJkzPAU
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49th over: India 338-3 (Kohli 80, Dhoni 27) Oh Mitchell Starc, you can’t bowl in MS Dhoni’s arc at this stage of the innings. From around the wicket the big quick sees his first ball launched into orbit over square leg and then his second thumped wide of fine leg for four. Just four more come from the following four deliveries but the damage has already been done. India’s acceleration has been textbook.
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48th over: India 325-3 (Kohli 80, Dhoni 14) Stoinis hasn’t had a great day with the ball but he’s entrusted at the death by Finch - and he performs solidly, keeping India to just nine runs and one boundary with a mixture of wide yorkers and slower balls.
#StatAttack: This is the highest total by any team against Australia in World Cups. 👊
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) June 9, 2019
Well done, #TeamIndia #CWC19 #INDvAUS #SaddaPunjab
47th over: India 316-3 (Kohli 79, Dhoni 7) Can Starc continue Cummins’s excellent work? Not with Kohli on strike! What. A. Hit. Length from around the wicket and India’s skipper nonchalantly lifts him into the crowd over extra cover. A single brings MS Dhoni on strike and he’s the second batsman of the day to be dropped first ball - albeit in very difficult circumstances. After shelling Pandya earlier Carey this time manages to fly high to his left and get his glove-tips to an edged pull. Still, the outcome is four more to India’s total. 15 from the over and India are surging.
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46th over: India 301-3 (Kohli 71, Dhoni 0) Cummins finishes with 1-55 from his ten overs. They’re not flashy numbers but they are superb in tough conditions.
WICKET! Pandya c Finch b Cummins 48 (India 301-3)
Cummins begins his final over superbly, landing a wide yorker to Kohli then deceiving Pandya with a slower bouncer. Another wide yorker is dug out by Pandya and squeezed behind point for four but the bowler has the last laugh, taking his time to reset the field, adjusting his pace and tempting the allrounder to mistiming a low full toss to Finch at mid-off.
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45th over: India 293-2 (Kohli 70, Pandya 42) Finch has done well to still have Cummins and Starc up his sleeve for this phase of India’s innings but Australia’s best still isn’t enough to rein in this partnership in this mood. Starc’s latest spell begins with a 12-run over including one massive Kohli six when he times what looks like a five-iron out of the screws and over long-on.
Arun is also on board with the view that India might have launched their assault a little later than they could/should have. “Despite the easy track and ineffective Aussie bowling, I feel the Indians have played too conservatively to take the game beyond the opposition. The way they are going, they will only get to 340 which will be about par. Remember Kuldeep hasn’t had a great time recently and India have a 5th bowler problem too. They should have taken a leaf out of England’s performance yesterday which started similar but then exploded much earlier.”
44th over: India 281-2 (Kohli 59, Pandya 41) Oh boy, Pandya is making me eat my words. Cummins returns to the attack and he is greeted by the allrounder bunting him for six straight back over his head then glancing him for four with the authority of a conductor flicking a baton. The Indian chorus responds with increasing decibels but that’s all the boundary-hitting for this over, Cummins regaining control with a variety of angles avoiding Pandya’s hitting arc.
43rd over: India 267-2 (Kohli 59, Pandya 28) Huge moment in this innings as Finch invites Zampa back to float down his leg-spin. For four deliveries it works with India swinging too hard and losing their shape. Ball five is in Pandya’s slot though and it lands well over the midwicket fence.
“In this day and age, any top team with a RR of only 6, and only 2 wickets down after 40 overs, is doing it wrong,” emails John Hamilton. “India seem to have settled for 4 runs / one boundary an over all the way through.” That may yet prove the case. It all depends how Australia bat this afternoon. It does seem to be conservatively managed so far though, I would agree.
42nd over: India 257-2 (Kohli 57, Pandya 20) Coulter-Nile’s final over is bookended by two stunning fours, the first smashed disdainfully on the up by Kohli through the covers, the second bludgeoned straight through the bowler by Pandya. In between NCN did well to vary his pace and make boundary hitting difficult.
The mysterious Yum from the land of Oz has returned. “If the Aussies want to keep their chasing record since 1999, it looks like it will have to be a WC record chase as well.”
41st over: India 246-2 (Kohli 51, Pandya 15) Ten overs remaining. Half of them will be bowled by the Starc-Cummins axis but what can Finch muster from the other end? He begins with Maxwell and there are oohs and ahhs as he beats Kohli’s outside edge. India’s skipper shrugs off the disappointment, nudging a single to bring up his fiftieth fifty in ODIs. After completing the run Pandya swaps his bat with the 12th man. The new bat then sends the ball miles into the London sky for the biggest six of the day so far.
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40th over: India 236-2 (Kohli 49, Pandya 7) Another decent over for Australia. Kohli finds the boundary once but Coulter-Nile only concedes six in total. The two-paced nature of this surface is really suiting Australia’s death bowling variations.
39th over: India 230-2 (Kohli 48, Pandya 2) After Dhawan and Kohli’s partnership threatened to take India into the stratosphere Australia have fought back well. Sensing the initiative is there to be seized Finch returns to his best bowler, Cummins, and he’s rewarded with a tight over that goes for just five.
Throughout this innings the narrative has been one of India guiding their way sensibly to a big total. It might soon be worth asking whether they’ve left their acceleration a little late. The run-rate remains below six and Australia will know what they have to do to prosper on this stodgy track.
38th over: India 225-2 (Kohli 44, Pandya 1) Pandya should be out first ball but Carey drops a regulation catch to his right off Coulter-Nile. Decent line and length from the bowler, the batsman fails to commit, tickles the edge but Carey can’t decide whether to dive or not, ends up falling in instalments and fails to hold on. Australia’s fielding has been off today from their usual high standards. As well as that drop there has been some ordinary ground fielding too. Decent over from NCN consisting mainly of slower-ball bouncers.
WICKET! Dhawan c sub (Lyon) b Starc 117 (India 220-2)
37th over: India 220-2 (Kohli 40) After being content to see off Mitchell Starc so far today Dhawan has just drilled a yorker past the bowler’s left ear and into the sightscreen for four. Starc responds superbly with a length delivery that skims over the bails. This is an excellent duel, and it ends with honours to the Australian! Dhawan aims an almighty hoick to a length ball on off stump that spirals miles into the air and out towards the midwicket boundary where Nathan Lyon - on as a sub fielder - holds onto the kind of catch that turns club cricketers’ knees to jelly. Superb knock from Dhawan. He leaves to a standing ovation after setting India up for a healthy total at the Oval.
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36th over: India 213-1 (Dhawan 112, Kohli 38) The roulette wheel lands on No.6 which means Coulter-Nile’s turn to bowl again but his seventh over does not provide another Australian breakthrough. India’s score advances by seven, the highlight of which was a Kohli pull of ominous timing.
35th over: India 206-1 (Dhawan 112, Kohli 32) Starc returns for his third spell but his sixth over is as wicketless as his previous five. India happy just to see him off and profit from the rest of Australia’s attack.
I’m sure there’s an elegant term in behavioural psychology for logic like Dean Kinsella’s: “This is an exhibition knock from Dahwan and an exposé of Ozzie limitations in the bowling department,” he emails. “Won’t stop Oz from skittling England in the Ashes though.”
34th over: India 201-1 (Dhawan 109, Kohli 30) A quick drinks break sets us up for a 17-over dash to the line. Dhawan begins it by opening his shoulders to Maxwell, lofting him first over midwicket for four then over extra cover for another boundary.
John Eden is trying to be mischievous. “Have you noticed Stoinis has both his little fingers wrapped in sandpaper?”. I think it’s just strapping.
100 to Dhawan (95 balls)
33rd over: India 190-1 (Dhawan 100, Kohli 28) Stoinis gets another over but it begins with Kohli slapping him for four. It was in the air in the general vicinity of Maxwell at midwicket but it wasn’t a chance. A single brings Dhawan on strike and he tries to scamper the single he requires for a century but has to be sent back. He goes again next ball but this time Kohli has to dive to make his ground! And the ball ricochets off the stumps and away for an overthrow - 100 to Shikhar Dhawan! 95 deliveries, a damaged thumb, and an excellent control of tempo to counter Australia’s weapons and pressurise their depth.
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32nd over: India 182-1 (Dhawan 99, Kohli 22) Maxwell into his fifth over now and it goes for just four, making it hard not to speculate that Australia failing to select Nathan Lyon in the XI may have been an error on this slow worn surface. Dhawan is on 99, a ton is imminent.
31st over: India 178-1 (Dhawan 97, Kohli 20) Finch continues to throw the ball around, trying to eke out as many overs as he can from his allrounders. Stoinis wins this edition of pass the parcel but he’s lucky to concede only eight with this pair now set and primed to attack.
30th over: India 170-1 (Dhawan 96, Kohli 13) Finch doubles down with Maxwell and he gets away with it again, going for six despite Dhawan pulling a rank long-hop mercilessly for four.
Brian Withington’s back with more on the plot of Memento II. “Please pass on my thanks to Ravi Raman for the special rasagullas generously directed at my forebodings (over 20). Sadly, I’m not sure he would be sending me so much sugar if I’d shared the pre-ordained result of the final. Anyone who’s watched Memento should have a clue as to who comes out on top in the end/beginning (hint: Guy Pierce/Stephen Fleming has tattooed the initials ‘VK’ all over his body).”
29th over: India 164-1 (Dhawan 91, Kohli 12) Cummins’s opening spell was superb, tight and heavy with the odd livener thrown in, but spell number two has been below par. Kohli cut him for four last over and now Dhawan finds the boundary off his bowling, albeit off the toe of a mistimed ramp. After all the talk of Aggressive fast short-pitched bowling this match so far has been defused by an unresponsive ball and a lifeless pitch.
Vic Lanser’s seen enough. “India will walk this, as it’s clear the Aussies have only one-and-a-half bowlers, and India bat well to 6. So all over already.”
28th over: India 157-1 (Dhawan 84, Kohli 12) Finch turns back to Maxwell to try to burgle an over or two before Kohli’s completely set. And it works, ripping through an over worth just four singles.
27th over: India 153-1 (Dhawan 82, Kohli 10) Speaking of Cummins, Finch has brought his main man back into the attack to have a dart at Kohli, his bunny* during the last Australian summer. The first round goes to India though, Kohli latching onto a short and wide one to carve the first boundary of his innings.
*No hate mail please, I’m only joshing, but four dismissals in five matches at an average of 33 is very handy against the best batsman in the world.
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26th over: India 147-1 (Dhawan 82, Kohli 5) Hmmmmm is that the smell of a commentator’s curse I can smell? No sooner was I counting boundaryless overs than Dhawan reaches out to drive Zampa through the covers then lofts him disdainfully over mid-on for four more. India’s opener was a little edgy after he was struck on his left thumb by Pat Cummins but his eye is certainly in now.
Here’s some magic from Tim de Lisle, spinning OBO gold even when he’s not being paid to.
Curious pattern to this #WorldCup so far @JPHowcroft:
— Tim de Lisle (@TimdeLisle) June 9, 2019
if you make 250 batting first, you win (five games)
if you make 250 batting second, you lose (four games).
England keep making 300, so they need to bat first, which means losing the toss
25th over: India 136-1 (Dhawan 73, Kohli 3) Four singles from the latest Coulter-Nile over, the fourth in a row without a boundary as India regroup after that unexpected wicket.
6 - Nathan Coulter-Nile has dismissed Rohit Sharma for the 4th time in ODI cricket, his most regular victim. Breakthrough. #cwc19 #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/Jivk1lizrV
— OptaJason (@OptaJason) June 9, 2019
24th over: India 132-1 (Dhawan 71, Kohli 1) Oooh, one almost becomes two with Dhawan lucky to bisect longs off and on with a mistimed lofted drive to a well-flighted Zampa leggie. Zampa’s into a decent rhythm now, so much so Finch gives him a slip to Kohli. The Indian genius doesn’t mind and strokes a single into the covers to get off the mark. Better from Australia though, consecutive overs putting the onus back on India to respond.
23rd over: India 127-1 (Dhawan 67, Kohli 0) Would you believe it? India cruising, Australia drowning not waving, and up pops the maligned Coulter-Nile with a wicket maiden. Now, can Australia capitalise? Or is this the ideal foundation for The Kohli Show?
WICKET! Rohit c Carey b Coulter-Nile 57 (India 127-1)
Finch spins the rolodex and it lands on Coulter-Nile for his third spell. This one starts more promising than his previous two though, a bit of extra grunt hitting Rohit’s bat hard from a length. Then he jags the breakthrough! That extra grunt pays, dropping his length back a fraction, inviting the back-foot shot but all Rohit can do is glance the ball to Carey’s right and the simple catch is taken. Top bowling and out of nowhere Australia have an opening.
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22nd over: India 127-0 (Rohit 57, Dhawan 67) Finch gives Zampa another whirl and India collect six more runs, but it really should have been a lot more with two long-hops going unpunished. Australia are on the ropes right now.
According to CricViz's Wicket Probability Model, which uses ball-tracking data to assess the likelihood that a delivery will take a wicket, Australia's Expected Strike Rate has been 51 so far. That's the worst of any side, in any innings in #CWC19.
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 9, 2019
21st over: India 121-0 (Rohit 55, Dhawan 63) Now it’s Rohit’s turn to raise the bat, reaching his half-century with a whipcrack cut to a loose Starc delivery. Ten from the over in total, Starc’s fifth. The walls are very slowly closing in around Aaron Finch.
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20th over: India 111-0 (Rohit 46, Dhawan 62) This is getting ugly for Australia. After seeing off Starc in the previous over Dhawan feasts on Stoinis, pulling a slower-ball bouncer for four then standing his ground and driving over long-off. This will take all Aaron Finch’s cunning to keep Australia competitive.
“Hi Jonathan,” hi Ravi Raman. “All across India we have variations of the same theme. When someone says something very special we respond with “mooh mein shakkar” - sugar for your mouth. So may I offer Brian Withington some very special rasagullas for his auspicious forecast.”
19th over: India 100-0 (Rohit 44, Dhawan 53) Starc returns for his second spell of the match and his extra pace forces India’s openers back into their watchful early mindset. There’s still nothing happening in the air or off the pitch though and Rohit and Dhawan continue on their merry way, racking up a century partnership in the process.
Shikhar Dhawan loves playing in England. Today he completes 1000 runs in ODIs in UK in just 19 innings breaking Viv Richards record who reached 1000 on this land in 21 innings. #IndvAus #CWC19
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 9, 2019
18th over: India 96-0 (Rohit 42, Dhawan 51) India look like they’re playing Dads v Lads against Stoinis, so unperturbed are they at the crease. Dhawan coasts to his half-century during an over that could politely be described as popgun. Time for a change of tack from Australia, and right on cue, here comes Mitchell Starc...
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17th over: India 90-0 (Rohit 40, Dhawan 47) First six of the day! NCN is too short and Rohit is on it in a flash, pulling hard well behind square. The energy around the Oval is shifting very much in India’s favour. Aaron Finch looks a tad forlorn.
“How many games do Australia win by their fielding?” asks John Mackay. “They are ridiculously good.” That they are, and you fancy they may need a piece of miraculous fielding to jolt them out of this torpor. After they looked comfortable containing India at around four rpo they now just look toothless as the run-rate creeps towards 5.50.
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16th over: India 81-0 (Rohit 32, Dhawan 46) Finch calls on Marcus Stoinis, his sixth bowler in just the 16th over, but he might be searching for a seventh because Dhawan ramps Stoinis’s first delivery effortlessly for four over the keeper’s head.
“Hi Jonathan,” hi Brian Withington. “As an England supporter I’m finding it rather difficult to shake the sinking feeling that we are witnessing a rehearsal for the WC final here - déjà pre-vu? All it would need to complete the sensation would be a few Memento style scenes of the Indian innings in black and white, interspersed with reverse chronology of the Australian reply in colour.” Lovely stuff. Guy Pearce is also the spit of Stephen Fleming, so if the movie of your adaptation of a movie was made, there’d be no trouble finding a live-action double.
15th over: India 75-0 (Rohit 31, Dhawan 41) Coulter-Nile back into the attack and the change almost does the trick. The big right-arm quick nails a cross seam bouncer destined for the badge on Dhawan’s helmet but the batsman whips his wrists at the last minute and deflects the ball high in the direction of fine-leg and he collects four. That was not a controlled shot. This is a slowish surface but one occasionally rewarding a bowler prepared to bend his back.
14th over: India 69-0 (Rohit 30, Dhawan 36) Zampa is struggling a bit out there. Four easy singles precede a junk long-hop that is lucky to go for only two, and a powerful off drive that’s drilled straight to the sweeper. Finch has a bit of thinking to do.
13th over: India 62-0 (Rohit 25, Dhawan 34) Boundaries are starting to arrive with some regularity now, Rohit with the latest, advancing to Maxwell and driving square through the offside for four. Plenty of enterprising footwork from both batsmen keep the scoreboard moving and up the intensity. India coasting at the moment and Australia don’t look like they know what to do beyond try to contain.
Abhijato Sensarma has a hunch. “This is the last day of my fulfilling, month-long summer vacation. Watching what has been the most anticipated match of the World Cup so far is a perfect way to round it off! Coming to the encounter itself, something tells me that Indians who play for Mumbai in the IPL and are now playing v Australia (Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya & Jasprit Bumrah) will put in an excellent aggregate performance today! Let’s see...”
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12th over: India 55-0 (Rohit 19, Dhawan 33) Impressed with what he saw from Maxwell, Finch opts for spin from both ends. But Zampa opens with a rank long hop that Rohit bullies through square leg for a gimme four, he then offers Dhawan just enough width to be guided to fine third-man for four more. There is little margin for error on this surface.
Rohit Sharma becomes the fourth batsman in world cricket to hit 2,000 ODI runs against Australia 👏 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/c6I5iUpuy1
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 9, 2019
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11th over: India 44-0 (Rohit 13, Dhawan 28) First look at spin-ish with Finch turning to Glenn Maxwell for some variety and he’s rewarded with a very tidy over. There’s some slow purchase off this used pitch and a nude nut beats Rohit’s outside edge. The game is tantalisingly poised. India have clearly decided to build slowly but Australia will be happy at a run-rate of four after looking so unthreatening during the first powerplay.
10th over: India 41-0 (Rohit 11, Dhawan 27) Patrick Farhart was back out tending to Dhawan between overs, applying some strapping to that left thumb and supplying some painkillers. The injury looks to be affecting the left-hander who lacks timing during Coulter-Nile’s second over despite showing plenty of intent. Australia will be pleased with the limited damage after that disastrous first over. It’s hard to see where the breakthroughs are going to come from though with the field already in containment mode and the ball and pitch offering precious little.
9th over: India 39-0 (Rohit 10, Dhawan 26) India’s intent against Coulter-Nile is not continued against Cummins, and the Australian paceman shows them why, forcing Dhawan to jig on the crease with a searing bouncer. The ball cannoned into Dhawan’s left thumb and it requires a squirt of the physio’s magic spray to cool. There haven’t been many dangerous deliveries this morning but most, if not all, have been delivered by Cummins. He has 0-15 from his five overs. There won’t be many tighter opening bursts than that.
Back to the perils of playing and watching cricket, here’s Andrew Benton. “No-one’s considering the risks of following the OBO! I’ve stubbed my toe, banged my knee, spilled hot tea in my lap and misses countless deadlines, and am always ready to rush under a doorway in case of an earthquake, and it’s all down to the OBO. It’s tough out here too, you know.”
8th over: India 36-0 (Rohit 9, Dhawan 24) First change of the day sees Coulter-Nile replace Starc in the attack. Dhawan greets him by advancing down the pitch and slapping a length delivery in ungainly fashion to the long-on boundary. The waggon wheel will record that as an on-drive for four; it wasn’t. That same graphic will accurately record the next delivery as a legside wide and the one after that a classical square cut for four. Deary me, three fours in four balls! Glorious from Dhawan, riding Coulter-Nile’s bounce outside off and guiding the ball wide of third-man. An inauspicious start from Australia’s first-change who didn’t look happy with the pitch, his field, or any of his deliveries. India clearly targeting the perceived weaker link.
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7th over: India 22-0 (Rohit 9, Dhawan 11) Cummins is giving his all out there but the conditions are doing him no favours. He musters an appeal for caught behind after ripping a bouncer through Dhawan but the attempted pull brushed the batsman’s bicep, not his willow. All very so-so so far. Not the gladiatorial battle we might have expected.
So far today Starc has only found 0.52° of swing - that is the least swing he has found in the opening 10 overs of an ODI since December 2016 - 22 ODIs ago. Australia needed early movement to challenge this opening pair but so far they've not got anywhere near enough. #CWC19
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 9, 2019
6th over: India 21-0 (Rohit 9, Dhawan 10) India still happy to accumulate steadily and see off Starc and Cummins. Starc continues to look unthreatening with the white ball doing nothing in the air or off the pitch.
“Have you seen the ridiculous state of the official ICC highlights of every match on YouTube?” asks Deepak Nandhakumar. I confess I haven’t. “A whole 100 overs of cricket condensed into just five minutes and change! Yesterday’s highlights started at the 9th over of the England innings, with the score already at 56-0. And which idiot made the decision to not even show all the wickets? Disgraceful. And now, just as I’m writing this email, the power’s gone out on account of the heavy rain here in Kerala. Aaaagh. JP, please write the OBO like you’re Ed Sheeran writing about a childhood love and paint a picture for me with your words.”
Accessing cricket remains baffling. The lack of free to air coverage in the UK has to be remedied if the game is expected to flourish. And don’t get me started on the ten-team World Cup format. Why would a governing body choose to limit its potential audience?
5th over: India 19-0 (Rohit 7, Dhawan 10) Dhawan survives the first jaffa of the day and it’s again from that length on the very outer margin of good from Pat Cummins. Pitching on middle it seams and bounces towards the cordon just skimming beyond the outside edge. If anything Clive, it was too good. Is Dhawan phased? No chance. He responds by stroking the first boundary of the day with the minimum of fuss through the covers. No need to move his feet, just swing the bat and get the hands through the ball. There are plenty of runs on offer for any batsman who gets his eye in today.
Updated
4th over: India 11-0 (Rohit 7, Dhawan 3) Starc looks to be nearing his rhythm, sending down a classic one-two combination to Dhawan, first the bumper then the yorker, but the Indian left-hander navigates both well. The sucker punch is a length delivery outside off that Dhawan attacks on the up and drives unconvincingly but safely into the ring. No fireworks from either side to report yet.
John Starbuck has joined the conversation about the physical danger we put ourselves in when we take the field - or a net session. “Another nets danger is when you’re on a large practice ground and, while your nets are taking place at one end, an actual match can be happening elsewhere. This means that over-enthusiastic net batters can disturb the match by hitting high and long, with a possibly dangerous result for fielders. I’ve been ticked off for this sometimes, but curiously did not feel especially apologetic.”
3rd over: India 9-0 (Rohit 6, Dhawan 2) Oohs and ahhs in the field as Cummins adjusts his length and finds some extra bounce to catch the shoulder of Dhawan’s bat. The ball scoots wide of the second of two slips but offers some encouragement to the quicks that with enough back bend there may be some reward from what appears a very placid surface. There’s another thick edge later in the over, Rohit this time, but from a length ball that barely climbed over shin height.
2nd over: India 7-0 (Rohit 5, Dhawan 1) Dhawan gets off the mark first ball which brings Rohit on strike to face Starc and immediately COULTER-NILE PUTS HIM DOWN at square leg. That was a heck of an effort from the big paceman, diving high to his right but he palms the effort around the post instead of holding on. It wasn’t a great delivery (half-volleyish on leg stump) and it wasn’t a great over, lacking swing, venom, and with a variable line and length. These already look like tough bowling conditions.
1st over: India 2-0 (Rohit 2, Dhawan 0) Cummins begins with a tidy line and length, drawing Rohit forward around off stump. The Indian opener is watchful, guiding a couple with a push through point and safely defending the other five. Not much else to report. No swing and no obvious pace or bounce in the pitch.
Updated
Pat Cummins will open the bowling for Australia. Rohit Sharma on strike for India.
Ian Gould and Chris Gaffaney are your umpires. Nigel Llong is watching on TV.
Here we go!
The key for Australia when bowling to Rohit Sharma is to pitch the ball up and attack - looking to find any movement in the air or off the pitch. #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/CIdS07Hlcq
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 9, 2019
Anthem time at the Oval. A chance for me to ask, is this the best ever World Cup for kits? Cut, colours, design, they all seem spot on this year. Makes for a nice change.
Big fan of the mascot kid being so tall you can't see Shikhar Dhawan. This sort of thing should happen more often.
— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) June 9, 2019
Updated
India winning the toss and batting first means of course that the drama over MS Dhoni’s gloves will have to wait a few hours.
The discussion about bowlers - net bowlers in particular - requiring protection has sparked some debate. We’ll feed that through the OBO throughout the day.
Gary’s identification of T20 crowds being at risk is also a valid point to raise.
I was struck by similar thoughts with the short boundary at Headingley during the RL Cup. And most of us were sober and paying attention.
— Mark Dawson (@markdaw67) June 9, 2019
Like an underground MC, I am here for the shout-outs, like this one from Jerry Sharpe. “A big shout-out for my life-long friend Mr Clive Osmond who will be delivering the ICC Trophy to the field before todays match. So pleased for him and know he’s proud and honoured to have been selected.” Onya Clive.
“I saw an ominous smirk creep out the side of Virat Kohli’s face as he pondered the bright sunshine and called batting a ‘no brainer’,” emails the mysteriously named Yum (presumably an Australian fan).
Yes, Kohli did look like the cat that found a swimming pool full of cream, but then the CricViz boffins have just informed us that Australia haven’t lost a World Cup chase since 1999!
Australia’s return to ominous form has coincided with Mitchell Starc relocating his mojo. The star of the 2015 World Cup is one of the greatest ODI bowlers in history (currently top of the tree for average and strike-rate for bowlers with 150+ wickets) but inconsistency has plagued the left-arm quick in recent seasons. With the help of Andre Adams, Starc is on his way back to his best.
India XI
India are also unchanged. That fearsome top three against Australia’s rapid new ball attack promises to be thrilling.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
Updated
Australia XI
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Australia are unchanged, which means still no place for Nathan Lyon on a surface that looks like it could favour the GOAT.
Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
Updated
India win the toss and will bat first
Virat Kohli is delighted to have first use of a dry Oval pitch. The Indian skipper thinks the deck will be hard and full of runs early and offer turn and variable bounce later.
Aaron Finch admits he would have batted first also, concerned by how dry the pitch is and how that might affect playing conditions later.
As expected, both sides have named unchanged XIs.
#TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli wins the toss and elects to bat first against Australia.#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/9YDIqxQT4a
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2019
Updated
Runs ahoy!
Since the start of the 2017 Champions Trophy there have been eight completed ODIs at the Oval. The chasing team have won 5/8 with the three scores defended being: 311, 330 and 338. In this period 321 and 356 have been successfully chased down. Runs flow at The Oval. #CWC19
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 9, 2019
Australia’s preparations for today’s game were disrupted when David Warner struck a drive that hit one of his team’s net bowlers in the head. The bowler, Jaykishan Plaha, was taken to hospital as a precaution in an incident that left Warner “shaken up”.
I’m surprised (and relieved) we don’t have more of these incidents in the modern game where power hitting is reaching Marvel superhero levels and bowling - especially net bowling - is little more than cannon fodder. At club level I’ve flinched many a time when my Angus Fraser-lites have fizzed back towards me with interest and I’ve never gone near a net with someone like Warner and his Kaboom at the other end of it.
Helmets are now commonplace for umpires in limited overs matches and forearm shields are even used on occasion, but bowlers remain unprotected. The primacy of self preservation surely means it can’t be too long before precautions are taken as standard, while the workplace health and safety requirements of venues may end up compelling changes whether players like them or not.
I just wonder if we’ve been taking something for granted because that’s how it’s always been and there hasn’t yet been the serious incident to force a rethink when a risk assessment would raise a pretty obvious red flag? That said, Luke Fletcher did miss half a season for Notts a couple of years ago after a nasty incident.
What do you all think?
Yesterday’s action saw New Zealand and England complete the comprehensive victories expected of them. The Black Caps are the first team to three wins and remain on course for the semi-finals, while the form of Jason Roy and Jofra Archer restored the optimism of home fans following the upset defeat to Pakistan. However, the discomfort in Jos Buttler’s hip that prevented one of the stars of the tournament from keeping wicket will be of some concern.
Here’s your track. It’s a used pitch but is it dry enough to force either side to shuffle their packs? Early suggestions from the ground are that both teams will name unchanged XIs.
What does the pitch look like to you? Win the toss and ?#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/qVFF7sIn9E
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2019
Updated
A little diversion before we focus on the task in hand. Congratulations French Open champion Ash Barty on becoming the fifth first-class cricketer to win a tennis Grand Slam title and the first in 106 years.
The 23-year old’s story is really something. A junior tennis prodigy Barty gave the game up to play cricket a few years ago, competing for the Heat in the 2015-16 WBBL. Since her return to the WTA Tour she has blossomed, culminating in her incredible achievement at Roland Garros.
Congratulations to @ashbar96, the 2019 French Open Champion.
— Adam Morehouse (@ACTCricketStats) June 8, 2019
She is the fifth first-class cricketer to win a tennis Grand Slam title and the first in 106 years.
The last first class cricketer to win a Grand Slam title was New Zealander Tony Wilding who won Wimbledon in 1913.
Some good news to begin with - it’s dry in London!
Following the washout in Bristol earlier this week there have been some nervous glances skywards in anticipation of this blockbuster but the Oval should be dry all day. It’s not going to be hot with a blustery southerly keeping temperatures in the high teens.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to match 14 of the 2019 Cricket World Cup - and it’s a corker - India versus Australia from The Oval.
Both perennial contenders arrive in south London undefeated during this early phase of the tournament for what is perhaps our first glimpse yet of a head-to-head contest that may repeat in the knockout phase. Still an age away from the business end of this competition neither side will want to cede the psychological advantage.
India are still feeling their way having taken their opening bow much later than their rivals and they have a score to settle with Australia having suffered three consecutive ODI defeats on home soil to the defending champions in preparation for this World Cup.
Those Australian victories have proven the catalyst for a remarkable turnaround in form. A miserable record of eight wins in 33 ODIs and confusion over selection and strategy has been replaced by ten wins on the spin, accompanied by big names back in the side and bang in form. It’s the Australian cricket team at a World Cup, would you expect anything less?
The highlights of this tournament will be the big hits and massive scores but beneath those gaudy figures it remains the bowlers who will determine many results. Even if the numbers don’t look pretty at first glance, once we acclimatise to this brave new world a semblance of order will appear. Today for example the gloriously free-scoring Oval may well host all manner of eye-watering records but the duel between Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc may well prove decisive. Both pacemen take wickets early and often and both are a slogger’s nightmare at the death.
Anyhow, with play to begin in about an hour (10.30am local / 7.30pm AET) there’s plenty more time to consider what’s ahead of us.
As always, if you want to join in - and I encourage you to do so - please send me an email or a tweet at your convenience.
