Another brilliantly-paced run chase from India, who have now won their last 10 World Cup matches. Brendan Taylor’s brilliant 138 took Zimbabwe to a decent total, and for a while India looked like they might struggle to make it. Masakadza will have a few apologies to make in the losers’ dressing-room after that catastrophic, potentially decisive dropping of Raina. That’s it from me. Have a fabulous weekend. Here’s the match report. Bye!
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Suresh Raina is the man of the match. “We lost too many wickets up front, but I thought the wicket was really good,” he says. “MS came in and we played really smart cricket and worked really well as a team. I knew, when the team needed me the most I needed to deliver. Me and MS, we’ve played a lot of matches together, finished a lot of matches together. Is it one of my best 100s? No. But it was very important for me, I’m very happy today.”
Meanwhile in Hobart, Australia beat Scotland by seven wickets, the two matches ending almost simultaneously.
India win by six wickets!
48.4 overs: India 288-4 (Raina 110, Dhoni 85)
Dhoni wins the match for his team, the end of another near-faultless innings. The final shot sends a short ball ball flying high over the square leg boundary for six.
48th over: India 279-4 (Raina 109, Dhoni 77)
Dhoni! Dhoni! Dhoni! That’s the crowd’s cry as India home in on their target, with a little help from increasingly charitable opponents. Chatara’s over starts, unpromisingly, with a leg-side wide, and there’s another wide a little later. The rest of the runs come in ones (and a two), leaving India needing nine to win, from two overs.
47th over: India 271-4 (Raina 107, Dhoni 73)
Dropped! Raina spoons the ball to long-off, where the fielder scurries forward to reach the ball just before it bounces, but he can’t hold on to the tough low chance. A single having been taken, Dhoni hits the next high over cover and runs two, the one after that down the ground for six, and the fifth for four to square leg.
46th over: India 256-4 (Raina 106, Dhoni 59)
Chatara bowls a slower bouncer, and Raina spots it and sends it to the fine leg boundary. Later Dhoni edges the ball, but it doesn’t carry to the keeper. Finally there’s a run-out chance as Dhoni takes a single off the last, but it required a direct-hit from third man to get rid of Raina, and it didn’t get one.
@Simon_Burnton I thought India were in trouble but these two have made it look ludicrously easy.
— Ravi Nair (@palfreyman1414) March 14, 2015
Indeed. We’ll always wonder what might have happened had that catch been held, but from that moment onwards (though this last over was a little dodgy in parts) this pair have been imperious.
45th over: India 249-4 (Raina 101, Dhoni 56)
Raina touches Mupariwa’s first ball to fine leg for four, and a single off the next takes him to 100. An excellent innings, albeit one that should have ended in the 40s. “One could argue that the Indian line up is like for like with the English one in terms of talent,” suggests Krishnan Patel. “Dhawan (Ali), Sharma (Bell), Kohli (Taylor), Rahane (Root), Raina (Morgan), Jadeja (Bopara) and Dhoni (Buttler). However, the way they manage the chase is so different. England would have been 207 all out in this situation.” I think that’s a very generous assessment of England’s line-up, but in particular too few of those England players have enjoyed a settled run in a settled position in the side.
44th over: India 240-4 (Raina 95, Dhoni 55)
Zimbabwe’s decision to bring third man up has repeatedly cost them, and Raina helps himself to another boundary with a fine late nurdle that’s past the fielder before he knows it. Chatara’s fifth delivery is a no-ball, and anyway flicked to the boundary by Dhoni. India, masters of timing a run-chase, are honing that fine art here. 48 runs needed, 36 balls, eight an over.
43rd over: India 227-4 (Raina 89, Dhoni 50)
Mupariwa bowls, and Raina cuts late and fine to third man for four. Dhoni, meanwhile, scores a couple of singles to bring up a 56-ball half-century. Raina edges the ball to deep midwicket and comes back for two, a slightly optimistic second run safely completed when the fielder sends in his throw so high that three wicket-keepers, each sitting on another’s shoulders in a great big pile of gloveman, wouldn’t have caught it.
42nd over: India 217-4 (Raina 82, Dhoni 48)
Masakadza, having a) scored just two runs with the bat and b) dropped Raina; c) concedes 13 runs from his second over. The man of the match award will, I fear, be heading elsewhere. Raina hits a four through the covers immediately followed by an energy-efficient six over midwicket, the ball landing on the rope - so much as two inches shorter and it would have been just four.
Updated
41st over: India 204-4 (Raina 71, Dhoni 46)
Dhoni sends the first ball of Raza’s over to the fine leg boundary for four. India are batting themselves right back into this game, and though they’re well behind where Zimbabwe were at this stage (232-4), the first innings didn’t end in very impressive style.
40th over: India 197-4 (Raina 70, Dhoni 40)
Panyangara’s first delivery is too short, into Raina’s sweet spot and dispatched over midwicket for six! There’s another seven runs shared by the rest of the over, in the form of four singles, a wide and a pair.
39th over: India 184-4 (Raina 62, Dhoni 36)
Mupariwa is four-sixths of the way to a maiden when Dhoni pulls to square leg, where it’s well fielded, and then Raina takes another single from the last. Still, a fine over. India require 104 runs from 11 overs at 9.5 runs an over.
1 - Zimbabwe won their last ODI at Eden Park, vs NZ in 2001. India’s last trip to the stadium saw them tie with the NZ in 2014. Memories.
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 14, 2015
38th over: India 182-4 (Raina 61, Dhoni 35)
A small catalogue of fielding mishaps here. A brochure of fielding mishaps. Raina misses the first bal completely, but then so does the keeper, allowing a bye. Then Dhoni deflects the ball between the fuekders at backward point and third man. The latter would have cut it out had the former not, in diving to attempt to do so himself, got a hand to the ball and deflected it wide of his team-mate and away to the rope. There’s nothing any of the fielders can do a couple of balls later, when Raina pushes a bouncer over his right shoulder and away for four.
37th over: India 170-4 (Raina 55, Dhoni 30)
A reprieved Raina completes his half-century with a fine cover drive from Panyangara’s first delivery. It’s all terribly close, statistically speaking: Zimbabwe were 171-4 after their 37th over.
36th over: India 163-4 (Raina 49, Dhoni 30)
Mupariwa concedes a single off the first and then, after four dots, a fine over is spoiled by Dhoni, who cuts the final ball between two fielders and to the third man boundary.
35th over: India 158-4 (Raina 48, Dhoni 26)
Dropped! What a ludicrous drop! What an incredibly terribly heart-wrenching drop! The last ball of Raza’s over is top-edged by Raina, sweeping, high into the air. Masakadza is underneath it, and has time to set himself. The ball drops mournfully into his palms. And then it drops out of them again! That’s quite possibly the drop of the tournament so far, an absolute howler, and if Zimbabwe lose this match then that’s the moment they lost it.
34th over: India 151-4 (Raina 44, Dhoni 24)
Masakadza bowls for the first time today, and a Dhoni single off the second ball brings up India’s 150. A sixth-ball wide presents India with their only other run from the over, and this match remains very much on a knife-edge, with India requiring 8.6 runs per over.
33rd over: India 149-4 (Raina 44, Dhoni 23)
The 50 partnership comes up, after 57 deliveries, and the next delivery from Raza is a full-toss that Dhoni sends rocketing ropewards for four.
32nd over: India 141-4 (Raina 42, Dhoni 17)
Williams does not continue, with Mire returning in ghis stead. He bowls another bouncer to Dhoni, which the batsman pulls away for four, and then his next is shortish, widish, and punished, Dhoni deflecting it to third man. 11 off the over.
31st over: India 130-4 (Raina 40, Dhoni 8)
That two-ball assault on Williams doesn’t scare Zimbabwe from their spin-centric middle-overs path, and it’s as if it never happened as Raza concedes three singles.
30th over: India 127-4 (Raina 38, Dhoni 7)
Six! Raina thumps Williams’ first delivery high, high over midwicket for the first maximum of the innings, and then another six! The next goes over long-on for another! And then, a few singles!
29th over: India 112-4 (Raina 24, Dhoni 6)
Dhoni, wearing a cap rather than a helmet, looks entirely unhurried as he jogs the occasional single. Obviously the man likes a challenge, and the situation isn’t challenging enough yet. Five runs off Raza’s fourth over.
28th over: India 107-4 (Raina 21, Dhoni 4)
Raina thunders down the pitch and tries to thwack the ball way over midwicket, but misses it completely and it hits him in the thigh. Three runs off the over, with India still refusing to panic, but still looking like they’ll have to start panicking sooner or later.
27th over: India 104-4 (Raina 18, Dhoni 4)
After 16 overs India were 69-2, apparently safely ahead of Zimbabwe, who had been 46-3 at the same stage. No more, though. One run off over 27 takes them to 104-4; Zimbabwe were 119-3.
26th over: India 103-4 (Raina 17, Dhoni 4)
Raina decides he’s had enough of this sedate scoring, and hits the first ball high over midwicket, the ball coming down to land, perfectly safely, a couple of yards short of the rope. And with that India decide that sedate scoring wasn’t so bad after all, and add just one more.
25th over: India 98-4 (Raina 12, Dhoni 4)
Two more singles and a two, after Dhoni sends the ball rolling to long-on. India’s innings is halfway through, and they’ll need the second half to be significantly better than the first.
24th over: India 94-4 (Raina 11, Dhoni 1)
Williams continues, and India snaffle a couple of singles. They’re not scoring fast enough, nor saving enough wickets.
23rd over: India 92-4 (Raina 10, Dhoni 0)
A change of pace from both ends, with Raza taking a turn to do his spin thing, with immediate rewards.
WICKET! Kohli b Raza 38 (India 92-4)
Raza comes on and grabs a wicket straight away, Kohli trying to sweep, misjudging the shot and the ball flicking off his gloves and into the stumps. India are wobbling here, and need a Tayloresque innings of their own.
Updated
22nd over: India 90-3 (Kohli 37, Raina 9)
Sean Williams does some spinning, and Raina misjudges the first two balls, hitting both in the air with no control, but they land short of the fielder. The third is swept to the backward square leg boundary, also in the air and just wide of the short fielder. The shot takes India to within 200 runs of their target.
21st over: India 84-3 (Kohli 36, Raina 4)
The sun has now officially and definitively set over Auckland, putting an end to the nasty eye-glare from which Zimbabwe’s fielders suffered early in the innings. India celebrate by, um, scoring a single. They are in absolutely no hurry here. Well, not yet.
20th over: India 83-3 (Kohli 36, Raina 3)
Four! Mire gives Kohli too much width and he greedily spears the ball to the boundary at backward point. Five runs off the over, which makes it the most expensive since those happy, carefree days when seven runs were plundered from over 15.
19th over: India 78-3 (Kohli 32, Raina 2)
Mupariwa bowls and concede a couple of singles and two off the last ball to backward square leg. The last boundary was a little over five overs ago.
18th over: India 74-3 (Kohli 29, Raina 1)
Kohli grabs a single off the first ball of the over, and Mire then bowls successive bouncers to Raina, who can’t do anything with them, and then pitches the next couple full, Raina again failing to score.
17th over: India 73-3 (Kohli 28, Raina 1)
@Simon_Burnton "they’re certainly capable of beating anyone given a fair wind" giggle! Not bad for a team to have 6 fair winds in a row!
— Satish (@TheFinalCountUp) March 14, 2015
Their results at this tournament have been impeccable, certainly, but though they made short work of South Africa, they haven’t had to play either of the hosts.
WICKET! Rahane run out 19 (India 71-3)
India give away their third wicket, Rahane hitting to cover and setting off for a run that was never there. He turns back and dives to make his ground before the bails come off, but as Taylor does the honours is bat is not properly grounded, and he’s a goner!
16th over: India 69-2 (Kohli 26, Rahane 18)
@Simon_Burnton @simon_burnton from here on in, it looks like an uphill slog for India. I don't see them going past the sem-finals.
— Uma Venkatraman (@uvr2002) March 14, 2015
I’m not sure I’d be so dismissive. They should reach the semi-finals, and even if they’re not the best one-day side in this competition they’re certainly capable of beating anyone given a fair wind and a bit of luck. If you can get to the final you can win the thing.
15th over: India 65-2 (Kohli 23, Rahane 17)
Kohli slaps Mupariwa’s fourth delivery straight over the umpire’s shoulder and down the ground for four.
14th over: India 58-2 (Kohli 16, Rahane 17)
Mire’s first delivery of the day is short, wide, and sent flying to the boundary at third man by Rahane, high but deliberate. His last is mishit to cover point by the same batsman, high and certainly not deliberate, but safe enough.
13th over: India 50-2 (Kohli 15, Rahane 10)
Their opening bowlers having had six overs each, Zimbabwe bring on Mupariwa, and India help themselves to a singles buffet, snaffling one from each of the first four deliveries before a wide tickles India’s total to 50.
Zimbabwe have 2 of the top 4 bowlers in economy rate in the first 10 overs in this tournament (min 10 overs bowled):#bbccricket
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) March 14, 2015
12th over: India 45-2 (Kohli 13, Rahane 8)
Kohli hits Chatara’s first delivery beautifully through the covers, but as the crowd whoops ecstatically the ball flies straight to a fielder, and India only get one run.
11th over: India 44-2 (Kohli 12, Rahane 8)
After 10 overs this is India’s lowest total at this stage of any innings at this World Cup, and it is only slightly better than Zimbabwe’s position at this stage of theirs (they were 27-2). But they look a bit better once Rahane gets off the mark with a stylish drive past mid-off for four, and gets even further off the mark with a drive through the covers for four more.
Updated
10th over: India 35-2 (Kohli 11, Rahane 0)
Chatara twice bowls wide enough for the umpire to extend his arms and make him have another go, and the over’s only run from the bat comes with Kohli hits a fine shot just too close to mid-off, who dives to block the ball but can’t hold it. Meanwhile in Hobart, Australia have bowled Scotland out for 130.
9th over: India 32-2 (Kohli 10, Rahane 0)
Kohli reaches double figures with a dangerous single to mid-off, the fielder having a free shot at what effectively, given the angle, was one stump. He not only missed, he missed slowly. The next one’s a zinger, Rahane pushes his bat towards it and it whizzes just past the edge.
8th over: India 31-2 (Kohli 9, Rahane 0)
Kohli gets off the mark with a fine push down the ground for four, and then hits off his pads through midwicket for four more. “Here’s a remarkable little stat about that Zimbabwe innings,” writes Vikrant Patwardhan. “Zimbabwe (well, mostly Brendan Taylor) scored 203 of their runs in just two stretches totalling 21 overs, numbers 21-26 giving 53 @ nearly 9, and 33 to 47 giving 150 @ 10. The other nearly-28 overs yielded 84 at just about 3 an over!” Taylor scored 68 runs from his first 81 balls, and then 70 off the next 29.
7th over: India 21-2 (Kohli 0, Rahane 0)
A good catch from Raza, backpedalling with the evening sun glaring angrily in his eyes, does for Sharma, the batsmen crossing while the ball was in the air. Two dot balls later Dhawan follows him back to the pavillion, and Rahane survives the last. Two-wicket maiden.
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WICKET! Dhawan b Panyangara 4 (India 21-2)
Shikhar Dhawan’s rather ugly search for runs ends without him finding them, as he chops the ball onto his stumps!
WICKET! Rohit c Raza b Panyangara 16 (India 21-1)
Rohit tries to work the ball through midwicket but mistimes his stroke, gets a leading edge and sends the ball flying high into the air to cover, where Raza takes the catch!
6th over: India 21-0 (Rohit 16, Dhawan 4)
Sharma plays a few nice strokes, but he keeps finding fielders. Eventually he decides to run anyway, with the ball rolling just wide of mid-wicket, but has to rely on a dive - and a wild throw by the fielder - to make his ground. The final delivery to Dhawan swings in and flies throught the narrow gap between Dhawan’s bat and his stumps.
5th over: India 20-0 (Rohit 15, Dhawan 4)
Rohit Sharma clips through midwicket for two, and to backward square leg for two more, and then he edges the ball for a second time today, again avoiding the now single slip, though third man cuts it off before it hits the rope.
4th over: India 15-0 (Rohit 10, Dhawan 4)
Dhawan gets off the mark from his 12th delivery, flicking through midwicket, the ball reaching the rope despite a desperate, eye-catching and really totally unnecessary late dive by the chasing fielder, who had already lost the race.
3rd over: India 10-0 (Rohit 9, Dhawan 0)
The first single of the innings comes from its 15th delivery, prodded to mid-off by Rohit and completed comfortably enough, and that’s where this over’s scoring starts and ends. Meanwhile in Hobart, where Australia are playing Scotland, it’s raining.
2nd over: India 9-0 (Rohit 8, Dhawan 0)
Tendai Chatara takes the other new ball, bowling across the left-handed Dhawan with a couple of slips again in place, and after a couple of looseners he gets one right, pitching it up and getting some away movement, tempting the batsman to offer a stroke (for the first time), but the ball whistles past the edge without catching it. Dhawan does get bat to ball on a couple of occasions after that, but with no great intent. Maiden.
1st over: India 9-0 (Rohit 8, Dhawan 0)
Panyangara does the honours with over one, with two slips in place, and Rohit taps the second ball to extra cover and sets off for a run, having to spin and sprint back in panic when he realises that it’s going straight to a fielder. He survives that, and edges the next delivery wide of second slip for four. A wide later he flays a wide ball, pitched a bit short, past point for another boundary.
The players are on their way back out, ready for India’s innings. Deep breath, now.
Hello world!
So India continue their record of bowling every opponent at this World Cup out within their 50 overs, albeit neither as quickly mor as cheaply as they may have hoped, particularly having taken the first two wickets with only 13 runs on the board. They’re still likely to win, of course, but any kind of wobble and this could get interesting. Sky in the UK are currently broadcasting a silent blue screen promising that “coverage resumes at 5.10am”. In the meantime, you can relive Taylor’s brutal treatment of the 41st over here.
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And with that, I’ll hand over to Simon Burnton for the Indian chase. Enjoy.
India require 288 runs to win
Well, that’s a reasonable enough total, but after Taylor’s absolute brilliance it looked like Zimbabwe were on for a minimum of 300. It really was a quite superb innings from Taylor, bowing out of the international game with some flamboyance, a knock full of shots that AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum would have been delighted with.
In a quick interview Taylor admitted his men were a little shy of what he hoped for, but it’s still a total that won’t exactly be a stroll for India.
WICKET! Chatara b Yadav 0 - Zimbabwe 287 all out
Mupariwa gets a single, then Chatara is utterly foxed with one that somehow misses his inside edge and even more somehow misses the top of the stumps. That one didn’t miss anything though, as Yadav goes full and straight, and cleans up Chatara with gusto. Innings over.
WICKET! Chakabva c Sharma b Yadav 10 - Zimbabwe 286-9
Ah, there’s a clatter now. No real blame for Chakabva, mind, as he tries a pull but doesn’t get anything close to all of it, and Sharma runs in from fine leg to take a catch diving forwards.
48th over: Zimbabwe 286-8 (Mupariwa 0, Chakabva 10)
The batsmen crossed, so Chakabva is on strike, completely missing a big swipe that was aimed over leg, but he manages a single next up with a shove through mid-wicket.
WICKET! Panyangara c Yadav b Shami 6 - Zimbabwe 285-8
Shami comes around the wicket, drops one short and Chakabva tries an absolutely extraordinary shot that I can only describe as a sort of reverse pull, if you can imagine such a thing. He misses by a distance, obviously, but top marks for imagination. There’s a single next up and Panyangara takes a great big hoy at one, but he can only launch it straight down the throat of Yadav on the mid-wicket fence.
47th over: Zimbabwe 284-7 (Panyangara 6, Chakabva 9)
Chakabva grabs a single before Panyangara gets a gift of a first ball from Yadav, a lovely leg stump half-volley that he duly clips to the fence. He then plays a nice open-faced drive through the covers for a couple, before Yadav comes back well and beats him outside the off stump.
46th over: Zimbabwe 276-7 (Panyangara 0, Chakabva 8)
Tinashe Panyangara is the new man at the crease.
WICKET! Raza b Shami 28 - Zimbabwe 276-7
A bit of short stuff attempted by Shami, the second attempt of which isn’t too well directed and Raza does well to hook the thing behind square for four. It’s full next, but that disappears too, a remarkable carved effort from the stumps, over cover and the ropes for six. Back to short after that, but it’s no good as Raza pulls with gusto, over the mid-wicket ropes for another maximum. However, Shami then comes around the wicket and finally gets a yorker right, Raza backing away slightly and can’t keep the ball out and it thwacks into off stump.
45th over: Zimbabwe 259-6 (Raza 12, Chakabva 7)
Jadeja is thrown the ball, Chakabva gets down low and tries a weird pull shot off one knee and falls over in the process, but still collects a run for his efforts. Four more singles and a three from the over, the latter cuffed out towards the cover fence by Chakabva but just hauled in.
Probably be no Zimbabwe in 2019 World Cup unless @ICC reverses plans for a 10-team tournament. Not just associates affected #CWC15
— Tim (@timwig_cricket) March 14, 2015
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44th over: Zimbabwe 252-6 (Raza 10, Chakabva 2)
Chakabva gets a single first up, then Raza plays a belting shot, which is ostensibly a pull but was sort of off the front foot, and it goes wide of mid-on and over the fence for six. It’s a slower one next, but Raza waits for it and cuts behind point for a couple, before Sharma sends down a high full-toss that’s only just legal, and Raza jabs it behind square for a single.
WICKET! Ervine c & b Sharma 27 - Zimbabwe 241-6
Sharma’s last over starts with a wicket, and it’s a brilliant piece of bowling as he sends down a slower ball from the back of his hand, that utterly twists Ervine’s melon and he sort of jabs the ball straight up in the air from an attempted cross-batted drive effort, and the bowler pouches the easiest of catches.
43rd over: Zimbabwe 241-5 (Raza 1, Ervine 27)
Ashwin’s the bowler, and he keeps it tight with just two singles coming from the over, one ball an expertly bowled yorker that Raza does well to keep out.
42nd over: Zimbabwe 239-5 (Raza 0, Ervine 26)
It’s Ervine’s job to hit out now, and he starts the gig off well by belting a pull in front of square, to the ropes and that’s four. Sikandar Raza is the new batsman.
Updated
WICKET! Taylor c Dhawan b Sharma 138 - Zimbabwe 235-5
Taylor’s up to second in the run charts now. Ervine again does his job by getting the hell off strike, and there’s a brief sojourn upstairs as the umpire checks Taylor had something grounded behind the line. He did, so this beautiful violence can continue. Not immediately though, as Taylor tries to make room and Sharma follows him, cramping him for room, only making a single possible.
Ervine then hits straight to mid-on, who misfields and allows Taylor to return to strike, but he plays the first false shot in ages, getting a thick inside edge and it floats over to mid-on for a simple catch. That’s it for Taylor with the bat, and half the Indian team shake his hand as he goes off the field. A quite phenomenal innings, 138 runs from 110 balls, a good portion of them coming in the last five or so overs.
41st over: Zimbabwe 232-4 (Taylor 137, Ervine 20)
Ervine does the noble thing and nurdles a single just back of square, allowing Taylor to collect a brace of fours over the leg side - the first a slog-sweep, the second a slightly mistimed flick in front of square that plugs a little in the turf but nevertheless reaches the fence. He then goes one - or two, to be entirely accurate - better by simply flaying a brilliant shot way, way, way over long-off for six.
Back to fours next, as Jadeja tries a different line but in vain, as Taylor drops to one knee and flaps it past short fine leg. And then, to end the over, an even bigger six straight down the ground. Genuinely shades of ABdeV here, and that sort of praise is not dished out lightly. Brutal hitting, an exceptional innings, 25 from the over.
40th over: Zimbabwe 207-4 (Taylor 113, Ervine 19)
Ervine plays a curious shot, a sort of flat-batted paddle behind square, and Taylor dashes through for a single, beating the throw. A few more singles, then Taylor smacks a wide ball through point for four. Literally through point - the fielder looked like he had it, but it eluded the man and it skittles along the ground and to the ropes. Taylor is only behind Kumar Sangakkara and AB de Villiers as top run-scorer in this World Cup. Which isn’t bad at all.
39th over: Zimbabwe 200-4 (Taylor 108, Ervine 17)
Shami is into the attack, serving up an inviting-looking half-volley that Taylor throws everything at, but doesn’t quite connect, the ball looping over the cover ring and plugging about ten yards short of the boundary, and they collect a pair o’ runs. Taylor then brings up a quite superb century (his second in two games, of course) in his final game by finally nailing that ramp shot from a short ball he’s been trying all day, and the ball flies over everyone’s head for a terrific six. What an innings this has been. He then pushes a single to point, Shami slides down leg for a wide, before Ervine absolutely nails a pull that goes straight to the man at fine leg on the bounce, so they just get one for it. Of course, that allows Taylor to have another go, and a go he has, smacking a beautiful lofted drive over mid-off and the ropes.
38th over: Zimbabwe 183-4 (Taylor 93, Ervine 16)
Ashwin is bowling again, and Taylor celebrates by sweeping a couple of runs fine before playing perhaps his best-looking shot of the innings, lofted straight back over the bowler’s head for four. He then tries a reverse sweep but completely misses, before another delicious drive, inside out from somewhere around leg stump, through the covers for another boundary. Great batting this, as Taylor moves into the 90s.
37th over: Zimbabwe 171-4 (Taylor 82, Ervine 16)
Yadav barrels up to the crease and tries a bouncer at Ervine, which he takes a big swing at and misses, like a man trying to ward off a swarm of bees with a rake. Yadav then tries a slower ball, which goes horribly awry, a comfortable wide down leg. And then, seemingly from nowhere, Ervine advances and fairly belts one high over cow corner for a big six. All human life in that over.
36th over: Zimbabwe 163-4 (Taylor 81, Ervine 10)
Taylor cuffs one along the ground straight to Sharma at mid-off, but he misfields and allows the batsmen to come through for a single. A few more comfortable singles, a two off the last ball, another over passes, and we’re all another few steps closer to the merciful release of the infinite.
They’re having some drinks, so now would be a good opportunity to tell you Australia v Scotland is starting in Hobart, and yer man Geoff Lemon is kicking off the OBO of that one. Don’t leave this one though, obviously. Have two windows open. Live a little.
35th over: Zimbabwe 158-4 (Taylor 79, Ervine 7)
Taylor tries a reverse sweep that is nicely saved at point, so he tries the standard one that bounces about a yard inside the ropes at fine leg. He goes big, big, big next up by coming down the pitch and launching one over wide long-on for six brutal runs.
34th over: Zimbabwe 147-4 (Taylor 68, Ervine 7)
Sharma drops one short to Taylor and he tries that ramp shot again, but he was too late on it and misses. The next one is pitched right up, Taylor swings, gets an edge and it flies through roughly where first slip’s forehead would’ve been, zipping across the turf and to the boundary. If you’re going to flash, flash hard etc.
33rd over: Zimbabwe 142-4 (Taylor 63, Ervine 7)
Taylor decides to go for a bit of a hurry-up now, coming down the track and slapping a ball that’s a little shorter than he anticipated over cow corner region, the ball bouncing a couple of times before going to the boundary. Four more singles from the over.
32nd over: Zimbabwe 134-4 (Taylor 57, Ervine 5)
Sharma has the ball again, and he beats Ervine with a fine pitched-up ball that zoots past the drive and outside edge. Couple of singles, then Ervine is completely befuddled by one that beats his inside edge, possibly flicking said edge on the way through, but not quite.
@NickMiller79 Taylor: Zimbabwe's loss is Notts gain. A magnificent player for Zimbabwe.
— Sagar Deshpande (@sagdshpnd) March 14, 2015
31st over: Zimbabwe 131-4 (Taylor 56, Ervine 3)
A fairly uneventful owner, bar a couple of inside edges and three singles. Have a song to liven things up a bit.
30th over: Zimbabwe 128-4 (Taylor 55, Ervine 1)
Yadav gets one to rise at Taylor’s hips, it flicks something and goes through to Dhoni, but while they appear convinced by the catch, the replays show it hit his buttock rather than bat or glove. Taylor clips a single, then Ervine plays a delightful drive but out to the sweeper fielder and he only gets one for it.
29th over: Zimbabwe 126-4 (Taylor 54, Ervine 0)
Craig Ervine is the new batsman, and he gets into a bit of a muddle first up, inside edging onto his pads as the ball only just misses the stumps. Ashwin went up after Dhoni removed a bail somehow or other, but that’s still a good over.
Updated
WICKET! Williams c & b Ashwin 50 - Zimbabwe 126-4
Hmmm, just an end change for Ashwin, as he replaces Jadeja. Taylor gets a single, and then there’s a mid-over conference as Dhoni, Kohli and chums work out how to shackle Williams...and it works, as Taylor comes down the pitch and slaps it straight back to the bowler. Ashwin claims the catch straight away, but the batsman doesn’t seem convinced that it carried. The umpires go upstairs, and the men with the telly decide it was a clean catch. A terrific and enterprising innings comes to an end.
28th over: Zimbabwe 125-3 (Taylor 53, Williams 50)
Wisely, Yadav is back in place of Ashwin - Zimbabwe have taken 77 runs from 12 overs of spin, as opposed to 41 from 15 (before this one) of pace. Still, both batsmen notch their fifties with a series of singles, before Taylor slaps a shot wide of third man for another couple. Yadav comes back off the final ball of the over with a good rising ball that flies just past a flying edge as Williams attempts, in vain, to cut.
Make that 4th and 6th on the list now, and half centuries to both in the same over. #CWC15
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 14, 2015
Updated
27th over: Zimbabwe 119-3 (Taylor 49, Williams 48)
A quieter over, just two singles from it, as Taylor pushes one off the back foot and Williams clips another off his hips. Still strong work from this pair, as they advance on a respectable total.
Williams and Taylor have been revelatory for Zimbabwe this World Cup. 5th and 7th on the runs list, and still going. #CWC15
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 14, 2015
Updated
26th over: Zimbabwe 117-3 (Taylor 48, Williams 47)
Williams tucking in now, spanking two sixes over more or less the same spot over cow corner, the first a more conventional aerial on-drive from a straight ball, the second slightly more of a hoik across the line from outside off, but a blinding couple of efforts and no mistake. He then gets four after a full toss from Ashwin is slapped with the contempt it deserves through the covers. Big over, there.
25th over: Zimbabwe 101-3 (Taylor 48, Williams 31)
Singles, firstly from Williams pushed out to deep point, then Taylor off the front foot down to long-off, bring up the 100 for Zimbabwe, before Williams flicks another off his hips.
24th over: Zimbabwe 98-3 (Taylor 47, Williams 29)
Williams has his feet firmly under the table now, hoiking a fine slog-sweep thing between mid-wicket and long-on for the first six of the innings. Belter of a shot, that. A few more singles, and one more productive over ticks by, as Zimbabwe’s rebuilding job continues apace.
23rd over: Zimbabwe 89-3 (Taylor 46, Williams 21)
Singles are exchanged before Williams follows his captain’s lead, picking up four runs for himself with a reverse sweep, this one with more than a hint of top-edge to it, as it floats over point and out to the fence. Good this from Zimbabwe, after those early wickets.
22nd over: Zimbabwe 82-3 (Taylor 45, Williams 15)
Ho! Japes now from Taylor who plays yet another reverse sweep, and once again it scoots on down to the boundary as another four runs are added to the total. A few more singles, before Taylor collects yet another four, and you can probably guess via which shot, too.
21st over: Zimbabwe 72-3 (Taylor 36, Williams 14)
More of what Alan Partridge might file under ‘lovely stuff’ from Taylor, who gets down and plays a smashing reverse sweep, which eludes the fielders and goes out for four. A selection of singles brings another decent over for the Zimbabweans.
20th over: Zimbabwe 64-3 (Taylor 31, Williams 11)
Nice cricket from Taylor, opening the face to play a shot wide of third man, then gets two with some rapid running, although he might have been run out if Shami’s throw from the deep had been on target.
19th over: Zimbabwe 61-3 (Taylor 29, Williams 10)
Taylor shoves a single through the off side, before Williams tries to manufacture himself some runs, firstly attempting to whip one from way outside off through mid-wicket, then giving the reverse sweep a go, but no dice there. He finally has some luck with the last ball, working a single through mid-wicket, and he’s ‘rewarded’ with a blast of ‘Uptown Funk’ from the PA.
18th over: Zimbabwe 59-3 (Taylor 28, Williams 9)
Sharma bowls a well-directed short one at Taylor, which he does well to fend off and nudge for a single towards mid-wicket. Williams and Taylor then exchange singles with almost identical shots, shovelling balls into the leg side for a solitary run each. Williams plays a nice square push-drive off the final ball of the over, but Jadeja mooches across from point to make a nice save, then removes his cap and wanders up to bowl.
17th over: Zimbabwe 56-3 (Taylor 26, Williams 8)
Williams hasn’t looked at all certain so far, but he quick-steps down the pitch to Jadeja in order to perhaps hit himself into certainty, and he succeeds on that occasion, nailing a four past a scampering mid-off. After a single Taylor follows his lead, hitting a flattish shot down the ground that Shami, running around from long-on, dives but can’t either catch or stop, the ball coming from the sun into the shade of the stand, and he concedes four runs. Good over for Zimbabwe, that.
16th over: Zimbabwe 46-3 (Taylor 21, Williams 3)
Taylor mishits one that squirts through mid-wicketish for a single, and the only notable thing from a fairly unremarkable over is a wide bowled by Sharma, flying well over the head of Williams.
15th over: Zimbabwe 43-3 (Taylor 20, Williams 2)
Jadeja rattles though an over at which Taylor pokes and prods and leaves, finally getting a single with a push down the ground from the penultimate ball. Incidentally, give me a nudge if you’re out there, reading this - just to prove I’m not alone in the dead of the London night...
14th over: Zimbabwe 42-3 (Taylor 19, Williams 2)
Turns out it was just an end change for Sharma, who replaces Ashwin and nearly gets some joy first up, inducing an edge from Williams but it bounces a few yards in front of Raina at slip. Possible problems for Sharma as he goes down after a delivery, seemingly clutching his left ankle, which he went over on a little. Didn’t look that nice, but he seems OK. Indeed, next up he gets one to shape into Williams, and he gets an inside edge that flies through low to the keeper, but Dhoni can’t take the catch diving to his right, the ball hitting his wrist. Still, good over from Sharma.
13th over: Zimbabwe 42-3 (Taylor 19, Williams 2)
Another bowling change, and it’s the now fully-bearded Ravi Jadeja to bowl his left-arm spin. Taylor greets him with a nicely played sweep that goes fine for a welcome boundary, before relieving himself of the strike with a pushed single through the covers. Taylor looks reasonably good, here, as Williams flicks one wristily through roughly mid-wicket to close the over.
12th over: Zimbabwe 36-3 (Taylor 14, Williams 1)
Ravi Ashwin is in to bowl, and Taylor pushes a single through mid-on. Williams defends a few uncertainly, before Ashwin offers up a full-toss that he volleys just wide of the bowler for a single. The over closes as Taylor flicks another through straight mid-wicket.
11th over: Zimbabwe 33-3 (Taylor 12, Williams 0)
The new batsman is Sean Williams.
WICKET! Mire c Dhoni b Sharma 9 - Zimbabwe 33-3
Bowling change, with Mohit Sharma entering the fray, and he gets some shape straight away, getting Mire to fish rather outside off. Eventually Mire seems to get the hang of things, and flashes a latish cut through gullyish and picks up four, before collecting another couple with a slightly less well-timed cut through point. Finally though, the movement pays off, as one jumps a little more and Mire hangs the bat out, getting an edge so slight that the bowler didn’t initially spot it, but Dhoni reacted as if it was the most standard of nicks and the batsman walked straight away. An oddly low-key wicket.
10th over: Zimbabwe 27-2 (Taylor 12, Mire 3)
Taylor just about drops his bat down on a full ball from Yadav, as it happens finding the middle of the bat but the bowler gets his boot down to half stop it, enough to limit the damage to just two runs. He then plays his first proper shots of the innings by spanking a fine uppish drive over the covers and to the cover fence for four. He collects another pair of runs after getting to a cut late, under-edging it with enough force to take it beyond the slips, but not quite enough to reach the bouddary.
9th over: Zimbabwe 19-2 (Taylor 4, Mire 3)
Mire jabs at a ball just back of a length, it bounces high in the air and the batsman has absolutely no idea where it’s gone, spinning and looking everywhere, finally spotting the thing as it dribbles just past the stumps. The rest of the over is played out in a series of unconvincing drive attempts and jibs and jabs, with just a wide from the first ball to show for things.
8th over: Zimbabwe 18-2 (Taylor 4, Mire 3)
A couple of balls that stray onto the pads to start with, the first flicked for one by Mire, the next flapped through square leg, right where said fielder would’ve been, for two by Taylor. The same man then jabs through the covers, not entirely convincingly, but it nonetheless brings two runs and at least a semi-productive over for Zimbabwe.
7th over: Zimbabwe 13-2 (Taylor 0, Mire 2)
Taylor attempts a hugely ambitious ramp shot from a ball at around shoulder height from Shami, but while it would’ve reaped some reward had he connected, particularly at this minuscule ground, he did not, and thus looked a little silly. Next up Taylor chucks everything at a wide one from Shami, but misses and a few of those behind the wicket go up for the catch. Nothing given, and replays display nowt on snicko. The final ball of the over is a snorter that pitches on off stump and shapes away, befuddling Taylor no end. Another maiden.
6th over: Zimbabwe 13-2 (Taylor 0, Mire 2)
Mire tests the theory that there are only two types of leave by shouldering arms to one that goes within a stump’s width of off stump. Eesh, that was close. The rest is dealt with, but not in any way convincingly - like a new waiter attempting to carry five plates. A maiden.
5th over: Zimbabwe 13-2 (Taylor 0, Mire 2)
The departing Brendan Taylor is the new batsman, and he has three balls to face in his first over; the first he wafts at outside off, the second he leaves and the third he defends stoutly.
WICKET! Chibhabha c Dhawan b Shami 7 - Zimbabwe 13-2
Hmmmm. This could get ugly for Zimbabwe, here. Shami tests Chibhabha with a short one, before pitching a couple up and inducing the drive, which again doesn’t succeed and a thick edge flies to the slips where Dhawan almost glides across a couple of yards to his right to take a great catch.
4th over: Zimbabwe 13-1 (Chibhabha 7, Mire 2)
Solomon Mire is the new man, and he starts with a couple flicked off his shins and just backward of square, but the rest of the over is more of a struggle, particularly the final ball which he tries to play straight/to around mid-on, but it flies off an edge and goes along the ground to the slips.
WICKET! Masakadza c Dhoni b Yadav 2 - Zimbabwe 11-1
After troubling Masakadza with a couple on a length or just back thereof, Yadav tempts the drive with one pitched up just outside off, and the Zimbabwe batsman takes the bait, jabbing at a shot through cover but he can only get a regulation edge through to the keeper.
Updated
3rd over: Zimbabwe 11-0 (Chibhabha 7, Masakadza 2)
Chibhabha get the first boundary of the day, but not in the most free-flowing manner, getting a big inside edge on an attempted cut that flashes past Dhoni and scoots to that absurdly short boundary. Shami pitches the next one up and loudly claims lbw as the ball clumps into Chibhabha’s pads, but that looked like it was going past leg stump, an assessment with which the umpire agrees.
2nd over: Zimbabwe 6-0 (Chibhabha 3, Masakadza 1)
Umesh Yadav is the bowler from the other end, bowling a shortish wide one that Masakadza tries to cut but a brilliant diving stop at point from Suresh Raina prevents any runs scored. Next up he clips a single off his pads, before Yadav squares Chibhabha up with one that hits the batsman just above the pad; there’s a half-hearted lbw appeal, but nothing to get terribly excited about. Chibhabha then tucks stray ball off his thigh and via some smart running and an iffy throw from deep, they come back for two.
1st over: Zimbabwe 3-0 (Chibhabha 1, Masakadza 0)
Shami starts off just back of a length, troubling Chibhabha very slightly (he swings and misses at one), before getting off the mark with a chop down to third man-ish. There’s a leg-bye to Masakadza, then the first time Shami really pitches one up it’s a big old wide.
And the players are out. Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza open the batting for Zimbabwe, while Mohammed Shami has the ball for India.
This is of course Brendan Taylor’s last game of international cricket, before he goes all Kolpak and joins Nottinghamshire, and this is what he had to say about the occasion:
“It’s been one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make; in fact the biggest decision,” he told Cricinfo. “I’ve always been very passionate about playing for Zimbabwe, I still am. I sat down with my wife and we decided to make this decision together. It hasn’t been easy. I feel very sad about it but at the same time very excited to be a part of one of the better county sides in England. They’ve welcomed me with open arms and I’m looking forward to cementing a good relationship with them over the next three years.
“But I’m very, very sad to leave Zimbabwe cricket. I’ve had some fond memories and I have some great friends here but life goes on and you have to try and make the best decisions for your family and moving forward.”
India have won the toss and will bowl...
...and here are the teams...
India
Sharma, Dhawan, Kohli, Rahane, Raina, Dhoni (c, wk), Jadeja, Ashwin, Shami, Mohit, Yadav
Zimbabwe
Chibhabha, Raza, Masakadza, Mire, Taylor (c, wk), Williams, Ervine, Chakabva, Panyangara, Mupariwa, Chatara
L’art pour l’art. Or, if you prefer, in the English tongue, art for art’s sake. This was a movement in the 19th century that espoused the notion that art did not have to hold any intrinsic function, any real purpose, but was simply there because it was. The aesthetic was enough, that the thing should be divorced from any emotional or moral usefulness. Something didn’t have to be useful, it was fine as it is. Oscar Wilde was a proponent of art for art’s sake. So was Whistler, of ‘...Mother’ fame.
And, if you will, this is what this game is. Sort of. If you like. Or maybe this is a contrived intro designed to justify the existence of this over-by-over. After all, there’s no purpose to this, because no matter what happens in the following few hours India will finish top of their group and will of course qualify for the knockout round, while Zimbabwe are out. Nothing can change that. No act of God, or strange rearrangement of the rules. This game is basically pointless. Or, if you prefer, sport for sport’s sake.
Because really, this should be sport in its purest form. When you first started watching cricket, you probably did as a young child, taking in the essential beauty of the game, the elegance of the batsmen or the brute force of a fast bowler or the speed of a fielder. You didn’t know anything about context. If, for example, you were a small boy taken to the third Test at Trent Bridge between England and the West Indies in 1991, you had no concept that one of the teams was something of a shambles and had years of further shambles ahead of it, while the other was a dominant power just at the start of its decline, yet still held some of the greatest players to play the game. You just enjoyed watching the sport, drawn in by this new thing. This is essentially cricket in its purest form, devoid of any context or narrative or any outside influence.
Of course, that could well be bullshit. This game does, after all, mean nothing. And thus it might be terrible. Or it might be really good. We just don’t know. But we’ll find out soon enough. Stick with us, kid. It’ll be grand.
Start: 1am GMT
Nick will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not have a listen of the Cricket World Cup podcast?
