Adam Collins' match report
The latest World Cup standings
“Hats off to Rohit,” says Kohli, “His innings was special. Very professional win. With the bat, we had to be careful.” He was going to bowl first anyway, so the toss was immaterial. “Bumrah was just brilliant. [After I caught de Kock off him] my hands were buzzing, that’s how quick he’s bowling. And Chahal was outstanding as well.”
And that’s it from me. Thanks for your company and your correspondence. Do join Nick Miller for what looks like a tasty contest between Bangladesh and New Zealand. One of them will go top of the table tonight. Don’t you love a World Cup?
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“India were magnificent on a difficult pitch,” says Faf du Plessis, dignified in defeat. “Rabada was a champion ... Morris was excellent.”
Well, that was crushing
India were clinical this morning – Bumrah blasting out the openers, Chahal eviscerating the middle order – and professional this afternoon, with Sharma outstanding and Kohli eclipsed for once. South Africa only turned up with about half a team – de Kock, who took a wonder catch, and the three seam bowlers, Rabada, Morris and Phehlukwayo. They made most of the runs, then bowled superbly, only to see the Indians escape through a bizarre blend of bad luck, bad fielding and tentative field-setting.
So SA have nul points after three games, and have almost gone already, while India become the eighth team on two points. Their net run rate is a modest +0.3, which puts them sixth, between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, just like on the map.
“Kohli’s at the wheel,” says a flag in the crowd. Hard to see him doing a Solskjaer, but you never know.
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India win! By six wickets (230-4)
Another carve from Pandya (15 off seven balls) and that’s it.
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47th over: India 223-4 (Sharma 122, Pandya 9) Enter Hardik Pandya, the first Indian who seems to be aware that net run rate might come in handy. He treats Morris with disdain – a brutally fast-handed cut, followed by a whack through midwicket.
“Trying to figure who Dhoni reminds me of with his imperious demeanour,” says Brian Withington. “Exudes a certainty of smiting all before him with minimal effort. Vintage Franz Beckenbauer, perhaps?” Was he a smiter?
Wicket!! Dhoni c & b Morris 34 (India 213-4)
Another top edge (what is Dhoni up to?) and this time it’s caught as Morris decides the fielders are not to be trusted and grabs it himself, even if it means falling onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. He’s been immense today, and it’s still not going to be enough.
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46th over: India 213-3 (Sharma 121, Dhoni 34) Rabada is still plugging away, when that spill could have reduced him to rubble. He induces a top edge from Dhoni, not once but twice, only for both to fall safely to earth. This is going to be the first time SA have lost three World Cup matches in a row, ever, or at least since 1992, when they entered the fray.
45th over: India 208-3 (Sharma 120, Dhoni 30) Another sweep for four by Sharma, off Tahir. Some kind of DJ is urging the crowd to make some noise, and, this being England, they are politely declining.
44th over: India 198-3 (Sharma 112, Dhoni 28) Sharma parks his disbelief to guide a four over de Kock’s head – cheeky. The offender at cover seems to have been David Miller. Jason Roy will feel his pain.
Dropped! Sharma off Rabada
That is a shocker. Rabada digs one in, Sharma reaches for the sky, and the man at cover lets the dolliest dolly you’ve ever seen pop out of his hands.
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43rd over: India 193-3 (Sharma 107, Dhoni 28) Dhoni sees that Shamsi is still on and decides to change gear, cutting for four and slogging for a single, before Sharma sweeps a four and laps, delightfully, for three. Dhoni cuts for two to make 15 off five balls. And the run rate is back to five. That’s magisterial.
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42nd over: India 179-3 (Sharma 100, Dhoni 21) That’s another tidy over from Phehlukwayo, and the rate has crept up above a run a ball (49 off 48), which will bother the Indians not a jot.
Sharma’s hundred came off 128 balls, the slowest of his ODI career, because of the excellence of Rabada and Morris. Against the spinners, he’s made 57 off 58.
41st over: India 176-3 (Sharma 100, Dhoni 19) Good from Shamsi, but again South Africa’s fielding lets them down.
“Very measured response from India,” says Brian Withington. “If Kohli were a backgammon man, I suspect the doubling dice would have been played some time ago?” Not being a backgammon man myself, I’ll have to take Brian’s word for it.
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Dropped!
Dhoni edges Shamsi and Markram, the sub fielder, can’t hold on at slip. That is surely the final nail.
Hundred!
Sharma plays a simple push for a single, leaves the nerveless nineties and reaches three figures for the 23rd time in ODIs. Uncertain at first, he has been commanding ever since.
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40th over: India 171-3 (Sharma 97, Dhoni 17) Morris keeps Dhoni quiet, but doesn’t bowl quite full enough to beat his back-foot prods. After four dots, Dhoni cuts for two and pulls for one. India need 57 off the last ten, which should be a piece of cake for these two.
Here’s Dave Brown. “I can totally understand why a player would choose money over their country of birth,” he says, “but it is their pretence of loyalty to their new home that gets me. KP having a Three Lions tattoo springs to mind. I’ve got an Eye of Horus tattoo but it doesn’t mean I’m a sodding pharaoh!!”
39th over: India 168-3 (Sharma 97, Dhoni 14) Phehlukwayo concedes four singles. South Africa will insist on being respectable when they need to be explosive.
Still, there’s a nice retweet from my colleague Ali Martin here.
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38th over: India 164-3 (Sharma 95, Dhoni 12) Now it’s no spin at all as Morris returns. His extra bounce makes Sharma think a bit, and a fuller ball brings an LBW shout against Dhoni, but du Plessis doesn’t review. Dhoni cashes in with a flick-pull for four.
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37th over: India 158-3 (Sharma 94, Dhoni 7) The spin-twin phase of the innings comes to an end as Faf brings back Phehlukwayo. Whether or not he bothers the batsmen, he will definitely slow down the OBO. After doing well to string together four dots, he tries a short one and Sharma sees it so early that his pull goes straight back past the bowler. Sharma has shown why he is the second-highest-scoring ODI batsman since the last World Cup, deferring only to Kohli.
36th over: India 154-3 (Sharma 90, Dhoni 7) Shamsi pushes one through and gets it past Dhoni’s attempted cut.
“South African here,” says Andrew Gladwin. Excellent. “I think the biggest factor in the decline is simply money – players with a choice (like KP) can make more money playing for England, and other can make more money (with more security) being Kolpak or playing in T20 leagues (AB de Villiers). Quotas have played some role, but possibly more in reinforcing money-based decisions. Poor administration of cricket in SA doesn’t help.
“The fear is that we are going to end up with money driving India, Australia and England to be the only competitive nations, with clear second and third tiers below them. The hope is that this is a World Cup too far for a fading great generation of SA cricketers, as was 2003 –and that the nucleus of the next generation is there for another great SA cricket team – Markram, de Kock, Ngidi, Rabada.” The OBO at its best.
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35th over: India 150-3 (Sharma 88, Dhoni 5) Yet another over from Tahir, who concedes the regulation five. India’s 150 comes up off 207 balls. Slip sliding away.
34th over: India 145-3 (Sharma 86, Dhoni 2) Seeing that his spinners have amassed no wickets in 13 overs betwen them, du Plessis decides to bowl them in tandem. Dhoni sends for his cap, giving us a better view of the flinty look on his face. Shamsi bowls a tidy over, for just two, but tidiness won’t get the tigers out of the corner.
And now a word from our fashion editor. “I disagree with OB Jato about the kit,” says Damian Burns. “In fact all the teams seem to have gone for some kind of vintage throwback style (i.e. England 92 which looks horrible by the way), and they really don’t have the same razzmatazz as some of the usual ODI kits. Definitely wouldn’t spend fifty quid on any of these shirts.”
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33nd over: India 143-3 (Sharma 86, Dhoni 1) Tahir continues and I’m just thinking “well that’s one way to ensure we don’t get another wicket” when Dhoni and Sharma have a misunderstanding about a run. Both of them might have been out, had there not been another fumble in the field. Oh dear. Sharma celebrates with a late cut, so late that he almost pinches the ball out of de Kock’s gloves. India need 85 off 17, so still bang on five. South Africa need two quick wickets – these two.
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32nd over: India 139-3 (Sharma 83, Dhoni 0) A well-deserved wicket for Rabada, who is ready and raring to get at old man Dhoni. Dhoni has other ideas, making a point of fiddling and fidgeting, desperate to be the big guy in the room. He doesn’t need to do that. Playing from the crease, he sees off three balls, so that’s a wicket-maiden.
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Wicket!! Rahul c du Plessis b Rabada 26 (India 139-3)
Breakthrough at last! Rabada bowls what seems a fairly standard ball, seam-up, but Rahul gets his timing all wrong and pops a catch to Faf at mid-off. Is there still some life in this?
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31st over: India 139-2 (Sharma 83, Rahul 26) Tahir continues – why, I cannot tell you. Sharma celebrates by square-driving him for four and rubs it in with a couple of twos. Ten off the over.
“At least,” says OB Jato, “the Proteas’ kit is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Aesthetic consolation?”
30th over: India 128-2 (Sharma 73, Rahul 25) Now even Rabada is bearing gifts – a juicy short one, despatched by Sharma with a lordly pull.
And here’s Gangesh. “Great to feast on your memes from England.” Er, thanks. “SA’s displays so far have been dismal. They have done little of note. Saddened, indeed. How is their decline to be explained? The quota system prevalent in sports there, or is it England playing the villain by poaching the cream of their talents? What is your take, gentlemen?” I’m going to throw that out in the hope that someone reading this knows more than me.
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29th over: India 123-2 (Sharma 69, Rahul 24) Sure enough, Shamsi comes off, but it’s Tahir who comes on. Maybe Faf thinks he can get wickets here just by keeping the runs down. But the Indians have other ideas: Rahul somehow plays a flick for three from the off bail to fine leg’s right, and Sharma cuts for four. India need 105 more from 21 overs, at the very straightforward rate of five.
28th over: India 115-2 (Sharma 64, Rahul 21) Rabada returns and instantly finds the edge as Rahul brings a crooked bat down from somewhere near his right shoulder. It flies to second slip, where ... there’s only empty space. Next ball, Rabada beats Sharma. He is in danger of putting in one of the great non-winning World Cup performances here.
27th over: India 113-2 (Sharma 63, Rahul 20) Every boundary counts today and now Shamsi hands one to Sharma, who swats a bit of filth off his legs to bring up the fifty partnership – 53 off 65 balls. To twist the knife, Sharma plays a delicate late cut for four more. Eleven off the over, and that’s surely the last we see of poor Shamsi.
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26th over: India 102-2 (Sharma 54, Rahul 18) After that daisy-chain of dots, Morris bowls a wide, of all things, as a bouncer goes too high. By the end of the over, Morris is conceding a four, as a paddle-pull from Rahul races through Shamsi’s half-hearted attempt to stop it at long leg. India’s hundred came up off 155 balls, epitomising this episode of period drama.
“After a pretty disheartening performance in the first innings,” says Richard Mansell, “at least SA are managing to make a decent fist of it now. The game is not yet out of our reach, although we need a wicket or two, and fast.” Spot-on.
25th over: India 95-2 (Sharma 53, Rahul 13) Shamsi continues – it’s almost as if Faf isn’t reading the OBO. He concedes only three and has a minor moral victory as Sharma charges him, meets the ball on the full and miscues into the deep.
24th over: India 91-2 (Sharma 50, Rahul 13) Morris has been even better in this spell than his first one. After tying down Rahul, he befuddles Sharma: an edge, a fend, another edge – held at first slip by Amla, but on the half-volley. That’s another maiden and the veteran Morris has the magnificently retro figures of 6-3-10-0.
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23rd over: India 91-2 (Sharma 50, Rahul 13) After a run of dots, Sharma gets fed up, dances down the track and lofts Shamsi over long-on for six. He then goes to fifty, off 70 balls, with a more sedate single: aftre a streaky start, he’s played very well. Faf needs to do something: get Shamsi off, bring Rabada back and post five slips, before it’s too late. Does the tiger know when it’s cornered?
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22nd over: India 82-2 (Sharma 43, Rahul 11) Phehlukwayo is taken off, after that wobbly fifth over, and Chris Morris returns. First ball back, he beats Rahul with a classic seamer’s delivery, holding its line outside off. And that’s a maiden.
“With reference to Mr Fuller’s point (16th over),” says Gary Naylor, “What A Wonderful World... Cup.” Absolutely.
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21st over: India 82-2 (Sharma 43, Rahul 11) A few more singles off Shamsi. This partnership is worth 28 already, off 33 balls: purposeful stuff.
“After watching the opening spells of Bumrah and Rabada,” says Abhu, “I don’t want to hear any more from old farts who think that fast bowling is dead’.” Fair point – it’s been a fast bowler’s World Cup so far.
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20th over: India 77-2 (Sharma 41, Rahul 9) Rahul sees a mere hint of a half-volley from Phehlukwayo and plays a straight drive for four. That’s the shot of the afternoon. Pulling his length back, Phehlukwayo offers Sharma a long hop. The Indians are beginning to cut loose.
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19th over: India 68-2 (Sharma 37, Rahul 4) Tahir does come off, but he gives way to another spinner, the left-arm wristie Tabraiz Shamsi. He makes a solid start.
18th over: India 65-2 (Sharma 35, Rahul 3) Phehlukwayo continues, and again he is comfortably pulled, this time by Sharma for two. But the Indians are having to work for nearly all of their runs. It’s been a fine performance by South Africa’s bowlers, with the ball as well as the bat.
17th over: India 62-2 (Sharma 33, Rahul 2) Sharma grabs the wheel by pulling Tahir for four, first ball of the over, and then there are a few singles. The most interesting thing about Tahir’s spell has been that, at 40, he is older than the umpire – Michael Gough, who is 39. And that’s drinks, with India on top but not having it all their own way.
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16th over: India 54-2 (Sharma 27, Rahul 0) Finally, a four from Kohli. Phehlukwayo drops short and Kohli sees it so early that he can pull on the front foot. That’s almost dismissive – but it leads to his dismissal, as Phehlukwayo, helped by de Kock, gets the wicket South Africa most wanted. He jumps for joy, as well he may.
“With reference to the great Mr Armstrong,” says John Fuller (13th over), “a quick flurry of wickets and we’re looking at Hello Dhoni!” Let’s hope so.
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WICKET!!!! Kohli c de Kock b Phehlukwayo 18 (India 54-2)
Goddim!! A rising ball outside off, an uncharacteristic waft, a thick edge, and a stunning catch by Quentin de Kock. Put that on the news.
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15th over: India 50-1 (Sharma 27, Kohli 14) Tahir continues, and Kohli brings out a hockey shot, whipping a push to mid-on. He’s warming to the task, and Tahir is only keeping it tight, not really threatening.
“After Afghanistan and Sri Lanka yesterday and now this,” wonders Daniel Howell, “what happened to ‘the modern game favours the batsmen, no total is too high to chase’? Gower, Gooch, Stewart and co. would have been at home with these scores.” Very true.
14th over: India 47-1 (Sharma 26, Kohli 12) Another moral victory for Phehlukwayo, who lures Kohli into a classic edge, only to see it elude the man at gully. Come on Faf, go for broke and give us the full cordon. You know Steve Waugh would.
13th over: India 44-1 (Sharma 25, Kohli 9) Five singles off Tahir. It’s still tense, but the pendulum is moving, like the hand of a clock, towards India.
“All the time in the World Cup,” echoes Andrew Benton (9th over). “The great Louis Armstrong’s just missing Cup off the end...”
12th over: India 39-1 (Sharma 23, Kohli 7) So, a good start from Phehlukwayo, another bowler who batted well today. But not quite good enough, and both batsmen are finding the singles.
Not out! Sharma survives
It was Phehlukwayo’s second ball, it was angled in, it was hitting the leg bail – umpire’s call, so Sharma escapes. The game could have done with a wicket there.
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Review!
Against Sharma. Not given, looks a bit high.
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11th over: India 34-1 (Sharma 21, Kohli 4) Tahir returns and concedes only two singles.
10th over: India 34-1 (Sharma 21, Kohli 4) Kohli plays a Harrow cut! And nearly edges into leg stump. End of the powerplay, which was riveting.
“Cricket,” says Andrew Benton firmly. “It’s a bowler’s game. Protect your wicket and you’re more than halfway there. Slogs for six and blasts for four make for popular telly, but the patience and skill of the bowlers makes the game, any game. And for that, there can surely be no contest.” Discuss!
Something else to read here, about the only England team who have a 50-over World Cup win on their CVs.
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9th over: India 31-1 (Sharma 19, Kohli 3) Back to Morris v Kohli, to allow everyone to calm down. Five more dots, then a tuck for two in one of the gaps caused by having slips. Kohli knows that India have all the time in the World Cup. Faf knows he has to take early wickets.
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8th over: India 29-1 (Sharma 19, Kohli 1) Rabada produces another beauty to beat Sharma, who responds with a nonchalant six, just helping a bouncer on its way. Next ball, a simple forward prod goes for four through the vacant fourth slip. Another bouncer, more wayward, brings a spectacular goalkeeper’s save from de Kock. And then Sharma cuts for four more. Who needs Kohli?
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7th over: India 14-1 (Sharma 5, Kohli 1) Facing Morris, Kohli continues his YouTube demonstration of the forward-defensive, mixed in with the odd exaggerated leave. He has only one off ten balls, but he looks so alert, it’s alarming.
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6th over: India 14-1 (Sharma 5, Kohli 1) Kohli is greeted by three slips, quite rightly, and a bouncer from Rabada, to follow up his suggestion that Kohli was “immature”. The great man is standing outside his crease, as he did when he conquered English conditions last summer. He gets well forward and it gets him off the mark as he spots a quick single to mid-off. Rabada, though: he has figures of 3-0-3-1, and they don’t flatter him.
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Wicket! Dhawan c de Kock b Rabada 8 (India 13-1)
Justice is done. Another textbook length ball from Rabada, and Dhawan can only feather it to the keeper. Three more like that and it’s game on. But here comes Kohli...
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5th over: India 13-0 (Dhawan 8, Sharma 5) Tidy from Morris. This, kids, is what one-day cricket used to be like.
“If India can get past the new ball against Rabada and co,” says Rohit Singh, “they will back themselves for a comfortable win.” And his email was sent straight after the first over, before the seamers got going.
4th over: India 11-0 (Dhawan 8, Sharma 3) Rabada is so hungry he’s ready to start the over before the openers have had time to notice that they’re in England, where the ball sometimes moves off the seam. Every ball is testing, mostly line and length but ending with a crisp yorker, which breaks Dhawan’s bat. Another superb over.
If all this is too much and you feel like a wander through the pages of history, try this on the day Kapil Dev made 175.
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3rd over: India 10-0 (Dhawan 8, Sharma 2) Faf takes Tahir off and turns to Chris Morris, who should be buzzing after top-scoring with 42. He too beats the edge and then finds it, as Sharma pops over gully. India could be four down – as well as all the edges and misses, there was a run-out chance off the first ball of that over, when Dhawan tipped and ran, rather desperately. He recovers some poise with a whip for the first four of the innings. Breathless stuff.
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2nd over: India 4-0 (Dhawan 3, Sharma 1) Kagiso Rabada is up for this. After making a handy 30, he begins by beating Dhawan with a jaffa, then finding an edge off the shoulder that just pops over gully. Faced with the right-handed Sharma, Rabada does it all again in reverse – a looping edge, agonisingly short of second slip, and a play-and-miss. That may well be the over of the day, and it didn’t yield a wicket.
1st over: India 3-0 (Dhawan 2, Sharma 1) Imran Tahir takes the new ball, as at the very beginning of this World Cup. He starts with a couple of dots, only for a misfield at cover to get the board ticking. And another, off the last ball. If SA are going to be sloppy in the field, they might as well concede now.
“Protears,” says a punning email from Sandile Xaso. “I’d like to welcome you by saying it’s been a good day, but for any Proteas fan, it’s been miserable. Our team looks undercooked, with no clear plan. Also seems we don’t have the stomach for the fight! Our batting has failed to fire, looking outmoded and lacking any sort of thrust. Bowling has been wayward and fielding shoddy. Basically, we’re having England’s 2015 campaign.” Not that bad, surely. ”I’ve found a good pillow that I’m now going to cry into as Dhawan and Kohli flay our bowling attack.”
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Time for action. The South Africans are having a huddle, the fans are returning to their seats (looking a bit chilly), and here come Messrs Sharma and Dhawan, perhaps eyeing an early finish.
Thanks Adam and afternoon everyone. That was a hell of a performance from India: no rust, no messing, no mercy. Bumrah surgically removed the openers, then Chahal destroyed the middle order. But South Africa’s tail, once so strong, rolled back the years to turn 89-5 into 227 and give them just a glimmer of hope. Half their attack is missing, so it will be the tallest of orders, but it’s not impossible. Their score is 14 more than either side made in the famous tied semi-final of 1999.
What do we need to keep the excitement bubbling during the lunch break? Someone at Sky reckons it’s a chance to see that semi-final again, which could be just what Faf du Plessis needs to fire his team up. Our man Abhijato Sensarma reckons it’s another change of structure for the World Cup.
“I would like to present my (rather radical) World Cup format:
“Top ten teams according to ODI rankings will be divided into two groups of five teams each. Teams ranked 1-5 occupy G1 and teams ranked 5-10 occupy G2. Top five teams from Qualifying Tournament occupy G3.
“Each team plays others in its group once. All teams of G1 will qualify for the Knockouts (a reward for overall excellent form over the last four years), top two will qualify from G2, and the group winner from G3.
“The quarter-finals happen after the round-robin. QF1: G1 winner v G3 winner. QF2: G1 first runners-up v G2 first runners-up. QF3: G1 second runners-up v G2 winner. QF4: G1 third runners-up v G2 fourth runners-up. Semis: QF1 winner v QF4 winner, Q2 winner v Q3 winner. Final as per usual.
“This format does what the ODI Championship seeks to do in a more concrete manner - make all matches played in the four-year-cycle relevant. Teams will be motivated to perform since being in G1 gives secure qualification to the Knockouts. 37 matches played overall, with Big Three getting 5 guaranteed matches. Your thoughts?” Ingenious, but complicated. Formats have to be simple, especially in cricket.
Right, that’s enough from me. Tim de Lisle is here to guide you through the rest of the break and India’s chase of 227-8. Bumrah and Chahal were the stars of the morning, two fantastic bowlers. Talk to you at Trent Bridge tomorrow. Bye!
Speaking of crowds, as soon as I am off the blog I will try and find out why at least a quarter of the seats have nobody in them here today. A bit odd, isn’t it?
On a more positive note, I am sure The Oval will be packed with Bangladesh fans, as it was on Sunday. They have picked up eight per cent of all tickets to this tournament, I read on the weekend. Through another project I am working on, looking at the 1999 World Cup two decades later, we spoke to the trailblazing captain of Bangladesh’s first World Cup team, the great Aminul “Bulbul” Islam.
Great piece from Andy Bull to keep you entertained through the interval. He went for a wander at Trent Bridge the other day and learned a few things about the composition of crowds at this World Cup.
SOUTH AFRICA FINISH ON 227-9 (Tahir c Jadhav b Bhuvneshwar 0. Rabada 31 not out)
A far from ideal final over for the Proteas, only able to take three from it. After losing Morris, Rabada got a couple away to cover but gave the strike to Tahir from the next ball, leaving the tailender two balls to score off. He couldn’t, skying the final delivery of the innings to Jadhav, giving Bhuvi a second late wicket. India’s target is 228.
WICKET! Morris c Kohli b Bhuvhneshwar 42 (South Africa 224-8)
Morris skies the second ball of the final over high in the air towards Kohli at long-off, who does it with ease. The crowd behind him, cameras at the ready, love it.
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49th over: South Africa 224-7 (Morris 42, Rabada 28) Dot ball to start from Bumrah, his slower ball so hard to hit when he lands it in the channel at a left-hander. Rabada hacks one from the next, giving the strike to Morris. Can he launch long? Not this time, Bumrah doing the fielding off his own bowling after successfully cramping him up. He tries to go back over his head from the next but doesn’t get much of it at all, the ball coming off the splice and landing just over Bumrah’s head running back with the flight. Rabada now, who plays a lovely drive past mid-off up inside the circle, his second four. Last ball, penultimate over, and he misses the slower ball. Had he made contact, it was going to Portsmouth. Not to be. Fantastic from Bumrah, six taken from the 49th; his final set. The attack-leader will walk off with 2/35 to his name, claiming both openers in his super first spell.
48th over: South Africa 218-7 (Morris 41, Rabada 23) Bhuvi vs Rabada, who whacks a full toss into the gap at mid-off for two to begin, then heaves another to long-on to give Morris his chance. He’s not able to find the rope though, picking out point. Rabada again, and it’s a fat top edge landing safely at fine leg, coming back for two. Morris gets a chance against the final ball. It isn’t timed well but they do race back hard for two. Good batting to grab nine off it without a boundary.
47th over: South Africa 209-7 (Morris 38, Rabada 17) Shot! Morris shuffles outside the leg stump to carve Bumrah through extra cover for four. Rabada, lifting a couple over midwicket, makes it a 50-run partnership for these two in 43 balls, the second stand reaching that mark in this innings. They’ve done well together, especially Morris who has form against Indian bowlers in the IPL. Rabada retains the strike with a slap to point with three overs to come. 225? 235?
“Looks like we are back to 2005 all over again. Federer Nadal about to meet at Roland Garros,” suggests Avitaj Mitra. “South Africa with a pleasing run rate reminiscent of the early to mid 2000s. An Ashes series to come, which would do well to match the quality of the 2005 edition.” We should be so lucky.
South Africa to 200!
46th over: South Africa 200-7 (Morris 33, Rabada 13) Bhuvi hasn’t picked up a wicket today but he’s been so consistent and the perfect partner for Bumrah. Morris is swinging hard now - nearly caught in the deep at the start of the over and trying to put the Indian quick on the moon at the end - but he does enough in the smaller money between times (helped by a couple of wides outside the off stump) to scrap eight from it, raising the South African 200 in the process.
Chris Dent notes that all the wickets are on the ICC website here, which is certainly the case - good point. I was more interested in the twitter videos that Sky post, but this is a good place to catch up if you want to a clinic from Bumrah/ Chahal.
“I had some small hope that SA might actually do surprisingly well this tournament,” writes Richard Mansell, “but the opposite has happened. Rather than being middling they are performing rather badly. It’s pretty depressing, as an SA supporter.” Yes, this must suck. But who knows. They might bowl out India for 100 and it’ll be one of the great comebacks. Stick it out. See what happens.
45th over: South Africa 192-7 (Morris 29, Rabada 12) The perfect man to stunt any semblance of momentum? Jasprit Bumrah. Back for his third spell to close the innings, he’s too good for Rabada at either end of the over, a leg bye and a single to Morris the only runs. He has 2/20 off eight.
44th over: South Africa 190-7 (Morris 28, Rabada 12) Three good overs on the bounce for the Proteas, Morris repeating a shot from the previous time he was up against Chahal, picking out midwicket off the back foot and making no mistake.. SIX RUNS! Chahal’s day ends with 10-0-51-4, the best figures recorded across ten completed overs in World Cup 2019 so far.
43rd over: South Africa 182-7 (Morris 21, Rabada 11) Hardik is back for his sixth, which is essentially the final over of India’s fifth bowler with Jadhav banking four earlier on. He’s ahead in the count, so to speak, until the final ball when Rabada pulls away a ball on leg stump into a gap for four. He’s hanging in there but Morris needs to be the man through to the finish line.
Also, I neglected earlier to mention earlier that Tanya Aldred is on the county cricket beat today. Keep her blog open all day in the other browser.
42nd over: South Africa 173-7 (Morris 19, Rabada 4) Morris knows the deal here, making up for lost time in the previous over by launching a rare long-hop into the crowd at midwicket. Three other singles to the sweepers makes it a good one, and importantly, Morris is up the business end for the start of the 43rd as well.
Be sure to hop into The Guardian’s World Cup podcast with Emma John and her team of rotating guests. I think I’m joining her in about week four.
41st over: South Africa 164-7 (Morris 11, Rabada 3) Kuldeep’s final over, in at Rabada to begin who takes a couple off the face of his blade down to third man. A genuine edge follows, of the inside variety, just missing his woodwork. Morris, the man who needs the bulk of the strike from here, doesn’t get to face a ball. Kuldeep finishes his day with 10-0-46-1, JP Duminy his earlier scalp. Nicely bowled.
40th over: South Africa 161-7 (Morris 11, Rabada 1) Rabada is off the mark first ball, Morris picking out a gap off his pads for a couple to finish the successful Chahal over. I wish I could share with you the vision of the wickets but, as previously noted, they don’t appear to be going up today. That’s a bit odd. Do digital rights change when India are playing? I wouldn’t doubt it for a single second.
“Makes you wonder if there oughtn’t to be an award at the end of the competition for Best Captain?” writes John Starbuck. “It might not be the one with the champion team.” Yup. It’s why you pick your captain first, and so on.
WICKET! Phehlukwayo st Dhoni b Chahal 34 (South Africa 158-7)
Yuzi has four! After clearing the boundary in the previous over, Phehlukwayo tries to repeat the dose walking down at Chahal but with plenty of spin back at the batsman he is beaten between bat and pad. Dhoni does the rest, much to the joy the crowd.
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39th over: South Africa 157-6 (Phehlukwayo 34, Morris 8) WHOA! SIX RUNS! Phehlukwayo over the rope for the first time in the South African innings, leaning back and clobbering Kuldeep from the crease over cow corner, high and handsome into the crowd. Five other singles to the sweepers makes 11 from it, their first double-digit over of the innings as well.
“Dear Mr Collins (since everyone’s going all Jane Austen).” If it isn’t Robert Wilson in Paris. G’day, Bob. “I think it’s worth noting amidst all the biff and bash and dosh and cash, that this Indian team has become exceptionally squeezy. 30 overs for 120 odd is an OCD-level grip on the game. For all the flair and the funk, there’s something devastatingly humourless about way they strangle all the oppo’s options bit by bit like some tight-fisted cricketing abattoir. They’ve been doing it since last time out in Oz and have clearly noticed that it, you know, works. Makes them look hellishly strong.”
Exactly this. And a lot of it comes back to Kohli’s captaincy. I’m repeating myself a bit here, but the way he uses Jadhav shows what superb touch he has when it comes to his bowling changes. At the peak of his powers in every way.
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38th over: South Africa 146-6 (Phehlukwayo 26, Morris 5) Nice shot, Phehlukwayo down the track to the first ball over Chahal’s fresh over, lofting neatly over mid-off for a couple, then adding a single square of the wicket. Two wides from Chahal helps make six from it, which will do for now.
“The Saffers are... Saffer-ing?” Oh gosh, OB Jato. No. “I’ll show myself out.”
37th over: South Africa 140-6 (Phehlukwayo 23, Morris 4) Spin twins again, Kuldeep on for a third spell. Morris finds one from the first ball to square leg but Phehlukwayo is stuck at the crease for the rest. He tries to reverse sweep Chahal but doesn’t mix it up in the same way against Kuldeep. He gets one down the ground to finish but with 23 from 52 balls, he has to be at the end now while shifting up several gears in the final ten. Kuldeep has two overs left, Chahal four.
36th over: South Africa 138-6 (Phehlukwayo 22, Morris 3) A false stroke from Morris first up, miscuing a cut shot that deflects off an underedge past Dhoni for three. Gary Naylor just wants South Africa to get close to credibility. Who knows. After losing Miller in that successful Chahanl over, that is quite a lot harder.
Hi @collinsadam. 207 - that's the highest score chased down successfully in the World Cup so far. Okay, not such a big sample space, but sides seem to play like they're chasing 350 even if they're not. SA just need to push the ball into gaps and have a go in the last six overs.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) June 5, 2019
WICKET! Miller c & b Chahal 31 (South Africa 135-6)
Miller is done by a bit of extra bounce, returning the most straightforward chance to Chahal in his follow through. What a waste.
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35th over: South Africa 134-5 (Miller 31, Phehlukwayo 21) Bhuvi is giving nothing away and Phehlukwayo is reluctant to get jazzy with his footwork. Four dots, two singles. Rinse and repeat.
34th over: South Africa 132-5 (Miller 30, Phehlukwayo 20) I still find it hard to believe that Jadhav gets a trundle on the global stage but this is the genius of Kohli, only wheeling him out when batsmen know they can’t risk getting out to him. He’s even beating the bat now, Miller late on one that turns just enough. Thankfully, Phehlukwayo decides enough is enough and steps out of his ground to create a half-volley that he can slap over cover for four. But after that, he is back in defence for the second half of the set. Five off. Jadhav has 0/16 off four and that’ll probably be his work done with plenty of overs up the sleeve of his colleagues.
33rd over: South Africa 127-5 (Miller 29, Phehlukwayo 16) Bhuvi’s back after that two over burst from Bumrah at the Non-Hotel End. It’s the best I can do; every stand here looks the same. After three singles - Miller down the ground, Phehlukwayo tucking; Miller too - their stand sits at 39 off 60 balls. Nothing about this is easy but they have to find a way to lift the tempo very soon.
32nd over: South Africa 124-5 (Miller 27, Phehlukwayo 15) A maiden from Bumrah followed by Jadhav sneaking through an over giving up only one, a Miller single down the ground. Kohli times his introduction of the sixth bowler so well. Drinks.
31st over: South Africa 123-5 (Miller 26, Phehlukwayo 15) Ha, a maiden in the 31st over of an ODI in 2019. Of course, it is Bumrah who delivers it. To Phehlukwayo, who has to deal with a fierce bumper early on, a yorker in response, and the usual series of balls on a good length moving off the seam. He’s very good at cricket.
“Bit of a problem here, innit?” begins Peter Salmon. “If South Africa lose this then they are pretty much out of the tournament in less than a week. Means they then have to stick around for another month, playing six dead matches. Hard to see how they can stay motivated. Pride and all that, but I can see it becoming a factor if a couple more teams are doomed from about halfway.”
Yep, the the other side of the coin to the argument that India must play nine matches teams should be given a chance to all play each other in the first stage. They aren’t completely eliminated if losing today - it is possible a side could sneak through with five wins, but, yes, a long month it will almost certainly be.
30th over: South Africa 123-5 (Miller 26, Phehlukwayo 15) Jadhav plods through another belt-and-braces over, five again taken from it. Nothing to see there.
29th over: South Africa 118-5 (Miller 23, Phehlukwayo 13) Bumrah’s back to counterbalance the gentler stuff at Jadhav’s end. And first up, sure enough, he’s finding an edge - Miller’s - but it doesn’t go to hand. Things happen when Bumrah is on, Phehlukwayo taking on Kohli with a quick single evidence of that. He’s very lucky that the Indian skipper was off target. But some relief later in the over, Miller pushing an overpitched ball on leg stump down the ground for his first four.
28th over: South Africa 112-5 (Miller 18, Phehlukwayo 12) Kedar Jadhav’s turn to punch out a couple of overs as the sixth bowler while this pair are happy to pick out sweepers and consolidate. It works, his side-armers taken for five. Kohli won’t mind that at all at this stage of the innings.
27th over: South Africa 107-5 (Miller 16, Phehlukwayo 9) Just two further singles from the Kuldeep over, both square of the wicket.
Want some wickets? Here are two of them. For some reason, they aren’t all clipped up today on the Sky feeds as they normally are. But I’ll post what I see.
Chahal is a superstar of the future! 🌟
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2019
He grabbed 2 vital wickets in the 20th over, knocking over middle stump for the first as der Dussen looked to reverse sweep!
Watch the #CWC19 live on Sky World Cup or follow our live blog: https://t.co/jiRQILFQDN pic.twitter.com/GHRp2G1KHB
26th over: South Africa 105-5 (Miller 15, Phehlukwayo 8) Good bowling from Chahal, ripping through an accurate 60-second over to keep the pressure on the new pair. Singles to each down the ground but that’s their lot.
“You’ve only gone and done it again!” note Andy Tyacke of the praise I was giving van der Dussen before he fell one ball later. Sigh. “I suggest that you are a closet Saffer! If you aren’t, please don’t ever praise England and feel free to praise our opponents at every opportunity!!!!!!!!”
Not at all South African, but I am on the tools for the second dig of England’s next match against Bangladesh on Saturday, so I will try to keep this in mind!
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25th over: South Africa 103-5 (Miller 14, Phehlukwayo 7) Another good over from South Africa courtesy of their two assertive middle order players, stroking Kuldeep around to sweepers positioned both square of the wicket and down the ground. More, please.
“Mr. Collins.” Nishan Venugopal. Hello to you. “Bumrah’ss maiden wickets in each of the formats are as follows
Tests : AB de Villiers
ODIs : Steve Smith
T20s : David Warner
If you take major tournaments, it goes on as follows
IPL : Virat Kohli
Champions Trophy : Chris Morris
T20 World Cup: Corey Anderson
ODI World Cup : Hashim Amla
Can you think about any other bowler with such prolific batsmen as their first scalps?”
It’s niche, but I’ll pay it. Nicely assembled. He sure is box office, as they say.
24th over: South Africa 98-5 (Miller 11, Phehlukwayo 5) Miller is productive early in the Chahal over, giving the strike to Phehlukwayo, who reaches a reverse sweep second ball, middling it away to the rope. Gutsy cricket given that shot brought the end of van der Dussen off the leggie to start this collapse, but he’s played it well. “This is his natural game,” notes Graeme Smith on TMS. Singles for each to end the over, nine off it. South Africa’s best so far today.
“Speaking of finding a telly,” begins Adrian Mack. “Any idea on World Cup viewing figures in the UK? Does seem like a huge missed opportunity to get a new audience for the game judging by the half empty (?) ground and the difficulty of finding anything on free to air. I tried recording Eng v Pak on C4 after midnight and got Gogglebox instead.”
It’s probably closer to 80 per cent capaity now, but yes, it is a fraction odd given this is India’s first game and I am sure it was a sell out - on paper at least. As for TV, I don’t have those numbers but I am sure somebody out there does?
WICKET! Duminy lbw b Kuldeep 3 (South Africa 89-5)
Oh yes, DRS confirms that is very out. Duminy was caught on the crease, Kuldeep’s straighter delivery as lethal as Chahal’s a few overs ago. “It must be a dark place in the South African dressing room,” Graeme Smith says on TMS.
23rd over: South Africa 89-5 (Miller 7)
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IS DUMINY LBW TO KULDEEP? I suspect so. The umpire says so. But he’s going upstairs to check. Stand by.
22nd over: South Africa 88-4 (Miller 6, Duminy 3) Both players are looking to score from the get-go, which is the only logical approach with this game slipping away very quickly from the Proteas. Miller picks out the sweeper at midwicket, Duminy gliding behind point then Miller driving to extra cover. All singles at this stage for this new pair, but good fences make good neighbours.
21st over: South Africa 85-4 (Miller 4, Duminy 2) One, two, three, four, five singles from the Kuldeep over from the new pair, showing them his full repertoire. He is reintroduced at the non-Hotel End to partner Chahal. It’s spin from both ends.
WICKET! du Plessis b Chahal 38 (South Africa 80-4)
Two in an over! Chahal is on fire. His faster, straigher ball has beaten du Plessis all ends up. The captain’s battle is over. Just when South Africa looked to be getting somewhere, they’re very much back to square one.
20th over: South Africa 80-4 (Miller 1)
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WICKET! van der Dussen b Chahal 22 (South Africa 78-3)
van der Dussen went down low for the reverse sweep from the first ball of Chahal’s new over and he has missed the lot. Pitching comfortably outside leg stump, the right-hander was left reaching to make any contact. He didn’t, losing his middle stump. The replay shows how much drift Chahal had on it too. Excellent bowling.
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19th over: South Africa 78-2 (du Plessis 38, van der Dussen 22) Three singles from Hardik’s over, this pair starting to look a little bit steadier at the crease. Oh, actually, I better leave that thought and hit send on this post now for I can see the future.
18th over: South Africa 75-2 (du Plessis 37, van der Dussen 20) The leggie Chahal gets his first go from the Hotel End, replacing Kuldeep following his three overs. He’s too full to begin, which allows Faf to drive risk-free through cover for three. Nice shot. He’s on the mark to van der Dussen first up, though, ripping one past his outside edge. To be able to land one of those second up. Sigh. The South African No4 plays the rest defensively and respectfully.
What a golden era for wrist spin this era of ODI cricket has turned into. The aforementioned Indian pair, Rashid Khan and Adil Rashid all at the top of the game. Adam Zampa isn’t far behind them as Australia’s No1.
17th over: South Africa 71-2 (du Plessis 34, van der Dussen 19) Hardik goes short to van der Dussen to start after the drinks break, the right-hander responding cleverly to it by lifting over backward point for a couple. Another single off his pads puts Faf back on strike, who takes the one on offer at point. van der Dussen finishes with a couple into the gap behind square. That’s better. Accumulation.
16th over: South Africa 65-2 (du Plessis 33, van der Dussen 15) Kuldeep gets behind du Plessis’ edge early in the over but the captain - who is really toughing it out here - responds with a full-blooded sweep shot that crashes into the boundary. That’s something for him to enjoy while he takes a drink at the end of the over.
“A few months ago, when the lovely wristie was operating at the height of his powers against Australia, I sent in this email to you on an OBO,” emails Abhijato Sensarma.
“Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling average of 20.84 is frankly as ridiculous as Kohli’s batting average of 59.80. We need to take an unbelieving bow for the young man. It’s been one elongated purple patch for the leggie (which means it has translated into something more indicative of his skills), and I think the degree of his success at this World Cup will decide Kuldeep’s position amidst the all-time ODI greats!”
“I was getting carried away, at least too soon. The frankly disastrous IPL season has surely brought down his confidence. But with India needing him to be at his best in this tournament, his BMT needs to come to the fore, and one could almost see this as being his tournament.”
No complaints from me. I was behind the mic at Dharamsala during his Test debut a couple of years ago and it was the most joyous first spell. He’s a good’un.
15th over: South Africa 56-2 (du Plessis 26, van der Dussen 13) With eight off it, that’s South Africa’s best over of the morning. Granted, the boundary was again off the edge - Faf’s, when he failed to middle a half-tracker from Hardik - but they all count at this point. In better news, van der Dussen looks to be in decent nick.
14th over: South Africa 48-2 (du Plessis 19, van der Dussen 12) A rare boundary, van der Dussen launching into a half-volley, crunching it through cover. Until that point, Kuldeep was well ahead in the over, nearly sorting out du Plessis with his wrong’un, prompting two ineffective sweeps where contact wasn’t made.
@collinsadam assignment. According to Harsha Bhogle, the BCCI tweaked the schedule of the IPL and this is the best they could do. In any case, India now have 4 of their 5 toughest tests in the space of 11 days so not sure it's a great help to start late. (2/2)
— Kartikey Srivastava (@KSrivastava17) June 5, 2019
13th over: South Africa 43-2 (du Plessis 18, van der Dussen 8) We have a delay when Hardik hits Faf on the middle finger of his bottom hand with a real snorter. That’s the second ball in two overs taking off like that from the all-rounder. du Plessis has a history of finger injuries, breaking one last year when Australia were in town. Of course, he went on to make a Test century afterwards, reinforcing just how tough he is. After some attention from the medical staff, he continues his innings. Back in his stance, the South African captain wafts at the first ball after the stoppage, missing it by a long way. Regrouping, he’s back over the top of the final offering. He won’t throw it away.
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12th over: South Africa 40-2 (du Plessis 15, van der Dussen 8) Bumrah is also replaced at the Hotel End, Kuldeep into the attack. Bouncing in, du Plessis enjoys getting off strike first ball behind square, van der Dussen doing likewise as the left-arm spinner finds his range. He’s in the groove by the end of his first over. With so much variation, he can be a difficult bowler to get on top of once set.
11th over: South Africa 37-2 (du Plessis 13, van der Dussen 7) Hardik Pandya replaces Bhuvi after a five over spell that went for 20 runs all up. The Indian all-rounder loves bowling in England, his five-wicket bag at Trent Bridge last year especially memorable. He is a yard slower but no less effective, conceding just three singles. One of those is off the edge of du Plessis, the outside of his bat getting quite the workout this morning. Watching the replay, that really took off. How can South Africa turn this around? Will they take on the spinners?
10th over: South Africa 34-2 (du Plessis 11, van der Dussen 6) 70 per cent of deliveries in the power play were dot balls, the press box scorer announces at the end of another frugal and biting Bumrah over. It’s van der Dussen under the microscope this time, defending from the crease trying to use the pace of the ball to score behind point but only able to achieve that objective once with a push in that general direction. In response, Bumrah puts his back into one that leaps up and smacks him in the chest. Oooooooh, the Indian fans roar. They are loving this.
9th over: South Africa 32-2 (du Plessis 11, van der Dussen 4) Bhuvi’s turn to drop in an utter unplayable, hitting the seam and beating du Plessis with a ball that flies through at shoulder height from just short of a good length. He wasn’t expected to play today, Shami the more likely partner for Bumrah on paper. But he’s been excellent so far in tandem with the Indian top dog. A second over in a row where van der Dussen gets a single from the first ball before du Plessis absorbs the rest.
“What’s the deal with access to the Hampshire Bowl?” asks Andrew Benton. “I’m planning to go to one of the games there later this month. Is there any public transport?”
There is a free bus from the station on match days, if I recall correctly. But if you are staying here the night before, it’s not fun. Busses exist but they don’t run that often, operated by two companies with tickets that aren’t compatible. My advice, on that basis, would be to just show up on game day and follow the signs.
8th over: South Africa 31-2 (du Plessis 11, van der Dussen 3) Bumrah again. van der Dussen does the smart thing, getting off strike with a push to single first ball. Back to du Plessis, who draws on all his experience to keep out the rest of the over with a straight bat. With Bumrah bowling this well, and this fast, it is all about survival.
7th over: South Africa 30-2 (du Plessis 11, van der Dussen 2) Bhuvi into his fourth over, doing the job at the other end giving du Plessis nothing to work with. That is until the final ball directed on the pads, which Faf clips away with ease. After a sketchy start, some respite at last for the skipper.
6th over: South Africa 26-2 (du Plessis 7, van der Dussen 2) We are watching a magnificent fast bowler at the peak of his powers. I’ve been lucky to witness Bumrah deliver some ridiculous spells over the last three and a half years since his international debut and this is right up there. Find a telly.
This Bumrah is bowling a very very special spell #VVSBumrah
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 5, 2019
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WICKET! de Kock c Kohli b Bumrah 10 (South Africa 24-2)
Kohli pops in a third slip for Bumrah and it works a treat! Wondrous fast bowling from Bumrah, who tempts de Kock into driving from his crease. In keeping with the theme of the morning so far, the edge was found and this time carried, Kohli doing the rest at the position he had moved himself a few balls earlier. Brilliant.
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5th over: South Africa 22-1 (de Kock 9, du Plessis 6) Bhuvi into it first ball of his new over, de Kock misjudging a ball on his pads, a leading edge spitting over the slips and running away for four. A lucky lad. Giving the strike to his captain with a single, du Plessis is also using the skinny part of his blade, an inside edge this time running away behind square, for two. Then an outside edge! Just short of second slip. India are all over them here.
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4th over: South Africa 15-1 (de Kock 4, du Plessis 4) Faf nearly bowled first ball! Bumrah goes full to begin at the South African captain, winning an inside edge that is so close to the leg stump. Instead, he opens his account with a four first ball. This is already quite the spell, du Plessis’ outside edge then found later in the over, landing just short of the two waiting slips. What a way for Bumrah to begin his World Cup career.
“India and the BCCI have threatened to put a dampener on this competition in so many ways (The lack of day/nights, their weekend games opposed to the lack of England’s) – but it is great they are finally here,” says Neil Harris. “The World Cup can now come alive, with South Africa turning them over!” Famous last words.
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WICKET! Amla c Rohit b Bumrah 6 (South Africa 11-1)
Gorgeous! Bumrah, backing up his perfect set to de Kock, gets a delivery to deck away from Amla, collecting the outside edge on the way to second slip with Rohit making no mistake. What a bowler this man is. The best in the business.
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3rd over: South Africa 10-0 (Amla 6, de Kock 4) Shot. Amla leans into a square drive first ball of the new Bhuvi over, stroking past point to the rope for the first boundary of the day. The South African openers exchange singles to third man later in the over, Amla then watching the rest pass him by. No issues from this end.
2nd over: South Africa 4-0 (Amla 1, de Kock 3) OOOOHHH!! Run out chance missed by Dhoni from three metres! de Kock raced back for a second run down to fine leg but was struggling, Dhoni collecting the throw and taking a ping but just missing. When these teams played in the Champions Trophy quarter final in 2017, South Africa batted first and suffered three runs out. Chill out, fellas! Meanwhile, Bumrah is bowling absolutely beautifully. His first ball nearly yorks de Kock at pace then later in the set he beats him twice with two absolute beauties. “The best over of the World Cup,” declares Michael Vaughan on the wireless. Outstanding.
Nice piece here on Kapil’s World Cup 175, an innings that truly did change the course of history for the Indian men’s cricket team.
1st over: South Africa 2-0 (Amla 1, de Kock 1) A conservative start, reflecting the fact that Bhuvi is immediately landing them straight into a shoebox just short of a length. Amla deflected a single to third man first up, de Kock pushing a quickish single to mid-off. It’s a public holiday in India today, Prakash Wakankar says on TMS, so the television audience will be gigantic for this game.
A brief pause for anthems here at Hampshire Bowl. Which looks... um, half full? That’s not at all what I was expecting. Admittedly, this is a dreadful place to access for spectators. I’ve never quite worked out why administrators are so keen on using it for international cricket. Hopefully, the spare seats for the first ball has nothing to do with ticketing or people waiting in queues outside.
THE PLAYERS ARE ON THE FIELD! I know because the Loryn BANGER is playing on the PA. They’ve really nailed it with this World Cup anthem. Amla and de Kock are in the middle, the former taking guard at our Shane Warne Hotel end. Master new baller Bhuvi is opening up from the far end, running towards us. PLAY!
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“Nice to have India join us,” emails Peter Salmon, opening the batting on the email for the day. “I note they are already ahead of South Africa on the table, with a much better net run rate. They must have been tempted to sit this one out and keep their advantage.”
There are lot of theories circulating about how India managed to avoid entering the tournament until now. But as Tim noted on his lovely preamble, better late than never. It’s a tasty first outing too, able to just about end South Africa’s campaign in the space of a week. Not mathematically, but you know what I mean.
Did everyone see Kagiso Rabada’s pop at Kohli a couple of days ago, saying that the Indian captain is “immature” on the field? A touch cheeky given his own form, but I liked it. When asked about it yesterday, the bearded supremo was very happy to leave it through to the ‘keeper. As the great Harsha Bhogle noted, this is nothing he hasn’t heard before. Still, it will be a contest to look out for later today.
Right, those teams. South Africa lost Ngidi through injury; Shamsi is in for him - makes sense. Markram, though, who played at Hampshire and made a stack of runs, has lost his spot to Amla, who is back after copping a ball to the head via Jofra. Both played in that tournament opener. It will mean that Faf stays at three.
For India, Shami is the unlucky man with the number two seed taking Bhuvi and Bumrah as their two specialist quicks, Hardik the seaming all-rounder also there. Wrist spinners Chahal and Kuldeep edge out Jadeja as the frontline slow bowlers, Jadhav in there too for a few of his sidearm specials. They’re such a strong team.
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South Africa: Quinton de Kock (+), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Lokesh Rahul, MS Dhoni (+), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
A bit to take out of these, I’ll gather my thoughts. Thanks to Tim de Lisle for the build up, by the way. You’ll hear from him again during the second innings.
Faf du Plessis has won the toss. South Africa are batting first
Teams shortly.
PS - Hello!
When you write an OBO, you often forget the game straight away – it’s an intense process, you’re in the moment for three and a half hours, and then the moment has passed. It’s like sitting an exam in your favourite subject. But Monday’s thriller between England and Pakistan has stayed with me for a full 36 hours. There’s one question nagging away: how did the world’s greatest chasers, playing at home, on their favourite ground, against a team out of form, manage to lose?
As in any good thriller, there are several suspects.
1 England’s fielding Poor old Jason Roy’s drop is threatening to become as famous as Ben Stokes’s catch, but it was costly (Hafeez added another 70 off, from memory, 51 balls). And England’s ground fielding was shoddy. “It cost us 15 or 20 runs,” said Eoin Morgan, himself one of the offenders. They lost by 14.
2 Extras England conceded 20, Pakistan only eight. Bung in a few overthrows and, again, you have the difference between the sides.
3 Fast bowlers England’s were faster, but Pakistan’s were more incisive. Jofra Archer (who actually bowled well) ended up with 0-79, and Chris Woakes only took wickets at the death. The first scalp for an England seamer came in the 33rd over. Mark Wood was excellent (2-53), but Ben Stokes didn’t come to this party (0-43) and Liam Plunkett was badly missed. Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz took five wickets between them, and they struck at vital moments.
4 Leg spinners England’s main wicket-taker in one-day cricket is Adil Rashid, partly because Morgan so obviously trusts him. Not on Monday: Rashid’s first five overs went for 43, and his second five never came. Shadab Khan, by contrast, opened the bowling, removed Jason Roy, and returned to deceive Joe Root with his quicker ball.
5 The hundred When Joe Root reached three figures, he was the first man to do so in this World Cup. But there is such a thing as a match-losing century (just ask Pakistan, who made a few of them in May). Root, superb as he was in many ways, struggled to lift his strike rate above a run a ball, and he ended up with 107 off 104. The overall asking rate was seven an over, so if he went at six, his partners had to go at eight. The great Jos Buttler managed it, with 103 off 76 – he and Root, house-mates last winter in Sydney, are beautifully matched. Chris Woakes managed it, briefly. But nobody else could do it, and Morgan and Stokes ate up 36 balls between them while making only 22 runs. Compare and contrast with Sarfaraz Ahmed (55 off 44 balls) and Pakistan’s last five batsmen (46 off 30).
Conclusion: it’s a funny old game. And a complicated one. Now over to Adam Collins – see you after lunch.
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Tim de Lisle's preamble: not easy, tigers
Quiz question. What does Virat Kohli have in common with the Queen? Answer: probably quite a few things, but the most relevant one is that the Queen arrives at a party last. Today, as South Africa embark on their third match of this World Cup, India play their first. According to sources close to the OBO readership (thank you Abhijato Sensarma), it’s because their board insists on a break after the IPL. And, I might add, because the ICC doesn’t always twig that the point of a governing body is to make sure the rich and powerful are treated the same as everyone else.
The ethics may be dubious, the optics off-putting, but the aesthetics could be the better for it. The Indians are walking straight into the middle of a drama. The South Africans are tottering already after losing to England and Bangladesh, both times after winning the toss. To add injury to insult, they have now lost the great Dale Steyn too. They stand second-bottom in the table, fractionally above Afghanistan. They are even behind India, because their net run rate is -1.25 whereas India, being yet to take the field, are on 0. (Of the four subcontinental nations, by the way, Bangladesh are top, being well ahead of Sri Lanka and Pakistan on net run rate. Savour the moment.)
So South Africa come to the party as the cornered tigers. That phrase comes from the 1992 World Cup, the only other one to have the same format as 2019 – all play all, no groups. There were nine teams then and Imran’s tigers got out of their corner with just four wins (and a no-result). Faf du Plessis, as impressive as Imran in his demeanour, reckons that this time it will take six wins out of nine. So, if they lose today, every game becomes a knock-out.
For India, things are far more relaxed. They did lose their last three one-day internationals – all at home, against a resurgent Australia – but that was before the IPL, so it will feel like years ago. The question for Kohli and co. is whether they can hit the ground running, as West Indies and New Zealand have (both on net run rates above 5, three times as good as anyone else’s). We’re in Southampton, where the pitch is usually very sporting. Play starts at 10.30am BST.
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