Andrew Strauss said that his team is very good at bouncing back and they certainly are. From a situation where it looked as if they would go home, they bounced back to keep themselves alive in the biggest competition. England have lost games which they should have won and it looked as if the trend would continue but a fantastic comeback ensured that their hopes stayed alive.
Strauss’s decision to bat first was a very good one. The wicket looked better than the one that was used for the England vs. South Africa game. There were lesser cracks and the bounce and carry to the wicket-keeper was much better. However, there was turn for the spinners as the result suggests. England batted well as Trott and Strauss looked in good touch. To say that Trott looked in good touch is an understatement as he found the middle of the bat right from ball one. He stroked six out of his first nine balls to the boundary. All the shots were classical shots not slogs. The ease with which he played those shots just highlighted his class.
In the middle overs England lost their way as Strauss and Trott fell in quick succession. Andre Russell and Devendra Bishoo bowled really well to get the breakthroughs. It helped restrict England to 243 but they could have done better when they got six wickets when the score was 170 odd. After that the West Indies looked really casual on the field as they did not push too much for wickets. Luke Wright was in and is a dangerous player but the West Indians could have brought the field in to put pressure and make him play the big shots. There were singles on offer for Wright which eased the pressure on him.
West Indies not only made mistakes in the later overs of the England innings but also in their batting. They made too many changes to their batting order which can have a very unsettling effect on the players. Darren Sammy promoted himself to number three and he played well but fell at a crucial juncture. There was no need to send Devon Thomas before Sarwan. Sarwan is an experienced campaigner and had he come earlier he would have had a better understanding of the situation and played himself in. Sammy and Gayle were blazing but should have been more careful on that particular pitch. In hindsight, dropping Chanderpaul proved costly. He may not be in form but in such situations it is experience that counts.
England are back alive. This may just be the turning point for them as who knows what they can do next. The script for England in this tournament has been that of a film as pointed out by one of the commentators. There have been upsets, great wins and a tie, a recipe for a super hit. They were brave yesterday as they made three changes to their team and gave World Cup debuts to those picked. All of them came good yesterday in some way. Wright scored crucial runs and Tremlett took a match winning catch. I had written in my previous post that Tredwell should be played but it was a risk. England were brave enough to take that risk and it paid off as he put in a man of the match performance.
One thing that would strike ardent followers is what next? If we go back to 1992 and analyse the way Pakistan won the cup, there is a similar pattern. The question is can England do what Pakistan did in 1992? Can they peak at the right time? If they do, it would be nothing short of great.
Today, Ireland and Netherlands faced off at the Mecca of Indian Cricket, Eden Gardens. Both teams performed very well with the bat but it was Ireland that stole the show. Ten Doeschate and Borren played very well to propel their team to a three hundred plus total, a feat that they narrowly missed against England. When Ireland walked out to bat, one would have thought that their chances depended on their middle order but their openers set up the win. They got off to a brisk start courtesy Stirling as Porterfield held one end. It was great to see Stirling come good. He got off to a few starts in the tournament but never converted them into big ones. Today, he was simply sensational and I say he is one for the future. He can turn into an even more useful player if he works more on his bowling.
The signs from Ireland have been very good. They haven’t been bogged down by the pressure or overawed by the occasion. It shows the progress they have made in the last few years. Now comes the time when they have to be promoted by the ICC. Rather than playing just one ODI a year against the strong sides, they should now tour a few countries. These tours will help develop the young talent in their team which at times goes to England with the aim of playing test cricket. If Ireland continues to perform well on such tours, who knows they may be up for test status.
Sri Lanka have beaten New Zealand by 112 runs. They are looking a very balanced side and in my opinion are the strongest contenders for the title with Australia. Sangakkara played a very good innings today as he ensured wickets did not fall after early damage but accelerated in the end. The best thing for me was the Wankhede pitch. For years it was a square turner but the relaying has been done very well. There is enough for both the batsmen and the bowlers and this is what we want to see.
We have two good games tomorrow. Bangladesh play South Africa, probably the most important game of their lives till now. If they win they go through but beating South Africa is a tough ask. Bangladesh can win if their left arm spinners dent the South African batting in the middle order. Australia will play Pakistan in Colombo. A game both teams would like to win to maintain momentum going into the knock out stages. This game would help determine the quarterfinal line-up. Difficult to predict who will win that one though.
Till next time, Good bye.
No comments:
Post a Comment