Skip to main content

Editor's Pick (T20): Australia - New Zealand

By
“England needs to not only win but win significantly to get a better run rate.” If you read my previous blog you would remember this line I had posted. England won the match against New Zealand on 18th Feb 2018. But only by 2 runs. That was clearly not enough. The net run rate did not get better. Hence, New Zealand got through and is meeting Australia in the finals tomorrow.

England would be disappointed. They had a beautiful chance. But having said that, it was NZ’s home advantage that got them through to the finals as well. England did play really well. It was their best day yet at the tournament. NZ enters the finals with a loss but they will feel good about the fact that they do get to walk into the finals, which England does not. Despite winning. The key was to play the spinners and the change of pace in the middle overs. Eoin Morgan, who won the man of the match, is not a happy man either.
Let’s talk about the finals.

Probable New Zealand Squad: Playing XI: Ross Taylor, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert (wk), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner
Bench:Anaru Kitchen, Ben Wheeler, Henry Nicholls

Probable Australia Squad: Playing XI: Aaron Finch, David Warner (c), Kane Richardson, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Lynn, Ashton Agar, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Billy Stanlake, Andrew Tye, D Arcy Short
Bench:Travis Head, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis

Avg 1st inn score:
173
Avg 2nd inn score:
151
Highest Total:
245/5 (18.5 Ov) by Aus vs NZ
Lowest Total:
107/10 (14.5 Ov) by NZ vs RSA
Highest Chased:
245/5 (18.5 Ov) by Aus vs NZ
Lowest Defended:
165/7 (20 Ov) by RSA vs NZ

The other finalist could not have been either team. This was a race that had excitement until the last minute. Will the finals also have the thrill or will it be a one-sided match? Time will tell. Australia is in a fantastic winning streak. A victory in the finals will be their sixth straight win taking them higher up the ICC T20 ranking order.
If Zampa gets the nod, one of the Aussie key players will lose their place. Will they change their winning combination?
NZ must bowl first if they win the toss. Point to be noted - NZ has lost their last four matches at Eden Park. Will being the home team matter now?

There is a chance that it might rain. So D&L might be invited. So best if both teams hit hard from the word go. You can never tell when the run rate would matter. Except for Zampa, I do not see any change in the playing eleven for both the teams.

Key players

New Zealand
Colin Munro
Martin Guptill
Trent Boult
Tim Southee

Australia
David Warner
D’Arcy Short
Glenn Maxwell
Kane Richardson
Andrew Tye

Australia won all four of their games and are favourites for Wednesday's final at Eden Park in Auckland.

Indu


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From all of us Fans to Players & Officials: Please don't treat us with kid gloves

By Anonymous
As any fan will tell you, we not just love, but understand the sport and our teams like no one else. And that’s also why they keep bankrolling the big fat salaries of the players, the profits of the clubs and the boondoggle of officials. The recently concluded test match raised, in my mind, three instances where the thought process seems to be – it is OK for us to handle it, but it is too hot for fans . Common, now, please don’t treat us with kid gloves. One: The first one, inevitably, is about the DRS and taking the dugouts inputs in it. The rules are clear – the decision to ask for a decision review stays with the players on the field. Within a few seconds of the umpires’ decision, the batting team can dispute an out decision or the bowling team can dispute a not-out decision, without consulting with anyone outside the playing field. The controversy of Smith’s ‘brain-fade’ and Kohli’s allegations have played out ad nauseam on TV and cyberspace, so I will spare you that
2 comments
Read more

Need for co-ed sports

By
Now, this is hardly a feminist piece. I am not here to tell you that women can do anything that men can and better too. One, you know it too. Two, this is hardly about women. I am not here to praise women and demand better rights. I am talking about the possibility that the entire field of sports can take a whole new meaning if gender is not made the criterion. So this is how the idea for the blog started. The Women’s Indian Cricket Team performed really well at the world cup this year. Mithali Raj praised her team for their hard work, persistence, and passion for the game. She also added that there should be an IPL tournament in the country for the women’s team now. Raj believes that the team’s fantastic game has increased the fan following for the women’s team as well and that they have earned their place here. While I am honestly not sure about an IPL tournament for women, it did get me thinking. Why not mixed sports? Now that girls play almost all the games that the guys do, w
3 comments
Read more

Editor’s Pick: England Vs Australia

By
Group A. Wide Open. With Bangladesh having won the match, Australia and New Zealand have been dumped to the bottom two. This adds pressure to the match today. A do-or-die clash always has its charm. Coming back to us fans, while the men hope to do a good job on the field, we need to pick a good lineup for our dream team. Let’s get on with it. England first. England is on top with four points from two wins, yes. But there is no need to slack and take it easy. They would want their best men in front. 77% have added Alex Hales to their lineup. With a salary of 8, I’d want him on my team too. But then, that’s just me. Jason Roy is under pressure to perform, so he will want to put on a good show. I might risk him as well. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, still fresh from their IPL tournaments are pretty good bets. Joe Root is a must, along with Morgan of course. The Captain. Now, the bowlers. Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett and Jake Ball should be in. Australia Star
1 comment
Read more