Out strides Aaron Finch, leading the Australian XI onto the field for the final time in 50-over cricket. Both teams take the oval and stand by the boundary for a minute’s silence in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
It’s 30 degrees, bright and sunny in Cairns with a southerly breeze taking the edge off the sun’s intensity.
Continue reading...4th over: Australia 14-2 (Smith 6, Labuschagne 3) Marnus joins his mentor at the crease with green and gold backs against the wall. He’s away straight off with a pretty on-drive for three. Smith then repeats the shot bit gets a bit more oomph on it and it goes to the rope.
I’ve not had time to slurp my Kenco with this rapid start, it’s now tepid at best. Tough gig eh. It’s creeping up to 6am here in London, if you are out there then do drop me a line with your thoughts and/or theories.
Continue reading...Cameron Green and Alex Carey have steered Australia to an unlikely victory over New Zealand in their opening ODI in Cairns with the hosts languishing at 44-5 at one stage.
Chasing 233 to win, Australia’s innings under lights began abysmally when skipper Aaron Finch fell once again to a left-arm seamer, scoring just five for a second consecutive innings.
Continue reading...WHAT A CATCH. Glenn Maxwell pouches a scintillating diving catch at backward point. Think Ben Stokes off Stuart Broad in the 2015 Ashes at Trent Bridge! Guptill slices a length ball on the drive and it flies off his blade to Maxwell’s left hand side. Maxwell launches himself goalkeeper stylee to pluck the ball out of the air as it went past him at high speed. Ooof, get that on the replay.
5th over: New Zealand 10-1 (Conway 1, Williamson 0)
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40th over: New Zealand 130-4 (Nicholls 16, Watling 2) Just a smear by Watling and a single off Leach’s over.
39th over: New Zealand 128-4 (Nicholls 15, Watling 1) Golden arm Curran strikes again with his variations and unexpected fizz. Enthusiastic as a puppy but tenacious and wise as a, um, police dog? Williamson’s wicket totally against the run of play, and just after he’d reached fifty with a four down to the third man boundary. England now on top.
Continue reading...England’s five-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand began with a relative stroll in Hagley Park as a typically stylish hand from James Vince helped set up a seven-wicket victory with nine balls to spare.
When Eoin Morgan launched his opposite number, Tim Southee, over deep mid-wicket for six, it completed a chase of 154 that rarely felt in doubt after Vince had finessed 38-ball 59 from No 3. In such a picture-postcard setting, perhaps it was fitting that England’s most aesthetically-pleasing batsmen should prove the difference.
Continue reading...New Zealand cricket fans suffered through the night as their team fell excruciatingly short of victory at Lord’s
They emerged tired and emotional in the predawn light. They shuffled from living room couches or from the New Zealand bars lucky enough to organise short-notice liquor licences. Then, they went back to their Monday mornings.
No teacher or manager in the whole country would be naive enough to believe them if they said they had come down with the flu. They would have to wear their decision to stay up all night and watch the most thrilling cricket World Cup final ever played.
Continue reading...This was the most astonishing, fortuitous, preposterous climax to any cricket match I’ve witnessed, let alone a World Cup final. Only the Kiwis could have coped so graciously with the manner of their defeat in the most riveting final this tournament has ever witnessed. At the end of it England emerged as World Cup winners for the first time. It is hard to believe how they managed it. We had better start at the end.
The game had been gripping throughout. But in the final over it had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller. England needed 15 runs to win from the last over, which was bowled by Trent Boult. Ben Stokes was on strike with two wickets remaining.
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