The see saw tri series has taken yet another turn, with the hapless South African’s mauling the Australian side to win by 47 runs last night, and in the process securing a crucial bonus point as well.
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All the batsmen that were having a gala time on the flat Indian tracks have been utterly humbled by the slow, sluggish and turning Guyana surface. But it’s been a refreshing change, to watch bowlers dominate the batsmen, especially after two months of IPL, where the bowlers have found it a little tough to find their feet. It’s the batsman’s turn to adapt to adverse conditions this time and by the looks of it, they aren’t doing a very good job.
None of the teams in this tri series have reached that elusive 200 mark with the bat, and this a testament to the pitch and the lack of application by the batsmen. The T20 mode is still to make way and until that happens, you can expect the bowlers to have a stronghold in this series.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat which was a logical decision keeping in mind how the pitch could deteriorate over 100 overs. The openers had struck a plan of not giving wickets in the first 10 and stuck to it for most part until Quinton De Kock was wrongly adjudged LBW.
Roussow didn’t make any significant contribution this time round and the onus was then on Amla and ABD to take the Proteas to a respectable total. But just as they were starting to flourish, Steve Smith produced a fine bit of skill in the field to run Amla out.
De Villiers who didn’t look his normal free flowing self in the last game, continued his struggle in this game as well, failing to record even a single boundary. While the Indians have been fortunate enough to witness AB tonk the ball to all parts of the field, the West Indians are yet to witness him score his first boundary on this tour.
Duminy too made a very short appearance at the crease and ultimately it was Behardien who somehow found some inspiration and helped his side accumulate a total of 189, by scoring 60 odd in trying conditions.
The Australian seamers were impeccable with their line and length, especially Hazleweood who just didn’t give away anything. He ended with figures of 10-3-20-2.
Chasing anything over 180 was going to be difficult on a crumbling Guyana surface but you would have backed the power packed Australian batting unit to hunt down the total with ease. But the South African bowlers were hell bent on making the chase a real difficult one for the Aussies.
Parnell caught Warner right in front in the 2nd over and there was just no looking back for Parnell and co. from there. The spinners completely bamboozled the Australian middle order as neither Maxi nor Marsh could cope well with them.
Finch fought on valiantly all throughout but literally no support from the other end, it always looked like a lost cause. Lower down the order, Lyon did put up a fight by scoring a gritty 30 odd, but in the end it just wasn’t enough as Australia succumbed to a 47 run loss
Out of all the players it was surprising to see Finch play such a brilliant knock in turning conditions, as he is traditionally not a great player of spin bowling.
Now, with all three teams having a victory apiece, it makes for a really interesting two weeks of cricket in the Caribbean.
Australia and South Africa have the edge, as they both have earned a bonus point each but the home advantage, spinning tracks and Narine’s form make the Windies a more than a formidable opponent
Do tune into the preview and the Fantasy tips for the next game in the tri series on the 11th of June.
