That fact Devcich was given just one over & Williamson didn't even try bowling himself indicates to me that putting the fast men through their paces on a much less responsive wicket was more of a priority than winning.
So while I acknowledge it was an extremely tough situation for the fast men, I have the following concerns;
1) There was no plan B when the short ball wasn't working & there were far too many short balls around chest and not head-height. The Pakistani pace men bowled better bouncers when it was their turn.
2) What happened to the yorker? I mean I get it's not 1999 anymore when the word 'yorker' was synonymous with limited overs bowling & I do understand batsmen counter it by standing deeper in their creases, but for us to land 2-3 (I think it was) in 50 overs when clearly the short ball, length ball & even short slower balls weren't working was both perplexing & concerning.
3) Anderson & Neesham with the ball. I know I'm sounding like a broken record about the bowling of these two & I do acknowledge that Henry & McClenaghan had really bad evenings as well, but at least the latter two have some bowling credibility in the bank. For me, Neesham & Anderson just cannot be relied upon for any more than maybe 2-3 overs (at the most) between them. I just checked the most expensive ODI bowlers in the last 2 years (with 10+ wickets) and was not surprised to see these two right up there. Anderson at the death last night could not have been worse if he tried, if it wasn't one of the 5 wides he bowled, or a 125km chest high bouncer, it was the most perfectly delivered length balls that were just asking to be hit. So whoever decided Anderson is the man for the death better think again.
It's probably a good wake-up call that this happened now, so will be interesting how the powers at be respond.
