ODI Final 1 - Australia at The Gabba
We will go unchanged from the side that beat SA last time out. Australia have dropped Gillespie for Tait and still show an invintingly long tail. We win the toss and have a real conundrum, before deciding to bowl first up.
Australia Innings
Bravo gets a bit of stick in his opening spell, so is off for Emrit slightly earlier than usual. Emrit unfortunatley doesn't keep up his knack of first over wickets. Hinds comes on one over inside the restrictions but concedes only 4 runs. Again, they didn't get off the blocks flynig but we couldn't take a wicket. Emrit comes off after an excellent 6 over spell for Gayle, Hinds is doing alright, just under 5 an over, but has 10 taken off him next so is removed for Bravo who bwols a delightfuly satisfying maiden. Gayle then takes our first wicket, bowling Gilchrist before lbw'ing Hayden a few overs later. Hinds is very expensive at the moment, again he will have to justify with the bat, but otherwise we look okayish. They do have wickets in hand. Gayle completes a superb 2-39 from his ten overs, but Hinds was taken apart in his final over to end with 0-70. The pace bowlers get the runaround at the end, all of them leaking runs and only Best picking up a wicket (Martyn). They made 277 for 3, so we'll sure have a chase on our hands.
West Indies Innings
Hinds is a first ball duck and will not play again in the series, the experiment has only worked once with the bat and his bowling has been poor. Lara and gayle are cautious but Lara falls after a solid 35. Sarwan, who has played three poor innings on the trot, must step up here. Gayle goes short of a fifty and we are three down chasing more than six an over. We can still do it, we have deep batting, but it will be difficult. Straight away, Sarwan goes for 20. Then Ganga, who has already pulled us out of a similar situation this series, and Chanderpaul get their skates on hitting run a ball fifties leaving us needing 46 from the last 7 overs with 6 wickets in hand and two men well in. Chanderpaul starts driving and cutting like a maniac before falling to Kasprowicz, but by then it is already assured as Findlay has the honour of knocking off the final runs.
A tremendous victory as we rescue a mediocre bowling performance and a horrid start to our innings with a top partnership between numbers 5 and 6 and end up cruising it comfortably with 13 balls left.
We will go unchanged from the side that beat SA last time out. Australia have dropped Gillespie for Tait and still show an invintingly long tail. We win the toss and have a real conundrum, before deciding to bowl first up.
Australia Innings
Bravo gets a bit of stick in his opening spell, so is off for Emrit slightly earlier than usual. Emrit unfortunatley doesn't keep up his knack of first over wickets. Hinds comes on one over inside the restrictions but concedes only 4 runs. Again, they didn't get off the blocks flynig but we couldn't take a wicket. Emrit comes off after an excellent 6 over spell for Gayle, Hinds is doing alright, just under 5 an over, but has 10 taken off him next so is removed for Bravo who bwols a delightfuly satisfying maiden. Gayle then takes our first wicket, bowling Gilchrist before lbw'ing Hayden a few overs later. Hinds is very expensive at the moment, again he will have to justify with the bat, but otherwise we look okayish. They do have wickets in hand. Gayle completes a superb 2-39 from his ten overs, but Hinds was taken apart in his final over to end with 0-70. The pace bowlers get the runaround at the end, all of them leaking runs and only Best picking up a wicket (Martyn). They made 277 for 3, so we'll sure have a chase on our hands.
West Indies Innings
Hinds is a first ball duck and will not play again in the series, the experiment has only worked once with the bat and his bowling has been poor. Lara and gayle are cautious but Lara falls after a solid 35. Sarwan, who has played three poor innings on the trot, must step up here. Gayle goes short of a fifty and we are three down chasing more than six an over. We can still do it, we have deep batting, but it will be difficult. Straight away, Sarwan goes for 20. Then Ganga, who has already pulled us out of a similar situation this series, and Chanderpaul get their skates on hitting run a ball fifties leaving us needing 46 from the last 7 overs with 6 wickets in hand and two men well in. Chanderpaul starts driving and cutting like a maniac before falling to Kasprowicz, but by then it is already assured as Findlay has the honour of knocking off the final runs.
A tremendous victory as we rescue a mediocre bowling performance and a horrid start to our innings with a top partnership between numbers 5 and 6 and end up cruising it comfortably with 13 balls left.
). Emrit and Taylor especially are heavily attacked in their final spells, before Best gets whacked around at the end, leaving Bravo the only economical pacer. Australia really accelerated in the final 8 or so overs and made a good 261 for 3.
Equally importantl howver was that we finally put together a solid bowling perfomance against Australia, restricting them well after a very fast start. I am mightily pleased at this point. Roll on New Zealand!
territory. The new ball is taken and suprisingly handed to Bravo and Collymore, not Best, but neither can make a breakthrough. Then as if by foreshadowing, the final half hour is lost to rain.
) Mohammed is then tossed the old ball and he strikes, bowling an uncomfortable looking Kyle Mills for 1, before Collymore bowls a beaut to McCullum, removing him for a duck. Lunch on day three and, while there will be no follow on this time, West Indies are in control again. The new ball is taken but proves ineffective. Mohammed is tossed the ball again and he takes another, Tuffey, but the spree against the new ball has already all but eradicated the lead. As tea arrives the West Indies lead by only 1 run with two more wickets to get. After a good hour after tea, Best finally gets the breakthrough, Schwass leaves after edging to gully. But Martin comes in and does all he can, stick around and make sure Astle sees all the strike. They build an excellent partnership, sapping West Indies morale before rain comes to end the day's proceedings. Two sessions ago the West Indies were in control, but now it is most definitley New Zealand. Perhaps the rain is good for the tourists after all....
) for the fifth wicket and guiding the team to a 168 lead by lunch. Ganga falls soon after for 73, excellently caught and bowled by Tuffey, then Chanderpaul just after making a century to Oram. Panic could have set in when Bravo went for a three ball duck, but Baugh was confident and Mohammed suprsingly sprightly also as they played out the day, the match and the series. Match Drawn, West Indies take series 1-0!
