***Official*** West Indies in India 2014

[Woodster]

Dwayne Bravo has already played a couple of sumptuous back foot punches and looks in real good touch, but I'm sure we've said that about him on numerous occasions without him going on to play a real defining innings in the game. Smith on the other hand is clearly going to bat like it's a T20, already a couple of massive swipes that he's not connected with. I know they want a quick start and feel they're going to need 320+ but Smith can still be a tad more selective for me, especially so early into his innings.

 

[Woodster]

When you look at this WI line-up, you shouldn't need to worry about finding the boundaries towards the end of the innings with the likes of Pollard, Sammy and Russell at 6,7, and 8, but the bulk of the big work needs to be done by the top 5 to allow these players to enjoy themselves and take the total from a projected 270 to well beyond 300. It's therefore imperative the top 5 bat positively but properly.

 

[Howsie]

Mohammad Shami stinks. Heard good things about him 12-18 months ago but he's just really not that good. Always looks tired for mine, as though he's struggling to make it to the crease. Perhaps his run up is too long. Has he changed it at all?

 

[Woodster]

Always looks a strained run up to me, like he's overstretching and not really getting any fluency into it.

There's enough happening for the Indian bowlers in these opening seven overs or so both through the air and off the pitch and Shami got one to keep very low in his last over. Lightning looking outfield so I think it's going to be difficult to know what a good score might be here.

As I type Bravo has nicked off looking for one of his hugely expansive drives. It seems very much a boundary or dot ball mentality right now by the WI.

 

[Woodster]

Typical Dwayne Smith innings so far, ultra positive in attitude but not really looked in any touch, but will then get a big shot away. If he could just find a batting tempo for 50-over cricket rather than a T20 mentality and work the ball better he could be really effective for WI at the top. He's thrown the bat hard at the ball, hit it in the air a lot but still scoring at less than a run a ball, high risk strategy for a strike rate under 100. If he played more sensibly (and I don't mean totally change his game) his strike rate would naturally climb into three figures because he wouldn't play and miss so much or mistime and overhit the ball as much.

 

[Woodster]

Could be a good battle here, Jadeja/spinners in general vs Dwayne Smith. First ball turned quite a way, third ball easily punted over wide long on. Can Smith hit him out of the attack before he inevitably skies one because he's become a bit stuck against him.

 

[ajdude]

yessss mishra has the donut going.

 

[ajdude]

i was giving that.

 

[anil1405]

1st ODI Kochi
2nd ODI Delhi
3rd ODI Vizag
4th ODI Dharamshala
5th ODI Kolkata

Stupidity of the scheduler....Priceless.

 

[Woodster]

Yes Smith probably just got away with one to Mishra there. My initial thought was that he might have just got outside the line but on replays it didn't appear as though he did.

 

[ajdude]

that's so bad from smith haha.

 

[Woodster]

92-1 off 17 at drinks represents a very good start for WI. Like the way Darren Bravo has started his innings, watchful and seemingly aware that one of the top four or five needs to bat for much of the 50 overs and he has set his stall out to do so allowing Smith to look to take on the spinners and chance his arm.

Unfortunately just as Smith smashed Jadeja straight for six, the following ball a particularly unattractive swipe sees his middle stump rattled and the battle won by Jadeja.

 

[Woodster]

that's so bad from smith haha.

Yes but didn't come as a great surprise. With only six scores in excess of 50 and none above 100 in 75 ODI innings this innings perhaps typifies Smith in the 50-over game.

 

[Woodster]

West Indies top seven have accumulated 806 ODI caps between them but have made just 14 ODI centuries. India's top seven have a combined 786 ODI appearances yet Virat Kohli on his own has five more centuries to his name than the entire West Indies line-up, therein lies the size of the battle WI have on their hands in this series where big runs are an absolute necessity. Let's hope Bravo and/or Samuels can go on to a big one today.

 

[Woodster]

Unbelievable. Another case of six and out, this time Bravo! Lovely languid strike down the ground for six, followed next ball by an attempted repeat of the previous shot but this time stuffing it straight down long-off. The fine lines of batting, praised for such a lovely strike down the ground for his maximum, then the same shot, perhaps the delivery a tad wider making it more difficult for him to go as straight, and he's lambasted for giving it away, unfortunately rightly so.

 

[cnerd123]

Unbelievable. Another case of six and out, this time Bravo! Lovely languid strike down the ground for six, followed next ball by an attempted repeat of the previous shot but this time stuffing it straight down long-off. The fine lines of batting, praised for such a lovely strike down the ground for his maximum, then the same shot, perhaps the delivery a tad wider making it more difficult for him to go as straight, and he's lambasted for giving it away, unfortunately rightly so.

Credit to Mishra for keeping it tossed up, having the field out, and waiting for the subtle natural variations to get his man.

 

[Woodster]

Credit to Mishra for keeping it tossed up, having the field out, and waiting for the subtle natural variations to get his man.

Credit to Mishra absolutely, for the little variations in the deliveries. Good piece of bowling and credit to him for that. Not sure about credit to him for having the field out though, that's surely the only type of field he would have on this small ground, a long-off in place.

 

[Woodster]

If Ramdin and Samuels can get the score to at least 200 before they lose another one it wouldn't be a bad platform for Pollard, Sammy and Russell to explode providing there's at least 12 overs left.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Unbelievable. Another case of six and out, this time Bravo! Lovely languid strike down the ground for six, followed next ball by an attempted repeat of the previous shot but this time stuffing it straight down long-off. The fine lines of batting, praised for such a lovely strike down the ground for his maximum, then the same shot, perhaps the delivery a tad wider making it more difficult for him to go as straight, and he's lambasted for giving it away, unfortunately rightly so.

Haha, this is Under 16 stuff; two guys getting out the ball after a bomb trying to do the same thing.

 

[Woodster]

Haha, this is Under 16 stuff; two guys getting out the ball after a bomb trying to do the same thing.

Absolutely, it really is. If one is considered more culpable than the other on the actual stroke then it has to be Smith, if more expected. His was a horrible swipe across the line, just seemed like he'd just hit a six and the next ball was going the same way wherever it pitched. As you say, schoolboy stuff.