Tag: Cricket

Cricket: Fifth day washout saves West Indies blushes

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The West Indies stayed alive in their test series against South Africa courtesy of a rain-filled second test.  Only the first innings for both sides were possible in a game that was completely dominated by the hosts yet again.

After amassing 417/8 dec. the home side had reduced the West Indies to just 275/9 before shortened each of the day’s play.  Dale Steyn provided fireworks of the batting kind (and not the bowling kind as we assumed) to take the South African total beyond reach after the West indies had bravely fought back after Dean Elgar (121) and Faf du Plessis (103) hundreds.  Steyn smashed 58 from 28 balls and did the bulk of his scoring in boundaries (6 x 4’s, 5 x 6’s = 54 runs in boundaries), ensuring South Africa’s stranglehold on the series remained.

Once more, the West Indies showed some fight.  Centuries to Kriagg Brathwaite (106) and Marlon Samuels (101) set the tone, but weren’t large enough to get the West Indies close to their opponents total.  Mind you it was a pair of efforts that were much better than their peers who could not register meaningful totals, as Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir got amongst the wickets.

The series continues in Cape Town on January 2.  Tom Waterhouse is giving the West Indies about as much chance of winning as they tortoise in a hare race.  They have the West indies at $13, with South Africa favourites at $1.22 and a draw looking appetising at $5.50.  If Cape Town gets more rain and the West Indies batsman more time in the middle the draw could be a sensible option.  We;ll preview gam three in more detail in a coupe of days time.

Hopefully the West Indies use that time to practice.

West Indies 275 for 9 (Brathwaite 106, Samuels 101, Morkel 4-69) drew with South Africa417 for 8 dec (Elgar 121, du Plessis 103, Steyn 58)

Cricket: Draw settles series in Australia’s favour

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Australia missed out on an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead in their series against India when the third test concluded in Melbourne yesterday, favouring instead, a safety first approach and an unassailable lead.

Much of the final day centred around Steven Smith’s declaration, and rather than give his bowlers plenty of time to bowl India out, Smith opted strangely to put the series beyond doubt (in the process possibly trying to give Shaun Marsh the opportunity to register a first home century) and ensure his side could not lose.  He declared Australia’s second innings at 318/9 to leave India a chase of 384 in 70 overs.

The total was never an option, especially as India fell to an alarming 19/3.  They did however manage to hold out.  They were six down when the game was abruptly called off by Smith and MS Dhoni; Australia running out of time but still winning the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

It was up to Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to do the bulk of the rescue work, not for the first time in the match.  The two look the most assured as Australia struggled to take the final wickets on a flat MCG wicket that produced its first draw for 17 years.  While they both fell in the final session, Dhoni, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Aswin all took up enough valuable time to avoid defeat.  Earlier in the match Kohli and Rahane had also starred in a 262 run first innings partnership that saw India respond to Australia’s first innings 530 with 465 of their own.  Rahane had 147 and Kohli 169 in highly entertaining knocks both for their batsmanship and the confrontations with Mitchell Johnson.

Australia should never been allowed to set the first innings foundations for the fifth day win.  They were 216/5 when new boy Joe Burns was dismissed, but as there tail has done so often during the series, wagged as if it were a labrador at a dinner party.  Australia’s lower order (partnerships 6-10) have contributed 784 runs this series, India’s 389, and that difference was glaringly obvious as the Aussies recovered.  Steven Smith was yet again the hero for Australia.  He dug in for another century (third of the series, fifth of the year, seventh of career) and scored 192 important runs.  Ryan Harris was also a surprise package with the bat, enhancing his reputation as the hardest training bowler of his batting, and scoring 74.

Harris was also the most likely to take Indian wickets on the final day.  He, along with Johnson and Josh Hazlewwod, had two wickets, but he easily look the most threatening.  He didn’t have the ball in his hand at the time but he undoubtedly found Steven Smith’s decision not to bowl the final four overs of the game bizarre.

Four wickets in twenty four balls was a distinct possibility given India’s fragile lower order.  In the end, he must have determined the best retirement gift for MS Dhoni was to save him a possible loss.

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Australia 530 (Smith 192) and 9 for 318 dec (Marsh 99, Rogers 69) drew with India 465 (Kohli 169, Rahane 147, Harris 4-70) and 6 for 174 (Kohli 54)

Cricket: McCullum stamps exclamation mark on quality year

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The Black Caps incredible 2014 has given their (sometimes) loyal fans reason to believe.  To believe in the possibility of a rare period of dominance for the vastly under-resourced cricketing nation.  To believe the hype – that they are World Cup smokies, in the same way the 1992 Young Guns were.

The side completed their fifth test win of the year, over a Sri Lankan side that is improving rapidly in their travels away from the comforts of home.  The five wins is the most they have registered in a calendar year in the history of test series record-keeping (approximately 1930).  They have come against quality opposition too – India, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.  That is, they are more significant than wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (with respect), and outline the professionalism and standards this team now play with.

Although the team’s cohesiveness can be pointed to as a reason for a strong finish to the year, in truth, their captain Brendon McCullum was the major factor in this particular win.  Capping off his own incredible year – the destructive batsman scored 1164 runs in the year, the fourth most in World cricket – made a remarkable 195 from just 134 balls.

The first innings assault came after New Zealand had lost the toss and were expected to struggle on a pitch offering assistance to seam bowlers.  However, McCullum had other ideas as he danced down the wicket, forced the Sri Lankans to bowl a more amenable length, and deposited it to all parts of the fresh Hagley Oval.  In all, he struck 18 fours and 11 sixes in a dominant performance that made a mockery of losing the much hyped toss.  Mccallum was the aggressor in a match defining partnership of 206 with Jimmy Neesham (85) that gave his fearsome swing bowling tyros, Tim Southee and Trent Boult an ample total to defend.

They duly obliged.  Destroying the tourists in their first turn at bat.  All out for 138.  They had five wickets between them, leaving Neil Wagner (3-60) to mop up the tail, and giving McCullum the easy decision to enforce the follow on.  Southee and Boult also obliged in the second innings but only after the fantastic rearguard efforts of the entire Sri Lankan team.  Led by the patient Dimuth Karunaratne (152), the Lions withstood for 154 overs and scored 407, to leave New Zealand a chase of 10 to win the game.  Lahiru Thirimanne (25) offered support by way of time, and Angelo Matthews (66) offered support in the form of both runs and balls to help add credibility and competitiveness to the game that was only ever going in one direction after the first innings.

New Zealand reached the small target with the loss of just two wickets – as we predicted earlier in the week.  Kane Williamson was not out 31 and Ross Taylor not out 39 to conclude 2014 in a winning manner.  The Black Caps an Brendon McCullum enjoyed their best ever years, and will be hoping to continue the momentum in 2015.  The teams reconvene in Wellington on January 4 for game two.

Revised Series Odds*

New Zealand 2-0 – $1.64

New Zealand 1-0 – $1.80

Drawn – $2.02

Odds brought to you by Betfair Australia.

New Zealand 441 (McCullum 195, Neesham 85) and 107 for 2 beat Sri Lanka 138 (Boult 3-25, Wagner 3-60) and 407 (Karunaratne 152, Boult 4-100, Southee 4-91) by eight wickets

Cricket: Steyn and co to wreck Boxing Day havoc

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South Africa’s concern over their revamped batting line-up was misguided.  In their first outing without Smith and Kallis (and Duminy to an extent) the side amassed a whopping 552/5 to ease the worry about the post veteran era.  The truth is however, that their opponents are significantly weaker and are unlikely to test too many international batting lineups, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the WICB and with their bowling likely to suffer with the injury to Kemar Roach.

Port Elizabeth shapes as a test of depth for the West Indians.  The players are the best available save for injuries and now they just need to prove it.  While the tour will provide a heap of experience for youngsters like Blackwood and Johnson, for the sake of the cricket it still needs to be an even contest and for that reason it needs runs from the pair; along with more telling contributions from Chanderpaul, Smith and Ramdin.

The Last Time These Two Met

The first test went exactly to plan for the favourites.  Their batsman got some valuable crease time and added centuries to their career stats columns.  What’s more their new number six (and possible opening solution if Alviro Petersen continues to fail) got in on the act too.  Stiaan van Zyl scoring 101* to match hundreds from AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla.  That meant South Africa only needed to bat once as the West Indies struggled to just 201 and 131 with none of their batsmen passing 40.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Temba Bavuma, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

South Africa have lost wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock for the series to an ankle injury which will see AB de Villiers take back the gloves to assist the balance of the team.  The final batting spot should go to Temba Bavuma in a historic selection.  Kyle Abbott is also out; Imran Tahir replaces him.

West Indies (likely): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt, wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Shannon Gabriel, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Shannon Gabriel for Kemar Roach is expected to be the only change.

The Key Players

Dale Steyn – Steyn had no wickets in the first innings at Centurion but destroyed the West Indies in the second dig snaring 6 in just over 8 overs.  It was his 25th five wicket haul and further outlined his potency in his home conditions.  He is so effective on bouncing wickets and Port Elizabeth should be be no different. I hope for the West Indies sake they have tightened their back foot defence in preparation for some Steyn chin music.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul – It’s rare when Chanderpaul doesn’t score runs.  For someone that has scored over 11,000 test match runs at an average above 52 there are not many rough patches.  However, he may be going through one at the moment.  It may only be three innings but the 40 year old has struggled in South Africa thus far.  He followed up his warm up game duck with 21 and 4 in the first test, getting caught behind the wicket on both occasions.  The tourists will be desperate for Shiv to bounce back from the double failure and rediscover the form he had in the Bangladesh series.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.22

Draw – $5.00

West Indies – $15.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

The menacing South African pace attack of Steyn, Philander and Morkel will inevitably be too skilful for a West Indies team that is missing two quality batsman to pose any real threat.  The South African batsman could really feast out on the West Indies attack too, so steer clear of any low odd run scoring and lump on a South African win.

Cricket: Australia look to overpower troubled India

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Bay 13 at the MCG on Boxing Day is an institution.  Hot, rowdy, and full of Australia hundreds.  In the past Australian centuries on the 26th of December had been on the Christmas wish-lists of many Bay 13 cricket fans, and Santa almost always delivered.  This year, Warner and Smith will be leading the charge, and Bay 13 will be expecting big runs from their boys against an Indian bowling attack that last match struggled to dislodge any of Australia’s final four batsman.

A series that started with so much promise appears to be heading in the same direction as most other Indian tours of Australia – a whitewash.  It shouldn’t be though – the Indians have been competitive (rarely with the ball, but definitely with the bat) throughout and could have taken something from either of the first two games by winning the key sessions.

The viewing therefore, from Bay 13, will be of that of a dominant team against an underdog.  Powerful and confident Australia against an India side desperate to plug a leaky ship.  Either way and whoever you support, it should make for intriguing viewing.

The Last Time These Two Met

Brisbane served up an anti-climax after such a fascinating beginning to the series in Adelaide.  Although the Indians had two moments of opportunity on day one and day three the match finished abruptly and in a state of unrest.  Mitchell Johnson was the chief destroyer in the four wicket win, but it has also emerged that a dressing room spat between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan played a part too.

The Teams

Australia (likely): 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Joe Burns, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

India (likely): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt,wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Varun Aaron, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Ishant Sharma.

The Key Players

Brad Haddin – Michael Clarke came out during the week in full support of his struggling wicket-keeper demanding he is a part of the Ashes squad next year.  However, Haddin’s form with the bat will need to drastically improve over the coming game to guarantee a plane seat.  Often the saviour for the home side, Haddin has been so short of runs in the series that Murphy (Law) is telling me he’s a good tip for top scorer in this one.

Ishant Sharma – The giant fast bowler has been in the spotlight this tour but not always for the right reasons.  There were rumours he was late to day four of the Brisbane test then had to buy food outside of the ground and wasn’t allowed back in, and he was also fined some of his match fee for offensive language.  Bowling wise he has mixed the good with the bad, and has struggled to find the consistency needed for the most experience bowler in the side.  Perhaps his three wickets in Australia’s second innings in Brisbane could turn around his fortunes.

The Odds*

Australia – $1.56

Draw – $4.00

India – $6.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of BetEasy.

The Prediction

The media focus this week has been on India’s shambolic Brisbane defeat and the rumoured disharmony in the camp.  Therefore it’s difficult to predict anything other than an Australian victory.  There are some injury concerns for the hosts including Shaun March and Shane Watson but any replacements should be able to build on the Brisbane momentum and send Australia three clear.

Also have a look at these BetEasy options:

Highest Opening Partnership – India $2.15

Man of the Match – Brad Haddin $34.00

Cricket: NZ, Sri Lanka converge on a green Hagley Oval

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A couple of interesting firsts will occur when the Black Caps and Sri Lanka meet in the first of two tests starting Boxing Day.  One, Hagley Oval in Christchurch hosts its first ever test match after recently been given the ICC green light.  The test will allow the city and administrators for their role in the World Cup when they host three pool games including the opener between these two teams.

Secondly, the match is the first time in a long time that Sri Lanka won’t have stalwart Mahela Jayawardene in their middle order.  After making his test debut in 1997, Jayawardene has been a middle order hero for the best part of 149 games.  The adjustment to a middle order without him will make for fascinating viewing in game one, especially if as expected the Hagley Oval pitch is full of pace and bounce and Sri Lanka lose early wickets.

New Zealand will be looking forward to showing the New Zealand public the side’s new found confidence.  In last 12 months they have enjoyed test success against India, West Indies, and Pakistan, and gave the sporting public plenty of reasons to support them last summer (who could forget McCullum’s triple hundred).

The Last Time These Two Met

In November of 2012, New Zealand were in the midst of mutiny madness.  The story goes something like this: The Coach wanted Brendon McCullum to captain the side – but Ross Taylor was the captain – so they summoned Taylor to a mid-tour getting in a hotel room to explain they wanted a change – Taylor then went out and scored 142 and 74 in the second test to help NZ win by 167 runs and square the two match series.  Brendon McCullum has since rightfully taken over as captain and has transformed the NZ side.  They now play with aggression and confidence and Taylor too has been “reintegrated” nicely back into the set up.

The Teams

New Zealand (likely): 1 Tom Latham, , 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mark Craig, 9 Doug Bracewell/Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

The only possible changes to this side would see Dean Brownlie slot into number 5 with Brendon McCullum opening.  Otherwise the Bracewell / Wagner battle is the only contentious point.

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Tharindu Kaushal/Dilruwan Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Prasad will probably be given the third seamers role with Tharindu Kaushal/Dilruwan Perera battling it out to be the teams specialist spin option.

The Key Players

Hamish Rutherford – McCullum’s move down the order has made room for the Otago-based left hander to return to the top of the Black Caps batting lineup.  It’s a place where he enjoyed brief success – on debut when he made 171 against England – but has struggled ever since (his average has plummeted below 30).  With Tom Latham well established at the other end Rutherford needs a good series to join him as a permanent fixture.

Suranga Lakmal – There are reports coming from the Sri Lankan’s warm up game (and indeed from the final two one layers against England) that Lakmal is looking much sharper than he did against South Africa in June.  It appears he’s added a yard or two of pace and could be a handful on the assisting wickets.  Sri Lanka will likely need to blood a third seamer on this tour meaning Lakmal will be expected to play a senior role with ball in hand.

The Odds*

New Zealand – $1.83

Draw – $3.00

Sri Lanka – $5.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Bet365 Australia.

The Prediction

New Zealand have understandably asked for a surface that will play to their seam bowling strength.  The Hagley Oval pitch is already looking green and Sri Lanka lose the toss and bat first this one could over quickly.  Fine weather is forecast throughout this one so I can’t see it ending in a draw.  Therefore, New Zealand to prevail by 8 wickets.

We also like the look of BetEasy’s option on Sri Lanka’s top bowler int the first innings being the above featured Lakmal, paying $4.33