Roundup: Day 3
Games 4 and 5 of the World Cup proved riveting affairs in their own right, with Australia showing precisely why they should win the World Cup, and then Canada proving why they won’t. Canada are making off with the World Cup his year, and ain’t nothin’ gonna stop ’em. All true — believe me.
The day began with the extraordinary news that the best player of the tournament was going home after testing positive for a banned substance which was found in a routine doping test, and it isn’t likely Shane Warne will be coming back. Which is his final little dig at South Africa, and let me tell you why: I know it’s presumptious of me to even begin considering South Africa for the final, based on their performance on Sunday, but let’s argue that should they get there, and be facing Australia, and should they (work with me here) win, then the only reason they will is because Shane-o wasn’t playing. Fact.
That’s what the Aussies will tell you at any rate, and they would appear to be backed up by history on that one. Which is just as annoying as those unreadable wrong-uns…
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. I hate the fact that Shane has gone because we’ll never find out whether he would have been overcome by the South Africans or not, in the twilight (and probably now the end) of his ODI career. But it’s not to be unless his second test proves negative when he gets back to Oz, as he can still hop on a Qantas and be back in time for tea and wickets.
But I suspect he won’t be coming back. Which leaves us with an Aussie team minus it’s best bowler — and as Game 4 proved — no less powerful in the slightest.
Game 4: Australia vs Pakistan, Johannesburg, day
The first game was a key one between Pakistan and Australia, and it lived up to everything it promised and more. The early part of the day was dominated by Pakistan, but Andy Bloody Symonds came in and did the Aussie usual — a personal best score in the face of adversity to boost them to a huge total.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl on a darkening Wanderers pitch in Johannesburg, and Waqar’s decision proved spot-on when Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar bowled with pace and fury to remove Gilchrist, Hayden, Martyn and Maher for 86 runs. But the Aussie machine slowly fitted the correct cogs together, with captain Ricky Ponting and Andy Symonds putting on 60 for the fifth wicket, before Ponting got out shortly after getting to 50.
Despite the falling wickets the Australians kept the scoreboard ticking over at close to six to the over, this philosophy being one of the chief reasons they do so well. Even though nobody else really made runs (the third highest scorer of the innings was Messrs Wides and No-balls – 31), by the time each wicket fell Symonds had bludgeoned a few more on the way to passing first his best-ever score in ODI’s (68*), and then his first century in ODI’s. He wrapped it up by passing the highest ever score by an Australian in a World Cup (previous best Mark Waugh with 130), passing the highest score ever in an ODI at the Wanderers (previous best Gary Kirsten with 133*), and ended with 143* off 125 balls, with 18 fours and 2 sixes.
Symonds’ innings took the Australians from what at one stage appeared a very precarious position — they were looking at not much more than 230 — to the highest team total ever in an ODI at the Wanderers — 310/8.
Predictable, really.
But the big controversy came during the second-last over which was being bowled by Waqar Younis. His first ball of the over slipped out of his hand and nearly brained Symonds — a very quick, very nasty beamer, which anyone will tell you is the most unpleasant thing you will ever face as a batsman. Waqar apologised, as is courtesy, and Symonds responded by smacking his next ball over long on for six.
The third ball of the over came out fast, flat, and head-high, flooring Symonds, having missed his head by inches — an even more dangerous beamer than the first. Symonds reared up and screamed some choice stuff at Waqar, who responded by giving it back with interest. Umpire Dave Sheperd stepped in like an enraged, overstuffed dwarf, and sorted the situation out with a severe talking to Waqar before cancelling the rest of his spell. The final three balls of the over were bowled by Shahid Afridi.
While I could never condone that sort of bowling — even if it was genuinely a mistake, which it wasn’t — I can certainly understand it. I’ve faced many a roguish youth on hard, felt-covered concrete pitches, whose sole aim in life is to destroy any chance you once had of being beautiful by making bowling beamers an art form. So I sympathise with the Symonds cause. So I’d lob one at Andy, only I’d do the job right and brain him. The punishment could simply never detract from the glory of the crime.
310 was always going to be an impossible task for Pakistan — they knew it, Aus knew it, I sure as hell knew it, and it happened. The pockets of resistance from the Pakistani batting was almost pathetic in its bravery, but there was only one side sliding down the drain.
In the end it was Warne replacement Ian Harvey who bagged four wickets, with turner Brad Hogg getting three. There were two stunning catches in the innings, proving the Aussies are without equal (the drop from Kallis off Lara would be so easily bagged by these guys it makes my toes curl) in the field as well.
Pakistan finally capitulated for 228 in 44,3 overs, a result that was never in doubt from the start of the innings. All the Australian bowlers took wickets, and none of them were gotten hold of for any length of time. In all it was a frightening look into the future of the World Cup 2003. The defending champs did what was expected of them by winning big — not buggering around for a scratchy win, or at worst, like South Africa, an upset .
To beat Australia is going to be very, very, very hard, and today’s side was essentially a second-stringer with folks like Warne, Bichel and Lehmann missing, so to beat them is going to require something special.
Pakistan — despite their hiding by 82 runs – actually looked very threatening with the ball, and they can have no shame in losing to Australia. Their pacemen were quick and produced prodigious swing and bounce, and Shoaib easily cleared the 150km/h mark. Watch out for them.
Game 5: Bangladesh vs Canada, Durban, D/N
While nowhere near as flamboyant an affair as the Pakistan/Australia game today, the fifth game — between Canada and Bangladesh — was no less entertaining. Canada recorded their first ever World Cup victory, thrashing Test cricket minnows Bangladesh by 60 runs in a low-scoring game in Durban, and causing the second upset of the tournament.
I guess you could call the Canadians the United Nations of cricket, as their side features very few Canadian-born players. It’s made up of West Indians, Pakistanis, Dutch — you name it. Anyone who can play and has Canadian citizenship and every player who started today was playing in his ODI debut, not to mention his World Cup debut.
On the other hand the Bangladeshi’s are the latest addition to Test playing nations, and as such are in a far higher league than the Canadians. But I’ve always argued that Kenya should have got the Test berth ahead of Bangladesh, and yesterday I was proved right (the game today between Kenya and South Africa will be an interesting foil for this observation, methinks).
Canada won the toss and manfully got stuck in, scoring their highest ever score in a World Cup (180 — previous best 139/9 in 1979) and almost batting the innings out (the last man went out in the last over). They put together few meaningful partnerships — mainly twenties — and the top scorer was Ian Billcliff with 42, but each man contributed what he could against a largely childlike attack. Sanwar Hossain was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers with 2 wickets for 26 off his 10 overs, but the rest were not even up to the very basic standard they displayed against South Africa in this country last year.
And their batting was even worse, with Canada skittling them out for 120 in 28 overs, with West Indian turncoat Arthur Codrington picking up the best bowling figures of the tournament so far — 5/27 off nine overs. The Bangladeshi openers Hannan Sarkar and Al Sahariar got off to a good start, putting on 33 in just six overs, and looked destined to get there with ease.
But Hannan’s 25 proved to be the top score of the innings, and from there only four bowlers had to participate, with Thuraisingam getting one, Joseph and Davison getting two apiece, and Codrington his enviable fi-fer.
Codrington in particular looked pretty useful, his line good and getting genuine bounce extraction from the pitch. He got some movement both ways and batsmen will have to look out for him at this World Cup. His bowling figures are going to be hard to beat at this tournament, and he’s got off to a mighty good start in the wickets chase. But in all seriousness he’s going to struggle for more against the big sides.
Summary
An exciting day of cricket, filled with everything you could wish for from a tournament of this stature, and even England’s final final final decision to forfeit their game in Harare couldn’t dampen the air of excitement at the excellent cricket being played.
The only sour note was the departure of Warne, but I’m reasonably confident that I’m the only South African who thinks that way. Hey, I like the big guy. Spank me.
Cheers,
The Twelfth Man