THE BACKDROP
Dear Covid-19;
Please be advised that ONLY rain stops cricket. Despite the lengths and breadths you’ve gone to in your attempts to bring misery to the world, YOU are still not a force of nature. The likes of you and your sickening attitude will not bully us. Kindly look for another sporting event to interrupt because ours will go on. Try Tokyo if you’re feeling brave.
Respectfully;
CWI, CA, BCA, and the Caribbean People.
If Covid-19 had a Corporate Communications Department, the preceding statement may well have been sent to it from the Caribbean. All relevant parties and authorities involved in the WI vs Australia series agreed, after due consultation and medical protocols, to resume the suspended 2nd ODI match as it stood. The WI upheld “the spirit of the game” by allowing the Aussies to make an injury-enforced personnel change. Messrs. McDermott and Phillipe walked out to open the Australian innings a full 48 hours after their skipper had won the toss. Cricket had hit Covid for six.
JUMPY KANGAROOS
The Aussie batters looked distinctly nervy and unsettled from the onset. They lost McDermott off the 4th ball of the innings to our Jamaican Soldier, bringing Marsh in early. Phillipe provided the early impetus with 3 beautifully struck boundaries, but with the score on 23, Joseph’s extra bounce did him in. An absolute peach from Holder enticed an edge from Marsh 3 runs later and the Aussies found themselves at 26-3. Interim skipper Carey and Henriques eked out 15 runs together in trying to put things right for the Aussies. WI captain Pollard, however, would turn to the left for his team’s success. He brought on left-arm spinner Hosein after the first Power-play in a move that paid rich dividends. After just 12 balls into his spell, Hosein had 3-5. Carey and Turner were both bowled by beauties and Henriques was caught at slip as the Aussies slid to 46-6 in only the 13th over.
WALLABY TAILS WAG
The first 6 Aussie batters were back in the pavilion with less than 50 on the board, but Matthew Wade was undaunted. His experience came to the fore in successive partnerships with Starc (51) and Zampa (32) as he rallied the lower order. When he fell off the first ball of the 39th over, the total stood at 128-8. The WI surely thought the end was nigh with only Wes Agar and debutant Meredith left to partner Zampa. Sportsmanship, like luck, can be a fickle thing. Skipper Pollard’s agreement to Agar replacing the injured Hazlewood was the right call, but it came back to haunt him. For the next 9 overs, Agar’s swashbuckling approach dominated the scoring in his partnership with the determined Zampa. Their stand of 59 became the highest ever at the Kensington Oval for the 9th wicket. Both were finally dismissed off successive balls to close the Aussie innings on 187. The tail had brought Australia 142 and given their bowlers something to defend.
STARC THE RIPPER
The Caribbean in 2021 is a far cry from London in 1888. The WI batters are surely having similar nightmares to the ones those Londoners had, however. Mitch Starc continues to display all the ruthlessness and surgical precision in claiming his victims that a certain Jack did back then. The Aussie pace ace was not content to rest on the laurels of his 5-48 from game 1. He was bang on target again as Lewis got trapped L.B.W. and Bravo got a pearler to lose his off stump. Starc’s opening salvo of 2-11 off 4 overs set the tone for the early introduction of Zampa into the attack. His 3rd delivery of the match sent Mohammed back to the pavilion to Google “How to read and play a googly.” After 9 overs of their run chase, the WI were 47-3. Game on.
RALLY, WI, RALLY.
Despite the loss of 3 early wickets, the WI still had hope–specifically, Shai Hope. The returning Vice-Captain was starting to get into stride, having greeted the debutant Meredith with 3 boundaries in his first over. He took his score to 38 and the total to 69 before a rush of blood to the head saw him get bowled. Zampa produced another gem of a googly to dismiss Pollard and at 72-5, the Aussies were smelling blood in the water. It was up to Pooran and local boy Holder to lead the WI rally–and rally they did. The next 20 overs saw Aussie frustrations mount as the WI total slowly climbed. Without taking undue chances, both batters kept the WI above the required run rate. By the 35th over, their stand was worth 93 and victory loomed ever closer.
THE LAST ROLL OF THE DICE
When all else fails, Australia turns to Starc. Skipper Carey brought his warrior from New South Wales back on to get the breakthrough, and he did not disappoint. A full delivery angling into Holder from around the wicket struck the pads and DRS upheld the Aussie review. At 165-6, the WI needed just 23 runs from 15 overs with 4 wickets left. Carey tried the old “drown them in honey” trick by bringing Turner on the partner Starc. Pooran, so steadfast in his application up to that point, nearly threw it all away. After smashing Turner for a mighty 6 to move to 49, he went after a short ball. Every WI fan had their hearts in their hands as the ball flew to first slip. To their delight, and Australian dismay, Wade could not hold on to what might have been the game-winning catch. The WI batters duly saw off Starc’s final over before smashing their final runs off Turner’s next to seal the win.
A virtual final awaits on Monday as the teams do battle to determine the winner of the series. For the WI, a 2-1 series triumph, along with their 4-1 T20 success, would represent a welcome taste of success versus the men from Down Under. For the Aussies, their pride will settle for nothing less than a win to ease the sting of the T20 defeat.
