- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
When Australia lost 3-14 against India at the MCG on Sunday night with Steve Smith, Aaron Finch, and George Bailey back in the shed, followed by Glenn Maxwell’s weak capitulation, James Faulkner did what he does best – standing up to be counted.
India posted a respectable 267, thanks to a superb 138 from Rohit Sharma, and despite Mitchell Starc’s career-best 6-43.
When Australia was romping along at 2-216 with 11 overs left, all was rosy in the local camp. But the dismissal of Smith (47), Finch (96) and Bailey (5) in 22 deliveries changed the whole complexion of the game.
It wasn’t a good night for Bailey, who faces either the sack for lack of form, or suspension for yet another slow over rate.
And when Maxwell did his usual trick representing his country, Australia was facing the very real possibility of being beaten, which excited the large and very vocal Indian contingent in the crowd.
What’s so annoying about Maxwell is there’s no doubting his ability, but he hasn’t the cricket nous to harness his qualities. He takes on the self-appointed role of being either a hero or a bum, and of late it’s the latter in his country’s colours.
So the victory on Sunday night was left to the finisher, Faulkner, and keeper Brad Haddin, both possessing plenty of cricket nous that saw Australia safely home with an over in hand.
But more deserves to be mentioned about Starc and Smith.
Starc’s 6-43 are the second best figures ever recorded at the MCG in a ODI, fractionally behind India’s Ajit Agarkar’s 6-42 against Australia in 2004. Since Shane Warne dropped a bucket on Starc describing him as soft, he has captured 18 wickets for 284, averaging 15.77 a scalp.
If he can keep up his rapid improvement, and Mitchell Johnson resumes fit and well, Australia’s World Cup chances are looking considerably brighter.
Steve Smith is something else.
If Bailey is suspended for a slow over rate last night, Smith will add the ODI captaincy to his Test success. And he’ll be just as successful as he was in regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Michael Clarke’s absence, so much so that Smith deserves to retain the captaincy even if Clarke returns.
But nobody can match Smith’s run-getting since the national selectors embarrassed themselves by dropping him for the first ODI against South Africa at the WACA, despite being the player of the series in the UAE immediately prior.
Smith has made the selectors pay big-time for their folly. Try these numbers representing Australia since he was re-instated for the second ODI at the WACA against South Africa last November – 10, 73*, 104, 67, 162*, 52*, 133, 28, 192, 14, 117, 71, 37 and 47
That’s 1107 runs at 100.63. Phenomenal.