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The Liebke Ratings: West Indies vs Australia ODI tri-series

22nd June, 2016
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Glenn Maxwell is rocks and diamonds, meaning he keeps getting overlooked. (AFP / Theo Karanikos)
Expert
22nd June, 2016
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With Game 7 of the tri-series washed out, Australia went into Game 8 against the West Indies knowing that victory would plain and simply see them in the final, while defeat would finally see them simply on the plane.

Here are the ratings for this match between the West Indies and Australia.

Washed-out games
Grade: D

Australia’s previous game, against South Africa, was washed out with just the one over bowled. Bad news for Australian viewers, who were forced to instead sit through interviews with increasingly mistitled cricket legends while we waited for the pitch to dry. Or, ultimately, not.

When I was a lad, I owned a card-based cricket game called Armchair Cricket, in which players would draw cards in the ‘suits’ of balls, stumps, gloves, bats and pads, and then play those cards to score runs or take wickets according to an impossibly arcane rulebook. To give an idea as to how accurate this cricket-simulating card game was, it had a rule in place for ‘timed out’. No joke.

So here’s a rain delay idea. Why not have televised Armchair Cricket? If it’s good enough for poker to be shown on television, then surely it’s good enough for Armchair Cricket.

Of course, I’m mostly interested in this idea because I’d love to see Glenn Maxwell somehow be dealt the Ace of Diamonds, a JB Hi-fi gift card, a tarot card of The Fool and a winning lottery ticket.

Apart from armchair Armchair Cricket fans, the other major loser from the washed-out game was Mitchell Starc’s bid to become the fastest bowler to one hundred ODI wickets. Still, I don’t have much sympathy for Starc. If he can’t run through a South African top order in the sole over of a match, he deserves to have that count against his record.

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Starc made up for his previous disappointment in this match, though, dismissing both openers. With Josh Hazlewood capturing Darren Bravo’s wicket, the West Indies were reduced to 3-31 after 8.1 overs.

Stepping on ropes
Grade: B-

Marlon Samuels and Dinesh Ramdin led the recovery for the West Indies, combining for a 192-run partnership before Ramdin was Ramdout for 91, to give Starc his third wicket. And also his 98th.

With Kieron Pollard joining Marlon Samuels at the crease, the Australians suddenly lifted their sledging game, offering their collective thoughts to the pair on all manner of pertinent issues of the day. Difficult to believe, I know.

Still, the important thing was that at no point did the Australians step over the line.

Except, of course, for the one moment when Maxwell literally stepped over the line, as he caught a six on the edge of the boundary, before just touching the rope with his toe.

Impressively, Maxwell immediately signalled a six to the umpires. A great display of sportsmanship. Or, as Maxwell prefers to refer to it, reverse-cheating.

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Fourth-wicket partnerships
Grade: C

The West Indies ended on 8-282 with Marlon Samuels making 125, in what was improbably his first century against Australia in any form of the game. Doesn’t it feel like Samuels has been sufficiently annoying over the years to have racked up at least half a dozen tons?

Setting off on their chase, Australia lost their openers swiftly. And while George Bailey helped Smith steady the ship like the ship-steadying assistant he is, he fell for 34 with the score on 3-99, bringing pinch-hitter Mitchell Marsh to the crease ahead of Maxwell.

The game then steadied into a classic Battle of the Fourth Wicket Partnerships, as the Smith-Marsh pair pitted their eventual 122-run partnership up against the Samuels-Ramdin 192.

Proper ODI batting, with both partnerships about as boring middle over-y as the boring middle overs get.

Steve Smith’s tactical nous
Grade: B+

Smith had captained well throughout the match, successfully hiding both Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch in the field during the back end of the West Indies innings. Presumably, he’d stuck them behind Marsh, who took three catches.

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Then, while batting, Smith demanded that Pollard either remove the hand strapping he was using, or bowl left-handed. While Pollard and both umpires ignored this bizarre ultimatum, it was still worth a try.

With Australia needing 62 to win from just 50 balls remaining, Smith sensed it was time to finally get Maxwell in, and promptly ran himself out to ensure this happened.

Great tactical nous from the Australian skipper.

Glenn Maxwell
Grade: A

Maxwell’s batting record leading into and during this series had been less than stellar, with recent scores of 0 (3), 6 (10), 0 (2), 0 (2), 3 (7), DNP, DNP and DNB.

But keen-eyed observers would have noted an upturn at the end there. He continued this upward trend here, arriving at the crease just in time to smash an undefeated 46 from just 26 balls to guide Australia to victory with eight balls to spare.

All the usual Maxwell tricks were unleashed. Reverse-slog-swept sixes. Finding fours through gaps that literally did not exist. Altering the forces of space and time to whatever his will demanded. You know the drill.

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You are a ridiculous genius, Glenn Maxwell. May you never be dropped again.

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