- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
There were a range of things about Saturday night’s Ryobi Cup final that saved it from joining the ranks of also-ran finals. Obviously the tied result was noteworthy. But after scratching the surface, you could see all the things that make Australian cricket great.
570 runs in a day. 14 wickets. An amazing finish. There were dropped catches, near run-outs, and a test of stamina in the Adelaide heat. There was super batting, bowling and fielding.
From what I saw, I get the feeling that Ricky Ponting should have taken two instead of one at the start of the last over. That would have kept the Australian skipper on strike, and would have prevented James Faulkner from facing the final balls. If that were the case, the Tigers could have won.
Nonetheless, that would be taking something away from Ricky’s great knock, and George Bailey’s set-up innings. Both of them paced themselves beautifully.
Domestic finals can sometimes have more intrigue, drama and quality than internationals. That was the case last night.
Darren Berry bled internally from a thousand razor blades last night. He has a stake in success in South Australia and he takes his role very seriously.
Bailey and Michael Klinger are great leaders. They are understated and respected, and they always deliver. Both would make great Australian captains.
And Gary Putland underlined what I suspected at the start of the season. He is a quality left-armer, and Australia should nurture that. He can reverse it, bring it in or out, bowl around the wicket, or push it across the right handed batsmen.
He needs two weeks in the Australian camp and he will be a Test-calibre quick. He was just another bonus to come out of that great Adelaide Oval final last night.
If only Mitchell Starc and Johnson were coached by a Geoff Dymock, Troy Cooley, Mike Whitney or some left-handed quicks of that stature, I could see great things for the molly-duker quicks in this country.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.