Australian captain Cameron White has taken heart from his Twenty20 side’s last gasp loss to England. White’s first game as Twenty20 skipper ended with a dramatic final ball defeat at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.
Scores were tied at 157 and England had just one wicket remaining when Australian allrounder Shane Watson delivered the ultimate ball.
England 19-year-old Chris Woakes, playing his first international match, chipped the ball over wide mid-on for the winning run in a pulsating finish to White’s debut as captain.
“The English team have shown through the summer they have been a very hard team to beat,” White said.
“But I think one of the pleasing things for us was that we probably were a fair way off our best.
“There was a lot of stuff we could have done better and we only just lost, so there are some promising signs there.”
Australia posted 4-157 after White won the toss and batted, Shane Watson top scoring with a brutal 59 from only 31 balls.
Watson then claimed 4-15 from four overs in one of the greatest individual T20 performances.
But England snuck over the line at 9-158 to set a world record of eight consecutive T20 wins.
White said Watson’s display was a “class act”.
“He just showed his all round ability and how good a cricketer he is,” White said.
“He was just destructive with the bat and his execution with the ball was exactly what the team and myself were asking.”
White said he would depart for Melbourne, and Friday’s final game of the two-match series, uncertain how to judge the Adelaide thriller.
“When England needed a big shot or a boundary they seemed to just find it,” White said.
“Whether that was really good batting by England, or a bit of missed execution by us, I’m not sure.”
jameswm
Guest
Brett - warner has struggled to get the ball of the square all season. They should have gone for someone in great Big Bash form right now - even Marsh who clobbered NSW - though I don't rate him as a ODI opener. he seems to have nothing in between a block and a slog, but in T20 you don't need to. At least he hits a higher percentage of balls.
plugger
Guest
Did Watson get the signal from the control room after he got to 50?
Brett McKay
Guest
James, he just can't play a shot between cover and mid-wicket, can he?! Bowl full and straight to him - like everyone does - and he just has no way of scoring..
Nambucco Deliria
Guest
"Not too much between the teams... not far away from turning this around... England just outplayed us on the day... Watson out in the fifties". Haven't we heard all this before?
jameswm
Guest
T20 sometimes intensifies problems with technique. Like Lee and Watson not being able to bowl yorkers. Or Warner being a one-trick pony.
ChrisT
Guest
Spot on RedB. No coincidence the Aussies have KFC plastered all over them?!
Redb
Roar Guru
Totally agree. The way Hussey stepped back after making a good 30 odd and just exposed his stumps was comical. T20 is like take away food (MCDonalds, KFC), you try it every now and then when you want someting quick and easy and are soon reminded as to why you visit so infrequently.
plugger
Guest
You can say that, but the crowds are turning up like it's an AFL final. T20 is the future, like it or not. It's got drama, no lulls and a quick conclusion. Much like a football game.
ChrisT
Guest
T20 really is cricket for blondes. It dumbs down everything. Average batters rise because a slogger with deficient technique can score as heavily as anyone and journeymen bowlers can get good figures as people swing out while clever bowlers can get tonked by a lucky slogger. Even the crowd is played down to as it pulls in those with attention deficit. It really is Watson's game in every sense.