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Shane Watson’s fine all-round performance guided Australia to a second successive win in the World T20 2012.
In a game affected by rain, Australia were 17 runs ahead of the West Indies on the Duckworth-Lewis method, when it had to be called off. Watson won his second successive player-of-the-match award for figures of 2/29 and an unbeaten 41.
West Indies had come into the World T20 this time with a reputation of being world-beaters.
Their batting line-up is powerful with Chris Gayle leading the way at the top.
In Fidel Edwards, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo, they have bowlers who believe in picking wickets as the best run-stalling method.
And their fielding, as also admitted by the Australian captain George Bailey, is one of the best in the competition.
So when they lambasted the Australian bowling to almost every part of the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, not too many in the stadium were surprised.
In fact, the first near full-house of the tournament for a match not involving their home side, was a testimony to what the crowd expected from the West Indian top-order. And then from their bowlers.
The good news for the fans and for the West Indian side was that their batting clicked in picture-perfect manner. They got to 8/191 in their 20 overs, in turn entertaining the crowds like only they can.
Gayle began in his customary fashion by letting them go through to the keeper or ducking under them. And then he was offered a life by Watson at third-man.
He made them pay. It was in the very next over and Patrick Cummins was the bowler who suffered.
Having returned from bowling a maiden over first up, Cummins was greeted with a boundary over cover point.
It went progressively downhill after that. Two more fours and a six from the Jamaican bat followed in the same over.
When he was dropped, Gayle had only five off nine deliveries to his name. He faced 24 after that and hammered 49 more.
Interestingly, what followed was unusual. Quite often, Gayle’s dismissal brings about a lasting lull in the West Indian proceedings. West Indian teams of the past have known to wither away after an immediate dip in their run-rate.
Instead, couple of overs later, Marlon Samuels took over the baton. Bludgeoned a 32-ball 50.
Then he fell. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard took over. Added 22 off two overs.
And then Darren Sammy came. Hit a six and a four and got out. And off the last ball of the innings, Narine added the final nail by smoking Starc over extra-cover for another four!
There weren’t too many overs where the momentum looked like it was shifting Australia’s way. And each time there was a semblance of that happening, the batsmen sent a few rocketing out of the park.
The not-so-good bit was their bowling. And the manner in which they responded to being hit.
Narine is a champion bowler, one who needs to be cottoned from over-exposure and injury but it will be interesting to see how he responds to being put under pressure in the future.
He never came close to taking a wicket in his first couple of overs and even bowled a no-ball. He was punished for his transgression with Watson clearing his foot away off the ensuing Free Hit and depositing him over deep mid-wicket for six.
Earlier, it was Ravi Rampaul who was taken apart by Dave Warner. In the only over the Aussie faced from Rampaul, he alternated between hitting a six and a four. Twice.
Later when Rampaul had a chance at redemption, he could bowl only one ball before the heavens opened.
Much like the West Indian innings, Australia never let go of the momentum and the opposition began to panic. So much so that the Watson was dropped by their best fielder, Dwayne Smith. The ball was tipped over for a six, rubbing salts over the bowler’s wounds.
With Australia at 1/100 in 9.1 came the downpour that did not stop until way after the game had to be called off.
Unfortunately for the packed stadium crowd, most of them neutrals, it was a real damp squib but Australia wouldn’t mind entering the Super Eights with two successive wins.
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