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What a fantastic finale of the Ryobi Cup at North Sydney Oval on Sunday! The result was in doubt until the final over.
But three sixes off three balls by lower order batsmen Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting enabled Queensland to lift the Ryobi Cup.
The final started with a controversy in the first 20 minutes, when NSW’s in-form batsman David Warner was given out, caught off a no-ball.
There was a TV umpire, so why did the on-field umpire not refer to him?
This brought skipper Steven Smith on the pitch and he hit a dynamic 61 off 61 balls, inclusive of five huge sixes and three fours.
Then NSW had valuable contributions from Peter Nevill, Nic Maddinson and Ben Rohrer took NSW to 6 for 317. Oddly, all six wickets were taken by bowlers whose surnames started with H – James Hopes, Ryan Harris and Nathan Hauritz.
A challenging chase but Queensland had the openers to blunt the NSW’s pace attack of Doug ‘the rug’ Bollinger and Josh Hazelwood.
Usman Khawaja and Chris Hartley added a quick-fire 165 runs for the first wicket in 30.3 overs. And it was game on.
Khawaja played a stylish innings of 104 off 100 balls, studded with 13 fours and two sixes, and was adjudged man of the match. The match took an exciting turn when five wickets fell for 92 runs.
Now Queensland needed 61 runs to win off 28 balls, a near impossible run-rate of 14. But Lynn and Cutting reached the target with five balls remaining. The last three shots were sixes.
In all, 25 sixes were skied in this entertaining match full of twists and turns. It had a grandstand finish with razzle and dazzle.
I went home wondering why batsmen like Khawaja and Smith were playing domestic matches at home when an international series is going on in India.
The series in India is still open, Australia leading 2-1 with two matches to go. Too late to send them to India now, but for the Ashes Usman Khawaja is a must. He has the technique, grace and concentration.
To me he is a left-handed version of Mark Waugh. Perhaps he lacks self-confidence being in and out of the Test team. Usman should be nurtured by the selectors.