- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Ashton Agar, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, and Kane Williamson were key players in New Zealand’s eight-run win over Australia at Dharamsala in the World T20 overnight.
The Kiwis won the toss and batted. In the third over with New Zealand 0/14, Agar’s first two deliveries were juicy thigh-high full tosses that Martin Guptill deposited 20 rows back.
His final delivery was right in Guptill’s wheelhouse and again disappeared deep into the stand for 18 off the over, the Kiwis 0-32 off three.
Commentators were sympathetic to Agar, explaining his lack of international T20 experience.
What a load of rubbish. Anyone good enough to be picked in an international of any description isn’t allowed to bowl three “please hit me out of the park” deliveries, especially to a renowned hitter like Guptill.
Agar gift-wrapped the Kiwis some great momentum, and didn’t bowl another over.
Next mistake, Warner ran Usman Khawaja out, being greedy.
Warner is by far the fastest on his feet in the Australian team, Khawaja’s not anywhere near the Warner speed class.
Warner drove down the ground and immediately called for two. Khawaja tried valiantly to support the call but was centimetres short diving to the danger end.
Khawaja was batting superbly, and as it turned out he was by far the best Australian batsman on show, scoring 37 off 27 with six crisply-struck fours.
That was a critical dismissal.
With Australia under the pump at 3/62 it was up to Warner and Maxwell to bring Australia home.
Warner holed out in the deep for 13 off 11 with Australia 4/62, while the irritating and irresponsible Maxwell tried two unsuccessful reverse sweeps in his first five runs.
Both were smackable deliveries through the covers had he batted normally. But no, he had to be the cowboy despite the seriousness of the situation.
Two more windy wuffs with the head in the air found inside edges and raced to the fine leg ropes. But when Maxwell was out for 22 off 23 he hadn’t hit one ball in the middle of the bat as he kept throwing away his responsibility to the team.
Michael Slater made the comment Maxwell would be hard to coach.
What rubbish. All Darren Lehmann has to say to Maxwell is concentrate on playing your powerful natural game, but if you play a reverse sweep or ramp shot that has to be premeditated, you’ve played your last game for Australia.
So despite the combination of Agar’s gift-bowling, Warner running out Khawaja, and Maxwell shelving his responsibility, the Australians still went close by eight runs.
The other reason for the loss was Williamson’s outstanding captaincy.
He made defending a moderate 142 an art form by the way he manipulated his attack and field, and in the process out-captained Steve Smith. Very few do that.
So the Kiwis are now sitting pretty having beaten India and Australia, who must now beat India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to reach the finals series.
It’s not too late to stick by a more positive game plan, but it is too late to make the Australians’ morbid playing uniform look Australian.
Why the dominant funereal colour, with only a mere splash of the generally accepted green and gold?
There’s nothing inspirational in the gear, and the team’s form followed suit.