One Test series down, one to come for the summer. But as some kind of limited overs intermission, New Zealand had shown up for the Chappell-Hadlee series.
Here are the ratings for the first ODI between Australia and New Zealand.
Omitting Glenn Maxwell
Grade: D-
Leading up to the game, Glenn Maxwell had been given a reverse-bonus for ‘disrespecting’ Matthew Wade with comments about how he (Maxwell) should ‘totes be batting ahead of him (Wade) in the Victorian line-up’.
It seemed as if Maxwell had decided that playing against one team was no longer challenging enough and he now had to square off against two. Of course, anybody who knows Glenn Maxwell knows this wouldn’t have been a problem.
Unfortunately, he was then not selected for the match. Yes, some pointed out that in his most recent ODIs, Maxwell had struggled to reach double figures and so hadn’t earned a recall to the side. Sad, isn’t it, when soulless folk misunderstand Maxwell to such an extent that they try to ‘quantify’ him with so-called ‘numbers’.
Still, if you want to play by those rules, you could also point to the fact that since he was dropped from the ODI side, Maxwell’s average in international cricket has been 103.5. His strike rate? 220.2. His man of the match rate? 100 per cent.
Madness to go into a match Maxwell-less.
Steve Smith’s batting
Grade: A-
Without Maxwell, other batsmen would be called upon to do extraordinary and ridiculous things. It wasn’t going to be Aaron Finch, who was bowled first ball as part of his ongoing campaign to have ornithologists reclassify the finch as a kind of duck.
And it wasn’t going to be David Warner, who chopped on for 24 (29), while facing Callum Ferguson’s brother, Lockie Ferguson, last seen storming furiously out of Hobart and across the Tasman to become a New Zealand fast bowler.
Would it be George Bailey, who made 17 (25) with a new stance where he faces gully, then turns around and smiles at the approaching bowler like a character in the opening credits of a sitcom?
No, it would not.
And nor would it be Mitch Marsh, who was run out for 1 (3), backing up too far as some kind of Final Destination-esque karma for having not been mankaded when he easily could have been.
No, it was the captain Steve Smith, who ignored the rest of the top order failures to score 164 (157) and power Australia to a total of 8/324 from their fifty overs.
If Nietzsche is right and time is a flat circle, then Steve Smith is surely slowly becoming Allan Border, with the numerous lone hand innings and the ever-increasing grumpiness. I can’t wait for his circulation booster television commercial in thirty or so years.
Matthew Wade
Grade: B-
But, of course, Smith had help. Most notably from the Black Cap bowlers, who, with their endless supply of free hits to him, proved, yet again, that New Zealand are the nicest team in world cricket.
Also chipping in was Travis Head, who made 52 (60) before being caught handily by Trent Boult. And by ‘caught handily’, I mean he used his hands to catch it. Wonderful traditionalist is Boult.
And, then, of course, there was Matthew Wade, who batted six spots ahead of Maxwell in a display of utter dominance. To further rub it in, Wade played a thoroughly Maxwellian innings, smashing three sixes in a quickfire 38 (22) before being bowled, paddle-sweeping a ball onto his own stumps.
Still, big opportunity missed to have Wade and Maxwell face off in some kind of ridiculous six-hitting showdown partnership. Sloppy leadership from Smith.
Steve Smith’s catching
Grade: A+
Defending 324, Australia would have been concerned that Mitchell Starc failed to take a wicket in his first over, settling instead for a mere maiden. Was the left-arm quick injured? Ill? Indifferent? All three?
Instead, Josh Hazlewood took a wicket in his first over, presumably in a muddle-headed attempt to establish himself as the new Starc. But all this managed to do was bring New Zealand’s best batsman, Kane Williamson, to the crease. Silly of Australia to get him in so early.
Luckily, Hazlewood found the edge of Williamson’s bat for just 9 (16), with Smith taking a sharp, fast catch at slip. But the damage had been done. A 92-run partnership between Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham, helped along by loose bowling, dropped catches and the off-putting presence of Adam Zampa’s new headband, soon had New Zealand on target for a successful run chase.
But after Hazlewood caught Neesham in the deep for 34 (36), Smith then took a leaping catch at backward point to lift his team. Pretty poor sportsmanship from Smith, if you ask me. The batsman, BJ Watling (famously named after Brendon Julian), had dropped Smith earlier in the day while keeping. But would Smith return that simple favour? No.
The ugly Aussies rear their head again.
Martin Guptill
Grade: B
But while Guptill was still there, New Zealand still had hope.
Naturally, then, Glenn Maxwell was subbed onto the field, where he promptly caught Guptill for 114 (102) to win the match for Australia.
And, in the process, took one more catch for the match than Wade.
Advantage: Maxwell.
Marcus Stoinis produced his first IPL century and it was a beauty. He went 6, 4, 4, 4 to finish off the Lucknow Super…
Xavier Bartlett has been permission to extend his cricketing education with a spell of T20s in England, playing in the Blast competition for Kent…
Three-Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has signed with Tasmania in a bid for red-ball game time ahead of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka next summer.…
Last week, you read about the Matt XI, a compilation of the best cricketers ever to represent the name Matt. And to be fair,…
The Aussie needed every centimetre of his height and reach to reel that one in!
Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed 21 off the final over...but after three sixes, a caught and bowled and a run out, Mitchell Starc's Kolkata had…
