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Even Mother Nature couldn't keep Mitchell Starc or David Warner quiet

Mitchell Starc celebrates a wicket. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Expert
5th June, 2017
22

For the second game in succession, rain ruined Australia’s bid for victory in the Champions Trophy, but even Mother Nature couldn’t keep Mitchell Starc and David Warner from reaching milestones.

Throwing away the cobwebs, Starc crushed the Bangladesh tail with three wickets in four balls, before Warner became the fastest Australian to crack 4000 ODI runs.

Skipper Steve Smith made some very odd bowling decisions against Bangladesh, but in dismissing them for 182, it’s a bit hard to argue against his rationale.

Starc had three short spells before he fired, and when he did that three-wicket maiden was worth the wait.

Josh Hazlewood was the only Australian to bowl the full ten overs, with 1-40.

Pat Cummins, who went for far too many against the Kiwis, was much more productive and aggressive with his 1-22 off eight.

What was hard to understand was offie Travis Head being used well before newly promoted leggie Adam Zampa, who was the leading ODI wicket-taker in world cricket last year with 30 scalps at 27.80, with an economy rate of 5.36.

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Zampa replaced John Hastings overnight but didn’t bowl until the 33rd over.

That he took a wicket with his second delivery, and another in his second over, to finish with 2-13 off four suggests he could, or should, have been used earlier.

The other odd decision was using Glenn Maxwell for an over when he was carted for nine.

He hadn’t bowled a single delivery in his last eight ODIs, and that over last night should be his first and last of the tournament. Maxwell needs to just concentrate on his batting and leaving the hero shots in the shed.

That’s what Warner did last night, concentrating on being there at the death, which made him subdued but still dominant.

Before last night, Dean Jones was the fastest Australian to 4000 ODI runs, taking 102 digs over six years and 315 days, ahead of Geoff Marsh’s 104 over five years and 338 days, and Matthew Hayden’s 110 digs and 12 years, 32 days.

Warner is now the fourth fastest in ODI history, taking 93 innings over eight years and 107 days.

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The top three are Hashim Amla in 81 innings (five years, 224 days), Viv Richards’ 88 (nine years, 311 days) and Virat Kohli’s 93 in just four years, 154 days.

So the upshot is that, after two washed out games resulting in just two points, Australia must beat England at Edgbaston on Saturday night to qualify for the semis.

They won’t achieve that with Moises Henriques in the side.

How the team’s executive could possibly select Henriques to fill the all-important number four batting spot with a career average of just 8.00 defies description.

There’s far more chance of Chris Lynn or Marcus Stoinis getting among the runs, as while Henriques is a very good first-class batsman, he’s no international player.

And Zampa must be used far earlier with the English always brittle against good leg spin.

Because the last year has told us that Adam Zampa is good – really good.

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