A brilliant spell by leg spinner Adam Zampa helped Australia break their T20I losing streak with a thrilling victory over India in Brisbane last night.
After eight overs India had sprinted to 1-78. Gun batsman Shikhar Dhawan was cutting loose and megastar Virat Kohli was next man in.
It was a daunting scenario for a spinner, particularly considering the ease with which many of the Indian batsmen butcher slow bowlers.
But Zampa showed the kind of calm and confidence which earned him many admirers in his debut year of international cricket in 2016. Over the past 18 months the 26-year-old had seemed to have lost a degree of that self-assuredness, which is one of the most important traits for a wrist spinner.
Last night, however, we saw the old Zampa. The relaxed, almost cocky Zampa. The very bloody good Zampa.
He started well, giving up just eight runs from his first over, which included a close stumping call. Then with the third ball of his second over Zampa producing a lovely googly, which dipped sharply on KL Rahul.
The Indian batsman overbalanced and was stumped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
(AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
That left Zampa to contend with Dhawan and Kohli, two of the most commanding players of spin on the planet.
Rather than wilting in the face of this daunting challenge, Zampa got even better. Maintaining a testing length which allowed the batsmen to go neither forward nor back with confidence, Zampa conceded just one run from his five deliveries to Kohli, and that single run was due to a misfield.
Zampa’s frugality saw the required run rate rise to 12 an over and pressured Kohli into a mistake.
The Indian skipper tried to release himself from Zampa’s web with what ended up being an ugly hack. Kohli charged Zampa, was defeated in the flight and top-edged the ball to short third man.
Zampa would have had three wickets at this stage had he not turfed an easy return catch from Dhawan just three balls before he got Kohli.
By the time Zampa had finished his remarkable four-over spell of 2-22, India were all but out of the game, needing 60 from 24 balls.
Some late strikes from Dinesh Karthik (30 from 13 balls) gave Australia a scare before all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (2-27 from 3 overs) closed out the match in impressive fashion.
The four-run victory in a rain-shortened match ended a four-match losing streak for Australia, who were defeated 3-0 by Pakistan in the UAE before being beaten in a one-off T20I by Australia last week.
Earlier, some savage striking by Glenn Maxwell (46 from 24 balls), Chris Lynn (37 from 20 balls) and Stoinis (33* from 19 balls) helped Australia to 4-158 from their 17 overs. India’s elite new ball pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar strangled the Australian top order, with the home side labouring at 1-42 after seven overs.
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Then Lynn obliterated young left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed, dispatching the 20-year-old for three sixes in one over.
While Australia struggled against wizardly left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took 2-24 from four overs, they were brutal against fellow tweaker Krunal Pandya.
First Lynn deposited Pandya over the sightscreen and then Maxwell blasted him for three consecutive sixes. The left-arm finger spinner ended with the horrendous figures of 0-55 from four overs.
Andrew Tye later went close to exceeding that figure when he gave up a whopping 47 from three overs.
But that wasn’t sufficient to derail Australia’s defence of a good total as they scraped to a rousing victory.
anon
Roar Pro
If I lived permanently in England, had an English passport, am a naturalised Englishman, of course I would support England over Australia. I've pledged allegiance to that country. I might have a soft spot for Australia, but I certainly wouldn't be in the terraces fanatically waving an Aussie flag.
Brasstax
Guest
A win finally! For me India lost the game when Kartik ran a single and gave Krunal Panda the strike on the last ball of the 16th over or the first ball of the 17th... I forget which. Had Kartika played the first 4 balls of the last over India would have won.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
Zampa is a gun T20 bowler, but I don't think he'll ever make it in the other formats
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Well the same thing happens when England play, and NZ, England,British Lions in rugby as NZ dont turn out in numbers for their cricket team. England and India are the biggest source of income not only in terms of foreign Tv money, but also get the biggest crowds here. I wonder what rock your living under if you think they were either tourists or Australian citizens. There are about 70 thousand Indians students in Australia, and another number in that region on working visas. Then you would have all those who are permanent residents. The UK you would have few students but plenty on the other categories . NZ of course they dont need a visa to enter and they are second behind the UK in Australian minorities.
Matt
Guest
Why?? Imagin a aussie cricket fan moving to england when he is 20 years old and gains england citizenship. Will he start supporting england in ashes??
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
It happens whenever India play in South Africa . The Indian players get massive support from The SA Indian community . It has never been an issue though . Adds to the atmosphere and hype.
Brains of a bimbo
Guest
He struggled with the wet ball
anon
Roar Pro
By the way, I don't like McDermott in the side. Another son of an ex-player getting an armchair ride into the national side. He isn't one of the 6 best T20 batsmen in the country. Simple as that. Not sold on Carey either.
anon
Roar Pro
I think they were tourists. If you were an Australian citizen, with an Australian passport, residing in Australia, I couldn't imagine someone so enthusiastically supporting another country.
anon
Roar Pro
It's great for Australian tourism to have so many Indians come over here and enthusiastically cheer their country on.
anon
Roar Pro
I don't watch commercial TV apart from sport that is exclusively on FTA TV like Grand Finals or the Australian Open. Somehow I always knew that there was cricket on even though I never watch Channel 9 or commercial TV.
anon
Roar Pro
We probably got lucky in the end. India’s first match in Australia, unfamiliar with the conditions and nearly chased down a big score. I thought we bowled dumb again. Zampa was obviously great, but some of our quicks bowl dumb. The Indians couldn’t have asked for better deliveries to smack over the fence. Next time just give them one of those tees from tee-ball. We have to start looking at getting another spinner into the side or utilising Maxwell. Maxwell was the best of our bowlers the other night? Not used tonight. Dumb, dumb, dumb. What's going on? Maxwell was awesome. Best T20i batsman in the world right now, but that didn’t stop the commentary team from picking over his performance. What’s he supposed to score at? 3 a ball? I was initially enjoying the Fox commentary, but they lost me last night. I'm not watching T20 to hear a ex-players who are stuck in their ways and maybe a little jealous criticise the batting of Maxwell -- who is the best T20i batsman in the world right now.
JamesH
Roar Guru
That's not correct. D/L only takes into account wickets lost BEFORE the rain delay. Maxwell's wicket had no impact on the target.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
To be fair a lot of the Indian supporters are also Australian.
KenoathCarnt
Roar Rookie
Short has had a horrendous run in T20 ever since the IPL and I think Aus could benefit with Carey opening. Ultimately Khawaja should be opening but selectors won't risk him. Chahal will probly come back into the lineup and he is a class bowler so selectors should be cautious. Prefered lineup Carey (wk) Finch Lynn Maxwell Mcdermott Stoinis Christian/M.marsh Agar NCN Stanlake Zampa
kim lemmich
Guest
I must say that was a very 2018 response from you Daddy - its an outrage off
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Wow I didn’t realise that. That is extremely dumb cricket. That’s amateur stuff if they didn’t even know, and dumb if they did know and played the way they did.
Ozibatla
Guest
Theres only 2 people who understand the logic and equations of the duckworth/lewis system and that is Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis: the two gents who invented the mathematical formula.
Matt H
Roar Guru
I would love to see that. Maxwell has opened once in a T20 international. He score 145 not out off 65 balls. Of course in Australian selection world that means he was never given the chance again.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Spot on Josso. Some of my greatest cricket memories as a kid were watching the one dayers on channel 9. My family weren’t massive cricket supporters but interested enough to always have it on in the background. That’s how I fell in love with cricket. Some of those one dayers between the Aussies and Windies and even watching Imran Khan, Akram, Waqar, Botham, Allan Lamb and the likes were special. My kids aren’t missing out on that as I have Foxtel. My 3 boys had an awesome night last night watching what was a pretty exciting entertaining and nerve racking game. I just feel sorry for all the kids that are now going to miss out on that. I wonder what they were watching on TV last night. As a mate who doesn’t have Foxtel said to me the other day, cricket season hasn’t really started for him yet, and he’s “not into it” as he hasn’t seen a live ball bowled. What cricket Australia did is a disgrace, and while they may have secured a massive pay day deal with Foxtel, in ten years time they may find that it cost them more than they made. I’m sure those boys got there big bonuses though.