Screaming good catch by Cotterell to dismiss Smith but nudging and noodling singles will give them 290.
Unlikely Coulter-Nile will be nudging and Starc doesn’t noodle.
All out 288 at end of 49th over.
Would be ungracious to say they left a dozen runs short.
I would have taken the 270.
It would, but you heavily implied it anyway:D
I suspect that at 38-4 you would have been sorely tempted by 200 were it offered to you.
Strange thing momentum though isn’t it? Windies will be kicking themselves and Australia will be quietly pleased with a total that gives them some attacking space. Against every fibre of my English cricketing core I find myself hoping for an Aussie win. Not least because it makes things very interesting and probably ensures less dead rubbers towards the end of the group stage.
24 wides in 50 overs must be some sort of record bowling benevolence.
I’ve noticed that captains don’t replace bowlers within overs, even if they have 6-7 legitimate options to go to. Is that more to save embarrassment or something? If a bowler is getting crushed after 3 balls, why not replace him? I know that in ODI’s, a bowler can only bowl in 10 overs, but doesn’t having a few all-rounders mitigate this risk?
A bowler has to complete an over he starts unless injured.
Wow! an explosive start to the Windies reply.
2-31 after 5 overs and Gayle is out at the third time of asking…game very much on.
And…hang on, didn’t we think this was going to just be a tournament of boom-boom-batting? hasn’t turned out that way at all so far. Full marks to the groundsmen who are providing pretty good surfaces for a fair contest.
Got it, somehow missed that in all these past couple of years of learning the game.
OK, I’m calling it - Windies/Oz will end in a tie. Currently 160/4 after 30 overs, Holder just having narrowly survived an lbw shout.
Incidentally, there’s a fair amount of rain around tomorrow, and maybe into saturday and sunday as well, so we could get some rained off games over the next few days. Hopefully not too many.
WI really should win this, although there’s a question mark over whether Andre Russell is actually fit and that will put a dent in their chase. If these two can get WI to 220 ish, DreRus could get the rest himself.
RR creeping up though.
Wasim Akram used to bowl that many on a good day.
Got to say this is a bit of a choke by Windies. My prediction really was looking on, until Holder got out. A finely balanced game swung Australia’s way by Mitchell Starc.
Yet again Australia claw their way back from a bad position. Good to see another close one though.
Fair to say though that he was good value for it.
Anyway, good game all round. When you get multiple phases with different sides on top and all results possible right to the end, you are being entertained.
In Bristol it looks like it’s going to stop raining just long enough for them to dry out the outfield, toss, and bowl enough balls to avoid a full refund for the poor saps who have been sitting in the drizzle since 10am, but probably not long enough to obtain an actual result.
It is supposed to brighten up for the two games tomorrow though, though, so there’s that at least.
Who will be most pleased to get a point out of this game? Sri Lanka?
Certainly Sri Lanka. They’ve looked pretty hopeless.
So, when we review the games so far, where does that leave us? Australia unbeaten, but they tend to rely on just a few players- too many second raters for mine. England a big hope and I think the Windies will do well, and I think Afghanistan will win one game. In other words, I have no idea.
England have set an unlikely 387 for Bangladesh to reach having been inserted at Cardiff. It’s a small ground though, so whilst I expect England to win, it might be closer than expected.
And it’s a double header today, with AFG and NZ playing at Taunton, and AFG at 71/4.
At the moment, my prediction for hte final 4 is: England, India, Australia, New Zealand. Pakistan and especially WI will have something to say about that, and I wouldn’t really expect from here that anyone else will contend to qualify. SA looking poor.
That score sounds far to much for Bangladesh.
I have moaned about Australia’s second tier bowlers- I cannot see why Zampa gets in above Lyons.