Clinical Cricket Doesn't Raise Any Excitement Levels

The final preliminary matches of the JLT Cup turned into one-sided affairs almost from the outset, and though both matches were going to have some say in who would progress to which part of the final layout, the most unlikely scenarios in order for teams to make an impression never came to fruition, leaving three teams to fight out the final two matches to decide this season’s champion.

The young pups CAXI team was completely overwhelmed by the best team in the competition this season, collapsing under the weight of a team at the top of their game and of a four week campaign that will have been a sapping experience against high class opposition. Under captain Beau Webster the young team has done exceptionally well, and the most pleasing part is that each of the players in the team has made a contribution along the way. Even today under the excellent Warriors bowling, the team had managed to reach 2/126 off 33 overs, and a good skip along in the final overs could have gotten them to 250, a score at least worthy of defending. Unfortunately, the following collapse of 8/53 doesn’t do justice to their good work in recent times, and left the Warriors well in the box seat. And there was no mercy shown by them either, as they slashed their way to 1/182 off just 30 overs, with D’arcy Short smashing 119 not out himself of the total.

If justice serves, Western Australia will win the final and the tournament on Saturday. They have been the best team this month, with their only loss a narrow one as they almost chased down a huge target set by South Australia. The senior players have all set the tone, and the up and coming players have followed them. All things being equal they will win, but cricket often doesn’t run to the script.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 20: Western Australia vs Cricket Australia XI

Tasmania had to beat Queensland and win with the double bonus point to reach the playoff stage, but the consistent Queensland batting, which finally clicked together for the first time, took that possibility away from them by posting 8/339 from their fifty overs. Yet another consistent innings from both Khawaja and Labuschagne, a Joe Burns classic, the impressive return of Sam Heazlett, the improving performance of the impressive Jimmy Peirson, and one of the biggest sixes ever seen from the bat of Ben Cutting, all meant that Tasmania had to reach the total of 340 off just 25 overs – a required run rate of 13.6 runs per over.

And to be honest, there was that tingling feeling that they would have a real rack at it! Dunk, Paine, Doolan, Bailey, Wade, Silk, Faulkner… the possibility was there. And then, like water doused fireworks, nothing happened. Dunk fell in the first over, and when Paine went in the sixth over the score was 2/17 and under three runs an over. The expected call to arms to snatch a (by any right, an extraordinarily unlikely) finals spot never happened. The most exciting part of the innings came from Cameron Boyce at number nine. He entered at 7/171 in the 38th over, when any chance of a finals spot or even a victory had gone by the board overs ago, and smashed 52 entertaining runs from 31 deliveries, helping the Tigers to reach 256 before expiring. It was a very strange evening all round.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 21: Tasmania vs Queensland