Western Australia was clinical from the start. Shaun Marsh took four boundaries from Doggett’s second over, and the run fest never looked like evaporating. Even the stoppage for rain didn’t dissipate the runs. Marsh added 69 to his list of impressive innings this season, while his opening partner went on further. Michael Klinger as a run machine just keeps churning them out, and his 128 from 120 deliveries was classic Klinger. He gets better the older he gets, and though he was finally awarded a national call-up for the T20 side against Sri Lanka earlier this year, one suspects he still thinks he can do the job in the other formats as well. His figures suggest the same thing. Along with these two, Cameron Bancroft continued his rise, scoring 73 from 47 deliveries at the end of the innings as they warriors built up their imposing total. Bancroft was nominated as an Australian opening batsman three seasons ago, but so far hasn’t been given the final call up. By showing he can play the fast paced innings as well as the solidifying innings at the top of the order, he appears primed to go if he is given his opportunity.
Western Australia’s 3/301 was increased to a target for Queensland of 304 by the complicated Duckworth-Lewis method, but for most of the innings there appeared little chance of the innings ever getting close to it. Renshaw and Burns both registered golden ducks, and at 5/63 with only the tail to come Usman Khawaja was already facing a task of scoring 241 runs off 25 overs – near enough to 10 runs an over. Still, he looked the international batsman he is, working the ball around the field beautifully and finding the gaps as necessary. When he finally fell for 81 runs off 78 balls in trying to up the tempo, the score was 6/146, and the required equation was 158 from 12 overs with just four wickets in hand. And although we’ve seen teams make a good fist of the last 12 overs in other games already, surely in was unlikely the tail was going to get over 13 runs an over.
Michael Neser at this point was 37 from 43. Ben Cutting could only manage four runs, while Cam Gannon contributed 27 from 17 deliveries. Michael Neser meanwhile had added another 49 runs to his tally from just 24 deliveries. At the end of that over, Queensland needed 70 runs from four overs – just 24 deliveries – with Neser and Mitch Swepson at the crease.
Is a game ever really over anymore? Is there any target that is just too outrageous to chase? 30 years ago, 70 required off 15 overs was considered at least a 50/50 bet, if not more in favour of the bowling team. Now, with the equipment and pitches and small grounds all in favour of the batsmen, the game has become less predictable in this respect, and tougher on the bowlers and fielders. Boundaries are closer and easier to clear let alone reached along the ground. The bats hit the ball further and cleaner than ever. The bowlers have a strict line and width they can bowl without being called for a no ball or a wide. It is all set up for the batsman, no matter how outrageous the task.
The 38th over brought 15 runs for the Bulls, though two wides from Jye Richardson didn’t help the cause. Neser had moved to 99 of 72, and took care of the century by blasting the first ball of the 39th over to the boundary. Only five further runs came from the over from Mackin, leaving 46 required from two overs. Neser took nine runs from the first three deliveries of Richardson’s final over, but it was then that Swepson stood up, taking 4, a wide, 2 and 4 from the remainder of the over. 20 runs from the penultimate over, and that left 26 needed from the last over. Even despite the carnage that had come recently, one still only had to recall the words of the great Billy Birmingham in his Richie Benaud voice – “not an impossible task, but pretty fucking close to it!”
How then do you think the Warriors players felt when Neser slapped the first ball of the final over from Mackin over the boundary for six? 20 required from five deliveries, and it was now at a more ‘manageable’ four runs a ball. Yep, despite the unlikelihood of it, I’d say they were wondering how this could be happening. Order was restored when Neser was unable to find the boundary next ball, and was run out trying to complete a two that would have kept him on strike to attempt the impossible victory. His final score of 122 off 81 deliveries was an amazing thing to watch. Watching it I could only wonder why the bowlers weren’t changing their tactics. To be fair in the long run, it was just a great piece of power hitting, especially when you consider that his last 85 runs came from just 38 deliveries. Swepson managed another seven runs to his tally to finish with 23 not out off 13 deliveries, as the Bulls finished 11 runs short on 9/292.
It’s hard to believe that this match will only ever be rememebered for Neser’s amazing batting, and that the wonderful bowling of Matthew Kelly for the Warriors should have closed this match out early. His 4/25 off 8 overs was just fantastic, but it won’t be remembered. Nor will the batting of Marsh, Klinger and Bancroft, nor Khawaja. No, this was Neser’s match, and the fact he couldn’t pull off the most miraculous of victories will never dampen that.
No comments:
Post a Comment