I guess in the long run it is an upset that Australia defeated India in the second of three T20I matches overnight. A shock perhaps. India had managed seven consecutive victories over Australia in this format of the game, stretching back to 2012, and given the number of players unavailable for the Australian team it didn’t appear likely that they would be troubling the scorers any time soon. Perhaps in the long run there are three major reasons for the change up of result, and perhaps reasons for looking ahead in regards to the T20 format in order to improve the Australian output.
Number 1: David Warner is installed as captain. With Steve Smith rehabilitating his shoulder before the start of the Ashes series in November, Warner has been given the captaincy of the team for this series. As vice-captain for Australia in all formats of the game it was not a surprise, but what is more compelling is that he has spent the past two years as captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League. He knows this form of the game better than most, and his captaincy has been inventive and encouraging. That he is captain of Australia here is perhaps a better move than having Smith there. New ideas, different ideas, giving a team a better chance of victory. The team would be better having Smith in the line-up, but perhaps the different take on the captaincy is also providing a different mindset.
Number 2: Picking a winning bowling line-up. The Perth Scorchers has been the best all-round team over the history of the Big Bash League in Australia. They have made most of the finals, and they seem to be able to win the toughest matches. One wonders why with such form that it has taken so long for the pieces of that team’s bowling attack to finally be installed in the national team? Last night the opening three bowlers for Australia were Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye. All three ply their trade with the Scorchers. All three did their jobs immaculately last night. Behrendorff’s spell of 4/27 from four overs, where he took the top half of the batting order off at the waist, was exactly the kind of performance Australia’s selectors and fans have been waiting for from him. It was bravado of the best kind. Coulter-Nile has been superb, and Tye did his job again. Was it coincidence, or was it the happy course of events that gave these three Scorchers the chance to bowl together in the national team? Time may be the one who answers, but one suspects it is the Scorchers link that is the most prevalent.
Number 3: Moises Henriques given his chance. There is little doubt that Warner being captain has created this little gem. While Henriques’ has been a team mate and captain of Warner at New South Wales for some years, Warner is also Henriques’ captain at Hyderabad, and Henriques mostly batted at three in that team. Last night, his captain elevated him to the crucial number three spot, and he didn’t let his captain down. Moises has been on the periphery of the national team for almost a decade, and his fleeting opportunities have not shown the best of his ability. Last night he and Travis Head (another IPL luminary) steadied the Australia chase of 119 from 2/13, and got the runs themselves with few problems. Head’s 48 from 34 balls was much like he has shown over the past 12 months in the ODI set-up. But it was Henriques’ innings that proved to be most potent. 62 runs from 46 deliveries, with four boundaries and four sixes. It was like the kind of innings he put together for Hyderabad. His captain’s faith was rewarded with victory, while Henriques showed what he is capable of when given the right opportunity. There is still time for him to parlay that into other sections of cricket at international level.
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