On a day that both of the World Cup favourites were defeated in their warm up matches by two of the three teams that are expected to challenge them, there needs to be a touch of sanity resumed in the conversation. While supporters on both sides are working themselves into a frenzy, the simple fact is that the tournament proper does not start for another four days and these results mean next to nothing.
For Australian fans the sight of Steve Smith batting with ease and controlling the innings throughout is a welcome one. Both he and David Warner were booed to the crease – as they will be all England summer – and one wonders how effective that will be. It may affect the concentration of Warner, who seems the kind of person who wats to shove such criticism down your throat with big shots, but to me if they keep booing Smith, he will score a thousand runs just to prove it won’t affect him. Everything was in place last night – the concerted building of the innings, the concentration through the middle, and then the big shots to accelerate at the end. It looked effortless, and his build up through all of the warm up matches Australia has played has been exceptional. He looks ready.
Australia’s victory means little, with both Morgan and Root not playing for England, and Maxwell, Cummins and Starc sitting out for Australia. Alex Carey’s batting cameo was a welcome sight, though doubt still remains over Stoinis. Oh if only Ashton Turner was in the squad. Jos Buttler confirmed his ability once again. He is my tip as Player of the Tournament. Note that down. What should also be noted is the affect that the two spinners for Australia played. In the modern age of ODI cricket, pace on the ball seems to benefit the batsmen who use it to strike it all over the field. It is spin – good spin, not just part time stuff – that could still be the key to this tournament.
When these two teams meet in the tournament proper, both sides will field vastly different lineups, and this result will count for nothing.
So too the match between India and New Zealand, where the Kiwi seamer put the Indian batting to the sword. India has so far shown a reluctance to have a high profile, hoping to come into the tournament under the radar. The overnight result will bring that to a screaming halt. India lost its last three ODI’s to Australia pre-IPL, and due to the nature of the draw (something I’m sure they manipulated to gain the best lead in) they do not play their first match under the seventh day of the tournament, after which some teams will have already played twice. That match, against perennial chokers South Africa, will be a real test, and if they play like they did last night they are in for a world of hurt. They may feign indifference to last night’s match, but their supporters at home will already be up in arms.
For the Kiwi’s, they still have the Colin Munro problem to assess at the top of the order (and for my two cents worth, he should be batting at five and allowing Tom Latham to open like he does in Test cricket – problem solved), but the sight of their trump cards from the 2015 World Cup in Trent Boult and Tim Southee doing what they do best would have been a pleasing one. They will be right in the mix again, and they look like they are peaking perfectly just like four years ago.
The weekend has offered a little taste of what is to come. There will be upsets – there always are – but one suspects that if everything mostly goes according to plan, then these four teams will be seeing each other again at the back end of the tournament, and those games will be far more intense that what we witnessed into the small hours of this morning.
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