Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
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By Rahul Patil
Every world cup has its share of upsets. As a fan you just hope it’s not your team at the wrong end of one. So far in this tournament Netherlands, USA & Nepal came within a whisker of creating history but getting into winning positions and winning are two different things. The Blackcaps made sure they kept the noun ‘complacency’ well and truly locked up in the dressing room and delivered a commanding victory against a UAE side which in the end looked well out of its depth especially with the ball in hand.
Interestingly, the pitch for today’s game still had the hessian on it 10 minutes before the toss suggesting a dry pitch underneath which the curator wanted to protect against the harsh Chennai sun. The blackcaps lost their second toss in a row and were promptly requested to bowl first with their unchanged side.
The highlight of the UAE innings was a 107 run partnership off 77 balls between captain Muhammed Waseem and Alishan Sharafu. The runs were necessary but on a flat pitch against a strong blackcaps batting line-up they needed to come at a much higher strike rate. A total of 173 was respectable but at the halfway stage one got the feeling that it was never going to be enough.
All three left arm spinners bowled brilliantly in this match. Santner is currentlyat t he peak of his powers in white ball cricket. Regardless of the surface he has enough tricks in his bag to keep delivering consistent performances. I was critical of New Zealand’s fifth bowling option against Afghanistan but today Rachin the bowler complemented his captain beautifully. As a teenager Rachin used to open the batting and bowling for his school – Hutt International Boys School but at the international level as his batting has blossomed one gets the feeling that it has come at the cost of Rachin the bowler. Hopefully today’s performance is the start of consistent opportunities with the ball for him.
Once Tim Seifert and Finn Allen (who are both keen golfers) got into their grove the Chennai stadium turned into a golf driving range and rather than a contest between bat and ball it turned into a contest between two mates trying to match each other shot for shot. 17 boundaries and 8 sixes later the onslaught ended with 28 deliveries to spare. An unbroken opening partnership of 175 resulting in a resounding 10 wicket victory. Tim Seifert picked up his second player of the match award and the blackcaps picked up their second win of the tournament.
The ICC, BCCI, PCB and BCB must have read my previous write-up as after a day of high profile meetings Pakistan has now agreed to play their group stage match against India in Colombo. U-Turns on a one way street are highly risky but on subcontinent roads it’s a common sight. The ICC is happy, the broadcasters are happy, and Bangladesh, the creators of this mess, are also happy as they have managed to negotiate a lucrative financial deal for themselves from it. What about the Bangladesh players and fans you say? The question is – Who cares?
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