ICC World Cup 2019 Australia v West Indies at Trent Bridge June 6th

ICC World Cup 2019 Australia v West Indies at Trent Bridge June 6th

Neil Whitaker reports

NATHAN Coulter-Nile fell eight runs short of his maiden ODI century but his 92 gave Australia a total to defend after they had lost five wickets for 79 with 33 overs to bat.  

His previous best score in ODI’s was 34 and in ListA cricket 52.  After his first few balls it looked could be walking back to hutch very quickly.  He should have  been dismissed twice in his first two balls.  He left his first ball from Andre Russell which narrowly missed his stumps, pulled the next ball which rushed on to him and stumper Shai Hope ran from behind the stumps to short leg but he couldn’t take the catch. Coulter-Nile was in all kinds of trouble in the next over from Sheldon Thomas but some how he survived it.

Mitchell Starc said: “He’s been hitting the ball well and is such a clean striker of the ball so full credit to him.  Without his 92 it would have been an hard task for us.  After our start I thought we could defend anything over 200 so he batted quite well.’

Coulter-Nile clipped Thomas of his legs wide off  Nicholas Pooran on the fine leg boundary and that boundary got him going.  With Steve Smith they added 102 in 14 overs after his shaky start Coulter-Nile soon caught Smith up. Coulter-Nile hit consecutive sixes off Cottrell,the first he clipped off his legs over square leg and a big drive over long on.

He clipped Russell off his legs over the square leg boundary to bring not only the Australian 200 but also the fifty partnership with Smith. Smith bottom edged Cottrell to the third man boundary to bring up his fifty from 77 balls, it also took him to 3,000 runs in ODI cricket.

To break the partnership would take a brilliant price of cricket and so it proved.  Smith pulled Thomas to the shorter square leg where he saw Cottrell take the catch. But as he caught it Cottrell became aware that his momentum was going to take him over the boundary so he threw the ball in the air.  He jumped back on to the field and completed the catch.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder said: “Partnerships are a part of cricket.  Coulter-Nile came out and was positive.”

Australia were put into bat and were soon in trouble against the hostile West Indies bowling.  They lost their first wicket in the third over when Aaron Finch tentatively pushed at Thomas who found his outside edge and gave a comfortable catch for Hope. Thomas had started the match with a legside wide that raced to the boundary.

David Warner drove a short ball from Cottrell that got big on him to Shimron Hetmyer at backward point.  Usman Khawaja was softened up by the short pitched bowling off Thomas and Russell.  In Thomas’ second over he hit Usman Khawaja on the glove with a short ball and in his next over Thomas hit him on his shoulders. Thomas was replaced by Russell who persisted with the shortballs and then followed those up with a wide full ball and Usman Khawaja chased it and Hope took a brilliant one handed catch diving to his left.

Hope took his third catch when Glenn Maxwell hooked a short ball from Cottrell but top edged it and Hope ran to short leg to take a steep long catch.

Marcus Stoinis got off the mark with a straight drive off Carlos Brathwaite and he finished the over with another boundary when he hooked Brathwaite. He hit another three boundaries including two in consecutive balls off Holder.  With Smith they added 41 in nine overs and looked to be rebuilding the Australian innings but Stoinis had a rush of blood and pulled a short ball from Holder to Pooran at mid wicket.

Starc added: “They bowled fast and aggressively which is going to be an huge weapon for them going forward in this competition.”

The Aussies could have been 79 for six but Alex Carey survived an appeal for leg before on none. The appeal was turned down, the West Indies reviewed it and the replay showed the ball to be going over. He guided Thomas over the slips to the third man boundary and two balls later he drove Thomas through mid off but it bounced just before and deceived Holder for another boundary.

In the next over he hit three boundaries off Cottrell.  Two were poor balls that Carey cut to the boundary but the final one was a beautiful cover drive.

Carey reversed swept off spinner Ashley Nurse’s second ball to the point boundary.

Russell was brought back into the attack and angled his fourth ball across Carey edged to Hope.  They added 78 in 14 overs.

Like the West Indies, Australia got an early breakthrough.  In the second over Evin Lewis tentatively pushed at Pat Cummins and edged him to Smith on his knees at second slip. The West Indies could have lost their second wicket in the second over when Chris Gayle gloved a short ball from Starc but Carey wasn’t tall enough to take the catch.

They went up for a catch behind off the next ball and Gayle was given out, Gayle reviewed it and the replay showed he hadn’t hit it. Starc finished the over with a leg before appeal. Again Gayle was given out and again Gayle reviewed it.  Again Gayle was right, the ball was missing the stumps.

Those reviews got the crowd going anode they cheered as Gayle hit 14 off the next over including three fours.  Starc finally got Gayle in his next over.  Gayle was caught on his and the Aussies went up for leg before appeal again Gayle was given out.  After talking to Hope, Gayle went for another review.  The replay showed the ball to be just hitting the off stump and Gayle was out. But the television showed that the ball before Gayle was out was a big no ball so the ball that got Gayle out should have been a free hit.

Holder added: “I was it on the screen and just laughed, I couldn’t believe it. It was a funny situation when we were on the wrong end of the decisions.  I was dissapointed that they all went against us.”

Starc said: “I’ve always had some good battles against Gayle he is an huge weapon for the and we were fortunate to get him when we did.”

Pooran got off the mark with a cover drive to the boundary off Starc and finished the over with a clip off his legs to the mid wicket boundary.

On 31 Pooran drove the leg spinner Adam Zappa in the covers but Maxwell dove and got a hand to it but couldn’t hold on to it but at least he saved three runs.  In the next over he top edged Stoinis over the fine leg boundary to bring up the fifty partnership with Hope.

Pooran sliced an on drive off Zappa and the ball ballooned to Finch at point who leaned his back, stuck out his right hand and it stuck.

Hope hit Coulter-Nile for consecutive boundaries, the first off his and the second through the covers as he began to gain control of the chase.  In the next over Hope cut Maxwell to Cummins at mid of and set off for a single.  Hetmyer was sent back by Hope and was run out by a mile.

The Aussies thought they had Holder leg before for seven but Holder reviewed it and for the third time they won as the replay showed it had pitched outside leg stump.

Hope fell for the three card trick.  Cummins brought the man in from the point boundary, sent the man out to the deep mid wicket boundary and bowled a full length ball.  Hope got a leading edge and chipped it to Usman Khawaja at mid on.

Zappa went up for a leg before against Holder who was given out.  Holder reviewed it and for the fourth time the West Indies won the review as it showed the ball missing.  Holder rubbed salt into the Aussies wounds but top edging a six off Starc over fine leg.

The Aussies were relieved to get rid of Russell after he a quick 15 off 11 balls with two fours and a six.  Russell got off the mark with a huge six off Zappa into the top deck of the Radcliffe road stand.  He went for a big on drive off Starc but sliced it and the big show Maxwell took a great catch.

Brathwaite pulled Coulter-Nile for a big six over mid wicket to take some pressure off Holder as the required run rate began to creep up.  With 37 required from 26 balls Brathwaite clubbed a  full toss from Starc and Finch at mid on took the catch.

Holder tried to help the last ball of the over to the fine leg boundary but he gloved it to Zampa at short fine leg.  With Holder’s dissmissal the result was never in any doubt and Holder said: “We missed an opportunity but that’s sport, it’s dissapointing to lose a game after we were I full control. We need to continue to be smart with our aggression.”

Starc got his fifth wicket when Cottrell backed away to smash him through the covers, missed the ball angled in at him and was bowled, he had taken four wickets for two runs in 11 balls. He added: “I enjoy bowling at the death.”

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