Just a quick point: over the last 2 years India have not once hit more runs in the last 20 overs than the first 30 in an official match. Last night they scored a lot more. This is a reflection of four things.
1. New Zealand bowled well with the new ball, and as a result India got off to a slower than usual start.
2. India played extra batsmen due to the game being an unofficial match.
3. Dhoni and Raina were awesome.
4. New Zealand bowled poorly. Regardless of any other factor, there is no excuse for going for that many runs in the last 16 overs.
It was certainly a poor effort bowling at th death, but it seems to me for every bad game with the ball NZ also tend to get it right every now and then...hope that will be the case when the Australia game comes around! I wonder if there's a case for including Hamish bennett in the starting lineup, though it's difficult to decide who should drop out then.
ReplyDeleteI've added your blog to my link list, Michael. Cheers!
Cool - thanks Suhas!
ReplyDeleteI've been following yours for a while. I think I need to set up a link section, because there are so many awesome cricket blogs.
I'd personally only play Bennett for games against minnows. I don't think he'll trouble good batsmen much, better against the tail.