Key events
Jordan is smeared for SIX by Tim David. A remarkable strike considering it was into the breeze on the long boundary side and he took one hand off the bat as he played the stroke. A couple of singles follow… DROP Jordan spills a return catch in his follow through, it was rifled back at him by David but that is a rare sight. How costly will that be…?
16th over: Australia 160-4 (Stoinis 16, David 4) Tim David is the new batter. Livingstone sends down another tidy over, bowling tight lines for five singles. Gah. Yet again Australia hit a six off the final ball to ruin England’s good work. Stoinis climbing into a length ball and depositing high and long back over the bowler’s head. Wonderful shot.
15th over: Australia 149-4 (Stoinis 8, David 1) Rashid goes for just three runs and has the wicket in his back pocket after five balls of the over but is then brought back down to earth as Stoinis sweeps the final ball for SIX over the short boundary. It was a top edge but it soared over the rope.
WICKET! Maxwell c Salt b Rashid 28 (Australia 141-4)
Another big wicket! Maxwell has to go after cloth-ing a pull shot to Phil Salt at midwicket. Both set men back in the hutch for the aussies.
14th over: Australia 140-3 (Maxwell 26, Stoinis 0) Top over from Livingstone. Just four runs and a wicket off it. England still look a bit battered and bruised. Marcus Stoinis is the new man. He’s got a chest like an American fridge and bulging biceps to go with it. He was the star man against Oman and can hit a loooong ball. Hold onto your stovepipe.
WICKET! Marsh st Buttler b Livingstone 35 (Australia 139-3)
Australia on course for over 200 which everyone on my tv thinks is way above par. Liam Livingstone and his box of tricks are given the nod. He’s on the button and even better… he’s looped a leg spinner past a forward groping Marsh and Buttler removes the bails (albeit at the second pass) Marsh’s foot is on the line so he has to go.
Could be a big moment in the game.
13th over: Australia 136-2 (Marsh 34, Maxwell 26) Chris Jordan nearly gets Maxwell who tries to manipulate a ball from waaaaay outside off stump into the leg side, the top edge narrowly avoiding Jonny Bairstow on the dive. He’s nailed that one thought, Jordan is lifted over short third for SIX.
Jordan slips down a few wides which will do nowt for England’s over rate. Any more time penalties and they’ll start to be punished. They really do not need that. Shot! Maxwell drives uppishly for four and then knocks a single to get Marsh on strike. This partnership looking more and more settled and dangerous as we head towards the business end of the innings. Four more! Marsh splats a wide ball square on the cut. Bruising stuff.
12th over: Australia 118-2 (Marsh 29, Maxwell 15) Wood returns and is flogged through the leg side for four by Glenn Maxwell. A couple and a single off the over as the final three balls are three hen’s teeth shaped dots. England get their first warning for not starting the next over in time, there’s plenty of flapping going on out there.
11th over: Australia 111-2 (Marsh 26, Maxwell 11) Archer bowls his third over. Pace off is the order of the day, England might rue not learning that was the way to go on this pitch until Australia had maaaarmalised their first five overs for seventy runs. Smash! Marsh hangs back expecting the short ball and manages to get enough on it to just clear the ropes and the boundary riders. SIX runs. That one keeps the Aussie run rate at over ten an over.
Alexander Novara is sat in the bleachers in NYC and emails in with a doozy.
“Hey Jim!
This email is coming to you from the stands for my very first cricket match of my life; before today, I’d never so much as seen a cricket bat or ball with my own two eyes. Granted, I’m in New York watching the gritty/punchy banger of a match between South Africa and the Netherlands, but my loyalty lies in Barbados with the England squad that has relatively recently stolen my heart.
I fell in love with the test game a few years back as an unlikely Italian American who figured you’ve gotta try every sport once, this high-scoring fare still doesn’t feel like proper cricket to me but I certainly won’t complain if it’s what brings my sporting obsession to my doorstep! I’ve been evangelizing the game the best I can, but I do think we’ve still got a bit more work to do before anything takes off stateside outside of ever-dedicated immigrant communities.
As an English test cricket enthusiast, I’ve had this Ashes-reminiscent match marked on the calendar for ages. What a time to be alive! Here’s to the USA in the Super 8, I just hope England can clean up their NRR to join them if my pessimism isn’t misplaced from what we’ve seen in this power play!”
Great to have you on board Alex, I hear the game in NYC was a cracker too…
10th over: Australia 102-2 (Marsh 18, Maxwell 10) Chris Jordan bowls the tenth over and mixes up his lengths and speeds effectively, just five runs off it. Australia bring up their hundred but England have reeled them in a little in the last few overs. Time for a quick slurp of something luminous for the players.
9th over: Australia 97-2 (Marsh 15, Maxwell 8) Rashid is full, too full – Maxwell pounces and pings it for four through midwicket. Googly time, Rashid executes well and gets a couple of dots. A single brings Marsh on strike. Crack! Marsh goes deep in his crease and pulls a shorter ball onto the solar panels. BIG SIX.
8th over: Australia 85-2 (Marsh 8, Maxwell 3) Mark Wood returns after being mauled in his first over. A single to Maxwell and then two dots to Marsh. Wood is going for a more pace off approach, rolling his fingers on the seam and cutting it into the pitch, and it is working more for him and England. Just three off the over as England claw some momentum back.
7th over: Australia 82-2 (Marsh 0, Maxwell 0) Rashid is pummelled away on the sweep by Marsh but it is the only boundary of the over which feels like a result for England at the minute. Four singles off the rest, Rashid mixing up flight and length.
6th over: Australia 74-2 (Marsh 0, Maxwell 0) Australia have a very healthy platform for Maxwell and Marsh to spring from. Archer gets out of the over brilliantly, two 90 and then some MPH shorter balls whistle past Glenn Maxwell. End of the power play, Adil Rashid is coming on to bowl.
WICKET! Travis Head b Archer 34 (Australia 74-2)
Stumps outta the ground! Archer has gone to his cutters and he spears one through the ever dangerous looking Head. England punching back.
WICKET! David Warner b Ali 39 (Australia 70-1)
My word, England needed that. Moeen skids one through Warner and disturbs the stumps. Breathe, lads. Breathe.
Mitch Marsh joins head in the middle.
5th over: Australia 70-1 (Head 30, Marsh 0)
Travis Head steps out and launches the returning Moeen for a four and then a SIX down the ground. England look a bit shell shocked. Buttler runs down once more from his position behind the stumps to have a word with his bowler. A whiff of panic I reckon. “The game feels like it is in fast forward when you are out there in this sort of situation” says Aaron Finch on comms. Well it is x32 speed at the minute. Warner hangs back in his crease and pulls away in front of square for four. England badly need a wicket to get some respite… and they get one!
4th over: Australia 55-0 (Head 19, Warner 35) Mark Wood replaces Will Jacks but in exactly the same way that Head took down Jacks to the short boundary Davey Warner does the same to the Durham speedster – launching the first two balls off the over into the stands on the leg side. Six and Six. Wood comes back with his newly minted slower ball and manages to get a dot to calm things down a little.
Not for long though – an attempted yorker results in a full toss and Warner smears it for a huge SIX. Buttler even feeling moved to run down to his bowler for a word in the ear. It’s carnage so far, the short boundary is proving almost impossible to defend at the moment for England. Warner pulls for four more! Fifty up for the Aussies in not time at all. England reeling in what could well be a must win game.
3rd over: Australia 33-0 (Head 19, Warner 13) Jofra Archer is summoned for the next over. What a lovely sentence to be able to type. Archer is quick and threatening, angling the ball back in and cramping Warner and Head for room. They manage a couple of quite risky singles and spoon a couple over the infield for a brace each. Neither batter looking comfortable. Archer bowls a cutter last up and it thuds Warner on the glove. No run. A bit of order restored for England by Jofra, eight off the over.
No thank you, Damian Clarke.
“Good evening. Looking forward to this. But may I say a big thank you?Having been in the garden all day, I’ve had nothing but Elvis Costello and his bloody ‘good year for the roses’ in my head. But I’ve just read your early comment, and now it’s been replaced by The Orb and their li’l fluffy white clouds. Lovely.”
2nd over: Australia 25-0 (Head 18, Warner 7) Bish and Bosh. Will Jacks is immediately put under pressure by a swashbuckling Travis Head who opens the shoulders and pumps two length balls for consecutive SIXES! A thick edge runs away for three to bring Warner on strike. Deep breaths Will. No good. Warner slog sweeps for four, Australia are rampant against Jacks and it is fair to say the experiment did not come off for Buttler and England. 22 runs off the over.
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Head 3, Warner 0) Moeen’s first ball is patted back by the walrus tache’d Head. The next is driven away for a couple to the shorter boundary on the off side. Two more dots follow before Head whips into the leg side to keep strike. Frugal start for England. Will Jacks is going to bowl the next over, somewhat surprisingly. England going with off spin against Australia’s two opening lefties.
How do you see this one going? England do have the wood over Australia in six of the last seven T20 meetings between the sides but this Australia unit have bags of experience and a happy knack of winning tournaments.
If you are tuning in then do not be afraid to slip a missive into the OBO mailbag – you can Email me with your thoughts or drop me a line on social meeeedja – @Jimbo_Cricket.
Moeen Ali is going to whirl away for the first over, Travis Head is on strike. Let’s play!
This is all very exciting. The weather is set fair in Barbados, white fluffy cloud and plenty of blue sky – more than enough to make a sailor’s pair of kecks. It looks to be a full house and crackling atmosphere at the Kensington Oval as the players emerge for the anthems.
England are the holders of course, and Australia are gunning for a third ICC gong to go with the World Test Championship and 50 over World Cup. We’ll have some fire and brimstone from Jofra Archer and Mark Wood very shortly, don’t go anywhere.
England win the toss and bowl!
Jos Buttler calls correctly and sticks Australia in. England are unchanged and Australia have made one change from their match against Oman – some guy called Pat? Pat Cummins is in for Nathan Ellis.
Teams:
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Matt Wade (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood
Preamble
Hello, g’day and welcome to the OBO of England v Australia in the T20 World Cup. The Kensington Oval is readying for what promises to be a decent old ding dong between the old enemies. It’s all to play for in Group B, especially for England who’s first game against Scotland was a points sharing washout. Australia are in a prettier position after polishing off a tricksy Oman but will be taking nothing for granted, a loss could be perilous for both.
Play gets underway in 3o minutes time – Ali Martin has got us covered for a curtain raiser:
If the vibe of the captain sets the tone of the team then the first of this weekend’s superclásicos in the T20 World Cup could be viewed as a slightly uptight England versus an Australia side that appears in tune with the rhythms of island life.
In the red corner for Saturday’s resumption of Ashes hostilities at Kensington Oval is Jos Buttler. He was a little bit prickly at the start of the week, irked by questions about how the approach to this title defence will differ to the blowout in the 50-over World Cup last winter, and has since seen the margin for error in Group B cut by Tuesday’s washout against Scotland. It probably reflected a suspicion that his job, and that of the head coach, Matthew Mott, are hugely contingent on a strong campaign.
And in the green corner – not canary yellow for this one – is Mitch Marsh, who, despite now being in his 30s, still carries a lovely air of wide-eyed wonder about being paid to do his hobby, not to mention the scruffy-haired look of a guy who woke up at 11am (and only then because mum was banging on the bedroom door). When he strolled from hotel to ground last Sunday for the captain’s pre-tournament press conference with his shirt off – coat-hanger shoulders and rig on show for those stuck in what passes for traffic here – he could easily have been mistaken for a travelling punter.
With Test and one-day international skipper Pat Cummins in the ranks for this one, Marsh seems a good fit as regards Australia’s outlook. They are 10,000 miles from home, where the winter football codes are typically dominating the sporting discourse, and are in a part of the world that they seldom have the good fortune to enjoy. The trophy cabinet is already well stocked, too, after last year’s World Test Championship win, Ashes retention, and that 50-over World Cup triumph in Ahmedabad. As such, they could almost be said to have a free hit at securing what has already been dubbed cricket’s “grand slam” by their media. Fail to do so and the blowback is unlikely to be fierce.”