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Well that was awfully exciting, wasn’t it? The West Indies men join the women in the final,
where they have a chance to win their second World T20 in three
tournaments, after their success in Sri Lanka four years ago. We’ll have
a match report for you in a bit, but meanwhile thanks for reading, and
we’ll see you on Sunday.
Lendl Simmons, who wasn’t in the team before today, has taken the
West Indies home with a quite brilliant 83 from 51 balls. It simply
didn’t look even close to on when Gayle and Samuels went cheaply, but
Simmons, Charles and finally Russell were utterly brilliant, and they
will face England in the final on Sunday. What a chase! What a match!
What a sport!
19th over: West Indies 185-3 (Russell 33, Simmons 82) - 8 more runs required from 6 balls Blimey,
it’s Jadeja for the penultimate over, but the first two balls only go
for one. Simmons carts him out to deep mid-wicket but there’s a man
there, so it’s only one more, and the next is hit straight back to the
bowler. But there’s some runs! Russell nails one with extreme prejudice,
straight, straight, straight for six. Woof. And then another four,
inside-out to the extra-cover fence. It’s deadly silent in Mumbai,
because the West Indies are going to win this one, surely.
18th over: West Indies 173-3 (Russell 22, Simmons 81) - 20 more runs required from 12 balls Simmons
charges again, and again Bumrah goes for the slower shorter one,
followed by another slow ball that is waved at by the batsman, and
another from the next ball. Very smart bowling by the young man, that,
producing three whole dot balls. And then six! Simmons smacks it up in
the air, to the wide long-on boundary, where Jadeja catches it...but his
toe touches the ropes before he can throw it up to Kohli! Scenes!
Absolute scenes! Next an inside-out drive goes out towards the boundary,
but Pandya runs around to make a fine stop and save a couple of runs.
And then Simmons slices one over the slips for another four! Despite
three dot balls, 12 runs from that over! SCENES!
Lendl Simmons keeps his eyes on the ball. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
17th over: West Indies 161-3 (Russell 21, Simmons 69) - 32 more runs required from 18 balls Here’s
Nehra with a bit of experience to try calming things down a little.
He’s around the wicket to Simmons, who walks across his stumps and tries
to flick it for four, but just gets a single off his hips. A terrific
yorker is kept out by Russell, then Nehra drops shorter and his well and
truly punished, Russell carting him over cow corner for six. A couple
more singles, but still ten from the over. The home crowd are nervily
quiet.
16th over: West Indies 151-3 (Russell 14, Simmons 67) - 42 more runs required from 24 ballsBumrah
is back, and Russell hammers one that nearly takes the umpire’s head
off, but Kohli comes round and not only stops the boundary at long-on,
but keeps them to a mere single. “Any truth in the rumour that it was
actually Virat who was behind the recent discovery of gravitational
waves?” asks Simon McMahon. Every chance, Simon. Simmons charges
at Bumrah but the bowler sees him coming, and sends down a loopy bouncer
that befuddles the batsman. Then Simmons slices one high over short
third-man, and it bounces over the ropes for four. Another nailed shot
goes straight to Ashwin at cover, who throws at the stumps, misses and
they take a buzzer. And from the final ball of the over, a half-volley
on middle-leg, Simmons thrashes a drive over the straight fence for six.
It’s on! It’s blooming well on!
15th over: West Indies 138-3 (Russell 12, Simmons 56) - 55 more runs required Pandya
is back, and is greeted with a blur of Russell’s bat, as he belts the
ball past mid-off and to the boundary. And then SWEET FANCY MOSES -
Russell brutalises a shorter one that very nearly hit the roof of the
stadium, and this is a big ol’ stadium. Pandya tries a different
approach, coming around the wicket and bowling across Russell, which
works in that he only gets a single from a carve to third man. And
then Simmons slaps a full-toss straight to cover, the catch is
comfortably taken but...it’s a no ball again! That’s twice Simmons has
escaped due to some careless over-stepping! And then, obviously, Simmons
drops to one knee and mullers the free hit into the stands. So 18 runs
and a wicket from a no-ball from the over. On balance, not a great one
for India.
Hardik Pandya looks on in disbelief as Simmons is reprieved again. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
14th over: West Indies 120-3 (Russell 1, Simmons 50) - 73 more runs required A
couple of dot balls, then Simmons brings up his 50 with a two and a
single. Andre Russell then gets strike, hits a single down to long-off
and that’s the over. A wicket and just four runs, which isn’t bad going
at all.
WICKET! Charles c Sharma b Kohli 52 (35) - West Indies 116-3
Virat
Kohli! What a man! What a player! What a batsman! WHAT A BOWLER! Dhoni
brings on the skinny genius, which looks like a maverick decision, but
from his first ball - his first ball! - Charles whacks him up in the
air, and straight to Sharma at long-off. If you want a job doing
properly, give it to Virat.
Virat Kohli celebrates after breaking the Charles and Simmons’
partnership with his first delivery. Photograph: Jan Kruger-IDI/IDI via
Getty Images
13th over: West Indies 116-2 (Charles 52, Simmons 47) - 77 more runs required Jadeja
continues, and Charles goes for the big one, doesn’t get hold of it and
the ball bounces just in front of Rahane at long-off. Simmons very much
does get hold of the next one, smacking it inside-out over extra-cover
and to the boundary. A few singles, then Simmons takes advantage of some
more width, carving Jadeja over cover for another boundary. If Jadeja’s
going to bowl that line, surely it’s suicide not to have a fielder on
the boundary out there?
12th over: West Indies 104-2 (Charles 50, Simmons 37) - 89 more runs required Pandey
bowls again, and he’s greeted with a fierce whip in front of mid-wicket
from Charles that bounces just in front of the boundary. Simmons goes
for a big wipe, but only gets a single from the last ball, after Charles
survived a hopeful lbw shout that hit him well outside off. 89 runs
needed from 48 balls.
Johnson Charles hits out on his way to a half century. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images
11th over: West Indies 97-2 (Charles 46, Simmons 35) - 96 more runs required Jadeja
is back with a bang, but the sort of bang you get from a party popper -
he drops short and Simmons rocks back, belting him way over mid-wicket
for six. Then a fuller, wider one is driven through the covers and it
zoots along the ground and to the boundary. Could they? They couldn’t,
could they? Well, yes, they probably could. Jadeja then gets away with a
ludicrous full-toss - firstly because Simmons only bunted it away for a
single rather than smacking it over the fence, and then because the
umpire Ian Gould didn’t think it was over waist-height. With respect to
Gunner, it blinking well was. Still, 13 runs from the over.
10th over: West Indies 84-2 (Charles 45, Simmons 23) - 109 more runs required Pandey
has a bowl, and Charles takes a colossal swipe at one, gets a thick
edge that nonetheless flies out to the third man boundary, which it
bounces millimetres in front of....or that’s what it looked like on the
replays, only for the third umpire to decide it hit the Toblerone on the
full. The outcome of the next is more certain, as Charles pulls a short
one powerfully behind fine leg and he gets four. Pandey beats Charles
from the last ball of the over, fencing outside off, but 12 from it =
good news for the West Indies.
9th over: West Indies 72-2 (Charles 34, Simmons 23) - 121 more runs required Ashwin
floats one up to Charles, which turns out to be a mistake as he carts
him into the crowd beyond the mid-wicket fence. Charles then smacks one
along the ground to about the same spot, which Pandey makes a fine
attempt at stopping but can’t quite manage it. A single, then Simmons
goes big, inside-out, but it plugs a little in the turf allowing Jadeja
to run around and stop it with his boot.
8th over: West Indies 59-2 (Charles 23, Simmons 21) - 134 more runs required Hardik
Pandya is the new bowler, and the batsmen take three singles from the
first four balls, before he drops short and Charles, down the pitch,
nails a pull out to the boundary.
7th over: West Indies 51-2 (Charles 17, Simmons 19) - 142 more runs required Spin
from both ends now as Ravi Ashwin’s whirling arms arrive. Simmons cuts
uppishly and it goes in the air just - just - past Bumrah at wide slip
and to the boundary. Then a couple of balls later he plays the same
shot, this time it goes straight to the fielder who takes the
catch...but wait! Ashwin commits that most unforgivable of sins for a
spinner by overstepping. No ball, and as well as no wicket it’s a free
hit...that Simmons thinks is a wide and leaves, but no dice there. Why
didn’t he just swing at it anyway? Not like he could get out. Eventful
over, although only seven runs came from it.
6th over: West Indies 44-2 (Charles 16, Simmons 14) - 149 more runs required The
first bowling change - at this stage the West Indies had made five - as
Ravi Jadeja has a bowl with his left-arm spin. And Simmons tucks in,
battering a darted ball at leg stump way over the straight boundary for
six. Big hit, that. Simmons misjudges a flick off his hips and it
balloons in the air, but drops wide of fine-leg and they come through
for a couple.
5th over: West Indies 33-2 (Charles 15, Simmons 4) - 160 more runs required Nehra
trundles in again, and keeps Charles quiet, just a single from a
mishit, attempted thrash over the leg side from the first four balls.
And then Simmons shows Charles what to do, flicking a pull like a
right-handed Graham Thorpe past fine leg for four.
4th over: West Indies 28-2 (Charles 14, Simmons 0) - 165 more runs required Charles
clearly isn’t going into his shell after those early wickets - Bumrah
drops a bit short, and the opener nails one over mid-wicket and to the
fence, a result he repeats next up with a little tuck off his hips and
past short fine-leg. A single then brings new man Lendl Simmons onto
strike, who dabs at his first couple of balls. “I’m not proud of
this,” writes Ant Pease, “but in spite of his obvious bowling talent,
every time I hear the word “Bumrah”, all I can think is that it sounds
like the answer to the question “I appreciate you’ve got a terrible
cold, but could you please remind me of the name of the Thundercats’
nemesis? Admittedly, this question is rarely asked.”
WICKET! Samuels c Rahane b Nehra 8 (7) - West Indies 19-2
Nehra
is back in, and Charles thumps a half-volley near his toes straight
past the bowler, and also past a diving mid-on. A big lbw shout as
Charles plays across the line, but that was well above the knee-roll and
thus heading over the stumps. Nehra drops a bit shorter and thuds one
into Charles’ belly, and it rolls away far enough for them to take a
leg-bye. And then - hoo boy - Samuels ends his iffy short innings by
gently chipping one straight up and into the waiting palms of Rahane at
mid-off.
Rahane celebrates after taking a catch to dismiss Samuels. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
2nd over: West Indies 14-1 (Charles 1, Samuels 8) - 179 more runs required Spicy
field from Dhoni here for Samuels - not only a slip, but a leg-slip
too, and Samuels jabs at one that he was backing away from, edging
through where second slip might have been and it flies to the boundary.
That leg slipper is duly brought round to a sort of third/gully
position, and Bumrah comes back with a couple of snorters that leave
Samuels looking rather uncomfortable, before ruining things slightly
with a wideish long-hop that is carved away to the cover boundary.
Jasprit
Bumrah will bowl from the other end, and what a start! He bowls a low,
inswinging full-toss that Gayle misses, and it thuds into the base of
his off-stump. Is it hyperbolic to say that could be the game already?
Gayle, bowled by Bumrah for five. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
Bumrah celebrates. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
1st over: West Indies 6-0 (Charles 1, Gayle 5) - 187 more runs required Charles
faces first and tucks a single off his hips, then Gayle trolls us all
by leaving his first ball. The second he prods at a little tentatively,
and nearly plays onto his own stumps, then the third he also leaves, but
partly because he nearly couldn’t reach it, Nehra just getting away
with a very short, quite wide one. And then, the first boundary, a
long-hoppy number that Gayle shovels past mid-wicket and out to the
fence.
Plenty of neatly-clipped beards in this India team. They’re
currently huddling on the outfield, probably swapping trimming tips. Or
talking about how to limit the West Indian batsmen. One of the two.
Well,
it’s slightly under the average score for this ground, but nevertheless
that’s a reasonably good total for India, the king Virat Kohli once
again at the heart of everything. We’ll have a little break to do the
necessaries and for Kohli to mop his dripping sweat, and we’ll be back
for Chris Gayle to smack everything that moves shortly.
20th over: India 192-2 (Kohli 89, Dhoni 15) Bravo
starts with a full-toss on Dhoni’s shins that he massively gets away
with, the ball going straight to the fielder on the wide mid-wicket
fence on the bounce. Then - drop! Kohli smacks a length ball towards the
same fielder, immediately gives up because a catch looks inevitable,
but it either swirled in the air or Simmons misjudged it, because a
diving catch attempt is turfed. They take two, then a single brings
Dhoni on strike. Dhoni cloths another one into the air, it drops to a
vacant mid-wicket area then a wayward throw allows them to dash back for
three runs. Kohli swipes a half-volley on middle that bounces inches in
front of the ropes, then the innings ends with a single out to long-on.
Eeesh - breathless stuff.
16:01
19th over: India 180-2 (Kohli 81, Dhoni 11) Russell
back for the penultimate over. Kohli digs out a decent yorker to take
two out to third man, then a length ball is utterly murdered over
long-on, flying over the fielder and fence. Another yorker, but again
Kohli flicks it off his toes and a sprinted first run allows them to
take a second, then Russell tries one more that Kohli hammers just over
cover for four, and closes the over with a bullet of a straight drive
off a low full-toss, and another boundary. Whelp - 19 from the over, and
Virat understandably looks beat.
Kohli smashing it all over the park. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
ICC World T20 2016 : West Indies v India
Reviewed by Unknown
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23:01:00
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