Brilliant Blackcaps prove luck has nothing to do with it

SAM MORSHEAD AT OLD TRAFFORD: In a game interrupted by rain and split across two days, in the face of partisan support and in tricky conditions, their brilliant Blackcaps made a mockery of all of us who had written them off

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Scorecard | Ratings | Talking Points

Old Trafford fell strangely silent, barring the firecrackers snapping and flashing in the mid-afternoon Manchester sky.

This was not meant to happen, this was not in the script.

New Zealand, we were meant to believe, had fallen into these World Cup semi-finals by pure good fortune - their presence in the knockout rounds a quirk of fate and net run rate that did not accurately represent what had gone before.

They were overly reliant on their captain with the bat, they were out of form, and they were to be no match for their thoroughbred opponents.

How they must be laughing in their beds in Auckland and Wellington, and Napier and Christchurch tonight.

Because on the other side of the world, in a game interrupted by rain and split across two days, in the face of partisan support and in tricky conditions, their brilliant Blackcaps made a mockery of all of us who had written them off.

They negotiated a lively wicket, and a fearsome Indian pace attack, even after being told they would have to wait nearly 20 hours to complete their innings.

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Trent Boult appeals for the wicket of Virat Kohli

They leapt into bowling mode with rhythm and fury, chopping the head off the opposition batting line-up with a remarkable early burst before pinning their opponents down through the middle overs.

They fielded with typical intensity, squeezing and suffocating India’s power-hitters and forcing them into rash shots.

And they held their nerve at the end, as hearts pumped and pulses raced and Ravindra Jadeja threatened to dash their dreams.

Make no mistake, there is no good fortune about their presence in the 2019 World Cup final. That honour is theirs by right.

It seems a mighty long time ago now that Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat, despite leaden skies and low-hanging cloud around Old Trafford.

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Williamson knew that all five games played at this venue had ended in defeats for the chasing team. If India were to be denied, this is how it would happen.

What followed was a struggle. No run off the bat for 17 deliveries, and just 27 from the first 10 overs - back then the worst return of this World Cup. Martin Guptill went early, as now appears to be the custom, and Henry Nicholls soon joined him.

Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja tightened the noose.

But as has so often been the case over the past six weeks, Williamson was there for his team. He occupied the crease for more than two hours: resisting, deflecting, denying. Ross Taylor joined him and played much the same part, digging in his heels. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but boy did it prove to be effective.

When finally the rain curtailed proceedings on Tuesday night, New Zealand had 211 on the board. The next morning, the concourse lakes having drained away and the sun trying to part the clouds, they moved on to 239.

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MS Dhoni walks off after his dismissal

At the halfway mark, WinViz - which analyses the likelihood of success for either side - placed the Kiwis’ chances at just two per cent.

But no algorithm in the world could have foreseen what would happen next.

In case of emergencies in New Zealand, the number to dial is 111. 

Within five frenetic overs of a most extraordinary run chase, India - their top three dismissed for a single apiece - were in desperate need of an ambulance.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul edged Matt Henry into the gloves of Tom Latham, while Virat Kohli was trapped lbw by Trent Boult, amid an astonishing spell of swing bowling.

Normally the white Kookaburra only performs in short bursts, like the cuckoo in a clock, yet here Boult was getting it to dance to his merry tune for overs on end, hooping it into and away from the right-handers with perfect control, he the puppetmaster and it his trusty marionette. 

Kohli was struck just above the knee-roll, leaning forwards at his crease but not far enough to convince umpire Richard Illingworth that the delivery was rising enough. Unconvinced, the captain used up a review and, amid total hush inside Old Trafford, DRS showed the ball clipping the top of the bails.

WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL TALKING POINTS

Kohli stood unmoved, contemplating another World Cup semi-final failure - he has 11 runs from his three appearances now, almost unable to digest the decision. 5 for 3, and soon 24 for 4, as Dinesh Karthik leaned into a drive and cranked his head to the right to see Jimmy Neesham reaching, seemingly longer than his body should allow him to reach, to pick the ball between his fingers. It was an outstanding catch - given its skill, execution and the context of the match, quite possibly the best of the tournament.

Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya threatened to restore order in a fifth-wicket stand of 47 but both were beaten by their own impatience. Unable to get a handle on Mitchell Santner, Pant first slogged New Zealand’s slow left armer to deep midwicket, then Pandya was caught in the ring.

It was irresponsible cricket, when time was still on India’s side. At 92 for 6, though, everything favoured the Blackcaps.

Enter Ravindra Jadeja.

According to the numbers, Jadeja has hardly featured in this tournament. He was overlooked for much of the round robin, restored only for the victory over Sri Lanka on Saturday, and generally left to carry the drinks.

Yet, thanks to his many cameos as a substitute, there can rarely have been such an influential non-playing member of a World Cup squad.

He has saved more runs in the field than anyone else - 41 - and taken several excellent catches, most notably the tumbling effort to dismiss Jonny Bairstow at Edgbaston 10 days ago.

And now here he was, bat flailing in his hands, mind focused on the slight dealt to him by Sanjay Manjrekar in the build-up to this game.

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India's fans are crestfallen

There was nothing ‘bits and pieces’ about Jadeja’s innings, that’s for sure.

He counter-attacked without fear, finding the boundary where his teammates had failed and reaching his half-century with a flail of his bat and a knowing shrug in the direction of the commentary box.

There were heart-in-mouth moments - a gloved hook which fell just short of fine leg, an aerial drive to long-on which dipped in front of the tumbling Matt Henry - but, with MS Dhoni playing a retaining wall role at the other end, that is what the situation demanded.

With Dhoni, Jadeja added 116 - an all-country record seventh-wicket stand in World Cups. Single-handedly, he turned up the volume dial inside Old Trafford.

It couldn’t last, though, and he sliced a hanging catch to Williamson at mid-off off Boult for 77.

Dhoni, who for most of the back half of the innings had played the sort of long game you might associate with a poker player on his final dime, cracked the first ball of the penultimate over for six over cover-point to keep India’s lingering flirtation with victory alive.

When he departed, however, the victim of a wonderful pick-and-throw from Guptill, that was the game.

It has often been said of the Kiwis that, when it comes to international cricket, they are the scrappy pup with the lockjaw bite, the featherweight mixing it two divisions above their station.

Maybe we should start re-evaluating.

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

Comments

Posted by Jon Salisbury on 11/07/2019 at 06:49

Small point but it was Richard Illingworth who gave Kohli out.

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