Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Aujourd'hui 04:28

Bowled down to defeat

IT was disappointing, to say the least. To score 328 for six wickets in 50 overs and lose the ODI against England was unexpected. It’s a strong total to defend and the English captain, together with his batsmen, accomplished the win in 47.5 overs of a well-timed chase, losing five wickets in the process. This was the second ODI, at North Sound, Antigua. The victory by England was heroic, after they lost the first convincingly at the same venue. Liam Livingstone, the English skipper, played a professional batsman’s innings. He was unperturbed even after falling behind the asking over-rate in mid-innings. In England, cricketers chase targets every week. Hence, they are more experienced at chasing. However, conditions have to be conducive to take the opportunity of a victory. Nevertheless, the county players are accustomed to this type of strategy, and this is what was presented to the English captain. It was a case of a win at all costs. Livingstone is the neophyte captain of England because of the injury-hit absence of regular white-ball captain Jos Buttler. Therefore, after being beaten comprehensively by WI in the first ODI, he was determined not to give in again. Although he might have been apprehensive after going one down in the three-match series, he knew that a do-or-die effort was required in this second game. His encouragement and motivation as a captain to his fellow batsmen were taken up by Phil Salt, the wicket-keeper and opening batsman, who contributed a run-a-ball 59 and Jacob Bethell, his left-handed all-rounder, who went in at number four and scored 55 in 57 balls, plus a brilliant innings by Sam Curran, who, at six, played a vital role in getting 52 in 52 deliveries. In the chase, it is difficult to overstress the importance of the support these batsmen gave to their skipper, relieving him of the burden of sole responsibility. The wicket was perfect for batting; there is no doubt about that. Hence it needed fortitude and professionalism in bowling to dictate the right attitude to seize the advantage and gain the upper hand. [caption id="attachment_1118570" align="alignnone" width="1024"] -[/caption] The WI batsmen, having been sent in to bat, would have realised how true it was for stroke play. Skipper Shai Hope had the confidence to flog the English bowlers for 117 runs, assisted by a well-played 71 from the young Keacy Carty. This lad has tons of ability, and also, it seems, a sensible head on his shoulders. Sherfane Rutherford has been playing very consistently recently, having scored three fifties in three innings in Sri Lanka and he stitched together 54 in just 36 deliveries in this game. It was also delightful to witness a brutal innings of 23 in 11 balls, including three towering sixes, by Matthew Forde in the closing stages. A close watch must be kept on this cricketer, as he has the stuff of which champions are made. He needs encouragement and motivation, as he already has the ability, attitude and understanding of cricket. His enthusiasm is infectious and would be of great value to any team. A word about the captaincy of Shai Hope. There’s not much one can do when the bowling is not up to mark. Field-setting is a very difficult job on a perfect batting wicket. However, this is where the problem lies. Apart from being the skipper, one has to consider that it is a 50-over game, not a T20, and being the wicket-keeper as well is asking a bit much on a perfect pitch, especially if the captain has to take up his position after having made a century. Being skipper and having to carry the batting, starting his innings with the score at 12 for two wickets after 3.1 overs, and being dismissed at the end of the 47th over, meant he was back on the field with hardly a moment to rest. In the ebb and flow of a cricket innings, it is stressful to think clearly as far as changes of bowler and field-settings are concerned. Hence I won’t be critical of Hope, taking into account his fatigue. The bowlers let him down, as they bowled without discipline, and were off-target and ragged. As is well known, one cannot set a field for bad bowling. Unfailing accuracy is the pot of gold on a perfect batting strip. So to expect more of the captain after his excellent batting performance was not an option.   The post Bowled down to defeat appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.