World Cup 2019, Days 34-39: Pakistan and Bangladesh fall short, New Zealand hang on

 

World Cup 2019

Days 34-39: Pakistan and Bangladesh fall short, New Zealand hang on

July 7^th 2019

 

Over the last week the configuration of the Semi-Finals has been confirmed. The top four are indeed the four teams that have seemed likely to qualify since the first week of this ridiculously extended marathon.

All through, people have been talking of the parallels with the 1992 tournament, played in Australia and New Zealand. Parallels there are, but nowhere near as strong as the Pakistan fans have been trying to believe. That tournament started with New Zealand crushing all opposition, winning their first seven games. As in 2019, Pakistan’s fate was firmly tied to New Zealand’s. While, in 2019, fate determined that Pakistan had to win their last game by a huge margin to pip New Zealand to the last qualifying spot, in 1992, they had to beat the previously unbeaten New Zealand in their last group match to pip Australia. What fewer people remember is that the other two Semi-Finalists were South Africa and England, with the Final between Pakistan and England.

In 1992, New Zealand showed how little group phrase form, meant by following their seven runs on the trot with two defeats: the defeat to Pakistan in the final group game was then followed by a second defeat to Pakistan in the Semi-Final. New Zealand lost momentum at the critical moment and went home. Again, the abiding sense in 2019, is that their campaign has, once more, deflated at the critical moment.

In 1992, England lost their last two groups games – to New Zealand and to Zimbabwe – before winning the notorious Semi-Final, in which South Africa’s target of 21 from 13 balls was reduced, after a brief rain interruption, first to 21 from 7 balls and then to 21 from 1 ball: not one of the ICC’s more glorious moments. And India? They finished above just Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe: their only high point of a poor campaign was a win against Pakistan.

In another sense, the parallels are weak too. New Zealand, England and Pakistan all averaged totals around 200 in their group games. Pakistan’s average total was 203, New Zealand’s was 201 and England’s, exactly 200, with South Africa averaging 190. It was cricket from a different age, in which a side batting first and setting 240 knew that they were very likely to win.

Anyway, back in 2019, which is what concerns us here, we have ended up with a first Semi-Final between India and New Zealand and a second, between Australia and England.

Undoubtedly, India are the happiest of the sides, as theirs looks unquestionably the easiest task. They must have been expecting to have to play England at Edgbaston, scene of their only defeat so far in the tournament. Instead, a remarkably tepid Australian performance in their last group game has allowed the Indians to top the group.

The week has consisted of a series of final eliminators. It started, with India hanging-on to beat Bangladesh in a tight finish. A margin of 28 runs looks safe enough, but Bangladesh fought to the finish. With 36 required from the last 3 overs and a set batsman at one end, who was hitting well, Bangladesh were closing on an extraordinary win and the chance to keep their hopes alive. India though are made of stern stuff. Mohammad Saifuddin took a single from the fourth ball of Jasprit Bumrah’s final over, exposing the tail-ender and Bumrah responded magnificently, bowling Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman with his last two deliveries. India were through to the Semi-Final and Bangladesh were out, but not before showing that they are no longer a push-over in English conditions.

The scene was set for England’s showdown with New Zealand at Chester-le-Street. Once England won the Toss, you suspected that New Zealand’s task might be a tough one and, by the time the score reached 104-0 from 15 overs, with Roy and Bairstow scoring at seven-an-over, that task became a massive one. By the time that England had their mid-innings wobble, there were good runs in the bank and it was obvious that the pitch was not the flat one that Roy and Bairstow had made it seem. At 14-2 after 5.2 overs, already the New Zealand challenge was fading fast. Williamson and Taylor started to fashion a recovery, although the RRR was starting to climb alarmingly even before they were both run out in consecutive overs. Williamson can feel unlucky, but Wood’s magnificent dive to get a finger on Taylor’s drive, deflecting it on the stumps, made its own luck. Taylor then committed suicide, going for an inexistent second run, in what seemed almost an act of contrition. And that was that. New Zealand were heavily beaten, but not quite heavily enough to give Pakistan a realistic chance of going ahead in Net Run Rate.

The West Indies – Afghanistan clash was more a case of “A Comedy of Errors” than “Great Expectations”. Afghanistan, once again, failed to close out a win when it was there for the taking against an opponent that was offering plenty of facilities. With 68 required from the last 6 overs and a set batsman, Afghanistan should have gone closer. A 23-run margin was another exercise in frustration for them, while the West Indies will reflect how a brilliant start to the campaign has become a very poor finish.

And so to Pakistan v Bangladesh. The calculators had come out and their news was not good. If Pakistan bowled first, they were, mathematically, eliminated. No combination of scores would save them. If they batted first, they needed to win by a hundred runs more than the world record margin for an ODI. Realistically, any score under 450 gave them no chance.

Pakistan won the Toss and batted. Would they go after the bowling from the word go and try to work a miracle? No. They chugged along in a tuk-tuk set at four and a half per over and just barely reached the minimum score of 308 required to avoid automatic elimination. It took Bangladesh just eleven balls to score the eight runs required to confirm New Zealand’s qualification. That they won by a large margin, with a lot to spare, makes Pakistan’s lack of ambition all the more frustrating.

And so, to the last two matches, which would decide the top two in the table and the Semi-Final crosses.  

India blew Sri Lanka away. It was not much of a contest. Despite another wonderful innings from Angelo Matthews, Bumrah was far too good for the rest of the batting. Centuries for Sharma and Rahul, an opening partnership of 189 at better than a run-a-ball and the rest was just net practice. Bumrah is, without doubt, the bowler of the tournament and India’s biggest weapon in the knock-out stage.

Logic dictated that in the afternoon match, Australia would push aside their pet whipping-boys and top the table, setting-up a Semi-Final with New Zealand. What happened though was that the Australian attack, which had seemed to get progressively stronger and better-balanced after some rather anaemic early performances, had one of its least-threatening days of the tournament. The South African top four, which had shown the reliability of a jalopy that was condemned to the scrapyard, fired. Century for du Plessis. Van der Dussen fell just short of one of his own. Fifty for de Kock. 34 for Markram. Finch fell in the third over. Khawaja retired hurt in the fifth with a calf strain and Steve Smith fell in the seventh. Australia were effectively 33-3. Warner and Carey kept Australia in the chase, but wickets always fell before they could get their noses in front and, although the final margin was just 10 runs, it felt like a much heavier defeat.

India finish top and play New Zealand at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Australia play England at Edgbaston on Thursday.

One assumed that India will cruise into the Final, notwithstanding a suspect middle-order. New Zealand seem to be fading. The other Semi-Final is intriguing. Australia won the group game very comfortably, but against an England side that was struggling a bit without Roy at the top and without the four-pronged pace attack that served them so well at the end of the campaign. Australia have, themselves, looked vulnerable at times, although David Warner and Steve Smith have had wonderful campaigns. They will be thinking: win the Toss, bat first and win. It is true that England’s three defeats came, chasing and that runs on the board have been important through the tournament but, before those three defeats, England had had fifteen consecutive, successful chases. It will be interesting to see how the two sides approach the match.