T20 World Cup: Marcus Stoinis leads Australia to victory against Sri Lanka

Gulf News

Marcus Stoinis hit the second-fastest half-century in the Men's T20 World Cup as Australia bounced back from their opening defeat with a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka. Stoinis smashed 59 from 18 balls as Australia reached their target with 21 balls to spare in Perth. Gulf News cricket experts talk about the match and the man of the moment.  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #cricket #t20worldcup

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News Straight Bat. I'm joined by our cricket mat experts, Sharm

00:12and Satish. Welcome to the show, guys. How are you?

00:15Very good. How are you?

00:17Oops, my phone has just fallen down. I'm fine otherwise. Right then, let's talk about today's

00:24game. After they were thumped by New Zealand by 89 runs, the host and holders Australia

00:30knew that they had little margin for error for the rest of the group stage, starting

00:34with today's game against Sri Lanka. It was played in Perth and they cruised to a seven-wicket

00:40victory. Sharm, what are your thoughts on the game and the performance of the Australians

00:45today, knowing that the pressure was really on them?

00:49I wouldn't say they cruised to it. Towards the end, it was a cruise. But halfway till

00:53Stoinis came in, it was tough for them. Because Sri Lanka were really, really bowling well.

00:59Especially Lahiru Kumara, he was working up some serious pace. He had the Aussie batsman

01:06hopping really. So, initially Maxwell, our marsh tried to break the shackles. But then

01:12he got dismissed. Then Maxwell took over. And after his departure, Stoinis came and

01:20just stormed away. What he did was, he did bounce-storming innings. Otherwise, Sri Lanka

01:24was very much in the game. Actually, Sri Lanka fought really well. The one man who made the

01:29difference was Marcus Stoinis.

01:31Satish, do you agree with that? Do you think it was a close game there? Obviously, Stoinis

01:35took it away from them in the end.

01:37Absolutely, Imran. Just to give it a little, add what Shyam said. When the third wicket

01:43fell of Maxwell, Australia were 89-3 in 12.2 overs. That means they required another 58

01:52plus 11, 69 runs in about 8 overs. Whereas they won by almost 3.3 overs to spare. Just

02:02imagine the carnage that went through in between. This is the second fastest half-century

02:09ever. In 18 balls, I think, or 17 balls, he got. 17 balls, he got 54 runs to be precise.

02:17Because the last one was also a 6. So, that was absolutely amazing. But the thing is,

02:25Australia need to be really worried about their batting. Because, but for this such

02:30a fantastic knock. This can't happen every other day. This will happen once in a lifetime

02:35probably. But this knock saved them against a team like Sri Lanka, who actually didn't

02:41have any fast bowlers, good fast bowlers in their ranks. They were a highly spin-oriented

02:47team. They were dependent on the spinners where still Vanindu Ashranga had an off day.

02:52But not just that. Satish, I just want to interrupt. Four of their fast bowlers are

02:56injured.

02:58Yeah. Four of their fast bowlers are injured. And they are probably looking at the third

03:02string of fast bowlers. And if they can keep Australia on their toes, they need to really

03:08think about it. Especially the form of Finch. I don't know what they will do because he

03:13is a captain. So, there is a lot of issues. But again, a win is a win. That should give

03:18them the confidence. They have brought their run rate down to half of what they were minus

03:234.4 to 2.2, minus 2.27 or something. But still, I would say things are not looking

03:31good for Australia at this point in time. And they have also given almost 45 runs in

03:36the last four overs when almost their tail was batting, when they were bowling as well.

03:41So, all these need to be addressed if they have to beat teams like England or if they

03:48come to the semis of any of the teams like Pakistan, India, South Africa. They won't

03:53give you chances like these. And there are so many drop catches by Sri Lanka as well.

03:57So, Shyam, Satish is clearly very deeply concerned about the Australians. From what you have

04:03seen of them from the first two games, heavily beaten in their first game. And then they

04:07have come back today. But not looking like they are firing on all cylinders. What do

04:12you think? How do you think they are going to be going ahead? On Friday, they have got

04:15England, which is going to be a tough game.

04:18I know Satish paints a worrying picture. But I am not so much concerned. Because this is

04:25exactly how Australia plays. I mean, if you look at today's game, forget Warner, Warner

04:31fell early. But Mitch Marsh, he came, the way and the freedom in which he played is

04:37amazing. The kind of confidence he has, is amazing despite the situation. And again,

04:44when Maxwell came in, he came in when it was 60-2. And he just took off as if it was 100-2.

04:51That is the kind of confidence they have. And even Steiners didn't even play himself

04:56in. He came on and he has got two boundaries and he was up and away. And not just that,

05:00they had a very definite plan. They targeted Sri Lanka's best spinner, that is Vanadu

05:05Hassaranga. Hassaranga went for 53 runs in three overs. So, they had a definite plan.

05:11Yes, Adam's finch form is worrying because he scratched around for something like

05:1742 balls to get 31. So, that was a damper. Otherwise, I think Aussies are coming together.

05:25Even the bowling, I thought, was very sharp except in the slog overs. They were very,

05:30very effective, especially Josh Hazelwood was very, very good today. And I think once Mitchell

05:37Stark actually is struggling, he stays nowhere near his best. Once he also gets into the groove,

05:42then Australia will be the team to beat. You know, they're still missing Adam Zampa. He's

05:47been ruled out because he tested positive for COVID. Now, Shyam, you've unfortunately had COVID

05:52a couple of times. I mean, it can really knock the stuffing out of you. Is there a risk that

05:57Zampa, he could struggle to make an impact once he returns to the team? I mean, we don't know how

06:03bad he's suffering from it. But the fact he didn't make the game, clearly he's unwell. So,

06:10how will he be? How will he play? I mean, if he's been suffering from this virus?

06:14I think from what the reports say, the symptoms are mild. And with most people having a vaccination

06:21now, actually the COVID infections are mild, especially if you're healthy. And for a sportsman,

06:27I think it should be a problem. Because the other day that Dockerell played with COVID,

06:32he was actually… He had COVID when he played the game. So, even today, Zampa was available

06:38for selection. So, I think they just didn't risk it. Risk playing him. He's been isolated,

06:43but they didn't want to play him simply because still a long way to go in the tournament.

06:47So, coming back, I don't think the COVID will affect him as much. But the pitches will. Because

06:53if you look at the pitch today, especially Sri Lanka's spinners, especially Hasaranga and

07:00Tikshna, are two of the best in the T20 business. And they went for a lot of runs today. So,

07:06if they can go for runs, Zampa wouldn't have been effective at all. So, Zampa's COVID is not

07:14a worry, but his effectiveness is a worry. So, you think he'll improve the team? They're not

07:20firing that well, but obviously they'd like to have him back in the team, surely?

07:26Yeah, they will have him in the team simply because they need a variation. They need a spinner.

07:30But otherwise, I don't think Zampa at any stage will do any serious damage,

07:36unless they're playing in Sydney. But again, Shyam, on this wicket,

07:41Agar also did well. I think one of the best bowlers to bowl, isn't it? Four overs, 25 runs.

07:47Yeah, but Satheesh, also you should look at the fact that the Australian baseman

07:53had put the Sri Lankans on the back foot. That's true.

07:57Hmm. Okay, guys, look, after yesterday's horrible rain disruption, we missed out on the South

08:03Africa against Zimbabwe match. It started, then it was reduced, then it was called off,

08:07match was abandoned. Fortunately, today was a nice bright sunny day, evening rather, in Perth.

08:13So, let's just recap. We know that Aaron Finch won the toss. He chose to have a bowl. Now,

08:20Satheesh, does it seem that teams prefer to chase rather than bat first? And is there

08:25any reason for that? No, I think Australia wanted to do that,

08:28because they wanted to bring the run rate down. That's the only way. You have a target,

08:33and you want to achieve that target. They probably wanted to finish it by five overs to spare.

08:39But because of the way Sri Lankans bowled, they couldn't achieve it. But at one point of time,

08:45they were worried whether they will win the match, get the two points. Thanks to Stoinis,

08:50they achieved it. I think this is the way forward for Australia against all three teams

08:54Afghanistan and Ireland. They would try to do that to bring the run rate up.

08:58But at the end of it, the first target should be to beat England. If they don't do that,

09:03then whatever they might do on the run rate part, they might not be able to achieve it,

09:09because already they have one down. Yes, of course, New Zealand, if they lose one more match

09:14still against England and England keeps a clean slate, then the run rate might come into play.

09:19But this will be the approach for Australia for sure.

09:23I think they've helped their run rate today for sure. There was, I think,

09:2621 balls remaining. So they've done what they wanted to achieve.

09:31Asham, Nisankar and De Silva, they started really well. They put together a good partnership,

09:36a solid partnership, nothing spectacular, but they built a good platform. But then there was

09:41a collapse. Sri Lanka went from, I think, 75 runs for one wicket to 120 for six.

09:47What happened there in the middle? Were the players panicking? Were they trying to play

09:50big shots too soon? What went wrong there? Actually, because Sri Lanka were a little

09:55too cautious, actually. Because the fourth wicket is known to aid baseman. And today,

10:01if you look at the lift and carry, and the ball is really, really coming off the pitch. So,

10:05there wasn't much room to play your shots, really. Kusal Mendes tried unsuccessfully,

10:11which you can see, he got out. But the other two, that is, Dhananjaya and Nisankar did well to

10:19take Australia to a 10-0 mark. And they reached there with the loss of one wicket.

10:25But then, they were far behind in the run rate. So, they need to step up the scoring. So,

10:31when you need to step up the scoring, you take risks. And when the risk doesn't come off,

10:36you lose wickets by the clumps. That precisely happened with Sri Lanka. They didn't have a

10:41choice. But the good thing there was, the return to form of Zaid Asalagar. And I love that player.

10:47He's a beautiful left-hand batsman. And he's been struggling for runs for the last

10:53one year. Since the last World Cup, he's been in poor form. But today,

10:57he came out in a brilliant manner. And he is singularly responsible for Sri Lanka reaching 157.

11:05What is it about lefties? They just look so much better when they're playing, be it football,

11:09be it cricket, be it tennis. Yes, at least there's something fun when you're watching a guy

11:13who's playing with a left foot. To be honest, Nimran, this generation, not many left-handers

11:23are so graceful because they want to hit the ball harder. But if you go a little behind, like

11:28a Gawar or a Cook or many, many in the international level, they look so elegant.

11:35And they have that natural low like bat flow, which makes it and actually, they don't have a

11:40very great foot movement. Generally, if you look at the left-handers, their footwork is minimal,

11:44but the execution of the shots are so good and timing the way they play it. That looks beautiful

11:51when it comes out. Definitely, it really does. I get the feeling that they have a better hand-eye

11:57coordination. Yeah. You think so, Shyam? Yeah, possible. Yeah. Because if you look at somebody

12:03like McEnroe, I mean, what a player he was. It's a totally different sport. Yeah. And if you look

12:08at a totally different sport, Maradona, one of the best left foot, Messi, one of the best left

12:12foot. They do. Lefties, either if it's football or cricket, it's a joy to watch. It's really nice.

12:19Let's talk about one really fantastic moment of fielding there. It was a catch on the boundary

12:25by Bandara. He got Maxwell out. Now, we've seen some wonderful fielding in the tournament so far

12:30and some great catches, but I think this particular one was probably right up there as probably maybe

12:35the best catch of the tournament so far. What do you think, Shyam? How good was that?

12:39It was a good catch, but we have seen much better catches in this tournament.

12:45We have seen some fantastic catches, but this doesn't come anywhere near that. But this was a

12:50difficult catch. Because one thing is, it was right on the boundary and he had to time his

12:55jump perfectly. And not just that, when you jump and take a leaping catch, when you land,

13:01especially on the boundary line, you need to balance. And he seemed to have done very well.

13:06I mean, fantastic game awareness. The way he balanced his body, he didn't even touch

13:11to go anywhere near the ropes, just inches away. So, which makes it a very good catch.

13:16And Satish?

13:18Shyam, to add to that, there is also the speed at which the ball is coming. So, obviously,

13:24you have been pushed a little bit behind because of the force that's coming in. So, that way, yes,

13:29as Shyam said, this is probably one of the good catches. We won't even go to the best level. But

13:35had they taken some ordinary catches, like regulation catches,

13:41Shelinkov would have been in a different situation than what they are right now today.

13:44That's a sad part of it.

13:46Yeah. And Satish, after the first seven overs of their innings, the Australian batsmen hadn't

13:53hit a single boundary. So, clearly, the Sri Lankans were really hemming them in. And

13:58what were they doing right? What were the Australians doing wrong?

14:03It's clearly Finch is not getting his timing right. So, what was happening the other side,

14:10Warner was trying to get that extra runs, which was happening. So, he can't take undue risk as

14:15well. And the fielding was also good. And the ball, the new ball does something on Perth wicket.

14:20Perth is absolutely bowler-friendly wicket. So, in that sense, it's not easy to score,

14:27even though the host Australia played many games there. It's a wonderful wicket to bowl on. And

14:34that's what the Sri Lankan pacers did. And they did their homework right. They kept it back of

14:39length. They didn't give too many balls to hit. They were probing. And in fact, even the four,

14:43some of the fours, wides and all that came in because the ball was swinging or there was an

14:48inside edge that was going through. So, many close calls were also there, Imran. So, it's a wonderful

14:54wicket. And Finch, again, coming back to Finch, he himself is saying, oh my God, at one point of

15:00time, he was not able to hit the ball where he wanted to hit it. So, he was so frustrated at

15:05that point in time. And Shyam, it looks like, you know, most batsmen so far have been struggling

15:11to clear the ropes. I mean, getting a boundary is a big achievement. But hitting a six is proving

15:16quite difficult. But Stonies, he hits six of those today. How impressed were you by the match

15:20winner today? I think that's a damn good question simply because that is precisely what I was

15:26wondering. Then I looked at his hits. It's just pure muscular hits, not just muscular. He's timing

15:32it and he's a muscular guy also. So, even one of the hits of Hasaranga, I watched it again and

15:38again simply because the ball wasn't very short. But he swung it to mid-wicket

15:45in such a flash that I was left… Actually, it was a breathtaking shot. I just was left…

15:52What did he do? Because it was such a clean shot. It was clean as a whistle, actually.

15:58So, he times the ball well and he packs a lot of power behind it. So, he was scoring

16:06sixes at will. If you look at somebody like Maxwell was caught on the boundary. And I think

16:12even Mitch Marshall was also caught on the boundary. And here comes Stonies who is clearing

16:1980 meters, 90 meters with ease. Some of them, one landed on one of the terraces, actually.

16:25So, a massive hitting. Well done to Australia. They needed to win that match.

16:33So, good for them. Good that the hosts are still in the tournament. Let's have a brief look ahead

16:37at tomorrow's matches. England are playing against Ireland. Now, on paper, that sounds like

16:42it should be a one-sided game. But Ireland, they're a plucky little team. They've beaten England

16:47in the 2011 World Cup in Bangalore and they beat them in 2020 in Southampton. So, Irish teams have

16:55done it before in the past. Can they do it again, Satish? This England team is a different beast.

17:01Imran, you can't come anywhere close to this. These guys are… Yes, they play this aggressive

17:08brand of cricket. But they have the players to achieve it also. And that's the sad part with

17:16teams like Ireland. They don't have the experience. They might, after… Maybe they'll fire a few

17:21little period where they will do well. But after that, they will fizzle out. And then, that's a time

17:28the big teams will wriggle out of the tough situation. So, England should sail through

17:35tomorrow, to be honest. That's my gut feeling. Sharm, Sharm. Satish is very confident there.

17:39But Sharm, let's not forget, Ireland, they eliminated the West Indies to make it to the

17:44second round for the first time in, I don't know what, 10-12 years. Can they trouble England

17:48tomorrow? Even just a little bit, maybe? Not at all. Like Satish said, this England side

17:53is a different beast. Because to me, they are the best team in the competition.

18:01Because if you look at their batting, they bat right down to number 7.

18:05And I think number 7 or even 8… No, Sharm, number 9, almost. Jordan comes in number 9, 10.

18:14Okay. Let's look at the batsmen. Livingston comes at number 7, which means Moeen Ali is

18:20coming at number 8. These are established batsmen. These are pure batsmen. They are not like

18:27bits and pieces players. These are the bad guys who can walk into the team and on the strength

18:33of their batting. If they come so low down, it speaks about the strength, the batting strength.

18:38Not just batting strength, they have such variety in their attack as well. They have one of the

18:42fastest bowlers there. Mark Woods is working up some serious space. Chris Wokes can really

18:47move the ball around. Stokes is a pretty unique all-rounder. Not just his batting, his bowling

18:53also can be quite a handy customer too. And they have Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali.

18:59Sharm, you have the Sam Curran left-hammer as well.

19:02Oh, completely forgot. Sam Curran, another all-rounder. Who could come in at number 9?

19:0910 maybe. Maybe have Chris Wokes.

19:13Yeah, strong team all the way through. I agree with you guys, it should be. It's just the fact

19:18that they've done it before. You never know. They'll be going in that match without any fear,

19:22that's for sure. And the other matches, New Zealand have taken on Afghanistan. Obviously,

19:26New Zealand after that huge win against the host Australia. Afghanistan lost their first

19:32game against England by five wickets. How do you think this was going to go tomorrow, Satish?

19:37New Zealand are a very clinical team, Emraan. Again, they have set roles for each and every

19:44person. That's boiling down to Kane Williamson, who is a very methodical captain, who knows where

19:52exactly he has to do the moves, what execute. Probably one of the best contemporary captains

19:56in the world, like Kane. Because he could bring these mediocre players and make them into heroes.

20:03That's the hallmark of a great captain. So, as long as he's there, I can go with New Zealand

20:11any day. Not against Afghanistan, of course. Against Afghanistan, New Zealand will start

20:15as favourites because, again, on the bouncy Australian wickets, Afghanistan has to depend

20:21on their spinners. Their spinners are proving a bit expensive on these days,

20:26except if they play Rashid Khan four overs safely without giving him any wickets.

20:32I think New Zealand should sail through tomorrow as well.

20:39They are confident of beating Australia.

20:42Yeah, he's mentioned Rashid Khan. They'll be led by the all-rounder. Do you think,

20:48Shyam, if Rashid Khan has a good game, then Afghanistan will obviously fancy the chances?

20:54I think it will be a much closer game than what Sadeesh thinks. It's just a feeling, really.

21:03Because one thing I'm looking at is, this is in Melbourne, one of the biggest stadiums,

21:07actually. And this is Fair India play Pakistan. So, again, discounting the spin thing. But I

21:14think Rashid Khan on any wicket is a different customer. He doesn't need much turn to trouble

21:19the batsman. He really gets under the batsman's skin. And also, I think if you look at Afghanistan,

21:29it's got a couple of nippy paces. They are young, inexperienced, but if on their day,

21:33they can be quite a handful. So, if it is their day, they might run New Zealand close. So,

21:40I'm actually very keen to watch that match tomorrow.

21:43They both should be interesting games in their own right. We'll see how both teams get on

21:49tomorrow. That's all from us for tonight. Remember to head to gulfnews.com for all the

21:54latest news, reviews and everything else. And also remember to follow us on the social media

21:58channels as there's lots of good content on there as well. Thanks to the guys,

22:03and we'll see you again tomorrow. Good night.

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