India chasing 353 to beat Australia: third one-day international – live | Australia cricket team
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2nd over: India 8-0 (Rohit 6, Washington 2) Washington Sundar is the 74th man to open for India in ODIs. If you can name them all, you clearly know how to use Statsguru. He faces up to Josh Hazlewood, sharing the new ball with Starc. Apparently Matthew Short is on the field for Mitch Marsh, though there’s no word whether he’s suffering with cramp or something more serious.
Hazlewood starts very accurately, with a fullish length on off stump to the left-handed Washington. After four dot balls, Washington takes a very dodgy single to mid-on and is just home – and I mean just – when Short’s underarm throw hits the stumps. The third umpire took a long time to decide, but it was the right decision with the evidence available.
1st over: India 6-0 (Rohit 5, Washington 1) Mitchell Starc, one of the great ODI bowlers of his generation, is back in the team today, and Rohit Sharma couldn’t care less. He pulls the second ball over midwicket for four with elegant disdain, a cracking statement of intent. The rest of the over passes without incident.
Here come the players. With Shubman Gill rested, India’s new opener is… Washington Sundar. That means Virat Kohli will bat No3 and Shreyas Iyer No4.
In October 2013, India twice chased 350 to beat Australia. In those two games, Virat Kohli made 215 runs from 113 balls without being dismissed.
In other news, Virat Kohli is back in the India team today.
This is really good too. Ben Stokes spoke to Ali Martin about the joys of Perudo, having Freddie Flintoff around, the differences between Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan – they might surprise you, though they probably shouldn’t – and what he made of Tim Paine’s “me, me, me” comment.
I’m not sure how well known David Foot was outside England, but he was one of the Guardian’s most lyrical on any sport anything. I’d recommend this piece, and more importantly the book it promotes.
Thanks Geoff, evening everyone. What sort of a score do you call that? This question is politely interrogative, not sneeringly rhetorical. No total feels safe in modern ODI cricket, especially against a batting line-up like India’s. Mitch Marsh, who was interviewed after making a punishing 96, said the total was “hopefully par”, but I’m not sure he’s much of a poker player.
There are two things in Australia’s favour: the big guns are back, and boundary-hitting looked tougher as the innings progressed. If they can keep India below 150 in the first 10 20 overs, they’ll be in the game.
India must chase 353 to win
Geoff Lemon
They’ve already won the series, and they have a steep chase for the clean sweep. These are the sort of totals that India have chased at home often enough in the last ten years, though. Australia exploded out of the blocks with Warner and Marsh going at a prodigious rate, but the scoring slowed down through the middle. Marsh and Smith really battled with the full sun and humidity. Labuschagne looked more comfortable once the sun slipped away and dusk arrived, but by then the older ball was difficult to send for big hits, with a couple caught on the fence.
Bumrah recovered really well: 51 runs from his first five overs, 3 for 30 from his next five. Kuldeep only bowled six overs and he too got smashed early and took wickets late, 2 for 48 all up. Siraj 1 for 68 from 9, Krishna 1 for 45 from five, everyone got collared bar the two finger spinners.
That’s it for me, your company for the chase will be Rob Smyth.
50th over: Australia 352-7 (Cummins 19, Starc 1) Siraj to bowl the last over, Cummins swinging hard to square but getting only one. Starc is game to sprint a couple of twos. Cummins tries to finish off with a charge, but it’s a short ball and he doesn’t get anything on it. Or maybe a glove, through to KL Rahul, but the keeper drops it. Siraj is vocal about it, but nobody else seems to mind.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Shreyas b Bumrah 72, Australia 345-7
49th over: Australia 345-7 (Cummins 13) Bumrah flirting with the wide line outside off stump, gets pinged once, not the next, as Labuschagne moves around the crease. Cummins hits one that lands outside the wide line, unsurprisingly a toe-ended shot that limps for one run. Labuschagne gets one over cover for two. Last ball of the over, though, he thinks he needs to go bigger. Steps right across to the off side, tries to get under the ball to hit over long on, but like Green he doesn’t have enough to make the journey. Shreyas Iyer waits again.
48th over: Australia 340-6 (Labuschagne 69, Cummins 12) Third over in a row, Labuschagne produces a beauty. This time it’s more aggressive. Backs away, opens up the off side, and carves Siraj through cover.
47th over: Australia 334-6 (Labuschagne 64, Cummins 11) Timing again from Labuschagne! Flicks Bumrah behind square. Two fielders converge. Kohli puts in a stunning dive, huge amount of ground covered, to try to tap the ball back, but doesn’t get enough of it. Next ball Bumrah is left ducking Jadeja’s throw as the batters race a single.
46th over: Australia 326-6 (Labuschagne 58, Cummins 9) Smacked by Labuschagne! Not doing his World Cup chances any harm with this innings. Takes on Siraj and nails the pull shot square. Then a good throw is punished, Cummins venturing out of his crease at the non-striker’s end and drawing a throw at the stumps, getting back before the direct hit from Washington Sundar, which ricochets for two.
Half century! Marnus Labuschagne 51 from 43 balls
45th over: Australia 317-6 (Labuschagne 51, Cummins 8) Same again from Kuldeep, all the way up to the last ball of the over, then Labuschagne plays a good shot, a straight drive with that wristy scooping kind of slap that you sometimes see from Kohli, elevating the shot over the bowler. There’s his fifty.
44th over: Australia 309-6 (Labuschagne 45, Cummins 6) Bumrah continues, Cummins turning over strike well, Labuschagne not looking to play any big shots here as the last remaining specialist.
43rd over: Australia 303-6 (Labuschagne 42, Cummins 4) Australia really falling away now. Can the bowlers middle a few? A slip comes in for Cummins, but they don’t get much joy from balls on the leg-stump line. Cummins glances four. Better from Kuldeep next ball, beats him with one that slides across the right-hander.
WICKET! Green c Shreyas b Kuldeep 9, Australia 299-6
Junk from Kuldeep to start the over, floating nicely but outside leg stump, Labuschagne sweeps four fine. Tries the quicker one on the pads, Labuschagne squeezes out a run and sprints a single so fast that he loses his bat trying to slide it in. Green wants a big one, feels the pressure. Advances, gets close enough to the pitch but gets the ball low on the bat. It goes very high, and pretty long, but not long enough to clear long on.
42nd over: Australia 294-5 (Labuschagne 37, Green 9) The graph tails lower. One Labuschagne single, a few pokes from Green, an attempted leg-side smash stopped at mid on, then he punches two to cover. Jadeja, 10 overs, 0 for 61.
41st over: Australia 291-5 (Labuschagne 36, Green 7) Another quiet stanza. Kuldeep went for 26 from his first three, but is able to slightly rehabilitate his figures with an over that costs five.
40th over: Australia 286-5 (Labuschagne 34, Green 4) Jadeja begins his ninth over. Thank goodness India used three spinners today, or with all the drink breaks this innings would have been another hour behind. Green to the middle, off the mark with a four! Square punch to width. Defends the rest though. Australia were on course for 400 at one point, it looks more like 330 now.
WICKET! Maxwell b Bumrah 5, Australia 281-5
39th over: Australia 281-5 (Labuschagne 33) Well, that’s outstanding from Bumrah. He’s not under pressure from Marsh, he’s got one new batter and one playing anchor. He bowls a bouncer that Maxwell avoids, then a range of changes of pace, giving up a few singles but nothing else. Then, last ball of the over, he cranks his speedometer up to full and bowls a perfect yorker at the base of off stump. It sneaks under the bat and goes timberrrr.
38th over: Australia 276-4 (Labuschagne 31, Maxwell 3) Working the strike from Maxwell, now in the game: sweeps a couple, square-drives one. Labuschagne finds the boundary, cuts fine from Jadeja.
WICKET! Carey c Kohli b Bumrah 11, Australia 267-4
37th over: Australia 267-4 (Labuschagne 26) Another chance for Bumrah. Mitch Marsh took him for ten an over: 51 from his first five. Now India’s returning star gets to bowl to this sedate pair, feeling his way back from injury. Carey has a go, lifting a drive over mid on for four, but hits a catch to cover from the final ball.
36th over: Australia 261-3 (Labuschagne 25, Carey 6) The ticking-over phase continues, even though we’re into the last 15 overs now. Still seven from the over, with Krishna bowling a wide before Labuschagne drives two through cover.
35th over: Australia 254-3 (Labuschagne 21, Carey 4) Sundar’s off-spin is into its final over. Varies his pace through the air. Rohit fields well to stop runs at cover. Four singles from the over, and I’ll tell you what – 10 overs, 0 for 48 is a very good return considering the way Australia’s openers started off at around ten an over.
34th over: Australia 250-3 (Labuschagne 19, Carey 2) Prasidh Krishna back to bowl. Carey keeps poking, keeps missing – a leg-side wide that he could have clobbered, a ball that hits his thigh pad, finally another pad deflection via an inside edge that gets him off strike. I wonder if the older ball is becoming harder to hit on this surface. Labuschagne mistimes a pull shot too. Gets onto the next one, though! Through midwicket for four.
33rd over: Australia 244-3 (Labuschagne 15, Carey 1) A flick for one from Labuschagne, then Carey prods at the spin of Sundar for four balls before keeping the strike. Unusually unsure start from Carey.
32nd over: Australia 242-3 (Labuschagne 14, Carey 0) Seems daft by Australia not sending out Maxwell, given how much cricket he has missed lately. Alex Carey will have a go instead. Doesn’t score from his first three balls, all short from Siraj and Carey avoids them.
WICKET! Smith lbw Siraj 74, Australia 242-3
Siraj continues, short, hooked for one by Labuschagne. There’s that boundary, Smith this time lofting his on-drive, picking up a length ball to hit it straight. But the third ball of the over he gets out in that way he has been getting out more often lately, a ball angled in at the stumps and beating his attempted flick to leg. Hits the pad in front of off stump, and we have the rare sight of Steve Smith leaving the field lbw without using a review. Rarer still given that Labuschagne is at the other end – collectively the Review Board of any Australian team.
31st over: Australia 237-2 (Smith 70, Labuschagne 13) Speared through by Sundar, and Labuschagne plays the reverse: airborne, but lands safely at short third and bounces away for four. They keep finding that one boundary an over.
30th over: Australia 230-2 (Smith 69, Labuschagne 7) Siraj returns, after being belted for 33 from his first four overs. Smith likes the pace again, gorgeous on-drive for four. That helps gather eight from the over.
29th over: Australia 222-2 (Smith 63, Labuschagne 5) Like David Warner on Boxing Day last year, Smith gets a plastic lawn chair brought out at the fall of the wicket. Bright yellow to match his kit. He’s really struggling, tilting his head back, getting ice applied to head and neck. Lack of awareness from Labuschagne, paddle sweeping to fine leg and turning to hare back for two. Smith is not going anywhere, Labuschagne has to turn halfway and go back. He’s fresh, forgot that his partner isn’t. Singles and boundaries only from here – and Labuschagne gets the latter, cutting Sundar through cover.
The score is a full Richie Benaud.
WICKET! Marsh c Krishna b Kuldeep 96, Australia 215-2
28th over: Australia 215-2 (Smith 61) The two batters spend the mid-over break on their knees mid-pitch, talking but clearly struggling in the heat. Smith starts the next Kuldeep over with a standing slog-sweep for four, Marsh punctuates it with a huge straight six! Getting the measure of the spin now, even if the conditions are hurting him. Smith gets back on strike, tries to run two but Marsh says no. And with one ball to come he looks for his hundred with a four, leans back to belt the cut shot, but hits it straight at cover point where Krishna kneels to accept the offering. Marsh out from 84 balls, quite the knock.
27th over: Australia 202-1 (Marsh 89, Smith 59) Again short, again pulled by Marsh, again four, this time from Washington Sundar. Add a couple of singles to that, Smith furious that he didn’t beat backward point with a punch. They’re past 200 now with almost half the innings to go.
26th over: Australia 196-1 (Marsh 84, Smith 54) Mitch Marsh looks in some strife out there. He’s gasping for breath at the non-striker’s end, looks like the heat is really getting to him. The Australian runners have been out there at the end of each over. Why not bat in an ice collar? Marsh trudges a single for Smith, then one for himself. Decides he’s had enough of this, clears his front leg and bangs four right over Kuldeep’s head. Finishes with a pull that hangs in the air for a while but drops short of deep square leg. One more trudge of 22 yards.
