Australian innings 10 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Australia's openers came in knowing that only a near record chase could secure their team a place in the semi-finals of the WIlls Cup. 309 is a big ask, but not implausible as India proved in beating Pakistan earlier this year, scoring 314. The outfield of the Bangabandhu is fast, the crowd were willing, and statisics at least, were on their side, as Australia has the better record, just, in one day games, having won 58 per cent of the countries 53 one day meetings.
Gilchrist set out his stall early trying to get after the ball from the first over. In no mood to defend, he was waving his bat threateningly when the bowlers ran in. His aggression almost got the better of him - a diving Singh dropped him at cover off Agarkar's first ball. It would have been a great catch, but was a miss nonetheless. Gilchrist made amends five balls later, cutting Agarkar's fifth through point with a powerful cut.
In Agarkar's next over Gilchrist again chanced his luck, this time driving uppishly to mid off, but Dravid spilled a relatively simple chance. Gilchrist again got in his reply, drving the last ball of the over straight back through the bowler for four.
Mark Waugh's approach was a little more circumspect, selecting his shots with a little more care than his partner. Srinath gave him his first opportunity to breach the boundary rope, gifting him a long-hop which Waugh belted through the square leg boundary. Agarkar was struggling to find his line, and Waugh glanced a legside delivery for four the following over. The folling over he drove Agarkar through mid wicketthen Agarkar, over-straining a little chose to le in his approach
Gilchrist's luck finally ran out in the 8th over. Two balls after the opening pair had reached the 50 partnership, he was clean bowled trying to drive Srinath through the covers. Srinath, urged on by the crowd, found some real pace in his next few deliveries, though an lbw appeal off the first was a little ambitious.
15 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Azhar put himself at what could only be described as short cover point in Srinath's fifth over. But the idiosyncratic position suceeded only in intimidating Srinath who bowled a no ball and wide in successive balls. The Indian opening bowlers seemed to be trading off accuracy for speed, and the Australians continued to make comfortable ones and twos.
Azhar brought on Kumble in the 13th over in an attempt to check Australian progress. Showing confidence in Kumble's ability to bowl consistently on or outside off stump Azhar only left one deep fielder on the leg side. But Kumble did not return his captain's complement, allowing the ball to drift down the leg side, and the Australians took 6 runs behind square in four balls. Joshi, replacing Agarkar at the other end, fared little better as Mark Waugh clattered two successive fours through midwicket.
25 overs (written by Rohan Chandran)
Sunil Joshi continued to bowl in the 16th over, doubtless releived that the field restrictions had been lifted. With both Waugh and Ponting looking comfortable at the crease, Azharuddin placed 3 men close in on the offside, and just a mid wicket on the leg side, the rest of his fielders patrolling the boundaries. Having got as good a start as they could have wanted, the Australians settled down to stroke the ball around the outfield. Joshi was extracting no turn from the pitch, and had to rely on variations of flight and pace to keep the batsmen on edge.
Kumble from the other end bowled with 6 men up in the circle, two of them behind square on the off side. Just as they had done with Sachin Tendulkar earlier in the afternoon, the crowd gave Mark Waugh a rapturous applause when he worked Kumble behind square on the leg side for two to bring up his half century. Joshi's lack of turn, even more pronounced than Kumble's, continued to betray him, and Waugh in particular found it very easy to pick the singles at will, placing the ball with deft use of the wrists.
As the Pakistan team looked on at their potential semi-final opponents from the stands, the runs cointinued to flow, with Ricky Ponting gradually beginning to find his feet as well. The Australian total reached 100 in the 20th over, but with the run rate mounting slowly, there was a lot of work still to be done.
Robin Singh, fresh from his recent Test debut in Zimbabwe, replaced Anil Kumble at the far end, but the only effect this had was to awaken Ricky Ponting from his slumber. The young Australian has had his fair share of problems playing spinners, but there are few batsmen in the world who can be more destructive against the medium pacers, and it was little surprise when he clipped a leg stump delivery over mid wicket for four. Bowling 120 km/h dobblers, Singh was perhaps out of his depth on a pitch such as this one, and captain Azharuddin must have been giving serious thought to introduction the varied spin of Sachin Tendulkar as his fifth bowler.
Joshi's 6th over was his best, all of a sudden the bowler finding his rhythm, and keeping the Aussies to just three runs. It was no surprise then, when in the following over, the 25th of the innings, Azhar turned to his batting maestro, Tendulkar. In his first over, he turned the ball sharply enough to beat the bat a couple of times, and one horrendous wide apart, conceded just 4 runs, Australia reaching the halfway stage very well poised at 141 for 1.
30 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Joshi's good form held in his next over, the 26th of the innings. Ponting came up the wicket and lifted his first ball over midwicket for a on bouce four. But the next ball Joshi pitched the ball up on middle stump and bowled Ponting trying to hit across the line. Julian, averaging only 6.5 in ODIs (though this, to be fair, was only his fourth match), was the surprise inclusion at number four for Australia. Captain Steve Waugh had clearly cast him in the pinch hitter role. Tendulkar immediately gave Julia Perhaps believing he was on borrowed time, Julian set about Joshi in the next over, belting him for a massive six over long off and then driving him for four the next ball to the same area. Joshi had clearly been earmarked as the whipping boy, but, as is so often the case in one day cricket, expensive slow bowlers are usually good for a wicket or two when batsmen swing across the line. Waugh, eager to get after him, swung across a straightish ball, got an inside edge, and Mongia took it cleanly, stumping him.
35 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Julian's cameo role was good for 20 runs off 16 balls, but not good enough to encourage captain Steve Waugh to experiment any further with his batting line up. Waugh came in himself at number five. After the giant soft drink can came on before the 31st over, Srinath resumed bowling at a fair nip, the speed gun recording speeds of around 135 kph an hour. Both batsman were trying to play strokes but were struggling to time the ball. Lehmann was the first to find his form dabbing Kumble, whose line was still Azhar brought back Robin Singh for Srinath and pushed five men around the boundary, a backward point, deep cover, mid off, mid wicket and square leg. Lehmann immdiately profited from the change finding easy runs on the off side. Azhar's decision to bring back Tendulkar for Kumble was a manifestation of India's lack of bowling options, rather than a stroke of tactical genius. But Azhar fans would be forgiven for thinking it was the latter, because Waugh came forward to Tendulkar's second ball and pushed it
40 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
The arrival of Bevan was next up, presenting Azhar witht the prospect of two left handers. The pair immediately showed they were full of running, picking ones and twos from returned bowler Agarkar. But Tendulkar caused them to stutter, spinning the ball effectively away from the left handers. To support the player who is rapidly becoming Australia's one day nemesis, Azhar brought up a gulley and point. And, almost inevitably, off the fifth ball of the 39th over Tendulkar clean bowled Bevan with an unremar In the next over the man who could do no wrong hit the stumps from deep square leg, allowing Lehmann and new batsman Martyn to run an overthrow off the ricochet. Lehmann was still having trouble timing the ball. After failing to clip a ball off his legs, Agarkar angled a ball across him right at his feet at umpire Bucknor, after the traditional pause, adjudged him leg before. It was a marginal decision at best, but Lehmann looked unlikely to be a match winner for Australia in any case.
45 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Tendulkar, riding on a wave of confidence, saw fit to mix up the bowling in the next over, bowling an offspinner, leg spinner and seamer in succesive balls. The game was in danger of becoming a Sachin Tendulkar exhibition match. Martyn, in no mood an early return to the dressing room, sounded a note of defiance in sending Agarkar over mid wicket twice in successive balls for four in the next over, the 42nd.
Azhar brought Kumble back on for the wayward Agarkar, and he at last found his line, but not his length. Young cut his third ball, well short and outside off, for four behind square and slashed his fourth for 2 to long on. With the run rate required now at 10.7, Australia could not afford to be shy in coming forward, but both right handers continued to play the sweep, which never looked likely to effect the change in pace they so badly needed. Meanwhile, Tendulkar had his own designs on how the match woul The crowd were certainly in on the plan as Australia's 250 passed with barely a murmur in the following over.
50 overs (written by Alex Balfour)
Kasprowicz massive six off Kumble at the end of the over seemed nothing more than a rude interruption, and sure enough Kasporwicz was run out in the next over off Tendulkar's bowling attempting a second that was never on. With Australia needing 51 runs off 20 balls Azhar sent the four men to the boundary ropes for the new batsman, as India waited for the inevitable victory. Joshi waited with a little too much patience for Azhar's liking who told him off for lingering in the field. Young swung gamely but with little effect, and finally holed out to Tendulkar, caught Dravid. No prizes for guessing the man of the match.