Hussey tagged posts

March 18, 2012 / Posted in  Australia, West Indies

Kieron Pollard blazed West Indies to a first ODI victory over Australia since 2006, his stand with Dwayne Bravo swallowing up the tourists’ modest total in a rain-affected match at the Arnos Vale Ground.

West Indies cricketers Dwayne Bravo (L) and Kieron Pollard celebrate their victory

Set the Duckworth/Lewis-adjusted target of 158 from 40 overs after holding Australia to 154 for 9, the hosts made the worst possible start when Kieran Powell shouldered arms to Brett Lee’s first ball of the innings and was palpably lbw. But from an uncertain 74 for 4, Pollard and Dwayne Bravo constructed the most assured stand of the match, and took West Indies to a deserved win with five wickets and 11 balls to spare.

Pollard’s innings was punctuated by three sixes in one critical four-over burst, and it was a spell of scoring that would prove decisive. He saved a fourth for the closing stages of the chase, swinging Doherty over midwicket with such force that the ball clanged off the roof of a stand and bounded out of the ground.

Bravo was run out before the end, the final few runs collected a little nervously, but there was no doubting the importance of his contribution to a West Indian victory that ended a 14-match run without a win against Australia. Though Doherty and Clint McKay bowled diligently for the visitors, they had been given too few runs to defend. The five-match series is now level at one apiece.

The wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh landed the final blows, and with Chris Gayle celebrating in the stands amid speculation of a possible compromise between the former captain and the WICB, the hosts’ prospects for this series looked far brighter than they had on Friday.

Sent in to bat as much because of the threat of that rain as anything else, the tourists slipped to 46 for 3 and lost regular wickets across the innings that staggered to 154 for 9. David Hussey, Watson and George Bailey did their best, but could not find the right gears on a pitch slower and lower than the one for the first match.

Kemar Roach had struck twice in his fourth over, the second after a lengthy rain interruption, and Darren Sammy followed up with the wicket of Australia’s captain Watson. Roach’s display was particularly arresting as he fights to return to the Test team, while Sunil Narine’s spin was tidy and intelligent and earned four wickets.

Cricket fans celebrate a six off West Indies opening batsman Johnson Charles

Powell simply lost his bearings against Lee’s first ball when West Indies chased, letting go a delivery that shaped back a fraction but would still have been much too close to leave even if it had not moved. Watson chimed in with a yorker that Samuels played over, and while the slide from 42 for 1 to 74 for 4 was gradual, it left Australia with what appeared a decent chance of rushing to a 2-0 series lead.

However, Pollard swung the game definitively towards West Indies with a flurry of sixes. He powered three in a matter of minutes to push Watson’s fields back and cause him to change his bowlers, while also making the runs-to-balls ratio more or less irrelevant.

Xavier Doherty high-fives Daniel Christian after dismissing Darren Bravo, West Indies v Australia, 2nd ODI, St Vincent, March 18, 2012

In contrast to Pollard, Bravo played with good sense and few risks, only once leaping down the pitch to loft Doherty over mid-on. In their contrasting approaches, Pollard and Bravo presented Watson and Australia with a union they could not separate before the match’s course had been determined, and it was a joyous celebration by both the home crowd and their players when the target was reached in fading light.

David Warner and Watson had made a steady opening after a brief shower delayed the start, reaching 16 for 0 in five overs. At this point more substantial rain pelted the ground, and sent the players off the field for about 90 minutes. When they returned, Warner was swiftly disposed of, playing back to a Roach delivery that skidded through low and flicked off stump. Next man Peter Forrest was undone simply and quickly, edging a ball of high pace and teasing line to second slip to depart for a duck in the same over.

Roach’s strikes had the hosts buzzing in the field, and when Andre Russell relieved him, Roach had the startling figures of 5-3-4-2. Watson had returned the West Indian fire with a smart six from the bowling of Sammy, but the West Indies captain would have the last laugh when he floated a slower ball that his opposite number chipped to midwicket.

Michael and David Hussey then set about repairing the innings, as Narine’s offbreaks received plenty of assistance from the pitch. The elder Hussey was dropped on eight, a sharp chance from the bowling of Sammy bursting through Pollard’s hands in the gully. The drop was not to prove too expensive, as Narine tossed an off break fractionally fuller than his usual length, prompting a thin edge behind and a neat catch by Carlton Baugh. Bailey again looked at home in international company, but was upset to squander his start by cutting Bravo to backward point.

While Lee scrapped as best he could, adding the second six of the innings with a mighty swipe wide of long-on, Australia’s total looked insubstantial. Thanks to Pollard, it would prove exactly that.

Brett Lee clicks his heels after taking a wicket with the first ball of the innings, West Indies v Australia, 2nd ODI, St Vincent, March 18, 2012

Carlton Baugh, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard celebrate a hard-earned victory over Australia, West Indies' first since 2006

	Australia innings (40 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	SR Watson*	c sub (D Bishoo) b Sammy	25	59	41	1	1	60.97
	DA Warner	b Roach	13	27	20	1	0	65.00
	PJ Forrest	c Sammy b Roach	0	4	4	0	0	0.00
	MEK Hussey	c †Baugh b Narine	24	67	52	1	0	46.15
	DJ Hussey	b Narine	37	100	62	4	0	59.67
	GJ Bailey	c Samuels b DJ Bravo	21	27	26	2	0	80.76
	DT Christian	run out (Narine/†Baugh)	6	15	11	0	0	54.54
	MS Wade†	c Pollard b Narine	3	15	10	0	0	30.00
	B Lee	not out	11	12	6	0	1	183.33
	CJ McKay	st †Baugh b Narine	6	7	7	0	0	85.71
	XJ Doherty	not out	0	3	2	0	0	0.00
	Extras	(b 2, lb 3, w 2, nb 1)	8
	Total	(9 wickets; 40 overs)	154	(3.85 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	KAJ Roach	8	3	23	2	2.87	(1nb)
	DJ Bravo	6	0	30	1	5.00	(1w)
	DJG Sammy	4	0	19	1	4.75
	AD Russell	6	0	14	0	2.33
	SP Narine	8	1	27	4	3.37
	KA Pollard	4	0	18	0	4.50
	MN Samuels	4	0	18	0	4.50	(1w)

	West Indies innings (target: 158 runs from 40 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	KOA Powell	lbw b Lee	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
	J Charles	run out (Lee/Christian)	26	73	37	2	1	70.27
	MN Samuels	b Watson	20	44	37	2	0	54.05
	DM Bravo	b Doherty	16	36	28	3	0	57.14
	DJ Bravo	run out (†Wade)	30	75	49	1	0	61.22
	KA Pollard	not out	47	86	61	0	4	77.04
	CS Baugh†	not out	18	22	17	2	1	105.88
	Extras	(b 4, w 2)	6
	Total	(5 wickets; 38.2 overs)	163	(4.25 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	B Lee	8	1	37	1	4.62
	CJ McKay	8	2	16	0	2.00
	SR Watson	7	1	28	1	4.00	(1w)
	DJ Hussey	3	0	13	0	4.33	(1w)
	DT Christian	5	0	26	0	5.20
	XJ Doherty	7.2	0	39	1	5.31

Groundsmen cover the pitch as rain delays the second-of-five One Day International (ODI) matches

Australian cricketer David Warner (C) and his team captain Shane Watson (L) run to the pavilion as rain interrupt the play

Australian cricketer David Warner is clean bowled off West Indies bowler Kemar Roach

Australian cricketer Peter Forrest looks back to see being caught out off West Indies bowler Kemar Roach

West Indies bowler Kemar Roach celebrates bowling out Australian cricketer David Warner

Darren Sammy celebrates a wicket with substitute fielder Devendra Bishoo, West Indies v Australia, 2nd ODI, St Vincent, March 18, 2012

David Hussey tries to provide some impetus for Australia, West Indies v Australia, 2nd ODI, St Vincent, March 18, 2012

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March 1, 2012 / Posted in  Australia, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka entered this match with their fate in their own hands. It turns out those are pretty safe hands. Not even a hat-trick from Daniel Christian, a four-wicket comeback from James Pattinson, a captain’s half-century from Shane Watson or a remarkable, late, fighting fifty from David Hussey could prevent Sri Lanka from winning the last qualifying match at the MCG. Lasith Malinga led a strong bowling performance to complete Sri Lanka’s nine-run victory, which propelled them into the tri-series finals.

No doubt Australia were disappointed, for they must now enter the best-of-three deciders knowing they have lost their previous three games to their Sri Lankan opponents. But India would have been even more gutted. An Australia win would have sent Sri Lanka packing and secured India a place in the finals. Instead, MS Dhoni’s men will now fly home at the weekend, ending a disheartening three-month tour.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have a chance to win a tri-series in Australia for the first time at their ninth attempt. Their total of 238 at the MCG, set up by half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal, Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne, seemed a fraction skinny on what looked like a reasonable batting surface. But despite losing Thisara Perera to injury during his first over, Sri Lanka’s total proved defendable with Malinga in their attack.

Not that it was straightforward. Hussey’s run-a-ball 74 nearly snatched victory for Australia. They needed 10 runs from the final over, bowled by Kulasekara, but Hussey holed out to long-off from the first ball of it and Sri Lanka celebrated. They had been on top early, when Australia were 3 for 26 after Malinga and Kulasekara troubled the top order, but then Australia fought back.

Batting at first drop, the stand-in captain Watson – Michael Clarke was not risked ahead of the finals – led Australia’s fightback with a solid, composed 65 and he had good support from Michael Hussey (29). But once their 87-run stand was broken, Australia struggled again.

Michael Hussey has proven a handy partnership breaker with his slow-medium bowling recently and this time he was on the receiving end of a similar ploy, as Thirimanne drew an edge behind that was well taken by Sangakkara. It was Thirimanne’s first international wicket and his second in all List A cricket, and importantly for Sri Lanka it was followed a few overs later by the departure of Watson.

Watson had brought up his half-century from his 61st delivery with a straight drive off Thirimanne and he had been strong when the bowlers had strayed too straight, but he was in no particular hurry. His innings, an encouraging one in his second match back from a long injury lay-off, ended when he played all around a fast, straight Malinga ball that knocked middle stump out of the ground.

David Hussey kept Australia afloat and did a fine job but his partners gradually dwindled. His fifth half-century of the series shot him to the top of the tournament runs tally but it wasn’t quite enough for Australia, whose innings started with the loss of both David Warner and Matthew Wade, who had been reunited as the opening pair. Warner (6) slapped Malinga to short cover, a strange shot to a ball that sat up on him, and Wade was lbw for 9 to Kulasekara, before Peter Forrest tickled a catch behind for 2 when he tried to cut Malinga.

It was just the start Sri Lanka needed in the field after posting 238. Their three half-centuries at the top of the order made for a lopsided scorecard as the lower order struggled, especially against Christian, who collected a career-best 5 for 31 and wrote himself into the record books as the first player from Australia since Brett Lee in 2003 to take an ODI hat-trick, and the fourth overall alongside Lee, Bruce Reid and Anthony Stuart.

Christian was mobbed by his team-mates after completing the feat, which began when Thisara Perera skied a ball and was taken at deep midwicket by Michael Hussey, who caught the ball inside play, tossed it up before he fell over the rope and completed the catch after stepping back in. The ball had gone so high that the batsmen had crossed twice, leaving the new man Sachithra Senanayake on strike instead of the established Thirimanne.

Senanayake was lbw first ball and replays indicated the ball would have gone on to hit leg stump. The same could not have been said for the next delivery. Rod Tucker raised his finger to give Kulasekara lbw but the ball appeared to be sliding down leg side and replays confirmed it was a poor decision. Christian didn’t care. It was a hat-trick, and they are rare.

Thirimanne (51) was good enough to help Sri Lanka survive their quota of overs, falling only in the penultimate over when he played on while trying to paddle sweep Pattinson. Rangana Herath remained 14 not out and Malinga was bowled off the last ball of the innings to give Christian his fifth wicket.

By batting out their time Sri Lanka ensured that the efforts of Sangakkara and Chandimal were not wasted. They had put on 123 for the third wicket and Chandimal was the more aggressive partner. He continued his good series and brought up his fifty off his 47th delivery with a glanced single off Clint McKay, before Sangakkara registered his in the same over from his 79th ball. Throughout his innings, Sangakkara had been in no hurry and didn’t score a boundary until his 55th delivery, when he punched Ben Hilfenhaus forward of point.

His runs came largely through ones and twos and it was an important stabilising performance after Sri Lanka were 2 for 17. Sangakkara fell for 64 when he top-edged a pull off Pattinson, and his departure slowed Chandimal down. Chandimal was out for 75 from 84 when he too was beaten by the pace of Pattinson, lobbing a ball to mid-off.

Chandimal had been willing to play his strokes and he brought the crowd to life with a muscular hit that sailed straight over the head of the bowler Christian and crashed into the sightscreen. Another followed off the spin of Xavier Doherty, over long-on this time, and Chandimal spent most of his time hovering around the run-a-ball mark.

As it turned out, the Chandimal-Sangakkara combination was just what Sri Lanka needed after Mahela Jayawardene was run out early thanks to a poor call by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who followed by edging Pattinson behind. At that point, Sri Lanka were wobbling. But they will enter the finals with stability, and form against Australia, on their side.

	Sri Lanka innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	DPMD Jayawardene*	run out (DJ Hussey)	5	7	6	1	0	83.33
	TM Dilshan	c †Wade b Pattinson	9	20	16	2	0	56.25
	KC Sangakkara†	c Forrest b Pattinson	64	113	93	3	0	68.81
	LD Chandimal	c McKay b Pattinson	75	145	84	3	2	89.28
	HDRL Thirimanne	b Pattinson	51	96	59	2	0	86.44
	AD Mathews	c Doherty b Christian	5	10	8	0	0	62.50
	NLTC Perera	c MEK Hussey b Christian	5	11	7	0	0	71.42
	SMSM Senanayake	lbw b Christian	0	3	1	0	0	0.00
	KMDN Kulasekara	lbw b Christian	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
	HMRKB Herath	not out	14	27	21	0	1	66.66
	SL Malinga	b Christian	2	3	4	0	0	50.00
	Extras	(b 2, lb 4, w 2)	8
	Total	(all out; 50 overs)	238	(4.76 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	JL Pattinson	10	0	51	4	5.10	(1w)
	BW Hilfenhaus	7	0	29	0	4.14
	CJ McKay	8	0	39	0	4.87	(1w)
	DJ Hussey	1	0	6	0	6.00
	DT Christian	9	0	31	5	3.44
	SR Watson	7	0	28	0	4.00
	XJ Doherty	8	0	48	0	6.00

	Australia innings (target: 239 runs from 50 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	MS Wade†	lbw b Kulasekara	9	15	12	1	0	75.00
	DA Warner	c Perera b Malinga	6	13	6	1	0	100.00
	SR Watson*	b Malinga	65	119	83	5	0	78.31
	PJ Forrest	c †Sangakkara b Malinga	2	8	9	0	0	22.22
	MEK Hussey	c †Sangakkara b Thirimanne	29	78	56	3	0	51.78
	DJ Hussey	c Dilshan b Kulasekara	74	121	74	4	1	100.00
	DT Christian	c & b Senanayake	3	15	8	0	0	37.50
	JL Pattinson	c Dilshan b Herath	12	26	23	1	0	52.17
	CJ McKay	run out (Dilshan/†Sangakkara)	6	8	8	0	0	75.00
	XJ Doherty	c Dilshan b Malinga	7	32	15	0	0	46.66
	BW Hilfenhaus	not out	0	7	2	0	0	0.00
	Extras	(w 15, nb 1)	16
	Total	(all out; 49.1 overs)	229	(4.65 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	SL Malinga	10	0	49	4	4.90	(3w)
	KMDN Kulasekara	9.1	1	38	2	4.14	(1w)
	AD Mathews	4	0	8	0	2.00
	SMSM Senanayake	10	0	50	1	5.00	(2w)
	NLTC Perera	0.5	0	8	0	9.60
	HDRL Thirimanne	4.1	0	25	1	6.00
	HMRKB Herath	10	0	43	1	4.30	(1nb, 2w)
	TM Dilshan	1	0	8	0	8.00	(1w)

So much has changed in the course of an innings. Had India failed in their most unlikely pursuit of 321 inside 40 overs to earn a win and a bonus point in Hobart, Australia’s final round robin match against Sri Lanka would have served primarily as a preparatory spar between the two sides ahead of Sunday’s first final in Brisbane. However the extraordinary effort of Virat Kohli has added plenty of edge to the encounter at the MCG. Sri Lanka must now win or tie to make the finals, while Australia have a direct say in which team they face in the competition deciders.

The task of seeing off Sri Lanka may yet fall to Shane Watson as stand-in captain, as the selectors weigh up whether or not to play Michael Clarke in the final qualifying fixture. Clarke began the week by winning the Allan Border Medal as Australia’s most outstanding cricketer of the past year, while Watson also scooped awards in the ODI and Twenty20 categories...