A devastating new-ball burst from Trent Boult and Matt Henry was ultimately decisive as New Zealand beat India by 18 runs in a nerve-shredding semi-final
The book will always say that New Zealand beat India by 18 runs in the first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup. But you’d need thousands and thousands of words to tell the full story of a marvellous, nuanced match. It placed unreasonable demands on the brain, gut, heart, nerves, eyes and soul - and that’s just for the neutral supporters.
At the end of it all, New Zealand are in the World Cup final again. It’s often said that you need to lose one to win one, and New Zealand will hope that’s the case. One thing’s for sure: anyone who thinks, consciously or otherwise, that tomorrow’s match between Australia and England is a de facto final needs to give their head a wobble.
Related: New Zealand into Cricket World Cup final despite Jadeja’s heroics for India
“I have family spread throughout NZ and we all stayed up and communicated through WhatsApp,” writes Judy. “Well done Black Caps. Guppy you have redeemed yourself as even though your batting was off, your fielding was ON.”
Here’s Kane Williamson
“It’s a different feeling from four years ago – the surfaces, and the way we’ve had to try and skin it, has been quite different to the last World Cup. The guys have shown a lot of heart throughout the campaign. It was a tough match and a great semi-final. Batting was really tough – we had to assess the conditions, because at the start I think both sides thought it would be a much higher-scoring game. We spoke about trying to get 240-250. We thought if we did that we’d be right in the game.
Here’s the Indian captain Virat Kohli
“We were very, very good in the field – spot on. We thought we had restricted them to a total that was quite chaseable on any surface. But the way they bowled in that first half hour was the difference in the game. We felt like we had the momentum and the right mindset. The credit has to go to the New Zealand bowlers, because with the new ball they were outstanding. The skill level was clear to everyone and they made life very difficult for the batsman.
“The more I see that Guptill throw,” says Siddharth Singh, “the more it like a finishing move from Mortal Kombat.”
When you consider the context - of the match, and the tournament he’s had - I reckon that’s the champagne moment of the World Cup so far.
Happy birthday to Danielle Tolson, who sent this email after approximately 47.4 overs.
“In the course of this game I have aged at least a year. Literally, as overnight here in NZ it has ticked in to being my birthday. Before the game resumed, I said I’d be happy whoever won as long as it was a decent game. Instead I’m sitting in the middle of the night in the middle of winter with a face like a twisted jandal*. I think my birthday resolution this year might be giving up cricket.once & for all. Again.
Matt Henry is the Player of the Match
“We wanted to start off well with the ball and create as much pressure as we could. We had to ask a lot of questions – we knew it wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on. We’ve always got belief. We knew we had to bowl really well. They’re very dangerous down the order so we knew that to win this game we’d have to get [Jadeja and Dhoni] out. It’s a pretty special moment and we’re looking forward to Lord’s.
That was the best World Cup semi-final since, well, 2015. But it was a bona fide classic - subtle as a Test match at times, unbearably dramatic at others - and you can read all about it here.
Related: New Zealand into Cricket World Cup final despite Jadeja’s heroics for India
The New Zealand players almost look like they have lost the game. It must be emotional exhaustion, the same as Australia experienced after their semi-final against South Africa in 1999, and perhaps a bit of disbelief as well. It should sink in any second now.
The last wicket came when Chahal edged a loopy slower ball to Latham. He went upstairs, presumably on the might-as-well principle, but there was a spike and the decision was upheld. This is a sensational win for New Zealand. Nothing can top the emotion of the 2015 semi-final, at least not until Sunday, but right here, right now, you could argue this is their greatest ever World Cup victory.
WICKET! India 221 all out (Chahal c Latham b Neesham 5) New Zealand have beaten India by 18 runs in an immense semi-final, and Kane Williamson is still walking round with a resting heart rate!
This should be the game.
49.2 overs: India 221-9 (Chahal 5, Bumrah 0) Chahal edges Neesham’s slower ball this far short of Latham. It doesn’t matter for New Zealand.
49.1 overs: India 221-9 (Chahal 5, Bumrah 0) The first ball is filth, and Chahal tickles it fine. 19 from 5 for the mother of all miracles.
Ferguson cleaned Kumar up with a stunning slower ball that turned like a leg-break to hit the stumps. India need 23 from the final over - or, to put it another way, New Zealand are in the World Cup final.
Bowled him!
48.4 overs: India 216-8 (Kumar 0, Chahal 0) A dot ball! A magical dot ball for New Zealand. India need 24 from eight balls.
Dhoni shovelled the ball into a gap on the leg side and tried to steal a second. Guptill charged in from deep backward square, picked up and hit the stumps with a blistering throw. It went upstairs and replays showed Dhoni was just short. What a piece of fielding from Guptill. The man who has had an absolute dog of a tournament has just put New Zealand in the final!
He’s out! MS Dhoni is out!
I think this is out!
48.2 overs: India 215-7 (Dhoni 49, Kumar 0) Dhoni cuts Ferguson’s first ball for six! It just cleared the man on the rope, but it did clear him, and India are back in this. But the next one is a dot ball. This is pulsating stuff.
48 overs: India 209-7 (Dhoni 43, Kumar 0) Dhoni pulls Boult’s last ball for a single, turning down a second. India need 31 from 12 balls.
Jadeja clouted Boult a million miles in the air, literally, and for the second time today Williamson claimed a nerve-shredding catch with inhuman serenity. Jadeja played a staggering innings – 77 from 59 balls, with four fours and four sixes. India need 32 from 13 balls.
Gone!
47.4 overs: India 208-6 (Dhoni 43, Jadeja 76) Another single. Dhoni knows. Right?
47.3 overs: India 207-6 (Dhoni 42, Jadeja 76) A fantastic yorker from Boult is dug out for a single by Jadeja. 33 from 15.
47.2 overs: India 206-6 (Dhoni 41, Jadeja 76) Boult stops in his delivery stride, presumably because he lost his run-up. He runs in again, and Dhoni pats a single to mid-off. Dhoni is either a twisted genius or … not.
47.1 overs: India 205-6 (Dhoni 40, Jadeja 76) Williamson gambles by using Trent Boult’s final over right here, right now. Dhoni, strokeless for so long, pulls viciously for two. It would have been four but for a great stop by Santner.
47 overs: India 203-6 (Dhoni 38, Jadeja 76) And he does. Dhoni takes a single, which makes it five from the over. India need 37 from 18 balls. Henry finishes with 10-1-37-3.
46.5 overs: India 202-6 (Dhoni 37, Jadeja 76) Jadeja steers to short third man for a single. This will be a fine over from Henry, if he can get out unscathed.
46.4 overs: India 201-6 (Dhoni 37, Jadeja 75) Dhoni plays tip-and-run again. A single.
46.3 overs: India 200-6 (Dhoni 36, Jadeja 75) Jadeja flaps a slower bouncer for a single.
46.2 overs: India 199-6 (Dhoni 36, Jadeja 74) A swing and a miss from Jadeja. 41 from 22 needed. Yes, yes I know technically I should have typed ‘forty-one’ as it was the first word of a sentence, but now’s not the time!
46.1 overs: India 199-6 (Dhoni 36, Jadeja 74) Matt Henry, whose new-ball burst feels an age ago, comes on to bowl his final over. Dhoni takes a single to backward point to get Jadeja on strike. He’s not a finisher today; he’s a facilitator.
46th over: India 198-6 (Dhoni 35, Jadeja 74) New Zealand are desperate for a wicket from Boult. They don’t get it – and India pilfer 10 more invaluable runs! There was one boundary, an edge from Jadeja that raced past the keeper Latham. Jadeja has had a few bits of luck in the last 20 minutes. But it has been an immense innings. India need 42 from 24 balls - or 41 for a Super Over. There’s only one thing for it: the OBO is dead, long live the BBB.
Thanks Simon, hello everyone. Trent Boult is returning to the attack.
45th over: India 188-6 (Dhoni 33, Jadeja 66) Ferguson’s ninth over starts with a brilliant yorker, then a single, then two, and then Jadeja sees a slow ball coming, bides his time and then lifts one over long-off for six! “This is thrilling, see-saw cricket,” writes Guy Hornsby, “but it’s like this pair are batting totally different games. When will MSD play the situation? Unless he’s waiting to blast 50 off the last 5. That seems an immense gamble to take.” India need 52 from 30 balls.
At this point I’m going to hand over to Rob Smyth, who’s going to take you through the denouement and its aftermath. Emails to him here please, if you would.
44th over: India 178-6 (Dhoni 30, Jadeja 59) Ugh! Jadeja lifts the ball to Taylor at short fine leg, but it lands just short! And then he hits Henry’s slower delivery straight to Henry at long on, but again it drops just short! Incredible double-survival let-off madness! If he just wanted to dispirit his opposition at this key juncture, he couldn’t have placed those balls better. India need 10.33 an over.
43rd over: India 170-6 (Dhoni 29, Jadeja 53) That’s an excellent over from Ferguson, which yields three singles.
Reminder: Ravindra Jadeja has 3 triple-centuries in first-class cricket. Three 300s! #indiavsNewzealand
First ODI fifty for Ravindra Jadeja since 5 Sep 2014 when he made his career-best of 87 against England at Leeds - 31 innings ago & nearly five years ago.#INDvNZ#CWC19
42nd over: India 168-6 (Dhoni 28, Jadeja 52) Neesham and De Grandhomme have been the weakest of New Zealand’s bowlers, but with only five outstanding from Boult, Henry and Ferguson they need one or both of them to stand up here. Neesham gets his chance, and Jadeja pulls the ball viciously through midwicket; Ross Taylor was there to stop it inside the circle, but was undone by a nasty bounce. Two off the next takes Jadeja to his first ODI half-century for five years, and the crowd is buzzing again now as belief courses back through Indian veins.
41st over: India 159-6 (Dhoni 27, Jadeja 45) Jadeja attacks again, lifting the ball over cow corner for six! Then the last is chipped to midwicket, but drops just short! That’s the last we’ll see of Santner, who’s bowled out. His 10 overs have cost 34 runs and brought two wickets, and been generally excellent.
40th over: India 150-6 (Dhoni 24, Jadeja 39) Ferguson’s back, and Jadeja gloves his first delivery down the leg side. Latham dives to his right but can’t reach it, and it’s away for four! Another first-ball nearly moment for Ferguson, though the delivery wasn’t up to much. The growing feeling is that New Zealand need a wicket, with Jadeja so far judging his innings perfectly and Dhoni, well, Dhoni. Nine off the over, which is precisely what India need from here on in.
50 - This is this first time @imjadeja& @msdhoni have put on an ODI 50+ partnership together since 2014, when they put on 127* v New Zealand in Hamilton. Duo. #cwc19#NZvINDpic.twitter.com/PHgJbIIj8g
39th over: India 141-6 (Dhoni 23, Jadeja 32) Santner has conceded a boundary now, and it’s a massive six over long-on from Jadeja. India need precisely 99 runs now, off 11 overs, and the tension isn’t lifting any time soon.
38th over: India 131-6 (Dhoni 22, Jadeja 24) Matt Henry’s ninth over. Jadeja hoists one over midwicket for a one-bounce four. The bowler then goes slow and short, and then faster and full, and Jadeja can’t read either of them. A single off the last, though, and Jadeja had 24 at precisely a run a ball: no other Indian batsman has scored at a strike rate above 57, and after scoring 22 off 44 Dhoni’s is exactly 50.
37th over: India 126-6 (Dhoni 22, Jadeja 19) Santner’s eighth over, and nobody has scored a boundary off him yet. This over goes one-dot-one-dot-one-dot, like Long John Silver on his morning stroll.
36th over: India 123-6 (Dhoni 21, Jadeja 17) Oooof! Henry replaces Boult, and coaxes the ball through an invisible gap between Dhoni’s bat and body, the ball just clearing the stumps. Then there’s a little noise as the last delivery goes through to the keeper, but nobody’s very excited about it; presumably it was a pad. India need 8.35 an over from here.
35th over: India 119-6 (Dhoni 20, Jadeja 15) Santner returns, and Jadeja and Dhoni do some fine running, though a very slightly better throw to Santner might have had Jadeja in trouble after he was ordered to turn back by his team-mate, rather than go for a second. “So the ICC arrange an entire World Cup model, and eliminate many other countries from even playing for the benefit of India staying in as long as possible,” writes Darnel Harris, “and they ... do this?”
34th over: India 114-6 (Dhoni 19, Jadeja 11) Ye olde win predictor gives New Zealand a 94% chance of winning at the start of Boult’s eighth over. Dhoni drives down the ground for four. “After seeing Kohli’s scores in KO stages, it reminds me of North American Sports. In North American sports like NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB if you don’t deliver in the playoffs than you are not the GOAT or they say you don’t have the clutch gene. Or you can’t handle pressure etc,” writes Humming Bird. “What do you think of Kohli in this regard?” Obviously I think he’s brilliant, but those statistics are starting to look telling.
33rd over: India 106-6 (Dhoni 14, Jadeja 9) Six runs! Neesham replaced Santner, and Jadeja clobbers him down the ground. The over ends with a bonus run, as the fielder’s throw hits the wicket with the batsmen having settled for a single and deflects far enough away to let them scamper another.
32nd over: India 97-6 (Dhoni 12, Jadeja 2) Boult returns; the required run rate rises. They’re surely not going to meander out of the World Cup at three runs an over?
5 years back in Auckland, India were chasing 315 v NZ.
Jadeja arrived at No. 8 in 36th over when 131 runs were needed in 86 balls (Req RR: 9.14).
He scored 66* off 45 with Ashwin (65/46) and managed to tie the game.
India require something similar from him now. #IndvNZ
31st over: India 94-6 (Dhoni 10, Jadeja 1) Santner has pretty much delivered the same ball 36 times in his six overs. A couple of hours ago I read a suggestion on Twitter that Williamson might be refraining from bowling him for fear that he would be slogged around the ground. Now he’s taken two wickets for seven runs in six overs.
“What would happen if the scores are tied at 50 overs on 239 for 8?” asks Kim Thonger. “The match between the two sides in the group stage was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Would it be decided on the toss of a coin?” The head-to-head record isn’t used in any circumstances: I believe
India would go through because of their superior record in the group stages it would go to a super over (thanks Andrew Howard for clarification).
MS Dhoni's Batting Impact in this World Cup is -5.7. That means that, compared to what we'd expect the average batsman would have done, Dhoni has cost India 5.7 runs a match. No Indian batsman has a lower Impact in this tournament. #CWC19
Hardik Pandya top-edges a wild slog and Williamson runs back at midwicket to collect the ball as it comes down from orbit!
30th over: India 92-5 (Pandya 32, Dhoni 10) Pandya keeps rubbing the small of his back. He has already needed the physio on in this innings to hand over a pill, presumably a painkiller. So that doesn’t help. Seven off Neesham’s fourth over, the first in 10 overs to go for more than four (and they only did that once). And India do indeed need exactly 148 from 20 overs!
“Dhoni resembles more than anything else a tired old general fighting the last war,” writes Sankaran Krishna. “This tuk-tuk approach ratchets up the pressure on poor Hardik and any non-striker - followed by a headrush dismissal and then Dhoni’s inability to deliver in the final push. Sad.”
29th over: India 85-5 (Pandya 30, Dhoni 5) Dhoni has faced 20 deliveries for his five runs. He is spectacularly unflustered.
28th over: India 83-5 (Pandya 30, Dhoni 3) Pandya turns to Ferguson after ducking his way out of a bouncer, smiles and gives him a thumbs up. That’s good sport. The required run rate is now above 7 (7.13, to be precise). “Looks like India are trying to get to 91 after 30 overs, just so they can chase down 148 from 20 and prove a point,” says Samuel.
27th over: India 82-5 (Pandya 30, Dhoni 2) Santner has conceded three runs in four overs, but he’s on the slide: two maidens to start, but two runs off this one alone. He’s practically falling apart. “A friend outside the ground has been told despite them having thousands of tickets, they can’t sell them to walk-ups,” reports Tom Watkins. “Cricket doesn’t really help itself does it?”
26th over: India 80-5 (Pandya 29, Dhoni 1) The required run rate is approaching seven. India have scored 10 in the last seven overs. “Can we revert to chasing 148 from 20 overs? Asking on behalf of a friend,” writes Deepak Puri.
25th over: India 77-5 (Pandya 26, Dhoni 1) Santner’s third over sees him concede his first run. There’s also a leg bye. New Zealand currently at 80% on the win predictor.
24th over: India 75-5 (Pandya 25, Dhoni 1) Crikey, the tension. MS Dhoni can get this done. He can also go at three an over until it’s too late to change direction. Let’s see.
In the whole world of cricket @msdhoni would be my choice of man to walk to the crease now. This is amazing stuff to watch. #CWC
India needs 169 runs at the fall of Pant's wicket - there is one instance of the last five wickets scoring as many in a World Cup run chase - 218 by Ireland vs England, Bengaluru, 2011 (111/5 -> 329/7).#INDvNZ#CWC19#TeamIndia#BackTheBlackCaps
23rd over: India 71-5 (Pandya 22, Dhoni 0) India had scored one run from the 16 balls that preceded the wicket. Santner had bowled 10 successive dots. Finally Pant decided that drastic action had to be taken, and that was the last decision he’ll have to take today. Thus this becomes the third wicket maiden of the innings.
The partnership is broken! Pant tries to hoist Santner over midwicket but he doesn’t get enough on it, and De Grandhomme takes a straightforward catch!
22nd over: India 71-4 (Pant 32, Pandya 22) A single off Neesham, and the required run rate is above six for the first time today. I must say that an impressive number of yesterday’s ticket-holders have managed to wangle another free day in Manchester, with significant gaps visible only in the giant Foster’s Party Stand.
21st over: India 70-4 (Pant 31, Pandya 22) Had play started at 6.30pm last night, India would have had to score 148 in 20 overs. Now they’re at less than half that total after 21. Santner bowls for the first time, and it’s a maiden.
20th over: India 70-4 (Pant 31, Pandya 22) Pandya clips to Ferguson at long leg and goes for two. It would have been the end of him, had Ferguson’s throw been more accurate, or more flat of trajectory. Then Pant gets a thick edge on the last, which runs to the third man boundary.
19th over: India 62-4 (Pant 27, Pandya 19) Ferguson’s first balls are incredible. This time it rises sharply over Pant’s dangling bat. “This innings reminds me of when my brother beat the shit out of me when I was little, and I asked him to stop, but he didn’t,” writes Subhankar Pasalapudi (a couple of overs ago, to be fair, before this pair started making life look just a little less dismal for India).
18th over: India 60-4 (Pant 25, Pandya 19) De Grandhomme is milked like an old dairy cow. Nine off the over in ones and twos (plus a wide).
17th over: India 51-4 (Pant 24, Pandya 12) Having nearly got a wicket with the first ball of his first over, Ferguson nearly gets another with the first ball of his third. Pandya completely mistimes a pull shot and top-edges just over the head of the fielder at midwicket!
“I’d like to take issue with your publication of Asif Gil’s mails (overs 14 and 15),” writes Ant Pease. “Since when has the OBO been a home for poorly typed gibberish from the public?”
16th over: India 47-4 (Pant 23, Pandya 10) Colin de Grandhomme replaces Henry, and when Pandya cuts the ball firmly Martin Guptill dives high to his left to get his palm on the ball; he doesn’t hold it, but he does turn four runs into one.
15th over: India 43-4 (Pant 20, Pandya 9) One run from Ferguson’s second over. India need 5.6 an over from here on in. Asif Gil emails again. “rrrrrrr4 thee,” he says. I think his phone might be broken.
14th over: India 42-4 (Pant 19, Pandya 9) Pandya times one past cover, where the fielder dives but misjudges the bouncing ball and so can’t stop it going for four. “I am ga gyrrrrrrr4crtrtrrrweswrr rsseeeederregwvydseytt a rrrrrrr4crtrtrrrweswsseeeederregwvv,” writes Asif Gil. I know how you feel, Asif.
13th over: India 37-4 (Pant 19, Pandya 5) DROPPED! Lockie Ferguson’s first delivery is hit by Pant straight to Neesham, author of a world-class catch but minutes ago, at short midwicket. It comes at him fast, for sure, but that was a pretty ho-hum, run-of-the-mill catch, chest high, just to his right.
12th over: India 35-4 (Pant 18, Pandya 4) Rishabh Pant is playing a different game to everybody else, going at not far off a run a ball and looking pretty untroubled doing so. He pulls one for four, and then pushes through cover. Santner dives to his left to stop it, and returns the ball so quickly that what seemed a straightforward single ends the batsman desperately diving to make his ground.
11th over: India 30-4 (Pant 13, Pandya 4) Boult keeps going, this the sixth over of his spell, and it ends with a leg-side wide, and then another that is heading in a similar direction until Pandya tickles it away for four. The win predictor now gives New Zealand a 65% chance of victory.
24 - India were 24/4 at the end of the power play today, they found themselves 22/4 after 10 overs v NZ earlier this year in Wellington, batting first, but still went on to win that match. Tumbling. #cwc19#indvnzpic.twitter.com/yX7xWAqV8t
10th over: India 24-4 (Pant 12, Pandya 0) Another boundary, Pant hitting a lovely shot through the covers. There’s some encouragement here for India’s batsmen, but they’re not sticking around long enough to exploit it. The wicket falls from the last ball of the powerplay: prior to today India had lost four wickets in the opening 10 overs across the entire tournament; they’ve now equalled that total in less than an hour.
What a grab! Diving low to his left, with his arm fully extended, Jimmy Neesham plucks the ball out of the air about an inch from the ground, and then manages to pivot his hand so it protects the ball from the turf! Phenomenal!
9th over: India 19-3 (Pant 7, Karthik 6) Runs for Karthik! He finally gets off the mark, from his 21st delivery, as he works one between third slip - that’s right, three slips - and point and gets four for it. And then a couple off the last for good measure.
The English weather makes you wonder how we ever invented this game @Simon_Burnton - and then it makes you wonder how we couldn't #everyballachallenge
8th over: India 13-3 (Pant 7, Karthik 0) Karthik has faced 16 balls so far, for his zero. None, though, in this over. India now need 5.4 an over, and it’s rising fast. “I think someone should go and check in on the Win Predictor algorithm - I don’t think it’s very well,” says Harry Lang. “I just saw it suggest, obviously in the throws of malfunction, that India were still 70% favourites whilst seemingly leaning over a precipice wearing banana skin slippers. Surely someone needs to switch it off and on again?”
7th over: India 10-3 (Pant 5, Karthik 0) Another maiden from Boult, who has one wicket for three runs from four overs. It ends with a gorgeous inswinging yorker, which doesn’t quite inswing enough.
6th over: India 10-3 (Pant 5, Karthik 0) Four! India’s first boundary comes as Pant works the ball past point, and with almost every fielder in the circle once it’s through, it’s gone. India still have a 70% chance of victory according to the win predictor, down from 98% at the start of the innings. “Well, we always wondered what’d happen if a team managed to get through India’s top 3 early,” says Guy Hornsby, “and here we are. It’s happened to everyone else, but not with a spot in the final at stake. Can Pant play that innings? Game absolutely, vitally, on.”
5th over: India 6-3 (Pant 1, Karthik 0) Boult bowls a tempter across Karthik, similar to the delivery from Henry that did for Sharma, but this time the batsman leaves it. Then Pant raises his bat to a ball that comes back into him and, as he goes down on one knee, clips his chest on its way through. There’s a loud lbw appeal, but a shake of the head from the umpire, and no review. This is the first time in the entire history of ODI cricket that the top three batsmen have all been out for one run.
1 KL Rahul
1 Rohit Sharma
1 Virat Kohli
Trivia: First time in ODI history, the three top-order batsmen are out for 1. #IndvNZ
4th over: India 5-3 (Pant 0, Karthik 0) Another wicket maiden, as India falter in the face of Boult and Henry’s early-innings assault. “Everyone has talked about Boult in the build up to this morning, they seem to have forgotten Henry took 75 wickets at 15.48 in the CC last season, most of which were in very similar conditions to this,” notes Chris Parker.
India's top three: 111
Coincidentally, that's the number to dial in case of emergencies in New Zealand#CWC19#INDvNZ
All batsmen gone. It's upto the wicketkeepers, all-rounders and bowlers to take India through. #IndvNZ#CWC19
Another edge, and an easy catch for Latham! Scenes!
3rd over: India 5-2 (Rahul 1, Pant 0) Kohli goes after Boult’s first ball, but gets nothing on it as it whistles well wide of off stump. Two dots follow, and then another ball Kohli gets nothing on, and this one would have hit the stumps! Kohli’s average in three World Cup semi-finals is 3.66. Wicket maiden. What. A. Start.
#ViratKohli in World Cup knockouts
24(33)
9(21)
35(49)
3(8)
1(13)
1(6)
73 runs
Avg 12.16
SR 56.15#INDvNZ#CWC19
The ball would have clipped the bails on its way through, and India’s captain has gone!
It looked a very good shout to me. This is massive ...
2nd over: India 5-1 (Rahul 1, Kohli 1) Kohli edges his first ball, but it goes straight to ground. “Good morning and, weatherwise, we can say that with confidence,” writes John Starbuck. “Given that tomorrow’s forecasts are for thunderstorms, how ready are we for play on reserve-day Friday too? Got the cards ready?” The forecast for Birmingham tomorrow does look very poor indeed, and it looks at the moment like play on Friday is likely.
Beauty! After three successive World Cup centuries, Rohit Sharma has gone for one, pushing at the ball and feathering an edge to the keeper!
1st over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Sharma 1) The innings starts with a sharp single to mid-off, well run. But there’s just another single to follow, and the over ends with four dots.
The players are back out. 240 to get. Trent Boult has the ball in his hand, and New Zealand need some magic from him this morning. Game on.
So India need 4.8 an over from 50 overs to claim a place in the final. I imagine they’d have taken that 24 hours ago.
50th over: New Zealand 239-8 (Santner 9, Boult 3) A single for Santner off the first, then a bouncer beats Boult. He then bashes the next to midwicket for a couple, an ugly shot but it’ll do, and follows that with a single. Santner has the strike, with two to face. The first goes to mid-on, where it’s well fielded but they run a couple, and he gets nothing but pad on the last. They run a leg bye, and India’s target is 240!
49th over: New Zealand 232-8 (Santner 5, Boult 0) Mitch Santner gets the day’s first boundary, spearing through the covers for four. But then Henry tries to smack the last ball of the over over the long on boundary but gets nowhere near enough on it, and Kohli takes a straightforward catch!
Jadeja’s at it again! He takes an excellent high catch at deep midwicket, and he’s essentially taken two wickets in two balls!
48th over: New Zealand 225-5 (Latham 10) Bumrah starts his day with a full toss, which Taylor only converts into a single. With so many fielders in the deep, if they manage to get bat on ball a single is inevitable, and two likely. Eight off the over, despite that run-out off the last.
That’s an extraordinary bit of fielding from Jadeja! The batsmen come back for a second run and it seems straightforward, but Jadeja runs in from deep square leg and hits the stumps from side-on and a distance of 40 yards!
47th over: New Zealand 217-5 (Taylor 70, Latham 6) A single for Taylor, and then a yorker that’s too good for Latham. The next goes down to long leg, and the batsmen manage to run a fairly comfortable two thanks to some half-hearted fielding. Another one and a two makes six off the first five balls of the day, with Taylor on strike for the start of over 48.
“If New Zealand score 30 runs from their remaining overs, it’s a bad sign for them I think, because it means the pitch is good for batting and India are also likely get the required runs from their 50 overs,” writes Mark van Raaij. “If, on the contrary, NZ struggle to add to their total, they might be able to also put India in trouble.” So let me get this straight: the worse New Zealand do, the better New Zealand are doing?
The players are out now, so either way, we’re about to find out.
If you get tired of the glitz and glamour of World Cup cricket, here’s Tanya Aldred with the County blog:
Related: County cricket: Surrey v Kent, Northants v Lancs and more – live!
“Trying to think of a less appealing challenge in world cricket than coming in cold this morning to try and hit sixes off Bhuvi and Bumrah yorkers,” says Lawrence White. “There can’t be much worse?” It’s a nasty assignment, to be sure, and there won’t be many worse. Perhaps defending 230 against Sharma and Kohli?
Apparently Bhuvi Kumar, who will start the day by bowling the final five deliveries of his ninth over, has been practising yorkers this morning.
Even further pre-play reading: here’s Andy Bull on the one great advantage Australia have over their World Cup rivals:
Related: Australia’s Australianism makes it hard to predict an England win | Andy Bull
“A score of 240+ and an early wicket will mean New Zealand can book tickets to London,” suggests Krish. “Else the tag of eternal semi finalists can come to haunt them.” I think they’re a bit below par, and the fact that 12 of their last 23 balls will be bowled by Bumrah isn’t encouraging, but as you say if they can score another 30 runs and take a couple of early wickets they’re back in the game.
Further pre-play reading: ICC says outbreak of unusually slow pitches at this World Cup is just coincidence and nothing to do with them:
Related: Don’t blame us for low-scoring World Cup pitches, says ICC
Important point of information: play will resume at 10.30am BST. There is, I’m told, a 20% chance of rain for an hour or so at lunchtime, but that aside we’re all good.
We’re back! There’s unfinished business to be done in Manchester after yesterday’s rain, which mercifully continued just long enough to prevent a potentially ludicrous 20-over Indian run chase being awkwardly squeezed into the evening.
That would certainly have improved New Zealand’s chances of prevailing; this outcome does the opposite. They have to click immediately and seamlessly into top gear this morning as they attempt to turn 211-5 into a defendable total in the space of only 23 balls. In particular Ross Taylor, who had finally started to score fairly freely after a slow start when the rain fell, has to go big from the off.
Related: India v New Zealand semi-final to resume on Wednesday after rain delay
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