A wonderful final. Terribly sorry for Ben Stokes, but it was still headless bowling of the last over. Many congratulations to Windies, deserved.
I have always been pretty snooty about T20, which lacks the subtlety and complexity that makes cricket such a deeply satisfying sport. But I have come to enjoy T20 for its energy and vibrancy, and the final today was a fitting climax to what has been a riveting tournament. Scotland in the early stages, and the surprising competitiveness of their spin bowling in particular. The Dutch falling improbably short in a run chase then getting knocked out by rain. Shahzad of Afghanistan and their joyful cricket.
It just got better. New Zealand’s spinners defending an improbable total against India. Bangladesh failing astonishingly to score one run off the last three balls against India. Kohli and Root’s classicism. Those are just memories which stand out.
For a time it looked like the depth of England’s batting might have dug them out of their deep hole against Windies in today’s final sufficiently to win. Joe Root’s two wickets in his surprise over were astonishing. But you have to query Morgan’s decision not to bowl Moeen Ali at all in the final, after his two overs against the New Zealand run chase were key to England’s semi final win. And frankly if there was one bowler likely to go for 19 in the last over, it was Ben Stokes. He got two wickets against New Zealand at the death from rank full tosses. After Jordan’s penultimate over I was shouting at the TV “not Ben Stokes, please.” Perhaps my TV does not work, because it seems Ollie Morgan could not hear me.
But still – Brathwaite!
I agree. Stokes was a bad choice to bowl last over and moin ali should have been tried since the wicket had turn. Morgan is crazy!
Huh?
Craig,
I was born in Jamaica.
I lived for a decade in England and went to school and University there and got some practical experience post-graduate in the court then returned to the Caribbean. That little background to say that during my student days in the 1970s I held my head high once I got on to the topic on to cricket. Could not have been better under the captaincy of Clive Lloyd. Then into the doldroms for the Windies for a long, long time.
I watched the final and thought that chasing 19 runs the game could have gone either way. Then it went one way only with 4 consecutive sixes.
An absolutely great game.
Now – Mr. Conservative, when it comes to cricket. You said:-
” I have always been pretty snooty about T20, which lacks the subtlety and complexity that makes cricket such a deeply satisfying sport. But I have come to enjoy T20 for its energy and vibrancy, and the final today was a fitting climax to what has been a riveting tournament”
As a youngster, my eldest brother who was both accomplised in track and field and was a good cricket player – taught me the game. As a youngster in a one day match I scored 24 runs, took a diving catch and got one wicket. That was it – I then turned my sporting interest to track and sprinting.
The point I make is that I had attended 5 day test matches and usually found that the real action tended to be compressed into the last 2 or 3 days. What T20 format captures is the ability to compress the game into a day and highlight the best of batting, bowling and fielding from both sides. So – to the die-hard traditionalists – I say – get on with it – get over it – and let’s play much more T20 and enjoy it to boot (or is that – to bat?)
“and have no doubt Putin is bent”
Have you personal experience of that Craig?
He doesn’t look gay to me.
Have you seen his latest??
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/more-sports/vladimir-putins-rumoured-girlfriend-alina-kabayeva-may-light-torch-at-sochi-opening-ceremony/story-fnii0hmo-1226818120061
Tony
As Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion (2004) I don’t see why Alina Kabayeva can’t be lighting the torch as a significant individual in her own right. This is just an excuse to put Putin in another headline.
This story in USAToday: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/04/03/reactions-panama-papers-leak-go-global/82589874/ featured almost entirely Putin and his friends (with a small bit about Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson) when I read it yesterday, (although they did say that Putin’s name didn’t appear anywhere in the 11.5 million records) but it seems to have been substantially re-written by this morning.
The Guardian is at it this morning: “Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin”
Cricket? No comment.
Don’t know anything about the cricket, but the great spring weather at the weekend got many bike riders out in force , nine of them who killed themselves on Germany’s roads.
RIP to all, you should have waited until the urge to twist your right hand subsided, then saddle up.
Why did Stokes bowl just short of a length in the last over? The perfect length to be hit out of the ground…. Why not bowl yorkers, or full tosses, or even a bouncer? Fixed? Who knows…
Bring cricket back to the BBC.
Trouble is you have to pay for Sky, otherwise no cricket.
“I was shouting at the TV “not Ben Stokes, please.” Perhaps my TV does not work, because it seems Ollie Morgan could not hear me.”
When I was about nine years old, my parents took me to London to visit my great-aunt Ann.
‘Aunty Ann’ had a bit of nuthouse form.
Standing on her little kitchen table was an absolutely enormous ‘ghetto-blaster’-style radio-cassette player which she proudly informed us she had bought the week before.
She had been to the electrical store and asked the salesman for the “most powerful radio you’ve got”.
If the salesman was wondering why a little 4’9″,75lb lady in her late eighties would want such a device, he apparently gave no indication and happily sold it to her.
You see, Aunty Ann had a fierce loathing for one particular female BBC radio news-reader, and she wanted desperately to annoy this woman.
Hence the need for a ‘powerful’ radio. Now, whenever the female news-reader came on the air, my Aunty Ann would be busy turning up the volume to maximum, and switching the radio Off, and On, and Off, and On repeatedly, so as to make a really nasty clicking sound in the news-reader’s ear!
England lost for a lot of reasons, but mainly through very poor batting and a missed catch. Stokes should not have bowled the last over either. I have grown to enjoy T20 and it is here to stay. Not sure Test cricket will survive.
Bob Smith,
You will find much to cogitate by reading this:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_a_Boundary