The blues were waiting for the exuberant red round the final corner. Soca steel was taught a different rhythm. I'll confess though that I'm scratching my head to name one well-known mentionable beat coming out of Down Under other than Lee's heel clicks...
Both teams boasted enough players with international experience to be considered almost second-string teams for their senior teams. Both teams have fought many battles to reach the finals. They were well-knit as a result and oiled for perfect function.
Ganga Sr. won the toss, and as part of their strategy, opted to chase a total yet again. Yet again he opened with Ganga Jr.
Dave Warner began to blaze from the word go, he had the TTies on the run and looked to be taking advantage of their predictable strategy, but was consumed quickly. At 83-6 in the twelfth over, it appeared that TTies were re-enacting a familiarly successful fishing expedition. Then Brett Lee chanced upon their trawler and ripped apart their nets to free the Blues. Marginally...but a little freer nevertheless. 159 was something to bowl at.
Lee wasn't quite finished yet...after laying his bat into the TTie strategy with abandon, the blonde Ozzie with dancing shoes blew away two big engineheads of the TTie boat of dreams - Perkins and Simmons in the bag for next to nothing, and with Adrian Barath squeezed inbetween by the other star performer of the day - SPD Smith.
Then Stuart Clark took over...as long as it isn't the Indian team he's bowling to, Clark can tie up teams AND pick wickets rather easily. Pollard continued to pull hard in this tournament of much personal glory, but this day was to be an exception. Soca frenzy had to give way to the blues and thus ended the first CLT20.
Brett Lee flew away with all the accolades - MOM and MOS.
Personally speaking, I felt the concept was good. I would prefer all participating teams to be state teams or all be franchises, but that is just a POV. The teams appeared subdued except in flashes...the consistently brightest of all were the TTies who brought enthusiasm to every match they played in as if that was the match they were waiting long to play. I think people will warm up to this tournament. It gives us a look at players who made teams champions in other countries.
TnT may now be seriously considering going it alone at least for the Olympics format of T20 (as and when that comes about) for that is a certain gold medal beckoning, and TnT are after all an independent nation like Usain Bolt's Jamaica. I'm kidding of course, but I suspect many in TTland are talking something similar in all seriousness!
IPL teams flagging out was a downer for sure. Perhaps it is time homegrown talent in these franchises truly make attempts to take their games and fielding to the next level to keep IPL a sustainable exercise. I doubt any league can prosper for long only on talent acquired for the day, or a few weeks at most. Better local talent will have to be the bed and seed...the sown field which will reap a plentiful crop. Imports can only be fertilizer.
Scorecard
Hello, was that you Bhajji?
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4 comments:
They truly deserved to win and what a performance by Brett Lee!!
Awesome! Christopher, seeing that the Australians are all in top form makes the ODI series interesting. Otherwise seven matches could be rather boring.
India will be pushed hard in every match.
It was certainly a gmae worth watching, even starting at 1:30am!
Seven matches doesn't seem enticing after a couple of well-fought tournaments, but as you say, there could be some good contests. I'm surprised that the Aussie team are doing so well recently.
Maybe England shouldn't have beaten the Australians in the Ashes...it aroused the Australian Asmita which we are seeing expressed through one dayers and the like!
Jonathan, I'd have enjoyed a balanced series...a nutritional mix of tests, ODIs and the odd T20 as dessert/starter.
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