It was widely speculated that teams could be chasing 300-plus scores in this World Cup. So it has been, with 17 totals upwards of 300. Ten of those came in five matches where both the teams crossed the barrier.
These high scores only prove what the world’s top bowler Jasprit Bumrah said ahead of India’s game against Afghanistan: pitches in England are the flattest in the world for white-ball cricket.By inference, he may be saying that any bowling performance of note on these tracks has to be outstanding and deserves to be hailed.
England and Australia came close to touching the 400-run mark, and that shows the heavy influence of the T20 cricket, though without making it too apparent. Both England and Australia have also scored over 300 in a losing cause, the former against Pakistan and the latter when they fell short of India’s 352/5.
England scored 386/6 against Bangladesh and 397/6 against Afghanistan. Their captain Eoin Morgan went on the rampage in the latter, hitting a record 17 sixes. Australia cracked 381/5 against Bangladesh, who made it a lot more exciting by scoring 333/8 in reply.
Only Bangladesh made light of a 300-plus target, racing to 322 against the pace of West Indies with almost nine overs to spare. Curiously, New Zealand — despite being the only other unbeaten team apart from India — have not got to 300. That’s mainly because their bowlers have dismissed opponents for reasonable scores.
After 26 of 48 matches in the competition, the semifinalists more or less seem to be certain. Though Bangladesh and Pakistan still think they have something in them to turn it around. Bangladesh had beaten South Africa and West Indies, posting 300-plus scores against both, and ran close both Australia and New Zealand. The Caribbeans terrorised Pakistan with their short-pitched stuff. Pakistan can say that they had beaten the top favourites England.
England and India are still the best bets with bookies; the former not only for their top ODI ranking, but also for being the hosts. India have looked good in all their matches, and the two play in Birmingham next Sunday.
India have a couple of players in the sick bay. Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar too has picked up an injury. Then there was a scare regarding Vijay Shankar after a toe-crusher from Bumrah in the nets. But the pacer himself pronounced his teammate fit.
Dhawan’s place has gone to the popular choice Rishabh Pant. The team management might like to see the young man against Afghanistan. Mohammed Shami is the automatic replacement for Bhuvneshwar, and he is likely to play at least three matches. He may not have played many ODIs in the last year, but his bowling has been impressive in Tests and IPL.
KL Rahul, in his own words, got over his nerves against Pakistan. All he needs to do now is to guard against getting dismissed without notice after getting in. He should take a closer look at the way Rohit Sharma has cut out some paying-but-risky shots to get big runs.
Most openers have realised that powerplays are no longer used for big starts and pinch-hitters are no longer in vogue. The first powerplay is to lay the foundation and the middle overs are proving to be crucial for both sides, particularly when the spinners are bowling.
(The writer is a veteran commentator and the views expressed are personal)