June 5, 2019 issue
Cricket
The pace attack of Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas and captain Jason Holder ripped through Pakistan to set up a dominant seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge.
"Their approach is brilliant; it's shocking and unexpected," said Swann.
"Everyone expects wide yorkers, slower balls, but it was vintage stuff."
Six wickets in the pitiful Pakistan innings of 105 fell to short bowling, with Russell in particular bowling almost exclusively quick bouncers.
The largely Pakistan-supporting crowd booed at times, wanting the umpires to give wides against Russell, but his deliveries were fair.
"No-one expects this any more - to run up and just get a barrage of short-pitched bowling," said Swann.
"If it's armpit height, it's not called as the one short ball you're allowed for the over. So if you're skilful enough to bowl four, five of those an over, against a team like Pakistan who are notoriously hook happy, or flap happy as we call it, they're going to take them on.
"West Indies just played an old-fashioned game, actually, that may just take this World Cup by storm because people simply aren't used to it any more.
"It was a very simple method of bumper warfare. It was very good to watch."
When asked if West Indies had an attack that can overwhelm opponents throughout the tournament, Russell said: "Yes, for sure."
He added he was "annoyed" to be referred to as a medium pacer on the big screen when coming on to bowl.
"A lot of people have been saying I'm in the team as a big hitter but people don't remember that I'm a fast bowler," he said.
"They underestimate me and I've been getting jealous in the last two years that people have me as a medium pacer.
"But I showed here that I can bowl 90mph and they should put some respect on my name."
Sir Curtly Ambrose, who took 225 one-day wickets for West Indies between 1988 and 2000, said that aggressive, short-pitched bowling remains an important tactic in the game.
"Cricket is cricket and bouncers are part of cricket," he said.
"I believe West Indies' plan worked to perfection. They really hustled the Pakistan batsman, who had no answer, and they were really destroyed in the way they play.
"There's no better sight in cricket than a great fast bowler versus a great batsman. Sadly it's not [often] there any more."
West Indies face Australia next, on Thursday, while Pakistan won against world favourites England on Monday by 14 runs after posting a mammoth total of 348/8.
England in WC
The hosts and favourites were surprisingly lacklustre in the field as Pakistan, roared on by their noisy and vibrant fans, posted 348-8.
Even though England have made a habit of overhauling such targets, they were still faced with having to pull off the most successful chase in World Cup history.
And they were denied by the rejuvenated Pakistanis, who had lost their previous 11 one-day internationals including a 4-0 series defeat by England prior to the tournament and then a humiliation against West Indies at Trentbridge on Friday.
Despite Joe Root's 107, the first century of the tournament, and a 75-ball ton from Jos Buttler, England were restricted to 334-9 to lose by 14 runs.
In a tournament where the 10 teams play each other once to determine the semi-finalists, there are plenty of opportunities for England to get their campaign back on track, starting with Bangladesh in Cardiff on Saturday.
Pakistan, renowned for veering from shambolic to sublime in global tournaments, will look to continue their resurgence vs Sri Lanka in Bristol on Friday.
After England opened their tournament by beating South Africa at The Oval on Thursday, captain Eoin Morgan asserted that they will not go through the competition unbeaten.
Similarly, on Sunday, Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood defiantly claimed his side could reverse their fortunes and beat Morgan's men. Both were right.
Indeed, both sides were almost entirely transformed from their first matches. Whereas Pakistan improved immeasurably, England were inexplicably shoddy.
Not only that, but England often let their frustrations boil over in the field and there were a number of noticeable moments of tension between the two sides when they came to bat.
All of this was played out in an electric atmosphere, created mainly by Pakistan fans, whose near constant din was only dimmed when Root and Buttler were together.
The tension of the contest and energy of the crowd amounted to a wonderful occasion. This was the day that the World Cup came to life.
On a slow pitch, England's top order struggled for impetus against the tricky spin and hostile pace of Pakistan.
Like South Africa on Thursday, Pakistan opened with spin and saw Shadab Khan trap Jason Roy lbw. When Ben Stokes edged Shoaib Malik behind, it meant Buttler arrived at 118-4 with 231 required from just under 28 overs.
He was immediately into his destructive stride, heaving sixes over the leg side and driving through the covers. At the other end, Root, who was dropped by Babar Azam on nine, accumulated runs with dabs and nudges.
While they were at the crease, England were on course for victory, but both fell just after reaching three figures.
Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali turned an equation of 61 from 39 balls to 29 from 14, but when both fell in successive Wahab Riaz deliveries, the game was up.
By the metric of their own team analyst, England put in their best fielding performance for four years in defeating South Africa. This must rank as one of their worst.
Not only was the ground fielding littered with errors, but Roy put down the most straightforward chance off Mohammad Hafeez on 14. Hafeez went on to make 84.
Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer were expensive as only Moeen, who claimed 3-50, and Mark Wood, in the side for Liam Plunkett, provided any sort of control.
Pakistan, who were blown away by a barrage of West Indies bouncers on Friday, cashed in.
Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq added 82 in 14 overs, with Babar then particularly harsh on Rashid in his 63. Hafeez was the most aggressive, while captain Sarfaraz Ahmed favoured the leg side for 55...
game loss
The defeat means South Africa have lost their opening two matches in the competition, having been beaten by England in the opener on Thursday.
Bangladesh made 330-6 - their highest one-day total - with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 78 and Shakib Al Hasan 75 in front of a passionate crowd strongly in their favour.
South Africa were sloppy in the field and lost crucial wickets as they rarely threatened to complete the highest World Cup chase in history.
Opener Quinton de Kock fell to a shambolic run-out early on, captain Faf du Plessis was bowled for 62 and Rassie van der Dussen was dismissed for 41 in the 40th over.
The Proteas still had slim hope with three overs left, JP Duminy at the crease and 44 needed - but he played on off Mustafizur Rahman to depart for 45.
Bangladesh are a much-improved team in recent years - they won a tri-series against West Indies and Ireland before this tournament and have series wins over India and Pakistan since the last World Cup - but this result still saw the side ranked seventh in the world beat the one ranked third.
Bangladesh were given a solid start by Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, who shared a stand of 60, but the experienced pair of Shakib and Mushfiqur rebuilt excellently after both openers fell.
It looked like Bangladesh would let a good position slip when Mushfiqur departed soon after Shakib, but Mahmudullah's late hitting, which included three fours and a big six over mid-wicket, and support from Mosaddek Hossain, who made 26, regained momentum as 54 runs came from the last four overs.
With the ball, Bangladesh were more disciplined than the Proteas, with their spinners economical on the same pitch used for England's win over South Africa.
Shakib bowled opener Aiden Markram through the gate for 45 and Mehedi Hasan turned one between Du Plessis' bat and pad as he advanced down the pitch.
Seamers Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman returned later in the innings to seal victory, with the former bowling a wicket maiden that included the scalp of the well-set Van der Dussen.
The Proteas showed little evidence of learning from the defeat by England, even though the match was played on the same pitch.
In the fifth over they missed an opportunity with an edge from Soumya going between Markram at first slip and Du Plessis at second, neither making a real effort to go for the catch.
In the overs that followed there were a number of misfields and, in the 47th over Kagiso Rabada put down Mahmudullah when he was on 12, which proved costly.
South Africa lost fast bowler Lungi Ngidi to a hamstring injury after he bowled only four overs, but they also disappointed with the bat.
Every member of the top six faced at least 30 balls but no-one showed sustained aggression to reduce the increasing required run-rate.
De Kock was out in comical fashion, being called for a run by Markram before both stopped midway down the pitch and the left-hander was stranded.
South Africa face India, one of the main contenders for the tournament, at Southampton on Wednesday.
Afghanistan, bidding for just their second win in a World Cup match and their first over a Test nation were in command halfway through a gloomy day in Cardiff after dismissing Sri Lanka for 201.
But faced with a rain-revised target of 187 in 41 overs, their batting let them down again as they were bowled out for 152.
Victory saw Sri Lanka bounce back from a 10-wicket thrashing by New Zealand in their World Cup opener.
Pradeep took a career-best four for 31, while Malinga (three for 39) struck at both ends of the innings, finishing the match with a trademark yorker that bowled Hamid Hassan.
Afghanistan had slumped to 57 for five, with Thisara Perera holding a brilliant running catch to dismiss Hazratullah Zazai on the hook for 30.
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib (23) and Najibullah Zadran (43) then started to turn the match again with a sixth-wicket stand of 64.
But paceman Pradeep struck twice, having Naib lbw before bowling Rashid Khan to leave Afghanistan 123 for seven.
And when Najibullah was run out by a direct hit from Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Afghanistan were all but beaten at nine down.
Earlier, Sri Lanka came out of the blocks quickly against the unfancied Afghans, who suffered a seven-wicket loss to champions Australia in their tournament opener, and were set for an imposing total at 144 for one.
But they lost their last nine wickets for 57 runs, Mohammad Nabi taking three in five balls after Gulbadin won the toss.
Shell-shocked Sri Lanka kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, with 35 extras the second-highest scorer of the innings behind Kusal Perera's 78.
A dramatic 22nd over saw Nabi bowled Lahiru Thirimanne for 25 before having Kusal Mendis caught by Rahmat Shah in the slips for two.
Angelo Mathews was next to go, for a duck, also caught by Shah.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan eventually got in on the act when he had opener Kusal Perera, who had seen wickets tumble at the other end, caught behind.
Rain then intervened, forcing the players from the field, with Sri Lanka 182-8.
The delay meant the match was reduced to 41 overs a side but Sri Lanka folded quickly after the resumption, losing Malinga and Pradeep for the addition of just 19 more runs.
Afghanistan, playing in only their second World Cup, beat Sri Lanka soundly in last year's Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, but for the second match in a row this World Cup their batting let them down.
By Romeo Kaseram
Part II
Writing on the cricket website, Crickbuzz, Ganesh Chandrasekaran recalls yet another binary embedded in the performativity of Rohan Kanhai on the field, telling us, “…Kanhai actually started off as a wicketkeeper-batsman. In fact he kept wickets for his first three Tests for West Indies. It is as a dashing and adventurous batsman that he is still revered. Considered by many to be the best batsman of the [1960s], Kanhai was also a crowd-puller in his own right.”
It is this dichotomy of roles, in the acrobatics as wicket-keeper and performativity as batsman, when brought into collision at the wicket, that could help explain Kanhai’s unleashing of what Chandrasekaran describes as one of his “trademark shots” – the falling hook. He notes following its lethal unleashing Kanhai “would actually be lying on his back on the ground”.
The august Clem Seecharan, writing in The Cricket Monthly in ESPNcricinfo, in applying the lens of growing West Indian nationalism, explores Kanhai’s unique combination of the hook and sweep, noting it to be a mix of joie de vivre, an exuberance of spirit wrapped into his “sense of theatre” to spawn “that amazing stroke”. Seecharan also notes Sir Neville Cardus describing the stroke’s entirety, from its immanence to implementation, as “the triumphant fall”. Quoting batsman Jack Fingleton, Seecharan tells us the late Australian wrote of Kanhai: “ …hit so hard to leg that often he fell over in the middle of the stroke and once… hit a perfect sweep when prone on the ground.” Or as Chandrasekaran notes, Kanhai ended up “lying on his back on the ground”.
Seecharan, himself falling prone on the ground with sweeping language that describes Kanhai’s execution, says the shot was “a stroke that was uniquely his, no aberration”. He adds, “No one had played it before; no one has played it since. A cross between a sweep and a hook, Kanhai was usually off the ground as the horizontal blade crashed savagely into the ball, and with a free flow he would settle on his back, the bat aloft, his head off the ground, his eyes frozen, pursuing the retreating ball into the crowd beyond the backward square boundary – all of this performed with great dignity, flawlessly, nothing tawdry. The execution of this stroke required impeccable footwork, supreme timing, immense self-confidence, and, of course, that untutorable gift, an instinctive sense of theatre. One cannot be coached into playing the stroke; no one will play it the way he did. No one may attempt it. This is Kanhai’s gift to humanity.”
In the 1966 edition of the journal New World, C.L.R. James is exploring in his ‘Rohan Kanhai: A Study in Confidence’ what he earlier noted Kanhai’s technique to be, which was “going crazy”. However, he takes it further, noting to be “a great West Indian cricketer” means the player “in his play should embody some essence of that crowded vagueness which passes for the history of the West Indies”. James continues, “If, like Kanhai, he is one of the most remarkable and individual of contemporary batsmen, then that should not make him less but more West Indian. You see what you are looking for, and in Kanhai’s batting what I have found is a unique pointer of the West Indian quest for identity, for ways of expressing our potential bursting at every seam.”
James writing is at length, exploring Kanhai’s technique as a batting phenomenon in a scholarly attempt to fit the aesthetic into an emergent nationalist history of the West Indies. Says James: “I saw all his batting against the Australians during their tour of the West Indies in 1965. Some fine play, but nothing in the same category at Edgbaston.” According to James, Kanhai was outstanding at Edgbaston, telling us: “Bailey’s side had six bowlers who had bowled for England that season. If the wicket was not unresponsive to spin, and the atmosphere not unresponsive to swing, the rise of the ball from the pitch was fairly regular. Kanhai began by giving notice that he expected test bowlers to bowl at length; balls a trifle loose so rapidly and unerringly paid the full penalty that by the time he had made 30 or 40 everyone was on his best behaviour.”
James notes in Melbourne, Australia, Kanhai had experienced “a freedom in which his technique could explore roads historically charted, but to him unknown”. He adds: “[Kanhai] had to wait until the last test in England in 1963 to assure himself that his conquest of Australia was not an accident… Now in 1964 at… Edgbaston he was again free; to create not only ‘a house for Mr. Biswas,’ a house like other houses, but to sail the seas that opened out before the East Indians who no longer has to prove himself to anybody or to himself. It was no longer: anything you can do, I can do better. That had been left at Kennington Oval in 1963. Now it was fresh fields and pastures new, not tomorrow but today… At that moment, Edgbaston in 1963, the West Indian could strike from his feet the dust of centuries. The match did not impose any burdensome weight of responsibility. He was free as few West Indians have been free.”
Kanhai had an “an epic tour of Australia” in 1960-1961, Raj Bala writes in ESPNcricinfo. In five Tests he hit 503 runs, average 50.30, scoring 117 (in just over two hours), and 115 in the drawn third match at Adelaide. With his 252 against Victoria he headed the West Indies batting figures for first-class matches, with an aggregate of 1,093 – a record for a West Indies batsman in Australia – and an average of 64.29.
It was during that magnificent knock of 252 when an amazing scene was witnessed in Victoria, recounted by Fingleton – Kanhai lying prone on his back, on the pitch, following the perfect execution of a combined hook and sweep, what would become one of his trademark shots. In that moment Kanhai was in the flow, in James’ words, “free as few West Indians have been free”.
Seecharan, listening to commentary on the radio a world away in Guyana, was then a boy too young to grasp the dawning of the new era: “Many nights I would lie in bed thinking of Kanhai flat on his back as the ball disappeared among white people, and I would try to will myself to sleep.” But James saw a clear, new day ahead for the Caribbean, writing: “Cricket is an art, a means of national expression.”
June 5, South Africa v India, Southampton
June 5, Bangladesh v New Zealand, The Oval
June 6, Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 7, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Bristol
June 8, England v Bangladesh, Cardiff
June 8 Afghanistan v New Zealand, Taunton
June 9 India v Australia, The Oval
June 10, South Africa v WI, Southampton
June 11, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Bristol
June 12, Australia v Pakistan, Taunton
June 13, India v New Zealand, Trent Bridge
June 14, England v West Indies, Southampton
June 15, Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval
June 15, South Africa v Afghanistan, Cardiff
June 16, India v Pakistan, Old Trafford
June 17, West Indies v Bangladesh, Taunton
June 18, England v Afghanistan, Old Trafford
June 19, New Zealand v S/Africa, Edgbaston
June 20, Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge
June 21, England v Sri Lanka, Headingley
June 22, India v Afghanistan, Southampton
June 22, Windies v New Zealand, Old Trafford
June 23, Pakistan v South Africa, Lord's
June 24, B/desh v Afghanistan, Southampton
June 25, England v Australia, Lord's
June 26, New Zealand v Pakistan, Edgbaston
June 27, West Indies v India, Old Trafford
June 28, Sri Lanka v S/Africa, Chester-le-Street
June 29, Pakistan v Afghanistan, Headingley
June 29, New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (d/n)
June 30, England v India, Edgbaston
July 1, Sri Lanka v Windies, Chester-le-Street
July 2, Bangladesh v India, Edgbaston
July 3, England v N/Zealand, Chester-le-Street
July 4, Afghanistan v West Indies, Headingley
July 5, Pakistan v Bangladesh, Lord's
July 6, Sri Lanka v India, Headingley
July 6, Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford
July 9, *First semi-final: 1st v 4th, Old Trafford
July 11, *2nd semi-final: 2nd v 3rd, Edgbaston
July 14, *Final, Lord's
