ICC World T20 - Aussies.

[Donny]

Pakistan 1/20 in the 3rd. over.

Wicket for Haz.

[Donny]

1/40 after 5 overs.

[Donny]

Sharjeel out for 30, bowled by Faulks.

[Donny]

3/87 after 11 overs.

Pakistan needs 107 from 54 balls.

[Donny]

4/114 after 14 overs.

2 wickets for Zampa.

[Donny]

Pakistan needs 49 from the last 3 overs.

[Donny]

2 in 2 for Faulks. 6/147.

[Pies4shaw]

Faulkner has 4 wickets in 6 balls. Game over.

[Donny]

Again, 2 in 2 from Faulks.

He has 5/20.

[Donny]

8/172 (20 overs).

Faulkner took 5/27.

[Pies4shaw]

Reflecting on this game in the calm(-ish) light of the following day, I make the following observations:

1. Coulter-Nile doesn't impress me greatly as a bowler at the best of times and I don't think he should be keeping capable bowlers like Hastings out of the team.

2. Although Faulkner made the Captain look good by killing off the game with some fantastic death-bowling last night, I thought it was a mistake not to give Maxwell a couple more overs (rather than Coulter-Nile - see point 1). If the team doesn't have enough confidence to let the spinners have more of a bowl, it cannot win the competition.

3. The batting conditions were very good and, at least in those circumstances, I couldn't help thinking that the team-balance wasn't quite right in the batting line-up. If Khawaja is going to open, he's got to show that he's capable of going on to a serious score in this form of the game - brilliant cameos are not much use from the openers on the slow sub-continental pitches. It didn't matter so much last night because of the unusual conditions but it is not much use having an opener make an elegant 20 or 30 when the wicket is at its best and then go out when they're set and the wicket is slowing down. Smith batted very well (when does he not?) but I wonder whether he should have opened, with a view to turning over the strike from his end to the power-hitters - the early part of the innings meandered somewhat and it was really Maxwell and Watson's efforts that secured the good total. As it was, Faulkner didn't get a bat - that strikes me as quite ridiculous in any 20/20 game in which Australia bats first.

[Donny]

Australia: AJ Finch, UT Khawaja, DA Warner, SPD Smith*, GJ Maxwell, SR Watson, JP Faulkner, PM Nevill†, A Zampa, NM Coulter-Nile, JR Hazlewood

India; RG Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, SK Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni*†, HH Pandya, RA Jadeja, R Ashwin, A Nehra, JJ Bumrah

Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

First ball pulled for 4 by Ussy.

[Donny]

After 2 overs, 0/21. Usman Khawaja 20*.

[Donny]

0/53 after 4 overs. Khawaja 26*, Aaron Finch 21*.

[Donny]

Ussy out for 26.

1/54.