Now for news of a proper contest. Damian Burns (23rd over) added a PS, which we now have time for. He’s in St Helena, which, as you know, is in the South Atlantic. “P.S. The St Helena cricket season came to a close last Saturday, where the final match of the season saw the Royal Challengers (RMS T20 cup winners) take on Jamestown Heat in another low-scoring thriller for the 25-over knockout cup. Jamestown struggled with the bat, managing to post a measly 125 in their 25 overs (having thrashed the Sandy Bay Pirates in the semis with a score of 245). This should have been a doddle for the Challengers, who successfully chased 190 in the semis to defeat the league champions Levelwood Allstars, and whose squad boasts almost half of the team that toured Botswana last year for the ICC World Twenty20 Africa C Qualifiers. Some feisty early bowing by Jamestown had the Challengers 8-3 off 2, and soon 24-4 off 4, however some solid middle-order batting got them over the line with 5 overs to spare and 4 wickets in hand.
“For a population of 4000 in the middle of the South Atlantic, it’s incredible how this island manages a six-month cricket season with 9 teams competing in four separate tournaments, and also sends a squad to compete internationally. My university had 5000 students and we could barely get together 9 players!” Clearly, a few universities need to move to the South Atlantic.
Thanks to Damian and to you for your company, your emails, your Dantean nuances and your refreshing scepticism about India’s abilities. We’ll be back tomorrow with South Africa v Sri Lanka, with the latter eyeing the semi-final slot that England are determined to hawk around.
The captains speak. Jason Holder is dignified in defeat, praising his bowlers (“they’ve had a reasonable campaign”) and bemoaning his team’s fielding. “We’ve let ourselves down significantly.” He may be thinking of the moment on Saturday night when Carlos Brathwaite had all but laid on the miracle they needed against New Zealand, only to get carried away and try to win it in style when a few singles would have done fine.
Virat Kohli mainly talks about MS Dhoni, who was first poor, then effective, then poor again, then, for a moment, superb. “If he says 265 is a good score,” Kohli says, “we don’t aim for 300 and end up with 230.” But – no offence to old man Dhoni – it still feels as if opponents will be relieved not to see Rishabh Pant coming out to join Kohli.
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India are not top of the table, because they still have that ridiculous game in hand, but they are top on net run rate, with 1.16 to England’s 1.05. That’s the second time this week that India have knocked England off a pedestal – the first being the No.1 world ranking for ODIs. The tectonic plates are shifting.
Shami’s been robbed. Kohli is named Player of the Match, presumably by someone watching cricket for the first time. He did get the highest score, but the game was won by Shami.
Here’s Anand with another interesting point. “Having been used to finding our players in the top run getters or wicket takers but having a poor campaign,” he says, “I find it very interesting that none of the Indian bowlers or batsmen are in the top 5 wicket takers or run scorers but India have been doing well. Feels like we are NZ in disguise.” If so, there’s a glimmer of hope for the other top teams: it means India will lose in the semi-final or final.
Well, West Indies managed half the runs. And when the scoreboard says India were twice as good as them, it doesn’t lie. Shami took 4-16, Bumrah 2-9: between them, they bowled 12.2 overs and took 6-25. That’s the sort of pain that used to be inflicted by West Indies’ quicks on India. Pandya and Kuldeep chipped in with a wicket apiece, and Chahal took a couple. The chinks that Anand mentioned are certainly there in the Indian batting, but the bowling, at the moment, is word-perfect.
The players greet each other at the end of the match. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
Game over! Thomas c Sharma b Shami 6 (West Indies 143 all out)
Umpire Kettleborough forgets to raise the finger, but West Indies have raised the white flag. And that is that. India were shaky with the bat but absolutely imperious with the ball. They march on, the only invincibles left in this World Cup, while West Indies tumble out. It’s June 1983 all over again, only this time there are no surprises.
Oshane Thomas of West Indies gloves the ball to Rohit Sharma of India to lose his wicket off the bowling of India’s Mohammed Shami. Photograph: Andy Kearns/Getty Images
34th over: West Indies 143-9 (Roach 14, Thomas 6) Kohli could easily apply the coup de grace by bringing back Bumrah or Shami, who each have four overs left. But he seems to feel that his wrist-spinners need the practice, which allows Roach to keep on mowing.
And Brian Withington is back. “Surely the answer to your question regarding England’s prospects on Sunday (over 27) is that the excellent Bumrah is due a well-deserved day off in preparation for the Sri Lanka game and the knock-out stages. Surely?”
32nd over: West Indies 129-9 (Roach 1, Thomas 5) To add insult to injury for Chahal, Thomas survives to slog him into the deep, where a not-too-hard chance is dropped by KL Rahul. Not that it matters.
A blast from Abhinav Dutta. “This is utter tripe from West Indies. Well this World Cup is now a foregone conclusion but if this lot remains placid after a shit-show of this scale, they haven’t the darnedest chance of lifting themselves out of their cricketing rut. I’d wager they are a better lot at Tests than ODIs but this should result in a rocket being lit under their collective bottoms when India visit them after the World Cup. In all likelihood they’ll self-combust but who doesn’t like the prospect of some fire in Babylon?
“Watching Kohli’s India is like watching a peak-era Australia lite. Not very likeable, unless you are among the billion-odd. I am too but don’t have much love for 11 Djokovics clad in cricket vests.”
30th over: West Indies 124-9 (Roach 1, Thomas 0) Cottrell plumped for do-or-die, as advocated by a Mr B Johnson – in other words, do for two minutes (a slog for four, a swing for six), swiftly followed by die.
29th over: West Indies 114-8 (Roach 1, Cottrell 0) A successful return for Shami, who may have seen his mate Bumrah closing in on the Player of the Match award.
We could really do with someone arguing that India are not, in fact, all-powerful. Cometh the hour, cometh Anand. “Looks like India are cruising through this one. While they might still be the only undefeated team in the World Cup, the side is not without chinks in the armour. I for one, am worried about our fragile middle order and the really long tail. Things could get very exciting if India have to chase 300 and are 30/3. Am I worrying too much?” Yes, but you also have a point – any team, at any time, can seize up under pressure.
Wicket! Hetmyer c Rahul b Shami 18 (West Indies 112-8)
Scrub that burning-deck stuff. Kohli takes off Bumrah (6-1-9-2) and brings back Shami, who persuades Hetmyer to slap it to backward point. This is getting a bit sad.
Shimron Hetmyer of West Indies despairs after losing his wicket. Photograph: Andy Kearns/Getty Images
28th over: West Indies 112-7 (Hetmyer 18, Roach 1) Shimron Hetmyer has taken over the role of the boy stood on the burning deck, as Sunil Ambris is indisposed. Kohli posts a leg slip for Chahal and Hetmyer glances the ball straight to him. It’s Pandya, and Mike Atherton reckons he’s got his fingers under this, but it’s not given. Respite of sorts.
27th over: West Indies 107-7 (Hetmyer 14, Roach 0) Bumrah follows the two wickets with two dots, as Kemar Roach, understandably, just tries to survive. The Indian fans are dancing, singing, smiling, bubbling, revelling in this, summoning the shades of the West Indies fans at the first two World Cups in England.
It was umpire’s call, so that’s tough on Fabian Allen. Bumrah has now bowled 32 balls, conceded nine runs, and taken two wickets. How on earth are England going to handle him on Sunday?
India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with captain Virat Kohli (right) the wicket of West Indies’ Fabian Allen for a duck. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images
Wicket!! Brathwaite c Dhoni b Bumrah 1 (West Indies 107-6)
Bumrah finds the edge, and Dhoni, who’s been awful behind the stumps, suddenly remembers that Pant is breathing down his neck and takes a fine, diving, one-handed catch. Game over, barring miracles.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah (second left) celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite, caught by MS Dhoni. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
26th over: West Indies 107-5 (Hetmyer 14, Brathwaite 1) Chahal beats Hetmyer, who answers back smartly with a cut for four. The win predictor is giving India 96 per cent now. The other 4 per cent relies heavily on Hetmyer and Brathwaite putting on a hundred.
“Just to add to the pedantry,” says Jim Pavitt, “since the original is, of course, in Italian and is ‘Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate’ (which could be translated as ‘Abandon every hope, you that enter’) then I don’t see the problem with your original Dantean reference, which could just be viewed as a slightly more flexible translation.” That’s very sporting of you, but all this is some way over my head. I did Classics, so Dante was far too modern.
25th over: West Indies 101-5 (Hetmyer 9, Brathwaite 0) Kohli sends for Bumrah, which is the action of a sadist, or a man who fancies an early finish. Bumrah comes close to taking Brathwaite out with his toe crusher.
“Dante,” begins John Starbuck, promisingly. “Yes, I’m hoping the OBO will get to some nasty gossip about some traitor’s actions and misquote things about the ninth circle (ice) of the Inferno. We can probably do without massed angels of various degrees, though. Depends who wins the CWC.”
24th over: West Indies 98-5 (Hetmyer 6, Brathwaite 0) So it looks like yet another doomed chase. Will any captain bat second now, unless the rain returns?
Wicket!! Holder c Jadhav b Chahal 6 (West Indies 98-5)
Holder drives, loosely, and only gets half a bat on the ball. It’s a simple catch for Jadhav at extra cover, and West Indies are on their way out of this World Cup... unless Carlos Brathwaite can smash another hundred.
India’s Yuzvendra Chahal celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies’ Jason Holder, caught by Kedar Jadhav. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
23rd over: West Indies 97-4 (Hetmyer 5, Holder 6) Since Jason Holder came in, things have calmed down, even though India’s prime spinners are on. At the same stage, India were 112-2, so the runs are still not a problem – it’s those pesky wickets.
Here’s Damian Burns. “I’m really enjoying the low score, high pressure matches this World Cup is throwing our way. Since the start the whole narrative that modern cricket is a batsman’s game has been overturned somewhat.” More from him shortly.
22nd over: West Indies 92-4 (Hetmyer 4, Holder 4) Chahal finally enters the fray, and instantly finds sharp turn out of the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump. Hetmyer’s eyes light up, he goes for a mow, misses it, and Dhoni misses it too, conceding four byes. He’s had a better day with the bat than with the gloves.
“Re: ‘errors in Dante references on OBO coverage’ (11th over),” notes Colum Farrelly. “I do hope someone is picking this topic for their Ph.D. thesis.” Nice one.
Wicket! Pooran c Shami b Kuldeep 28 (West Indies 80-4)
Hetmyer hasn’t got going, so Pooran decides it’s time to go big... and slogs Kuldeep straight to Shami at long-off. That win predictor must be around 90 per cent now.
West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran slogs the ball ... Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters
Straight to Mohammed Shami who takes the catch. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran looks dejected as he walks off after losing his wicket. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters
20th over: West Indies 80-3 (Pooran 29, Hetmyer 0) Kohli has decided that today is the day to get funky. His second spinner is not Chahal but Kedar Jadhav. Pooran cuts him for four, with some authority. Dhoni, by the way, missed a stumping off Kuldeep in the previous over, down the leg side. One more piece of ammunition for the Pant fans.
18th over: West Indies 71-3 (Pooran 27, Hetmyer 0) At last, a pull goes for four, as Pandya bowls a rather friendly bouncer and Pooran says thanks very much. When he tries it again, it’s back to the old top edge, again landing safely. Ambris then plays a more muscly pull, also for four, before perishing next ball. Out comes Hetmyer, in a floppy hat, like Roy Fredericks in 1975.
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