Outmuscled
Only a few days ago, Lendl Simmons was packing his bags for Mumbai, the IPL on his mind. However, he was at his IPL home-ground much earlier than he expected, in West Indies’ colours, powering West Indies through to the finals, writes Bharat Sudaresan for The Indian Express.
It more or less looked like he was only taking up from when he left off, the last time he graced the Wankhade Stadium, in Mumbai Indians colours that is. Just that nobody was cheering for him. In fact, every time he found the boundary, the same 36,000 who had cheered him on vociferously during his last visit, were responding with a hushed silence.
Lendl Rode His Luck, But Fortune Favours the Brave
Writing in the Hindustan Times, Gautam Gambhir says he was disappointed with Ashwin’s performance. Given his abilities as a cricketer, he should not have over-stepped at such a “crucial juncture,” Gambhir said.
If that wasn’t enough, young Pandya repeated the mistake of overstepping when Simmons could have been dismissed. And later on he was caught in the deep by Ravindra Jadeja who unfortunately tread on the boundary rope. It just didn’t seem to be India’s day.
England’s Bowlers by Far Best at Bowling Under-the-Bat Ball
Coming back from a mauling is never easy, but that is what England have done after being hit by the Gaylestorm, writes Sunil Gavaskar in The Times of India. They have done what is most important in this format; recovered and held their nerve.
In the bowling, Morgan has used his options smartly and alternated his spinners and seamers according to the batsman on strike. England’s bowlers have been by far the best at bowling the under-the-bat ball in this tour nament to slow down the opposition. Ben Stokes has been outstanding in this and it is a scary thought for the other finalist that he hasn’t as yet fired with the bat.
Kiwis Must Believe They Can Still Fly
New Zealand may have lost to England, but Brendon McCullum’s legacy is not endangered, writes Sandip G for The Indian Express. The law of averages would imply that Kiwis are due a World Cup trophy, however, it doesn’t quite always work that way.
The habit of losing sticks on... Especially for a side that has lost a final and semi-final in a year’s span, after dominating it for much of the time. You are suddenly deigned weak in the mind, vulnerable to big-match pressure, stereotyped for lacking a remorselessness winning sides always nurture. For New Zealand, this stereotype has metamorphosed into a mythical extreme.
England Back to the Scene of their Biggest ‘Reverse’ in Cup History
29 years ago, when batting was not what it used to be, the reverse sweep was a big deal. There were three reverse sweeps in England’s innings and each time they came out perfect, writes Somshuvra Laha for the Hindustan Times.
In three decades, the reverse sweep has been mastered, improvised and infused with more power courtesy the thick blades being used these days. And England have shown that the shot is now ingrained in their Twenty20 repertoire, as displayed by Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and then Joe Root in the semi-final against New Zealand.
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