Key events
WICKET! Marcus Stoinis c Calitz b MR Adair 45 (Australia 159-6)
DROP! Not another! Delany shells Stoinis at short cover! Hit hard but should have been taken, Ireland can’t afford to be this loose with their catching. Salt meet wound. Stoinis then smokes a Mark Adair slower ball over square leg for a huge SIX.
Gone! Phew. A topsy turvy over ends in Stoinis clubbing a full toss to Ben Calitz in the deep and the catch is HELD! Stoinis walks over knowing he’s left a few death over runs out there after doing the hard work.
17th over: Australia 149-5 (Stoinis 35, Connolly 0) Close! Cooper Connolly is the new man and he is nearly yorked first ball by another quicker delivery from Humphreys.
WICKET! Matt Renshaw b Humphreys 37 (Australia 149-5)
Bowled ’im! Lovely ball from Humphreys! Renshaw has to go after having his middle stump uprooted by a quicker ball.
16th over: Australia 142-4 (Renshaw 35, Stoinis 30) Barry McCarthy returns but the pace on the ball has cost Ireland again, thirteen runs off the over to give the burly seamer 0-27 from his two overs. Renshaw muscles the final ball of the over down the ground for four as Australia look to put their foot down.
15th over: Australia 129-4 (Renshaw 29, Stoinis 23) Dockrell finishes with 1-31 off his four overs, he blots his copybook slightly with a full ball that is driven for four by Renshaw off his final delivery. That is Australia’s first boundary in 18 balls. A disciplined performance in the field so far from Ireland. They let it go at this stage against Sri Lanka, conceding too many runs off the final five overs. Can they keep the pressure on here in Colombo?
14th over: Australia 120-4 (Renshaw 24, Stoinis 19) Ireland are squeezing well in these middle overs, Delany rattles through his six balls for the cost of just four runs. A mixture of fired in darts and back of the hand flighted balls keep Renshaw and Stoinis guessing, a few signs of frustration starting to set in for the Aussies. Time for a slurp of electrolytes for the players. (Kenco pour moi. Ou la la) .
13th over: Australia 116-4 (Renshaw 21, Stoinis 18) Matthew Humphreys returns and gets in and out with a frugal over, just six runs off it as the bowler fires in at the leg stump and doesn’t allow the batters to get under the ball.
12th over: Australia 110-4 (Renshaw 18, Stoinis 17) Marcus Stoinis opens those American fridge sized shoulders to carve for four through the off side. Tector then drops short and is punished through square. Twelve off the over and the partnership building ominously.
11th over: Australia 98-4 (Renshaw 17, Stoinis 6) No boundary off Dockrell’s third over but Australia still manage to pocket eight runs off it. Tector is coming back for another.
10th over: Australia 90-4 (Renshaw 14, Stoinis 1) Marcus Stoinis joins Renshaw and gets off the mark with a poke into the covers. Ireland hanging in there but they need to keep taking wickets and get a hold on the run rate. The tv shows the Maxwell wicket, it was an under edge which makes Tucker’s catch all the more impressive.
WICKET! Glenn Maxwell c Tucker b Tector 9 (Australia 88-4)
Huge wicket! Great catch from Lorcan Tucker stood up to the stumps and Maxwell is on his way!
9th over: Australia 86-3 (Renshaw 12, Maxwell 8) Dockrell drops short and Maxwell doesn’t miss out, pulling to the fence with ease for four. Nine off the over in total, which is about Australia’s run rate for the innings. Wickets needed for the boys in emerald green.
8th over: Australia 77-3 (Renshaw 9, Maxwell 2) Harry Tector is such a Le Carre-esque name. Less the Spy Who Came In From The Cold as The Part-Time Spinner Given a Twirl In The Heat. Maxwell and Renshaw rotate strike and pick up eight off Tector’s offerings.
7th over: Australia 69-3 (Renshaw 3, Maxwell 0) Here comes the Big Show. Glenn Maxwell arrives in the middle. Another couple of wickets and Ireland are well in this game. Have to get Maxwell cheaply, mind.
WICKET! Josh Inglis c Stirling b Dockrell 37 (Australia 69-3)
George Dockrell picks up a big wicket to mark his 350th game for Ireland! Inglis tries to go over extra cover once more but he doesn’t get enough of it to beat the ursine Paul Stirling who dives and plucks the ball like a grizzly pouching a spring salmon!
6th over: Australia 64-2 (Inglis 33, Renshaw 2) Inglis unfurls a beautiful extra cover drive in-to-out off Delany’s first ball but the leg-spinner comes back strong and the over goes for eight in total.
5th over: Australia 56-2 (Inglis 27, Renshaw 0) Matt Renshaw joins Inglis and Gareth Delany is called upon for the next over.
WICKET! Cameron Green c Dockrell b MR Adair 21 (Australia 56-2)
Josh Inglis survives a bunny hopping catch from Delany on the square leg boundary as the fielder steps on the sponge in taking the catch so it is SIX runs. Has to go down as a missed opportunity, those catches are taken so readily these days. Inglis survives and Australia bring up the fifty in just 4.4 overs. Green then rubs salt into the wound with a massive SIX on the breeze over the leg side into second tier of the stadium…
Green falls off the last ball though! Tries to repeat the shot but Adair held it back a little and the big fella mistimes it to Dockrell at midwicket. Ireland hold a catch – finally – and breath a sigh of relief for the time being.
4th over: Australia 40-1 (Inglis 19, Green 14) Fourteen runs off the over as Cam Green uses those long levers to muscle Barry McCarthy down the ground for a four and then a towering SIX with the Colombo breeze. Australia hitting back after the early loss of Travis Head.
3rd over: Australia 26-1 (Inglis 18, Green 1) Humphreys returns after a decent start. Inglis picks up four through cover and then swivels a leg side ball for four. Humphreys arrows in a quicker ball but Inglis manages to edge it away for a third four in the over.
South Africa have beaten Afghanistan after a second Super Over in Ahmedabad! Keshav Maharaj somehow gets the Proteas over the line, Jonathan Trott’s side falling short by four runs in a quite extraordinary game.
2nd over: Australia 12-1 (Inglis 5, Green 0) Cameron Green joins Inglis in the middle. Ireland buzz around but Inglis calms a few nerves with a languid back cut for four through the off side.
WICKET! Travis Head run out (Calitz/MR Adair) 7 (Australia 7-1)
Head is run out! Squirts a shot behind square and sets off for as dodgy single, doesn’t get there and is gone!
1st over: Australia 7-0 ( Head 7, Inglis 0) Travis Head and Josh Inglis start for Australia. Matthew Humphreys to open the bowling for Ireland with his left arm tweakers. Play!
Humphreys drops short and Head doesn’t miss out, clubbing away through point for four. Head clips two to the leg side but is then DROPPED! Gah. Ireland spilling chances once again, Head rasps a cut shot to point where it is shelled on the dive. I’ll have the name of the guilty party in a second. Big appeal for lbw off the final ball of the first over but it looked to be going over and Ireland opt against a review. Phew. What a start!
Over in Ahmedabad, South Africa have just pongoed 23 off their second super over! Over to Afghanistan…
The players take the field in Colombo but we interrupt this broadcast to tell you that Afghanistan and South Africa are going into a second Super Over!
What drama in Ahmedabad, Tristan Stubbs needed to hit a six off the last ball for the Proteas to stay alive and he duly bunts a full bunger from Fazalhaq Farooq down the ground for… SIX!
Afghanistan have just hit 17 off their Super Over in Ahmedabad. Pressure on South Africa now!
Teams:
Australia: Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head (c), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys
Australia win the toss and will bat first
Travis Head gets the rub of the coin and Australia will have first used of what the moustachioed marvel says “looks like a good surface.” A slightly rueful looking Paul Stirling admits he would have done the same. Teams incoming!
Meanwhile, Afghanistan have just taken South Africa to a Super Over in Ahmedabad with both sides posting 187. Drama!
Breaking news: Australia captain Mitch Marsh ruled out
The news has just landed that Aussie captain Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of this opening match against Ireland having suffered a blow to the groin during training earlier this week. Apologies if you are just dipping into your morning muesli or evening meal but Marsh is suffering with “testicular bleeding.” Poor chap.
“He [Marsh] is experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort which is restricting his movement,” say Cricket Australia in their statement. “Scans have confirmed internal testicular bleeding, and he will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. His return to play will be guided by symptom resolution and medical advice. Standby player Steve Smith will travel to Sri Lanka as cover to acclimatise and prepare, should he be required.”
So Steve Smith is called up to join the squad, we’ll have more news at the toss shortly. Australia only have 12 fit players to pick their starting XI from! Travis Head will captain today’s match in Marsh’s absence. Steve Smith is likely hot footing it to an airport with a smile on his face (whilst showing requisite concern for Marsh’s injured gonads of course…)
Preamble
James Wallace
All good things come to those who wait? Australia finally get their T20 World Cup campaign underway in Colombo today. The Aussies are the last side to make their tournament bow and will come up against an Ireland side they don’t really have much experience of playing – the two sides have only met twice in T20Is and just once in all international cricket since 2016.
Ireland will be looking to put on a strong showing after a rather disappointing first match against Sri Lanka where they squandered plenty of opportunities to get something out of the game – dropping a host of chances and letting the match slip with bat and ball when they had the chance toput the hosts under real pressure.
Australia will be glad of the delayed start to their tournament as their squad has at times resembled a field hospital with green and gold curtains. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are completely absent, Tim David is expected to miss at least this first game as he recovers from a hamstring injury whilst Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis have struggled with niggles recently too.
We’ll find out the teams and the result of the toss at 8pm AEDT/9am GMT with the match starting half an hour after that. Welcome along and please do get in touch if you are tuning in.