Wet weather may play spoilsport
Series: ICC World T20, 2016 Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala Date & Time: Mar 18, 03:00 PM LOCAL
The trans-Tasman rival, healthy and yet fierce, stands transported to this beautiful hilly town.
A wet Dharamshala greeted the teams and fans ahead of the Australia-New
Zealand World Twenty20 encounter at the HPCA Stadium here. A crucial
match no doubt but only if it happens.
Snow and rain in the distance cast a gloomy spell on the venue on the
eve of the match and those associated with the event remained concerned
with the inclement weather.
It would be a travesty if the match degenerates into a reduced-overs
affair (minimum of five) given the status of the two teams — the
exciting New Zealand and the ever-resilient Australia.
The trans-Tasman rival, healthy and yet fierce, stands transported to this beautiful hilly town.
Some of the Aussies and Kiwis have played here and experienced the joy
of competing in the backdrop of the Himalayas. But the task in front
confronts their ability to raise their game when the challenge becomes
humongous.
A win here would ease the passage in a group where India and Pakistan
loom large, with their well-known credentials when playing in the
sub-continent. Afghanistan too has the ability to sink the best team.
It might well turn into a contest of robust play if rain plays havoc
with the schedule. Notwithstanding the hard work that the ground-staff
is known to put in here, the fact remains that weather controls the fate
of the match. A five-over battle would mean swinging of the bats. ‘Hit
the longest and strongest’ is the mantra in this format but a
reduced-over match would entail nothing but cross-batted mayhem from the
first ball.
The teams have some big hitters. Shane Watson, David Warner, Glenn
Maxwell, James Faulkner can produce spectator-scattering strokes even
against good deliveries.
New Zealanders like Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro can
tear into the attack with ferocity. A full game at this stage looks
improbable and that would be sad for both cricket lovers and the
players.
Two classy teams gauging each other in a curtailed scenario is what this
‘cursed’ venue is likely to experience. The shifting of the
India-Pakistan match had left the home fans despondent. And now this!
Only a die-hard fan would brave his way to the stadium on Friday.
The squads:
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Henry
Nicholls, Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper), Ross Taylor, Colin Munro, Mitchell
Santer, Nathan McCullum, Grant Elliott, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim
Southee, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Corey Anderson.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar,
Nathan Coulter—Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh
Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill
(wicketkeeper), Andrew Tye, Shane Watson, Adam Zampa.
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