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We’ll be underway in less than ten minutes. Just enough time to dig into Don McRae’s wide reaching interview with Pat Cummins on the eve of the WTC Final. Some topics were still off-limits though…
But the ball-tampering saga remains an awkward topic. He listens quietly while I tell him about my 2021 interview with Cameron Bancroft who, as a callow opening batter trying to find his way in Test cricket, followed instructions to use sandpaper to rough up the ball. His captain, Steve Smith, David Warner and Bancroft were banned and the batter, when pressed on whether any of the bowlers had known of the plan, told me that “it’s probably self-explanatory”.
Cummins took seven wickets in that Test, which Australia lost heavily, and I ask if he really had no idea what was being done to the ball. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he says bluntly.”
England bat very deep and will be looking to get a big total on the board, especially with their opponents swapping out a bowler in Roston Chase. The visitors will need early wickets otherwise it could be a long couple of hours of chasing and fetching leather as the sun goes down in Southampton.
ICYMI - West Indies’ leading run scorer and most capped T20I player announced his retirement from international cricket today at the age of just 29. He’s a huge name to turn his back on playing for his country and they’ll miss his runs and experience with a T20I world cup looming. The reasons and ramifications will be much discussed.
Teams – England are unchanged. West Indies bring in Shimron Hetmyer for Roston Chase.
England: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (capt), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Matthew Potts
West Indies: Johnson Charles, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph
West Indies win the toss and choose to bowl
Shai Hope calls the coin correctly and inserts England. A lovely summer’s evening down in Hampshire and this time it is West Indies who fancy a chase.
“We want to start nailing teams down into the ground” says an uncompromising Harry Brook after the toss. I take it all back, that doesn’t sound particularly lyrical. Certainly not the stuff of a poetical love song.
Preamble
“Invoice me for the microphone later”…
Anyone else think Harry Brook has got a touch of the Alex Turners about him? The Yorkshire drawl, the swagger, the confidence in his own talent, the feeling that perhaps he could come to define a generation?
The white ball results have been something of a ‘Harrystorm’ since Brook took over, with England five from five across ODIs and T20Is, Brook ‘n’ his merry men have been going hell for leather and getting funky in the process.
“We fancy a chase” Brook said with that rock and roll eh languid confidence after the toss in Bristol and he got what he wished for – West Indies racked up 196 runs in their twenty overs.
No mither, Brook’s boys made short shrift of the visitor’s total, Buttler, Bethell and Banton catching the eye and sending Shai Hope and his team from the ritz to the rubble.
Hello and welcome to the third and final T20 match of the series from Southampton. Play gets underway at 6.30pm and a win today will complete the clean sweep for England.
Don’t believe the hype?
