Australia v India, CB Series, Brisbane
Hussey and Forrest make sloppy India pay
February 19, 2012
Cricket +
50 overs Australia 5 for 288 (M Hussey 59, Forrest 52, Irfan 3-61) v India
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Michael Hussey and Peter Forrest set a platform, before Daniel Christian and David Hussey provided critical late acceleration following a series of misadventures by the Australia top order against an Indian attack that went from diligent to ragged in Brisbane. The hosts tallied 5 for 288 after Ricky Ponting won the toss, a handsome target on a night expected to aid swing bowling.
Batting in ideal conditions, the hosts made a sound start, before David Warner's wasteful exit for a swift 43 changed the tone of proceedings. Without a score of any note all series, Ponting struggled badly for placement and occupied 26 balls for 7, and Matthew Wade fought his way to 45 only to give it up with a tame return catch.
Forrest and Michael Hussey righted the ship with a century partnership, but Christian and David Hussey equally vital contributions with a stand of 65 in the final six overs.
Michael Hussey's innings might have been over on 1, when MS Dhoni appealed for a stumping. Replays showed Hussey may have had some of his back foot safely behind the line, and there was some surprise when the red "out" signal flashed on the big screen. However Hussey's trudge off the field was swiftly aborted by the umpires, as it emerged that the wrong verdict from the third umpire Bruce Oxenford had somehow been relayed.
Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan bowled handily with the new ball for the visitors, while Irfan Pathan accounted for Warner. The spin of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma was a significant factor on a dry surface, Raina conceding less than 4.5 runs per over and Rohit claiming Wade's wicket. Dhoni was not without his concerns, requiring strapping for an apparent hamstring problem, while Sachin Tendulkar was forced off for treatment when he fielded a ball with his shin and may be required to bat down the order.
As in Sydney against Sri Lanka, Ponting batted first on an afternoon primed for runs, but Wade and Warner found the early going slow against tight bowling from Vinay and Zaheer. Wade enjoyed an escape second ball of the match, edging Zaheer towards Tendulkar at first slip, only for Rohit Sharma to dive across from second and knock the ball away from the man best placed to catch it.
Warner wrestled with India's tight lines, and it was not until the last ball of the fifth over that a boundary was registered. From there the scoring rate lifted, Warner piercing the off-side field, and nailing one six when he drove Zaheer gloriously down the ground.
However Irfan's entry to the attack reduced the pace Warner had to work with, and the batsman was to curse himself with some venom when he chipped the last ball of the 13th over to a waiting midwicket.
The next few overs were dominated by Ponting's struggles. He made a deliberate start, defending staunchly against Raina's modest offerings, then found himself struggling to find the boundaries to counterbalance this early conservatism. One charge down the wicket resulted in an edge to third man, and Ponting was still searching for momentum when he picked up a Zaheer delivery and sent it looping into deep midwicket's hands. His scores for the series now read 2, 1, 6, 2 and 7.
Forrest arrived at the wicket promising a more dynamic start, and clattered away the first boundary for 10 overs when Umesh Yadav was called on. But the early promise of Warner had given way to a scrap for runs, and hard graft was required to revive the innings.
Hussey and Forrest fought with determination and intelligence, finding the odd boundary but mainly keeping the innings going with their running between the wickets. Apart from his stumping reprieve, Hussey was also dropped twice, while Forrest endured numerous periods without free-scoring but lifted his rate as he went.
Their stand was worth 100 when Hussey fell to combination of urgency and fatigue, swinging Irfan into the deep, and in the same over Forrest did likewise, ending another innings of promise by the prospective Test batsman.
David Hussey and Christian added some clean blows to swell the total in the final overs, distorting Vinay's figures by taking his last over for 18 runs. Another 15 were spirited away from the last, leaving India with a searching chase.
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