Ahead of the titanic clash between Australia and India in the Cricket World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Thursday, Osman Samiuddin picks the key men and offers his verdict on the outcome.
KEY MEN
Australia
Steve Smith
The least-commented-on aspect of the thrilling duel between Wahab Riaz and Shane Watson was how unruffled the batsman at the other end was. Smith doused Riaz’s fire so calmly it may as well have been another game. That is the kind of form he has been in and if he gets in, chasing or otherwise, India will have their work cut out.
Shane Watson
He should not have survived it, but ultimately he did and then he thrived. Watson has had a quiet tournament but his innings against Riaz was precisely the kind of warm-up he needed for a semi-final. He will be peppered with bouncers but the lack of a left-arm angle will help him. He is also due a contribution with the ball.
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India
Mohammed Shami
The most pleasant surprise about India’s resurgence is that it has been bowling led. For so long their Achilles heel, they have bowled out their opponents in every game. Shami has led the way, not only bowling smart, but quick. He has 17 wickets for the tournament, behind Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult.
Suresh Raina
On his way to becoming an ODI legend, Raina has been enormously influential in India’s campaign. Typically he has attracted the least headlines and he is only their fourth-highest run-scorer, but his contributions have turned matches. Alongside MS Dhoni, his presence provides perfect back-up to the heavies in the top order.
PITCH
Sydney has a traditional reputation for spin, which should help India. Australia offer almost zero spin threat. But with rain and heavy clouds in the build-up to the game, conditions may turn out different. Australia’s fast bowlers will not mind those. If the sun peeps out and bakes the pitch though, India are back in it.
KEY NUMBERS
India
5.31 — Ravindra Jadeja’s economy rate. None of India’s other four front-line bowlers have gone at more than 4.5 an over.
2 — Hundreds by Indians in 11 World Cup knockout matches dating back to 1983: Sourav Ganguly in the 2003 semi-finals and Rohit Sharma, above, in the 2015 quarter-finals.
26.2 — Mohammed Shami’s strike rate, comfortably the best of any Indian bowler with more than 50 wickets.
52 — Number of ODI hundreds made by India’s top six batsmen, including Virat Kohli, above. Australia’s top six have 31.
3 — Number of games India have lost across the past five ICC tournaments. They have won 28.
Australia
9.77 — The ridiculously low bowling average of Mitchell Starc in this tournament, by far the lowest of the leading bowlers.
1 — Australia batsmen in the top-20 run-scorers at the World Cup. Glenn Maxwell, at No 18. It is not a calamitous statistic, but revealing nonetheless.
2 — Australia bowlers in the top-20 wicket-takers, an altogether more surprising figure. After Starc at No 2, you have to go as far down as Mitchell Johnson, above, at 19, to find another.
3.64 — Balls between every Glenn Maxwell boundary (including sixes) — that means he is hitting nearly two boundaries every over.
6 — Number of wickets Mitchell Johnson has taken in the tournament if you take out his four-wicket haul against Afghanistan.
VERDICT
Too close to call. Australia have the advantage of playing at home, although there will be plenty of Indian support. They have also never lost a world cup semi-final, while India have lost 12 of 14 against Australia here. Then again, India have been ominous — almost flawless — in their progress so confidence should be sky-high.
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