In the end, the dice landed the right way up for the shooter. Had India managed to bat for another hour, another 14 overs, Australia’s tactics would have been sliced up: too conservative in batting into the final day. But Australia’s gamble was about laying off risk on the other half of the equation, all but eliminating India’s chance of a win at the cost of reducing their own. In the end, this time, it worked, when Nathan Lyon snagged the 10th wicket just before half past five Melbourne time; Australia winning the fourth Test and leading 2-1 before the series ends in Sydney.
It was, in the end, a close-run thing, a reminder that you’re often only vindicated in the sporting business if you happen to guess right. Lyon’s 10th-wicket partnership with Scott Boland in the third innings ended up being 61, adding only six of those after resuming on the fifth morning, and costing Australia four overs to do it. That final extension may not have worked out, but the previous evening’s runs made a major psychological difference, taking India’s target from a high 200s score, one that would have felt possible, to 340, that didn’t.
Continue reading…
Source: Cricket - The Guardian
Updates from around the grounds as first round finishesGet in touch! Share your thoughts with…
After appearing in Scream parts five and six, Ortaga left the franchise at a particularly…
Bezos' attempt at forming an internet satellite constellation has a lot of catching up to…
Some scam emails and texts are easy to spot, but scammers are getting better, and…
National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg has died at age 79 in Minnesota. Tributes have poured…
Steep discounts on current and closeout MacBook Pros are in effect this week, with budget-friendly…