Macca

The slow wicket concerns more so because the Indian bowlers are brought up on these sort of tracks But apparently the dew arrives in the evenings and they are having a decent break between innings Interesting that in the last World cup in 2019 both teams posted scores of 241 and in the 1987 final in India, Australia made 5/253 vs England 8/246 Much will depend on our top 3 getting amongst the runs and we would probably want Smith or Marnus to bat to the end of our innings ... do that and we probably win

8-217 ... Zampa strikes! The Aussies have been great but we've still got to get the target. A slow wicket that might quicken if the dew arrives But we can pace ourselves and having Smith & Marnus in the middle order is a real plus as we may well need them to occupy the crease

Another wicket and they are 6 for 203 Beautiful piece of bowling by Starc ... moved away at pace and caught the edge We've now got a slip in place!

We've done our homework pinging the ball in on the bounce at every opportunity All legal of course but I remember a time when the umpires would warn players if they deliverately threw the ball in on the bounce ... times have changed

Another one! 5 - 178 off 36 overs The ball is starting to hoop with reverse swing ... and Hazlewood is the man for the occasion. Starc & Cummins can exploit as well but Hazlewood is in the spotlight just coming on now ... 4 overs left

That's the one we wanted and the one we needed ... Virat gone, played on! Aussies on top but another quick one would give us a big advantage

Cowboys Seahawks Eagles

The issue for India right now is they need to get some 2's at least ... but we have fielded brilliantly and are keeping them to 1's only Remembering that Jadeja is their no.7 and he's more of a hitter not an occupier ... their next batsman in (Yadav) is the last of their recognised batsmen

Yeah, but it's Kohli ... he will have set himself to make a big 100 Anything less than 270 is a bonus right now ... they could get 5 or 6 an over from here in 1's & 2's

Yep, we created a holding pattern but they will launch again soon enough As you said, another wicket needed to set them back again Right now, I'd take 270 - 290 as India will want more than that

It's still on (red light glowing out of one of my electronic devices)

Mozz factor is working (for now) It's like the spectators version of a powerplay

It was just a freak effort. Especially in such a big match He may have lost sight of the ball as well which makes it all the more remarkable

Bowling first and now they're 3-81 Hmmmmmm And as we all know, wickets can slow the run rate ... unless it doesn't! haha

You got it deevs What a catch by Travis!! Wow!!

Each match has different conditions to factor in And it's a team decision so McDonald (the coach) would be on board with the decision. Along with the other senior players But I do like attacking decision making in any kind of sport 1-54 off 7 overs is advantage India, all the same

Well we got Shubman but we really need to get Rohit or Virat shortly These 2 bat for an hour together and they could pile them on ... mozz factor activated!!

Batting first satisfies those who like runs on the board but a good team can chase down a total as long as it's not too large a total Batting first is not the cure all and never will be I would have batted first but I'm like anyone else, an onlooker without a deep knowledge of what goes on at this level

Yep, pressure is on! Apparently the dew kicks in, in the evening which can quicken the pitch up and lessen the impact with the spinners - all in theory though. Reality could be different We need to get Rohit out before he creates too much havoc

Remembering that 7 of our team are world cup winners whilst none of their team has even played in a WC final I see it as an attacking, bold move. Puts the pressure on their bowlers when we bat ... but if they post a big total, all bets are off It was obviously a team decision to bowl as well ... I wouldn't be placing all the onus on the captain

Interesting that we've won the toss and elected to bowl ... happy to chase a total. It's a bold and confident move Let's hope we bowl well

In this form of the game a team only needs 1 or 2 players to have a big day out and that can be enough to win I remember the '75 World cup well when Viv ran out the Chappell bros and Clive made a century Thommo & Dennis frantically trying to get to the target late in the game remains a vivid memory. What a match that was!! And yeah, we're in with a show and it could be a classic to match the '75 final They bat deep but so do we ... their bowling probably shades ours but if we fire with the ball like we did against South Africa, it's back to a line-ball contest Might come down to the fielding & catching

Our first 12 overs set up the win. No choking, South Africa just outplayed After that, they were never going to post a big enough score A sporting track too which brought with it, some great cricket and a keen contest

20 Great Cricket Quotes (Part 1)

Whately* on radio just said that the reserve day is when the conditions of the match can change In other words, they keep playing today to 50 overs each innings even if they know they're going to run out of time (today only) *The game is being broadcast on SEN