2.40am: Well the West Indies just dominated that one. Gayle was awesome with the bat, well supported by Samuels, Bravo and Pollard with a late flurry at the end. Trying to chase down 205 was always going to be tough and Australia got off to a horror start, losing Warner in the first over, Watson following behind and then three wickets for just one run in the middle of the innings. The final will be between the West Indies and Sri Lanka. Should be a good one, hopefully some more sixes from Gayle. The Aussies just never got out of the blocks in this game. They'll have to wait to break their Twenty20 World Cup drought. Here are some stats to finish off, thanks for reading the blog tonight. Time for bed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Scorecard:
Australia 131 All out
Warner 1 B: Badree
Watson 7 B: Badree
Hussey 18 B&C: Samuels
White 5 B: Rampaul C: Ramdin
Bailey 63 B: Pollard C: Russell
D Hussey 0 B&C: Rampaul
Wade 1 B: Narine C: Badree
Cummins 13 B: Pollard C: Charles
Starc 2 B: Rampaul
Hogg 7 B: Narine St: Ramdin
Doherty 9 NOT OUT
Bowlers: Badree (2-27 off 4), Samuels (1-26 off 3), Rampaul (3-16 off 3.4), Narine (2-17 off 3), Russell (0-25 off 1), Sammy (0-11 off 1), Pollard (2-6 off 1)
16.4 over: WICKET! Starc 2 - B: Rampaul. That's it, that's all she wrote, Australia knocked out of the tournament and the West Indies are doing the Gangnam Style dance on the pitch in Colombo. They've dominated the Australians, winning by 74 runs and booking their spot in the final against Sri Lanka.
15.6 over: FOUR! to Doherty. Am glad he has come out and he's having a go. Nothing worse than watching a 50-run deficit just drift along. Let's get this baby done. 9-127
15.3 over: Let's go down swinging Xavier and Starc! Doherty tried an ambitious reverse sweep. Would like to see at least one more six before my head hits the pillow.
15.1 over: WICKET! Hogg 7 - B: Narine St: Ramdin. Hogg tries to dance down the wicket to take on Narine, misses a straight one and can't get back in time. They tried their best to hang in, but it's just not happening for the Aussies tonight, one last wicket. 29 balls left and 85 runs to get. 9-121.
13.4 over: HAT-TRICK BALL ... here it comes ... there it goes! The Windies go up for a wide one to Mitchell Starc, there must have been a noise but it wasn't the bat on the ball. He survives .. for now.
13.3 over: WICKET! Cummins 13 - B: Pollard C: Charles. Cummins tries to take over from where Bailey left off, but he ends up hitting it straight to mid off and Pollard is on a hat-trick! 8-111.
13.2 over: WICKET! Bailey 63 - B: Pollard C: Russell. Well it's a shame that came to an end, a superb innings by Bailey. He was smashing them all over the place and finally looked like he belonged there as the T20 leader. In the end he tried for one more six and it ended up straight to mid wickets. His 63 came off 29 balls. 7-111.
13.1 over: FOUR! Bailey and Pollard have a laugh as the Australian skipper tries to hit one straight ... it goes straight, but straight behind him and runs away for four.
12.3 over: SIX! Another one from Bailey. He's lulled the Windies into a false sense of security and he's tearing them apart. This time it goes over wide long on, Pollard tries to leap and get it but it's too big. Bailey now has 59 off 27 balls. 6-105.
11.1 over: That's 50 for Bailey. Off just 23 balls and he's looking the best he has in a long time. Hope he's not doing it for nothing, this would be some sort of fightback!
10.6 over: FOUR! A superb over for Australia. Cummins finishes it with a tickle down the leg side to the vacant fine leg position. Don't write the Aussies off yet, the worm has taken a massive turn upwards and they're back on track just passed the halfway mark in their 20 overs. 6-89.
10.4 over: SIX! Wow, what an over from Bailey! He's tearing Russell apart, this time swatting one over mid wicket and it goes 88 metres. He's on 48 now. There's still life in this one yet! 6-85
10.3 over: FOUR! Bailey goes for it again, this one lobs down the ground and the fielder looks like he's going to get it by he misjudges it and it rolls into the rope.
10.1, 10.2 over: SIX! and then FOUR! Another couple of big hits from Bailey. So the Aussies are still kicking.. Bailey's showing something, lets see if he can hang around.
9.4 over: SIX! Some life from the Australians, Bailey launches one over the mid wicket fence and they've got their first six of the inning. Hasn't put a big dent in the score, but it's a start. 6-64
9.3 over: Just checked the Twittersphere and found this little gem of information from The Age cricket writer Jesse Hogan: "Unless Aus reaches 111 tonight's match will be its biggest runs loss (for matches where it bats 2nd) in T20Is. Record: 95 by SAf in 2005-06."
8.4 over: So I don't drink coffee and I'm struggling to stay awake now that this is almost over. If I go missing, I promise it's not through lack of trying. It's times like these I wonder what's going on at Mooseheads in Canberra. I'm sure they've got the cricket on the big screen listening to some old-school classics. Might sneak down there for a couple if this finishes up. At least the wickets are falling fast. 6-53.
7.3 over: FOUR! Well Cummins got the message from the Blog. Goes after it, and he smashes one to the square leg boundary.
7.2 over: WICKET! Wade 1 - B: Narine C: Badree. It's time to go and curl up in bed. This is an absolute shambles from the Australian team. The only thing that will make it worse is if they try to hang around for the 20 overs. Wade tries to sweep, gets a top edge and it goes straight to fine leg. Time to go down swinging, Pat Cummins joins captain Bailey. 6-43.
6.3 over: WICKET! D Hussey 0 - C&B: Rampaul. Absolute disaster. It's been such a good tournament for the Australians and now they're falling to bits one game before the final. Hussey has had a shocker returning to the line-up. Gone for a second ball duck after failing to get his hands out of the way and the ball pops up and he went for 22 off his two overs. Almost game over. 5-42.
6.1 over: WICKET! White 5 - B: Rampaul C: Ramdin. Ohhh boy, it's almost goodnight for the Aussies and good night for me. Cam White edges one down the leg side and Ramdin takes a simple catch to almost seal the match. It's going to take a mammoth effort from the Aussies to win from here. Dave Hussey in. 4-42.
5.6 over: FOUR! Two in a row for captain George. That moves the score along nicely, it was looking pretty nasty there for a couple of overs. Australia 3-42. At the same stage of inning, WI were 1-46. Not much in it.
5.5 over: FOUR! A much needed boundary for Australia. The West Indies feel like they've almost got this one wrapped up, but we've still got a couple of fighters left.
4.3 over: WICKET! Watson 7 - B: Badree. Well if it wasn't panic stations for the Australians before, the writing is definitely on the wall now. Watson tries to smash one through the leg side, misses it and turns around to see his leg stump lying on the ground. My eyes are starting to hurt, and not because I'm tired. George Bailey comes in, he has copped it as the T20 skipper. Some runs here might change that.. 3-29.
3.6 over: FOUR! Watson backs away and smashes one through the offside. I'll be honest, I missed it and had to catch the replay. After the excitement of the West Indies innings, the Aussies aren't firing (yet). 2-28.
3.1 over: WICKET! M Hussey 18 - B & C Samuels. Disaster for the Aussies. Mike Hussey goes down on one knee to try to get Samuels away on the leg side, but the ball goes straight up in the air and it's an easy caught and bowled. Was very, very lazy. Biiiiiiiiiig trouble here. That finals berth slipping through the fingers. In comes Cam White. 2-22.
2.1, 2.2 over: FOUR! FOUR! Double bang goes Mike Hussey and the Aussies are away. A couple of nice shots, first a superb cut and then he goes the other way behind square leg for his third boundary. 1-19.
1.3 over: FOUR! Not overly convincing from Mike Hussey, but Mr reliable gets Australia's first boundary of the match. They'll need him to get plenty more. Don't know whether Chris Gayle is on the field, but he'll be dreaming about the full bungers Doherty was lobbing up to him for years. 1-8
0.6 over: WICKET! Warner 1 - B: Badree. Oh no! the worst possible start for the Australians in bizarre fashion as David Warner goes for just one run. It didn't look like he was out, there was confusion on the field as the ball went passed the stumps and a bailed bounced up. The umpires weren't sure whether Ramdin, the keeper, knocked it off. But replays show the ball clipping the off stump. 1-2.
1.20am: The lip has already started. Warner going at it with a couple of the Windies boys. Looks like the Windies will open up with spin. A spot in the final on the line right now, lets see if Australia can stick with it. Badree to open bowling, Australia needs 10.30 per over.
1.16am: So I've just got word through from Lee "Trevino" Gaskin, fellow Canberra Times reporter, that Gayle was in fact doing the Gangnam Style dance. Personal preference is he sticks to X-Pac and the Bronco Buster. Gangnam's only had 300,000,000 hits.
1.10am: What a great end to the West Indies innings. They finish with 14 sixes (6 to Gayle) and 13 fours. 206 is going to be a tough total to chase done. Can Warner match the "Gayle Storm"?
Scorecard:
West Indies 4-205
Charles 10: B: Starc C: Wade
Gayle 75 NOT OUT off 41 balls
Samuels 26: B:Cummins
Bravo 37: B: Cummins C: Bailey
Pollard 38: B: Doherty C: Warner
Bowlers: Starc (1-32 off 4), Watson (0-35 off 4), Cummins (2-36 off 4), Doherty (1-48 off 3), Hogg (0-21 off 3), D Hussey (0-22 off 2)
20 over: WICKET! Pollard 38 - B: Doherty C: Warner. Well what a finish. Pollard went for one more and it went straight up. Warner under it comfortably at mid-off, but it didn't overshadow a great innings. It was done with such ease and the Aussies will be chasing 206 for a spot in the final. 4-205
19.5 over: SIX! AGAIN! WALLLLLLLOP! Gee whiz Bailey must be regretting bringing Doherty back on. That's four sixes in five balls. Gayle's got the X-Pac signal out again, appropriate because they're murdering the Aussies. 3-205
19.4 over: SIX! AGAIN! 3-199
19.3 over: SIX! Pollard is on the last-over smashing as well. This one gets helped over by the fielder at mid wicket.
19.1 over: SIX! WALLLLLOP! There goes Gayle again, another 97 metre hit testing out his sore side. He just absolutely smashed this full toss out of the park. The Australians are having some brain explosions. This blokes been in for the entire innings and is one of the most devastating hitters in world cricket and what do you throw up, a full toss on his legs you say? 3-187
19 over: Here we go, Doherty has one last over of spin for Australia. Gayle on 68, Pollard 20 and the Windies on 180.
18.5 over: FOUR! Now the Windies are just getting fancy! Pollard bends down and paddles one straight over the keeper's head and it bounces once before going over the boundary. Best batting I've seen since the end of the footy season. 3-180.
18.4 over: FOUR! Oh no, it's a shocker of a night in the field for the Aussies. This time Mike Hussey runs straight passed a Pollard flick.
18.1 over: SIX! A nice flick off Gayle's toes and over square leg for another maximum. This time it's of Starc who has been the best Australian bowler. Run rate up to 9.22. Don't think they can get to 200, but with these two at the crease you never know. Gayle now has 15 sixes for the tournament, equal with Shane Watson. 3-169
17.6 over: FOUR! Pollard clips one off his toes and finds a gap as it races to the rope. Was just saying to the others watching that Pollard's done nothing, he was riding Gayle's wave. But if he gets going the Aussies could be picking balls out of the nearby neighbourhoods. 3-163.
17.3 over: FOUR! Well even if he is carrying a slight side strain, Gayle just casually punished a short ball from Cummins to find the mid-wicket boundary. 3-159
17 over: A bit of a break in play, not sure why. Gayle has called for the trainer. He's been moving slowly between the wickets, but I just figured that was his normal relaxed style. Getting his ribs/gut worked on. There was no magic spray, so not sure what the trainer did. Run rate = 8.82. 3-150.
16.1 over: FOUR! Another inside edge and another four runs. Gayle can't do much wrong tonight. He's got four overs left to chase down 100, anyone think he can do it. Apparently the team batting first has won 67 per cent of the time in Colombo. This could be a monster total. 3-147
15.4 over: WICKET! Bravo 37 - B: Cummins C: Bailey. Well the West Indies can afford to give that one away. Bravo going for perhaps one too many and he hits it straight to Bailey at mid off. Kieron Pollard the new man in. We could see some carnage here! 3-140.
15.3 over: SIX! This time it's Bravo and it's party time for the Windies. He got out the pitching wedge on a Cummins slower ball and lobbed it straight back over the bowler's head for six.
15 over: FOUR! He wanted to put this one over the fence, but he gets another edge on a wide one and it races to the third man boundary. That's Gayle's 50 off 29 balls. He does some strange X sign to the crowd. Looked like X-Pac - the former WWE wrestler. For those who know X-Pac ... Gayle's doing some Bronco Busting this morning. 2-133.
14.3 over: SIX! the best way to follow a four is with a six. It's gone 102 metres! David Hussey won't be enjoying his return to the team, he's copping a bit from the big fella. He's still getting his eye in and he's on 44. 2-127.
14.2 over: FOUR! That's ridiculous, Gayle's just hit an inside edge for four just passed mid on. When I get an inside edge it either hits me on the thigh or goes straight on to the stumps.
14 over: Anyone remember Chris Gayle going nuts at Manuka Oval in the Prime Minister's XI match a few years ago? He smashed eight sixes and 14 fours to finish with 146 off 89 balls. Hoping for some more of that action tonight. He's got plenty left in the tank.
13.1 over: SIX! oooohhhh that was ugly from Brad Hogg. Short and easy to pick off with Bravo hitting against the spin to get it over the fence at mid wicket. Starting to see some West Indies fire, going at 8.25 an over. 2-110.
12.6 over: FOUR! Gayle shows he's got some fine touch to go with his brute power. Glides one down the leg side for another four, Watson taking some stick. Has gone for 29 runs off three overs. 2-104
12.4 over: SIX! Bravo's smashing them out of the park now. This one was 87 metres straight over long-on's head. 37 balls for the Windies first 50, 40 balls for their second 50. 2-100.
12.3 over: A tough chance to Australian skipper George Bailey. Bravo turns one off his hip and it just lands beyond Bailey's outstretched right hand.
12 over: Gayle and Bravo building a solid partnership. Up to 34 off 28. Time to consolidate after a strong start. Gayle needs to see more strike, hasn't faced that many balls. 2-91
11.1 over: FIVE WIDES. Is that Mitchell Johnson out there or Mitchell Starc? Either way the ball's gone flying down the leg side and all the way to the boundary. No room for error when you're running into Chris Gayle. 2-89
11.1 over: West Indian great Richie Richardson speaking. Says they started their innings aiming for 160, but after a good start they're looking for 180-190.
10.5 over: FOUR! This time it's four byes. Bravo misses a straight full-toss from David Hussey, goes straight through Wade and the Windies move to 2-83.
10 over: We're at the halfway point and despite having minimal strike, Gayle starting to show what he can do. Lucky because I was starting to yawn a bit. Score update: 2-74 (Gayle 26 off 18, Bravo 7 off 9).
9.2 over: SIX! Now we're seeing Gayle open up. He takes Xavier Doherty over mid-on with ease. David Warner was no chance of getting it, but the Sri Lankan policeman took it clean as a whistle. 2-72.
8.4 over: FOUR! Dwayne Bravo is in there with Gayle and he's away with a boundary. Goes inside out on Hogg, the ball explodes off the ground and goes straight through David Hussey for a four. 2-64
12.11am: Well, that was pretty hectic. Finally got the laptop working properly, the Windies are going at 7.38 per over and Gayle is on 17 facing Brad Hogg.
8 over: FOUR then WICKET! Samuels 26 - B: Cummins. Samuels smashes Cummins to the boundary but the next ball the young speedster hits back with a change of pace which knocks out middle stump. That will slow the Windies. 2-59
12.05am: All right, after a technology meltdown I'm back online. And just like it was going to script, as soon as the computer froze, the action started. Here's what you missed. Snick, LBW appeal, SIX, SIX, SIX, stumping appeal.
4.4 over: We've had a bowling change, Watson back into it. Just had an LBW appeal, but looked like it pitched just outside leg stump.
4.2 over: Wowzers, Gayle went after that one. Down the pitch looking to slog it over mid-on. Misses it completely, but he's itching to get a big one away.
3.4 over: FOUR Good commentary from the loungeroom in Queanbeyan, Chloe says that is a "textbook coverdrive" from Samuels. Hit it so well he broke the ball. He's away as well, Gayle still searching for his first boundary. 1-23
3 over: Samuels joins Gayle at the wicket. We've got an early bowling change for Australia, Pat Cummins replaces Watson.
2.5 over: WICKET! Charles 10 - B: Starc C: Wade. So Charles' time is short lived. He gets a straight ball from Starc, tries to put it back over the bowler's head and edges it straight into Matt Wade's gloves. He finished with 10 from 13 balls. 1-16
2.2 over: Charles reaches for one, snicks it and it lands just short of Cameron White at first slip. No real chance to catch it.
2 over: FOUR another swipe across the line from Charles and the Windies have got after Watson early. New ball flying to the boundary. No real danger in either boundary. 0-12.
1.4 over: Well you could knock me over with a feather, Chris Gayle has taken a quick single. Someone give the big fella the message that we want sixes, not ones. FOUR to Charles and the Windies are away. Bit of confusion if it was a six or not, but they settled for four. 0-8.
1 over: Nice, tidy start from Starc. No signs of nerves, he pushed out a wide which didn't swing back but was on target for most of the first over. Johnson Charles hogging the strike. 0-2. Shane Watson to take the ball from the other end.
11.30pm: Just about ready to Rock n Roll in Colombo. Gayle striding out to bat with Charles. Mitchell Starc has the ball and we're almost underway. 31 degrees, nice crowd and a spot in the final up for grabs. Let's go.
11.20pm: For those who missed it, the Australian women's team is through to its final. They beat the West Indies a couple of hours ago. Australia managed 7-115, but managed Ellyse Perry claimed 2-19 and Lisa Sthaleker conceded just six runs off her four overs.
11.14pm: Looking forward to seeing Gayle clobber a few out of the park. Have put the game of Norwegian Uno on hold while he gets out to the crease. When he goes, might have to start back up. If you haven't played Norwegian Uni, I suggest you give it a go.
11.06pm: The footy is over and it's time for the cricket to get rolling. We're not far away from the first ball in Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup semi final between Australia and the West Indies. West Indies have won the toss and they'll have a bat. Hoping for some Chris Gayle fireworks. David Hussey in for the Aussies.
Preamble: Join Blocka Dutton as he brings you live action from Colombo, where Australia is again up against the might of the West Indies in the World Twenty20 semi-final.
Australia was the form side of the competition until they crumbled against Pakistan's spin line-up, and the West Indies have a host of players who can play a lone winning hand in the shortest form of the game.
The fireworks begin at 11.30pm (EST).
