Road Safety World Series has been marred by rain throughout the entirety of the tournament. Rain gods did not even show mercy to the Semi-final as it was also affected by bad weather and had to be postponed as the first innings inched closer to culmination.
Let’s look at how the first semifinal match of the RSWS 2022 panned out.
1st Semi-final: Australia Legends vs India Legends
With 14 points each, the two teams qualified at second and third in the RSWS points table. Australia, having won three matches as opposed to India’s two put them at second.
The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first. Australia having been invited to set up a target started off on the front foot with both openers Shane Watson (30) and Alex Doolan (35) coming out all guns blazing. Watson was removed by Rahul Sharma in the eighth over at a team score of 60. The next batter, Ben Dunk however continued the charge even harder and came up with a quickfire 46 off of 26 balls with five boundaries and two sixes.
The other opener Doolan meanwhile produced a solid knock of 35 in 31 deliveries to lend support from the other end. In form batter, Nathan Reardon had an off day and could only string up a knock of five runs. New captain Cameron White (6) and Brad Haddin (1) were on the crease when the heavens opened up and the game had to be stopped. With no end in sight, the game had to be postponed to the reserve day on 29th September.
India Legends would be looking to halt the Australia team on a low score that could be easily achieved. Meanwhile, the visitors would want to use the rest of the three overs to add quickfire runs to the team’s total. The rest of the match from the first RSWS semifinal will resume from 3:30 PM on 29th October, from the same point that it was halted at.
Updated from reserve day’s play:
Australia started brilliantly on the second day (29 Oct) from 136/7 in 17 overs, with White (30) and Haddin (12) adding 35 runs in three overs. Australia Legends ended the first inning at 171/5 in what was a good total for the match.
Coming onto chase the target, India started off cautiously with Naman Ojha and Sachin Tendulkar (10) taking the team to 38 before the first wicket fell. Recently retired, Suresh Raina (11) came in next to emulate one of his many match-winning knocks from the past but failed to do so.
Yuvraj Singh walked in after Raina’s dismissal and held the inning for a while with an 18-run knock but the southpaw never looked assured at the crease. While wickets continued to fall from one end, Ojha kept on playing brilliant shots and inched India closer.
Stuart Binny (2) and Yusuf Pathan (1) failed to impress in the crunch situation and left the team in limbo. It was the bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan who combined with Ojha to take the team across the finish line with a flurry of boundaries. In his unbeaten 37 runs knock, Pathan hit two boundaries and four massive sixes and took Indian Legends into the final. Ojha was adjudged the Player of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 90.
India Legends will now play the winner of Sri Lanka Legends vs West Indies Legends in the final on 1st October.
Brief Score:
Australia Legends: 136/ 5 (17 overs) on Day 1, 171/5 Final Score
Ben Dunk: 46(26), Alex Doolan: 35(31)
Shane Watson: 3-16-2, Jason Krejza: 2-5-1
India Legends:
Naman Ojha: 90(62), Irfan Pathan: 37(12)
Abhimanyu Mithun: 4-25-2, Yusuf Pathan: 4-36-2
