Fantasy Preview: warm-up wrap
TheICC Champions Trophy 2017 warm-up matches have taken place and now it’s all about what happens in the tournament outright. However, if you’ve yet to finalise your fantasy team, it’s worth knowing who’s in top form and who’s not yet hit their straps.
Australia’s Aaron Finch (7) hit a magnificent 137 from just 109 balls at The Oval. If you can’t afford David Warner (9.5), Virat Kohli (10 – the game’s costliest gun for hire) or AB de Villiers (9.5), then Finch could be a great option for your fantasy team. He’s worth a few bob (7) but in this form he’s likely to be a high point-scorer, opening the batting for a team that could go all the way. His teammate Travis Head (5.5) also hit an impressive 85 not out.
Sri Lanka’s ever-reliable captain Angelo Mathews (6) hit 95 against a strong Australia bowling attack, with Asela Gunaratne (4) chipping in with 70 not out from number seven. Despite the potency of Australia’s fast bowling battery – Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood all claimed one wicket – Moises Henriques (4.5) did most of the damage with 3-46 from his eight overs. If Nuwan Pradeep’s three-fer for Sri Lanka is enough to squeeze him into the starting XI, he could provide real value at 2.5.
Tamim Iqbal (6) got Bangladesh off to a great start against Pakistan with a 93-ball 102, including nine fours and four sixes. Bangladesh’s top eight all made double figures, getting some useful time at the crease, with Imrul Kayes (5) contributing 61. Pakistan’s bowlers struggled during Bangladesh’s innings of 341. Junaid Khan (3) was the pick of the bowlers in terms of wickets, claiming four, but his nine overs leaked 73 runs.
Shoaib Malik (3.5) made 72 and Fahim Ashraf (3) hit an explosive 30-ball 64 in Pakistan’s successful reply, with Mohammad Hafeez (6), Ahmed Shehzad (4.5) and Imad Wasim (5) all falling in the forties. Bangladesh’s wickets were shared around, with the young off-spinner Mehedi Hasan (2) picking up two.
Luke Ronchi, a steal at 3.5, scored 66 opening the batting for the Kiwis, as they stumbled to 189, but James Neesham (2.5) hit 46 at number eight to save face. India’s Mohammed Shami (3) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6.5) picked up three wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja (7) and Jasprit Bumrah (6) were impressively economical, going for a combined 22 from eight overs, with the former also picking up two wickets.
Virat Kohli (10), the master of the run-chase, made a typically assured 52 not out, with Shikhar Dhawan (6) also contributing 40.
Aaron Finch continued his fine form with a run-a-ball 36 not out before the match was abandoned with Australia 57-1. Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir (8.5) was the pick of Pakistan’s bowlers, with 1-9 from his four overs.
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Upul Tharanga (4.5), who skippered Sri Lanka in the absence of Mathews, hit a brilliant 104, with Kusal Mendis (2) and Dinesh Chandimal (5.5) both scoring fifties, batting at three and four respectively. Encouragingly, their top seven all reached double figures. New Zealand’s Trent Boult (7.5) and Tim Southee (6) both picked up two wickets.
New Zealand’s batting big guns, Martin Guptill (7) and skipper Kane Williamson (8), scored a quick-fire 116 and 88 respectively. Corey Anderson (5.5) also smashed a 36-ball fifty from the lower order, while Tom Latham (4.5) scored 44 at the top. Seekkuge Prasanna (3) took Sri Lanka’s only two wickets but still appears an improbable starter in the tournament.
Shikhar Dhawan (6), Dinesh Karthik (3.5) and Hardik Pandya (4) all made half-centuries in India’s total of 324, with Kedar Jadhav (6) and Ravindra Jadeja (7) also getting valuable time at the crease. Rubel Hossain (2) was the pick of Bangladesh’s bowlers with 3-50 off nine overs, while Mehedi Hasan (2) bowled nine very economical overs without getting a breakthrough.
Bangladesh will have been disappointed with their batting performance as they were dismissed for 84. India’s opening bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6.5) and Umesh Yadav (6) both claimed three wickets from their economical five-over spells.
