T20 World Cup

Match Two: West Indies v Thailand : Scorecard

I was really looking forward to today's cricket and was not disappointed. It would be my first chance to watch Thailand play and I found myself wondering how they would play; how they would compare with the Japanese team I was fortunate enough to watch in the flesh a few years ago and if they'd come even close to the discipline of the senior teams in the tournament. They would always be the underdogs, after all they had come through the qualifiers and not had an automatic qualification, but the fact they had come through all the stages of that led one to believe they must have something about them.

Realising that big hitting was not going to be their forte they sensibly decided on canny singles and at that they were masters. Their judgement of what constitutes a run and what doesn't was, on the whole, on the mark and I found myself smiling not just because I like to see an underdog doing well (I am English after all) but because they were so thoroughly enjoying themselves. I have written before about how cheerful the Sri Lankans can be in the face of adversity, but this team can out-smile anyone!

I made a few scattered notes from the commentary but many from having a pad and pen in my hand rather than a camera and watching the action.

• Chantham claimed that she modelled herself on Danni Wyatt. Does Wyatt know I wonder. I guess it's very probable she was watching the match so it seems likely.

• I see the 'triple-glove-punch' is back in fashion - with the Thais anyway.

• While the singles were well looked for and taken, it's obvious this side is in desperate need of a big hitter or two. There were suggestions that, being, in the main, small in stature, this was difficult, but, to mention again a player just remarked upon above, few can clear the boundary as convincingly as a Wyatt on form! Maybe that's an area the coach must look to.

• One area where he has obviously work tirelessly is in their fielding. There was a lesson today in the later game where the underdogs there threw themselves around with some enthusiasm but the difference was striking. In the case of Thailand, it was to much greater effect - far fewer fumbles - more effective throwing -  and generally looking professional which, sadly the Sri Lankans failed to do.

• The Thai keeper was the stand-out batsman with 33 from 48 balls, but with the other batsman you felt the intent was there - indeed it was mentioned by several of the TV commentators, but not realised. I admired their sagacity to know that's what was needed. More training and I guess the execution will come.

• The final Thai scorecard showed some symmetry with the Australian one of the day before in that only two players reached double figures.

• I was left wonder if Kirby in the West Indies team might hold the record for the longest period between matches for her country - 12 years.

• The captions claimed the inner ring was at 23yds. The commentators said 25yds which is what I had always assumed it to be. Which is it I wonder?

• It was very late in the WI innings when the subject of the NRR (Net Run Rate) came up. It's that terribly unfair method used to decide, in the event of a tie on points, who goes through to the next round. With WI batting very slowly I wondered from the power-play on whether the WIndies were doing themselves no favours.

• As mentioned before some aspects of the Thai fielding really impressed. On one occasion, the bowler was obviously considering intercepting a throw in from the field but on realising it would hit the wicket got quickly out of the way. The action was a split second decision and she called it exactly right so a run-out ensued. There was another run out in the WIndies innings where only perfect throwing and top judgment from the keeper would do and they pulled it off. I began to think that this team could give fielding lessons to some others in the tournament!

• At 12.1 overs the scores of the two teams were equal - you could have got long odds on that before the match started!

•  Laomi was my pick of the Thai bowlers - so many dot balls.

• And as for pluses and minuses, they must do something about those hats they give the young kids to wear for the national anthems - have they not made any kids sizes? - they look quite ridiculous. On the positive side the respect the Thais showed the crowd, lining up and bowing to the the four corners of the ground following the match, was truly heart-warming.

Match 3 : New Zealand v Sri Lanka  : Scorecard

Match 4 : England v South Africa  : Scorecard

If India made this tournament interesting by beating hosts Australia on Day 1 then South Africa have made it even more interesting by relegating England to second place in their match at the WACA (which, by the way should any BBC or other journalists be reading this, is not the Waca). Any game that finishes with just 2 balls left is probably going to be exciting and this was no exception. From he off it seemed, with a couple of exceptions (Jones 23 (20) and Sciver 50 (41) the England batsman, put in by SA captain Dane van Niekerk, struggled to find any fluency at all.

Jottings...

• Sussex and South Africa's (see what I did there?) Mignon du Preez played her 100th T20 for South Africa. And repaid those 100 in spades at the end of the match with a 6 and 4 to finish it off with 2 balls left.

• Jones played excellently for her 23(20) the downside being Wyatt was starved of the strike for so long it felt like she got herself out in frustration.

• I was intrigued that one umpire either came from the Cook Islands or New Zealand depending on which commentator you listened to. And yes I know the Cooks are administered by NZ).

• Ismail's catch may have looked simple to a non-cricketer but it was far from that. Hopefully it'll appear on Youtube. You only take this if you anticipate perfectly and run like the wind. After that all you have to do is catch it!

• Chetty kept well down the leg side in the main but did fluff a stumping of Wilson.

• The star bowlers were undoubtedly Khaka with 3-25 and Kapp with 2-19 as miserly as ever.

The South African Wicket takers Ayabonga Khaka (below) and Marizanne Kapp