Aaron Finch lauded the depth of his Australia squad as they dug deep to beat Pakistan and advance to the T20 World Cup final, led by Matthew Wade's late show.
Australia were set 177 to win after putting Pakistan in to bat in Thursday's second semi-final.
"I was actually hoping I'd lose the toss and try to bat first on that wicket," captain Finch said afterwards. "I thought it would be nice to put a total on the board in the semi-final."
The Australia skipper was delighted with how his decision panned out, though, as his team followed New Zealand's example against England and chased down a daunting target with an over to spare.
Finch's men looked to be in trouble when they were reduced to 96-5 in the 13th over, having lost the captain for a golden duck as Pakistan made a rapid start.
But Australia have dangerous options right down their batting line-up and an unbroken partnership of 81 off just 41 deliveries between Wade (41) and Marcus Stoinis (40) stunned Pakistan.
"I thought we were actually pretty sloppy today. We dropped a couple of chances in the field, a couple of really, really tough ones, no doubt," Finch said.
"But I think it shows the depth of our team at the moment, which is really important. You need the support of all 17 players in your squad to get across the line. We played some really good cricket towards the back end."
Wade finished with three straight sixes immediately after being dropped by the hapless Hasan Ali, and he said: "When I got out there with Marcus, he was really confident we'd get them, even though I was a little unsure.
"He found the boundaries early on, and I was happy to chip in at the end. It got down to two a ball, and from there it was: if you got one in your arc, just try to hit it.
"It probably hasn't sunk in yet but I'm just happy I could contribute. I was out of the team a couple of years ago and I'm just glad I got an opportunity and repaid the faith."
“We are in a very good space mentally,” says West Indies Interim Head Coach Andre Coley ahead of third South Africa ODI
The West Indies will enter the third and final ODI against South Africa on Tuesday with an opportunity to complete a series win over the hosts for the first time.
Interim Head Coach of the West Indies Senior Men’s team Andre Coley says the group are in a good place mentally ahead of the decisive game.
“Every game brings new possibilities. We are in a very good space mentally and we are happy with our preparation,” he said in a press conference on Monday.
“We are just making sure we are ready for this game. We will have to see the conditions and work out the best approach. We have been taking it on a match-by-match basis so we are in a good place and have had good plans,” Coley added.
The tourists went 1-0 up in the series thanks to an excellent batting display, including an unbeaten century from Shai Hope in his first innings as ODI captain.
Coley, while being pleased with the team’s exploits with the bat, hopes other batsmen can go deep into the innings after getting starts.
The Windies amassed 335-8. While Hope made 128*, Brandon King (30), Kyle Mayers (36), Nicholas Pooran (39) and Rovman Powell (46) all got starts and failed to kick on.
“It was satisfying. Firstly, getting a total of 300 plus on the back of Shai’s hundred batting through the innings. We had significant partnerships,” he said.
“It would still have been good to see more batters go on from their starts but very encouraging signs, nonetheless,” Coley added.
On the bowling front, Coley did not make much of the fact that South Africa got off to a fast start, putting it down to the state of the game.
“Chasing a total like that, they wanted to make the powerplay count. We expected that. That is the nature of the game,” he said before acknowledging how well his team responded to the early onslaught.
“We were put under pressure quite early and I thought we responded well. Kyle (Mayers) got that key wicket of Quinton (De Kock) who was going well for them. As the innings progressed, we were able to respond and, in the end, we ended up with a comfortable win,” he added.
The game is scheduled for 3:00 AM Jamaica Time (4:00 AM ECT).
Harpy Eagles hold 11.2-point lead atop West Indies Championship table entering round four
The Guyana Harpy Eagles have an 11.2-point lead at the top of the 2022/23 West Indies Championship table heading into round four starting on Wednesday.
Guyana, who won five straight regional four-day titles from 2015-2019, have two wins and a draw from their three games to lead the table with 49 points.
The Windward Islands Volcanoes find themselves second on 37.8 points thanks to a win and two draws, a similar record to the Leeward Islands Hurricanes who are third with 34.2 points
Three points behind the Hurricanes are reigning back-to-back champions the Barbados Pride after a win and two losses.
The Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, with two draws and a loss, are fifth on 24.8 points while the Jamaica Scorpions are way back in sixth on 15.8 points after two losses and a draw.
Round four will see the Harpy Eagles taking on the Jamaica Scorpions at Providence, the Leeward Islands Hurricanes taking on the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force facing the Barbados Pride at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Finch and De Kock among first overseas players in Major League Cricket
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch and ex-South Africa skipper Quinton de Kock are among the first overseas names for Major League Cricket's inaugural season.
The pair were among six non-domestic players assigned during Sunday's draft at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Australia duo Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh, along with South Africa's Anrich Nortje and Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga were also included as overseas participants.
Major League Cricket – the first professional T20 league in the United States – will consist of six franchises in its debut year, as cricket looks to build a foothold in the country.
The ICC are hopeful the sport will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games, to be held in Los Angeles, where one of the half-dozen teams will be based.
Finch, who retired from T20Is in February, will captain San Francisco Unicorns, where he will be joined by compatriot Stoinis and England's Liam Plunkett, who qualifies as a domestic player through his American wife.
The pace bowler, who was a member of the successful England team from the 2019 Cricket World Cup, previously played in Minor League Cricket, the developmental league for MLC.
De Kock is set to play for Seattle Orcas alongside Marsh, while Nortje and Hasaranga will turn out for Washington Freedom.
The three remaining sides – Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders and MI New York – are yet to add an overseas player, though each drafted nine US-based players on Sunday.
The tournament will take place over three weeks at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas between July 13 and 30.
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