Eye of the Tiger

So the Tigers beat Australia yesterday. With odds of 100-1 on and 500-1 on with bookmakers before the start of the game, this was a money-making opportunity to rival odds on the Boston Red Sox last year (shoutout to Rachna who thought that the Red Sox won the Superbowl)

The Bangladeshis were helped by the fact that the pitch eased out by the second innings. But with a bowling attack of McGrath, Gillespie and Kasprowicz, this shouldn't have been a contest. Kudos to the Bangladeshis for pulling off the upset. They did this by finally following the script of a one-day chase - bat well in the first 15 without losing too many wickets, keep the scoreboard ticking during the middle overs, and don't try to win the match by the 42nd over. Ashraful was perhaps guilty of that with his dismissal at long-on, trying to hit a six instead of working the runs. That's where someone like Bevan excelled. He knew there were 50 overs available and he used every ball.

In the last few overs, it seemed that the Aussies could pull it out with the Bangladeshis going for the big shots. The pressure told on both teams, but astonishingly, it was the Aussies who cracked. This ought to be a good summer of cricket.

'tis the season of upsets, no? What with Liverpool and Nadal slaying the giants (inspite of everyone writing them off, Detroit over Miami didn't garner the same attention. A backhanded tribute, perhaps, of their championship poise)