Dancing down the wicket

Australia held their nerve to win a humdinger against New Zealand in the TVS Cup. A crucial factor in this was the 70 runs Michael Clarke made. He scored quickly and did not allow the bowlers to dominate. He was especially good against Daniel Vettori, usually New Zealand's best bowler in the subcontinent. A key factor was his footwork. To every ball, he moved his feet early and well. He looked to come onto the front foot as much as possible and was even happy to dance down the wicket and drive. No wonder then, that he took 20 runs off Vettori coming down the wicket.

Good use of the feet
How Clarke scored his runs against Vettori
Back foot	6
Front Foot	4
Stepped out	20

Another big performer on the day was Jacob Oram (81). He took New Zealand out of the woods after an early collapse, but could not ensure a win. When Oram came in to bat at number seven, New Zealand were in trouble at 86 for 5. They needed to rebuild, and Oram did just that. To begin with he concentrated on playing straight back down the ground, and hit 19 runs in the `v' between long-on and long-off. After he got set, he targeted midwicket, and scored 25 runs in the zone - more than anywhere else. Ultimately, though, it was still not enough.

Jacob Oram's Wagon Wheel
Thirdman	9
Point	5
Cover	14
Long-off	8
Long-on	11
Midwicket	25
Square leg	1
Fine leg	8