New York vs Washington, 3rd Match at Morrisville, MLC, Jul 06 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary

Keeping it very tight at off, carved to cover, excellent start, need someone to build pressure because at the moment WF are cruising and there is a bolt of lightening, getting very dark out there and the players are going off!!! It could bucket down at any minute! DLS par score at this stage is 51

Tossed up on middle, flicked to midwicket and he ambles across to the other end, WF motoring along nicely

Good length just outside off, driven straight to short cover

Floated up outside off, gave room and he plays a sumptuous square cut, fielder in the deep made fantastic ground and saved a certain boundary, Kenjige came round the wicket and bowled on a length

Lobbed up just outside off, plays an elegant late cut towards backward point

Dangles a legbreak on a length but he has played that to perfection, goes back and plays a delectable cover drive and sweeper cover's valiant effort goes down the drain

Gives him a charge and gets thumped on the pads, beautiful googly right on cue

Allows it to spin and then punches it gently into the covers for a single

Tucked into the leg side

Rare freebie from Rashid Khan, tossed up on a length wide of off, Smith goes back and plays a great cut shot, as if someone has sliced a tomato with a sharp knife

22 off this over! Aiming for the blockhole, he comes down and shovels' it towards Boult at mid-off for a run. Think it wasn't the right match-up, could have gone with spin from both ends because Smith thrives on pace, especially deck-hitter enforcers and Nortje didn't even try any cutters

Whoa, just frame that shot! That has been spanked with insolence way over deep square for a 302 ft six. Short on off with no pace, Smith shuffles across and gets in a brilliant position to execute the pull, what an entry to MLC!

Lashed down the ground insolently past mid-off for yet another boundary! Fraction bit of width offered and slightly overpitched, Smith does the rest!

That's a better line. Short of a length in the corridor, left it alone for the keeper to collect but this is a fascinating contest, brought up on bouncy fast wickets, Steve Smith will not be afraid to face Nortje's pace

is that gonna be another boundary? Yes, it is! Short on middle, right on top of the bounce, it was chest height but no problems for Steve Smith who likes short stuff, carted away to midwicket boundary

Strays towards the leg side, wasted effort

Over the wicket, that is outrageous, head-spinning batting from Steve Smith, it's like he read his mind before that thought to bowl in that zone appeared in Nortje's neurons. Shuffles across his stumps and scoops it way over the keeper's head for six, an incredible shot out of nowhere!

Slightly short on middle, can't get underneath it, thought about depositing that into the stands but Rashid is quick, pushed towards long-on

Searing googly, forces him to go back and he manages to somehow force it down to long-on

Fuller on the leg side, he came on the front-foot and can't work it away neatly into the leg-side, ball dies down quickly,