The tale of the tape

Many have wondered aloud whether Steven Smith, by leading Australia in all formats, is being stretched too far as a leader and a cricketer. The dilemma became a literal one for Smith early in West Indies' innings when he posted himself at a wide first slip in an attempt to balance attack with defence. When Darren Bravo edged a decent ball from Josh Hazlewood, the edge sailed beyond the reach of Matthew Wade but a distance to the right of Smith. Diving across towards a classical first-slip position, he held the chance in an outstretched hand, which meant he had got things right by a centimetre or two.

When Marlon Samuels was on 65, he was cramped into edging Mitchell Starc from around the wicket. The edge was thick but not beyond the reach of Wade, who was caught flat footed and lunged for the chance. The ball did not strike the middle of Wade's glove and the chance went down. Among the commentators in this tournament is Jeff Dujon, who was famed for a wicketkeeping style that featured a lot of diving. However the conventional wisdom of most wicketkeepers is that the best work is done by moving feet first, and the missed opportunity seemed to back that up.

When Kieron Pollard swung for the midwicket fence against Hazlewood, he didn't get all of it. The ball flew high in the air and carried on a gentle breeze towards the boundary rope - and Glenn Maxwell. Hovering under the chance, Maxwell got his angles exactly right, settling on a position that allowed him to take the catch. However in re-balancing after accepting the catch, his left foot pivoted back and onto the rope. As players and spectators wondered whether it was a fair catch or not, Maxwell sheepishly raised his hands above his head to signal six.

It's 23 years since Dean Jones asked Curtly Ambrose to remove his white wrist bands from his bowling hand during a World Series Cup finals match at the SCG, sparking the fast bowler into spells of renewed ferocity. This time around Smith took issue with the lesser velocity of Pollard and tape he was wearing on his right hand. The query did not appear to result in the tape's removal, and was perhaps just one episode in a series of snarks between Pollard and the Australians. But it was still an unusual sight, and a reminder of Jones' fateful decision back in January 1993.