Here’s Geoff Lemon’s report from day five of the third Test at the Gabba.
That’s it from the Gabba. It’s been another intriguing instalment in what is becoming an evermore fascinating Test series between these fierce cricketing foes.
India destroyed Australia in the first Test to have local fans and media hitting the panic buttons. But Pat Cummins’ side responded with typical gusto by walloping India with the pink ball in Adelaide to square the series one-all.
Here at the “Gabbatoir”, Australia piled on 445 in the first dig thanks to a magnificent Travis Head 152 and looked to be bossing proceedings for much of the Test. But then disaster struck with Josh Hazlewood taken to hospital with a calf strain (he has now been ruled out of the series) and Steve Smith dropping a sitter first ball of day four.
Both incidents proved costly for the home side. India, always dangerous when wounded, sucker punched them on days four, rattling off 39 runs for the 10th wicket to avoid the follow-on and then did it again on day five, their bowlers running riot through the top order today to have Australia 89 for 7.
A drawn third Test here in Brisbane leaves the Border-Gavaskar series deadlocked one-all and both sides heading to the greatest stage in world cricket – a 100,000+ crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day – looking to strike a knockout blow
That’s where we’ll meet you next. Thanks for your company and your emails. We will see you on December 26 for more over-by-over coverage. On behalf of the Guardian team, Merry Christmas and happy holidays. We look forward to your company on December 26.
That’s me over and out.
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Travis Head has been named player of the match for his superb 152 from 160 balls in the first innings. He also claimed the wicket of Akash Deep this morning and contributed 17 from 19 in Australia’s kamikaze second innings this afternoon.
The Australian vice captain, who will turn 31 during the Boxing Day Test, is in the form of his life and seem to be batting on a different planet to his struggling teammates (barring best mate and fellow South Australian Alex Carey) no matter the wicket or state of the game:
(It was a) challenging wicket. I had to work through the gears (with) different plans. Pleased I could get through those. Good partnership with Smit [Steve Smith]. I just try to sum up the conditions. What I’ve done well this series is assess the conditions. Pleased with the tempo I’ve batted with. Pretty relaxed communication. [Smith] felt like he was back in his rhythm – (that) gives me full freedom and confidence knowing he’s going to be there for a long while. I feel like I am playing the situation in front of me. Very pleased with the way I am batting at the moment.
BREAKING NEWS: Ravi Ashwin has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
Ashwin, a 107 Test legend of India cricket with and 537 wicket and six Test centuries to his name, has told the press conference today is his “last day as an Indian cricketer”.
Australians will join India in celebrating Ashwin’s retirement. He has been a formidable foe and much-admired adversary over many years, with over 90 Australian notches on his belt. The Chennai-born allrounder fell in love with the game playing tennis-ball cricket on the streets where he perfected the soduku ball, a finger-flicked legbreak that became a weapon of mass destruction every bit as lethal as Shane Warne’s flipper.
Ashwin arrived in Test cricket with a bang, taking nine wickets and winning Player of the Match. In his first 16 Tests he collected nine five-fors, and with a six demon bag of deliveries – a glorious carrom ball, a fine arm ball, and superb control over his famous fizzing offbreaks – was the fastest cricketer to 300 wickets and the second fastest to 400, behind only Muthiah Muralidaran.
Farewell Ravi, and thanks for all the memories!
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India captain Rohit Sharma is cursing the Brisbane rain but loving the fact his batters fought so hard to avoid the follow-on and his bowlers wreaked such devastation on Australia’s top order before the heavens closed in.
To have interruptions like that wasn’t great, but going to Melbourne at 1-1 is great and gives us confidence that we can go to Melbourne and pull something off there. The situation we were in just after lunch, we wanted someone to stand up and take the game through. Keeping in mind the weather, we knew it wasn’t going to be a full game, so credit to {Ravindra} Jadeja, and not to forget {KL} Rahul at the top as well. And it was great to watch these guys to go out there and do their thing. And with the ball we were very good, especially {Jasprit} Bumrah. Akash {Deep} is a feisty character – he has superb talent. He is new to international cricket, but games like this can teach him so many things. And there are a couple of guys in the group who can put their arms around him and help him.
Pat Cummins is on the microphone:
450-odd was a good total. Maybe the few rain breaks helped us a little bit but it’s one of those things when you’re trying to win a Test match, whatever it takes, particularly when the ball was hard, it was quite a handful. Smithy and Trav’s innings were fantastic. Carey as well. Nath [Lyon] looked really good yesterday, Starcy got a lot of wickets.
Third Test declared a draw as rain delays play again
That’s all she wrote, folks. The third Test has officially been declared a draw.
Players from Australia and India squads are shaking hands in the rooms and, with the series level at 1-1 with two Tests left, both squads are licking their lips for the fourth match in this Border-Gavaskar series on December 26.
Heavy rain continues to fall at the Gabba with India 8-0 after just 13 deliveries of their second innings.
There was another moment of intrigue within this intriguing Test when Travis Head did not take the field for those 2.1 overs. Despite his typically cavalier innings of 17 from 19 balls, rumours quickly spread that Head had sustained a groin injury. Supposedly the South Australian was seen limping and “gingerly stretching” in his 36-minute cameo.
However, Cricket Australia has allayed fears by denying Head has sustained an injury and will indeed take his place in the XI in the Boxing Day Test in a week’s time.
Head’s spell on the sideline did present an opportunity for Australia’s 13th man here in Brisbane, Under-19 World Cup champion Hugh Weibgen, who took the field in a baggy green cap despite not yet debuting in the seniors at domestic level.
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Andy Roberts – presumably not the West Indies’ fastbowling great – has emailed from FNQ.
Hi Angus, Was a bit mystified at G. Lemon’s carry-on over Australia’s quick loss of wickets today. Surely it’s obvious that Pat has said, ‘Look boys, forget form or averages or anything like that. We need close to 100 runs as soon as possible so we have a chance to bowl these guys out. Swing for the fences and don’t worry if you hole out.’ No issues with the batting, it’s just an attempt to force a result rather than just submit to a draw. Still unlikely to get a win, but love that they went for it!
Agree with the aggressive intent, Andy. But as per my last post, I think the freewheeling approach might backfire long term on those top-four batters who failed to push their claims in any way and only boosted the confidence – and averages – of India’s bowlers.
Thanks for the email and for giving me an excuse to relive the other Andy’s awesome career via this evocatively narrated mini-doco…
The light are on at the Gabba but too are the covers so let’s look back on what was a bizarre session of cricket. Australia came out swinging the bat and walked off shaking their heads as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep put them to the sword.
If the home side’s intent was to get some much-needed confidence into their struggling top-order by granting a license to thrill, the tactic backfired. Khawaja (8), McSweeney (4), Labuschagne (1) and Marsh (2) were all struggling for form before this innings – none average more than 16 in the series – and single-figure scores won’t help them one bit.
Serious questions must be asked about Khawaja and McSweeney at the top of the order. McSweeney has heart but looks to have serious technical deficiencies. Khawaja turns 37 today and hasn’t got going all series. Labuschagne added to his lowlight reel of ugly dismissals today with a wild slash at Bumrah and Mitch Marsh isn’t fit to bowl and isn’t hitting them consistently well enough to condone a spot in the XI with bat alone.
Moreover, the form of NSW’s teenage tyro Sam Konstas continues to demand reward. Did you catch the 19-year-old’s scintillating debut in the Big Bash last night?
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Bad light has stopped play at the Gabba but it hasn’t stopped your emails.
Adrian Goldman is a traditionalist. “Let’s return to the days of tests of unlimited length. Now that’s a serious contest! - no way to Bazball that.”
Nice idea, Adrian but if timeless Tests came back, I reckon my wife – a long-suffering “cricket widow” – would file for divorce. =
Bernhard Sayer from Hindmarsh Island reckons we have draws “so that we can say who’s won and who didn’t. If we start going into judges decisions, we legitimise ‘moral victories’. And I cannot support that.”
Nor can I, BJ. Although Harry Brook – who famously claimed that a win in the final Ashes Test at The Oval (with England trailing 2-1 at the time) would equate to a “moral victory” in the series for England – may disagree with us.
3rd over: India 7-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 3) The umpires had the light meters out before Starc rolled in for his first ball. But after that first 140kph delivery they’ve made the call that player safety is under threat so they have sent the players off. What a shame. This Test match just can’t take a trick. We will take an early tea instead.
2nd over: India 7-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 3) Pat Cummins has the ball. Can he inspire something extraordinary? India need 270. Australia crave ten wickets in 53 overs. Clouds are gathering overhead as Jaiswal taps a single straight up. Rahul cops a peach from the Australian skipper which pitched on angled in on middle then straightened. KL watches a couple more then pounces on a full ball, pushing it for three past mid-off.
We have a substitute fielder on: Hugh Weibgen, who captained Australia to Under-19 World Cup glory last summer, and was among the tournament’s top-five run-scorers. Hugh hasn’t played domestic cricket yet but he’s now in the middle of a Test and loving it!
1st over: India 3-0 (Jaiswal 3, Rahul 0) Jaiswal is taking strike to Starc. He’s taken guard on leg stump and is a full yard out of his crease. Starc can’t extend his record of wickets with his first delivery as Jaiswal leaves the first two before pushing to long-on for three. Starc slides one past Rahul’s groping bat to send a warning on the final ball.
The lights are on at the Gabba, Australia are on the field and Pat Cummins and Steve Smith were straight in the ear of the umpire. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul bump fists before setting up camp. Starc has the new ball. Fascinating 54 overs ahead. Here we go!
Australia declare at 89-7 setting India 275 to win
There’s the declaration! Nathan Lyon was padded up to bat but it seems like Cummins feels 274 is a target too far in the 54 overs remaining today. Tantalising. The chase is on!
What do ya reckon? Will India risk losing this Test for a chance at winning it? Or will they be happy with the psychological scarring inflicted with the ball and use this final session-and-a-half as batting practice? I know Geoff Lemon swore black and blue this Test would end in a draw but I still get the shivers at the run chase Rishabh Pant mounted at this ground the last time India toured.
If you’ve got an opinion, a premonition or a weather prediction, do drop me a line at angus.fontaine.casual@theguardian.co.uk
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18th over: Australia 89-7 (Carey 20, Starc 2) Cummins consulted Carey before walking off alone. No declaration yet, it seems. Starc strides out. He’s the archetypal ‘here for a good time not a long time’ batter so well suited to this sort of slugfest. He quickly clunks Bumrah down the ground but it catches the toe of the bat and runs for a single. Australia now lead by 274.
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WICKET! Cummins c Rahul b Bumrah 22 (Australia 85-7)
Cummins holes out! India’s captain Rohit Sharma had seen enough. He called in Jasprit Bumrah to stop this madness and restore his side’s psychological advantage. Slower ball first up and Cummins took the bait and skied it. KL Rahul takes the catch.
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17th over: Australia 85-6 (Carey 17, Cummins 22) Carey lashes at Siraj but miscues it and settles for a single. Cummins does better, flat batting it over mid-on for FOUR. The Australian captain is in a hurry. The next ball goes for SIX – his second in nine balls.
16th over: Australia 73-6 (Carey 16, Cummins 11) So Travis Head has left the building and he’s taken Geoff Lemon with him. Angus Fontaine here joining you as Pat Cummins tries to slog his first ball from Siraj all the way back to Penrith. After Carey’s single from the first, Cummins connects in a big way, driving Akash on the up for FOUR. He then goes on better, stepping back and clobbering a huge SIX over cow corner. A couple of singles makes it 13 from the over.
15th over: Australia 60-6 (Head 14, Cummins 0) Cummins at the crease, for goodness sake. With Carey. Gets through the last two balls of the Siraj over. Australia lead by 245, there are 59 overs remaining if the weather somehow allows.
Stop emailing me about saying this would be a draw! It will still be a draw!
India have done real damage to Australia today, though. This is embarrassing. It will cause many justifiable questions to be asked much more sternly.
Time for me to go and breathe. Angus Fontaine is ready to take you through.
WICKET! Head c Pant b Siraj 17, Australia 60-6
And another one down, and another one down. Another one bites the dust. Pant is collecting catches in all sorts of ways today. He trousers another, this time a flapping top edge from Head that goes away towards third slip, and Pant trots underneath it.
Australia are six down! SIX, Jeremy!
14th over: Australia 56-5 (Head 14, Carey 13) Runs still coming for Head and Carey. Leg byes, doubles, singles, and Carey finishes the over with another smoked cover drive from Akash Deep. A dozen from it!
To come back to Mark’s question from earlier, about why do we have draws. I would say it’s because to earn a Test win, you have to actually beat a team, not just lead a team. If it was done on leading, nobody would declare, teams would bat to 900. But more importantly, spiritually I suppose, it’s a contest to completion. You mentioned boxing, this is like boxing that can only end by knockout. The draw retains interest, because it gives even an outmatched team something to play for. Otherwise, once they were behind, all interest and all hope would be gone.
13th over: Australia 44-5 (Head 13, Carey 6) Australia’s lead is 224, for those wondering. Make that 228! Siraj continues, and Carey rifles a cover drive. Shot. Gets off strike with a leg bye, and Head fiddles outside off, nearly nicking. Chatting with Siraj again as the bowler gets excited.
12th over: Australia 39-5 (Head 13, Carey 2) Travis Head doesn’t mind, just keeps on scoring. Throws the bat at a drive for two, a pull for one. Carey drives a couple, he likes to stay positive too.
11th over: Australia 33-5 (Head 9) Wicket last ball of the over. I repeat, only the draw is possible. Australia squeeze out a few more overs and India won’t have time to chase whatever the chase may be. It’s going to rain again, anyway. But my word, this is chaotic fun. What is going on with this Australian batting side?
WICKET! Smith c Pant b Siraj 4, Australia 33-5
What is going on? Another one falls, Smith one ball after smashing Siraj over mid on for four, falls the same way he keeps falling. Closed off, glancing down the leg side, and doesn’t challenge the call when he’s given. The tiniest murmur on Snicko.
Steve Smith strolled down the pitch to Mohammed Siraj one ball and was gone the next 👀 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/TPpdBCT9of
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024
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10th over: Australia 28-4 (Head 9, Smith 0) Marsh nearly got bowled earlier in the over, Akash Deep getting a ball to move in and stay low. Then nicks off. Now Smith comes out, his first time batting at six since 2014.
“Geoff, do you think Australia are taking this seriously? Moving Marsh up, Khawaja smacking it around etc - are they just under instructions to have some fun?”
Maybe, Neil, but they’re not having fun anymore.
WICKET! Marsh c Pant b Deep 7, Australia 28 for 4
Oh my word, another one. Just a poke from Marsh, not a shot with any purpose behind it, outside the off stump with the ball doing a bit, and another nick through.
9th over: Australia 26-3 (Marsh 1, Head 8) Bumrah on fire, Australia shaking, so of course Travis Head comes in, smokes Bumrah through midwicket, then carves him through point. Two boundaries. Ok, Trav.
“Only a draw possible now? Are you forgetting collapses?” asks John McDougall, linking me to a scorecard where Ivory Coast got bowled out for 7. Well, yes, but even if Australia are all out in short order, India won’t chase 250-plus in a session.
8th over: Australia 16-3 (Marsh 0, Head 0) Retract that statement about luck: after the wicket ball, Deep has Head chop the ball past his stumps, then clough it just short of mid off. Where is Smith? Trying a new role batting at six? If they wanted to give Marsh a hit they could just have told him to wait five minutes, at this rate.
WICKET! McSweeney c Pant b Deep 4, Australia 16-3
Another one down! This time it’s McSweeney with the awkward cut shot, and Akash Deep gets some of the luck he didn’t get in the first innings. Seam movement, under edge, caught.
7th over: Australia 16-2 (McSweeney 4, Marsh 0) Make that 20 wickets at 10.75 in the series for Bumrah. The rest of India’s bowlers have 22 between them. And for some reason Marsh has come out ahead of Head and Smith.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Pant b Bumrah 1, Australia 15-2
There’s the other blow! The hammer falls, in the form of Bumrah. Can’t put that down to bowling genius, though. Bumrah does get extra bounce, but Labuschagne throws the bat once again. Got out cutting in Adelaide, cover driving first up here, and this time he hurls a cut shot at a line too close to his body. Top edge from the angled blade through to Pant. Gone for 1.
6th over: Australia 15-1 (McSweeney 4, Labuschagne 1) Off the mark, Labuschagne, as he gets a run from the inside half poking at Siraj.
5th over: Australia 14-1 (McSweeney 4, Labuschagne 0) In the series, 19 wickets at 11 for Bumrah! Gosh. McSweeney is trying to combat him by going on the walk, and nearly finds himself run out as Bumrah throws back at the stumps after gathering. Pant gives away a bye to let the Australians run an extra.
4th over: Australia 12-1 (McSweeney 3, Labuschagne 0) Siraj gets a much tidier over out of the way against McSweeney, one run from a defensive shot on the sixth ball.
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3rd over: Australia 11-1 (McSweeney 2, Labuschagne 0) Scores of 8, 4, 13, 9 not out, and 8 for Khawaja in the series. Hmmmmm.
A blow struck by India there. And the chance for another against Marnus, who defends the last two balls.
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WICKET! Khawaja b Bumrah 8, Australia 11-1
That’s not a birthday present! Bumrah, around the wicket again. Khawaja, on the hop again. Prodding, reaching for the ball, it seams in a little and takes some bat on its way to the stumps. Huge cheer from the small Indian contingent here, echoing around the otherwise empty Gabba. Trouble for Usman!
There is simply no stopping Jasprit Bumrah!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/rQ5Btkk4Cq
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024
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2nd over: Australia 10-0 (McSweeney 2, Khawaja 8) Positive start from Khawaja. Goes after Siraj first ball, smacking a wider one behind point for four. Then gets forward and drives four more past the bowler!
1st over: Australia 2-0 (McSweeney 0, Khawaja 0) Third innings. Nothing but the draw possible now. Bumrah starts off, testing McSweeney already, moving the ball off the seam. Mac gets a couple of runs from a push behind point.
Players are heading onto the field! We’re going to get play on time after the early lunch break.
Occasional bursts of sunshine here in Brisbane. Still plenty of clouds about too. We’ll see who wins. Should be a resumption at some time, on current form.
“Loving the OBO coverage even if we aren’t getting much cricket,” writes Mark Ferguson. “To stir the pot a little, why do we need draws in cricket? Boxing leaves it up to judges if there is no result within the allocated time, why couldn’t we do the same in cricket. Have the umpires (or independent judges) award each session and the team that “wins” the most sessions of an otherwise drawn match would be awarded the win. The “traditionalists” will hate it, and their tears are delicious. The Bazballers will love it because the team that drives the match forward will win in situations like this where a lot of time is lost to rain. Would love to hear your thoughts.”
Interesting one! Let’s throw that to the crowd, see if we get any responses. I know mine, but I’ll share that a bit later.
Well, the covers have come off. Umpires out there poking around. So maybe we’re a chance to get back on.
Thanks for all the emails, been keeping me entertained while nothing is happening.
Enjoyed this from Nick Campton on Bluesky:
Me when there’s a rain delay in the city I live: Well, that’s unfortunate. Nothing you can do about it though. Hope the farmers are getting the rain, poor buggers
Me when there’s a rain delay anywhere else: This is a moral failing of this city of heathens, God punishes us all for their wickedness
Byron Ellis writes in. “Looking like we might be racing towards an anticlimax, following the final session heroics of Bumrah and Deep yesterday. Are they still displaying gambling ads at the ‘Gabba with all this rain? Is there a betting market on how many overs will be bowled before stumps? If not, they’re really missing opportunities to perpetuate social harms.”
I’m sure all the agencies have been pumping out updates about the draw since day one…
We’re going to have the lunch break from midday local time, which is five minutes from now. So we’ll see if any clean-up becomes possible 40 minutes after that.
“Speaking of AI it generally fails most cricketing tests I’ve set,” says Matthew Saxon. “I couldn’t even get it to tell me Cummins’ highest Test score correctly. When told it was wrong it would come up with a new wrong answer which was even further from being correct. On being asked to review its methodology it agreed it was approaching it incorrectly. Then when asked the question again in this context it reverted to its first incorrect answer. Surely has to be some money on designing a UI for one that just admits when it doesn’t know. Would save some computing power! Have to admit though it does a good job correcting my PowerShell scripts.”
That does sound very much like what I was talking about! The fact that people are now treating bots as search engines is causing a lot of misinformation spread.
In terms of who might be departing the team soonest, I think that Starc has only got better in Test cricket the last few years, and is still only 34. He’ll be 35 at the end of the summer. So, could comfortably have another year or two and should play the Ashes next year.
Hazlewood is a year younger, turning 34 in January, but has had many more injuries in recent years.
Boland is 35 but hasn’t played much Test cricket so is probably fresher than others at that age.
Cummins is only 31 and still has several years.
Smith is 35, and has been well below his peak for a few years, so it’s a matter of whether something like his hundred in this match can give him a boost and get some bigger returns for the next year or two.
Usman Khawaja has had the leanest run, top of 33 in his last 10 hits, but has still played some important hands as an opener in just surviving certain dangerous spells, shielding the next players in. He’s also the oldest, turning 38 today. (Happy birthday.)
“In my non-AI assisted opinion (based on several years of practical research as a low grade “village” suburban cricketer) - here are my predictions for the conclusion of this sodden match,” writes Greg Wood.
There is a 99% probability of beers being on ice in the Australian dressing rooms.
There is approximately a 70% probability of those beers being consumed within the next three hours when the captains and umpires call this off.
There is approximately a 50% probability of the Indian team being invited into the Australian rooms at some point this afternoon to share a couple of cold ones while watching rain fall.
Elska Alexander writes in. “The Guardian OBO has been a wonderful way to ‘watch’ Test cricket while chasing inbox zero before the holidays here in rainy California. The Brisbane test has been incredibly frustrating for everyone (players, ground staff, fans - especially those who showed on up day 1). If it’s impossible to predict weather far enough ahead to schedule and impossible to have reserve days which tie up everyone, is it possible to get a roof over Test cricket stadiums? If not, why?”
“There are a lot fewer Test matches than ODIs and T20s to begin with. Of the ones that happen, few elicit the level of excitement this series or the Ashes generate. If this tiny subset of test matches that are interesting is weather-affected, then where does Test cricket go? Roofing should be a reasonable solve - especially if the alternative is to refund 50-100K fans? And if tennis can afford it...”
I think you’re right. The main issue is that cricket grounds are a) very big, so it’s more expensive than roofing rectangular football grounds or tennis centres, and b) old, so they already exist without roofing.
Bearing in mind that cricket and Australian rules football use the same ovals and have the same dimensions, there is a roofed Aussie rules stadium in Melbourne (the Docklands one, not the MCG) and there will soon be a second roofed stadium in Hobart when they build the new one there. Docklands has hosted international cricket, and Macquarie Point probably will, with a clear roof to let sunlight through and keep rain and wind out.
So yes, it can be done, it just costs a lot of money. And you can’t retrofit roofing, really, to stadiums that weren’t designed to have it. You pretty much have to rebuild or at least substantially remodel the whole ground. Which could happen in a Gabba redevelopment if they go ahead with one for the Olympics, or a new stadium over the river, but probably any state government will be trying to reduce costs rather than be ambitious.
Still raining at the Gabba, if you were wondering.
“Expanding on the selecting-players-with-dubious-fitness thing, I’m not sure why the selectors aren’t using injury as an opportunity to blood new players,” says Rowan Sweeney. “Before too long all of Usman, Smith, Lyon, Boland and Starc will all be retired, and without some forward planning, or extreme good fortune, the crunch will be real. It seems to me that bringing in a debutant to cover an injury is a great way to have, as you said earlier, a free hit. Who knows, giving players an opportunity to fully recover may even extend the careers of those players listed above...”
Debutants during high-stakes series though still have to be good enough to perform. So you go for your next-best player, I think. Boland has earned the right to be the next in line by being so consistently good when selected. His age is less important than having enough reserve players, whatever their age.
I think you’re right about there being a crunch coming, though. Hazlewood might not make it much longer with all these injuries. But when you’ve got great players who are still good enough, I think you largely have to keep picking them and take your chances somewhat with the next generation, who you develop as best you can the level down.
“Thanks for the great coverage of this series,” writes in Ivor Shapiro. “So I asked ChatGPT4 what Australia’s tactics might likely be in this situation. The first response was vague so I pushed back and got a longer, well-argued response with Gabba-specific factors ending with the following summary.”
If Australia starts their second innings with a lead of 180 runs, expect them to:
• Bat for 2-2.5 hours or about 30-35 overs.
• Score 120-150 runs aggressively.
• Declare with a target lead of 300-330 runs.
• Aim to bowl India out across 4.5 to 5 sessions.
Hmmm. I’m not a GPT believer, Ivor. Aside from the main problems with LLMs that they’re environmentally destructive due to computing power and ethically bankrupt due to stealing all of the information they’re trained on, they just make too many errors if you ask them for actual facts. They can be useful if you provide your own information and ask for it to be assembled in a certain format, but people are using them to search for information and they can’t return it reliably.
See the US pundits recently who used LLMs to search for prior examples of US presidents pardoning family members, then went on TV citing people who didn’t exist, like Woodrow Wilson’s imaginary brother in law Hunter de Butts. Yep.
This version will have been able to scrape enough articles suggesting that teams like to set targets of 300-plus, so it’s thrown that in there. So far so good. But how is anyone supposed to bowl out a team in five sessions when there would only be two sessions available on day five? That exposes the limitations. AI is a misnomer given there’s no actual intelligence in the code.
Plenty of rain incoming on the radar, by the way. We’re not looking good today.
“Pretty obvious Mitch Marsh not fit enough to play as all-rounder,” writes Ross McGillivray. “Is his batting good enough to warrant selection? As every footy fan knows, playing guys with injuries in big games is fraught with danger. You can’t just jab a guy’s ankle every day in a five-day Test.”
Can’t argue with the all-rounder bit, as discussed below. As for runs, I suspect Mitch Marsh is a player people are very fast to lose faith in. He was vital last summer, made big runs in all three Pakistan Tests, and Australia would have lost two of them without him. Then he made an important 40 in Wellington when the team was sinking, and a match-winning 80 in Christchurch that set up Carey to pull off that tough chase.
So I think he still has credits, made some runs second dig in Perth this year when Australia were stuffed, and he’s only batted once in Adelaide and once in Brisbane since. Reckon he does still command his place for runs alone, but needs some more pretty soon. It’ll be hard to keep Cameron Green out once he’s fit again.
An email from Tim Thomas: “Given the increasing unpredictability in weather patterns, is it time Test cricket took a page from the surfing world and extended the window for play. Playing 5 days of 7 or 10 with the option for some being called off due to rain or heat, seems like a nice way to ensure a result. Broadcasters and sponsors may never go for it but given how the rest of the week is looking in Brisbane, I think it’d be ideal.”
The issue, Tim, is that administrators are going the other way, wanting to squeeze Tests down to four days. More predictable, easier to schedule. Extended periods would never work because there are costs to having staff and stadiums on standby and those costs increase every day, whereas broadcast revenue for a Test match is a one-off fee for the match, no matter how long it goes. So every extra day is more expenditure against no increase in income, aside from gate receipts which would negligible by day six or more.
The modern schedule is already so crowded that they barely squeeze in two-Test series most of the time, much less series where matches were unpredictably a week or more. So, I like the idea (bring back the timeless Test) but it would be impossible. The WTC final has one reserve day if required, and that’s as far as we’ll get.
“What do you do in the third innings?” asks Ruth Purdue by email. “Block Bumrah and smack the other bowler and see where you get to, or block out the day? Make a game of it with risk of losing?”
I think if Australia had four bowlers they’d be much more inclined to do this. Marsh clearly isn’t reliably fit, despite their protestations, given they used him for two overs with Hazlewood missing. I don’t think they’d want to bowl much more than 50 overs given the workload for Starc and Cummins ahead of Melbourne. But then, Test cricket is tough and you never know when you’ll next be in a winning position. I think it’s worth going for it today, because surely on a fifth-day pitch with rain about they’re a chance to take a few Indian wickets early as they have done in all but one innings this series.
Of course, all that said, we’re currently losing overs again because of weather. So perhaps there’s no point and they might as well save their bowlers and use the day as a batting net.
I’ll tell you who this day’s play does matter to, once they get on. Usman Khawaja. Nathan McSweeney. Marnus Labuschagne. They all need to work their way into this series, Labuschagne’s fifty in Adelaide notwithstanding. They’re on a hiding to nothing, really, if they have to bat against Bumrah on a dark humid day with little to gain, but they have to treat it as a chance to put together a good innings without much riding on it. A free hit.
Here’s a new one. We have a lightning delay. Everybody is leaving the ground, even the ground staff and the camera operators. A big dark thunderhead is cruising by like a container ship.
India trail by 185 coming into the third innings
Ten minutes for Australia to get ready to bat. Then 92 overs left in the day, rain permitting.
WICKET! Deep st Carey b Head 31, India 260 for 10
Cummins wants to spare his quicks, turns to a part-timer, and Head delivers immediately. Not from the slap through wide long off that yields two, but the defensive shot that drags Akash Deep’s back foot out of his crease, where the boot lodges on the line trying to get back. Some dip from Head that created that. Good bowling, but a quality innings from Deep.
78th over: India 258-9 (Bumrah 10, Deep 29) Lyon another over, they review for a bat-pad catch but there’s no contact.
Don't think Travis Head loved that 😂#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/XzR6kIJZu5
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024
Updated
77th over: India 257-9 (Bumrah 10, Deep 27) So there are 98 overs scheduled for the day, plus the one ball from Cummins (that over counts as part of yesterday). Two overs for a change of innings, if that doesn’t happen at lunch or tea, so two potential changes of innings from here means four overs. Take the total down to 94 overs. Every over India faces here is one less available to Australia for batting, or one less that India might have to face later.
Cummins bowls a snorter, moving off the seam. Bumrah fumbles at them, after Deep rotates strike with a push to point.
Updated
76th over: India 256-9 (Bumrah 10, Deep 27) Nathan Lyon rather than Mitchell Starc to start the day. I’d be getting Starc to fire down a yorker. Bumrah essays a sweep that misses the bat, but takes his arm, fine of leg slip for four leg byes. Runs be runs.
Updated
75th over: India 252-9 (Bumrah 10, Deep 27) Of course, Cummins only gets one ball, because they came off last night for bad light with five balls bowled of his over. Deep runs it into the cordon along the ground.
Updated
Here come Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep with the chance to do a little more thorning in Australian siding. And Pat Cummins with a chance at a five-for.
Here’s my wrap about how much fun it was yesterday.
Preamble
Hello world. A fun fourth day despite the rain, as India saved the follow-on in dramatic and at times humorous circumstances. Who doesn’t love a last-wicket partnership against the odds? That partnership is unbroken, so Australia still have a wicket to get on this fifth morning, at which point there are three possibilities. One big, two remote.
Australia have to bat again regardless (or declare without batting). So they’ll probably just have a net and then have a little speculative bowl at India late in the day, given they’re down to three bowlers.
Or Australia could smash a hundred or so runs as fast as possible and put the target above 300 and beyond India, and try to bowl them out.
Or Australia could fall in a heap, thus setting India a target below 300, and India could have a shot at chasing it.
Probably more likely than that, it keeps raining sporadically and we get a wet draw.
One of the above, anyway. Or something even more boutique.
Shall we?
