Summary
Thank you for joining us today. Just a reminder that play will start 30 minutes earlier than usual tomorrow (9:50 local time / 10:50 AEDT) weather permitting.
Expect some early declaration speculation and plenty of nervous glances towards the rain radar.
Just a word on over-rates. Today’s play started 30 minutes earlier than usual, ended 30 minutes later than scheduled, featured Ravindra Jadeja bowling 16 of the quickest overs you could imagine, and the fall of just seven wickets – and yet still only 88 overs were eked out. This is two fewer than expected on a normal day, never mind one expected to feature 98 overs to make up play lost yesterday to rain.
Close of day two: Australia 405-7
An engrossing opening session gave way to an Australian avalanche as Travis Head and Steve Smith batted the home side into a dominant position at the end of day two of the Third Test. Jasprit Bumrah (5/72) played an increasingly familiar lone hand, stemming the flow with the second new ball, but India looked tired in the field and Rohit Sharma bereft of inspiration as captain.
All eyes turn now to the skies with rain forecast on each of the three remaining days. Will Australia have enough time to force victory or can India escape with a draw?
101st over: Australia 405-7 (Carey 45, Starc 7) Akash replaces Jadeja in the attack, one suspects in a bid by Rohit to ensure this is the final over of the day. Australia nurdle a couple of singles then Carey goes walkabout again, failing to connect on this occasion. Another couple of singles, then time-wasting from both sides to see the clock tick beyond 5:50pm and closing time.
100th over: Australia 401-7 (Carey 44, Starc 5) A two then a one from Starc, dead batting into the off side brings up Australia’s 400. With just three days remaining and rain forecast, it’s impossible to see them losing from this position, but will they have the time to force through a victory?
Making history 🤩#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/kS7LWbfkec
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 15, 2024
99th over: Australia 397-7 (Carey 43, Starc 2) Jadeja does his best to race through his work and keep Australia quiet but after three dots Carey lap sweeps for four with beautiful touch, then batters a slog sweep over cow corner for a barbarous six!
98th over: Australia 387-7 (Carey 33, Starc 2) Starc off the mark with a couple down to third.
WICKET! Cummins c Pant b Siraj 20 (australia 385-7)
Siraj finally has his first wicket of the Test, a regulation nick behind from a back of a length delivery. It arrives the ball after conceding five wides for a tennis ball bouncer. He barely celebrates. India are cooked.
97th over: Australia 378-6 (Carey 33, Cummins 18) This partnership is now into the 50s, and it has been very handy indeed, coming at a run-a-ball, advancing Australia just when India threatened to be clawing their way back into the contest.
Rohit turns to Jadeja to wrestle back some control, and he does the job, going for just a single, despite Carey attempting a Pant-like reverse slog.
Have seen Rohit Sharma the captain be cranky & irritated on the field before but rarely seen him as distraught as he’s looked often on the field today #AusvInd
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 15, 2024
96th over: Australia 377-6 (Carey 33, Cummins 17) Carey calls Cummins through for a quick single but he would have run out his skipper had Siraj hit the stumps with a creative flick in his follow through. Another questionable Carey call next ball invites confusion in the middle, and this time Siraj hurls at the stumps, misses the lot, and concedes an overthrow. Very end of day areas at the Gabba.
Carey changes the mood with another dance down the track. Siraj spots it, digs it in, but the keeper was committed and swats a pull-drive over long-on for four! That was a remarkable passage of play. A high quality late-cut makes it two boundaries in the over as Carey gallops into the 30s.
95th over: Australia 365-6 (Carey 23, Cummins 16) Gorgeous cover drive for four – all-run! – from Cummins, latching onto some length from Nitish with Carey running smartly, recognising the likely boundary was going to hold up on the soft outfield.
94th over: Australia 360-6 (Carey 22, Cummins 12) Siraj coms into the attack and lands four deliveries in the right areas. Carey then ventures on one of his periodic journeys down the pitch and slashes three into the offside.
This day’s play is really petering out. Neither side is making much of an effort to keep the pace of the game up, the crowd is making that restless hum, and with the cloud cover coming over it all feels like everyone would be better shaking hands and coming back tomorrow.
93rd over: Australia 355-6 (Carey 19, Cummins 11) Following another drinks break there are just 43 minutes left in the day, and none of Australia’s top order are in their whites up on the balcony, so I think we can rule out a declaration this evening.
Nitish takes over from Bumrah and Australia work five runs with little fuss. The final of those was courtesy of a misfield from Akash, demonstrating how tired and weary India are starting to look in the field. It’s been a long day for them, but they’ve only bowled 80 overs. I long for the over-rate revolution.
92nd over: Australia 351-6 (Carey 16, Cummins 9) Cummins again almost drives to gully, this time off Akash, who also gets one to seam and swing back into Carey and cause the Australian keeper some discomfort. As he did two overs ago, Carey responds by sashaying down he pitch and long-handling a length ball, but he doesn’t middle it and has to settle for two.
91st over: Australia 348-6 (Carey 14, Cummins 8) Bumrah comes wide on the crease to angle in a couple of bumpers at Cummins, then lands one on a perfect length to draw an edge that doesn’t carry to the diving KL Rahul in the gully.
90th over: Australia 347-6 (Carey 14, Cummins 7) Australia continue to accumulate, but Akash shows the potential of the new ball on this deck by ripping a jaffa that is too good for Carey. Carey responds by coming down the pitch, eliminating any sideways movement, and belting a drive through long-off for four.
There are 22 overs still scheduled to be bowled today with just 25 minutes remaining, so we’ll have to take that extra half-hour, taking us through to 5:50pm local time (6:50pm AEDT). With cloud cover starting to form again, and the floodlights taking effect, there’s a chance Australia might look to declare before the close and invite India to bat in these gloomy conditions.
Updated
89th over: Australia 340-6 (Carey 8, Cummins 6) Carey’s demeanour since striding out to the middle suggests Australia’s strategic approach is to keep this game moving quickly. He flays a boundary through the covers off a perfectly serviceable Bumrah delivery, then Cummins adds four more from a rare leg-stump half-volley.
Given the prospect of inclement weather during the remainder of the Test, and the strength of the home attack, a first-innings total of 340+ may already be considered a match-winning one.
88th over: Australia 330-6 (Carey 3, Cummins 1) Australia’s No 7 & 8 exchange singles before Carey is beaten on his outside edge by Akash from around the wicket. The strike rotates and Cummins plays and misses an attempted cut. Suddenly the pressure is back on Australia with no set batter at the crease and India with a ball just eight overs old.
87th over: Australia 327-6 (Carey 1, Cummins 0) Bumrah rips the final delivery from a double-wicket over past Cummins’ outside edge. Three wickets in the past 20 minutes and Bumrah has single-handedly turned this procession back into a contest.
WICKET! Head c Pant b Bumrah 152 (australia 327-6)
Carey’s beaten first up before realising the safe space is the non-striker’s end. His dab into the off side is fielded by Siraj who pulls up with cramp in the act of gathering the stroke.
Then Bumrah gets his fifth! Again it’s a length delivery angled in (this time from around the wicket) that holds its line and draws the edge. Superb bowling from India’s one-man attack.
It brings to an end a Test-defining knock from Travis Head. 152 quickfire runs that have put his side in the box seat. Brilliant batting.
WICKET! Marsh c Kohli b Bumrah 5 (Australia 326-5)
Bumrah with the new ball is threatening to bowl India back into this contest! Textbook delivery, angling in from over the wicket, holding its line, drawing the edge, and carrying comfortably to second slip. Marsh looked skittish during his 16 ball stay and his demise is little surprise.
150 to Travis Head! (157 balls)
86th over: Australia 325-4 (Head 151, Marsh 5) Akash cramps Head from around the wicket but he still scampers through for a single to bring up another milestone. The South Australian is dominating this series. Then Marsh is almost caught and bowled! A length delivery sticks in the wicket but Marsh follows through with the stroke anyway and bunts at catchable height towards the bowler in his follow through. Akash sticks out a right hand instinctively but it misses its target by a few inches and Australia’s No 6 gets off the mark. Marsh soon gets another life! Top-edging a pull down to backward square leg but it lands just in front of Gill coming in off the rope.
After cruising for most of the day Australia are going through a little wayward patch.
85th over: Australia 318-4 (Head 149, Marsh 0) Marsh remains on none, and again misses out on an attempted pull as Bumrah sends down a rare maiden.
84th over: Australia 318-4 (Head 149, Marsh 0) Towards the end of a day dominated by Smith’s footwork, that was a tired, leaden-footed swipe at a full delivery, more reminiscent of recent struggles than the free-flowing batting of the previous couple of hours. Head gets Marsh on strike with a single, then the allrounder fails to get off the mark, missing a loose Akash delivery down the leg side. A single off the last is then adjudged a leg-bye. Big final hour coming up for India.
In the history of Australian Test cricket, there have been just 19 instances of a double-century partnership having been put into bat.
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) December 15, 2024
Two of those are Travis Head and Steve Smith, against India, in the last 18 months
Updated
WICKET! Smith c Rohit b Bumrah 101 (Australia 316-4)
Following the final drinks break of the day Australia work three singles off a Bumrah over that looks pedestrian, until he comes from widen on the crease and draws Smith into a drive that flies to the right of the tumbling Rohit at first slip who holds on this time to take an excellent catch.
Smith walks off with 101 to his name and the satisfaction of playing himself back into form. That was an innings full of resilience and it’s put Australia in the box seat in this Test.
Updated
100 to Steve Smith! (185 balls)
82nd over: Australia 313-3 (Smith 100, Head 146) Akash shares new ball duties but after a sighter Smith on-drives with technical precision to move to 99. Then he nudges off his pads for his 33rd Test century, and first in 26 innings. He had to really battle through his first 50 or so runs, but since then he’s been towed along in Travis Head’s slipstream, looking increasingly fluent and back to something like his old self.
Meanwhile, Head continues on his merry way, getting a thick outside edge that beats gully and races away for four.
81st over: Australia 302-3 (Smith 95, Head 140) The new ball is taken immediately and gifted straight to Jasprit Bumrah. Can the Indian talisman drag his team back into the contest?
He has two slips and a gully to Head.. who whips a half-volley off his toes over midwicket for an undemanding boundary. The second ball keeps low after pitching, not the first to that in the past hour or so, which will delight Australia’s pacemen with 300 runs already to defend. Ball three is full and wide and Head appears to dig out a bump-ball drive that is claimed spectacularly by a diving Jaiswal in the gully, who hurls the ball into the air thinking (perhaps) there’s a catch. The third umpire takes little time confirming the ball was hit into the deck off the bat. Bumrah sees the over out neatly, but there was little to excite him about the new Kookaburra.
80th over: Australia 297-3 (Smith 95, Head 135) Siraj draws an edge from Smith… but the old ball kept low off the pitch, then off the bat, and doesn’t threaten to carry to first slip. Decent over from Siraj, no boundaries from it, and out comes the second new ball.
79th over: Australia 295-3 (Smith 94, Head 134) Six balls, five singles. Rohit is just hanging Jadeja out to dry. One over of punishment before India can take the new ball.
78th over: Australia 291-3 (Smith 92, Head 132) Siraj bowls ok, Australia accumulate for five balls, then on the last Head just stands and delivers on the rise from off stump back down the ground for an intimidating boundary. That was brutish.
Deliveries left alone by:
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) December 15, 2024
Nathan McSweeney in this series - 77
Travis Head in his last seven Test tons combined - 65
77th over: Australia 282-3 (Smith 90, Head 125) Rohit could also have hooked Jaedja from the attack but he’s out of options with the new ball so close. Smith takes advantage, freeing his arms through the off side and flaying a boundary through square cover. Can Smith reach triple figures before the new ball?
76th over: Australia 277-3 (Smith 86, Head 124) Rohit is forced to remove Nitish from the attack and call on Siraj, who immediately beats Head for pace as he tries to cut a delivery that lacked width. Just one run from a much tidier over.
Meanwhile in Hamilton, play has ended on day two of the third Test with New Zealand well on course for a consolation victory over England.
75th over: Australia 276-3 (Smith 86, Head 123) Now Smith drills Jadeja through extra cover, and with the kind of insouciance we haven’t seen for a while, barely acknowledging the stroke as it races to the fence. It’s a shot that brings up the 200 partnership between this pair, one that began as a rebuilding job, became a platform, and is now a Test-defining combination that India have no answer to.
74th over: Australia 269-3 (Smith 81, Head 121) Nitish’s pace is dropping and Smith is starting to go through the gears, latching onto a wide delivery he’s been accustomed to leaving, then flowing his hands through an extra-cover drive that’s all timing. I think we can safely say he’s played himself back into form. Whether it’s consistent run-scoring form remains to be seen, but it’s a knock that removes any doubts over his place in this XI for the remainder of the summer.
73rd over: Australia 261-3 (Smith 74, Head 120) This pair are making life difficult for India. Rohit wants to sit on Jadeja from one end until the new ball but Head carves him through the covers for four, then Smith lofts him one bounce into the sightscreen for four more. Never mind the new ball, Australia may have already taken the Test away from India before it arrives.
Updated
72nd over: Australia 251-3 (Smith 69, Head 115) Nitish shares duties after tea but his first ball is overpitched and Head punches it with the full face of the bat straight back where it came from for a boundary of effortless simplicity. Then he’s dropped! Head tries to work Nitish off the stumps to leg and gets a leading edge that carries to a diving Rohit at second-ish slip, but tumbling away to his left the skipper can’t hold onto the chance despite getting two hands to the ball. Smith completes the over with a free swish of the blade, scything through the shot like a swashbuckler in an Errol Flynn movie for another confidence-boosting boundary.
71st over: Australia 237-3 (Smith 65, Head 106) Jadjea begins after Tea, and he almost jags the big wicket of Head with the centurion going too hard at a cut that wasn’t on after the ball spun into him off a length. He’s lucky to see his inside-edge run down to fine-leg instead of crashing into his pegs.
There’s still the slight possibly of a shower before the day is out, but that chance is becoming more remote every passing minute.
We should be in for ten or so overs of Australia making hay before what is likely to prove a Test-defining 90 minutes with the second new ball.
One session to play, and we've got 42 overs left to bowl at the Gabba still today.
— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) December 15, 2024
Forget rain, we'll lose an hour of cricket to pure tardiness.
And the scoreboard at the Gabba? Showing India's over-rate as on par. #AUSvIND
Tea: Australia 234-3
70th over: Australia 234-3 (Smith 65, Head 103) Australia complete the session without losing a wicket. They have motored from 75-3 to 234-3, turning this Test on its head. Travis Head has been the catalyst, but Steve Smith is grinding his way back into form at the other end.
India’s bowlers haven’t done too much wrong, but they lack anything resembling a plan to Head, and Rohit has been slow to respond to this partnership following a nip-and-tuck opening couple of hours.
When Travis Head gets off the mark in Tests at the Gabba, he averages 113.5.
— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) December 15, 2024
100 to Travis Head (115 balls)
69th over: Australia 231-3 (Smith 64, Head 101) Smith nurdles Bumrah away for a single to bring Head on strike. The crowd gets involved, clapping Bumrah through his approach and “ooohing” as Head’s mistimed cover drive fails to beat the field. The claps return the following ball, and this time they are capped by raucous cheers as Australia’s star man clips three runs off his toes to bring up an effortless and rapid century. Another game-changing knock from the South Australian. He is in the form of his life, and the timing couldn’t be better as colleagues struggle around him.
Updated
68th over: Australia 227-3 (Smith 63, Head 98) Short and wide from Nitish and Smith unfurls that heavy-handed cut that comes down like an executioner’s axe, pounding the ball to the cover fence. Nice comeback from the allrounder though who almost pierces Smith’s defence with a yorker, then follows that up with some extra bounce off a length. A single off the last comes much to the frustration of the Gabba crowd who are ready to salute Head’s inevitable ton.
Travis Head a gun, but mainly a horrid one to plan to. Normal bowling just won't work: since start of the 2021/22 Ashes, against balls from the quicks on/outside off stump, he averages 77 and strikes at 101. Need to either go *really* wide, bore him out, or bounce him early.
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) December 15, 2024
67th over: Australia 222-3 (Smith 58, Head 98) Rohit breaks the glass in case of emergency and calls on Jasprit Bumrah to bowl his 18th over of the innings. Head couldn’t care less, bullying his second delivery off a length for four through mid-on. Then Smith plays one of those extra-cover drives where his feet are in position seemingly before the ball has been bowled and his bat looks about three blades wide. It only earns three on the slow outfield but it’s an ominous sign nonetheless.
Prepare to stand and applaud another Head century sooner rather than later.
66th over: Australia 214-3 (Smith 55, Head 93) Nitish replaces Siraj and Head welcomes him to the attack by crunching a long hop in front of point for yet another boundary. Now Smith gets in on the act, pulling with vintage timing well in front of square. Is he back?
65th over: Australia 205-3 (Smith 51, Head 88) More runs for Travis Head, rocking back and carving Jadeja through the covers for four, then watching the ball onto the bat for a late cut worth two. Australia are putting their foot on the gas and India seem unable to respond.
Since the 55th over:
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) December 15, 2024
Travis Head - 52 runs from 42 balls
Steve Smith - 9 runs from 26 balls#AUSvIND
Updated
64th over: Australia 196-3 (Smith 50, Head 80) Whenever Siraj drops short to Head the Australian goes on the attack. The latest example is an uppercut for four down to third from a delivery on off stump that would have cramped a batter in poorer form. India need Rohit to get a hold of this situation and start setting the narrative, whether it’s a short-ball approach to Head, bowling dry to Smith, or rotating his attack. At the moment Australia are taking control of this Test reasonably unopposed.
FIFTY to Steve Smith (Australia 191-3)
63rd over: Australia 191-3 (Smith 50, Head 75) Head slaps Jadeja through the covers for a long three after a smidgen of extra bounce forces a rare false stroke. Smith then nudges a single to mid-on to bring up a 42nd half-century, and surely one of his most hardworking and determined.
Australia are now scoring at five rpo through the past dozen or so overs, taking the initiative away from India.
Updated
62nd over: Australia 184-3 (Smith 49, Head 71) Head continues to play a different game to the rest of his countrymen, swatting a pull from just in front of the badge on his helmet behind square for four. That was a decent bouncer from Siraj and his frenemy treated it with disdain. Another boundary follows soon afterwards, but far less convincingly, with a mighty slash outside off stump flying through the undermanned cordon.
That’s the hundred partnership, and Head is bringing Smith along in his slipstream.
61st over: Australia 173-3 (Smith 48, Head 61) Three singles from another rapid Jadeja over. This partnership is now 98, and with Head in full control of his game. India have a big 19 overs coming up before the second new ball is due.
60th over: Australia 170-3 (Smith 47, Head 59) Head effortlessly ramps Siraj for a one-bounce four, much to the annoyance of Simon Katich who is furious the man who has been fielding at a fly-slip/third is no longer in position. Of course Rohit then returns a fielder to that posting immediately afterwards.
On the subject of recently retired TV commentators…
Warner talking about Head and the deep point was so interesting. Their scoring areas are so similar and Warner was one of the first batters for whom deep point became almost a norm. Always nice when recent/current players are on comms with fresh insight
— Karthikeya (@KarthikeyaCric) December 15, 2024
This tweet is an astute observation and a pattern we’ve seen repeated throughout the past 20-30 years. Right now we have David Warner in his early commentary career sweet spot on FOX, along with Aaron Finch doing his best to add value on the mic on Seven.
The challenge for broadcasters is extending these windows for as long as possible (see Ricky Ponting) to avoid the expert analysis either losing currency as the game changes around them, or the cricketer segues into a broadcaster and stops making the effort as they become too comfortable with the sound of their own voice (see most of the rest).
At least with two options here in Australia I can flick between call teams when, say, Brett Lee thinks his job is to be funny, or James Brayshaw calls Steve Smith “Smudge” like he’s a footy player kicking a goal on FM radio.
59th over: Australia 163-3 (Smith 46, Head 53) Jadeja again does his best to improve the over-rate, conceding just a single for his troubles. The partnership is now up to 88.
I’m going to steal a nugget from cricket writer Daniel Cherny who has just tweeted “ Steve Smith batting average in Test cricket in 2024: At the Gabba: 143 / Everywhere else: 15.”
58th over: Australia 162-3 (Smith 46, Head 52) Smith continues to sidestep a long way across his stumps and earns a couple of leg-byes down to fine leg. Then he doesn’t move as far and is fortunate to squirt a leading edge through the vacant point region for a couple more. He is really grinding out there, but he keeps Siraj wicketless and moves closer to a half-century.
50+ scores in this series:
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) December 15, 2024
3 - Travis Head
1 - The rest of Australia#AUSvIND
57th over: Australia 158-3 (Smith 44, Head 52) Jadeja hurries through a maiden, keeping Head watchful on the crease.
Thank you Angus, and hello to everybody else out there.
After two quickfire Tests that moved at breakneck speed, we’re now halfway through an engrossing day of more traditional high-quality fare. India’s four seamers have given little away, and only Travis Head has looked to take the game on with the bat. Steve Smith’s innings has been fascinating, watching him return to that bold trigger movement to the off side and survive a number of near misses on both edges and marginal LBWs.
It’s been dry for most of the day despite heavy showers drifting inland across south east Queensland from the Pacific. There remains a chance one or more of those may clip the Gabba before the close of play.
And that close is scheduled to be 5.20pm local time (6.20pm AEDT) with an unlikely 56 overs scheduled to be bowled in the next three or so hours.
Please send me your emails and keep me company. The address is jonathan.howcroft.casual@guardian.co.uk.
56th over: Australia 158-3 (Smith 44, Head 52) Five from the over as Head takes another a pair of runs and a single and Smith takes an aerial route to another two from the bowling of Siraj. That brings this partnership to 83 – much-needed by Australia.
That’s me done for the day! Thanks for your company and emails. I pass the baton to Jonathan Howcroft who’ll take you home to stumps.
Updated
FIFTY for Travis Head (Australia 155-3)
Siraj is back but Head is merciless. He takes the bowler’s short ball at 135kph and pulls hard in front of square for two to bring up his third 50-plus score in a row. Great batting by Head. He is hauling this Test match back into Australia’s favour.
Updated
55th over: Australia 153-3 (Smith 42, Head 49) Was that a snick?! Jadeja wangled his field, bringing in a silly mid-on with great fanfare. Head went to drive and missed. Big appeal from thw bowler but Rohit Sharma, with just one referral left, demurs. Good call – that noise was bat hitting pad. The next noise is Head whacking Jadeja over the top for FOUR down the ground. Wide again goes Jadeja? Down the ground again goes Head! Suddenly, with conbsecutive boundaries, Head is within sight of a half-century.
Updated
54th over: Australia 143-3 (Smith 42, Head 40) Akash Kumar Reddy is into his 18th over – the most for India in this innings. He has 0-39 with five maidens to show for it but has straightened his lines since the first session to make the batters play more often. And play Smith does! Akash put that one wider and Smith got onto his toes to cut for FOUR!
53rd over: Australia 139-3 (Smith 38, Head 39) Ravindra Jadeja bustles through another lightning-fast over, with just a single to Travis Head and a no-ball to show for it. The allrounder is in his 78th Test and averages over 35 with the bat and 23 with the ball with 3235 Test runs and 319 wickets. Yet he’s been left out of the side for this series until now!
Updated
52nd over: Australia 137-3 (Smith 38, Head 37) After Head’s single, Akash zeroes in on Smith’s leg stump. But Smudge is onto it and whips it quickly through midwicket for three runs. Head hammers square but can’t breach the field. It’s just a single and brings him level with Smith on 38. Akash beats Smith with the fifth and the batter bows his head to show he’s been bested.
51st over: Australia 132-3 (Smith 35, Head 36) Jadeja is a spin bowler who bowls quickly, hustling in and cranking out his deliveries like a dervish. Six balls disappear in a flash with just a leg bye leaked.
50th over: Australia 131-3 (Smith 35, Head 36) Smith drives down the ground for FOUR. It was a ripe half volley from Akash, who looks to be tiring in his 16th over, and Smith took full advantage, uncoiling a magnificent shot to send the ball to the rope. Great response from the bowler as he whips one, then a second, past the outside edge. We have an appeal… no raised finger… and no referral. Rightly so, as replays show that noise was ball hitting hip en route to the ‘keeper. Akash rips the next one past Smith’s batr and into his left pad and appeals afresh for LBW. Rohit refers it… and rues it. Replays show it flying over the top of leg stump.
49th over: Australia 127-3 (Smith 31, Head 36) Interesting change for India. Coming into bowl the 49th over is Ravi Jadeja, the world’s best allrounder in his first game of the series. And straight away he finds turn from this Gabba green top, getting one to fizz and stay low on Head. He’s up to the oddity though. And now he punishes extra bounce by pulling Jadeja around the corner for a muscular FOUR. Six from the over and the Smith-Head partnership has hit FIFTY. Of those, Steve Smith has contributed just 13.
48th over: Australia 121-3 (Smith 31, Head 30) Head ramps Bumrah for FOUR! What a shot. The Indian master dug the ball in short at 138kph and the Australian No 5 calmly leaned back, took it off his moustache and lifted it over the slip cordon for the craftiest of boundaries. Shot!
Over in Hamilton, England have collapsed to be all out 143! Rather than enforce the follow-on New Zealand are batting again with the buffer of a 204-run lead.
47th over: Australia 116-3 (Smith 31, Head 25) As Akash toils into his 15th over and the mercury nudges 30C in Brisbane, the Smith-Head partnership hits 40 runs, the best of the Australian innings so far. There is a beach ball doing the rounds of the outer and Smith is momentarily distracted, too much to score anything off the bat.
46th over: Australia 115-3 (Smith 31, Head 25) Bumrah’s 16th over is sharp and nasty and Australia take two singles, with neither batter eager to retain strike. Fascinating sessions ahead – will Head rip the Test from India’s grasp as he did in Adelaide? Or will Bumrah blast out the home side as he did so potently in Perth?
45th over: Australia 113-3 (Smith 30, Head 24) Akash is into his 13th over and has 0-25 so far. His first ball is a fast yorker and Head whips it off his toes for two. He looks in good touch does the Australian vice-captain. Indian enforcer Mohammed Siraj is back on the field after his dicky hamstring came good. He chases it down and gets his customary jeer from the outer. Heads cuts the second ball for a single. Smith shuffles into a straight ball and draws an appeal from Akash. But there’s no support from his teammates let alone the umpire.
44th over: Australia 110-3 (Smith 30, Head 21) Swish and a miss! Smith left the first one, chased the second. Bumrah drew him forward and Smith stepped out late and missed. Now an inside edge narrowly misses the timberwork and runs away to fine leg for FOUR. Rueful smiles from both batter and bowler but danger signs for Australia. Bumrah has a full belly and an appetite for destruction. A single to Smith gets him to 30 and brings Head on strike. Bumrah switches to around the wicket and angles it in on a leg stump line. Head steps out and meets it, driving for an easy single to keep strike.
Players are back on the field and action is about to get under way. It will be Jasprit Bumrah to Steve Smith…
LUNCH: Australia 104-3 (Smith 25*, Head 20*)
What a terrific session that was – rain-free and action-packed!
Under blue Brisbane skies, India won the early battle thanks again to their fast-bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah (2-26 from 14 overs). He dismissed both Australia’s opening pair of Usman Khawaja (21 from 54) and Nathan McSweeney (nine from 49) in a brilliant spell of controlled yet aggressive bowling in the morning session.
Australia rallied for a time with a 37-run partnership between the twitch twins of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Then, in the 33rd over, Nitish Kumar Reddy wrestled back the momentum for the visitors, drawing Marnus forward and catching the edge for Virat Kohly to pouch his second catch of the day. It put Australia on the brink at 75-3.
Smith lived dangerously with his hot-stepping from leg stump to off and was lucky to survive several close appeals. But he endured, and has battled his way to lunch unbeaten on 25 with just a solitary boundary from his 68 balls faced. Travis Head has typically added rocket fuel to the innings, charging to 20 from 35 balls with two boundaries. His battle against Bumrah in this next session may yet define the Test – and the series.
Time to wet the whistle and bolster the belly. Back soon!
43rd over: Australia 104-3 (Smith 25, Head 20) Travis Head doesn’t believe in blocking his way to a break. First ball from Akash he attacks and drives for two runs to deep cover. Then a single to take his total to 20 from 32 and this partnership to 26 at a strike-rate of 50. Smith taps another one onto his tally. Head again has a heave at Akash but misses. His drives at the fifth but Bumrah cuts it off with a dive. In good news for India, Mohammed Siraj is back on the field seemingly recovered from his hamstring twinge.
That will be lunch.
Updated
42nd over: Australia 100-3 (Smith 24, Head 17) After Smith pushes Bumrah through square leg for a single, Australia’s hundred comes up from a Head push backward of square. One more over before we break for a feed I reckon.
41st over: Australia 98-3 (Smith 23, Head 16) Travis Head isn’t playing for lunch – he’s ever-hungry for runs. Two balls in succession he’s tried to slash Akash over gully and failed. Now he flashes again and Pant has to really jump to haul it down. A very eventful maiden!
Updated
40th over: Australia 98-3 (Smith 23, Head 16) Smith v Bumrah isn’t quite Godzilla v Kong although “Smudge” isn’t a bad moniker for a metropolis-marauding behemoth. Not in this over though. After Head’s sharp single from Bumrah’s front-foot no-ball, Smith plays out three dots.
39th over: Australia 95-3 (Smith 23, Head 15) Just a single for Head as he cuts backward of square. Nitish keeps it tight for the remainder of the over as Smith looks to lunch.
Updated
38th over: Australia 94-3 (Smith 23, Head 14) Finally, we have the monster match this crowd has been waiting for: Head v Bumrah. Head takes a single from the first, Smith does likewise. And now… WHACK! Head gets onto the front foot and drives with pinpoint accuracy between mid off and cover for FOUR. Lovely shot. He tries to replicate it on the next but doesn’t middle it. Instead it’s a sand iron chipped over the infield for three. Suddenly, Travis Head has 14 from 16 balls and is officially away!
37th over: Australia 85-3 (Smith 22, Head 6) As Siraj continues and Bumrah remains ominously on ice, Australia take two backward of point.
Tully Haines has been in touch by email after a fielding mishap resulted in what Tully believes is a fatal twist of fate for Marnus:
Hi Angus, I was very worried Labuschagne would get out that ball, Smith’s shot for three clearly touched Bumrah’s trousers while his arm was on the ground over the rope. Should have been a four and Smith should have stayed on strike.
Meanwhile, Ross McGillivray joins the chorus of critics who loathe Labuschagne’s slow-motion walk off after being dismissed…
Marnus strolls off as slow as can be practising the shot he thinks he played that hit him out. He’s a bit of a worry.
Agree, Ross. Not a good look by Marnus. But it’s been going on for some time now hasn’t it? Would you consider it dissent? And whose job is it to call him on it?
India have another worry. Mohammed Siraj has gone off with an injury.
36th over: Australia 83-3 (Smith 20, Head 6) Head… SHOT! Nitish gave him width and Travis whacked him to the boundary with a square cut that disappeared in a flash. Head tries it again but this time it’s stopped by the infielder. He gets a single from the next instead but this Test has started to accelerate now Australia’s wrecking ball No 5 is at the crease. There’s a mild appeal as Head’s pull shot misses by a millimetre. Nothing doing.
35th over: Australia 77-3 (Smith 19, Head 1) Mohammed Siraj is back for a tenth over but surely Jasprit Bumrah will return next over to take on Head before he gets going. But not yet. First we have a huge shout for LBW against Smith – no appeal mind you, as Siraj continues his annoying habit of charging to his slip cordon rather than asking the question of the umpire. Umpire says NO but it’s a no-shot by Smith and an ugly one. He stepped across and got hit hard and high on the right pad. Siraj was certain he had the wicket but the umpire shook his head. Sharma referred it… but no dice. Although it’s clipping the off bail, we will stay with the infield decision. Now we have more controversy as Siraj loses the towel tucked into his waistband in his delivery stride. Smith plays a shot while pointing out the anomaly and somehow manages a run. Head finds a single off the last to finish a weird over.
34th over: Australia 75-3 (Smith 15, Head 0) After that wicket, Travis Head walks to the wicket on a run of three golden ducks in a row at the Gabba! He survives the first ball from Nitish, thankfully one of those legside deliveries that undid him in the past. Head’s hands are flashing as always, hungry for bat on ball. But he can’t get off the mark just yet. Good over by Nitish.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Kohli b Nitish 12 (Australia 75-3)
Farewell, Marnus Labuschagne! Nitish has really bent his back and bowled beautifully this morning and now he has his reward. That was a faster ball angled across the batter and Labuschagne went to drive with hard hands and misjudged the pace to send a thick edge straight into the sticky fingers of Virat Kohli at second slip. Australia three down and India on top!
Updated
33rd over: Australia 72-2 (Labuschagne 12, Smith 15) A middlin’ shout by Siraj against Smith is dismissed by both umpire and India captain Rohit Sharma. They run a legbye instead. A strange moment now as Siraj walks down the pitch and switches the bails, a piece of gamesmanship straight out of the Stuart Broad Playbook! Labuschagne’s riposte is to wait until the bowler turns his back before switching the bails back. Now Siraj, steam issuing from the ears, puts one around Marnus’s ears and follows it with some fruity lip service. Marnus gets one off the hip through midwicket and runs two.
Cricket is a game full of strange superstitions…
Updated
32nd over: Australia 70-2 (Labuschagne 10, Smith 15) Nitish returns for a fourth over. Labuschangne is bogged down with just eight runs from 43 balls. Finally, runs! He moves his total on with a well-timed flick off the pads for two. Siraj fields on the boundary and the pantomime villain gets a chorus of jeers from the Gabba crowd. Labuschagne drives the next one, an over-pitched ball on middle, but Bumrah moves quickly to his left to stop what looked a certain boundary. Good fielding India.
31st over: Australia 67-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 15) Another lovely shot by Smith from Siraj’s first ball. He adds two more with a controlled swipe through midwicket for two. The big beligerent quick retaliates by banging the next one in faster on leg stump and it’s very nearly LBW. Luckily, Smith gets a bit of blade on it. Good bowling! Smith was beaten by the pace there. and Siraj is starting to get the ball to skid on
30th over: Australia 67-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 15) Bang! Smith drives Nitish handsomely for three runs. He has 15 and is starting to look good.
29th over: Australia 62-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 10) A curious over as Siraj and Labuschagne throw a flurry of blows at each other for no runs or reward on either side. Some handsome shots by the batter but can’t pierce the field. Some scorching deliveries by the bowler but no edge. Ultimately, it’s a very entertaining maiden. Siraj comments on this curious turn of events with a flash of his forked tongue at the end of the over. Labuschagne blows a bubble and smirks. Don’t poke the bear Marnus!
28th over: Australia 62-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 10) Australia are slowly rebuilding after the loss of their opening pair. This partnership is now worth 24 from 56 deliveries. Jasprit Bumrah is out of the attack and they have the second and third-change bowlers Siraj and Nitish coming at them. Can they cash in? Not in this over. Nitish, firing them down at 127kph, bowls a maiden.
27th over: Australia 62-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 10) Labuschagne finds a single from the first ball of Siraj’s sixth over. The big quick makes Smith play at the next two. Fourth ball is short – VERY short. It flies over the batter and wicketkeeper Pant and runs away for five wides. Smith salts the wound with a glanced single from the fifth.
Updated
26th over: Australia 55-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 9) Double change by India as Nitish Kumar Reddy enters the attack for his first over of the Test. He delivers a mixed bag in his first foray, probing outside off stump and that leg stump line Smith seemns vulbnerable to. Five dots until Smith works one out of his ribcage for a fast-run deuce.
25th over: Australia 53-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 7) Jasprit Bumrah is grabbing a breather and captain Rohit Sharma has brought his firebrand fastbowler Mohammed Siraj into the attack. Right from the jump he gets Labuschagne hopping. Now he catches Marnus i9n front and not offering a shot. Huge shout! Umpires says NO. The India skipper says YeahbutNoReview. And it’s a good call – straight but flying over middle stump. Good bowling by Siraj, risky batting by Labuschagne.
Drinks are on the field here at the Gabba and it’s 53-2. Over in Hamilton it’s 54-2. New Zealand may have lost the series against England but they are going down with a fight in this third and final Test. A flurry by the tailenders got them to a first innings total of 347 and they now have both openers out and England in trouble.
24th over: Australia 53-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 7) Akash needs a spell. He’s releasing the pressure Bumrah builds with over after over of wider balls that are too easy for the batters to leave. Finally after four air balls, Smith drops and runs… and gets two leg byes. Awkward to watch as Smith thrust leg and bat at it, but it’s two more on the total.
23rd over: Australia 51-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 7) Another edge! This time it’s Labuschagne caught on the crease by Bumrah, squared up and snicking just short of second slip. Next delivery is a peach, sliding down the channel a whisker from the bat. Even Marnus claps his bat in appreciation of that one. Rightly so. Bumrah is on song. Somehow, after a couple more swishes, Labuschagne survives the over.
22nd over: Australia 51-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 7) Beaten! Labuschgnage chased Akash there and it very nearly resulted in his demise. Better bowling by the six-Test tyro from Delhi. But that’s wide and fiull again and Labuschagne punishes it, sending it just short of the midwicket boundary for three. And now more luck for Smith! He flinches and edges, sending it skidding through the slips cordon for a very tinny boundary. Fifty is up for Australia.
Updated
21st over: Australia 44-2 (Labuschagne 4, Smith 3) Bumrah to Smith. This will be quite the duel. Smith is caught on the hip by a ball angling in at 138kph. He pushes into the offside for tight run. Good strike rotation by these two so far. Smith started this 112th Test of his career needing 296 runs to reach the coveted 10,000 Test runs mark. He is four runs closer to that dream. As is Labuschagne, who scampers a single from the last.
20th over: Australia 42-2 (Labuschagne 3, Smith 2) Straight away Smith, who is batting way outside leg stump, is taking a big step back and across to negate the swing. His first ball from Akash is a straight-out play and miss as he’s beaten on the inside edge. Akash is aghast. Smith takes a run through midwicket from Akash’s third ball to get off his duck. Labuschagne takes a single and Smith does likewise to close out the over.
Updated
19th over: Australia 39-2 (Labuschagne 2, Smith 0) Steve Smith is at the crease and Jasprit Bumrah is on a tear with two wickets already this morning. His first ball is a trap – a legside lure that Smith chases. Risky! That’s what cooked his bacon in the last Test but he still goes for it. A leg bye ensues.
WICKET! McSweeney c Kohli b Bumrah 9 (Australia 38-2)
Bumrah strikes again! McSweeney snicks off to Kohli at second slip and the visitors are suddenly on fire at the Gabba. Nine runs off 49 balls for the rookie opener in his third Test. Poor footwork and Bumrah angled it in and the edge was healthy and lethal. That won’t quiet the calls for NSW young gun Sam Konstas to get a shot as Australia’s opener.
Updated
18th over: Australia 38-1 (McSweeney 9, Labuschagne 2) Finally Akash makes McSweeney play… and he edges! But it’s low and wide of slip and scuds to the boundary rope. In one streaky stroke McSweeney just doubled the total it took him 44 balls to compile. Shackles sprung, he runs a single to celebrate. Labuschagne gets off the mark with a dodgy clip to fine leg, inside edging a straight one onto his pad and taking two. Akash had 0-3 from five overs but now has 0-10 from six.
Updated
17th over: Australia 31-1 (McSweeney 4, Labuschagne 0) Here comes Marnus. Can he pick up where he left off in the second Test? That strong knock led Australia to victory and saved a career which hung by a thread after two very ugly dismissals in the opening match. He gets behind the first few as Bumrah straight away attacks his pads.
WICKET! Khawaja c Pant b Bumrah 21 (Australia 31-1)
Khawaja goes! Beautiful bowling by Bumrah who banged it in at 137kph on a fourth-stump line and drew a feathered edge. India have first blood on day two and again the visitors have exposed Khawaja who has got himself into a fatal habit of jumping to meet the rising delivery. That one was full and angled and it caught Australia’s veteran opener indecisive with minimal footwork. He played… and lost.
Updated
16th over: Australia 31-0 (Khawaja 21, McSweeney 4) It’s Akash’s birthday but Nathan McSweeney is getting all the gifts. Six dots in this over but not one of them made the batter play. India need wickets and McSweeney, already a formidable astonewaller, isn’t going to chance his hand if he doesn’t have to.
15th over: Australia 31-0 (Khawaja 21, McSweeney 4) First runs! And it’s a handsome back foot swish through covers by Khawaja. Two runs. Bumrah was a tad short yesterday and he starts day two in the same vein. No sign of seam movement or swing so far. Bumrah squares up Khawaja on the next – good comeback by the master quick who starts his seventh over with 0-10. Big shout on the third as Khawaja misses a straight one but the edge was audible for mine. Maybe Jasprit was just warming up the tonsils. He finishes with a flourish, beating the batter with two zingers to close. Game on!
Updated
14th over: Australia 29-0 (Khawaja 19, McSweeney 4) It’s Akash Deep’s birthday today and he gets a four-ball over first-up to celebrate. His first ball is… wide. So is his second. Two sighters for McSweeney – what a gift for a batter who’s starting the day with four runs from 33 deliveries and a strike-rate of 11. Fifth ball is a no ball. Last one is a leave. So ends an over that took 22 hours to complete.
Updated
Here we go, folks…. buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down!
As players prepare to take the field under increasingly blue skies here at the Gabba, it’s nice to hear Melbourne’s own Hunters & Collectors (street name: “Hunners”) providing the soundtrack for this summer’s thali feast of cricket…
Rarely do we see a summer of cricket this big. A five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the women's Ashes and heaps more all on home soil. #YouNeedToSeeIt, live.
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 1, 2024
🎟️ https://t.co/yhYqPqsPTL pic.twitter.com/hPvVCbtesJ
Brisbane isn’t the only city complicating Test cricket with the unpredictability of its weather patterns. England and New Zealand are fighting out the final Test of their series in scorching heat and high wind. Here’s how Ali Martin saw day one in Hamilton.
With the series square at one-all and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy now down to a – weather permitting – three-Test shootout, both teams are eyeing the bonus prize of a spot in the World Test Championship, most likely against ladder-leaders South Africa.
Yesterday’s rain gave us plenty of time to ponder the permutations if weather intervenes in this contest.As Martin Pegan sees it:
India are the most at risk of paying a price if rain ruins this contest with the two-time WTC runner-up needing to win all three remaining Tests against Australia to guarantee qualification to another final. If Australia regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15, they would almost certainly return to the final after beating India in the 2023 decider. Australia could still qualify for the final if the series against India is drawn 2-2, with two Tests in Sri Lanka to play early next year.
Our own Geoff Lemon had plenty of time on day one to mull over where both teams’ fortunes lie based on the flip of a coin…
Preamble
Good morning cricket fans and welcome to day two of the Guardian’s live coverage of this third Test between Australian and India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Angus Fontaine here for the first chunk of play (touch wood) before Jonathan Howcroft takes you through to stumps.
First things first: it’s ISN’T raining at the Gabba. It’s cloudy and it’s windy. It’s hot and it’s humid. Hell, there are even some skinny streak of blue overhead. But there’s NO RAIN. So all things going well, play will resume an hour early today with action to get under way at 9.50am local time (10.50am AEST).
The forecast for today is the best for the week ahead. Things aren’t looking so bright for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. “Showers and thunderstorms are possible during the next few days, however no significant rainfall is expected,” the Bureau has told us.
But let’s live for today and get ready for what umpires have deigned to be a minimum 98-overs of cricket. Rain condemned us to a measly 13.2 overs bowled by India on day one, all in the first session, as 81 millimetres was dumped on Brisbane in what meteorologists are dubbing a “rain bomb”.
That torrent triggered flash-flooding across Queensland and sparked fears the city could be in for floods as catastrophic as the record-breaking deluges of 2022. But it didn’t dampen Australia’s spirits as they sought to cash in on India captain Rohit Sharma’s curious decision to win the toss and bowl on a Gabba ‘green top’.
Despite the persistent showers, opening pair of Usman Khawaja (19 not out) and Nathan McSweeney (4 not out) kept their powder dry, compiling their highest opening partnership of the series and going to an early lunch safe and snug with the scoreboard at 28-0.
From the little we saw, India’s bowlers were a touch short, allowing three-Test rookie McSweeney to hang tough again after his excellent 39 in the second Test, as he left Jasprit Bumrah judiciously and eked singles where he could.
Meanwhile, his normally dour senior partner Khawaja showed impressive intent, leaning back and unfurling a couple of the lovely boundary strokes we’ve come to expect from him. Australia fans will be hoping for more of this on day two.
Usman Khawaja puts away his first boundary of the day with this cracking shot off Siraj 👌#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/xHJlbrFF8o
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 14, 2024
