SECOND TEST: THE MCG

I read "Justin Langer may pick a fifth bowler" as "Justin Langer may try to trick New Zealand into picking a fifth bowler." Which in turn says to me that Australia is worried about struggling to bowl out the NZ batting if the MCG pitch is roadish, so one less batsman helps Australia roll NZ. Then again, the back-to-back Tests means Australia will have a weather eye on its Informed Player Management, and an extra bowler will ease the workload.

Comments

[Tony Tea]

Four bowlers. Five bowlers is just not in the Aussies' DNA.

[I am Not Trampis]

The ball swings and Australia is down a wicket. How surprising. This pitch looks better than the usual useless ones they produce here.

[I am Not Trampis]

Not the so typical flat track however not a lot of bounce either.

Seven says Burns out to a vicious inswinger. No it was a late inswinger. A vicous one would get up off a length.

[Tony Tea]

Maybe they meant viscous inswinger.

[I am Not Trampis]

Way too much Melingering at Seven as well.

Why oh why does she have anything to do with football and cricket???

[I am Not Trampis]

to no-one's surprise Shane Warne is a goose.
Smith allowed the ball to hit him. He was not getting out of the way

[I am Not Trampis]

The Kiwis do not have an attack to win a test match in Australia.

The three medium pacers and slow medium pacers can swing the ball but the useless kookaburra ball stops swinging after 20-30 overs.
Satner might take wicket in womens cricket but not test cricket.

[I am Not Trampis]

to a competent test batsman a short ball delivered at around 135k should be money for jam

[Tony Tea]

Against a quicker attack we would have lost more wickets.

[I am Not Trampis]

yes and an attack with a better cricket ball. This is not a quick pitch.Me thinks it could become harder to score runs as the days roll on

[I am Not Trampis]

Manus bats like border of old. with a hellva lot of luck

[Tony Tea]

Wonder if Pat has been playing with matches.

[I am Not Trampis]

I don't think winning the toss and sending us in was a great decision

[Carrot]

Season’s Greetings, everyone.

There’s a hint of Steve Waugh in this Smith performance. I’m not batting particularly well, but you’re not going to get me out, either - let’s see who blinks first. He also seems to be developing an equally Waugh-esque habit of only scoring runs when we need him to. You could bet your house on a low score from Tugga if he came in at 3/350.

[Tony Tea]

Season's greeting, Karotte.

Yeah, although it looked as if NZ's best chance was to roll us early, the fact we were only 2 down at lunch and now 4 down at stumps gives us the day one win.

[Tony Tea]

Oh, and Steve Waugh. Yes, both Marnus and Smith put away the get out shots. Very Steve Waugh areas.

[I am Not Trampis]

huh,
Manus did not he had as usual a lot of luck.

[Smivvys back]

Jimmy A gets a wicket with the first ball of his 150th test - a strangle down the leg side to a shit ball that was at least a foot outside the leg stump. The longer he plays, the more I like him.

[Carrot]

I know what you mean about Jimmy. I used to LOATHE him, but I’ve come around quite a bit recently. I think the series that really sealed it was in 2017 against the West Indies in England. Both sides played really well, but Anderson had it on a string that summer. I so wanted the West Indies to do well, but you couldn’t begrudge guys being outdone by such skill and execution. In many ways he’s become my favourite bowler. Funnily enough, I’ve come around to Broad a bit lately, too.

[Smivvys back]

Yes Carrot, I just thought he was a Lancashire whiner until the last tour here. He was commentating on the ABC. He clearly loves the game. Reminded me of Punter who clearly loves everything about cricket. Although not part of the one day team, he wanted to stay and watch them so commentary was his option.
Meanwhile back at the MCG. Lock in century 27 today for Mr Smith. Kiwi attack is tight but not enough firepower when the wicket flattens out, and Santner is pretty ordinary.

[I am Not Trampis]

He could play Test cricket when he is 50 under english conditions

[I am Not Trampis]

I am cheesed off. I look for the Pm/ Aardvark highlights and it is only for the first session.

I have said this before but I could improve Curran as a bowler. He is way too open when delivering the ball. Make him more side on and his swing is sharper and his [pace greater.

The reason tests in Australia are usually boring is because not enough wickets are taken. The blame is equally the pitches and the stupid kookaburra ball.

[Carrot]

The one criticism I have of Anderson, and it’s been the same all throughout his career, is that he can go missing at times - and sometimes that can last two or three Tests at once. That’s the difference between him and McGrath. McGrath was the master of bowling within himself of course, but when Anderson does it’s when we see a bit of reluctance and/or sulkiness, and it can come across as though he doesn’t always want to be there.

[I am Not Trampis]

and if I was Long I would report Smith.

what is it with test cricketers that they do not understand the spirit of cricket and with Umpires enforcing it.

[I am Not Trampis]

My Nostradamus prediction is the Kiwis will be dismissed reasonably easily given the variable bounce.
Perhaps Williamson will put his hand up.

[I am Not Trampis]

What surprise me about Smith is his approach to medium pace bouncers. Archer showed at Lords Smith, like most batsmen, cannot handle short pitched bowling when it over 150k.

That is why I thought Ferguson was key to the Kiwis fortunes

[I am Not Trampis]

Just on Jimmy,

He is the ONLY bowler where it is hard to detect whether the ball will swing away or in. It is usually quite easy. You have to be side on to swing away and open to swing in. Yet anderson could confound the best of them. at his best imagine facing him swinging the ball late at 90k

[I am Not Trampis]

the second new ball has almost not swung. Why so?

Lack of humidity and cloud cover?
Another dud kookaburra?

either way bad for test cricket

[Smivvys back]

The Guardian in the UK published their top XI for the past decade - Cook, Warner, Willimson(c), Kohli, Smith, ABdeV (keeper), Stokes, Ashwin, Johnson, Steyne, Anderson.
3 poms - no surprise 2 Indians. 3 Aussies, 1 Saffar, 1 kiwi.
Canr see the bottom half of the order getting a dig too often

[Smivvys back]

better make that 2 saffars

[I am Not Trampis]

I have to say it again it was a great decision to sen d us in. It has put them into a winning position

[I am Not Trampis]

top scorer for the Kiwis.

Santer Claus. He was certainly giving presents to our batsmen

[Carrot]

Well, we’re obviously ahead, but it’s not like the Kiwis are in tatters. I wouldn’t want to put my house on it, but we might be in luck and there could be a decent match in store here. We’ll see.

Great to see Pattinson bowling well. With him rotating in and out for whichever of our seamers is unavailable, our pace stocks are pretty healthy. If only we’d used him for more than one match in England!

[Smivvys back]

In England our greatest mistake was only playing Starc in one test.

[I am Not Trampis]

Agree with Smivvy although he did not have his inswinger.

Can we gain an insight into bodyline.

In Larwood's time the pitches were fast and bouncy if we are to believe his book\. The shine did not last long. Except for Perth perhaps Brizzy they most definitely are not.

The Pommy's attack had only one fast bowler bowling bodyline. Allen was also quick bit being an amateur did not bowl it. Voce was fast medium and the rest medium pace.
We have seen our batsmen this year struggle against mere medium pace. It makes sense our batsmen of yesteryear would as well more so bowling on more favourable pitches.

We should also remember the Pommies came out against bodyline after the West Indies performed at Lords in the early 30s when they had three fast bowlers, Constantine, Martindale and Griffith.

[I am Not Trampis]

and now for something completely different.

People are welcoming back Smith with open arms but not Warner.
WHY is this?
Is it because people know he is a complete tosser.
That he is completely transparent in what he is wanting about people?

[I am Not Trampis]

I do not know how Latham is still there. He has done everything but get out.

Hes out now

[I am Not Trampis]

sorry I assumed it was Latham but it was Watling.
Kiwis lucky to get 150

[I am Not Trampis]

anyone stupid enough to wear a suit to a cricket match should be told to leave!!!

[Tony Tea]

Aleem Dar even stuffs up the DRS. Retire, you hack.

[I am Not Trampis]

not the first time this summer that has occurred.

It should NEVER be used for LBWS.

[I am Not Trampis]

Has anyone seen Archer bowl two successive beamers?

Why was he taken out the the attack straight way and not allowed to bowl again the innings as the Law says.

DRS should only be used if requested by the Umpire. Challenging a decision is directly against the spirit of Cricket as is complaining about a decision

[I am Not Trampis]

Right again ( just).

Williamson needs to step up.

Strange decision not to enforce the follw on. That means bowling when it is over 40c. Of course in Sydanee we go off when it is 42 degrees and don't talk to me about the smoke

[Carrot]

There wasn’t a Test in Perth during Bodyline. The first Test played in Perth was in 1970. Western Australia weren’t even a Shield side until 1947.

[I am Not Trampis]

Carrot I was saying perhaps except for Perth and Brizzy the current pitches are not hard and fast as they were bsack then.

[I am Not Trampis]

Latham should look to Burns. Burns after some very lucky scores always looked like he would nick the ball. He made a few changes to his techniques ans he is a much better batsman.

He will still nick the ball but so did Arthur Morris ( afterall he was known as Bedser's bunny) but does not do so on such a regular basis

[I am Not Trampis]

I can't help having the feeling the Kiwis put little preparation into this tour.

Satner Claus was always going to be a failure. Whilst Southee and Boult can swing the ball it doesn't swing for a lot of overs here because we use the absolutely woeful kookaburras. ( Funnily enough they swing much longer in NZ). They needed a fit Ferguson who is possibly faster than Starc.

The batsmen should have come to terms with the higher bounce here. What is the point of coaches!!

Also important they bat as tired batsmen. not surprising given how long they have been in the field.

[I am Not Trampis]

The match will be over today unless Williamson and Watling bat well.

[I am Not Trampis]

A comparison with the windies of latter days in terms of bowling.

Roberts, holding and Marshall were all faster than Starc. and the back ups were faster than out lot today except for Croft..

[I am Not Trampis]

Alvin Purple shown the Kiwis what they have to do. Get rid of the beard!

notice the Kiwis are good supports, why are we Aussies so damned boring

[I am Not Trampis]

A good dig by Alvin Purple. he has tighten up his technique since the first innings.

Why Long gave him out LBW has me stumped ( pun intended). I would never give anyone out LBW if it hits them so high

[Smivvys back]

Apparently this is the first game Starc, Cummins and Pattinson have played together in. If only injury hadnt intervend.

[Tony Tea]

The thing about Santner's non dismissal is that a Hot Spot clearly showed up on the glove from the front-on footage, and from the side-on footage the glove could clearly be seen to move BEFORE the ball hit the sweat band.
The sweat band should not even have been at issue.
If the sweat band was the sole point of contention, Aleem Dar could probably say in his defence that he could not tell if the sweat band was touching the glove so he could not overrule the onfield decision. If the sweatband wasn't touching it's not part of the glove and therefore Santner should be given not out.
That said, it looked as though Dar ballsed it up because he was haphazard in his application of the technology. If he was confident and adept with the DRS he would easily arrived at the right decision.