Test Cricket: The Clue is in the Name
[Image: David Warner in action preparing a cover drive. Source is Cricket Australia’s highlights of the day’s play.]
Published: 2022-12-27
Updates: on both day 3 and day 4 (28th and 29th December 2022).
The ‘G
Each Australian summer, since close to time immemorial, an international Test Cricket match is held at Melbourne's great sporting coliseum, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), known affectionately to Melbournians as "the 'G". The ground is somewhat misnamed. It has hosted the Grand Final of Australia's Australian Rules Football competition since it was nationalized and for decades before when the football code was more limited to southern Australia.
The ground's capacity is just under 100 000 which places it at the top, or close to, for all stadia in the southern hemisphere. It is one of the world's highest capacity stadia, and is steeped in history.
The context for this report is the second day of the second Test between Australia (Aus) and the visitors, South Africa (RSA). Over this background are many numbers. Lovers of the great game of cricket are replete with those who enjoy numbers. Statisticians are most welcome as a party to the community who revere this game.
For those who know little of this wonderful game, see an aging article which attempted to introduce it for the uninitiated.
A Tested Warner
David Warner has had a bit of a rough trot. He created its beginning by being involved, instigating even, an episode of ball tampering. The old phrase of "its just not cricket" is light-years short of describing Australia's reaction to hearing that their prized national team were, in essence, cheating. The star opening batsman and sometime vice captain Warner was banished from the game for about a year and served a sentence of "you shall never hold a leadership position in the Australian cricket team, ever again" from Cricket Australia who administer the national team.
During the last few years, after re-admission, openner Warner has failed to shine as brightly as he had previously. There were rumors and media speculation that maybe his time is up. All of these whispers were resolutely denied or studiously ignored by his team mates. "He is the best openner in Australia" they would say. When confronted himself, Warner would reply, "I am short on runs, not on form".
RSA vs Aus
Australia and South Africa have a long, storied competition on cricket fields, also including the scandal of the ball tampering. There were "Rebel Tours" to South Africa as the world was using sport as a method of protesting and outrage against the policy of Apartheid.
Like Australia, South Africa has delivered to the cricket loving community many of the greats of the game. Aus and RSA have similar climates. Thus, the pitches upon which their national champions hone their skills are similar. Batters and bowlers of grit are the result. Whenever the two teams meet, it is a contest of pride and determination.
Each national team moves through phases as talents emerge and finally retire. RSA are in a current position of their batters being underwhelming. Their bowlers, "the attack", are well respected with their lead bowler, Kagiso Rabada, rated amongst the best in the world by the sport's international body, the International Cricket Council. As is so often the case when these sides meet, RSA don't get away so easily. Aus is fielding a very rare attack, the core of which have 200 Test wickets each. Their spinner, Nathan Lyon, has over 450. Thus, the combined total Test wickets for the Aus attack core is over one thousand.
Australia's bowling stocks are so thick that one of their most reliable, Hazelwood, was omitted for the second Test.
A Test on a Green-Top
A collection of climatic conditions, and perhaps some errors in planning, lead to a wicket at the Woolloongabba (The 'Gabba) ground in Brisbane which was soft on day one. With a little too much moisture in the wicket and supporting weather, the first Test between RSA and Aus was over before the end of day two of a potentially five day fixture. Both bowling attacks used the advantageous conditions to their advantage. The weakness of the RSA batters was exposed. A consummate effort by Aus' Travis Head gave enough runs to make the difference. But, RSA's attack proved their value by taking 4 wickets during Aus’ tiny run chase of under 40. It was not enough to save the match, but the RSA bowlers’ skill was displayed.
During the grueling Test the batters had to adapt to very challenging conditions as the attacks prospered. A very different dynamic would see strangely similar results down in Melbourne, 2 000 Km away, a week later.
The Boxing Day Test
On day one, on what seemed a reasonable wicket, Aus' captain Cummins won the coin toss and chose to field. This was a rather strange decision which yielded many alarmed comments. The general conclusion was that it was gonna get hot. Being a rare bowling captain, Cummins, saw toil in the coming heat on days 2 and 3, at least, for his fellow bowlers. Accordingly, he put the recently defeated and fragile RSA batters on the spot from day one.
The plan seemed heavily in error towards the end of the first session when Aus had taken only one RSA wicket. Cricket is a fickle mistress. Three more wickets were to fall before the end of the first session, with Marnus Labasagne achieving two of them with equally magnificent efforts achieving a run-out and a catch. An early wicket after lunch led all to expect a rapid collapse by RSA. All would be proven wrong. Just as at the 'Gabba, RSA found a partnership which could "dig in". Eventually with that partnership broken, the wheels did fall off. RSA were removed for almost the same total in their first innings at the ‘G as at the ‘Gabba.
Aus lost one openner and put 45 runs on the board to see day one at the ‘G to a close.
What was to follow will be spoken about by cricket lovers for decades.
A Cramped 200 on Your 100'th
Day two began with the under-pressure Warner at the crease with Labasagne. An horrid mix-up between them in calling the running between wickets saw the latter run-out. Opinion is that this was Warner's fault. Labasagne, who has had a wonderful season to date, took the fall.
Warner, a veteran of the Aus team was joined by another veteran who is rated as one of the best batsman in the world, Steven Smith. The two put together a partnership of over 200 runs, with Warner leading the charge. He had declared before the game that he was going back to "old school" Warner; attack, attack, attack. This he did.
[Image: Warner and Smith running between the wickets after the cover drive shown in the title image. Source is the same.]
Day one was a lovely Melbourne day in the low thirties. Day two just got warmer and warmer, reaching 37.2 C around 5pm, and having been above 35 for most of the day. One of the characteristics of the magnificent 'G is that the boundaries are a long way from the center square. It is one of those ground where a partnership actually runs 4, rather than the ball reaching the boundary. Putting these two together exerts a physical test on the players, both batters and fielders. For 7 hours of play at 35 degrees or higher, almost always in the sun, you have to run and run, and you only get one hour off.
Close to the end of the day, Warner mis-cues a shot for it to beat the then sparse slips cordon and race to the boundary for 4, bringing up his 200th run. In signatory style, after being down on his knees, Warner leaps in the air in celebration. When he lands, he knows he is in trouble. One hundred runs earlier he had suffered cramp in a leg. Now, his body was unable to continue. He was assisted off the field by two and collapsed once outside the boundary rope.
He had done it. 200 runs in his 100’th Test to stick it to all the doubters.
[Image: Travis Head (left) assists David Warner just after David’s celebration of his double century.]
Aus ended the day with a lead exceeding RSA's first innings score. Indeed, Warner himself outscored the entire RSA team, and he can return on day three. He's about 20 runs short of removing from Joe Root the top score for any player in their 100'th Test. Any Test is a field of play for statisticians. This match jumped with joy for them.
Test Cricket
The mental challenge of Test Cricket is not slight. The burden largely falls on the captain/vice-captain/wicket keeper group: Over rates, bowling changes, field settings, declaration calculations, weather predictions, run-rates and more. There are also physical challenges, particularly to fast bowlers. Every now and then on some field a purely physical challenge emerges due to the weather.
The background challenge is that one has to field a team, with no changes allowed, except for substitute fielders who may not bat or bowl.
By the end of day two, four of the twenty two players had suffered injury. First was Aus bowler Starc with damage to his bowling hand, at the end of day one. On day two, first Warner leaves the field with global cramps, then Green leaves with a badly damaged finger, and finally RSA's star bowler Rabada also leaves the field. Recall, this is a "non-contact" sport. At 40% of the way through its potential length 20% of the players have left the field due to injury.
When a cricket ball hits you at about 150 Km/h (41 m/s) the kinetic energy of it is approximately 3 000 Joules. This is why, with a good bat and great training a batter can hit the damn 156 gram ball out of the park. 41 m/s means only you have 0.5 seconds to see it on a 20 m wicket.
Test is in the name for a reason.
Listening
I've listened to the commentary of the match via ABC Radio, who collaborate with their sister organisation the BBC. Both are committed to radio broadcasts for Test Match cricket. The ABC have been broadcasting live cricket commentary for 90 years, with the BBC likely longer. A few years ago the patriarchy were forced to open the commentary doors to women.
While listening to the collaborative ABC/BBC commentary I heard Allison Mitchell. She is one of the best live ball-by-ball commentators I've ever heard. She understands the importance of both detail and of painting a picture in words.
Each delivery and the response by the batters are described. Regularly the match situation, of scores by the batters and the team total amongst other details are provided. Her co-host will banter with her about more esoteric topics to fill the soundscape and interest. Ally metronomically returns to accurately describing what is happening in the game.
The introduction of women to cricket commentary is a god-send.
Day 3
Melbourne showed all that its weather is a fickle as the fortunes of cricket. From 37 Celsius on day 2, day 3 was 18.
Travis Head quickly brought up a half century and was undone by RSA's star performer Nortje. The full length ball was missed by Head. It glanced off his pad to disturb the bails. In walks overnight, retired hurt, double centurion Warner to see almost a carbon copy let gravity do its work on the same two bails from the next delivery. Aus captain Cummins didn't last long either. With three quick wickets RSA got their tails up. Lyon fired off a quick 25 runs to reduce tension.
At the other end through all of this was Aus' wicketkeeper, Alex Carey. He remarked post game that he was so happy to see his friend Cameron Green walk down the race to join him. This was unexpected by all, including Carey, as Green had a broken finger.
[Image: Alex Carey executes a classic cover drive.]
The two combined to take Aus to what seems an unassailable position. Green faced more balls in Test cricket than ever before to hold an end and allow his friend Carey to join a rather special club. Carey is now the 7th Australian wicketkeeper to score a century in Test cricket. This must be an especially proud moment for him as he joins his idols of Marsh, Gilchrist and Hadden and the other three 'keepers.
Fittingly, Green was with him when the three figured score was raised. The live commentators noted that Green threw his arms in the air, mid-pitch as they were crossing for the second run, so joyous was he for his friend. Green had held his end for around 130 deliveries to help create the occasion. Well should he also celebrate his friend's milestone.
[Image: Green celebrates Carey’s maiden Test century with the centurion. Note the “cricketing embrace” with both bats still in hand. The crowd, of course, are on their feet.]
Before rain stopped play, Aus had declared with over a 350 run lead, and RSA had begun their second innings. Their captain, Elgar, was the only wicket. The opposing captain was dismissed off the bowling of the Aus captain and caught Carey.
Expect more of that: c Carey b Cummins.
Carey has the measured temperament of a 'keeper, is a team player, and has the respect of his colleagues. When asked about team changes due to injury and would he bat a place above in the batting order, he playfully reminded the journalist that he has opened.
Carey will be around for a long time.
Day 4
The Boxing Day Test reached the conclusion which seemed inevitable from day 1. Aus defeated RSA by an innings and 182 runs, a crushing victory. RSA have beaten or drawn with Aus on each of their last 3 or 4 visits. The team this time is lacking in determination and professionalism. The finger is pointed at their batting line up, who have consistently failed to put enough runs on the scoreboard for their bowlers.
There were some notable events though. Injured Mitchell Starc bowled more overs than anyone, and even commented post game that the restriction had served to improve his seam position. He warned, at least twice, an RSA non-striker about advancing out of the crease. When asked in the post match press event whether he would "Mankad" a non-striker he turned to his fellow fast bowling captain. The response was clear, if they keep "taking the mickey", sure. Starc's previous comment got quite a laugh as he described the non-striker, de Bruin, as "half way down Punt Road". To understand the hilarity one is assisted by having lived in Melbourne. Punt road is a road, meaning long. It is also, like many Melbourne thoroughfares dead straight, like a cricket pitch.
Aus spinner Lyon topped the wickets column with 3, and the local lad Boland chipped in with two. One of those was a lovely ball which came back off the pitch to just above the off stump and forced a defensive stroke from the batter. The ball flew to second slip where the ever reliable Smith was waiting. As the ball flew Labasagne at third slip dived across confusing Smith's eye line. Smith was not distracted. The ball settled in his two hands. Job done. He then threw his head back, which in the moment cause people to look for the ball behind him. There will have been words in the change room about this. Labasagne may have banished himself from the peace of the slips cordon.
Lastly, there was a bizarre run-out. Maharaj, RSA’s spinner, had played a lovely shot to deep cover. At the MCG, being such a large ground, this is an easy three runs, if one actually runs. Both batsman knew this as Bavuma started his running to support his partner. However, as he completed the second of the entirely possible three runs, he looked up at the big screen and began running backwards.
Labasagne followed his training and one-knee slid to collect the ball and return it.
[Image: Labasagne displays modern textbook out-fielding.]
Strangely he chose the bowlers end rather than the striker's.
[Image: Bavuma leaves Maharaj “all at sea” as Starc prepares to collect the return throw with Labasagn on the boundary in the background.]
Starc collects the return and throws at the 'keeper's end to find Maharaj just short of his ground with a direct hit. Maharaj had been run out by his partner, Bavuma.
There was great fielding both by Labasagne and Starc, but the lesson is when running between wickets, don't run backwards and don't look at the big screen; watch the ball and run.
This run out sadly typifies the lack of unity in the visiting team. This contrasts starkly with the unity displayed by the home team. Green pads up and walks out to support his ‘keeper for around 2 hours with a broken finger. Starc bowls the most overs, also with a damaged finger. Warner’s body goes into global cramp as he reaches his 200 in 37 degree heat. As Cummins said in the post match press event, the team are in a very good place.
Afterword
I wish to thank and acknowledge the skill of the camera operators who covered the match. It is their imagery which adorns this article. Thank you. Great job.
Sources
Scorecard, Cricinfo.com
The Final Word (Day 2)
The Final Word (Day 3)
The Final Word (Day 4)
Post play interview with Carey, Cricket Australia
Day 3 highlights, Cricket Australia
Match Report, Firdose Mooda, Cricinfo.com
Post match press event with Cummins (captain) and Starc, Cricket Australia