Geoff Lemon's Blog, page 31
February 10, 2023
Calm, confident Todd Murphy justifies quick climb into Australia Test side
The spinner picks up five debut wickets in India’s first innings in Nagpur, including KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli
For a visiting slow bowler, India can be a trap. It is the spiritual home of spin, the still centre of the universe of revolutions, the place where you might find the most dramatic turner since Tina. It is the place tilted drastically to your advantage, like doing high jump on the moon. But if you’re not steeped in how to use the advantage, if you don’t hit the right lengths, if you don’t know how to bowl to players who know how to face you, then the place chews you up and spits you out, as ragged as the cricket ball after 80 overs on those rough pitches.
From his first encounter, Todd Murphy has emerged intact. Innings figures of five for 82 could become more flattering or less when India continue their first innings on the third day with three wickets in hand. But whatever the final analysis, the quiet off-spinner from country Victoria has shown that he is up to the task. KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have 53 Test centuries between them and nearly 18,000 runs. Murphy put them all in his pocket.
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February 9, 2023
Jadeja’s mastery gives Australia scant chance to test pitch theories | Geoff Lemon
Claims the pitch was prepared to target Australia’s left-handers went untested as they found other, swifter ways to get out
After the prelude came the test. Nagpur’s strange chessboard of a pitch, watered and prepared in different sections that may or may not have been related to the relevant strengths and vulnerabilities of the Australian and Indian teams, eventually had to reveal how it was going to play. On the first day of the Border-Gavaskar Test series, the possibility that the dry patches were going to specifically ruin Australia’s left-handed batters didn’t come to pass.
Of course, this may have been because they didn’t give it the opportunity. After weeks of thinking about spin, Usman Khawaja and David Warner both disappeared in the first few overs of pace. Pondering the strengths of India’s slow bowlers and being relieved at the absence of the pace leader Jasprit Bumrah could make someone devote less thought to quality quicks such as Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
Continue reading...February 8, 2023
Australia gear up for pitch battle with spin again looming as king in India
Without much support for Nathan Lyon the tourists may struggle to match their hosts’ mastery of spin on wickets prepared specifically for them in the four-Test series
India. Spin city. You know the drill. A visiting team rocks up, especially one from outside Asia, and gets greeted by tracks that turn as viciously as King Lear’s kids. The rule of thumb says that’s fair enough – teams are free to play in the conditions that suit them most, like Australia’s bouncy pitches or England’s seamers.
It does feel a little different when the curators play horticultural Frankenstein, stitching together disparate parts to become an incongruous whole. With the first Test in the Border-Gavaskar series about to start, it’s hard to draw any other conclusion from the images of the Nagpur ground staff watering the pitch outside the off stump for right-handed batters, of which India will probably play nine, while leaving it bare and dry outside the off stump for left-handers, of which Australia could play seven.
Continue reading...January 7, 2023
South Africa hold on to draw with Australia on day five of third Test – as it happened
64th over: South Africa 157-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 14) Spin to Harmer for the first time today, Lyon over the wicket floating them in at Jansen’s footmarks outside the off stump. Far less wear on this wicket than usual. But there is one particular patch, and after a few balls he hits it. The ball spins savagely in at Harmer, who inside edges it past short leg! Gets a run, but could so easily have gone to hand. Two short legs for Jansen, who normally only has long ones. The wicket almost comes on the other side! In about four different methods. Just gets a nick to a ball that might have had him lbw. The edge is heading for his stumps but ricochets off his back pad. The deflection heads for the keeper, but hits his pad rather than his gloves. Then it almost bounces to slip but lands just short. That’s some sequence.
63rd over: South Africa 156-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 13) In the fourth over, Harmer gets the runs part of the scoreboard moving. Knocks a ball off a straight line behind square leg for two. Then decides to tackle the short ball, pulling Cummins airborne to the empty spot behind square leg. Four runs. They drop a deep forward square leg out, because they already have a leg slip and a fine leg behind square. Doesn’t matter, Harmer pulls the next ball anyway, but into the ground and finer to pick up a run.
Continue reading...South Africa deny Australia series sweep as Sydney Test ends in draw
South Africa’s lower order was instrumental to securing a draw in the third Test in Sydney, after the visitors resumed their first innings on 149 for six on the fifth morning. While Australia’s bowlers were eventually able to dismiss them for 244, short by 21 runs of avoiding the follow-on, that did not come until after lunch and left South Africa only 47 overs to survive. They did so on a surface that had its challenges but was still largely good for batting, with play called off with five overs to spare and South Africa on 106 for 2.
After watching the first two Tests from the sidelines, it was off-spinner Simon Harmer who took a chance with the bat to press his claim for first-choice status. Resuming alongside Marco Jansen on a day that finally dawned sunny and warm after days of rain, the tall fast bowler was only interested in defence, adding one run in an hour before being dismissed. Harmer though defended well while keeping the scoreboard moving, nullifying the short ball from Australia’s fast bowlers by calmly playing grounded pull shots for singles.
Continue reading...Australia v South Africa: third Test, day four – as it happened
After a day and a half of waiting through rain and darkness, play finally resumed at the Sydney Cricket Ground
It’s drizzling again. Boo. Booooooo. I am not saying Joe Boo-urns. I don’t think that he would help at this stage.
Still no official start time, by the way. We’ll have a pitch inspection by the umpires in 25 minutes from now, which is 10:45am local time. Then they’ll announce a start time or a time for another inspection.
Continue reading...January 6, 2023
Australia fire after the rain as Pat Cummins leads charge towards win
After a day and a half of waiting through rain and darkness, play finally resumed at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After three matches waiting due to injury, Josh Hazlewood resumed his Test career. On a damp surface, he came out breathing fire, starting a slide that had South Africa’s first innings six for 149 by stumps, still 326 behind Australia’s declaration score of 475 for four.
With play not starting until 1.45pm on the fourth day, Australia decided not to bat further, having last faced a ball on day two. That left Usman Khawaja on 195 not out, short of his first Test double century. With 157 overs left in the match, the Australians decided that chasing a win was the priority. Before play all was convivial, with the visitors presenting with the pink caps they had signed to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation. Once the action resumed, it was anything but.
Continue reading...January 5, 2023
Plenty of losers, but South Africa less unhappy after rain washes out day three of Sydney Test
Day three – as it didn’t happen
In the end, the rain won. The entire third day of the third and final Test between Australia and South Africa was washed out, with play abandoned shortly before 4pm after rain finally stopped falling but left the ground too wet to drain in time.
With Australia still in the first innings of the match at 475-4, the washout narrows their chances of forcing a win to whitewash the series, though a draw should still be enough for them qualify for the World Test Championship final in June.
Continue reading...Australia v South Africa: third Test, day three – as it didn’t happen
Really hosing it down at the SCG now. Even if the rain clears, there will be a lot of clean-up time. My sweepstake entry is… 2pm local time at the soonest. About four hours from now.
“Thank you for the updates through the day!” writes Tim Linsell. My pleasure, chatting through the rain is a delight. “Can you hear the Richies clearly from the press box? Sitting next to them yesterday and their singing wasn’t very clear even to those in the next bay.”
Continue reading...January 4, 2023
Australia v South Africa: third Test, day two – as it happened
The telly just ran a nicely timed package about Usman Khawaja’s twin tons at this ground a year ago. “I think people could relate to what I’ve been through,” he said, paraphrased, about being dropped and coming back so many times. “Getting a hundred and then walking off the ground with the whole crowd chanting my name, that’s something that I never thought would ever happen to me. It’s the most special moment of my cricket career.”
A light sprinkling at the ground, but who knows what will come after this.
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