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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Geoff Lemon, Adam Collins & Sam Perry

Australia v India: fourth Test, day four – as it happened

Virat Kohli in the field
Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on with Australia trailing by 322 runs in day four of the final Test. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Stumps on day four: Australia 6-0 (Australia trail by 316 runs)

Right, so a rain and light-interrupted day eventually leads to abandonment, with Australia trailing India by 316 runs after Virat Kohli enforced the follow on.

Kohli’s call came after India wrapped up Australia’s final four wickets midway through the day, which itself was delayed due to light, persistent rain. First, Cummins was bowled by Shami from one that stayed disproportionately low, and then Handscomb chopped on from Bumrah’s bowling. Lyon was LBW after trying to sweep Kuldeep, his decision not to review earning the ire of many given Australia had two reviews and two wickets up their sleeves.

It preceded the primary entertainment of this 30 over day - Starc and Hazlewood putting on 42 together, courtesy of a bit of old-fashioned swashbuckle for the last wicket. Kuldeep eventually produced another killer wrong’un to bamboozle Hazlewood, which gave him five well-deserved wickets for the innings.

It also left Australia with yet another batting examination, but one they ultimately didn’t have to face, for today. Harris and Khawaja negotiated four overs before the light was taken, and there was always little chance play would resume thereon.

And so to tomorrow, where India will achieve history, and Australia will try and salvage something. The former is a definite, while the latter is anything but. Tune in as our erstwhile Guardian troopers take you through it. A huge thanks to those who kept me company throughout the delay, especially those who wrote in. To those whose brilliant memories of their first Test didn’t make it to air, I apologise. It was a privilege to read them all.

Updated

We have news

Must say, there’s a strong level of consternation around the traps about this. It seems a little counterintuitive to some in the ground, who maintain the light is decent enough. But is it Bumrah-at-140km decent enough? Or Kuldeep-rotation-identification decent enough? It’s hard to say.

Even so, what a spell.

A question from Rowan

It follows from my facetious interest in How Bad Great Batsmen Were When They Retired.

If last test innings is used as a metric to assess great batsmen, does that make Jason Gillespie the greatest of all time?

Very good. Though my research tells me the highest score in a batsman’s final Test innings remains 258, by West Indies’ Seymour Nurse against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1968-69.

This is taken from ESPN Cricinfo:

Two others have signed off with a double-century in their final innings: Aravinda de Silva scored 206 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2002, while Australia’s Jason Gillespie made 201 not out, also against Bangladesh, in Chittagong in 2005-06. Andy Sandham (325 for England against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-20) and Bill Ponsford (266 for Australia v England at The Oval in 1934) both passed 200 in the first innings of their final Test.

Being There But Not Being There...

Respect to Ian Forth for having the courage to share the following:

“‘Being there but not being there’ for Tugga’s ton reminds me of an early gig going experience of mine (circa 1979). I could not interest anyone else in seeing The Dead Kennedys at Lanchester Polytechnic so went on my own. I saw them and thought they were OK but was disappointed they didn’t play either Holiday in Cambodia or California Uber Alles. Only going home on the bus did the penny drop - that was the support band I’d just seen (UK Decay) and I’d missed seeing the main band entirely. Was too embarrassed to own up to this until now.”

My Dad took me to the Michael Bevan last-ball-four game at the SCG in 1996. It rained, and in his view there’d be no more play. “Will you be coming back?” asked the ticket attendant as we left. “Nope, no need,” replied The Old Man. Play resumed as we were in the car home. It retrospect he may have played this card to get me - 11 years old - out of the ground. As the match appeared to be petering toward a comfortable Windies win, I was sent to bed. I protested. I lost. I still remember going into Mum and Dad’s room in the morning to ask what had happened in the cricket. “Well, I have to apologise to you, Sam...” started my Dad.

So yeah, I was at the Bevan match. But not there.

Here’s some Dead Kennedys:

A nice follow up to my Falls Festival story from Greg, including The Bees’ best known track (at least in Australia).

“Thanks for all the great banter as usual,” he writes. “Liked the Warne and Lorne Festival memories.Perhaps you could start a thread on animal, insects, birds, whatever that have halted play?

“Meanwhile here’s The Bees-great track and video.”

Thommo Rips Through

A sterling entry from David here:

“First test was 1977 Australia vs. India at Perth, notable for being the first season of World Series Cricket and an Australian team made up of a re-called veteran captain (Bob Simpson), a host of uncapped and junior players. And Jeff Thomson.

“Hot day in Perth. India made it to 2-223 against a lagging attack. Thomson fielding down at fine leg was partaking of the occasional rum and coke being offered from the crowd. Came back for a blistering, late afternoon, dare I say it Cummins-esque spell and ripped out the Indian middle order. Doesn’t get much more alpha.”

Ha, alpha indeed.

First Tests, continued...

This, from Richard, is excellent:

“My first test was as a 16 year old, and was the Lord’s test of in 1975, which Wikipedia tells me was David Steele’s debut match, though I was convinced in my own mind until checking that it had been Graham Gooch’s first game.

“I had been to watch Northamptonshire vs Essex in the cigarette sponsored 40 over tournament in the early days of one day cricket in England on the day Gooch’s selection had been announced. He hit a six early on before getting out for 7, and I suppose i had conflated the two events. Anyway, it was a lovely day and the Australian fielders signed lots of autographs for me and others. in those days HM the Queen rocked up to Lord’s tests to meet the teams, so that was all part of the memory, even if the years have clouded other details a bit. I didn’t get her autograph, mind.

Seems to be growing irritability in relation to the light situation here.

More images from the SCG

A pic from 13 minutes ago

Looks light enough?

Again, no news on the light

There is this, though.

Nice. I was there for Warne’s 700th too. Had travelled down to Melbourne from Sydney on an overnight sleeper with my Dad, drinking Cognac I’d been gifted for my 21st. It tasted like fuel. We went to the cricket, then I continued to Falls Festival in Lorne. Here was the lineup that year:

MODEST MOUSE / THE BEES / BASEMENT JAXX / WOLFMOTHER /HILLTOP HOODS / YOU AM I / SCRIBE / THE AUDREYS / THE SLEEPY JACKSON / WOLFMOTHER / YOUTH GROUP / THE MOUNTAIN GOATS / JOSH PYKE / LITTLE BIRDY / BLUE KING BROWN / THE EXPLODERS / JOHN BUTLER TRIO / JAMIE LIDELL / HILLTOP HOODS / DAN SULTAN / THE BLACK SEEDS / ESKIMO JOE / MATT COSTA / THE VASCO ERA / DEXTER / CUSTOM KINGS / THE EMBERS / DAN KELLY & THE ALPHA MALES / THE FUMES / MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS AND MANY MORE.

The guy from The Bees had lost his voice but sung anyway. The vast majority of his songs were in an extremely high register. He struggled.

India v Pakistan at Madras, in 1961

Wow, a great memory here, this time shared by Murali Murti, who’s just written in:

“First Test I ever watched was India vs Pakistan at Madras 1961. Fourth in the series. I remember without effort that Pakistan won the toss and declared at 448-8 after two full days. India batted almost three days to reply with 539-9 declared. Four centuries Saeed, Imtiaz, Umrigar, Borde. Match drawn.
That was the only series ever, I think, in which ALL the Tests and ALL the three-day first class fixtures were DRAWN. I like to think that 50 over ODIs and T-20s were invented in someone’s mind during that series.”

Fantastic, and a memory all the more special for the sad dearth of Test Matches between these two of late. Twelve years between drinks now.

The highest of bars, I daresay. Sounds like you married well, too!

Bad light remains, play still suspended...

More word on whether we’re likely to get play, or whether stumps will be called, when I have it.

More first Tests

This from Noel Sheppard:

“I don’t want to spend my future living in the past,” writes Noel (a noble idea, not one I’ll be able to achieve) “but am beguiled by this thread, and so, here goes.

“First test match memory? Australia vs Pakistan 1964 in a one off Test. I remember being entranced by the names on the MCG scoreboard; Abid Ali, Nasim-ul- Ghani, and wondering why Barry Shepherd’s surname was misspelled! But what about too first Sheffield Shield memory? NSW vs Victoria Xmas 1965; yes, no Boxing Day Test match, but watching Graham Thomas score a double century at almost a run a ball, bowlers like Alan Connolly and John Grant; Stackpole and Cowper, Redpath and Sheahan. O my Hornby and my Barlow long ago!”

Shield on Christmas Day! How secular! What brilliant memories. I’m of a later vintage, but have great memories of Dad taking me to a cavernous SCG after work during the week (he worked in the city, I went to school in the city), and watching guys like Greg Matthews, Phil Alley and Richard Chee Quee go about their business for the Blues.

Updated

Love it. This tweet inadvertently stumbles upon one of my favourite sub-categories of obscure interest: How Bad Great Batsmen Were When They Retired.

If he could last a session at Test level, looks as though Ian Chappell remained pretty decent to the last.

If anyone has any views on this, I’d love to hear them.

Further correspondence from Collo’s fans

This came in just prior to my stint, from Brian Withington:

“Hi Adam,” writes Brian. “I see Bob Wilson’s ‘girl’s blouse’ trip to see Allan Border debut for Essex at Fenners in the mid 80s springtime and raise him Valentine’s Park Ilford in the late 60s watching Keith Fletcher padding away the spinners in the distance.

“Proper outstation cricket at a time when the counties often played at various club grounds away from HQ. Anyone still doubting the merits of DRS should be transported back to the ‘good old days’ when canny batsmen neutered offspin by just shoving a pad out ahead of a token trailing bat. Fletcher aka ‘The Gnome’ was a true master of the black art.”

I reply without an enormous amount of context here, but I’m very inclined to agree with Brian. I find this argument for DRS – that is, it compels batsmen to use their bat – more compelling than others.

Updated

Enjoyed the inherent darkness of this tweet, especially the smile emoji.

It’s 4.03pm, there’s no news, and the light remains poor

Also, Channel 7 are showing their new fishing/cricket hybrid show, which I have on mute. Geoff Lawson is the special guest, and he is catching fish with a burly Australian male, while pictures switch from the ‘89 Ashes tickertape parade in Sydney, and Lawson reeling in a snapper of some description. I also have no idea whether or not it’s a snapper, it just rolled nicely off the tongue.

More news on the light when I have it.

Updated

Let’s continue talking about first Tests

This came into Collo before I swapped in, from Paul M:

“While my first Test was that of Steve Waugh’s last-ball hundred, I have the distinction of having not witnessed a single run from the innings. We had to leave early that day for reasons I’ve since forgotten. Was lucky enough to attend day 3 as well, though there was no addition to his overnight score. Remember him walking out to the middle on day 2 and that feeling like a big deal, but I doubt many thought history was about to be made. So I was sort of there but not quite. Ah well. Got Border’s autograph. And Gilchrist was brilliant both days – kid me was mesmerised by the live sound of the ball rattling off his bat.”

This is a fantastic first note to start on, personally speaking. Steve Waugh’s last ball hundred coincided with the day my then-long term girlfriend and highschool sweetheart left for the UK on a gap year. We’d been together two years. I saw her off at the airport. I was in tears (she wasn’t). I returned home, punched the air at Waugh’s heroics, while drying my damp eyes. Needless to say our relationship ended soon after, though she tried to get back with me upon her return to Australia. I had none of it.

But I always think of her when Tugger punches that ball through cover point for four.

Updated

Play will recommence at 4.03pm, if the light improves

(According to CA)

Hello all,

Well here we are – India one final push from a comprehensive series win, and history, while Australia have one more shot in the search for a sliver of batting light.

Speaking of electromagnetic radiation within a certain portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the light in Sydney is not good. It’s dark, it’s gloomy, and the players are off for tea eight minutes early owing to the dimness.

It’s heading toward 4pm in Sydney, and it’s pretty tough to see how things will improve. It’s grey as far as the eye can see, the lights are on, ergo if light is the issue now, it will remain the issue into the evening. Let’s hope otherwise, as there’s still a couple of interesting mini-narratives to mine before the day’s out.

I see there’s been some great chat with Collo on the subject of first Tests. Will prepare my own story in due course – looks like we’ll have some time on our hands.

If you want to get in touch, it’s sam.perry.freelance@guardian.co.uk, or @sjjperry on the Twitter machine.

That’s it from me. Thanks for the lovely notes about your first visits to a Test Match (or a First Class fixture, in Paris Bob’s case). They were excellent. I’m handing the baton to Sam Perry in Melbourne, who will take you through to the close, which might be sooner rather than later if the light doesn’t improve. I’ll pass on the emails I didn’t get to through to him as well. Talk tomorrow. Bye for now!

Play stopped for bad light. Tea is taken.

4th over: Australia 6-0 (Khawaja 4, Harris 2) Nice clip from Harris to begin to get himself off the mark, taking two to midwicket. Bumrah goes upstairs later in the set and hits him on the glove. Had he not got his hand in the way, that would have been his third whack to the helmet this series. The exchange prompts a conversation between the umpires and they elect to take an early tea.

3rd over: Australia 4-0 (Khawaja 4, Harris 0) Back to back Maidens, Khawaja watching Shami carefully. The job for Australia today is to get the Indian quicks tiring. The last time that Australia were asked to follow-on was at Trent Bridge in 2005, Lawrie Colliver reveals on Fox Sports. As it happens, they nearly won that, with Ash Giles and Matthew Hoggard helping England limp over the line. Blimey, what a series.

“First test attended was 1993 Ashes contest at Edgbaston,” emails Iain Bannatyne. “Aussie optimism should have been crushed by the rocks of Atherton, Smith, Hussain, Thorpe and Stewart. But a bowling attack of Bicknell, Such and Illott was bound to undermine even the fiercest batting talents and Australia cruised home.”

Was that the Test with the crazy Brendon Julian caught and bowled? If it is, I’ll dig the footage out at tea and pass it over to Sam Perry, who is taking over from me then.

2nd over: Australia 4-0 (Khawaja 4, Harris 0) Bumrah beats Harris immediately! The opener probably didn’t need to offer a shot at it but the Indian quick has a habit of confusing players early in an innings - see Harris at Perth and Jennings at Southampton.

“Feeling rather ancient to recall that my first Test was in 1968 at the Oval vs Australia,” contributes Brian Withington. “It was day four (Monday) and I recall my Dad only decided to go when it looked likely that Australia would avoid the follow on (Edrich and D’Oliveira had made big hundreds in the first innings). As a result we got to see a pell mell innings from England with the likes of Colin Milburn and Ted Dexter chasing quick runs. (I was shocked to see on Cricinfo that it took nearly 59 overs to score 181 all out.) Two quick Aus wickets before close rounded off a great day’s introduction to the joys of live cricket. The following day was almost washed out, but a desperate drying operation allowed “deadly” Derek Underwood to polish them off for a famous victory.
Of course the match achieved lasting fame as the D’Oliveira Test after he was initially (shamefully) dropped and then later reinstated for the SA winter tour that never was. The rest is history.”

What a Test to claim as your debut! Dolly and Deadly, the mopping up effort, Milburn at his biggest. Yup. A fantastic nomination. Any older than that? Surrrrely we have one?

1st over: Australia 4-0 (Khawaja 4, Harris 0) Khawaja is playing with soft hands early, which is helpful when his outside edge is located by Shami with the third ball. Australia’s most important player is much happier with a full ball on leg stump to finish, clipping it with ease to the rope to get himself, and his side, off the mark.

“Good afternoon Adam.” G’day Michael Brown. “This may not be the most antique reference but it’s a nice opportunity to mention that the 50th anniversary of my first live Test experience is only a couple of weeks away. I saw a day’s play between Australia and the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval in late January 1969. I was 10 years of age.”

An achievement worth celebrating! I hope there is a game you can visit on that date.

The players are back on the field! Marcus Harris and Usman Khawaja are in the middle, Australia with a 322-run deficit to deal with Or a better way of looking at it: about 130 overs, or something like that, to surirve. They lasted longer in Dubai, I’ll have you remember. Okay, ready to roll, Shami to start from the Randwick End. PLAY!

Some fantastic content for the break. Channel Seven got Jim Maxwell and Tim Lane together some 16 years after their final Test together on the ABC. I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Jim over the last handful of years - he’s a wonderful man. If you’re part of the UK audience that adores him on BBC Test Match Special, I loved writing this in 2017 for The Nightwatchman special on the programme’s 60th birthday.

That final wicket. I’m thrilled for the young man. He’s a ripper.

AUSTRALIA ALL-OUT 300! WICKET! Hazlewood lbw b Kuldeep 21.

Kuldeep gets his fifth! 5/99 to be precise, for his first Test stint in Australia. He gets the final wicket with a lovely wrong’un, the third time that delivery has brought him a reward. “It is a boyhood dream walking off the SCG in front of your teammate with a five-for,” says Kerry O’Keeffe. “A terrific display of slow bowling.” Just fantastic. The decision was reviewed but confirmed by DRS as touching the very top of leg stump. It is also confirmed as they are walking off that India have enforced the follow-on.

Updated

104th over: Australia 299-9 (Starc 28, Hazlewood 21) Shami is back; not at what Kohli wanted at all ahead of a potential follow-on shift. And Starc responds by slapping him over midwicket for three! What a lovely time these two are having. The quick hits Hazlewood on the arm guard later in the set, which he would have enjoyed a lot more.

103rd over: Australia 296-9 (Starc 25, Hazlewood 21) “This is turning into a very irrtating partnership for India,” says Harsha Bhogle on Fox Cricket, Starc driving one and Hazlewood two, then lofting a couple more over Kuldeep’s head. Into the 20s!

“Your first flesh-life Test Match is all very well but the real story is one’s First Class debut,” begins Bob Wilson. This should be good. “Forget the bimbo glamour of internationals and reach back for that disturbing moment when a child’s love of the bright, busy televised square of cricketing excitement is squashed by the existential injury of watching an invisibly distant group of players in mystifying activity amongst the tiny huddle of wretching tramps, permanent virgins and astounding weirdoes that makes up the usual terrifying dozen or so watching the average game.”

It’s a very reasonable point. Continue, my friend.

“I win. Mine was watching Allan Border’s Essex debut in an April blizzard at Fenners. Wrapped in about 17 jumpers, Border knocked out a tidy 80 or so before the despair swallowed him up, poor lamb. Not sure he was ever the same again but it definitely ****ing hardened him.”

Well then. How do I say this? My first Shield game I have a diary entry about. I found it a few years ago and popped it on instragram. It was the day Matt Elliott made his first Shield double and Ian Harvey his maiden First Class ton! COP THAT, M80!

Updated

102nd over: Australia 291-9 (Starc 24, Hazlewood 17) Bosh! Hazlewood slaps Jaedja and slaps him well, over midwicket for four. Dare I say it: both players are now in.

101st over: Australia 287-9 (Starc 24, Hazlewood 13) Kuldeep has been swung around for a second time this session, back to the Randwick End where he claimed the fourth of his wickets earlier. There is nothing going on for him here though, Starc striking a nice straight drive for two then pushing another to cover. The runs don’t mean an awful lot - Australia aren’t making India bat again in this Test, let’s not be silly - but this is valuable time they are taking out of the game.

“Hi Adam.” Brian Withington, my old OBO comrade. What say you? “Your 93rd over reference to Shane Warne and the Dalai Llama prompts thoughts of a series on great conversations in history, featuring one cricketer and an improbable alter ego. First up I nominate Merv Hughes and Gandhi - surely they would find plenty of common ground, if only in a shared ambivalence about the merits of English colonial rule?”

I’m going to dig into my memory during the innings break to try and come up with the least likely pairing that I happened upon during my political days. I suspect Hulk Hogan is going to feature from the day he visited Parliament House. What a day that was.

100th over: Australia 283-9 (Starc 21, Hazlewood 12) Vihari, who has a bit of a golden arm, is on to try and finish this off with Kuldeep taken off. The Australian pair exchange singles, Starc finding the sweeper at deep point to keep the strike.

“I feel like all of you are old as heck,” emails Seventh Horcrux. It’s all relative, I say! “My first memory of *watching* cricket is the ‘03 World Cup, me just a kid. Things that you guys talk about seeing live are things I’ve only read about. I plan on tormenting the generations to come similarly. If Test Cricket endures the test of time.”

I’m including this because you are a kind and informed emailer, but remember, I’m after the first Tests that you went along to rather than cricket you saw on the telly. Danke!

99th over: Australia 281-9 (Starc 20, Hazlewood 11) Hazlewood’s turn, sweeping the first ball of the new Jadeja over behind square for four! That was right out of the middle. He then gives the strike back to Starc with one to mid-off, who plays out the rest. Drinks! Australia lost 3/45 across the belated opening hour of day four, this pair adding 23 so far for the final wicket. Hazlewood should have been caught not long after arriving to give Kuldeep his fifth, but Vihari put down the easy chance at midwicket. Even so, Australia trail by 341 runs so they will be almost certainly be following on soon.

Updated

98th over: Australia 276-9 (Starc 20, Hazlewood 6) Nice work Mitchell Starc, getting well down the track to smother Kuldeep’s spin then leaning well back to cut him to the rope. It’s easy to forget that Starc was a very handy No8 a couple of years ago, before he turned into a far less dependable No9. But he’s been much better this summer.

97th over: Australia 272-9 (Starc 16, Hazlewood 6) Jadeja through one of those impossible-to-OBO 60-second maidens at Hazlewood. It happened and that’s all I know.

96th over: Australia 272-9 (Starc 16, Hazlewood 6) Yes, Kuldeep does get another go, now from the Paddington End. Hazlewood is playing the spinner well though, driving him down the ground for a couple then deflecting one with soft hands behind point for one. Meanwhile, on twitter there is a bit of a stir about Lyon not reviewing his lbw, bouncing just before hitting his toe (I gather), which suggests he would have been saved with it pitching outside off. This is Ponting’s take on the Seven call.



95th over: Australia 269-9 (Starc 16, Hazlewood 3) Kuldeep taken off? Get out of it, Virat! Hopefully, hopefully he is being swung around to Bumrah’s end. Not a lot going on between Jadeja and Starc until the latter picks up two off the back foot to midwicket. Australia trail by 353 runs, so the follow-on is still very much on.

94th over: Australia 267-9 (Starc 14, Hazlewood 3) Bumrah is bowling quick and short then quick and full. Hazlewood won’t be enjoying this at all. But he does manage to pick up a couple off leg stump with a well-timed tuck. Starc’s turn against Kuldeep.

93rd over: Australia 265-9 (Starc 14, Hazlewood 1) “I’d love to catch up,” Warne says of the Dalai Lama (!), in a discussion about Dharamsala, where Kuldeep took four wickets against Australia in the first innings on debut in 2017. Loving those areas, Shane. Oh, a dropped catch denies the spinner a fifth here, Vihari under a skied Hazlewood top-edge but putting it down - badly. It was another lovely bit of bowling, deploying the wrong’un at the ideal time with the No11 hitting across the line.

Updated

92nd over: Australia 264-9 (Starc 14, Hazlewood 0) Starc takes the two on offer early in the over to midwicket, keen not to expose Hazlewood to Bumrah. Ooooh, the slower ball yorker again! Shaun Marsh wasn’t able to keep it out last week at Melbourne but Starc keeps does this well, driving the next delivery lavishly through cover for four! But he can’t get off strike from the final ball, so Kuldeep will get a pop at Hazlewood.

91st over: Australia 258-9 (Starc 8, Hazlewood 0) Josh Hazlewood has bagged three ducks in the first innings in this series, Fox Sports shows us as he takes guard. But he gets through the one remaining Kuldeep ball here, defending into the off-side. I’ll come to your First Test emails in the innings break, which will be with us quite soon.

WICKET! Lyon lbw b Kuldeep 0 (Australia 258-9)

Lyon sweeps at a straight one and misses, the finger of Ian Gould straight up. There is no review required on that, hitting him on the toe. He’s been set up wonderfully, Kuldeep sending down two wrong’uns before the fatal quicker one. What a fantastic bowler.

90th over: Australia 257-8 (Starc 7, Lyon 0) Lyon is beaten immediately from the one that doesn’t jag back. That’s super bowling first up from Bumrah to the new man.



WICKET! Handscomb b Bumrah 37 (Australia 257-8)

Bumrah is through him off an inside edge! Handscomb was caught on the crease by the Indian quick, the delivery coming back off the seam, kissing the inside edge and deflecting off the back pad before crashing into the Victorian’s woodwork. “Beaten for pace,” says Adam Gilchrist on TV.

89th over: Australia 257-7 (Handscomb 37, Starc 7) Handscomb off the mark for the day, sweeping the Kuldeep expertly then tucking him just as nicely, earning two boundaries for his efforts. I’m surprised that Kohli has turned to spin so quickly with the second new ball behaving weirdly for Shami only a few overs ago.

88th over: Australia 248-7 (Handscomb 28, Starc 7) Bumrah cramps Starc up, finding a leading edge that nearly gets back to him in his follow through. Close. But the big quick does well to the next, taking two off his hip before defending and leaving the rest.

“A very historic game,” says John Catchlove. “I went to each day of the 3rd ashes test 1970/71. It was historic because not a ball was bowled and the match abandoned after 3 days of rain. The 5th day was set aside as the first ODI which Australia won. I was there for all of that game as well. Also historic.”

You’re right - a truly historic week at Melbourne Brilliant. I remember reading that Tim Lane (from memory!) was also there that day, sitting behind Peter Hudson. Of course, Huddo went on to kick 150 goals in 1971 (equalling Bob Pratt’s record) in the magnificent Hawthorn season. So they say, the most brutal Grand Final of them all.

87th over: Australia 246-7 (Handscomb 28, Starc 5) Shami to Handscomb, defending into the off-side from the first half of the over, leaving when Shami tempts him outside the off-stump. Another shoots low later in the set, but Handscomb was on the front foot and had enough time to adjust his shot. Good batting from the Victorian skipper.

“Must have been 1971, England vs. the West Indies at The Oval,” Ben Carter says of the first Test Match that he saw in the flesh. “My only memory is Rohan Kanhai hitting someone into the crowd for six, and then Clive Lloyd doing the same thing. I was eight at the time.” Wonderful - my favourite ground. If I had a time machine, one of the journeys I would make would be to visit a Test Match from before colour television.



86th over: Australia 246-7 (Handscomb 28, Starc 5) Lovely shot from Starc from the first ball of Bumrah’s spell, lashing a straight drive past the bowler and down to the rope. His batting hasn’t been bad in this series but has been trending down for the last couple of years on the whole. They really need him to get stuck in for an hour or two here. More runs later in the over - five of them - when Bumrah’s bouncer clears both Starc and Pant, smashing into the advertising boards. They all count. “How’s the Bash Brothers go?” Warne asks of Brisbane’s BBL game last night. “Bashed it, probably.”

Updated session times from CA: Middle 13:50 - 15:50 (drinks 1450), Final 1610-1800 Then we can play up to an additional 30min in order to achieve minimum overs.

85th over: Australia 237-7 (Handscomb 28, Starc 1) Gosh, watching a couple of replays that has really kept low. “You can’t do anything about that,” says Warne on the TV. Starc, the new man, is off the mark with a clip behind square. Remember, Australia still has to find 186 further runs to avoid the follow-on.



WICKET! Cummins b Shami 25 (Australia 236-7)

Phwoaaaar! Off-stump out of the ground! Cummins was caught on the crease, beaten almost under the bat with the delivery keeping low. The new ball has taken three balls to earn a breakthrough for the visitors, ending the 42-run partnership.

84th over: Australia 236-6 (Handscomb 28, Cummins 25) Jadeja immediately finds his range, Handscomb well forward in defence. At the end of the over, Kohli signals to the umpires that he will take the second new ball.

Updated

The players are on the field! Jadeja will complete his over from last night; he has three balls to come. Handscomb (28) is on strike with Cummins (25) down the other end, Australia resuming on 236-6, still 386 behind India’s first innings of 622-6 (dec). PLAY!

“You said a few days ago this was your 109th Test,” emails Andrew Benton. “Give us a potted history of your test appearances while the rain falls, would you? I’m going to guess, your first was.....2nd in 1998 Aus vs Ind (?). When you was still a lad.”

Close! 1994-95 was the first time that I was taken along to the ‘G for a Test, on day four of that Ashes match - the day before Warne’s hat-trick. We’ll come back to that in a moment. I’ve written about that summer (and day) for Wisden in the past, my defining memory Damien Fleming bowling one of the most magical spells of swing bowling I’ve seen, knocking over Gooch and Hick before the close. Oh, and DC Boon’s 20th ton.

So yes, I missed out on Warne’s hatty and have done so ever since - yet to witness one in Tests. I’ve caught a few in ODIs - on radio calling for James Faulkner’s in Sri Lanka a few years back - but not in the creams. Nor a triple ton, Ross Taylor coming closest (291) in 2015 at the WACA. Thanks to the Australian sub-fielder for taking that fine catch.

PLAY TO RESUME AT 1:50pm!

Giddy up! The covers are off and the officials are satisfied that the field will be ready to go in 20 minutes from now. With one big caveat: “if no further rain.”

Thanks, Geoff. Hello everyone. I’ll level with you: the strong likelihood is that I’ll be OBOing the rain for a few hours as well. It’s not heavy but they can’t get enough of a break to get the covers off even for a moment. Sigh. I’m actually in the SCG Trust lunch at the moment, an unorthodox place for this product to be invited with former Prime Ministers and whatnot floating around, but here we are and we’re grateful for it.

The chairman, Tony Shepherd, just presented an award to a member who has been signed up here for 70 years. He told a story about watching Bradman and Barnes batting together here in 1947, the latter giving his wicket away on 234 so he would be dismissed on the same score as the former. Priceless.

Oh - GOOD NEWS! The umpires are on the field are they have been followed by the ground staff, suggesting that the rain might have stopped. So we might see some cricketer sooner rather than later after all.

For now, I’m keen to find out who our oldest reader is today. Measured not by age, but rather, the first memory you have of attending a Test Match in the flesh. Tell me on the email or the tweet. The more obscure the better. I’ll be back with an update soon.

That's lunch

Such as it is. We haven’t had any play. I haven’t had any lunch. I’m going to do that, and Adam Collins will describe rain to you for the couple of hours from here. Or perhaps we’ll get some action at some stage.

Though in a perverse way, doing the OBO during the rain is one of my favourite things. It’s just nice to spend some time with you all, sitting down together like a family for once.

Till tomorrow.

“Is having a retractable roof at a cricket ground a possible solution to this problem of rain delays? I thought Headingley was going to do this a few years ago? Just wondering if it can be done in Australia?”

Aditya, it has been done in Australia – we first played some ODIs against... South Africa, I think? Shaun Pollock’s team? Back in 2003 or 2004 or similiar. The Docklands stadium in Melbourne has a roof, and that’s where the Renegades play in the Big Bash.

There’s a drop-in pitch, obviously, which isn’t’ great, but those are getting better. The main problem is that an indoor ground can only operate under lights, so it can only host games with a white ball or a pink ball. Unless they can come up with a transparent roof, so we could all laugh at the impotent rain as it splatted up against a marvel of human engineering. Hubris in the face of nature never goes wrong.

Tough question. Nominations anyone? About 20 Pakistan teams that I can think of would give it a nudge. Also Bangladesh before the last three or four years, when they played the raft of left-arm spinners.

That’s the million dollar question... I like your maverick move throwing Harris into the middle order. Why not? Renshaw of course had a poor Shield half-season in November, but he’s also the most likely viable long-term option. So he needs to be brought back through eventually, and built back up to his best.

Lunch will be taken at 12:30

Which is in 13 minutes time. Which seems daft. Why not take it now and hope we can get the ground ready? The covers are still on, but a good ground staff can get things sorted in 30 to 40 minutes if the rain stops. If it’s even still raining, it doesn’t look like it is.

Thomas Hopkins emails in from England’s north. “As a Yorkist, I was surprised that Jason Gillespie didn’t get the Aussie coach gig. Did a grand job with the Tykes, all round good egg and (to be blunt) more of a break with some of the more tedious practices than Langer. Did his face not fit, or maybe he just didn’t fancy it?”

I’m not sure he really wanted it – I think he would have taken it, but he’s got a young family and probably would rather do that job a bit later in life. But mostly it was that Langer was already perceived by CA to be the next in line, and had been for years. His appointment was a formality.

You might as well follow Tyrone’s advice, given there’s not much happening here. We’ll have an early lunch called any moment, surely, meaning you’ll have the 40 minutes necessary to hear this chat. Harsha Bhogle was very open with us about his life and career with its downs as well as some remarkable ups.

The podcast is here.

Quality content, Dylan. An older and wiser James Sherry is now the ground MC for Cricket Australia now, so it’s relevant.

I think that he thinks he’s taken plenty already. To some degree, maybe there’s only so much you can do with players who aren’t equipped for the rigours of Test cricket. You can drill it into Travis Head that he shouldn’t play massive swipes at the ball when he’s trying to bat out time in a Test, but if he keeps doing it anyway, is that the coach’s fault? I think we need a bigger sample size.

What is notable is that the cohesive feel of all those Perth Scorchers and WA sides, where everyone knew his role and was confident in fulfilling it, is missing from this side at the moment. And the endless backing of players on personality rather than progress is definitely part of the Langer method.

Covers are still on, and none of the groundstaff are hanging about anymore. A general sense of funk has settled over the ground, and not in the George Clinton sense.

“Wasn’t Greg Chappell a selector last time Australia lost an Ashes at home, and probably responsible for such masterstrokes as Michael Beer?” asks Aditya on email. “Not to mention ruining Indian cricket 2005-2007? Why is he being allowed to ruin Australian cricket again?”

I’ll take that as a comment.

As for India – well, they’re really just getting going. Their first-class system is so broad and well populated, with players getting a serious diet of months of cricket to hone their skills. There’s a range of conditions now, with plenty of tracks conducive to fast bowling as well as the traditional spinners’ wickets. So India now has a good bunch of fast bowlers, but equally has batsman who can face good fast bowling. When the IPL arrives, it comes after months of competitive four-day cricket. So players known from the IPL, like Agarwal or Bumrah or Pant, can come into Test cricket and still get it right.

Gosh, there has been a lot of searching of the souls in Australian cricket in the past 12 months. Former players, broadcasters, supporters, everyone is trying to figure it out. The only people we’re not hearing much from are those at the top, in terms of why the current malaise is as it is.

There is a publicly mutiny brewing about selections, with people entirely fed up with having players picked or ignored with no adequate public explanation. That’s fair enough: the members of the panel mostly hide, rarely offer anything bar brief statements, and leave the coach Justin Langer to be the public face of most of their decisions. But it’s not just about who to pick. It’s not like there’s a production line of great options to bring in.

More broadly, a lot of people in cricket who I’ve been speaking to recently think that the production line is broken. They see a system where cricket clubs are struggling to feel relevant, when ‘talent’ is identified in early teen years and plucked out of clubs to go into high-performance training pathways. And talented kids get a rails run into age-group teams and so on without necessarily earning it through performance.

These sort of factors, plus the gutting of state second XI teams that then entered the Futures League era, one of Greg Chappell’s galaxy-brain revelations, where most of the team had to be under 23. That pushed good developed cricketers out of the system and lowered the standard in general.

And we’ve seen that same approach come into national selection since Chappell joined that panel, picking young prospects on hunches rather than performance, while other players who had performed missed out. Sam Heazlett, Hilton Cartwright, Marnus Labuschagne, even Mitchell Marsh to a fair degree.

Some of these problems are pretty obvious, but they’re not even being acknowledged as problems by the current custodians. Those advocating for solutions are saying that even if they start fixing the system now, it’ll take five to ten years for that to reflect in the calibre of players available in state cricket and to reflect in national performances on the field.

Updated

My word it will. If it lasts another two days.

The whole square’s covers are now down again. I can’t even tell if it’s raining from up in the stand, or if the windows are just a bit filmy. It must be very light if it is. No one’s bothering with an umbrella except for the fourth umpire.

“Re your recent update which included the line ‘The tractors are still out in the middle’: that’s really no way to speak of Australia’s middle order.”

Olly, please. Pat Cummins is an Aston Martin. (Peter Handscomb might be one of those funny three-wheeled cars that looks totally impractical but somehow continues to function.)

There’s this. But also if the ball gets damp, it might ruin any chance of swing or seam, and make it hard to grip for the spinners. So it might aid Australia for the time being by neutering the bowling.

Updated

Umpires Gould and Kettleborough have just walked to the middle, hat-less (shocking I know), and walked off again. No movement in the middle, where one small cover remains over the pitch, but the covers for the square remain rolled up on a trailer.

Ian Forth is prognosticating. “I know there are matches against Sri Lanka to go, which might confuse things considerably, but was musing on what the opening line ups for The Ashes might be.

“Australia: Warner, Harris, Khawaja, Smith, Handscomb, Head, Paine, Cummins, Lyon, Starc, Hazlewood.

“England: Jennings, Burns, Bairstow, Root, Buttler, Stokes, Foakes, Ali, Woakes, S. Curran, Anderson.

“Australia’s 7 and 8 better then their 5 and 6. But England’s 9 and 10 better than their 1 and 2. Any thoughts yourself?”

As it has been for England for a while, a weak opening partnership doesn’t necessarily cripple their chances, because they have such a versatile middle and lower order. Interesting that Broad would miss in Ian’s team, when he’s monstered the Australians on three consecutive visits. I’d think that spectre alone might keep him in the side, though of course Woakes offers more with the bat. Curran can’t be kept out, he’s just the sort of player who could take an Ashes series by the scruff.

As for Australia, well. The obvious questions are around the batting. Top four, yes, but England could gobble up Handscomb with his approach, and Head has been so loose and unreliable that I don’t think he can go. Glenn Maxwell is the obvious option who’s played a lot of county cricket. Joe Burns is known as an opener but made his Test debut at six. He’s better equipped than most against the moving ball.

So is Matt Renshaw, who is the player I think is best equipped to survive against England. He’s the one I’d like to have opening the batting, but recent circumstances with his poor returns have made that difficult. If he can get his head together and have a strong second half of his Shield season, he might pose a dilemma. Or he should come in against Sri Lanka and try to make his way back.

But it’s Australia’s bowling that doesn’t get questioned so much. In England, is there much value in using Mitchell Starc? He’s been out of sorts for almost a year. He’s not bowling penetrative spells. And in England, pure pace doesn’t usually do the job. You want bowlers who can seam or swing the ball, less glamorous and less fast options like Peter Siddle or Chadd Sayers. That’s where I’d be looking.

I spoke too soon. The hessian has just gone back down with a tiny bit of mizzle drifting across the ground. As we know, umpires can’t restart play until the atmosphere is completely dry.

Play will commence at 11am local time

That’s 12 minutes from now. The sky is still cloudy but has lightened a bit. The rain is holding off. The tractors are still out in the middle.

A few Bronxies around the ground as the big covers come off. At last, at last. And now the hessian is being rolled up. Stand by.

“Good morning Geoff.” Good morning, Ruth Purdue, up and at ‘em as always. “Predictions on Australia’s first innings total?”

If they ever get on, you mean? I’m going to be optimistic and go for 280.

Just had a wander around the internal roads around the ground, and there are good numbers of people milling about and coming in for a day’s cricket. Sadly their shorts and shirtsleeves look a bit thin up against a fairly cold wind and the persistent drizzle. There are no clouds on the radar, so it’s coming from imaginary clouds that only we can see. A collective mass delusion at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In years to come I can say that I was there. And you can say that you read some live text updates from someone who was there.

GET ON THE RAIN TRAIN!

(It’s raining.)

There’s a conference ongoing in the middle of the ground between umpires, match referee, ground staff. But no movement. “This is where Test cricket shoots itself in the foot,” says Dirk Nannes on ABC radio. I tend to agree.

New word: there’ll be an inspection at 10:15. And now there’s misty drizzle falling around the SCG, a few beads on the glass.

Play delayed by bad light

Yes, that’s right. At 9:56am the umpires have decided the light is insufficient to start play. It is pretty gloomy. Is it gloomier than last night? Not sure about that, but I don’t have the light meter. There are thick clouds overhead, and they might clear soon. Or empty themselves.

Updated

If you’re not in the geo-blocked zones (apologies there) this might be of interest: what Peter Handscomb did differently. One thing we noticed was meeting the seamers further down the wicket: his point of impact was half a metre further down than it was in Perth before he got dropped.

A cracker of a one-day game over the Ditch overnight: Sri Lanka were 128-7 at one stage chasing 320, but they ended up getting bowled out by New Zealand for 298. Thisara Perera went to town and made 140 off about 70 balls. Find the highlights of that one, I suggest.

In other good news for women’s cricket: this. Well done to Brisbane.

The Australian Cricket Media Association had its annual dinner last night. Congratulations are in order for the recipients of the two annual awards: Emerging Women’s Player of the Year going to Sophie Molineux, and Emerging Men’s Player of the Year to Marcus Harris.

Interestingly both play for the Melbourne Renegades, Victoria, and Australia (despite being a consensus award and most of the ACMA members coming from New South Wales).

Oops, they did it again. The Australian top order, that is. Had the chance to make a statement and instead mumbled into their shirt collars. If you’d like to catch up with yesterday, here’s my piece.

Preamble

Ahoy sailors. We thought it might be hammering down in Sydney until mid-afternoon, but the morning so far is dry. Dry enough. Definitely moist in a fairly armpit sort of way, but nothing literally falling from the sky. If that remains clear, we’ll be on track for an early start, 10am local time, to make up for the early finish on day three. Pat Cummins and Peter Handscomb will be at the crease, trying to provide some more resistance to India’s bowling attack. That batting pair did well last night, Handscomb batting a long time for 28 not out, Cummins taking a more attacking approach but looking safe all the while on his way to 25 not out. The Aussies have 236 on the board with six wickets down, and, they’re still 186 short of avoiding the follow-on. This time, with two spinners in India’s attack and more rain around, you’d have to imagine Kohli would enforce it no matter how long it takes to become available.

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