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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Scott Heinrich (later) and Geoff Lemon (earlier)

Australia v India: third Test, day two – as it happened

Steve Smith
Australia’s Steve Smith celebrates his first Test century since 2019, against India at the SCG. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP

Summary

Day two in Sydney should have been about Steve Smith, who was back to his magnificent best with a score of 131 - his 27th Test century and first since Manchester in 2019. And in many ways it was, but elsewhere it was mainly lean pickings in a disappointing first innings for Australia.

Having started the day on 166-2, the hosts went on to lose eight wickets for 132 runs following the dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne for 91. Only Mitchell Starc (24) offered Smith any sort of support as partners fell like flies around the former captain.

Without Smith’s dominant offering Australia would have returned far under the 338 they tallied, a lead which was reduced to 242 runs by the day’s end with India reaching 96-2 at stumps. India’s opening pair of Shubman Gill (50) and Rohit Sharma (26) looked assured in amassing 70 for the first wicket, but when both fell in the space of just over five overs momentum suddenly swung towards Australia.

Scoring dried up markedly - the current partnership, worth 11 runs, has used up one ball shy of 13 overs - but both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane showed great levels of concentration and determination to keep their wickets intact. Having started the day some way behind Australia, India are now very much back in the third Test.

Stumps - India 96-2 (trail by 242 runs)

India’s third-wicket pair do very well to stem the flow of wickets after Australia ousted the two openers. After starting the day seemingly behind Australia, this was India’s day.

45th over: India 96-2 (Pujara 9, Rahane 5) Starc to deliver the final over. Ideally he makes the batsmen play but first-up he’s short and wide to Pujara, who leaves it for the keeper. Starc continues to angle the ball across from over the wicket but Pujara is equal to the task and now Starc goes around the wicket for the last two balls. The result is the same. Maiden over and that is stumps.

44th over: India 96-2 (Pujara 9, Rahane 5) Lyon on for his last over of the day. Three catchers around the bat. Rahane stays back in his crease, trying not to bring short-leg or bat-pad into play. And now there are four men around the bat as Paine inserts a leg slip. Lyon drops one in a little quicker, strands Rahane on the crease but the batsman does well to get bat on ball. Maiden over. One to go.

43rd over: India 96-2 (Pujara 9, Rahane 5) Starc now over the wicket to Pujara, who reverts to type and shows no interest in advancing the score. To be fair, Starc barely makes him play and we are now two overs from the close of play.

42nd over: India 96-2 (Pujara 9, Rahane 5) Clearly giddy after his previous shot, Pujara goes on a scoring spree - now TRIPLING his score of two deliveries ago by picking up three runs off Lyon to deep midwicket. Six runs in two balls, having needed 39 to score his first three runs. Weird game, cricket.

41st over: India 93-2 (Pujara 6, Rahane 5) The controversy of the previous over behind us, Starc continues to Pujara - who is doing his best impression of a Tavare-Boycott lovechild. But I type too soon as Pujara AT LAST moves off three with a punch through mid-off that doubles his score.

40th over: India 89-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 4) That’s close. And that’s not a shot. Rahane sticks his pad out to Lyon, outside off but spinning in towards the wickets. To a man, Australia rise in appeal for leg before. The decision is not out and Paine demands a review, just in time. The umpires confer and agreed no shot was offered. On review, the ball was going on to hit the stumps ... but merely the outside of off-stump so the decision stays as umpire’s call. Lucky for Rahane. No shot offered, ball going on to hit the stumps. But he survives. Doesn’t seem quite right.

39th over: India 88-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 3) We’ve missed Mitchell Starc but now here he is to bowl his fourth over - Cummins has bowled 12 overs, Hazlewood 10 and Lyon 13. The ball is ageing but this should be the right time of day and right conditions with clouds swirling overhead. Around the wicket to Pujara, who bunts one at catching height just wide of Wade at short-leg. Pujara’s now been on three for 29 deliveries.

38th over: India 88-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 3) The shackles are broken in a small way as Rahane helps himself to one short of a length from Lyon, hitting through extra cover for two. One keeps quite low later in the over.

37th over: India 86-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Cummins again. This third-wicket pair are in survival mode and can’t get out of first gear. Cummins mixes his length to Pujara but could seemingly offer anything and get away with it. Dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot and we have another maiden, the fourth in a row. This partnership of one run has consumed 29 deliveries.

36th over: India 86-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Lyon persists with his nagging line outside off, turning the ball into the right-handers. Rahane tries to turn one through midwicket and is lucky to keep his wicket intact as his inside edge cannons onto his thigh and onto safe land just in front of the diving Wade at short-leg. Yet another maiden. India are under the pump in the closing overs of the day.

35th over: India 86-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Cummins to Pujara. Another maiden. India simply trying to hang in here. They don’t want to go from a good start to a collapse in the matter of overs. Cummins probes the off-stump and looks threatening but Pujara keeps him at arm’s length. Good bowling but also good batting under heavy pressure.

34th over: India 86-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Two new batsmen in the middle and Australia are suddenly pulling the strings. Rahane is watchful to Lyon and doesn’t look like scoring. Maiden over. Lights starting to come on at the SCG. Chance here for Australia to make further inroads before stumps.

WICKET! Gill c Green b Cummins 50 (India 85-2)

33rd over: India 86-2 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1)

Really nice bowling from Cummins as Gill reaches forward to one outside off and edges to gully where Green takes an equally nice two-handed catch low to his left. A fine knock from Gill but he barely had time to celebrate his first Test fifty before being given his marching orders. Good period for Australia after India’s openers looked well set. The new man at the crease is the in-form Rahane, who gets off the mark with a single to fine-leg. Cummins then beats Pujara’s outside edge to complete a fine over. He’s up and about.

Gill half-century - 50 off 100 balls!

32nd over: India 85-1 (Gill 50, Pujara 3)

Gill has impressed today - positive when required, defensive when the situation demands it - and he fully deserves his maiden Test fifty, which he registers with a single to square leg.

This is the pick of Gill’s shots today.

Updated

31st over: India 84-1 (Gill 49, Pujara 3) Cummins continues, over the wicket to Pujara. Wade does a good job at backward square to turn a single into nothing. Cummins then does an ever better job to beat Pujara’s outside edge with one that pitches just outside off and nips away from the right-hander. Lovely ball, but Pujara didn’t go chasing. Maiden over.

30th over: India 84-1 (Gill 49, Pujara 3) Lyon to Pujara. Australia can smell blood with the new batsman. Slip, bat-pad and short-leg all waiting for a catch. The fielders ask the question as Pujara sticks his front leg in front of one turning in from outside off, but the umpire isn’t interested. Lyon then strays onto Pujara’s pads at the end of the over, allowing him to get off the mark with three through midwicket.

29th over: India 81-1 (Gill 49, Pujara 0) Cummins returns. A quite breathtaking shot from Gill, who leans back and punches with a diagonal bat right out of the middle for four. The shot of a serious talent. Cummins responds in kind, beating the outside edge, before Gill plays a very similar shot to his boundary, though a little softer this time, to collect two more.

Here’s Hazlewood’s wicket.

28th over: India 75-1 (Gill 43, Pujara 0) Pujara joins Gill in the middle. Gill drives nicely through extra cover for four before a single hands the new batsman the strike on the last ball of the over. Close catchers on both sides of the wicket. No wicket but no run for Pujara, who clips past short-leg but can’t beat midwicket.

WICKET! Rohit c & b Hazlewood 26 (India 70-1)

27th over: India 70-1 (Gill 38)

The breakthrough comes, finally. Hazlewood looks to take the pace off the ball just a little as Rohit hits on the up, offering a tough chance low to the paceman’s left and in the end it’s a nice catch. Not the easiest of chances off your own bowling and a much-needed strike for Australia.

26th over: India 68-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 38) A rare wide ball from Lyon and Gill doesn’t need asking twice as he swats the half-volley through extra cover for four. Lyon is then straighter, a bit shorter, and better as Gill retreats into his crease and fails to beat the infield for four successive balls before Lyon again loses his radar and is taken for two behind square.

25th over: India 62-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 32) Not a bad over from Hazlewood, with a catcher at short mid-on for the drive, but Gill has his eye well and truly in. Five dot balls make way for a single as Gill clips one behind square.

24th over: India 61-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 31) Lyon v Rohit continues and the former looks to have gained reward for a good spell when Rohit is given out, caught by Wade at short-leg. Australia are ecstatic but this looks dubious. Not sure there was bat there. Review! And there was no bat or glove there at all, seemingly missing by some way in fact. Not out! The breakthrough continues to elude Australia.

Updated

23rd over: India 61-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 31) Two boundaries in two Hazlewood deliveries, one off Gills blade - a brutal pull through midwicket - and one a bouncer that flies high over Gill and Paine for four byes. India going along very nicely here. This is officially a good batting deck.

22nd over: India 52-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 27) Wade inflicted some pain on India’s short-leg today and now it’s his turn as Rohit sweeps strongly onto what looks like his ribs. That’s gotta hurt, but on the plus side Wade saved runs. Both Paine and Lyon then rise in appeal for leg before but the umpire isn’t interested. Was Rohit playing a shot? Wasn’t he? Paine says no. Paul Wilson says yes. And the latter wins.

21st over: India 50-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 27) Cummins’ five-over spell comes to an end as Paine turns to Hazlewood. Might have anticipated Starc, though Hazlewood was so very good earlier on. And he’s very good again as he pierces Gill’s defences, giving rise to a half-hearted appeal for caught behind. The decision is not out and Australia opt not to review, but my that was close to the inside edge before clipping the pad. Snicko doesn’t like it so good decision from both umpire and Paine.

20th over: India 50-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 27) Superb areas from Lyon but Rohit is maintaining his concentration. No width, a good length every time, and Lyon returns a second successive maiden. But what Australia need right now is a wicket.

19th over: India 50-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 27) Still more from Cummins but the ascendancy remains with these India openers, who take their stand to fifty courtesy of Gill’s two runs through the covers. Cummins tightens up thereafter to return five successive dot balls.

18th over: India 48-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 25) “That’s nicely bowled, Gaz,” says Tim Paine. And he’s right. Lyon comes back from his 12-run effort the previous over to keep Rohit on his crease with a line just outside off, turning into the right-hander. A maiden and a very good response from Lyon. Didn’t look like conceding a run.

17th over: India 48-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 25) The tussle between Cummins and Gill continues. Excellent bowling from Cummins, mostly straight or just outside off, but he fluffs his lines on the last ball of the over as Gill clips one off his pads for two through midwicket.

16th over: India 46-0 (Rohit 22, Gill 23) Go fetch. Determined to not let Lyon dictate terms as he did in the first over, Rohit waltzes down the pitch and positively middles one over long-on for six. A big shot and one of even greater intent. Rohit places a cherry on top at the end of the over, descending on one knee and sweeping delicately for four. Beautiful and beastly all in the one over. Which went for 12 runs, if you don’t mind.

15th over: India 34-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 22) Oooh, close. Cummins nips a shortish one back into Gill, who boots the ball away from the stumps after it ricochets off his torso. He’s really putting his back into this over, Cummins. But Gill is equal to the task. A maiden, and a good battle between bat and ball.

14th over: India 34-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 22) Lyon indeed. Hazlewood’s was one of the better spells not to pick up a wicket. Doesn’t look to be a great deal of turn for Lyon but his areas are spot on and Rohit is very watchful, very respectful in a series of forward defensives. A maiden to begin with.

13th over: India 34-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 22) Nice punch off the back foot earns Gill two runs and the opener raises the stakes later in the over, sitting back and waiting outside off before steering Cummins over gully for four. Classy shot. Lyon soon?

12th over: India 28-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 16) Hazlewood again and again he’s causing the India openers concerns. Rohit plays around a straight one but height means leg before isn’t a concern. Looks to be Hazlewood’s lift and seam movement that Rohit and Gill are struggling with. Another maiden from Hazlewood. Only thing that’s missing from a very good spell is a wicket.

11th over: India 28-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 16) Cummins continues. Short to begin with but then he demands Gill plays at the ball as the opener picks up two off a thick edge that he didn’t quite control. Cummins concludes the over with a fine piece of fielding off his own bowling to keep the over to those two runs.

10th over: India 26-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 14) We’re back. Hazlewood was the pick of the quicks before tea and he picks up where he left off, beating Rohit with a frankly unplayable leg cutter. Absolutely spat off the pitch, that one. Too good to get a wicket. Not a man alive could get near it. Nice and straight the rest of the over, including one that hits the top of the pads but draws only a stifled appeal. Height clearly an issue. Maybe going down leg, too. But a great over. And another maiden, the fourth in a row.

We all make a teat of ourselves from time to time, Royce. But yes, Smith was great and Jadeja is a multifaceted talent. There is a lot to like about this India team. And to think Kohli isn’t here.

Cummins, too, looks to be getting it right. Reckon we’ll see Lyon before too long, though.

Definitely a long bow, NC, but Gill had shown no interest in Starc’s advances outside off-stump. So he bowled straighter. Still no? Fair enough.

Tea - India 26-0 (trail by 312 runs)

An assured beginning to this response from India’s opening pair. Both Rohit and Gill defended well while playing their shots to the bad balls. With all of India’s wickets in hand, this match sits on a knife’s edge with a stack of cricket to be played.

9th over: India 26-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 14) Cummins to bowl what is likely the final over before tea. Two slips and a gully for Gill, who would love nothing more than keep Cummins at bay and go safely to the break. And that’s exactly what transpires as Cummins bowls the third consecutive maiden of the innings. Time for tea.

8th over: India 26-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 14) Ripper of a ball from Hazlewood nips away from Rohit and beats the bat. Or does it? Paine is interested. Very interested. But he’s not getting much support from his teammates and there will be no review. Good lift off the deck there, too, from Hazlewood. My, does he know how to hit that seam. Another maiden. Great over.

Who would’ve known that 338 would be such an elusive number?

7th over: India 26-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 14) Cummins replaces Starc with just a handful of overs remaining before tea. The fast bowler immediately finds his zone, becalming Gill with excellent line and length, before the India opener drives at a wider one only to be denied by a fine stop by Labuschagne at extra cover. Cummins commences with a maiden.

6th over: India 26-0 (Rohit 11, Gill 14) An over of good line and length from Hazlewood, quite full at times, is ruined when Rohit tucks into a short one and hooks very high backward of square for four. A nice response from Hazlewood, however, as he finds the outside edge of Rohit’s bat. No danger, however, as the ball lands safely in front of gully.

5th over: India 21-0 (Rohit 7, Gill 13) Starc again. Like a spurned lover, he straightens his line to Gill before again going across the body of the right-hander - but this time he’s too short and Gill rocks onto the back foot before crunching the paceman through the covers for four. Another short ball follows - this time it’s a straight one, and a no-ball! - but the outcome is the same as Gill hooks with great skill and confidence. Two wonderful shots. India can now rejoice in their best opening partnership of the series.

4th over: India 11-0 (Rohit 7, Gill 4) Rohit, on the other hand, is more inclined to play his strokes and this really is a delightful shot for four, capitalising on a bit of width from Hazlewood and timing his punch wide of gully to perfection. Two runs follow and a tuck behind square off his pads is money for jam for Rohit. Now who’s the one handing out presents?

Got something to say, Marnus?

3rd over: India 5-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 4) Starc wants Gill to get involved, wants him to play, but flashing away at a left-armer angling darts across your body is a recipe for failure. And the result is a maiden over.

2nd over: India 5-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 4) Paine puts a bow on the new cherry and tosses it to Hazlewood, wishing him a very happy birthday. None of that is true other than the fact it is Hazlewood’s 30th birthday and he is in fact bowling. Plenty of bluster from the birthday boy, and some seam movement, and Rohit respectfully rewards Hazlewood with a gift of his own: a maiden over.

Ruth Purdue asks: “Any thoughts on the batting collapses of this Australian team? Seems to be a common theme, although this is a bit better. Is it skill rather than mental?”

Hi Ruth. I would say it’s a combination of skill, mentality and old-fashioned gumption. And some very good bowling. It can’t be Christmas every day. This Aussie tail has been known to wag quite well, you know.

1st over: India 5-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 4) Starc with the new ball for Australia. Plenty of swing first delivery into Rohit and it’s down leg side anyway, inviting the India opener to flick his wrists and pick up a single down to fine-leg. Warner and his comically enormous moustache are stationed at first slip. No running required there. Gill sees off four dot ball before Starc loses his line and is punched down the ground for four. Bright start from India.

Australia 338 all out!

An emphatic return to form by Steve Smith but Australia will have started the day wanting more from their first innings. The departure of Marnus Labuschagne in the morning precipitated a loss of eight wickets for 132 runs, almost all of which were scored by Smith. Mitchell Starc (24) was Smith’s only partner of note and now it’s India’s turn to put this total of 338 into perspective.

WICKET! Smith run out (Jadeja) 131 (Australia 338 all out)

Smith again goes after Bumrah and this time he’s got the width to do it, swatting him to the deep midwicket fence. A couple flicked fine follow and then the batsmen again want two backward of square but Jadeja has an evil arm and throws the stumps down from distance. Incredible fielding, lethal accuracy.

Updated

105th over: Australia 331-9 (Smith 124, Hazlewood 1) It’s T20 time as Smith tries the ramp to Jadeja and fails, then tries the ramp again and succeeds, picking up two runs behind the keeper. A single follows and Hazlewood again does well to see off the remaining two deliveries. What’s the rush? These two could go on like this all day.

104th over: Australia 326-9 (Smith 119, Hazlewood 1) Smith premeditates a crude slog - can’t really describe it as anything other - and takes Bumrah for two over the covers, before playing a far more cultured ramp-like shot to a short ball that flies over the slip cordon for four. A single puts Hazlewood on strike and the No 11 does what every No 11 should do: take a single to put the star bat back on strike. A beautiful shot from Smith follows, a straight punch to a yorker that goes down the ground for three. Most would’ve done well to simply keep it out. Hazlewood sees off the final ball - it’s 11 off the over - and Smith is on strike again.

Updated

WICKET! Lyon lbw b Jadeja 0 (Australia 315-9)

103rd over: Australia 315-9 (Smith 109, Hazlewood 0)

With eight wickets down, the ton safely tucked under the belt, Smith now wants runs. And fair enough, too. A deft slog-sweep for four is followed by a single and unfortunately this puts Lyon on strike. The No 10 bunts away a dot ball before being struck on his toes, plumb in front by Jadeja, and is confidently given out leg before. Lyon decides to waste everyone’s time by demanding a review, and that’s precisely what it is: a waste of time. Tell your story walking, Gaz.

WICKET! Starc c Gill b Saini 25 (Australia 310-8)

102nd over: Australia 310-8 (Smith 104, Lyon 0)

Big stand-and-deliver six from Starc, who barely moves his body or feet to Saini but a slight swivel of the hips is enough to clear the square-leg rope. Extraordinary shot. The No 9 - No 9, really??!! - tries a similar shot and picks up two but then attempts another ambitious shot and this time runs out of lives, holing out to Gill running around from mid-on. Nice, cameo knock from Starc.

Updated

101st over: Australia 301-7 (Smith 104, Starc 16) Jadeja continues in the way only Jadeja can: at breakneck speed. Both batsmen pick up a couple of singles and we carry on.

How’s this for emotion?

100th over: Australia 299-7 (Smith 103, Starc 15) I suspect that with the Smith hundred out of the way, we might see Starc swing a bit more freely from now on. He doesn’t get a chance in this over, getting bombed by Navdeep Saini with the short ball. Fourth time lucky, Starc flinches away a single to square leg. Smith drops and runs another to put Starc back on strike for the last ball. Starc knows what’s coming, and hooks it for four! A bit of a hoick that does the job. And it’s a no-ball, so Starc has to face another. Misses this one and nearly top-edges it to the keeper.

And that’s me done. Thanks for your company, Scott Heinrich has you from here.

99th over: Australia 292-7 (Smith 102, Starc 10) A Jadeja maiden to Smith, aside from a no-ball. So it’s not a maiden, but you know what I mean.

Updated

Thanks Geoff. Well done, Steve Smith. Well done, India. It’s been such a topsy-turvy day – match, for that matter – that it’s hard to say who’s on top. But runs on the board always count for plenty. And Smith’s ton, after a couple of lean Tests, will do wonders for the confidence of not only the man, but the team he represents. Looking forward to the rest of the day. If you’d like to have your say, you know the drill.

Century! Steve Smith 102 from 201 balls

98th over: Australia 291-7 (Smith 102, Starc 10) Saini bowling to Starc, fast and full and Starc just thuds him down the ground for four. Over mid-on. Now Starc gets a single from the third ball of the over, to cover. Good get.

Smith has three balls to face. Defends the first. Inside edge from the second, and Starc sets off but again it’s Jadeja swooping at midwicket, and Smith shouts “No!”

Final ball...

he gets it! Walks across, squeezes three runs to deep backward square!

His first Test century since Manchester 2019. Which sounds more dramatic than it is, given the scarcity of Test matches since then, but it’s still his ninth Test since last time which is a very unusual gap in the Smith career.

That’s century number 27, catching up with Virat Kohli for now, and also levelling Allan Border’s record. That means that the only Australians yet ahead of him are Clarke, Bradman, Hayden, S. Waugh, and Ponting.

Updated

97th over: Australia 283-7 (Smith 99, Starc 5) Hahaha. Starc facing Jadeja, four dot balls, then Smith gets strike for the last ball! This time it’s an outside edge from Starc, bouncing wide of slip and it gets him three runs. Smith faces...

and defends back down the pitch.

96th over: Australia 280-7 (Smith 99, Starc 2) Saini bowls to Starc, and this is all action. A wide ball and a big swish, fresh air. A good bouncer that hits the front of Starc’s top glove, up in front of his sternum, and luckily for the batsman doesn’t flick up in the air but goes straight to ground. A length ball that Starc also swishes at and misses as it angles across him, left-handed batsman facing a right-armer. A bouncer down the leg side that Starc is nowhere near. Fifth ball, he pushes into the covers and runs! Gives Smith one whole ball to face...

and it won’t bring a run! Jadeja at forward square leg swoops.

95th over: Australia 279-7 (Smith 99, Starc 1) Ha. Mitchell Starc to the crease with two balls to go, and his star batting teammate on 99, so he pushes the sixth ball for a single and keeps the strike.

WICKET! Cummins b Jadeja 0, Australia 279-7

Provided some support, but he’s gone! A worthwhile bowling change, Rahane brings back Jadeja with his left-arm orthos. A few dots, then Smith forces a single through cover. Goes to 99. Cummins has three balls to face and wants to just block them all. That number stays at three as Jadeja gets called for a no-ball, overstepping. But the re-bowled delivery works in the bowler’s favour, as he floats up a delivery that lands right on the popping crease, underneath the batsman. Cummins just mistimes his defensive shot, playing directly over the top of the ball and getting the bat down half a second too late.

94th over: Australia 276-6 (Smith 98, Cummins 0) Smith again gets on top of the bounce of a ball outside off, hitting it hard behind point but there’s a sweeper who’ll stop the boundary. Smith adds two, moves to 97. So close to that ton now that he can taste it. Takes on a shortish ball from Saini, doesn’t middle it, drags a single to deep square and keeps strike.

93rd over: Australia 273-6 (Smith 95, Cummins 0) Bumrah continues, but Smith doesn’t look fussed. It’s really ominous for India, not just today but for his next three innings. This is implacable hungry Smith, this is non-giving-up school-guy Smith. Takes a single. Then four byes after Bumrah’s bouncer starts to swing late after passing the batsman and Pant can’t glove it.

Max Bonnell has been in the stats books. “The answers to Mr Herman’s question that spring to mind are Jack Badcock and Frank Hayes. Badcock hit 118 on debut but six more Tests produced only 42 more runs. Hayes hit 106 on debut but in 8 more Tests never again reached 30 and ended up with an average of 15. I don’t count players with only one Test as they never failed!”

92nd over: Australia 268-6 (Smith 94, Cummins 0) After 23 overs for Bumrah and 25 overs for Siraj, the third fast bowler will finally get past 7 overs. Navdeep Saini on debut, picked up Will Pucovski’s wicket yesterday but hasn’t had many more opportunities. Second ball he overpitches and Smith drives through midwicket for four! Saini’s first two balls yesterday were boundaries as well. Smith is looking for another, flaying a wider ball behind point, but India have a man back for that. Cummins on strike and Saini pitches up at him, getting him stretching forward.

91st over: Australia 263-6 (Smith 89, Cummins 0) Smith is easing down the accelerator. Stands up tall and punches Bumrah off the back foot through cover for four. Hell of a shot. That’s difficult. Then gets a straighter ball and on-drives it for two, and adds a single next up. Seven runs against Bumrah with a new ball, solid work.

90th over: Australia 256-6 (Smith 82, Cummins 0) Now it’s Siraj producing a good ball, beating Smith on the inside edge. Smashes into pad, but it was the back thigh, too high and maybe just hit him outside the line. (A pointless Law, outside the line. Get rid of it.) The cordon really like the appeal but Siraj and Rahane decide not to review, correctly.

Smith pulls a bouncer for a single, and Cummins sees out three balls with cautious defence. Cummins gave Smith great support in the Brisbane Ashes Test of 2017. Here’s hoping we get a Brisbane Test this year – the latest Australian city with a virus problem.

89th over: Australia 255-6 (Smith 81, Cummins 0) So the bowlers are into the bowlers, and predictably the first ball Patrick Cummins receives is a bouncer, down the leg side a bit, but still making the batsman tangle himself up to get bat and gloves out of the way.

WICKET! Paine b Bumrah 1, Australia 255-6

Bowled! The Australian captain is gone! Bumrah is good before lunch, good after lunch, the perfect aperitif or the ideal dessert. And that delivery was peaches and cream. That was gorgeous. It starts from a wide angle, looks like it will pass well outside off stump, but swings in a touch and then seams in a mile. Paine is only pushing at it defensively but it beats his inside edge and hits the top of off stump. Perfection.

88th over: Australia 252-5 (Smith 80, Paine 0) The normal off stump line to Smith, and he doesn’t mind that. Gets back into his old rhythm of stepping across and knocking a run behind square leg. Two runs in fact. Siraj bounces him, but leg side and unthreatening. As soon as he bowls length Smith is working another run. That brings Paine on strike from the last ball, and he’s hit on the pad shouldering arms! Huge shout. That was probably too high, but that sort of non-shot deserves to be given out just on principle. A nice in-ducker from Siraj that flummoxed Paine completed. Rahane doesn’t want to review.

87th over: Australia 249-5 (Smith 77, Paine 0) Bumrah bowls a maiden to Paine, who leaves and blocks solidly.

An email in from John Starbuck. “I reckon that at this stage of weather intervention this match will be a draw, which leaves the remainder of the series as a higher tension situation than we had a right to expect. Cricket: the gift that keeps on giving, if you have sufficient patience and a high tolerance threshold.Also, short-pitched bowling: as a fan of Harold Larwood, whom I once met, I agree that it is a part of the game. In the long-ago times I used to play, I was fairly tall but learned to duck everything except the wide stuff which begged to be hooked, being caught on the boundary notwithstanding.”

“By the way, thanks for promoting me to Captain yesterday, though in the 1980s, at work, I was known as the Colonel because of wearing short-sleeved green shirts (with epaulettes) in summer. How are the mighty fallen and careers dwindled.”

Here’s the thought process that took me addressing John as Captain Starbuck yesterday. Starbuck was Ahab’s first mate in Moby Dick. Then in early-season X Files, Dana Scully’s father was a former Navy man, and he used to call her Starbuck. He appeared to her in dreams after he died, wearing his uniform. So somewhere in my head, I conflated Scully Senior being a captain with Starbuck being a captain, and thence we arrived.

86th over: Australia 249-5 (Smith 77, Paine 0) Siraj to Smith, looking good off the back foot, punching to cover. Two slips, gully, point, cover, mid-off, and we’re back to a more normal off-side field rather than the strategy they employed with the older ball. A maiden over.

85th over: Australia 249-5 (Smith 77, Paine 0) Bumrah has one ball left in his over that was interrupted by lunch when the wicket fell. Paine leaves it outside off stump.

An email in from Murray Henman:

“I’m in Brisbane, so I’m thinking one silver lining of this weekend’s lockdown is some uninterrupted weekend cricket watching. One question you or one of the readers might be able to answer: Who would be the player who had the least successful Test career after making a century on debut?”

Well, logically it would have to be Andy Ganteaume, who was (and may well one day be again) the only player to average more than Bradman. He made 112 in his only innings for the West Indies. The only other player I can think of with one match and one ton was New Zealand’s Rodney Redmond. If there are any more, let me know.

The reason that Andy lost top spot is that Kurtis Patterson currently averages 144 from two Tests, but he may get the chance to play again and reduce that record.

Lunch – Australia 249 for 5

Oh, this has got interesting. With 84.5 overs bowled and a new ball in hand, India have worked their way through half the Australian batting line-up. We’ve got Smith at the crease looking very solid, and we’ll have the captain Tim Paine joining him after the break. The occasional ratty moment from this surface suggests that it will get harder to bat on later in the match. Australia still have the resources to bat big here and get 400 or more, or India could winnow through and keep them to around 300. Game very much on.

WICKET! Green lbw Bumrah 0, Australia 249-5

Smith can’t save Green from Bumrah though! A few minutes left, time for Bumrah’s over and maybe one more, but India won’t need one more. Bumrah nails this one, seam movement cutting into the right-hander, beating his defensive push, hitting him just under the knee roll in front of off stump. Green doesn’t bother reviewing, and DRS would have shown it smashing the top of middle stump regardless. He’s lasted 21 balls and half an hour or so, a decent span in the middle, but Green has still gone for a duck.

84th over: Australia 249-4 (Smith 77, Green 0) Smith soaking up a lot of the strike here, which is probably in Green’s favour with five minutes to lunch. Flicks two runs from the final ball from Siraj.

83rd over: Australia 247-4 (Smith 75, Green 0) A funny looking pull shot from Smith to Bumrah, off balance, for a single. Bumrah holding firm, that’s the only score from the over.

82nd over: Australia 246-4 (Smith 74, Green 0) Siraj the new-ball partner, not Saini, who hasn’t had much work to do in this match: seven overs compared to Siraj in his 21st. Siraj is surprised by the outswing, which carries the ball so wide of the bat that it gets called wide. Then he bowls an in-ducker that Green leaves, not very far from his stumps. Green drives nicely but mid-on dives and saves, keeps him on strike. Siraj swings in at the pads and gets an inside edge into pad, false shot, lbw risk.

81st over: Australia 245-4 (Smith 73, Green 0) Swing from Bumrah with the new ball, mostly outside off and left. The last ball Smith has no choice about leaving, it screams past his bat. Angled in and it jags massively, and takes off from the surface. Smith does a re-enactment with his hand of that savage bounce.

There’s something to this, though is it just an Australian thing? Something I reckon we’ve seen across a few teams in the last ten years or so. The number of times you see players get genuinely badged, or get through the shot while turning and be hit on the side of the helmet while standing in the line of the ball, seems frequent. Maybe it’s more an approach of standing and delivering rather than moving out of the line?

80th over: Australia 245-4 (Smith 73, Green 0) Ashwin gets through an over for a run to Smith, and now the new missile will be brought out by fourth umpire Claire Polosak, who in this role is the first woman to be on the roster for a men’s Test.

79th over: Australia 244-4 (Smith 72, Green 0) Jadeja drops short again, he’s bowled a few of those today, and Smith nails the cut shot for four. He doesn’t tend to get out from this stage of an innings, Smith. Now he’s into the 70s with another cut for four! Not quite as short but well played. India put a fielder back, and Smith drives square to that man for one. Green drives solidly to mid-off, no run.

New ball due in one over. Use it, or more spin? Give it to your spinners?

78th over: Australia 235-4 (Smith 63, Green 0) Smith plays a couple of straight drives, either side of the wicket, for two and then for one. Green defends the rest from Ashwin, a big stride forward. Ashwin gets one lbw shout away early, but anything that hits the giant Green above the knee roll must be going over the stumps.

77th over: Australia 232-4 (Smith 60, Green 0) Cameron Green to the middle, defends the last ball of the over.

WICKET! Wade c Bumrah b Jadeja 13, Australia 232-4

That is such a waste. Wade has looked a million times better coming in down the order than he did opening: he hits a crisp straight drive for four against Jadeja, then nails yet another sweep shot into the pads of Vihari. But those were along the ground. Wade forces two through cover. But still, having taken six from the over already, he decides he wants six more in one hit over midwicket. Charges, tries to swing across the line, Jadeja darts it in flatter, Wade isn’t to the pitch of the ball, but carries through with the attempted loft regardless. Gets a big skew high towards mid-on, exactly the same way that he mis-hit the ball in Melbourne trying to smash Aswhin. Bumrah has a much easier catch than Jadeja did that day, though. Nonsensical dismissal from someone who is hitting the ball so well.

76th over: Australia 226-3 (Smith 60, Wade 7) Now Vihari’s in the firing line again! He’s at short leg for Ashwin bowling to Smith, and this time Smith sweeps four that may have taken a small deflecting from Vihari’s shin pad down near the ankle. On the bounce, not a catching chance.

75th over: Australia 222-3 (Smith 56, Wade 7) Now, this is interesting. Wade gets down low to Jadeja and nails a sweep, and hurts Vihari. Ow, that’s coming up on Hot Spot: the ball clipped Vihari’s finger before nailing him in the calf. He saves four runs by accident. Jadeja bowls wider next ball and Wade cover drives for four! Gorgeous shot, all alone the carpet.

Third ball, another sweep, and hits Vihari again! Ouch, this time it comes up off the fielder’s forearm. To backward square. Another boundary saved. Then a third sweep! But this one just misses Vihari, on the bounce to backward square.

Wade against lots of spin early is interesting. He loves the sweep and the paddle. He plays them destructively. And when England tried a spin-heavy attack at him in the second innings at Edgbaston, he made a ton.

Admittedly, Moeen and Denly aren’t quite Ashwin and Jadeja. But there’ll be action to come.

74th over: Australia 218-3 (Smith 56, Wade 3) A third run for Wade, a little single nudged away from Ashwin to midwicket.

73rd over: Australia 217-3 (Smith 56, Wade 2) Jadeja after the break, and he keeps Smith quiet right up until the last ball, when Smith opens the blade and square drives past a leaping silly mid-off to the point boundary. Had to reach for that, could have been another slip catch had it turned a bit more.

In the time that took me to ponder, we’re coming back onto the field to resume play.

Right then, that gives me time for this very complicated email from Rosie Piper.

“Love reading the OBO all day and trawling through the Final Word archives is getting me through the work days; a nice substitute for actually being able to watch the cricket. My query is as follows: there is so much content out there featuring former players naming their all-time test XI and it gets a bit boring (considering it’s almost always the same collection of players). As a broadcaster, I’d love to hear your all-time commentary dream team. With split TV rights in Australia at the moment, there’s arguably as much debate about which team you’d rather talk you through the day as the one you’d like to see on the pitch. So, let’s say three in the box, who ya got?”

Let’s have a think. For me, the dream team that actually worked together was early 2000s ABC radio: Jim Maxwell, Tim Lane, Glenn Mitchell on ball-by-ball, with experts like Kerry O’Keeffe, Peter Roebuck, maybe Geoff Lawson, then with visitors dropping in like Harsha Bhogle or Fazeer Mohammed.

In contemporary times, Alison Mitchell is clearly one of the very best, and the best prepared. Ricky Ponting’s game analysis is excellent. From South Africa I really enjoy Neil Manthorp, Natalie Germanos, and Mluleki Ntsabo. In terms of former players, Nasser Hussain is outstanding, and Ian Bishop really nails the big moments, while in Australia I’d say Kristen Beams has emerged as a radio expert with a lot to offer, as did Dirk Nannes a few years before that. Gerard Whateley conducts the orchestra of story during a match better than almost anyone. In terms of having fun on air, it’s hard to go past some of the BBC callers like Ebony Rainford-Brent, Charles Dagnall, Dan Norcross.

As far as picking three in the box... well, I don’t like three. They trip over one another. Two in the box, and mine are tilted far more towards radio than television. My number one duo would be Jim and Kerry, but really you could put together great combos from any of the above, plus a dozen or so more.

And now it’s raining again.

Updated

Fifty! Steve Smith 51 from 116 balls

72nd over: Australia 213-3 (Smith 52, Wade 2) Steve Smith is back! And he doesn’t want to let the wicket help Ashwin get on top. He shuffles his feet to a full ball and just swipes at back down the ground, a straight drive that was more clear-the-foot-and-drag rather than classically elbow-high. Nails it, raises his milestone.

71st over: Australia 208-3 (Smith 47, Wade 2) No dramas for Wade with one ball to come in the over: he steps across his stumps and sweeps it fine for two runs.

WICKET! Labuschagne c Rahane b Jadeja 91, Australia 206-3

Labuschagne is gone! And that’s due to a risk that he’s been taking all summer: backing away from the spinners to create runs. He gets a short ball from Jadeja early in the over and cuts four, feeling good about himself, raising the 100 partnership and going into the 90s himself. But two balls later Jadeja bowls on the off stump again, not quite as short, but Labuschagne is already going back and wanting to force through the off side again. He has to play that with a straighter bat, trying a big square drive rather than a cut, with a bit of turn away from the bat, and off balance while backing away he gets a fat edge to the right of Rahane at slip who takes an excellent snare down around ankle height.

70th over: Australia 202-2 (Labuschagne 87, Smith 47) Ashwin in, just a single from the over to Labuschagne. Apologies to those who’ve sent emails that I haven’t got to – two spinners in tandem tend to make the OBO a speed and endurance exercise.

69th over: Australia 201-2 (Labuschagne 86, Smith 47) Labuschagne keeps motoring, cutting three runs behind point. Jadeja into the pads, Smith whips it nicely into the gap between square leg and backward square. Just as Bumrah did yesterday, Ashwin nearly loses his feet from under himself as he tries to stop on the wet outfield. And notably, those runs take Australia past 200 for the first time in this series.

68th over: Australia 195-2 (Labuschagne 83, Smith 44) Ashwin the off-spinner to bowl from the other end, the duo at work. Twice Smith backs away from the ball to force through cover, which is an interesting risk. Labuschagne goes over mid-on with a weird little chip shot: bails out of a bigger drive halfway through and instead lobs it very high but safely into a gap.

67th over: Australia 192-2 (Labuschagne 82, Smith 42) Jadeja starts with an error after the delay, dropping short and Labuschagne cuts a boundary. He’s into the 80s.

The only Australian batsmen with a Test century against India since the Sydney Test of 2015 finished?

Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

The latter of whom has still never been picked for a Test in Australia.

Labuschagne looking good to add himself to that list.

We're back

The short delay comes to an end.

And it's raining again

They’re going off. Very light rain, it looks like, the Indians are making their way off very slowly. The ground staff belted to the middle but no one else was fussed. Now the umpires are walking back, they didn’t even make it off the ground. No umbrellas.

66th over: Australia 188-2 (Labuschagne 78, Smith 42) Almost caught at leg gully! Siraj bowls straight, Labuschagne whips it away. Airborne, but to the left of the fielder who dives across but still ends up a metre or two short. The batsman profits by four. Siraj drops a deep square leg back, either to protect that boundary or to give him the option of bouncing Labuschagne. Or, porque no los dos? Labuschagne uses that gap to score a single.

14 overs until the new ball.

65th over: Australia 183-2 (Labuschagne 73, Smith 42) Left-arm spin to Smith was the vogue for a while, before the leg slip tactic came in. It was always a bit of a myth, really: he faced a lot of left-arm spin for a while so he got out to it a few times. But Jadeja will be hoping. He’s bowling outside the off stump for the most part, wanting to draw Smith’s shots through that side of the ground. Maiden over. There’s very light rain falling at the SCG.

64th over: Australia 183-2 (Labuschagne 73, Smith 42) Siraj hits Smith on the pad and convinces Rahane to go upstairs, but that struck far too high and was going over. That was a shrug-of-the-shoulders review from the captain, might as well. It was excitement from the bowler at the plan nearly working, I suppose. For Smith they’ve got a very short straight mid-on, plus a midwicket, a forward square leg, a leg gully, and a long leg. Only four on the off side: slip, gully, point, cover. Which is why Siraj keeps bowling in at the pads, and hitting Smith on the pad is a minor triumph in itself.

63rd over: Australia 182-2 (Labuschagne 73, Smith 41) Ravindra Jadeja on to have a bowl. Left-arm orthodox, around the wicket to the right-handers, and Jadeja is immediately giving the ball flight. He often bowls quite fast and flat, but not today, wanting to tease these batsmen a little bit. Each finds a single.

62nd over: Australia 180-2 (Labuschagne 72, Smith 40) Siraj bowls a rare one outside the off stump, and it also draws a mistake from Labuschagne, edging it into the gully on he bounce. Something on offer for the bowlers, still, but they haven’t been able to strike the blow that counts.

61st over: Australia 179-2 (Labuschagne 71, Smith 40) Bumrah to Labuschagne, still operating with this straight line at the batsman, and Labuschagne doesn’t time it that well when he plays a leg glance, airborne and again a catcher in the right spot would have snaffled that.

60th over: Australia 178-2 (Labuschagne 70, Smith 40) Siraj to Marnus now, who drives down through mid-on and gets through for three runs. Smith is still moving across his stumps and unable to beat a strong leg-side field, the square leg diving across to stop the ball.

59th over: Australia 175-2 (Labuschagne 67, Smith 40) A testing over from Bumrah to Smith. Gets one to leap off the surface, hitting the splice of Smith’s bat and startling him, the batsman flinching back from the bounce. Then another that decks in and hits pad, but too high. Bumrah gives a cursory appeal, as if to just record in the minutes of the meeting that he did indeed beat the bat.

58th over: Australia 175-2 (Labuschagne 67, Smith 40) Siraj to Smith, who is very watchful this over, blocking him out from the crease with the ball on a length. When Siraj goes short this time, Smith does make contact with the pull, taking two runs. Follows with a single to keep strike.

57th over: Australia 172-2 (Labuschagne 67, Smith 37) Bumrah from the other end. Starts the day with a half-volley and Smith drives it through the covers for four. Ready to pounce as soon as the error was there, even if it was at the earliest opportunity. To compound Bumrah’s annoyance, Smith pushes a run to cover next ball. But Bumrah responds to Labuschagne, delivering an absolute beauty with the old ball: angling in, seaming away despite the wear on the ball, beating the edge.

56th over: Australia 168-2 (Labuschagne 67, Smith 33) What a start. Mohammed Siraj starts the day, the fast bowler in his second Test, and he starts in at Smith’s body. Working that angle in. After a few balls Siraj bombs in the bouncer, and it takes off! Smith takes it on. But doesn’t make contact at all. It beats him, zipping through past his bat and past his head. A wake-up ball. Then Siraj goes in at the ribs and it bounces high again! A real spike of bounce, and Smith fends it from under his armpit away through leg slip. India have a leg gully, squarer, rather than that finer position, and so Smith gets away with it and gets a run. Imagine if he’d been caught around the corner again...

If you want some more detail about Day 1, here’s me and OBO colleague Adam Collins taking a wander around the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. (We can’t go to Sydney because then we won’t be allowed out again. State border restrictions and all that.)

Here’s the brief Reuters report on Day 1, if you’re looking to catch up.

Get in touch

My email and cetera are in the sidebar. Or I suppose the top bar if you’re on a phone. How many bars do we need? (The answer is plenty.) Regardless, the idea is that if you look around in all the bars that are open, you’ll find me eventually. Pull up a seat.

Preamble

Good morning from the eastern coast of a southern country. It’s day two, how about that. We didn’t get a full day one for the Sydney Test, but we did get 55 overs in after a long rain delay. Which means that play will start half an hour early today and every day forever from now on to make up a bit of that time.

For Australia, today is Steve Smith day. He came out yesterday and looked much more himself. Middled a few, hit some boundaries, got to 31 not out overnight. He’ll be batting with Marnus Labuschagne on 67. The wickets to fall yesterday were the openers, Warner for 5 and Pucovski on debut for 62, in an innings that was impressive at times while also containing a good slab of luck.

Alright, shall we? It’s 166 for 2, and India need incisions.

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