Shoddyline? Wobblyline? Amid a frenetic fourth afternoon at the Gabba in which the hopes of the sun-cream-slathered travelling support rose before eventually crashing down it was the marginal decision which sent Moeen Ali on his way that sparked some curious white-line fever.
When the scorebook for this Ashes opener is pored over by future generations it will simply read MM Ali st Paine b Lyon 40 and tell little of the debate that enveloped. It ranged from atomic- level analysis of the batsman’s back foot to the thickness of the painted crease, all with the nebulous “benefit of the doubt” thrown in for good measure.
First is the wicket itself. England, five down at lunch after the loss of Joe Root for yet another unconverted half-century, were suddenly rebuilding through Moeen and Jonny Bairstow. The former, having looked ephemeral initially, had started to unfurl the shots that make him the most aesthetically pleasing batsman on either side and a stand of 42 had pushed England’s lead to 129.
Lyon, in the 54th over and with the scalps of two more left-handers in Mark Stoneman and Dawid Malan already secured, ripped another ball past the edge of Moeen’s lunging defence with Paine whipping the bails off. While his team-mates were gasping at what they thought was another near-miss, the wicketkeeper, recalled for his quicksilver glovework, was imploring the square-leg umpire, Aleem Dar, to check for the stumping.
Dar relented and up in the third umpire’s booth the New Zealander Chris Gaffeney perused the footage. After taking angles from both sides of the wicket and from the stump camera, he decided that, close as the all-rounder’s boot was to being behind the line, there was nothing to suggest it was. OUT popped up on the big screen and Mo had to go. Opinions were immediately divided and not necessarily along national lines.
Correct, said Michael Vaughan in the Channel 9 commentary box, while Michael Clarke called for the benefit to go to the batsman (despite this being at best convention, rather than actually enshrined in the laws). A case of different strokes for different folks, if you will.
But then came the stills (and some rudimentary photoshop skills) cascading down the timelines of social media, pointing out that sections of the popping crease appeared swollen in the middle and perhaps by a margin that would have otherwise favoured Moeen. Could an on-field decision, in this era of technology, really hinge on the groundstaff’s choice of paintbrush?
While Appendix C section 1 of the ICC playing regulations set out the dimensions of the crease, there is no guidance as to the thickness of the lines. It varies from ground to ground and, as matches wear on, the grooves and indentations caused by the bowlers’ footmarks and the scratching of guards mean the canvas for the curators becomes undulating.
Speaking after close of play, when Australia were within touching distance of taking a 1-0 series lead into the day-night second Test in Adelaide starting on Friday, Moeen was typically philosophical about the decision before attempting to draw a line under it.
“If I was bowling, I’d want it to be out,” he said. “It depends on the angle you look at it but you have to respect the umpire’s call.You just have to move on. I thought I was all right personally but the replay did make it look tight. I was disappointed I got out in that fashion but mostly the timing of it. Me and Jonny were building a good partnership. I was over straight away.”
Perhaps this was simply the final inadvertent gift of the Gabba from Kevin Mitchell Jr, the retiring curator who has never witnessed an Australian defeat during his 27 years in the job. The bottom line is the batsman knew where the popping crease was, irrespective of its girth, and Gaffeney’s judgment was easy to understand.
After all, England’s problems – shot selection, a crepe-paper tail and an attack that drops off after Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to name a few – run far deeper than one of cricket’s quirkier dismissals. They will need addressing fast if they are to keep this incident as the only talk of whitewash on tour.
Ashes diary
Did the election cause drop in attendance?
It’s difficult to estimate how many people at the Gabba, a scattering of yellow, blue and maroon seats creating an optical illusion of it being fuller than it is. But the attendance was well down on the fourth day, totalling 21,535. To be fair, a look at old scorecards shows this was consistent with the previous two Ashes Sundays in Brisbane. The more interesting finding was that more punters showed up to see Cook, Strauss and Trott bludgeon 517-1 in 2010 than for Johnson and Harris tearing England apart to go one-up three years later. Maybe they were staying away on Sunday due to election party hangovers? Queenslanders went to the polls on Saturday to elect their state government, returning a Labor majority. Adam Collins
Maxwell’s return to commentating is great news
Test Match Special listeners must be missing the unmistakable tones of Jim Maxwell. Jim suffered a stroke in September 2016 and has been easing himself back to work. The good news is that he is at the Gabba for the entire match and heading up the ABC’s much praised commentary. However, their commentary box is quite a hike from that of the BBC. But when the topography of the ground changes expect to hear his inimitable calling of Khawaja and Mitchell Starc later in the series. It was good to catch up with him. My impression is that he thinks Australia may well win the series. Vic Marks
Bouncers 1-0 press pack
Local laws in Brisbane mean that if you head into a bar after 10pm, identification is required for entry irrespective of age. One member of the English press pack fell foul of this when trying to find a spot to watch his football team back home on Saturday night, presenting his credit card to the burly doorman in the hope it would be sufficient. The response? “What do I look like, mate? A fucken ATM?” Ali Martin
Pace best observed from pitchside
Down by the boundary, the Gabba crowd finds fullest voice when the short balls start to fly. There’s a swell of sound that starts from the back and rumbles to the middle of the pitch. As Patrick Cummins searched for England’s last wicket via Jake Ball, his bouncers leapt. From ground level, you get a truer sense of their pace. Ball was nowhere, fending until he gloved one in the air. On ABC radio, Jonathan Agnew questioned whether this was intimidatory bowling. “Those deliveries didn’t look like they were going to get him hurt,” fired back former fast man Dirk Nannes. “They looked like they were going to get him out.” Geoff Lemon
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Putting aside where his foot is, any danger of marking out the line at one consistent width? Far thicker on the actual pitch. pic.twitter.com/INzWEXdcJt
— Russell Jackson (@rustyjacko) November 26, 2017
