Final thoughts
Well, you’ve got to admire the Perth Scorchers’ record. Four finals they’ve played in, and each time they’ve beaten the Stars to get there. Last season was the only time the Stars won a semifinal. They’ve made it to this stage every season of the Big Bash, and never won a title. One wonders if the albatross is growing a little heavy.
This means the final will be here again on the weekend, against the winner of the Heat v Sixers game in Brisbane tomorrow. Which I’ll also be bringing to you. Be warned.
It was all about Mitch Johnson today. Three runs conceded from 24 balls of T20 cricket. That alone would have been match-winning, but the three wickets he took sealed the deal. The Stars could never recover from their terrible start, two wickets in the first over, one off the first ball. Gotch played well to give the innings some backbone with 48 runs from 47, Dave Hussey played his part with 26, and Hilfenhaus and Worrall clubbed a six apiece to get that score into vaguely respectable territory.
But 136 was never likely to be enough, despite Worrall’s early wicket of Klinger, and some good bowling from Hilfenhaus whose three overs returned 0 for 16. Shaun Marsh showed his class in this format, Sam Whiteman got lucky and clubbed a few, and Ian Bell helped finish things off. All of them will be in the final. Umpire Shawn Craig, who missed the woodcutter’s nick from Whiteman’s bat that might have put some earlier pressure on Perth, will probably not.
More importantly, there’s been a lot of insightful chat tonight about Seb Gotch keeping wicket in short sleeves.
Just look at him. Breaking all the rules. Shouldn't work at all, but absolutely does. Magnificent. pic.twitter.com/Iu60oT3RqS
— Dave Tickner (@tickerscricket) January 24, 2017
Get into that, and we’ll see you tomorrow to find out who the Oraanje will take on later this week. Here’s tonight’s match report for now:
Updated
Scorchers win by seven wickets
16.5 overs: Perth Scorchers 139-3 (Marsh 56, Bell 26)
Beer the man looking for a miracle, but Marsh denies it. Four runs driven down the ground, then a single flicked square. Bell watches a wide go by that actually turns away fomr the bat and goes wider. Probably the first tonight. Bell is able to finish things off, appropriate given his polish. Drives through the off side, it goes for four as well, and the show’s over.
16th over: Perth Scorchers 129-3 (Marsh 51, Bell 22)
I’ll tell you what, I really like Blair’s optimism.
Flem and Gilly talking like its all over for the Stars.
— Blair Hughes (@MrBlairHughes) January 24, 2017
Meanwhile it's been 3 dot balls in a row. Not over yet. #BBLSemis
It’s a little more over when Bell clips two runs deep into the leg side, then cleanly drives Worrall’s last ball for six straight down the ground.
Half century!
15th over: Perth Scorchers 120-3 (Marsh 50, Bell 14)
Marsh raises his fifty from 37 balls by pulling Hilfenhaus’ short ball. Bell celebrates by driving four down the ground. Even his slogs look good. Totally different formats, but at least Marsh will go into his next assignments with some confidence. ODIs in New Zealand, then Tests in India.
14th over: Perth Scorchers 112-3 (Marsh 49, Bell 7)
Even Adam Gilchrist can’t get anyone to defend Seb Gotch that time. Not a chance missed, but after a Boland over that gives away only thee runs from the first five balls, Marsh gets an inside edge playing across the line, it bounces in front of Gotch, and because he’s not expecting it to bounce the way it does, it gets clean through him for a boundary. Sloppy stuff.
13th over: Perth Scorchers 105-3 (Marsh 44, Bell 5)
Another bit of luck there for Perth, a wide sneaks down leg side and Marsh is out of his crease as he tries to come across at it. Seb Gotch can’t see the ball though, and mucks up the stumping. We’ve seen a lot of the missed in this competition this summer. Adam Gilchrist on commentary reckons it was a very difficult one, so perhaps I should defer to his judgement. Marsh comes back with a... I don’t know what that shot was. A back-foot force? Through midwicket? With such perfect timing that it beats everyone through the infield and into the fence? Ok, Shaun. Ok.
12th over: Perth Scorchers 94-3 (Marsh 36, Bell 3)
Ian Bell the next in, and the Scorchers can surely rely on his glorious ranga beard to carry them home. Cruises away from the nought position by gliding a single, then works two through midwicket when he gets the strike back. The crowd is still happy. It’s a sell-out here tonight, and the Brisbane semifinal tomorrow is down to about the last thousand tickets.
WICKET! Voges c Stoinis b Gulbis 13 (11 balls)
I lied, Voges was not through to the other side. He gets a shorty from Gulbis, tries to marmalise it, and mistimes it off the pitch via the toe end to midwicket. A bit like KP did. “I’ve never cued Mitch Johnson in my career,” was that man’s take on the pitch itself. It may have contributed to Voges’ downfall though. Stoinis gets some measure of revenge by taking the catch.
11th over: Perth Scorchers 85-3 (Marsh 30, Voges 13)
Shocking ball to end the over from Stoinis. He sends down a couple of good balls that Voges can’t handle - misses a slog, then mis-hits a pull. But Stoinis stinks it up with one down leg side. Not a wide, but worse, it clips the batsman’s hip and goes for four leg byes. I’m always puzzled that those aren’t marked as runs against the bowler’s total - it’s a garbage ball conceding runs. Stoinis tries to go properly short this time, and Voges mistimes the pull again... but this time it’s mistimed off the top edge and carries short fine leg for six. He’s looked scrappy, the former Test batsman who once averaged more than Bradman. But those bad shots might have played him through to the other side, as he gets width and cuts four more! Great shot, and 15 from an over that started well.
Packed house at #TheFurnace #BBL06 pic.twitter.com/6rFiFjGiqZ
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2017
10th over: Perth Scorchers 70-3 (Marsh 29, Voges 3)
Voges is playing tip and run against Worrall this over. Knocks one ball a few yards into the off side for a single, drops another right at his feet and bolts through. Marsh is happy to take that lead, finding gaps in the field via a cut shot and a drive. Those four singles all that the over yields.
Kevin Pietersen is off the field with a hamstring problem, if you’re wondering about KP Watch.
Updated
9th over: Perth Scorchers 66-3 (Marsh 27, Voges 1)
Should really have been another run out there. Or could have been. Luke Wright in from point as Marsh pushes, Wright scooped the ball up and threw as he dived, pretty close but only one and a bit stumps to aim at. He missed it. Voges gets off the mark with a pulled single.
Updated
WICKET! Whiteman c Gulbis b Stoinis 31 (26 balls)
Finally he goes. Some relief for the Stars, but he might already have done enough damage. “I’m not a walker like Gilly, I get a few bad ones so sometimes you need a slice of luck.” That’s the Whiteman appraisal if you’re wondering whether he nicked that one earlier. The dismissal here is simpler, a big pull against Stoinis’ short ball, top edged into the deep.
8th over: Perth Scorchers 62-1 (Whiteman 29, Marsh 26)
Marsh is growing ominous. Perfectly timed pull shot from Boland’s first ball of that over. Everyone has been sending them down short today, but most of the batsmen have struggled to time their responses. Eight from the over with that boundary and a few singles to follow. They need 75 from 72 balls. Should be as easy as rolling down a hill.
7th over: Perth Scorchers 54-1 (Whiteman 27, Marsh 20)
Good lord. A couple of close ones in that over too, Whiteman striking just over the infield towards long on for a run, then he’s nearly run out come back for a second on Marsh’s leg-side shot. They milk Beer for six in total. Milk Beer? That sounds utterly foul. The 50 is up.
If you’re after a chuckle, check out the latest from our sport cartoonist David Squires.
6th over: Perth Scorchers 48-1 (Whiteman 25, Marsh 16)
Talk about Whiteman having an influence? He drives Worrall in the air over cover, four. Then pulls him away after walking across the crease and lifts him for six. That hurts, and hurts. Gives Shaun Marsh the strike, and Marsh responds with a classically Marshy cover drive, lazy elegance, four more. 15 runs from that substantial over.
5th over: Perth Scorchers 33-1 (Whiteman 14, Marsh 12)
Hilfy isn’t looking for swing. He’s banging the ball in, and Marsh isn’t enjoying it much. Isn’t timing it. Defends a couple. Faces out the full over, and the only score is a nick to third man for four.
Interesting from Smokie.
Sayers. Mennie. Worrall. South Aus SS @WestEndRedbacks wicket-takers. Invisible in #BBL06 despite the array of pie-throwers on display
— Smokie Dawson (@smokiedawson) January 24, 2017
4th over: Perth Scorchers 29-1 (Whiteman 14, Marsh 8)
Oh no. If that umpiring decision was a monkey, it would be a howler. Shocking decision. Whiteman against Boland. Wide ball. A big angled drive. Nicks it through to the keeper. Inside edge. It was obvious even live, you could hear it in real time. The keeper went up in genuine celebration. Boland ran down the pitch, only glancing behind as a courtesy. Then that turned to incredulity. The umpire didn’t move. The whole Stars team appealed almost in indignation. No love. That was so out, so clearly out.
The commentary team patches straight down to Pietersen’s onfield microphone, as KP related his chat with the umpire. “He said ‘It could have been glove or pad.’ I said, ‘He’s got pretty big gloves or pads if he’s going to reach that.’”
With a team needing wickets so desperately, that’s exactly the kind of umpiring intervention that makes you cringe as a fan of the sport. If Whiteman plays a key hand here...
3rd over: Perth Scorchers 23-1 (Whiteman 10, Marsh 6)
Michael Beer comes on. The left-arm spinner, carved the Scorchers up at this ground a couple of weeks ago. Wickets, catches, he was in everything early. Klinger spoke pre-game about needing to attack him harder. They tick a couple of singles, then Shaun Marsh gets the one they need. Tight line, on the pads, but Marsh is good enough to time that past the infielders on the leg side, and away along the ground behind square leg.
2nd over: Perth Scorchers 16-1 (Whiteman 8, Marsh 1)
Whiteman isn’t worried by the wicket. Takes on Worrall, pulls the short ball for four off the top edge down through deep fine. Action stations.
WICKET! Klinger c Hussey b Worrall 7 (5 balls)
That’s the one they wanted! Hussey is in at slip, needs to attack with this fields. Worrall has bowled a loosener first up, and Klinger has taken advantage of any nerves or rust that the new bowler might have, and thumped it over the long-on rope. Two balls later though, Worrall gets one to shape away. Jags a bit off the pitch perhaps. Klinger wasn’t even really going hard at it, more covering up. It took the edge high on the blade and away to the Stars captain.
1st over: Perth Scorchers 4-0 (Whiteman 3, Klinger 1)
Right. For the Stars, it has to be now. Ben Hilfenhaus with the ball. He’s had a couple of brilliant performances and a couple of disasters this season. Cramps Whiteman first ball, has him close to giving up a catch to point from the second. The third shot looks dicey as well, in the air past square leg in the circle, away behind square where the fine leg sweeper comes around. They get three runs for it. Klinger takes strike, leaves his first ball, nudges his second around the corner. Whiteman is almost bringing a run out into play from the last, wanting to take the run to the off side, but has to scramble back.
Perth Scorchers will chase 137 to win
Momentarily.
20th over: Melbourne Stars 136-8 (Worrall 13, Boland 8)
Bresnan to close out, and going it well. A couple of singles. A ball outside off that beats the bat. A blockhole yorker. Two from four balls. Boland pulls a run to midwicket. Again they belt down the pitch and find an extra one, back for two. Last ball of the innings, Boland makes room and drills the full back straight past the bowler and splits the two men in the deep on the straight hit. Lovely stuff. Green Melbourne have managed to at least cobble together something that could be defended, if one of their bowlers can produce a Mitch spell at the start.
Updated
19th over: Melbourne Stars 128-8 (Worrall 12, Boland 1)
They’re still putting a few on the board, the Stars. Worrall drives through cover and runs hard. he sweeper has to get around. They belt back for a ttight third run, excellent sharpness in between wickets. Boland gets a wide, then drives a run. Then Worrall gets a length ball and absolutely blasts that into orbit over long on. That ball had everything on it: sauce, croutons, bacon bits. Went well back into the stands. There have been a couple of monsters today.
Franky Worrall goes big! #BBL06 pic.twitter.com/3Q3kAjtAGH
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2017
WICKET! Hilfehnaus c Agar b Tye 10 (6 balls)
He wants another six over long off, does Hilfy, but they’re harder to hit against Tye then Richardson perhaps. Agar is the man on the spot again, this time a relatively simple take in the deep.
18th over: Melbourne Stars 116-7 (Hilfenhaus 10, Worrall 3)
Worrall slaps a two and a single, he probably wasn’t expecting to bat today in his first start of the season. But here he is. Hilf gets another run driven down the ground.
Mitch joins Doug Bollinger as the only other bowler of 2 maidens in a #BBL innings. Doug ended up going for 22 off his other 2 overs.
— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) January 24, 2017
Updated
WICKET! Gotch c Agar b Bresnan 48 (47 balls)
Gotcha. Brilliant take at mid-on. Gotch makes room, looks to carve through cover, looks to have got more than enough of it, flat and flying away, but Agar leaps over in a feline arc and snares it low to the ground.
17th over: Melbourne Stars 111-6 (Gotch 48, Hilfenhaus 8)
Six there! Gotch into position against Richardson, he camped back in the crease and crashed the pull shot flat over square leg. What a beauty. Then he tugs a single, and Hilfy goes for six more, this one far bigger, a mightly strike through the long-on line that lands in the upper deck of the stand! Well, the hundred is up, and here’s a bit of a fightback.
The lowest first innings score the Stars have ever successfully defended is 145, v Thunder in Jan 2013. #BBL06
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) January 24, 2017
16th over: Melbourne Stars 96-6 (Gotch 41, Hilfenhaus 0)
Gotch had scooped a boundary away before that wicket, and Agar bowls a wide after it. Going at just under a run a ball, is Gotch - they need him so badly to lift the rate. He’s joined in the middle by the Big German Disco, who can nail a few big swings on his day.
David Hussey on the conditions:
"I'm 39 so every pitch feels fast to me" 😂 #BBLSemis pic.twitter.com/sdMgsYLVhx
— TEN Sport (@tensporttv) January 24, 2017
WICKET! Gulbis c Marsh b Agar 9 (8 balls)
Agar’s gone for a couple of sixes, but Marsh saves him a third. Again there’s the juggled attempt on the line, this time Marsh is able to throw the ball up, get back in the field of play and take the rebound. Six down now.
15th over: Melbourne Stars 90-5 (Gotch 36, Gulbis 9)
Gotch drives a single from Tye. Clearly he just wants to be there at the end, provide some structure. It should be a wide next ball, wayyyyy outside off, but Gubis gets across and drives at it. Thick edge way wide of the keeper for four. I mean, it was a normal edge that carries almost striaght on behind the batsman, but he was so far across playing it that he managed to make it elude the keeper. Next ball? To the keeper’s right and dropped! That time Whtieman got a glove to it, but his footwork had him going the wrong way, and he was stretching desperately to get to that ball. Gulbis gets a single on the deflection, Gotch glides another.
14th over: Melbourne Stars 83-5 (Gotch 34, Gulbis 4)
The batsmen cross with the dismissal, and Gotch works a single to leg first ball. Evan Gulbis likes to give the ball a whack, he scores a couple of twos down wide of long on.
Not going to lie, I'm going to need a full replay of those @MitchJohnson398 overs when i finish work. 🔥🔥🔥
— Dimitri Kondonis (@dkondonis) January 24, 2017
WICKET! Hussey c Bell b Turner 26 (20 balls)
Hits a six first ball, that Shaun Marsh reels in down at long on but lands behind the rope before he can throw the ball back. Even then the throw lands in six territory. But then the off-spinner gets his man, Hussey trying to repeat the shot he played against Agar, but now he’s playing against the ball’s rotation instead of with it. The shot holds up a bit, and Bell out at deep cover eventually holds the catch.
13th over: Melbourne Stars 72-4 (Gotch 33, Hussey 20)
Gotch, a single from the first ball this time. Hussey swats Richardson just over wide long-on for four. Nearly caught. But then plays to the field, then a single. Gotch misses a swipe altogether, then clubs straight to point. Can’t get away! Even 140 would be wildly optimistic now.
This WACA pitch is an anti-WACA pitch, it's slower than usual. So Stars could fight if they score 140+
— Clive (@vanillawallah) January 24, 2017
12th over: Melbourne Stars 66-4 (Gotch 32, Hussey 15)
And another six to start an over. Three times now, and it’s Agar again. Gotch comes down the wicket and lifts the ball economically just over the rope, dead straight. They work the singles better here to follow, Agar bowling too straight and a couple of low full tosses. Five singles taken, 11 from the over. Need eight more of those though, to get competitive.
11th over: Melbourne Stars 55-4 (Gotch 23, Hussey 13)
Six. Accidental. Top edge from Gotch against Tye, over the keeper and way back. Going for the big pull. Pulls a single thereafter off the full face. But only a couple of singles from the last four balls. S. T. Ruggle is the captain of this side.
Meantime, some interesting news in domestic cricket. If true, I guess Glenn Maxwell’s going back up the order. Or to another state.
Exclusive: Australian cricket star Matthew Wade to return to Tasmania | The Mercury https://t.co/t7bAOTz8KO
— Mercury Sport (@TheMercurySport) January 24, 2017
10th over: Melbourne Stars 46-4 (Gotch 15, Hussey 12)
The clamps are on here. Shock and awe. Bresnan continuing, four singles from his over. What can Melbourne do to get some momentum? Probably not much...
9th over: Melbourne Stars 42-4 (Gotch 13, Hussey 10)
You could overhear Pietersen on the TV commentary complaining that the pitch was a bit slow while he was out there. It certainly seems to be playing that way. Hard to time. AJ Tye comes on, donates a couple of wides, goes for four singles. These two just need to bat through to the 16th over or so, and then hope they and their lower order can get some slogging away.
8th over: Melbourne Stars 36-4 (Gotch 11, Hussey 8)
Six! First of the day, as Ashton Agar comes on with his left-arm spin, and Hussey goes over cover from the first ball of the over. Hell of a shot. Drives a run down the ground next ball. But Gotch gets stuck. Twice back to the bowler, again to the field. Gets a drive away for a single from the last ball.
7th over: Melbourne Stars 28-4 (Gotch 10, Hussey 1)
Johnson will bowl through! Yes, love this when a T20 bowler gets on a roll, and a captain doesn’t stand in their way. Let them crank the pressure up as high as they can. First ball cramps Gotch and he can’t do anything with it. Second ball is run down to third man, single, Johnson’s second run conceded. Third ball, David Hussey’s first. Rip-roaring bouncer! Proper Mitch Johnson delivery. Right up at the vocal folds. Hussey jumps and fends it away. The next follows him, and he can’t get anywhere near scoring from it. A dodgy single next, as Hussey plays tip and run towards mid-off, just makes it. Gotch just wants to be rid of Johnson, so he blocks the last ball.
Four overs. Two maidens. Three wickets. Three runs. Those are the most economical bowling figures ever in the BBL from four overs. Remarkable stuff.
WICKET! Stoinis c Marsh b Richardson 5 (10 balls)
6th over: Melbourne Stars 26-4 (Gotch 9)
Richardson carrying on. Again Stoinis can’t get away, three balls in a row he plays to the field. Very much a short-paced attack from the bowler. Remains that way even as Stoinis finally gets a pull shot away, not perfectly timed but enough to drag it over mid-on. Misses the fifth ball, Stoinis, then tries to repeat that boundary from the last of the over, another short ball, but this time it’s too wide to play to the leg side, and he drags it airborne to Shaun Marsh at deep square leg.
5th over: Melbourne Stars 22-3 (Gotch 9, Stoinis 1)
Marcus Stoinis out to face Johnson and he’s leaving. Blocking. Dodging a bouncer. Blocking again. This is a T20 match! Such is the hold that MJ has over the match at this stage. Finally, last ball of Johnson’s third over, he goes for his first run. On the hip, Stoinis tucks the single, and the crowd boos the spoiling of Mitch’s figures with that unsightly score.
WICKET! Pietersen c Klinger b Johnson 5 (10 balls)
Whaaaat? Thirteen balls without a run from the bat, and Johnson has three wickets! Spears it in at the pads, and it true Ashes 2013/14 style, there’s a short midwicket in for KP. That wasn’t the traditional flamingo off the pads to be caught there, it was a shorter ball at the hip that he was trying to work squarer. But can’t get the connection. Caught. Great field placing by Voges. Johnson... what a show.
4th over: Melbourne Stars 21-2 (Pietersen 5, Gotch 9)
Tim Bresnan quickly on, former England teammate of Pietersen. The latter avoids much conflict by pushing a single into the off side. Gotch gets stuck, plays to the field three times in the row. But he finds the fence from the last two, a glance to fine leg and then a beautiful cover drive.
3rd over: Melbourne Stars 12-2 (Pietersen 4, Gotch 1)
Yes please. Kevin Pietersen versus Mitchell Johnson, and there’s still some spite in that relationship. They could be playing shuffleboard at the Golden Bear in Sacramento and they’d play it with full hostility. Johnson angles one across him first ball, and Pietersen tries to slam the ball down the ground, but he’s going across it towards long-on where it should have been long-off. Doesn’t time it, drags it into the ground. Next ball he’s trying to smash through midwicket but can’t get it. Next one is an attempted pull, doesn’t time that, edged into his body. Three massive shots, no runs. Another straight drive to the field. Four dots! Then a ball that thunders into the pad, high, they scramble a leg bye. The last is leg-side, clips Gotch’s pad and goes down to fine leg for four leg byes. So despite the extras, that is technically a maiden. Two maidens in a row for Mitch. Well, well, well.
2nd over: Melbourne Stars 7-2 (Pietersen 4, Gotch 1)
Jhye Richardson, the young right-arm quick, to come in from the other end after the best possible start. He slips in a couple of wides, which lets the pressure off a little bit. A couple of singles, then Pietersen plays a flip-pull quite nicely down behind square for three runs. At leat they’re on the board.
1st over: Melbourne Stars 0-2 (Pietersen 0, Gotch 0)
No, that’s not the score in the Australian format. It’s two wickets, no runs. Kevin Pietersen and Seb Gotch have the task of rebuilding the innings.
WICKET! Wright c Turner b Johnson 0 (3 balls)
Mitch strikes again! That pace once more, hurries Luke Wright a bit. The right-hander is on the back foot trying to slash that through backward point, but it’s just a bit close to his body, a bit fast, and he plays it in the air. Gully snares the low catch. Both Stars openers gone without a run on the board.
WICKET! Quiney c Richardson b Johnson 0 (1 ball)
First ball of the match! The goldenest of golden ducks for the burly and bearded Quiney, who has given Melbourne so many good starts this season. Johnson bowls a pretty poor ball right at Quiney’s hip, a real loosener, Quiney flipped it fine but in the air, and with Johnson’s pace and the WACA deck it carried all the way down to fine leg on the fence.
Scorchers win the toss and bowl
They want to know their target, the Perth side. It has been the trend and preference in the BBL this year. Here are the XIs.
Melbourne Stars
Wright
Quiney
Pietersen
Gotch +
D Hussey*
Stoinis
Gulbis
Hilfenhaus
Boland
Worrall
Beer
The seamer Daniel Worrall is playing his first game for the season, which is a bold move. Liam Bowe the new spinner misses out.
Perth Scorchers
Whiteman +
Klinger
S Marsh
Bell
Voges *
Turner
Agar
Tye
Bresnan
Johnson
Richardson
Now, the teams. Perth Scorchers will already be feeling pretty good after their women’s team won through to the WBBL final, beating the Brisbane Heat with ease. The men’s Melbourne Stars have lost three semifinals against Perth, but beat them at this stage last season, and won their regular round game here earlier this month. The away team has won the last 11 BBL games, so home ground advantage isn’t necessarily a factor.
Now, this OBO is nothing with you, dear reader. So please make yourself known, fire off an email by electric pigeon to geoff.lemon@theguardian.com, or fire up the idiot machine and find me on Twitter at @GeoffLemonSport. Let me feel the tender embrace of your correspondence.
Friends, Romans, country vicars. Lend me your... eyes, would probably be the most useful organ in this instance. Unless we get into another YouTube music spiral later on, where you all send your faves, I think we’ll be using the power of the visual more than the aural in this Twenty20 semifinal between the pert Perth Scorchers and the malleable Melbourne Stars. It’s been an epic journey of eight entire matches to get to this point, of up to 40 overs apiece, or almost three and a half days of Test cricket, over a month and a bit. Wow! How are these players still alive. But alive they are, into the high-stakes arena of the knockout stage, where the winners will be carried on the shoulders of the crowd to the Victor’s Village where they will live in perpetuity, while the losers will be driven out of town by crowds pelting rotten durian fruit, left to cross the desert of shame on foot in expiation for their failure. Australia’s breath is held, and the world watches on in wonder. Prepare.
Geoff will be here shortly, but there is time to have a quick read of who won what at Monday’s Allan Border medal ceremony.
