Tuesday
Don't worry, I don't mean the Indian economy or anything like that. Just their cricket team. Indulge me. Or just skip this. I promise you that this posting is pure cricket, and that it will shed no light whatever on Real Life.
Australia are already one up in their four match series, at home against India, and game two just began in Sydney, late last night London time. India lost two earlier wickets, and then nearly lost another when former Australian captain and batting legend Ricky Ponting dropped a sitter, which had he held it would have seen the back of Virendar Sehwag, an Indian batsman of almost equal renown.
At which juncture, someone called Christian was quoted on Cricinfo, saying this:
I have a feeling Ponting just made his decision to retire - seriously. Adam Gilchrist made his decision in similar circumstances (dropping a sitter) and most athletes make their decision when they have that feeling that they just aren't up to it anymore.
For non-cricketophiles, dropping a sitter means you made a bad mistake. But no worries. At lunch, India were 72-4, Ponting's error having soon been corrected by Aussie wicketkeeper Haddin, who didn't drop his sitter.
Cricinfo again:
To state the bleeding obvious, this was Australia's session all the way.
Australian quick bowler James Pattinson, only twenty one, and only playing in his fourth test match, already has three wickets. A bowling legend of the future? In general, the new crop of Aussie quick bowlers are looking good, and they have other good ones not playing in this game. For India's aging batting stars, on the other hand, there seem to be few obvious replacements. Now, one of those potential replacements, Virat Kohli, has also been got out. Tendulkar, though, is still batting. For months now Tendulkar has been trying to get that elusive hundredth international hundred. Now would be a good time.
Not everything in the world is improving just now. But, along with such things as escalators, my ability to track interesting international cricket games between two interesting sides neither of which is England just gets better by the year.
Tendulkar is now out. Pattinson gets the big one. India 125-6. Says Cricinfo:
It's like the Australia of the late 90s and 2000s. Unstoppable.
Certainly unstoppable by India, in their present away form.
A bowling legend of the future?
Possibly, but as with Cummins, there are two caveats:
1. With cricket coaching involving so much video and statistical analysis these days, a newcomer's early success might not last. Let's see how well they are doing in 2-3 years when the world's batsmen know them well and they've been smashed around a bit.
2. Don't underestimate the ability of the Australians to put their best players on a pedestal before knocking them down and completely messing up their heads and their technique. Look at what has happened to Mitchell Johnson, who was screaming out for some decent management and coaching.
Posted by Tim Newman at January 3, 2012 05:42 AM
On the other hand, after a shaky start for the Australian batsmen, Ponting came to the rescue with Clarke to get Australia back into a strong position at stumps. His runs were very valuable in Melbourne too. Having been calling for Ponting's sacking since time immemorial, I am thinking I would actually like him to hang around for the rest of the series. Australia's bowling suddenly looks fabulous, but the batting seems to be collapsing badly in every second innings at the moment. Put solid batting together, and Australia could have a formidable side, but there is quite a way to go there at the moment.
2. Don't underestimate the ability of the Australians to put their best players on a pedestal before knocking them down and completely messing up their heads and their technique.
Interestingly enough, though, the new Australian bowling coach is Craig McDermott, and this happened to him when he was a player. It took him a few years to then get his technique back together, but he did. I think he will watch for it. Also, Rod Marsh is back in the Australian key figure: he was a key figure in both the rise of Australia in the early 1990s and the rise of England in the mid 2000s.
Something has happened that I was not expecting: the time servers in the Australian cricketing establishment seem to have been put out to pasture and the right people put in charge. If this is the case, I am very optimistic. The batting has to be sorted out though: this might take a couple of year. I think it's touch and go as to whether we will have a good enough side ready to challenge for the Ashes in mid 2013, but it's possible.
Posted by Michael Jennings at January 3, 2012 11:21 AM
I can still easily see India winning this test, though. All it takes is for the Australian batting to fail again, and one or more of Tendulkar, Dravid, or Laxman batting like gods. Which they can easily do. India have never won a series in Australia, but it is still very possible they will win this one.
Posted by Michael Jennings at January 3, 2012 12:35 PM
I promise you that this posting is pure cricket, and that it will shed no light whatever on Real Life.But I like impure postings.
The cricket part of an impure posting is like a trip to a foreign country. You speak of arcane rituals in your strange lingo. I understand only the odd word, but it is all pleasingly exotic. Then comes the economic/political moral. I understand that entirely, and it helps explain what went before.
You did sneak in a little light on Real Life in this one. (You thought we wouldn't notice, hmm?) You said that it is now easier to follow faraway events that have no local interest. It wasn't enough, though. I demand more impurity. That is to say, more morals.
Posted by Natalie Solent at January 3, 2012 02:08 PM
And a continent away, another veteran - Jacques Kallis - answers his critics by bouncing back from two ducks in the last test with a century (123 n.o. at the moment). Ponting, Tendulkar, and Dravid are all probably watching their old buddy.
Posted by Tim Newman at January 3, 2012 02:25 PM
I was rather hoping that we would be allowed the time to enjoy Australia being rubbish. But apparently not.
Enjoying India being rubbish just isn't the same.
Posted by Patrick Crozier at January 3, 2012 07:22 PM
Oh, Australia have been rubbish for two or three years now. Haven't you had enough fun? It was awful, but that is one of the longer periods of Australia being rubbish in 135 years of international cricket. Thank God it is almost over.
Posted by Michael Jennings at January 3, 2012 07:54 PM
There are far too many of ye old commenters on this thread. All we need is Steve Chapman and Iain Murray to turn up and it will be like 2003 all over again.
Posted by Peter Briffa at January 4, 2012 01:26 PM
Wow. One day later - Australia 4/482, Ponting's first century for thirteen months, record setting innings from Clarke - can I suggest Samizdata issue a daily samizdat on the problems confronting the Australian cricket team? Seems to work a charm.
Posted by Sturt at January 4, 2012 06:29 PM
I think I have to take back my statement that I can see India winning this test, although there are nasty precedents.
Ponting, of course, got a fine century when Australia batted. Whether he is trying to finish his career with a bang a la Warne, or whether he now has found his form and wants to play on, we will see.
More interestingly, perhaps, Australian captain Michael Clarke is 251 not out overnight. It will be interesting to see how long he chooses to bat on day three. Australia are 291 ahead, which is close to being enough now, although given that we are only at the end of day two and India have already been bowled out once, there is no obvious reason why Australia could not bat all day and still have plenty of time to win the match. Clarke could challenge a few records: the highest score at the SCG is 287 by Tip Foster of England, the highest by an Australian in test cricket is 380 by Matthew Hayden, and the highest in test cricket is 401 by Brian Lara. The latter two records are unlikely, but I will be watching. I think I'd like the Hayden record to fall, as it was against a weak Zimbabwe side and I would like the record to have been scored against stronger opposition.
Posted by Michael Jennings at January 4, 2012 08:01 PM
