Wow… Australia pursue history in two very important ways today. 1 – 17 test victories in a row… 2 – they literally ‘pursue’ the highest fourth innings run-chase on home soil, with 413 needed to obtain victory.
Some pundits declare it unobtainable, especially given the failure, yet again, of openers Jaques & Rogers. Last night, on yesterday’s discussion here, I stated:
“Really, really dangerous time for Australia: now. A mere 40 minutes of play left… really, this is better for India than another 20 runs or so.”
And indeed it was. India’s Pathan picking up two quick wickets.
Still, if any team can chase down such an extraordinary run total, surely it is Australia. Only three sides in the history of the game have chased down a higher total, and no side in the 131 years of test cricket on Australian soil has chased down anything higher than 370. Australian coach Tim Nielsen told The Age,
“It’s an achievable result for us… In the back of their minds will be that this will be a special thing if they (Australian batsmen) can chase down this total. It could fire them up a bit.”
The only times a feat of this magnitude has been achieved were 7-418 by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua five years ago, 4-406 by India against the West Indies in Trinidad in 1976 and 3-404 by Australia against England at Headingley in 1948.
On the aforementioned pairing of Jaques & Rogers, I do believe that they will one day be good batsmen for Australia. However, as it stands at the moment, neither appear able to be the ‘senior guy’ out on the field.
The Indian side has certainly set up the match to be won. The only thing that could be worrying them is that they have left Australia 2 days in which to complete their task. Still, if play follows the previous 3 days, the Indian bowlers have given Australian batsmen nothing to play with.
Australia’s innings at the end of yesterday’s play:
Australia 2nd innings (target: 413 runs)
R
B
4s
6s
SR
CJL Rogers
c Dhoni b Pathan
15
18
3
0
83.33
PA Jaques
c Jaffer b Pathan
16
30
3
0
53.33
RT Ponting
not out
24
27
2
0
88.88
MEK Hussey
not out
5
16
1
0
31.25
Extras
(lb 3, w 1, nb 1)
5
Total
(2 wickets; 15 overs)
65
(4.33 runs per over)
Bowling
O
M
R
W
Econ
RP Singh
5
1
24
0
4.80
(1w)
IK Pathan
6
1
22
2
3.66
I Sharma
3
0
10
0
3.33
(1nb)
A Kumble
1
0
6
0
6.00
Play begins at 11:30 local time, with Ponting on 24 & Hussey sitting on 5.
Game on.
Edit: ended up being a very good win to the Indian side. The batting was too good, the bowling too strong. Some issues for the Australian team, with the failure of the openers, and some poor bowling.
Well, India certainly appear to have Australia on the ropes. A pretty good batting performance in the first innings, coupled with a dominant bowling spell has Australia reeling with a first innings total of 212, 118 behind the Indian team. If they can lay down the law with their second innings total, this test is theirs to win.
Jaffer yet again fell cheaply, but Sehwag finally looks dangerous.
Still, cricket’s a funny game, and anything can happen.
And if there’s a team that can make ‘anything’ happen, it’s Australia. Rest assured, this is no ‘dead rubber’. Australia are well aware of the place this game has in history, and will not lay down without a fight.
Day 3, and play resumes with India in their second innings, at 52/1.
Sehwag’s on 29, and Pathan has 2…
Game on.
Edit:ok, Day 3’s over… wrap up tomorrow, but here are the innings thus far…
West Australian Cricket Association Ground (WACA), Jan 17th.
India versus Australia, 3rd test.
At the culmination of the 1st day’s play, India had seen themselves to a very respectable 297/6. Playing well, Tendulkar scored 71, and Dravid missed out on a century by a mere 7 runs. The wicket has proved to be no where near as fearsome as was expected, with only Brett Lee performing any where near expectations. The much-touted Tait, has not shaken off erratic performances of the past, and really has to step up if he has any dreams of remaining an Australian test cricketer. Clark’s done well, and is unlucky not to have wickets. 37 Extras to this point in time is way too many, and the Australian side will have to tighten that up considerably.
Whilst India will be happy with their score, they will be unhappy with the performance of their highly-regarded batsmen. Jaffer failed yet again (16), and Ganguly couldn’t reach a double figure score (9). The performances by Sehwag (26) and Laxman (27) were only marginally better.
Today, the Indian tail kept wagging, with Dhoni making 19, and Pathan 28, before they both fell.
Wow… I must’ve missed something somewhere, because while I thought I was enjoying a tightly fought contest on the SCG turf, I was actually witnessing the beginning of one of the biggest incidents cricket’s ever witnessed.
As a few mates & I jumped up and down in front of the TV in elation when Australia won with a mere 8 minutes to go, the seeds of dissent were being sown.
Make no mistake: this was a test match with little love lost between the two competing sides. There’s a history there, and not all of it admirable.
Add to the mix two umpires who did do a rather appalling job of adjudicating the match… and clearly the balance of decisions favoured the Australian team – the Indians came off second-best there. So it comes as no surprise that not everyone would be happy post the finish.
Even so… the reaction to, and repercussions of this match are nothing short of astounding.
Post-match, Indian captain Anil Kumble declared that his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting, and his team, did not play within the spirit of cricket.
The fuse was lit, and explosions imminent.
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) demanded of the ICC (the sovereign body of cricket) that the suspension of Harbhajan Singh be lifted (Singh was suspended for 3 matches for ‘racial abuse’), and umpire Steve Bucknor be axed for the 3rd test (Perth).
In India, people burn effigies of Bucknor, Ponting and other Australian team members in the street. Media calls for an apology from Australia, another yells for test results to be nullified. T-Shirts decry Australia… and politicians beat their chests and shout, “This is about national honour.” (Suresh Menon, Cricinfo)
In Australia, some writers proffer that the Australian cricket team is a blight upon sports. Reactionaries like Peter Roebuck (an Englishman living in Sydney) scream for Ponting’s sacking as captain, and the dismissal of several senior players. Ponting’s parent’s are threatened and abused. Some famous Australians have decried the national team, others have come out in support. On the internet the Australian team is said to be at fault, colluding with the umpires to cheat India, a bunch of poor sports. Verily, Australian polls declare it so (tho’ interestingly enough, phone-polls & letters to the same Australian newspapers have given an opposite response – one of support for the Australian National Team).
What’s been the result?
Thus far, the ICC have kowtowed to the BCCI’s demand that Bucknor be axed.
In doing so, the ICC have started a dangerous precedent, and angered many in the process.
Australian bowling legend Glenn McGrath has slammed the ICC decision, calling it “ridiculous”… “And if a couple of teams aren’t happy with umpires then all of a sudden you have got one to choose from.”
Former West Indies captain and batting great Clive Lloyd agrees, “Does that mean when anybody says they don’t want a particular umpire we’re going to move them? The ICC is wrong … it’s a bad decision. What happens if a couple of other umpires make a mistake? Are they going to get rid of all of them? I find it very strange.”
South African coach Mickey Arthur echoed the sentiment, “They have set a precedent and I don’t know if it’s a particularly good one. It looks a bit of a mess.” (all 3 quotes from The Age, 9th Jan ’08)
The West Indies (where Bucknor hails from) are furious. In a letter written to the International Cricket Council, the WICB’s president Julian Hunte wrote, “On the surface, the ICC’s reaction in this particular instance seems to be extreme … a dangerous precedent may have been set by the ICC.” (The Australian, 10th Jan ’08)
In a letter to Bucknor that was made public today, Hunte wrote, “We do not support the decision of the ICC to replace you as the umpire for the third Test as it sends the wrong signal to those countries that are awash with cash, power and influence that they can get what they want as a result of their status…” (The Australian, 10th Jan ’08)
On the dismissal of the suspension of 3 games for Harbhajan Singh, the ICC has appointed New Zealand judge John Hansen to oversee the appeal, which may happen before the Perth Test, due to start next week. Funnily enough, due to Harbharjan being a spinner, the Australian reports that he may not get selected afterall.
There is some sanity around. In his excellent article, Some Balance, Please Suresh Menon calls for some balance in the reporting in India surrounding the furor. “Yes, we lost a Test. Yes, the umpiring was horrendous. Yes, the charges against Harbhajan Singh might not hold up in a court of law. But do we have to go overboard like this?”
At the Indian-based cricket blog Cricket Buzz, the question is asked, “However, here the question is did we play up to standard?”
And asserts that, “We can’t absolve our cricketers of the responsibilities they carry on their shoulders… what about Jaffer, Laxman, Tendulkar and Yuvraj? Didn’t they let millions of cricket fans down with their poor performance? They faltered when India needed them badly..”
Looking back over the game, I questioned myself as to what could have sparked this furor. I came up blank and pretty empty. Asking the same of a few friends (Australian, English, South African & Kiwi), they ended up with the same conclusion – not much in it. Exploring this, what caused the storm? The only things we (a few cricket-fan friends & I) could come up with was: – Australians vociferously appeal…
– Ponting appealed for a catch that may/may not have been legitimate (but wasn’t given out)…
– Clarke appealed for a catch that may have appeared to have hit the ground (2 of 3 camera angles show that it was clearly out), and it was given out…
– some Australian players don’t walk when they are out…
– Australian players say bad things on the ground…
– Ponting and team were overly ebullient with the outcome of the match, so much so that they didn’t shake hands with the Indians, celebrating instead…
– Ponting got angry – overly so – with an Indian reporter at the post-match press conference…
Some of that is fair, and must be taken on board. Ponting and his team must be aware of perception, and the truth is that at times they do come across as arrogant. My general response to this is that whilst it’s so, I’m not sure that a team that lacks self-belief can win like this Australian team does. That’s not an excuse for the arrogance, just an acknowledgement of why it may exist.
Appealing is not ‘cheating’. There are times when a player may make a play that they think is legitimate, and umpires/opponents disagree. That’s simply a fact of the human condition. Pretty much every team in the world will have someone appeal at something some time or another that isn’t out. To point the finger at Australia and state that they’re not sporting because of this just isn’t reasonable.
Critics of the umpiring performance and of Symonds not walking when he should’ve when caught don’t acknowledge that the same happened to Tendulkar.
Suresh Menon again: “No Indian writing or broadcasting from Sydney mentioned that replays showed Sachin Tendulkar was out leg-before when he was in the twenties. He added roughly the same number of runs that Symonds did after being reprieved when he was first out.” (Cricinfo, 9th Jan ’08)
Neither is not walking ‘cheating’. It’s unreasonable to expect a player to walk when an appeal goes up. Each and every batting team questions appeals, and so should they.
Celebrations should not be thought of as ‘poor sportsmanship’. Australia came under fire for this, but hell… do we really want our cricket to be a somber affair? And it’s not like we’re the only ones doing it, as these video clips attest…
Bad stuff gets said on the field of play, sledging exists… simply a fact. One that I think needs to be reappraised, but it’s not like it’s an act that only Australia participates in. I’m not sure what Harbhajan Singh has to say to Kevin Pietersen here, but he’s not asking after his welfare.
At the end of all of this, I just hope sanity prevails.
The ICC have opened up a dangerous precedent, and at the moment appear to be at the beck & call of the BCCI, something that Menon fears in his cricinfo article.
Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I do hope and think that better sense will, eventually, rule the day.
When I was a child growing up in Australia, during the Summer my family would often holiday in a town on Victoria’s surf coast. Each day, inevitably the kids that were in the area holidaying would end up playing a game of cricket on one of the town’s ovals. Was a grand ol’ time, but I do remember one particular Summer when the bat, ball & wickets were supplied by one boy – we’ll call him Kendall – who when faced with a decision he disagreed with would on occasion threaten to take his bat & ball and go home.
It’s saddening that a hard-fought test match has brought the Cricket world to this point.
I’m hoping that saner minds prevail, but the Indian threat emanating from the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) of pulling out of the Australian Tour amounts to nothing more than strong-arm tactics over the sovereignty of the sport’s governing body.Â
At the moment I’m not really sure where the Indian tour stands, as media reports – each quoting their own representative from the Indian team – are confusing and conflicting. Some stating that the BCCI have given the ICC (cricket’s ruling body – the International Cricket Council) a 24 hour ultimatum – sack Steve Bucknor from the Perth test, and overturn the ruling on Harbhajan Singh.
The ICC has already rejected dismissing Bucknor, but it would seem that a collision between cricket’s sovereign body and one of the most powerful cricketing nations is imminent. No-one wins from this, and cricket can only lose.Â
It all stems from the decisions made during the 2nd test at the Sydney Cricket Ground by umpires Bucknor & Mark Benson… and the decision by match referee Mike Procter to institute a 3 match ban on Harbhajan Singh on the charge of racist misconduct. Yes, the match was poorly adjudicated. But poor decisions went both ways – acknowledged, India did appear to draw the short straw as far as the amount of poor decisions. But that’s cricket. Sometimes it’ll go your way, sometimes it won’t.
The other issue was the Harbhajan Singh racism charge – where he is ‘alleged’ to have called Andrew Symonds (Australia’s only black player) a ‘monkey’. Match referee Mike Procter upheld the charge, and instituted a 3 match ban. Evidence was given from both sides, but Harbhajan’s history with Symonds came in to play (I believe), and Procter gave him 3 matches. I do feel that 3 was a little excessive, 1 would have achieved the desired result of making racist comments a no-go zone.
The match itself was a hard-fought, tough contest that was brilliant viewing down to the wire. I was riveted. It was only post game that it spiraled out of control… Ricky Ponting’s ill-advised aggressive approach to a question fielded by an Indian reporter… Kumble’s injudicious choice of phrasing… both have thrown fuel on a fire that may have very destructive consequences.
The public reaction has been astounding. The media would have us believe that the vast majority of the public in Australia are against the Australian team, and Ricky Ponting. This just isn’t so. As a member of quite a few cricket sites, I am yet to see a strong reaction from Australians against Australia, whilst acknowledging that it was a match with ‘issues’. Admittedly, on a number of those sites it’s gotten pretty ugly, with ‘visitors’ from other nations making accusations, and the base element within Australia reacting badly. So much so that I’ve withdrawn from conversing (for the time being) from a lot of them.
Writers like Peter Roebuck thrive on controversy, and controversy sells newspapers.
Reactionary articles on ‘supposedly’ neutral cricket blogs have been nothing short of libelous. Charges of collusion between the umpires and the Australian team, ‘cheating’ and a total lack of reporting on either the Harbhajan Singh racism charge or the time-wasting that occurred at the end of the game reveal the bias that these sites so obviously have, and do nothing but fuel the problem.
Without a doubt, the game was tainted. But it was a taint that fell on both teams, not merely on one side or the other. Both teams have said/done things that in the heat of the moment seemed appropriate, but a cooler head might regret. It’s a situation that has escalated beyond appropriate proportions.
At the end of all this, let’s hope that those cooler heads prevail and the tour goes on. If not, the ramifications could be terrible.Â
Not just for the teams involved, but for cricket.
Before any of the 2nd test versus India is covered here, it seems only right to give acclamation to Sachin Tendulkar, a true batting master. Amazing performance on Day 3, hitting 154 not out. His 38th test century, the man dubbed ‘The Little Master’ was indomitable.
Had to share this with everyone: 2nd Test, Australia vs India – one of the clearest ‘Not Out’ decisions you’ll ever see, and umpire Mark Benson sends Australian Captain Ricky Ponting back to the pavillion.Â
They’re supposed to be a lil’ better than that… watch the replay.
Pretty damn sure that Mr Benson is really regretting what was clearly a bad call. Shame.
Some pundits declare it unobtainable, especially given the failure, yet again, of openers Jaques & Rogers. Last night, on yesterday’s discussion here, I stated:
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Media calls for an apology from Australia, another yells for test results to be nullified. 
Yes, the match was poorly adjudicated. But poor decisions went both ways – acknowledged, India did appear to draw the short straw as far as the amount of poor decisions. But that’s cricket. Sometimes it’ll go your way, sometimes it won’t.
With Malice... 
What you said…