With Australia levelling the Ashes one-all after their stunning win over England in the Perth Test, the series is thrown wide open. No one would have believed this scenario after Ponting’s men’s humiliating defeat in the Adelaide Test and a horror start on the opening day in Perth. Test cricket, glorious Test cricket, swings like a cobra entwined on a boomerang.
The traditional Boxing Day Test on the MCG will be vital. England will go for the jugular to win it to retain the Ashes, Australia with their in-form heroes Mitchell Johnson, Mike Hussey, Ryan Harris and Shane Watson will keep the Perth momentum going to take a 2-1 lead.
As we await this clash of the traditional rivals with the eyes of a child near a Christmas tree, let us revisit three of my favourite Tests on the MCG:
– The centenary Test of March 1977 provided the largest galaxy of legendary cricketers, past and present playing and watching. The highlight of the Test was a scintillating 174 by the charismatic Derek Randall. The sight to remember was his over-head smashing a Dennis Lillee bouncer to the mid-wicket fence, a la Rafael Nadal!
Lillee who had destroyed England in the first innings with a 6-26 spell hit back by capturing a five-fer in the second knock for 11 scalps in the match.
The other memory to cherish was the tall, left-handed Test debutant David Hookes, 21, smacking England’s captain Tony Greig for five fours in a row. Not to forget was the sight of Aussie opener Rick McCosker coming out to bat at No. 10 with his jaw wired and his face swollen and bandaged, thanks to a Bob Willis snorter. Resembling an astronaut on a space walk, McCosker added 54 gallant runs with Rod Marsh.
Marsh (110 not out in the second innings) became the first Australian wicket-keeper to score a century in this series.
At 5.12 pm on the final day (17 March 1977), Australia won by 45 runs, the exact margin of victory in the inaugural Test contested by the same rivals on the same ground 100 years ago (19 March 1877).
Ashes were not at stake in this Test, but what nostalgia!
– Melbourne became the first venue to host 75 Tests during the fourth Ashes Test in December 1982. It was a cliffhanger with the match see-sawing every session. It provided the first instance of sides dismissed at stumps on three consecutive days; England for 284 and 294, Australia for 287. Melbourne became the first venue to stage 75 Tests.
Set a victory target of 292, Australia was on her knees at 9-218 when Jeff Thomson joined Allan Border. Amid sweaty silence, they took the score to 255 at stumps, each ball potentially the last.
On the final day, even though the match could have ended in one delivery, almost 18,000 turned up. Remember the last ball scenario?
Ian Botham bowls to Thomson with Australia needing four runs for a sensational win. Thommo edges and Chris Tavare at second slip drops the catch but the deflected ball is held by Geoff Miller at first slip and Australia lose by three runs. The last wicket heroes had added 70 runs in 128 minutes spread over two days of incredible suspense.
When an unbeaten but dejected Border (62) returned to the dressing room, he found Rod Marsh rummaging through his kit. On being asked what he was searching, Marsh replied: “Four runs!”
– The December1994 MCG Test had many similarities with the recent Perth Test:
* In that 1994 MCG Test, Australia had scored 279 and seven declared for 320. England replied with 212 and 92. Set 388 to win England lost by 295 runs.
* In the 2010 Perth Test, Australia made 268 and 309. England replied with 187 and 123. Set 391 to win, England lost by 267 runs.
Shane Warne performed a hat-trick in the Melbourne 1994 Test. His third victim was England’s Devon Malcolm, caught by a diving David Boon. “It was the quickest I’ve ever run to get down to ‘Booney’,“ Warne recalled with relish. “I think I poked my tongue in his ears.”
This hat-trick celebrated the 50th Anglo-Aussie Test on the MCG.
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