Already missing Michael Clarke and Ryan Harris because of injury, Australia lost Mitch Marsh to a hamstring strain yesterday. The Aussies ended play with quicks Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Mitch Johnson all looking ginger.
Meanwhile, the man called into the side to replace Clarke, Shaun Marsh, was a liability in the field, perhaps due to the fact that he is not fully fit to play cricket.
AUSTRALIA VS INDIA: DAY TWO LIVE SCORES
Marsh’s left arm is such a mess after undergoing serious elbow surgery in July that he cannot throw the ball. He looked to be mindful of his gammy arm yesterday as he turfed two chances which ended up costing Australia 108 runs.
Centurion Murali Vijay was on 36 when he offered Marsh a low catch to his supposedly favoured left side at third slip. Marsh’s attempt at pouching the edge off the bowling of Johnson was as ungainly as you will ever see at Test level.
His left hand came under the ball while his right paw tried to slam down upon it like a trapdoor as he employed the much-maligned ‘crocodile’ catching technique.
March looked restricted in his movement as he fell forward and snatched at the ball. It was hard not to feel that his malfunctioning left arm was also a factor in his second drop, again of Vijay, this time after he had passed his hundred.
Vijay again misjudged a Johnson delivery and scooped the ball to short cover. Marsh inexplicably leapt in the air and threw just one arm, his healthy right one, towards a ball he easily could have caught with both hands and while standing.
Perhaps he misjudged the flight of the ball so badly that he only felt he had time to thrust one hand skyward for the catch. Or perhaps the injury to his left arm hasn’t just left him unable to throw but also reduced his ability to catch.
Given Australia had just lost Clarke and Harris to injury, it seemed a strange decision for Australia to select a replacement who they knew to be hampered by injury. They will now have to spend the rest of the match trying to hide him in the field.
But Marsh’s fielding wasn’t the sole reason that India finished the day on top at 4-311. Apart from debutant paceman Hazlewood and all-rounder Shane Watson, Australia’s bowling was lame.
Starc was particularly limp in his efforts with the ball. After bowling impressively in tough circumstances against Pakistan in the UAE, and then returning strongly in the Shield, he earned a reprieve from the selectors.
They may already be considering other pace options for the third Test such was the manner in which he struggled on a pitch tailor made for the lanky left armer.
Where his control and consistency was encouraging in the UAE, here it was sub-standard. At times he bowled the right length. At times he bowled the right line. But rarely did he combine those two.
He created a couple of opportunities in the first half of the day – a flashing Vijay drive that flew just past gully and a difficult caught-and-bowled chance he turfed. But Starc all too frequently served up boundary balls, releasing any pressure built up by his fellow bowlers.
By the tail end of the last session he looked out of gas. He wasn’t alone. Hazlewood bowled two balls with the second new ball, scrunched up his face after both, and then left the field with an unspecified health concern.
At the other end, his new ball partner Johnson could be seen wincing and grabbing at his lower back during a final spell during which he looked a weak imitation of his usual intimidating self.
Hazlewood’s departure, Mitch Marsh’s injury and Starc’s struggles left the physically-fragile Watson as the only quick fit enough to partner Johnson as play drew to a close.
What a bizarre situation that was.
Mitch Marsh almost certainly will not bowl today. Australia will have to hope that their other quicks overcome their ailments or the match could slip away from them.
Much was made of the heat which enveloped the Gabba yesterday. However, a maximum temperature of 36C and humidity of about 60 per cent is no more oppressive than cricketers encounter in an average day’s cricket in India, the UAE, or Sri Lanka.
No excuses could be made for Australia’s misfiring attack, with even Adelaide hero Nathan Lyon and spearhead Johnson turning in wayward performances.
Hazlewood provided the sole positive for Australia yesterday as he made an assured entry to Test cricket. Prior to his laboured efforts in the last session, the tall New South Welshmen posed more questions of the Indian batsmen than any Australian bowler.
That was due to the fact that he was the only home quick who operated with accuracy. After bowling too short in his opening overs, Hazlewood cannily adjusted to find that in-between length which so often troubles batsmen.
On a concrete-like Gabba deck which afforded him generous lift, he commanded respect from the Indians. New captain Steve Smith needs Hazlewood and Johnson to produce their startling best with the new ball tomorrow to get the home side back into the contest.
jack thomas
Guest
Steven Smith said, he is happy to lose the toss. "The quicks are excited to play on a pitch with pace and bounce". I knew he's throwing words in the air. Exact opposite has happened on Day1. Done & dusted. This is called "inexperience". Great start for the generational change. Don't hate on me coz i'm not criticizing anyone. Just showing some sense of humor.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Although to be fair, it doesn't look as though you play it all that hard Ronan (rroaw).
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Ooh, touch a nerve?
SZ
Guest
Watson got out for 25 today. Maybe you can justify the new TV as your Christmas present Richard?
richard
Guest
Watson is just bloody hopeless with the bat. If he makes another 20 odd and then goes out I'm going stick a brick through the tv. How he ended up at three god alone knows. In typical Watson fashion he will make some runs in a dead rubber when there is no pressure and hang on. Can anyone see Watson with his shocking technique surviving in England!?
Tom from Perth
Roar Rookie
Don't forget we have a new captain now. So Smith might push himself up to number 3. Then we would have Burns and M Marsh (assuming fit) at 5 and 6, with Smith at 3. Remaining spot, until Clarke comes back (and assuming Watto is dropped which is unlikely), is up to S Marsh and if he doesn't score more runs next innings it would open the way for Ferguson.
HarryT
Guest
It is an excellent point that you make about recovery. Kids are being pushed harder and harder, younger and younger. I blame it on the proliferation of Sports Professionals all the unis are churning out. There are ten of them for every elite athlete, so to get work they train ever younger kids. They overtrain them and don't allow their bodies to recover, as everyone is after immediate success and notoriety. All they get is broken bodies.
HarryT
Guest
Jo, Cricket NSW do a baseline MRI back scan for the U17 pace bowlers. In my son's group, the results showed that all the bowlers had the beginnings of serious problems.
Nordburg
Guest
If I see another story from you Ronan defending Starc I will fair dinkum be looking for the same people that run instagram to cut off your stories -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
charles lara
Guest
hazlewood bowled well,are we likely to see siddle return at the mcg if harris z still not fit?
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
The pace obsession is quite strong Dunc. There is no doubt that if you only bowl in the 130s that you need to have something extra to make you effective at Test level - genuine swing like Boult/Southee or height and bounce like McGrath. Siddle was a brilliant bowler when he was 140-150kmh. But as a 130-135kmh bowler he has no penetration at Test level because he doesn't swing it much and doesn't get much bounce.
DMC
Guest
Perhaps part of the problem is that Australian cricket is overly obsessed with speed. That seems to be the main criteria for its fast bowlers - as if they must consistently hit 145km to be considered any good. Swing, subtle variations and other forms of 'clever' fast medium bowling are not given enough weight. The pressure on Australian bowlers to be hitting their maximum speeds consistently perhaps takes a toll on their bodies. Plenty of world class bowlers around who are not consistently in the 145km range but are awesome - Philander, Boult, Southee, Anderson, the banned Pakistani bowlers - Mohammad Amir and Asif... Certain G Mcgrath did alright too... Just a theory, but from the outside, I definitely notice an Australian obsession with outright pace during the last 5 or so years.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I know how Warney would describe you Dalgety and he'd be correct for once.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Definitely a very good slips fielder, just some limitations as well.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Moises Henriques is clearly the next best option if they want a batting all-rounder in Australian conditions. He averaged 50-plus over the past 3 Shield seasons combined and is exactly the kind of frugal, reliable 5th bowler that suits Australia's strategies. James Faulkner is the only other all-round option but that would require Haddin moving up to six and he is in dire form with the bat.
Jo M
Guest
Pretty much spot on. Even through junior rep years, most of the coaches are fathers who either play or have played and they make the bowlers bowl and bowl and bowl, even when they are having growth spurts and have Osgood-Schlatter like my son did. The tendon in his knee was that tight he couldn't even put his heel on the ground to walk, yet they still made him bowl until one day I said enough. Thankfully he hasn't had any serious back injuries, but is 6'5" and still a beanpole no matter what he does, time obviously. Even in the junior state squads they bowl them for 1 1/2 hours straight except for the odd drinks break. There are plenty in my son's age group 20-22 who have had numerous stress fractures, Pat Cummins is one of them, since they were very young and it has to come from all the overuse and wrong technique they had when they were even younger. Another thing is they can only bowl I think 18 overs until they are around 18. By then, most of the good ones are in 1st grade anyhow and the captains want them to bowl more than 18 overs and their bodies aren't used to doing so. You are also right about the length of the season. Those kids that are in particularly 17's and 19's have trials around April/May (or used to be) and then start training a month later through winter and then the games for selection into the final squad. While that is happening they are still playing grade and training and at training getting 50 different opinions about what they should be doing from 50 different people (OK I exaggerate the number but...) and none are the same.
Andrew
Guest
Take the 70-80 odd off indias score and ur looking at 320-330 much more manageable if marsh could catch.
JGK
Roar Guru
OK so assuming they are looking for a like for like and want a No 6, who would you go with?
Rellum
Roar Guru
He was excellent in the slips.
jameswm
Guest
Interesting slant on it. I heard an ex-marathon champion say athletes have 10 years where they can train hard and push it then their body starts falling apart. So if you start this at 13, you're cooked by 23. IMHO you cannot underestimate the benefit of a high quality strngth and fitness coach - a good physio - whichever. Someone who knows what each person needs to work on, where their weaknesses are etc. When you're pushing your body, even as an adolescent, the most important thing to focus on is recovery. If you do it right, you do a hard session, and your body adapts and comes back a bit stronger. So for the younger guys, whether it be bowling or running or whatever - the most important things to work on are strength, flexibility and technique. Once this is right, you can build the load as they get older. But if you build the load when the fundamentals are wrong, then injury will inevitable follow.