And so to the grand old dame that is the Sydney Cricket Ground, and whatever the state of any Test series – and it’s never usually a decider – then it’s … well, you just have to go.
You have to. It’s a Thing.
It’s just a cracking stadia, the SCG, so full of ghosts and good times, and for mine – with apologies to Victorians – it’s the Home of Cricket in the nation.
Something about it.
What about it?
Friend, you can stand up in a members bar or tool about on a stool, and drink a cold beer, and watch cricket as if you’re at the pub.
It’s like being at the pub except the entertainment is an international Test cricket match, happening live in the park outside the window.
How good is that?
Answer: That is very good. That is man-fun writ large.
The SCG is magnificent.
A Test match at the SCG is a must. (Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images)
As are these Excellent Indians who’ve been so impressive, no-one more so than The Rock Wall of Saurashtra, Cheteshwar Pujara, a genuine Test bat whom our little slashers, whackers and burners could learn much from, namely that you don’t have to hit every ball with the bat, and indeed ‘leaving’ the ball can be quite effective.
Pujara has shown the value in spending an entire innings, 300 balls plus, getting “in” and staying “in”, because as long as you’re “in” you’re not “out”, which is bad.
And you would suggest any batter approaching the elite golden pyramid bricks of Test cricket would have some awareness of this, or have an appreciation of it, that you have to be “in” to score runs.
But there you go – the current crop of whackers took more from Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden than from Chris Rogers and Mike Hussey, and thus back themselves to whack the ball with the bat when they should learn to leave well enough alone.
Now, I like Marcus Harris, and I like Travis Head. I even like dear sweet Shaun Marsh though he’s … well, not good enough often enough.
And all these people could learn the power of the leave, and the value of going after only the sweetest fruits.
Aaron Finch? Time has come and gone, for mine, old friend, unless you head back to the Shield and grind out many thousands of runs off many thousand more balls.
And the way to do that is to leave most everything through to the keeper.
Won’t be easy for a bloke who’s so good in short-form cricket.
But if Aaron Finch wants to play under the baggy green again, he needs big runs earned over long periods. Bat out the day. Sweat up a treat.
Just don’t get out.
And like old mate Pujara, bat and bat and bat, and bat a bit more, and bore yourself to virtual insanity.
It’s the new way. It’s how things must be. We need a rock to just … be in. To not be out. A sheet anchor. An oldie but a goodie.
India’s Cheteshwar Pujara celebrates after reaching a century. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
We need our own wall.
Usman Khawaja would appear to be the best bet. Though he’s now opening with Harris and Marnus Labuschagne – whose leg-spinners threatened only the health of children on the boundary – is batting No.3 and … well.
Australia needs a rock. A wall. And if Marnus is that rock wall then … good.
Yet he’s not among the top-15 Sheffield Shield averages this season and his leggies are like Michael Bevan’s except very bad.
Anyway we need a rock who doesn’t get “out”, especially against these Indian bowling people who are red hot. How about old mate Jasprit Bumrah? What a ripper.
Gideon Haigh wrote a funny thing in the Oz the other day about his run-up, wrote that Jasprit looks like a man pretending to ride a horse, prancing along, like air guitar equestrian.
But then he’s into it, Jasprit, into that funny little delivery stride, and he’s all height and strength and extra-whippy long arm angles, mighty long levers of the condor, all action, and he’s going across ‘em or away, but mainly he’s at their ribs, at off peg, just at ‘em, at speed, all spell.
He’s a bloody beauty, Jasprit Bumrah, a dangerous man, a superstar.
And the wickie’s a little beauty, too, old Cheeky Pant. How about that picture of him “babysitting” Tim Paine’s kids? Ha – high comedy.
And the captain’s a phantom menace with Eyebrows of Evil, and this Sydney Test match will continue to be just that for our beleaguered cricket nation, which is no bad thing on occasion, I reckon we’re better underdogs than overlords, and wrote of it, the humility will be good for us.
In the meantime I do hope we win.
Couple Indians in the way though, not least Rock Wall Pujara, whom you couldn’t extract with a Bobcat Excavator.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
I love test cricket and dont need it to be fast-paced. But Pujara is slow and boring to the extreme. His career strike rate is 46, below Boycott's 47, despite playing in the modern era (where strike rates have accelerated considerably). Boycott is remembered as incredibly slow and boring - Pujara is in the same boat. Test cricket is losing support and guys like Pujara aren't helping. These days, 300 runs in a day is viewed as a good rate. India scored 220 on day 1 in Melbourne. When Steve Waugh became captain 15-20 years ago, his team immediately lifted that target to 400 per day - principally for the betterment of the sport - my waning interest has nothing to do with BBL. (Poor ICC governance of the sport and Australia selecting undeserving blokes ahead of better credentialed players doesnt help my waning love of the game either).
The Anti-Don
Roar Rookie
Langer is keeping the opening spots open for Warner and Bancroft.. he can't afford to give Renshaw..or Burns for that matter a chance for fear that they perform... hence playing a rookie, and playing someone who is not an opener for 3 tests (and the 2 in the UAE) and then moving someone up from #3. that they can move back down.
AJ
Guest
Langer hates him.
Nik
Roar Rookie
Pujara boring? Really? If you want to watch fast paced cricket BBL is on. Isn't the majority of the problems the current Australian Test batting lineup facing is because they don't want to play or should I say incapable of playing the kind of test cricket you are terming as boring? And the result is there for everybody to see.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Pujara is the new Boycott - very, very boring for cricket, but resolute. Centuries help win matches, so good luck to him, but the sport is dying. Kohl, the new opener and Pant are much better value for lovers of the game ... and for Austrslia, bring back the Maxi!!! He might not make many runs, but he'll still be 'must watch' viewing. The selectors have some grievance with him but the public are the ones who own this game - and we love him!
Chris Love
Roar Guru
That’s what happens when every second commenter seems to be more upset with Australians sledging and getting aggressive in the middle than they are the cheating.
Hari
Roar Rookie
Last time we saw Renshaw in India, he was good. Thought would be permanent opener by this time!
Matt Cleary
Expert
Yeah I was surprised Renshaw didn’t get extended run.
JimboJones
Guest
"Unfortunately that ship has sailed". Unfortunately there has been a whole fleet of those ships .
AREH
Roar Guru
Klinger has retired from FC cricket, however. There were periods in the last decade where he could've been an astute selection, and would have probably acquired himself easily with test cricket. Unfortunately that ship has sailed
Albo
Roar Rookie
If only we had one or two in-form batsmen, our bowlers would have likely wrapped up the series for Australia by now . But alas , it has been the Indians who have had a real form Test batsman in Pujara, and he has made all the difference that will ensure their series victory !
BA Sports
Roar Guru
You would think after the criticism for the approach of the Aussie batters in the last Test that we will see a different, tougher approach from the Aussie batters, but I have no confidence. They have now had three opportunities to see what grinding out a Test hundred looks like from Pujara, and the lack of patience shown by the bowlers and captain (as expressed by Nathan Lyon yesterday) show they are still playing with a Big Bash approach (even in the field) by trying to change game plans every hour.
Harry
Guest
I think the Australian rock you're looking for might be Matt Renshaw. Good performer at first class level and knows how to leave.
Harry
Guest
Klinger is too old, would have been a good choice 5 years ago.
JimboJones
Guest
Yep...The cricketing public has been lead down a dull , dreary garden path , where the fruits and flowers are not juicy , brightly coloured . sweet tasting winners , but are dull , tastless inoffensive fruit , that no one really likes very much . We've gone from Passionfruits to Choko's .
Dan Ced
Roar Rookie
Marnus better grind out runs in the way that got him selected in the first place. I had eyes on him and Heazlett for a couple of seasons. To put him in for his spin is utterly stupid, he's a part timer, probably not even as good as Trav Head. Whose wife did Maxwell sleep with? Just gets ignored. The selectors live in their own little world, segregating him in white ball wonderland, ignoring his great body of work in the severely limited amount of First Class games he's allowed to play for Victoria. Joe Burns or Callum Ferguson also, would be better value than Shaun Marsh. ...but the player AUS really need is Michael Klinger. A true grinder of runs, ignore his horrendous start to the BBL :P What happened to having an opener pair of aggressor/accumulator? Harris is a good Warner replacement, but I think he should be opening the batting with Khawaja.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Well Pujara has done a great job in this series because Australia have a good bowling line up that he has blunted, and a weak batting line up so no whatever time he takes is not going to affect the result of the match. In 85/86 India were in the reverse situation, Australia were weak in bowling and good in batting. Gavaskar averaged over a 100 with the same 40 strike rate as Pujara, Armanath matched Pujaras efforts. India were much more dominant in that series , they would have won every match and by a big margin if it went to six days but came away with absolutely nothing. This team however have lost one match, and almost lost another match to a wagging tail, so that would have made it 2-1 the other way. Even Melbourne was 140 run margin given the advantage of batting first.
nickbrisbane
Guest
But I heard Langer describe Marnus L as a really good kid yesterday - that's who we pick these days, nice people.