Any time a team wins a Test by an innings, it’s safe to say that victory was resounding.
Australia will go into the second Test full of confidence. Pakistan, on the other hand, have plenty to consider before they announce their team.
Many consider this next Test almost a formality, but will that be the case?
Let’s not get too carried away
The Pakistan attack was probably the most inexperienced to hit our shores in the past 50 or 60 years at least. They are also the seventh ranked team in world cricket and had not played a Test match in nearly ten months. They will be a far better team having played that first Test. If Australia gets complacent and Pakistan gets an advantage, they could well spring a surprise.
Pakistan were not that bad
Their openers showed great heart in the first session on Day 1, when the ball was moving around and their bowlers never gave up trying, even though they had to bowl nearly 158 overs in trying conditions. They also made 335, which is a pretty good effort against the best attack Australia could field.
Pakistan could be formidable with the bat
If they can get the order to click at the same time, both Shan Masood and Azhar Ali showed good signs at the top of the order, while Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan all held up the vaunted Australian attack.
Tactics and team selections are hurting Pakistan
Azhar Ali only just took on the captaincy and even to an untrained eye, his field placements were perplexing. Mohammad Abbas must play in Adelaide and Ali needs to think about his batting line-up, maybe moving Ul-Haq to three and taking more advice from guys like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram about field placements and bowling changes. At least, he needs his quicks to go around the wicket to David Warner from ball one.
This is a day/night Test
Yes, it’s stating the bleeding obvious, but the ball is likely to move around considerably more than it did in Brisbane. The Australian batting order looked good in their only innings but if Abbas plays, this could be a whole new ball game. It will also be interesting to see what Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi can do if the ball moves. They could be a real handful, bowling 140 plus.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
No changes are needed for Australia
Who should be dropped? Certainly not Mitchell Starc, and the batsmen all did enough to warrant another Test or more.
Australia needs to produce more of the same
The Australian side showed clear, positive intent in that first Test and worked hard for four days. They need to do the same again. Warner and Joe Burns need to set the tone for the innings, Marnus Labuschagne needs to prove that first innings was no fluke while the other guys – especially Travis Head – need to value their wicket and look to bat positively for a long time.
Do we really need the chirp?
It’s great to hear plenty of encouragement from the Aussie players, but the chirping from Tim Paine is painful after a while. It’s starting to seem a lot like the banter that was going on prior to the sandpaper incident in South Africa and that’s certainly a place Australian cricket should not want to revisit. Encouragement is great, but let’s not go over the top with the sledging.
It’d be nice to see Garry take a bag
Nathan Lyon has obviously had a tough time of it with the ball in the latter part of the Ashes series and into the first part of the Australian summer. It’s not that he’s bowling badly, he’s simply not getting any wickets. Hopefully that all changes in Adelaide and he gets five-for.
Finally, there will be a decent crowd for this Test. Both sides have shown they can play some very attractive cricket and a game starting on a Friday afternoon should bring people into the ground. Australia will be short-priced favourites to win, but a day/night game, a more spicy pitch and a better effort from Pakistan could turn this game into a real contest.
TRhing-me
Roar Rookie
As usual we mention nothing about the Pakistani hockey players playing in the dirt and dust on the slopes of the Karakorams, or the terrorism the middle classes are struggling to keep at bay in the Pakistani cities, or the school teams without the Master-Blasters or Kookaburra leather cased balls. Or thousands of Pakistanis wearing the latest sponsored creamy white shirt. Or the under-privileged deprived of three pairs of cricket boots that normally fill an Australian Rebel Sports cricket bag. Who wants to watch a game where the have-nots are dominated by a leaping kangaroo dressed up as a human being having scored a brilliant century? The inequality between the haves and the West Indies, Bangladeshis, Afghanis, Ireland continues to grow. Will we remember the tokenism offered by playing NZ on Boxing Day let alone this Test match? Under flood lights where the Pakistanis suffer electrical cuts on a weekly basis? That to me is the real analysis of playing cricket. Who remembers the swash-buckling F1J1s that would tour in the 50s and 60s ? In point of fact A G Macdonell conceived the idea for his memorable chapter on cricket in the classic 'England, Their England' having observed the Fijians playing that great game played in Hindustani Heaven.
TRhing-me
Roar Rookie
Yes!
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Yeah, it's not that hard to say once you know how. Actually, it rolls off the tongue fairly easy.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Can't stand the sledging (bullying). Worst part of cricket, was much better when they seemed to have stopped after the cheating.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Carry ear plugs and offer them around?
Tom
Guest
Nothing and that's the point of comments like that. To try and get the batsman to have a slight lapse in concentration and make a mistake. Most of the time batsman will just block it out but every now and then it'll work. It's completely harmless and is not an issue at all.
johnb
Guest
The man himself says he is fine with the "Labushane" pronounciation, but you're right that getting the pronounciation of people's names correct (or at least taking a decent stab at it) is only common courtesy. Mind you, if you think about it, the "Labushane" pronounciation isn't that bizarre for a non-South African or non-Dutch speaker. What word do most English speakers know which ends "agne"? Champagne. Take how "agne" is pronounced there and add it to La - boo -sh.
Paul
Roar Guru
We kinda have that now Captain only there seems to be only two scales - "everything is acceptable" and "that's way out of line". I like your idea though.
Capt Jack
Roar Rookie
Maybe we could have a funny, not so funny, annoying, abusive, bully, hurt my feelings banter scale the umpires could make a judgement on if the batsman appeals against said fielder. The fielder could then be dismissed for either of the latter three or at least a free hit to batsman. Annoying / not so funny could maybe be classed as a no ball but if judged funny it could be a run deducted from Batsman. Of course decisions could be referred to DRS. Maybe John Cleese could adjudicate.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
'La-bush-cag-nay, is that similar to what you are running with?' Yes, that is the correct way to pronounce it. I have no idea why the commentators are pronouncing it La-bu-shane. There is no way on earth that Labuschagne can become Labushane! Australia tour South Africa in February - hopefully the South Africans can put things right.
JamesH
Roar Guru
If you're dropping anyone I'd make it Iftikhar. Haris Sohail is a perfectly good fifth bowling option and he'd be more dangerous with the bat at 6.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Really doesn't worry me, to be honest. I don't think we can just expect players to be silent and as long as they keep it good natured, it doesn't detract from the contest. Marnus' 'wet mittens' comments to Babar before he got out were mildly amusing.
Paul
Roar Guru
and those sorts of comments have exactly what to do with cricket Tom? These are supposedly the best cricketers Australia can offer and this sort of rubbish simply isn't needed
Paul
Roar Guru
what's that expression, "there are some thing you can't unhear".
Rob
Guest
World's gone mad Nathan. Can't make a noise without someone being offended nowadays.
Rob
Guest
There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying “he doesn’t want to play a shot”. They are not offending anyone in any way they are just chatting a bit of s**t to try and get the batsman to make a mistake. A lot of the time it wont work but every now and then it can. The players clearly have no problem with it so it is a complete non-issue at the moment.
Tom
Guest
The batsman must be horrified. How ever will he cope with being told he smells nice.....
jeznez
Roar Guru
I got a pronunciation lesson off a South African I coach at rugby - came out near enough to La-bush-cag-nay, is that similar to what you are running with? Listening to the English commentators during the Ashes I was cringing listening to them call him la-boo-Shane, I assumed a certain former leg spinner had come up with that method of saying his name.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Yeah, that's a bit suss. Straight out of the schoolyard imo. I'd have been happier if I hadn't heard them going on about that.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
They attended the opening of a letter recently....