The Sydney Test is in the record books and it was a real stop-start affair, which was frustrating for everyone.
In between rain delays there was some excellent cricket played on a pitch that presented plenty of early challenges for batsmen, but ultimately ended up as a thrilling draw. Here’s a few thoughts from the game.
Stuart Broad is the Warner whisperer
When an opening batsman has played over 160 Test innings and averaged over 48, the chances are high they’re going to get out fairly often to the best bowler from the opposition.
Thus it’s no surprise Dave Warner has been dismissed by Stuart Broad 13 times in Tests.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
I’ve heard the expression ‘Broad owns Warner’ a lot in recent times. I’m not a fan.
Rather, Broad has somehow hypnotised Warner, so he plays differently to him than he does to other bowlers.
Case in point, Warner’s dismissal in the first innings. Broad bowls a length delivery outside off stump and a mesmerised Warner is drawn into playing at a ball he could have comfortably left.
Result: a straightforward catch to second slip.
Zak Crawley is the clam catcher
The catch from Warner taken by Zak Crawley was a great example for younger players about how not to catch a cricket ball.
One of the first things I was taught as a youngster was never to catch like a clam, yet that’s exactly how Crawley completed that catch. Sure, they can stick, but they can also bounce out or break fingers.
Maybe being underdone is not a bad thing
A prominent excuse for England’s failings in this series is they were underdone, having had a three-month break between their last Test at home and their first Test in Brisbane.
Usman Khawaja had every right to claim the same thing. He last played a first-class innings in early December, a good four weeks before his knock in this Test.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
He looked better than anyone in this match, which begs the question: were England underdone or were they simply not good enough?
Which Ben Stokes innings did you enjoy?
Robin Smith, a terrific English batsman in the 1990s, tells the story about an innings he played against the great West Indian fast attack.
After getting a real going over by Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop, Smith made 50 and Viv Richards offered his congratulations on a good innings.
Smith replied “which innings did you like?” He was referring to the fact that the Windies should have had him out five times, but dropped catches cost them.
In similar vein, which Ben Stokes effort did you enjoy? The one before a stubborn bail refused to drop, the middle one before Pat Cummins dropped a return catch or the final one before the GOAT got his man?
Jack Leach is not that bad
I’ve become a member of the Jack Leach fan club. He bowls the same sort of stuff I used to, only way better than me, but it’s his determination and drive to play as well as he can which impresses me.
I realise he’s not a great bowler, but I wonder how well he’s being used? I also want to know who’s decided what line he should be bowling?
(Photo credit ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)
For the majority of his spells in the first innings, he rarely got away from a middle- or leg-stump line, with a stacked leg-side field.
The two times I saw him bowl on or outside the off stump, he induced a catch that should have been taken and beat the bat.
In the second innings, he bowled a much more attacking line to the batsmen and the result was four wickets.
I feel for Alex Carey
Here’s a player finally given his chance to show what he can do at Test level, yet for the second time this series, he’s been given the order to hit out or get out.
To his great credit, he showed he’s a team player and wasn’t concerned about his average, by trying to play shots form ball one in the second innings.
I’m sure selectors won’t be concerned, but this selflessness is something we fans and the selectors need to remember if questions about his batting come up later in his career.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Can cricket commentators please stop whinging?
No one who likes cricket likes rain delays. So why whinge about it?
The first couple of days were tough, with rain showers coming and going quickly, making it really tough for the umpires to know whether play should continue or not.
They also don’t write the rules both sides are using in this series, which are international rules. That means they have to take breaks as the rules dictate. Sure, it might suck, but they’re the rules.
Michael Vaughan, Shane Warne and other ex-Test players have the ability to influence the rule makers and suggest changes.
It would be a better use of their energy to do that, rather than spending so much time complaining.
What happened to the snarling Australians?
The Aussies have been positively angelic throughout this Test series, with rarely a bad word spoken.
This is in contrast to the team’s behaviour over the past few decades and is in direct contrast to some of the incidents that occurred in other Tests just recently.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Neil Wagner had a bit to say over in New Zealand during their loss to Bangladesh, while Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen had a pretty spiteful clash in India’s second Test loss to the Proteas.
What about the bounce from an SCG pitch?
I had the pleasure of watching Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson bowling at the SCG in the 1974-75 series.
At that time, they were two of the fastest guys on the planet, yet neither managed to get a delivery to disappear over the keeper’s head.
Fast forward to 2022 and that happened more than once from deliveries that didn’t seem all that short and were certainly nowhere near as quick as ‘Thommo’.
What’s with the boundaries at the SCG?
This ground has always been one of the smallest in Australia, even back in the day when there were no ropes.
In this Test, it resembled a T20 venue, with the ropes well in from the fence.
Perhaps that was due to the rain making the outfield slower, but it seemed from the on-high TV pictures as though it was a very small playing area, with not a lot of chances to run three.
Who will play in the England XI at Hobart?
By my count England have at least three walking wounded – Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow – while their faster bowlers look completely spent.
I had high hopes for Haseeb Hameed at the start of the series, but his technique is not suited to Australian conditions.
Zak Crawley looked way more composed in his second innings so he plays, as does Joe Root.
Dawid Malan is a lock at three, but after that, it’s going to be something of a guessing game.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
We might have seen Jimmy Anderson play his last Test in Australia
Anderson looked gassed by the time Australia declared, and fair enough.
He really gave it everything, both with his bowling and in the field, to the point where I can’t see him playing in Hobart.
I wasn’t an admirer, but his efforts to try and lift his team have forced me into a rethink.
He’s bowled some outstanding spells throughout the series, but has equally worked hard doing the one-per-centers.
There was an attempted catch from the last Test that I’ll remember for a long time, not because he held it, but because he – a fast bowler – attempted it.
He dived a long way to his right and nearly came up with a screamer. He backed that up soon after with a 60-metre run and dive to save a boundary – all from a guy who’s 39.
Is Cameron Green a tad too honest?
Green bowled an outstanding yorker to dismiss a well-set Zak Crawley.
But when interviewed about it, he told the whole world it wasn’t intentional, but came out wrong. It is hard not to like the smiling face and the youthful honesty.
Now if Warne or Glenn McGrath had bowled that, I wonder what they’d have said?
matth
Roar Guru
I removed a match ruined by rain as an outlier, the exact opposite of just using raw statistics. You are the master of removing events that don’t suit your narrative. Of course it had rained all week. Of course that meant there was no risk because the forecast was for more rain. Excluded. Saying that Taylor delayed a declaration because his coach and vice captain told him to doesn’t paint him as a strong adventurous captain. No free pass for that, when Cummins doesn’t get one in his third test match with Steve Smith and Justin Langer in his ear. I seem to remember someone having a tantrum about what happens when anyone dares to criticize Bradman, and yet here you are with personal insults, shouting and multiple exclamation marks simply because I pointed out that Taylor generally waited until his lead was over 380 before declaring. Pot meet kettle. All I said was that Taylor, like many ex-players is more attacking and adventurous in the commentary box than when they were playing. Anyway, you’ve asked for further context and I’m happy to give it. At the time Taylor assumed the captaincy in 1994 the three highest successful chases in history were 406, 404 and 362. There had been no other chases over 350 in 1,267 tests. And yet Taylor declared for less than a 362 lead only four times, and two of those were pretty close to that mark anyway. Hobart 1997 vs NZ. Declared 287 ahead. Left his side only 61 overs to bowl NZ out. NZ finished 9 down and 66 behind. This was Taylor’s most adventurous declaration but arguably if he had given his side 5 more overs they win? Brisbane 1997 vs NZ. Declared 318 ahead. Left his side 95 overs to bowl NZ out and only needed 62 of them as McGrath and Warne skittled them for 132. This is a tick for an adventurous declaration in terms of the runs lead, but is about the same overs Cummins left his team. Incidentally Taylor was man of the match in this test with a century and 5 catches. Sydney 1996 vs WI. Declared 339 ahead. Left his side approximately 100 overs, same as Cummins, but with less of a lead. Good declaration, but very safe as this score had only been reached a handful of times in history and 3.39 runs per over was never going to happen. Taylor was not interested in giving his opposition any realistic hopes of winning matches. He played to not lose first. Jason Gillespie debuted in this test. WI folded in 69 overs. Brisbane 1998 vs England. Declared 347 ahead. Left his side approximately 100 overs, same as Cummins, but with less of a lead. England batted out 68 overs to survive as rain intervened. Given the rain this declaration was very conservative, requiring 3.47 runs per over. So even when declaring less than 350 ahead, Taylor generally declared with around 100 overs available to the bowlers, just like Pat Cummins, so I suspect this was as great a consideration as runs. He also never gave the opposition of the day a realistic change of getting the runs, as they would have need to sustain over three runs per over on a fifth day in an era where that scoring rate was a real challenge. Now for the over 350 leads: Brisbane Nov 1994 v England. Declared a whopping 507 ahead with nearly a day and a half to go. Pretty easy to do when the first innings are 426 against 167. England lasted a creditable 137 overs but still lost to Warne’s 8 second innings wickets. Very conservative declaration in terms of runs, but then it was only Taylor’s fourth test in charge. Melbourne Dec 1994 v England. Declared 387 runs ahead with 5 sessions to play. England were toast by this point and folded for 92 in only 42 overs. Another conservative declaration but so much time to play with. Perth Feb 1995 v England. Declared 452 runs ahead an hour before the end of the fourth day (i.e. around 105 overs available). England folded again for 123 in 41 overs. Again an unnecessary lead enabled by plenty of time to play. Adelaide Jan 1996 v SL. Declared 399 ahead with around 120 overs remaining. SL lasted 96 overs. Not a particularly brave declaration. Steve Waugh scored 170 and 61 not out, plus took 4 second innings wickets including 3 of the top 5. Brisbane Nov 1996 v WI. Declared 419 ahead with around 5 sessions to play. Not a particularly brave declaration. WI last 106 overs for 296. This was the match of Ian Healy’s 161 not out. Manchester July 1997 v England. Declared 468 ahead with a day and a half or so still to play. Not a particularly brave declaration given England only managed 200 all out, but Taylor had all the time in the world to play with. Steve Waugh scored twin centuries in this match. Adelaide 1998 v England. Declared 442 runs ahead, leaving four sessions. England are dismissed in 89 overs for 237. So in each case Taylor was not interested in any declarations that gave the opposition even a sniff of winning unless they got themselves into world record territory. Lots of junk runs for no reason. His main consideration seems to have been time. In each case his teams were so dominant and fast scoring that he was able to be 400 runs plus ahead and still have 4 sessions to work with. He never once had to declare his first and second innings closed to manufacture more time the way that Cummins did. So in summary, Taylor rarely if ever produced an ‘adventurous’ declaration. He, just like every captain was first and foremost ensuring he could not lose, before seeking the win.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Oh no … Matth the Master Manipulator of Statistics is up to his old tricks – whatever shall we do??? Matth uses the most fool proof stat manipulation method there is i.e., quote overall raw numbers, and DON’T!!!, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PROVIDE ANY SORT OF CONTEXT!!!! (whatever you do) Such as the 256 target being in a match that was constantly rain interrupted, and the 2 for 80 finish was not at the call of time, but rather when one final down pour finished the match once and for all and the player were driven from the field and did not get the opportunity to return. Hmmmmmm???? From the higher than 350 targets set, you can disregard the 418 lead (it wasn’t 419, that was the target set) one because that was Karachi 1998. 1-0 in the series, in this final test, Taylor was keen to win 2-0 and wanted to declare when Mark Waugh got out for his magnificent 117, 385 ahead, but was conned out of it by his vice-captain Steve Waugh and coach Geoff Marsh – Taylor said so in his autobiography. Now, Mr Matth … first thing you need to do, is go back to my comment and read what Mark Waugh said. When you have done that, you need to go back and further research the other six occasions when the target set was more than 350 and find out exactly on how many of those occasions did Taylor jeopardize victory by not leaving his bowlers enough time to bowl the opposition out a second time. How many did he not leave considerably more than 102 overs up his sleave? When you done that, come back and tell me, and I might listen.
matth
Roar Guru
With respect, your "Not Mark Taylor" comment is not accurate. Taylor declared Australia's 2nd innings closed 12 times as captain. One of those was a token declaration 256 ahead leaving the other side to finish 2 for 80 in an inevitable draw. That leaves 11 to look at. On the other 11 occasions Taylor declared with a lead of less than 320 only twice (287 - Hobart 1997 vs NZ and 318 - Brisbane 1997 vs NZ). He declared with a lead of less than 350 only a further two times (339 - Sydney 1996 vs WI and 347 - Brisbane 1998 vs England). These are over the "no one wins from there" threshold. Unlike Cummins on none of these occasions did Taylor declare both innings. On the other 7 occasions Taylor declared with leads of 387, 400, 419, 442, 452, 468, and 507. So Tubby was no more adventurous than any other captain and was often content to grind the opposition to dust. I should also point out that his first 5 declarations as captain were all in the 350 plus territory, so he only got a bit more adventurous after he had been captain for a long time and also after McGrath emerged to accompany Warne and give him absolute confidence in his bowling attack. So lets cut Cummins some slack. No way was he going to risk declaring twice and losing in his third ever test in charge.
Paul
Roar Guru
You're right. We had a guy that top the bowling aggregates one year by bowling moon balls. He placed 3 really good catchers on the leg side boundary, float up ball after ball and took a swag of wickets. Sure he went for a few runs, but we had a great batting team so rarely had a problem chasing down totals. Used to annoy the hell out of the opposition too, when we'd be laughing after getting some guy out from the rubbish he bowled.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Actually the game situation on day 5 meant he got less of a bombing and more length deliveries. Would have suited him
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
S*$t gets wickets. I played with a guy who bowled absolute pies but you could just see the batsmen's eyes light up. Unfortunately for them they would often spoon catches. He always collected wickets where some of our better bowlers would go wicketless
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Very true too.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
1Doesn’t appear you understand the idea of evening out. It doesn’t mean it evens out 100% but in most cases it will be close enough to evening out to provide the bigger the data set. The outliers are the ones that dont even out. One case won’t disprove it.
Paul
Roar Guru
True, but the England players had an entire summer of cricket ending in late September, if they'd have chosen to use this time to play. What's not clear from any of the reporting is what the England squad did after that 5th Test against India was postponed? If they had opportunities to play and didn't take them, surely that makes this "underdone" argument, something of a nonsense.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Not if you read my comment below about David Warner. It's an unproven assumption that it all evens out. It might in some cases, but those are probably outliers.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
'The older I get, the better I was." FIGJAM syndrome.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
The 2013-ish redevelopment of the Bradman and Noble stands actually added a few metres to that end. The AFL hadn't liked its 50-metre arc being flattened so as to not cross the 50-metre centre-square. Doesn't help that every AFL home ground now has a 3-metre perimeter of synthetic grass. And sometimes they install it at a ground's northern end, only because it's in winter shadow from the grandstand roof's overhang and grass won't grow easily. The MCG and the WACA are short straight. Adelaide square. Sydney's Olympic Stadium was short square, then after the pitch-square was rotated 90-degrees it became short straight.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
A post-1970s thing, exacerbated nowadays by playing together in the IPL ? Back when there were rest days, players from both teams often played golf together, went to a home players' place for a bbq lunch etc. Bradman was close with Gubby Allen and Walter Robins. The WWII veterans like Miller, Compton and Bill Edrich were mates. And of course post-play beers in each others' changerooms was a regular thing too.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
There were a few bowlers that convinced me that I was a chicken, too.
Curmudgeon1961
Roar Rookie
I thought they had come a long way under Cummins too. That groaning Ohhhh when a Lyon ( not just him) delivery comes off the middle of the bat via a proper defensive shot and make the distance to mid on was happily absent
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Because there is a great deal of randomness about when a player gets out from innings to innings then like all sets of events the randomness will by definition even out as the data sets get very high, with a relatively low standard deviation from the mean.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah AMD gave me an interesting link recently and it looked fantastic. This notion of things tending to even out is an unproven assumption.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
To be fair, Khawaja had six first class games in the two months or so before his four week break.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Fair enough, though the point is that over a very long period these things tend to even out. Though I’m not aware of any baseball stat that excludes dismissals like that. They do have one that is similar to the kind of pressure average you are seeking to capture - batting average with runners in scoring position - BA/RISP.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Interesting to hear Green say it wasn’t intentional. Someone else told the media it was part of a plan to bowl Crawley a few short ones and throw in a yorker. Not sure I’m convinced that a mesmerised Warner was drawn into playing at a ball he could have comfortably left. He had played a number of similar drives on the up early on against other bowlers. I think this one just seamed away and took the edge. Wagner was acting like a real d-head carrying on at the Bangladeshi batsman for no apparent reason other than he couldn’t get him out, in the one passage of play that I saw. It’s good to see an Australian team dispensing with the unnecessary carry-on most of the time. Cummins and Carey set a good tone. Though the English press claimed that at the end in Sydney the Australian fielders around the bat were “barking” or “howling” or various negative terms.