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Australia All Out for 47 on the Craziest Day of Test Cricket Ever

David Siddall — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:48:07 +0000

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That was mental!!!!

It seems that everyone is banging on about the date 11.11.11. Sure it looks pretty nice but the 10th of November 2011 will go down in history and be etched on cricket lovers brains for years to come as the craziest day of Test Cricket. We are still catching our breath 8 or 9 hours after the event.

Day 2 in Cape Town saw four innings in one day. Day 2 in Cape Town saw Australia perform the Great Escape to avoid the lowest ever cricket score of 26 despite momentarily teetering on 21-9. Day 2 in Cape Town saw Australia avoid scoring their lowest ever cricket score of 36 but still record their lowest total for 109 years and their fourth lowest in history. Australia’s Day 2 scorecard was reading more like a telephone number until Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle saved their blushes (somewhat). Day 2 in Cape Town saw the loss of 23 wickets at the expense of 294 runs.

With so much happening in the Australian second innings, it’s easy to completely forget that only hours earlier Shane Watson ripped through the South Africans bowling them out for a paltry 96 with figures of 5-17. It’s days like these that you are reminded that cricket is the greatest sport in the world. And more enjoyment can be garnered from 1 day’s Test cricket than 100 one day internationals or T20s.

South Africa started the day on top of the Australians after some excellent bowling from Dale Steyn on day 1. The initiative was quickly wrestled back in Australia’s favour thanks to the efforts of Michael Clarke and Peter Siddle putting on 59 for the 9th wicket and seeing them to a modest but better-than-expected 284. South Africa started their innings well and their 43-1 prelude before lunch gave no indication to the dramatics that would unfold in the afternoon session and beyond. Watson and Harris ripped through the South Africans as their middle order and tail read as follows: Amla 3; Kallis 0; De Villiers 8; Prince 0; Boucher 4; Philander 4; Steyn 9*: Morkel 1; Tahir 5. A full length attacking the stumps was the order of the hour. Australia led by 188 on a lively track. A lead of 300-350+ would surely have been insurmountable.

The pendulum had immeasurably swung in Australia’s direction.

Whether the South Africans truly believed they could rattle the Aussies the way they did is up for debate. The one thing you could tell in a Tony Greigesque accent from their aggression and attitude was they were pissed off. Whilst the Australians bowled full and wicket to wicket, the South Africans were getting the ball to nibble around that little bit more.

Despite dismissing Watson early, South African talisman Dale Steyn was somewhat off the boil and down on pace. Perhaps the couple of hours break between giving blood, sweat and tears in the first innings was not enough recovery time. Debutant Vernon Philander (5-15) bowled a Watson-like wicket to wicket line accounting for lbw victims Ponting, Clark and Marsh (coming in at number 10 due to back problems).

Australia’s problems did not lie in the pitch however. On a few occasions it was some idiotic stroke making that let them down. Mike Hussey, ‘king of the leave’ as the only bright spark in the Ashes, played loosely away from his body at a ball he could have avoided. What Brad Haddin was thinking, running down the track to Philander and flailing a catch straight to Mark Boucher on his 3rd ball, only he’ll know.

The Australian score card read Watson 4; Hughes 9; Ponting 0; Clarke 2; Hussey 0; Haddin 0; Johnson 3; Harris 3; Siddle 12* (double figures, hooray!); Marsh 0; Lyon 12. At 21-9, a final wicket partnership that eclipsed the combined scores of the rest of the team saved a lot of blushes. But the only way you can sugarcoat 47 all out is perhaps pondering it could have been worse.

Through Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, South Africa went on to show that the horrors in the pitch were instead more in their and Australia’s minds, taking them to 81 for 1 at the close needing another 155 runs for victory and 3 whole days to accomplish that feat.

On a day that could not see-saw anymore you could be forgiven for having heart palpitations on the last ball of the day as Amla tried to repeat an exquisite cover drive only to thick edge to Mike Hussey in the gully who dropped an absolute sitter by his and anyone standards for that matter.

Did I forget to mention Michael Clarke’s 150? It was arguably his best knock in international cricket but still couldn’t make it into the highlights package of the day.

Catch a breath and enjoy the rest of the match!

Watch Highlights of the Craziest Day of Test Cricket You’ll Ever See

The Pavilion: Not Just a Play About Cricket

David Siddall — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:46:31 +0000

Described as ‘the sport that God would play’, cricket provides ample cannon fodder for comedic shenanigans. But it is way more than just a sport – it is a reflection of life itself. In light of this, Two Straws Productions have created a play that’s not just about cricket which promises to be an absolute cracker. Cricket Australia are supporting the Melbourne production and some big (cricketing) names also auditioned for the cast as you can see below. Tickets are selling fast – opening night is already sold out – so make sure you get in there quick!

Tickets

You can book yours through the Chapel off Chapel Box Office on 8290 7000 or book online at the Seat Advisor website. For more information on pricing visit the Tickets Page on the Pavillion website.

Listen to an Interview with Director and Cast Member

Interview with Tom Peterson and Eden Porter

Auditions

On a surprising day of auditions The Pavilion were unsure whether they’d discovered the future of Australian theatre…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Important Info

Playing@ Chapel off Chapel
12 Little Chapel St, Prahran

Dates: 25 February – 5 March, 2011

About The Pavillion

The Pavilion is a new Australian play written by Nick Musgrove, a self-confessed backyard swing-king, and Alexandra Lee, a girl who was dragged to watch her brothers bowl over after over every weekend. It’s a comedy not just about cricket, but the mates who play the game.

The 2011 premiere season is directed by Tom Peterson (Ch 31), produced by Alexandra Lee (Neighbours) and supported by Cricket Australia. It’s cracking comedy that celebrates the 337,536 Aussies who take to their local cricket pitch every summer.

Prepare to love The Pavilion and its cast of grass-roots legends as they serve up more than just a cricket match, exploring how men try, and often fail, to communicate.

The Plot

The Glendale Cricket Club is on its knees. Needing a win to avoid relegation, a colourful crew of local legends rise as one to protect their summer ritual. The team, aged 16 to 60, chase a very gettable 127 runs, but as wickets tumble, tempers fray and dirty team secrets are revealed.

Champions League Twenty20: Bushrangers leave out test stars

Blaise Murphet — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:29:59 +0000

Ahead of their first match in this years 2010 Airtel Champions League Twenty20 Tournaent, the Victorian Bushrangers have excluded test stars Peter Siddle, Bryce McGain and James Pattinson. In what appears to be a move toward youth, the Bushrangers have picked Glenn Maxwell, John Hastings and Aaron Finch for their Champions League Twenty20 debuts against The Warriors tonight in Port Elizabeth.

In a sign of their depth in the bowling stocks, the Bushrangers have included in the side the likes of Dirk Nannes, Shane Harwood, Clinton McKay and Andrew McDonald, all former or current Australian players.

Chairman of Selectors, John Macwhirter said the strength of the Bushrangers bowling presented the most headaches at the selection table with Bryce McGain, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle left out on this occasion.

It remains to be seen what role the bowling trio of Siddle, McGain and Pattinson will play in the tournament, but it would seem likely that the would call on them at some point with such a grueling schedule ahead.

England Improvement Needed in last Test before ‘The Ashes’

Guest — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:14:43 +0000

Jamie Parker takes a look at England’s batting woes in preparation for the upcoming Lord’s test which starts today.

Batsman under scrutiny in Fourth Test at Lord’s

England captain Andrew Strauss has reiterated that England’s batting will be under massive scrutiny in the series finale which starts at Lord’s on Thursday.

This is England’s last Test before they start their campaign to retain ‘The Ashes’ in late November, and questions from down under have already been asked about England’s fragile top order.

Strauss, who only averages 28.40 throughout the series, has now gone 12 Test matches without recording a century – his last three figure score was 161 against Australia last year at Lord’s.

Strauss dismissed concerns about his own form, highlighting the favourable swinging bowling conditions as the reason for his and the team’s failings. He stressed that the batting is a concern and that mistakes must be put right.

Two batting collapses contributed to England’s four-wicket third Test defeat by Pakistan at The Oval, which ended England’s six match winning run, after the tourists successfully chased down a winning target of 148, a result which keeps the series alive at 2-1.

Only Matt Prior, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan are averaging above 30 with the bat in the four-Test series, while Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook – who hit a second-innings century under intense scrutiny at The Oval – and Paul Collingwood all average between 23 and 29.

England coach, Andy Flower, has told his underperforming batsmen there is no place to hide after two poor performances in the third Test.

England’s stubborn approach of seven batsman and four bowlers is likely to continue right through to their tour of Australia, which is a concern to England if their top order does not score big runs in the last test match of the series.

Flower has been most impressed by wicketkeeper, Prior, who is averaging 70.66 in the series, definitely England’s most in-form batsman, and could easily move one place up the order, if England adopts to go in with six batsman and five bowlers against the Australians.

Despite the loss at The Oval, Flower is confident that his players will bounce back with a strong performance at Lord’s and that it is their job to embrace the responsibility and be skilful enough to deal with the pressures of international cricket.

Where Next? Choose from the Latest Cricket Stories…

England Win Twenty20 World Cup

Tim Mathias — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:18:14 +0000

Only sightscreen issues obstruct England as they satiate 35-year hunger for World T20 title.

There could not have been a more fitting venue than the Kensington Oval for the final of the World T20. On the basis of conditions, each team could have been granted a home advantage. Australia could easily have imagined themselves at Perth’s WACA such was the pace and bounce of the Barbadian wicket. For England the support was not too dissimilar from those seen at the English test match grounds, in that it was made of Britishers with rosy red skin, as equally from the flow of alcohol as the effect of the sun’s rays.

Nor could there be, in the opinions of numerous journalists, commentators and analysts, two more worthy teams to be placed in the final. For such an endorsement from those within the game suggests that the format of the tournament is as much about quality of cricket played by those deserving of progression, as guaranteeing Indian participation for as long as possible (and the resultant viewing figures).

Use of the term ‘blade’ is apt with Shane Watson, his cutting and chopping of wide off-side deliveries can be sublime, but targeted by England today he offered a sharp edge behind the stumps. Whilst a grab from Kieswetter was not enough to claim the wicket, it was a sharp second chance as the ball was parried to Swann at first slip. Nestling between his wrists to dismiss the outspoken opener, the wicket was to be an indication for the fortune that would go England’s way throughout the match.

Yet this is not to suggest that England’s victory was nothing short of deserved. In a disciplined performance in the field England’s bowlers stuck to their plan. Little if anything was presented to be driven, as short of a length became the norm, stifling the Australian batsmen and only two boundaries were conceded in first half on the innings. The lack of scoring opportunities shook an out of form Michael Clarke, prompting some ill-advised singles. Accounting for the wicket of Dave Warner was a mixture of poor judgement but equally an on-edge display of fielding, which became typical of England’s effort in the first half.

Australia were reeling at 8 for 3 as Haddin was adjudged to have been caught down the leg side by keeper Kieswetter, although replays and a bruise on the hip suggested little, if any bat contact. Clarke’s scratchy innings was curtailed by another impressive spell from Graeme Swann, as Collingwood dived to pluck a chance from a mistimed onside flick, part of a display that would suggest he could be the leading fielder in world cricket.

Momentum appeared to shift in the 13^th over as Mike Yardy was dispatched for 21 runs as David Hussey and Cameron White combined powerfully for much needed runs. Yet any chance of an Australian comeback was terminated when White found a diving Stuart Broad at deep extra cover, making up for a making an embarrassing mess of a chance, offered in the previous over from Hussey.

David, accompanied by his brother Mike made Broad along with England pay for this error, joining forces to finish the innings in typical Hussey fashion, setting England 147 to win.

Despite the dismissal of Lumb in the second over, it was only an issue regarding a stubborn sightscreen that provided any hindrance to the run chase. Pietersen, along with Kieswetter built momentum as they complied 41 at the end of the power play, before tucking into the bowling during the middle stages. The innings stumbled on a minor blip as Pietersen holed out to deep long off and soon after Kieswetter, in a bizarre mixture of pre-meditated movement ending with a leave found his off stump demolished.

It was England captain Paul Collingwood who, through midwicket smashed the winning run in the 17^th over. This was a performance, on the day and so too throughout the tournament by which England’s balanced (and unchanged) team have exhibited discipline, energy and focus, along with the desperately required ethic of ruthlessness, notably during the power plays.

Yet perhaps it was the hunger, from England’s lack of success during world events that was most telling, satiated after 35 years.

Michael Hussey Superhero Status Achieved

David Green — Sun, 16 May 2010 08:04:29 +0000

Pakistan must be sick of Michael Hussey and his superhero abilities. In the infamous Sydney test at the beginning of the year it was Hussey who swung a seemingly lost cause back for to Australia with a masterful hundred, admittedly aided and abetted by Kamran Akmal’s butter fingers and an inevitable Pakistani batting collapse.

Yesterday when Hussey came in at 105 for 5 in the 13th over, with Australia still needing 87 for victory, his quest seemed hopeless. This was despite the best intentions of Cameron White who was trying to repair the damage left by his skipper Michael Clarke. Clarke had inexplicably come in at number four ahead of White and the Hussey brothers and had proceeded to score 17 off 19 balls – hardly what was required when the asking rate was over nine runs per over. In T20 cricket, Clarke is nothing more than a passenger.

When White went down with all guns blazing in the seventeenth over, 53 runs were required from the final 21 balls and at last Pakistan looked like they were going to beat a foe that has spent the last year royally thrashing it every time they met. Yesterday it looked like the slave was going to become the master.

But Hussey was not afraid of this cornered tiger, and took over from where White had left off. From the 19th over bowled by the excellent Mohammad Aamer, Hussey managed to contrive two boundaries and crucially four two’s with a mixture of unorthodox strokes and Usain Bolt like running between the stumps together with Mitchell Johnson. This meant 18 were required from the final over to be bowled by Saeed Ajmal.

Johnson managed to scramble a run off the first ball. And then Hussey went Biff! Baff! Pow! Zap! as 22 runs came off the next four balls. The Australians were jubilant and Pakistan were devastated. Hussey had completed his mission impossible just before the message self-destructed. Incredible.

Hussey is like a chameleon in that his batting seems to have so many different styles. He can be a finisher par excellence like Michael Bevan, a blocker that can bore the pants off you and yesterday his hitting was quite remarkable with his unbeaten 60 coming off just 24 balls with six monstrous sixes. He was only recalled to Australia’s T20 side just before the tournament and now has a strike rate of 150.

So, Australia’s ten man side and passenger captain move on to a tantalising final with England in Barbados. Paul Collingwood will know that if his side get into a matchwinning situation they will never be able to discount the Aussies until the last ball has been bowled. The fat lady had sung and left the building yesterday, but somehow miraculously Hussey was able to get to come back in for an unlikely and awe-inspiring encore.

As well as writing regularly for World Cricket Watch, David Green has his own blog entitled The Reverse Sweep, which is updated daily, and writes a twice weekly column for CricDude. You can also follow David on Twitter @TheReverseSweep.

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Listen to the Best Alternative Cricket Commentary on WCW

David Siddall — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:08:41 +0000

The World Cricket Watch homepage has changed very slightly. . .

But Can You Spot the Difference?

Clue: The cricketing acronym TMS stands for what?

Answer: We now provide you with the most entertaining and irreverent cricket commentary you’ll ever come across.

Please visit the right sidebar to start listening to this new, exciting brand of commentary from people like you and me – passionate cricket fans. As you can see, we’re not laying claim to creating this service. But we are very jealous of the guys who did. If you still haven’t twigged, I’m talking about the Test Match Sofa team. Here’s what’s coming up…

Listen to the IPL Semis and Final and the T20 World Cup

Tom from the sofa has just given us the new and improved code for the player. It comes just in time for the IPL semis and final. They’ll also be covering the T20 World Cup from the Caribbean in the upcoming weeks. If you haven’t experienced the TMS fix yet, I suggest you give it a go.

You can also follow @TestMatchSofa on Twitter. Tweet them during commentary and they’ll even give you a shout out!

Oh and one last thing. If you run a cricket website, you too can also feature the TMS player on your site. Just visit Test Match Sofa and drop them an email. Tom, Dan and the rest of the team are a very friendly bunch as you might imagine and they’ll hook you up.

Right, I’m off to calm myself down before the excitement of the semi-finals tonight.

A Tribute to Sir Alec Bedser

David Green — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:06:07 +0000

I am sorry to see that Sir Alec Bedser died last night at the age of 91.

He was one of England’s greatest ever bowlers. 1,924 first-class wickets at 20.41 including 236 for England in 51 Tests proves that undeniable fact.

If it hadn’t been for World War II, Bedser would have played even more tests. He had to wait until 1946 when he was 28 to make his test match bow.

But he didn’t look back after that. And he also troubled Bradman, getting him out twice for a duck and six times in total.

As usual with cricketers from a previous era, Bedser was a lot tougher than the players of today. Given Ricky Ponting’s incandescence with England’s bowlers continuously leaving the field he would surely admire Bedser who once reminisced that “In my entire Test career I left the field only once. It was at Adelaide and the temperature was around a hundred. I went out but came back and bowled.”

They don’t make them like Alec Bedser anymore; more’s the pity. Rest in peace, Alec and make sure that you get Bradman out regularly in the England and Australia tests played out in Heaven.

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Tamim Iqbal Shows His IPL Credentials

David Green — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:47:48 +0000

A while back I wrote that Tamim Iqbal had successfully graduated from the Sehwag School for batting. That was after his brilliant century 151 against India in January.

Today he decided to take his PhD and secure a spot in the IPL with his batting in the second test against England in Dhaka. And unlike Matt Hayden he did it without using a Mongoose.

Tamim treated Tim Bresnan with the disdain he deserves as perhaps England’s least threatening opening bowler of all time. And then he took a shine to Graeme Swann, newly installed as the second best test bowler in the World. Tamim treated him like a club 3rd XI occasional bowler. Steve Finn was carted for 22 from his two overs.

He reached his fifty off only 34 balls and had reached 85 (off 71) before he got a diabolical decision being given out caught behind off his arm to give James Tredwell his first test wicket. This prevented him from getting a 100, and who knows a 150, before lunch. It would have been as deserved as it would have been memorable.

If the shadow of his former self Damien Martyn can get an IPL contract then Tamim can expect his Blackberry to be buzzing soon.

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Matthew Hayden Bullies with a Mongoose

David Green — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:18:37 +0000

After coming aground abruptly against Sachin Tendulkar and the Mumbai Indians, I wrote that the Delhi Daredevils were similar to Liverpool Football Club in that tremendous success was normally failed by dismal failure. It’s not as if I wasn’t prepared either as my choice to support Delhi met with a chorus of warnings that the Daredevils were perennial underachievers.

Today with Virender Sehwag again at his scintillating best, Delhiposted 185/6 against the Chennai Super Kings. Game over. Or so I thought.

Enter that bully from days of yore, Matthew Hayden. But this time armed with a new weapon called the Mongoose. This new bat has a longer handle, is shorter and thicker than conventional cricket bats and apparently provides up to 20% more power.

Placed in the arms of a bully like Hayden, the combination proved irresistible. The former Australian opener even tormented Delhi by starting his innings with a conventional bat. After warming up with three boundaries in his first eight balls, he called for the Mongoose.

And Delhi became his cobra as the bowling was flayed to all corners of the ground. Hayden, not someone who really needs extra power, smashed six fours and seven sixes off his first 35 balls with his new beast bat.

I may just be a disgruntled Delhisupporter but the odds are already heavily against bowlers today with flat pitches and small grounds, and in T20 that seems to be exacerbated. So, I’m not sure if providing the bat equivalent of a cluster bomb to gorging batsmen is entirely fair. Maybe the stump height should be increased or the ball made smaller, or hell maybe batsmen should have to bat blindfolded in T20 to even things up?

Anyway, it is confirmed Delhi Daredevils and Liverpool FC are one and the same thing. Maybe the Delhi owners could push some cash the way of Rafa Benitez? He certainly needs it.

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