I have been on the periphery of the Australian Cricket Society for 30 years, since meeting Dr J. Neville Turner, who was for some time a stalwart of the organisation, including its president. I even played cricket for The Eccentrics in Melbourne against the ACS in a terrific match at Bulleen. Their dinners and other functions are excellent (Almanac types would love them). They are often held at Kooyong where I recall sitting with K. J. Hughes who was the speaker that night. He was very entertaining from the mic and terrific company at the table.
In recent times two of those Almanac types have become involved in running the ACS: Mark Dunstan and Keiran Croker. The Society and the Almanac are continuing to develop ties and, in 2023, I will be working with the ACS Scholar, Kobe Jacobs. Each year the ACS invites a student or recent graduate to write for their magazine and website – a terrific opportunity to present good cricket writing to an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable audience.
I’m looking forward to working with Kobe. His pieces will also be published on the Almanac site and the ACS and the Almanac will promote each other’s events.
At 22, Kobe has just completed a degree in Sports Media at Holmesglen (where Sam Duncan was one of his lecturers). He’s from the southeast suburbs of Melbourne where he lives in Aspendale, near the Mornington Peninsula.
During his third year of studies, Kobe was fortunate enough to intern at SEN where he completed the role of Digital Content Assistant for their racing branch named SEN Track.
He completed an internship at SEN Track where he was a writer and content producer.
He enjoys wide variety of sports, particularly footy and cricket. He’s a passionate Dees supporter and plays cricket for his local cricket club in Mordialloc, where he opens the batting in the Second XI.
He’s an enthusiast.
Kobe’s first piece was commissioned by the ACS. It’s a review of the First Test.
Welcome Kobe.
JTH
There’s plenty to ponder and potentially some soul-searching needed for Pat Cummins and the Australian Test team, following a humiliating defeat at the hands of India in the First Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The visitors’ batting collapse on only the third day may have signalled that the final eleven wasn’t strong enough to compete in Nagpur, given the harsh exclusion of middle-order batsman Travis Head who has been in strong form in the red-ball format.
With a second innings score of 91, it’s fair to say that the innings and 132-run defeat left many Australian cricket fans simply embarrassed.
There’s no doubt that Pat Cummins experienced the same feeling as many Australian fans once Scott Boland was given out LBW to give India their dominant win: sheer humiliation.
In fact, it was former Test captain Allan Border who reflected on the match saying on Fox Cricket that “hopefully the players are very embarrassed by that”.
But what went wrong for the Australians? The pitch was much-spoken-about leading into the match, but you can’t possibly justify that as the reason for Australia’s demise.
Although six Australians were given out LBW to spinners during the second innings, it was the tail-end partnership of Axar Patel (84) and Mohammed Shami (37) that proved there were runs in the supposedly tricky Nagpur wicket.
India’s comprehensive win fiercely overshadowed all of the hot topics leading into the much-anticipated match, with the second innings score of 91 being Australia’s second-lowest test total against India.
It was India’s bowling attack that ultimately mesmerised the Australian batsmen, as experienced off-spin bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja led the charge with the ball.
Jadeja claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings, with neat figures of 5/47 off 22 overs whilst during Australia’s batting collapse in the second innings, Ashwin managed to finish with 5/37 off only 12 overs.
The Indian bowlers were simply poised throughout the entire Test.
Experienced campaigners such as Ashwin, Shami and Jadeja were the difference with the ball in terms of understanding and utilising the Indian conditions, constantly trapping the Australian batsmen in their crease.
Australian debutant Todd Murphy was more than impressive in his first stint wearing the Baggy Green and was the only highlight for the Australians, snaring 7 wickets for 124 runs during India’s first innings.
It will be an experience the Murphy family of Echuca will never forget, getting to see their 22-year-old boy claim the key wickets of KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, players with such skill and expertise.
The off-spinner was exceptional.
His ability to fire through the crease, forcing the Indian batsman to continually defend their wicket by attacking the stumps was impressive.
Murphy did more than enough to justify his selection and wouldn’t it be great to see the boy hailing out of St Kilda Cricket Club become a key member of the Test squad throughout this series in India.
Though the young Victorian was one of the only shining lights for the visitors.
Marnus Labuschagne did his best to battle through the first innings with compatriot Steve Smith, producing a gritty knock of 49 off 123 balls, but this wasn’t enough.
The Aussies’ first innings total score of 177 was easily chased down by the home side, with Indian captain Rohit Sharma producing a brilliant 120 which helped set up his team with a score of 400.
All signs indicated that a day four might have been in store for the First Test, but India’s demolition job in the second innings proved different.
As poor as the Australian performance was, the home side was magnificent with both the bat and ball inside the three days, resulting in a strong start to their Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign.
What remains heading into the Second Test in Delhi is the selection dilemma for Pat Cummins’ side.
Pending fitness tests, can we expect Mitchell Starc, Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood to return?
And will Travis Head make his way back into the side, with Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb probably not doing enough to keep their places?
It’s a tough position to be in currently for the Australians and the national selection panel will have their work cut out before the commencement of the Second Test starting on the 17th.
An Australian loss would see the Border-Gavaskar Trophy remain in India who won that famous Test series Down Under in early 2021.
Read more cricket at the ACS’s website which is where Kobe’s piece was originally published at https://australiancricketsociety.com.au/
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Welcome Kobe, great to have you involved.
You have a famous cricket name. Are you related to Bill and Ken Jacobs?
Well done Kobe and you have a great mentor in the doyen of cricket openers J.T.Harms ,plays as an amateur still when asked to play,
The second Test looks like being a complete turn around of fortunes and could easily finish as one the great games.(written before play on Day 3)
Looking forward to reading your future works.
Good luck
CB
Thank you John and Bob, really looking forward to publishing more work for the Almanac, thank you for the kind messages.
And although my last name is the same as Bill and Ken’s, I am not related to them.