Almanac Cricket: Australia v India – Second Test Adelaide Day 1: Cricket Snicks

 

CRICKET SNICKS DAY 1

 

When I left Midura yesterday morning it was a cool 34 degrees. The closer I got to Adelaide the hotter it become.  By mid-afternoon it was 40 plus.  Sorry Adelaidians your hot days  are the worst in Oz.  They sap you of any energy.

 

Went to footy training at West Lakes this morning where the Crows were having a ‘match sim’.  Unbelieable, it was so hot and steamy and their fumbling and falling over would not have pleased even the most diehard of supporters.  I refuse to use the word ‘faithful’ there is no such critter.

 

It is eight years since I have been to the Crows headquarters and I was gob-smacked by the changes.  In fact it took me a while to actually find the ground. The surrounds have been eaten up and spat out by developers and according to a couple of insiders I spoke to the Crows can’t wait to move to their new headquarters down the road in 2026.

 

The King is dead long live the King!  Young woman on reception at the Crows nest asked me how do you spell Dangerfield!

 

Premier Pete should have a look at the traffic when a major sporting event is on in Adelaide.  $35 to park in the public park in the Gardens on top of your ticket in and food.  I had to park at least 3 kilometres from the ground and then it is only 3 hours. No doubt there will be a sticker on the car tonight!

 

Caught an Utber and offered a ride to two banana-benders from Redcliffe in Queensland. Carol and Bruce self-confessed cricket ‘nutters’ have been travelling in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. There exact words were “unbelievable, we could have stayed in Tassie for another month”.

 

First time at the Oval along with Frank from Lorne.

 

Our Uber driver, Jasprit an Indian, said “I have never seen so many Australians at the cricket”.

 

Adelaide Oval should be on everyone’s bucket list for cricket.

 

India wins the toss and go to the bat. Greenish tinge on the wicket but I suggest nothing to worry about.  I think one should always bat first in a day-nighter.  Three changes for the Indian side with Rohit, Gill and Ashwin coming into a winning side.  Boy they have depth. Boland in for the injured Hazlewood for a deflated Australia. No comment!

 

Oz wearing black arm-bands in respect to one of their most underrated players in Ian Redpath who died earlier this week. What a fine player he was and regularly bludgeoned the attack for the ‘stars’ who followed.

 

India to win in four days.

 

Surely CA to shorten the prelude to the start of matches it seems to go on for ever.  Looking at the players through the binoculars they are not the slighest bit interested.

 

 

Jaiswal is already out on the ground 15 minutes before the start of play. A bad sign for Australia and let’s hope the crowd sees something of his prowess today/night.

 

OUT!!  Jaiswal plumb leg before to Starc’s first ball.  A ripsnorter if ever I have seen one. Shades of Bumrah with that one!

 

The sticky day is allowing both Starc and Cummins to move the ball around. A testing time for the batsmen. Gill has played a couple of handsome strokes.

 

A big crowd in but I think many have stayed away because of the humid weather.

 

Wonderful to see the light flicker on player’s names when they field the ball.  Something that was sorely missing in Perth at ‘The Ark’.  Please note WACA.

 

The scoreboard at the Oval is by miles the best in Australia

 

Thirty minutes gone by and KL Rahul has still not opened his score. Not new for the Indian opener who has the patience of Job.

 

30 degrees at the moment but the stickiness makes it feel like 35.

 

Oh the ecstacy and the agony of cricket! Boland’s first ball is a ripsnorter that Rahul cannot leave alone and a simple catch to Carey.  NO BALL!!

 

Boland leaves field to change his boot. The changed one must have been too big. Great first over he bowled having Gill dropped by Khawaja as well.

 

Wonder how long the Indian drummer will last?  Also the saxophone player.  It is pretty hot out there in the open. Lucky it is not a day game.

 

Ther are two cohorts of musicians and the other drummer is resplendant in orange and has an orange drum as big as himself.   Love national sounds at the cricket.  When is Australia going to do something in this area of the game.

 

If the best we can do is “Aussie, aussie, aussie, oy, oy, oy” then we are in big trouble. What about a didge with James Morrison on the trumpet belting out something, anything.

 

Interesing watching the Indian supporters. Why do they stand up for most of the time at a game?

 

Haven’t quite worked out what the Indians are up to in this session. Slashing and missing quite often and then playing some fine strokes.

 

KL slashes once too often and brilliantly taken by McSweeney in the gully. Coming a bit of an expert is the Croweater. All he needs now is runs.

 

“Oh how sweet it is” (Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners)- a Kohli drive through the covers.  Look it up those of you under forty!

 

Too sweet, too soon as Starc bowls one of his snorters, the King can’t get out of the way and SPD snaffles it.

 

More carnage as Boland traps Gill in front.  The first session well and truly goes to the home team.

 

Rohit Sharma at six.  Perfect pair at the moment at the wicket. Sharma stoic and Pant flamboyant.  They need to get on top.  India 4/82  Starc 3/31.

 

This might sound  snobbish but I can’t get used to having lunch at 4 o’clock in the afternoon as good as it was.  The Indian media must like  mashed potatoes as we have had it in Perth and now Adelaide.  Not that I am complaining as I love mashed ‘taties’ and corn beef.

 

Lights on after lunch/dinner

 

Scott Boland’s comeback is on fire as he traps the captain leg before. Methinks we will see Australia bat tonight unless Pant and Reddy fire.

 

Starc and Boland keeping things tight in the middle session.

 

Captain Pat joins in the wicket taking when Pant get a brute that he cannot leave alone for Much-Maligned-Marnus to swallow.

 

Went out to catch up with some folks and do a radio gig on SouthernFM in Melbourne and missed the last 4 wickets.  India all out 180.   Reddy (42)and Ashwin (22) displayeed some grit but it was Australia’s day until this point.

 

Starc was magnificent picking up 6/48 from 14.1 overs and he was well supported by Cummins and Boland 2 wickets a piece.

 

Now comes the testing time.  It is 10 past 7 on a balmy Adelaide night, what will it entail?  Southern FM asked me the score at stumps and I did say “Australia will be 3 down”  See how we go!

 

Two hours to go for Australia with the media blood hounds just waiting, waiting to write something.

 

Five overs down and nothing much happening except Khawaja is not keen to take a single against Bumrah and expose the tyro McSweeney.

 

Went for a walk during the innings break through the members and there was not a very pleasant odour eminating  No wonder, I don’t think I have been to a test match in Adelaide where the air was so humid, sticky and hot.

 

Another thing against day/night Test matches is that it must be nearly impossible for people sitting in the eastern stand to actually see the cricket from 7pm onwards. The sun is right in their eyes and it will be another hour or more before it disappears over the horizon.

 

Khawaja’s pull to leg for four is a pivotal (sorry) shot in his armoury. He plays it exquisitly.

 

India have ‘seconds’ parked at every corner of the ring/ground to assist the fast men when they come to the boundary. Always has puzzled me why a boxing ring is square?

 

77 guilty of rubbing the ball on your bare belly!

 

‘Boomaraaah’ strikes and an unconvincing Khawaja goes. It is his 8th score in a row under 50.

 

Talking of 8 there are eight police persons standing under the bar on the hill which is jam packed tonight. Would love their day’s takings.  On the other side of the sight board, nearest the members, there are no police.

 

Cricket very quiet and the ball is not doing as much as it was this afternoon.

 

THE LIGHTS GO OUT!  but only for two minutes. Where we scurry for the records for lights going out in a Test match. OUT they go again for the same length of time. ‘It’s not cricket’ Premier Pete fix that as well.

 

The Australian batters McSweeney and Labuschagne are looking much more confident and starting to hit hard on the right balls and leaving the rest.

 

It has been a tough grind for the two men under pressure. The crowd are enjoying the challenge and Marnus and Mac are fighting hard.

 

Wonderful attendance of 50,186 and most of them are still here at 9.45pm

 

Well that’s it for Day 1. A day when Australia has come back from the ignominy of losing to easily be on top. Dismissing India for 180, Starc 6/48 and making 86 for the loss of Khawaja. McSweeney 38 and Labuschagne 20 both fighting hard.

 

Not a great day’s play but a good one.

 

More stories from Citrus Bob Utber can be read Here.

 

 

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About Bob Utber

At 84 years of age Citrus Bob is doing what he has always done since growing up on a small farm at Lang Lang. Talking, watching and writing sport and in recent years writing books. He lives in Mildura with his very considerate wife (Jenny) and a groodle named 'Chloe on Flinders' and can be found at Deakin 27 every day.

Comments

  1. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Who needs the papers when we’ve got you CB. Big second session coming up, more mash at lunch today?

  2. Citrus Bob says

    SWISH – no mashed taties today but plenty of potatoes probably from Nar Nar Goon or Cora Lynn in West Gippsland.

    If Marsh and Head take control it could be curtains for India. Don’t know what the commentators are saying but Bumrah looks like he is “carrying his right leg” . Hard to say with that run-up of his that I cannot describe for the life of me!

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