Almanac Cricket: NZ v Aus, First Test – Windy Welli

WINDY WELLI

 

When I left home on Wednesday the temperature in Mildura was a mild 45 degrees, feels like 50! I arrived at Basin reserve sans sleep and the temperature was 15 degrees, feels like 12.
WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY “FEELS LIKE” IT IS EITHER “X” or “Y”

 

I must speak to the doyen of TV weather ‘E.Regnans’ about this.

 

The pundits were having a bit each way about this game but the retirement of the Rocky Balboa of fast bowlers Neil Wagner took some of the gloss of the NZ attack but the Black Caps knew what they were doing The Flying Dutchman who reminded me of Thomas The Tank with his “I think I CAN, I think I can” approach to the wicket and the new tyro O’Toole were pleasant introductions to a goodly crowd who braved the drizzly start to the morning at perhaps my favourite cricket ground.

 

The Basin, dug out of the swamp by convicts, Yes, they had them in New Zealand as well. This is the kind of ground where you don’t need grand stands. The grassy knoll covers more that a third of the ground and the devotees love. The William Wakefield Memorial has pride of place and wont be removed.

You can also wander all around the ground except for the five minutes that the gatekeeper takes to close a section at the pavilion end when a bowler is trundling in from that end. Speaking of trundling just how much longer has Tim Southee in the game. I have watched the current skipper over this long summer and he is not the bowler he was.

 

While wandering around tghe ground there is not one point of the compass where you can’t see the pictorial history of the ground. A good trivia question would be what sports haven’t been played at the Basin or celebrations occurred there? I can tell you the answer is ‘very little’. It probably has the nest ambience of any cricket ground wrere the bourgois can walk past the high flyers without hearing ‘of with their heads’. Maybe you can’t get a seat in the members area but the Guardianship of that area is not patrolled like the “G” for example.

 

Since I was there last, nothing much has changed, and in many respects that is for the good. This is the peoples ground and they have a new beaut stadium on the other side of town anyway. This is a cricket ground par excellence.

 

If I were to change anything it would be the media box which is a disgrace and so small that I was even debarred from being there. The first time this has happened to me around the world.

 

No wonder New Zealand is famous for its mountaineers. I am sure Sir Edmund must have used the steps up to the box for his training regime. Poor old Jimmy Maxwell just made it today and quipped when he reached the summit ” nothing has changed since the 1900 hundreds”.

At the end of the day honouurs were about even with the Kiwis needing just one more wicket to wrap up the Aussie innings. Despite a timid start, which is his want Cameron Green held the side together with a splendid 103 not out with 16 fours, whils Marsh and Khawaja contributed. Khawaja did a great job in trying to blunt the attach early after the visitors where sent into bat on a green top. Matt Henry was the best of the bowlers getting an early break through. He finished with 4 wickets while virtual newcomers in O’Rourke and Kuggeleijn had two apiece.

 

Looking back on the day the Kiwis were a bit unlucky as six of the first seven fours came from snicks that just fell short of the fielders. On the other hand the senior citizens in Smith and Khawaja held firm until just before lunch when Henry took Smith.

 

Let us hope tomorrow (Friday) is a warmer day I don’t think I have brought enough clothes with me.

 

More from Citrus Bob Utber Here

 

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