Kate Burke has lived a life in sport, in education, in agriculture, in community life, in so many things. She is a great character and an absolute treasure who has done so much for so many people and their enterprises, especially through her consultancy Think Agri (which has been a supporter and sponsor of The Footy Almanac for a few years now).
Kate and her partner Danga have a stack of energy and they do stuff. One of their many enthusiasms is travelling to Test matches or footy game or significant race meetings (like the Murtoa Cup).
During this current Test at the MCG, she sent a g’day email to John Harms. The Test match was in a quiet moment (we’ll have to try to remember when that was) and she was reminded of the second day of the Second Test at the Gabba. She was there.
Well, with Australia cruising in their second dig at the MCG yesterday at 2/80, and the game on a predictable path, seemingly able to add to their total until they had the perfect lead to declare, Jasprit Bumrah was asked for another effort. Australia lost 4/11 and had a hell of a fight on their hands. The skipper dug in. Suddenly, every ball mattered and we are set up today for a gripping finish with all results possible and opportunity for individual cricketers to impose their will on this Test. Could Bumrah hit the winning runs?
Here’s what Kate wrote from the Gabba…

Ganapathy Iyer and Kate Burke.
The beautiful nothingness that is Test cricket.
“What’s been happening?” I ask my cricket mate, Ganapathy Iyer, an Indian expat, now living in New Zealand, who’d flown to Brisbane for the Test as I return to our seats in the stands of the Gabba.
“Well,” he pauses, to think. “Nothing actually.”
“Ah, the beautiful nothingness of Test cricket,” I respond.
Test cricket is a dance of dull to daring and dashing then dull again.
The first session of that Day 2 was more dull than daring or dashing.
The second session was peak daring and dashing for Steve Smith and Head and a big dose of dull from the Indian team, Travis Head a century, Smith a much needed half century.
As I write this in the early stages of the final session, the Aussies kick on with more dash and dare. Smith is smashing fours and only four more fours away from a century. The long awaited return to form has arrived.
A whole lot of something has emerged from the beautiful nothingness of Test cricket.
Life work and business are much the same. Navigate the nothingness and create a whole lot of something.
Kate Burke
Read more about Think Agri and Kate Burke HERE
Read some stuff about Kate, her book and Think Agri from the pages of www.footyalmanac.com.au
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Poetry. Onya Kate.
Which editor missed the third word in second paragraph?
Now corrected, Earl. The challenges of editing during the merry season!