The Ashes – First Test: A South Australian on tour

 

 

by Daryl Schramm

 

 

PERTH VISIT 21/11 to 28/11

It is late Sunday afternoon.  I should be at the stadium for the third day of the cricket.  Instead, I’m at an Irish pub in Northbridge listening to some lovely live music and watching the second India v South Africa Test on a distant screen.  Jansen just got out for 93.  I felt sure if he’d had a gun, he would have used it on himself there and then.  The pub is not overly busy.  It was just what my internal doctor had ordered.

Day 1 on Friday was warm and not a cloud in the sky.  I’m thinking a great seeing day for batting. The anticipation was high, the expectation was low, as anything could happen.  Was what eventuated a Test cricket match?  Not in the traditional sense.  Was I glad to be there?  Bloody oath!

The England batsmen played like millionaires. Australia shot themselves in the foot with the Khawaja debacle, and my home town lads Head and Carey’s dismissals being a little on the dumb side.  I was quietly fuming when heading over to the Camfield for a Cricket Australia strategy session and a much-needed beer.  No strategy was discussed.  Nor could it be.

Day 2 was cloudy, and considerably colder.  Walking around Murray Street, the English supporters were chirpy.  I even said some early light rain that was falling might save us.  They just laughed.

I arrived a bit later than I had hoped and saw Wood finish the first over for the day.  I stayed on the eastern side (Barmy Army central) until the change of innings.  The six or so overs soaked up by Lyon and Doggett was a reasonable outcome.  Some around me were getting restless.

So, the third innings of the match started like the previous two with a first-over wicket with no runs on the board.  Starc’s catch off his own bowling seemed to come out of nowhere.  An obvious catch, given what Starc (and the rest of the international cricket community) learnt from Day 4 at Lords in ’23.  Going into lunch at 1/59 and another 40 runs in the bank, I was wondering how the hell can we get back into this match.  It was an unusual session, in that only two wickets fell.

The crowd is building at the pub.  It is well past dusk and it is getting louder.  India v SA had finished for the day, as had the NZ v Windies ODI highlights.  The screen in the distance showed the highlights of what I saw the previous two days.  There is a very different ambience in the venue now.

The wickets in the second session, again, seemed to come out of nowhere.  I sensed a sort of incredulity in the atmosphere at the ground.  The Barmy Army and Aussies could not believe what they were witnessing.  Australia at one stage were a whisker away from gaining four wickets inside two overs.  Incredible.

At the pub, more and more people are coming in.  Security staff are taking photos of everyone upon entry.  Having walked around Northbridge late last night (Saturday), this seemed a real deterrent to misbehaving.

So, at tea, and not for the first time, I’m thinking “what is going to happen now?” And even after the promising start, I was certain another twist of fortunes in this match was going to eventuate.  Well, it did of sorts, but not in the way I was thinking.  Head did more than redeem himself after his first innings.  I was strong of the opinion that Carey should have opened.  Head’s innings was something I need to see again to fully appreciate.  He basically buggered up a close contest, but what a privilege to witness.

A couple of anecdotes.  When Weatherald walked out with Head, the bloke next to me asked when was the last time a debutant opener batted with two different partners.  I didn’t know, but added that neither of them was the opener that should have been with him.  The other take on my socials was that all wickets taken by England were from overseas born players.

Anyway, this morning the streets of central Perth were full of singles and groups of cricket followers wandering around, holding tourism brochures.  The one-man entertainer is really letting it rip now.  He’d just moved his microphone stand to prevent three ladies in red dancing nearby from knocking it down.  His guitar and harmonica playing and singing was very, very good.

 

 

The full Cricinfo scoreboard is HERE.

 

To read more on the 2025-26 Ashes series click here.

 

 

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