Key events
WICKET! Siraj c Khawaja b Boland 4, India 156-9
Woe to Boland! And the chance of ten in the race if he had the following. Not many voices were more useful than these, but he was relentless. Sphinx ball one off the line down the leg side, then straightens immediately to the ground outside off stump, having Siraj nicked for first slip in a respectable manner. The playback is low, hands on the ground, but clean and clear.
39th over: India 156-8 (Siraj 4, Bumrah 0) Two overnight crackers with credentials are cheap, and the real deal is to have a whack and hope for some luck. Bumrah Example Preceded by Prasidh Krishna. Bumrah blocks the first ball, then opens his front foot and bases it on the next one, but it’s a steeeerrrrike. End of the world.
Lead 160
WICKET! Washington b Cummins 12, India 156-8
Once again Siraj took the first ball away from Cummins, a little fumble on the fielder allowed Webster to squeeze one in as the shot went over the bowler’s head. Nasty running back Washington, lands in front of the gully to keep the ball away. So in the third slide Webster and Labuschagne have to cave now to Washington, wanting to mount the pressure. He didn’t do the shooting, though, why not?
But in the end, there is no need to slip, as Cummins draws around the goal, corners, top and middle posts. And Bumrah coming out to bat!
38th over: India 155-7 (Washington 12, Siraj 3). Boland produces another ripper, which bowls near Washington. Seinging in to the left hand, just REPHEND over. None of the six arrows. Who would have thought that only this morning Siraj would be scored by Boland in three rounds?
Hi Geoff and Rob, Paul Moody writes. “It’s almost a shame, it’s overshadowed, even though I’m not here on TV. Cricket Brazil is not a joke, but they are missing. I hope that is an exciting end. Try your gloomy humors.’
Don’t tell Roberta Moretti! Brazil’s women’s team has gone from strength to strength in the last decade, mostly under his stewardship. She was recently handed over the presidency but is still involved.
37th over: India 155-7 (Washington 12, Siraj 3). Four nicked! Webster goes Supermanning to his right at the crease but can’t catch the ball as he finds the perfect sliding gap. For the win, Cummins is acting out of frustration. On the edge, Siraj calls for a sharp run as Washington plays to the ground, and they rush to strike, Webster again coming to collect and shoot as Siraj pounces.
Lead 159 It will happen that everyone flees here. Take it to 180 and stick in the hunt.
36th over: India 150-7 (Washington 7, Siraj 3); Stats-wise, Scott Boland took a huge account of his wickets in the first 12 balls of the spell. It is therefore a minor miracle that Siraj rolls two between slips and gullies, then slips the ball on the bounce. Washington slipped when he turned to run for third, and seemed to twist a bit. It seems ok now. Boland smashes the fifth ball with his mouth, then Siraj winds up huge and misses! But he had survived.
Lead 154^.
35th over: India 148-7 (Washington 7, Siraj 1); Mohammed Siraj at No9 is not a comforting prospect for India. So perhaps Bumrah will stay, if he has to, to make the warm-up next to his bowling? The Indian camp said he was suffering from nerve sprains, which were treatable. Siraj gets to run the first ball though, fine to leg, and Washington has a big square drive to finish but it’s wide. Siraj Monday in Boland. It does not benefit India.
Lead 152
WICKET! Jadeja c Carey b Cummins 13, India 147-7
Wide by Cummins, and it is rubbed by Jadeja for four! There is a plague that he often lays down in the Testimonies. Prodigal, cut shot. So Cummins responds with a wide movement to the left, hitting the break. Top bowling. The other team, making that edge slightly fuller, moves inside the top seam, and takes a tight defensive edge.
34th over: India 143-6 (Jadeja 9, Washington 7) Ooh, nick! Boland first ball, as usual. But Washington tries it in the front of Webster’s belt, no small feat since Webster’s arms are so long that he can basically throw it in the shoulder from there. The following five balls survived, and this is what happened: Boland’s first 12 balls are his most dangerous in history.
33rd over: India 143-6 (Jadeja 9, Washington 7) Cummins starts, and Jadeja hits one immediately. Washington is pushing for a little luck! He parries the ball in the air towards square leg, and Konstas could have had it as if he had bowled it forward. But he waits to be carried away. Washington gets the next ball past Konstas for a run.
Lead 147^.
Jane McGrath rolled up the flag and stepped out. The flag bearers wait on the border line watching the encirclement. For India, Washington Sundar, waiting for Ravindra Jadeja, calls himself up. They have the responsibility of contributing as many runs as they can get off this pitch. Thirty meters around the boundary, the Aussie 11 are sent onto the field once the umpires go over the rope.
There are various ceremonies happening on the field with a singer I can’t immediately identify, some flags being passed around by volunteers, and now there is a pink carpet walk with the Australian team and the Indian team coming down to present Glenn McGrath signed caps. . These will be auctioned later. He orders the Indians to raise it much higher if they can deduct profits here.
It’s Pink Day in Sydney! Glorious suns too, a happy contrast of two days. The crowd filled the short, pink outfits standing from wall to wall on the members and ladies. We haven’t filled all the bays but Brewongle, Churchill, Trumper, O’Reilly and Bradman stand by the rock, but they are on the way.
The lines are massively down at the tram this morning outside Central Station. Sunday Mornings A game in the balance. People were converted.
Drop us a line, if you please, so that we may know where or how or with what intention you close the series: ours are open. The inscription on the urn.
Yesterday was a sugar high, so all I could really do after the story was trying to explain something that happened.
The beginning
Geoff Lemon
Alright, folks. A game, almost a game, if things continue to be in peace. 26 wickets in the first two days we saw Ocellata: doing a good combination of pitches, using some bowlers quickly, and a lot of batting that he doesn’t know how to handle. The error of the count was unresolved on both sides. On debut, Beau Webster’s 105 delivery is the longest innings anyone has produced. Nathan Lyon and Ravindra Jadeja delivered nine balls between them, and this was the only draw from 156 balls.
So now we have India 145 ahead, with Jadeja and Washington again the three fastest bowlers who could chase No11 between them, and then the Australians chasing whatever they can add to those five rams. So yes, maybe a repeat run of the match and a full day bat, but it’s more likely to happen sooner rather than later.
Today is also Jane McGrath Day at the SCG for the McGrath Foundation to raise money for breast cancer care, the ground will be washed in pink. Shall we begin?