Tag Archives: Day 4

Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st test, Day 4

December 17, 2012 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

It has been a while since I posted on this blog. I apologise to followers for that: work has gotten in the way of writing which is something that vexes me greatly.

That said, having watched basically the full day of play yesterday, some similar themes about what it will take to “win” day 4 of this test match have been reverberating around my brain most of the night like a sirens song drawing me to the keyboard.

So, without further self indulgent preamble, here are my keys to success on day 4 at Blundstone Arena:

1. How many runs is enough for Captain Clarke?

Throughout the summer, Michael Clarke has shown good instincts with respect to timing of declarations only to be crueled, on the one hand, by an improving pitch (Brisbane) and, on the other hand, by one of the best rearguard innings since Atherton’s 185 off 492 balls in 1995 ( Adelaide). He is again faced here with the aegis of being one strike bowler under strength so will need to keenly balance batting Sri Lanka out of the game with giving his depleted bowling attack enough time to get the job done.

2. Who is the leader of the Sri Lankan attack and will he please stand up?

This is a Sri Lankan bowling line up that it would be fair to say is short on experience. Whilst Lasith Malinga plies his trade in the heady world of the Big Bash League (I concede he has not played in a test in over two years), the Sri Lankan fast bowlers together boast a collective experience of some 38 tests. In the first innings they looked to be bowling without a leader and, as shown by the lion hearted efforts of P Siddle, they will sorely need one in this innings to keep the Australian total down to a chaseable target. For me, the real key to a successful day for Sri Lanka will be how HMRKB Herath not only bowls but leads this young attack. With 5 left handers in the Australian top 7 and right arm bowlers foot marks growing today is a day made for a left arm orthodox tweaker.

3. Reviews, reviews and more reviews

The need to get the use of the DRS correct again raised its head yesterday with the Sri Lankans wasting their reviews on plumb LBW decisions only to see Herath dispatched by Tony Hill LBW having nearly hit the ball with the middle of his bat first. The Sri Lankan review methodology seems to be that whatever captain says goes so the pressure will be M Jayawardene to consult with this players and make reviews more prudently today. Two early “bad” reviews could, to state the obvious, be costly by the end of the day.

And that is it: how many runs is enough, Herath and the DRS are the keys to today’s play with the position the Sri Lankans are in by the end of the day largely reliant on Herath’s spinning finger.

Australia v South Africa, Day 4: The Keys

November 12, 2012 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

An intriguing day beckons at the Gabba today, with today’s action being determinative of whether the game petters out into a boring draw or whether the Proteas are striving for victory on Day 5. I consider there are 5 keys to today’s play that will determine which course the game takes:

1. The Clarke Factor: Say what you like about his captaincy since taking the reigns from Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke has made a fine art in recent times of coming to the wicket with his side three wickets down for not many and righting the ship. So it was again yesterday, as the captain strode to the wicket with the score on a precarious 3-40 and again he righted the ship to put the innings back on an even keel at 3-111. His appetite for big runs last year shows he can bat for long periods and he will need to today to secure what would be honourable draw for his team.

2. The Kleinveldt Conundrum: South Africa’s fourth bowler did not set the world on fire yesterday and will be needed today in the humid heat of the Gabba to bowl a tighter line and to keep the runs to a minimum while giving spells to his more vaunted counterparts Steyn, Morkel and Philander. Without a recognised spinner and seemingly seeking to limit the overuse of Kallis’ back, overs from Kleinveldt could be a determining factor in whether Australia can bat out the day.

3. DRS Drama: Yesterday again saw the DRS system come into play and again saw a wicket overturned as a result of a missed no ball call. Regardless of your views of the technology is it abundantly clear that it is playing a role in the outcome of this fixture. Success today could well hinge, in addition to the bowlers delivering legal deliveries, on who uses the DRS technology the best. South Africa did not loose one of their challenges last night on the Cowan referral so both sides still have two challenges at their disposal.

4. Fever Pitch: Most pundits have noted that the pitch has been slower than it had been in previous years and on the evidence I have seen there can be no denying that. Today presents as a different proposition with blue sky and beating sun being the order of the day. This will dry out the wicket and, as usually happens at the Gabba, make it harder and faster. This could well be a double edge sword for both teams: for Australia it will be become better for batting and for South Africa it will more suit its fast bowling quintet than at any time during the game. Which team uses the changing conditions to their advantage will be the victor of Day 4.

5. Lock it in Eddie: Yesterday we saw just how effective Ed Cowan can be as an opening batsman for Australia. He was judicious in his leaving and when the ball was in “his wheelhouse” he pounced. Impressively he played the way all cricketers have been coached since day dot: he rolled his wrists on his horizontal bat shots and played them along the ground. Today is a massive opportunity for Cowan to force feed the pundits (principally on social media) who don’t think he is up to the test stage a large piece of humble pie.

As I said in the preamble, an intriguing day beckons at the Gabba. First ball will be bowled at 9:30am and I for one can not wait.