NEW ZEALAND TOUR OF AUSTRALIA, –
Could Australia pick a second spinner and give Mitchell Swepson his Test debut © AFP
It’s not always you lead up to a Test with a collective prayer for showers, and lots of them, over the course of the match. But on Thursday (January 2), you had Glenn McGrath and even curator Adam Lewis joining Justin Langer in expressing their hopes for rain in Sydney during the marquee pink Test at the SCG. It’s to be expected though when the cricket itself is a second-thought, and so it should be.
For what this part of Australia in particular needs right now is a lot of rain, even if it will only play a slight role in providing some relief to those who have suffered the worst wrath of nature’s literal fury over the last couple of months. Incidentally, international cricket did bring along showers – though not enough – the past year. The last day of India’s Test here exactly this time of the year in was affected by rain while the T 40 I against Pakistan in November was called off without a result after heavy rains lashed across the city. So perhaps, the Test match is coming to these shores as a blessing and a beacon of hope.
****** Tim Paine might put it best. when he spoke about how the cricket could end up being a much-deserved distraction for those affected by the bushfires and the drought and those who have been putting their lives on the line to reduce the impact of these natural disasters. For from the moment you enter Sydney, all you hear is talk of how far they could see through the smoke since November and how much they could smell it and continue to do so in some parts.
Everyone’s got their own version of how bad it’s been and fears of how worse it could get as the summer rolls on. We have after all not even hit peak summer yet in most parts of the country but already the temperatures have gone through the roof and the unrelenting lack of rainfall has led to catastrophic outcomes, especially in the Australian hinterland. The fires have already burned off over 12 million acres of land, that’s nearly the entire landmass of a number of countries in whole. And there are still enough fires still ablaze for the state of Victoria to declare a state of disaster and the state of New South Wales, a state of emergency over the next week or so.
The cricket as you can see. is merely incidental. And if anything, whatever transpires between bat and ball on the field over the next five days will be seen and judged within that bigger picture, and so it should be. There will be a chance for New Zealand to redeem themselves with the series already lost. There will be World Test championship points up for grabs too and Australia will be keen on snaring those and finishing the summer with a 5-0 sweep of the Tests. We could also possibly see the rare occasion of teams walking off the field owing to smoke.
The fact is the focus will be as much on the skies above, in more ways than one, than the goings on in the middle as the Test leg of the season draws to a close. And unlike how it is the case generally and has been in the history of sport, the first signs of an impending shower will not be greeted with groans, but by cheers. For, even if it means a forced break in play as far as the cricket is concerned, it would more importantly mean a break from the grips of tragedy for those present in in the line of fire.
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What to expect: The sky has been clear since the teams arrived two days earlier in Sydney. It’s not quite the Australian blue yet, but at least the haze has lifted and it’s a relief to hear Sydneysiders talk about the overriding smell of smoke being reduced to a whiff. The ominous signs of the drought are scarily evident. The Centennial Parklands, usually lush and blushing with green at this time of the year, carries a ghastly brown shade.
A lot of heat and resultant. Smoke are forecast for Saturday (January 4) while rain is forecast for Monday (January 6). There was a slight drizzle late on the eve of the Test, but it was hardly but a drizzle and felt mainly on the eastern coast of the city. Speaking of shades, the third day as always will be covered in a hue of pink, adding some much-needed color to a rather grim summer Down Under. And the pitch carries a rather greenish tinge, much like the MCG, to bring the fast bowlers into play, not to forget tempt the captain who wins the toss to go against the grain like Kane Williamson did in vain last week.
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The Sydney Test is always a big tease for those who enjoy seeing two spinners bowling in tandem, though it rarely transpires. And once more, we build-up to the opening international match of the year in Australia with Mitchell Swepson potentially as close to making a Test debut as to him not doing so. Josh Hazlewood did help the punter’s cause by making an appearance in the nets and bowling at full tilt two days out from the Test.
Langer and Paine have already made it clear that the New South Welshman won’t be making a return after missing the Boxing Day Test owing to the injury suffered in Perth. And both hinted at them going in with the same XI. But they also left the door open for a late surprise inclusion, which like in Melbourne could well be a false alarm.
Probable XI
New Zealand
New Zealand’s performance so far has been a case of smoke and mirrors really. They came here with significant promise but have been resoundingly humbled in the first two Tests. And like is the case with tours that start disastrously, it only keeps getting worse. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls did not show up for training on Thursday (January 2) after showing flu-like symptoms a day earlier.
They started the series not knowing. who to leave out to fit in Lockie Ferguson to not knowing who to bring in to fill up the rapidly-developing gaping holes in their line-up. Tom Blundell answered to an SOS call at the top of the order at the MCG. Kyle Jamieson flew in for Ferguson and Glenn Phillips is the latest to be flown in as a late replacement after Will Sommerville was handed an unlikely recall to a Test in his hometown.
It meant poor Tom Latham had to take the lead with the Australian Prime Minister on New Year’s Day as well as the media while talking about his team’s make-up a day later by repeating a line that sums up every aspect of the SCG Test, “it’s all up in the air at the moment “.
Probable XI
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