10 Things #44

Bat-offs, of course...also a return to Indore, reports, records, Rob Steen and a rendezvous

1/ Anyone for a Bat Off? After all, to quote this 1913 board game registered at National Archives of Australia, it’s as ‘exciting as real sport’, or at least as exciting as watching Marnus Labuschagne peel off hundreds and wondering whether this is good news for Cameron Green, bad news for Beau Webster, or both. Labuschagne has at any rate worked his passage back for the ODI series against India starting on Sunday, the selectors taking no chance with Green’s sore side…which may be correspondingly good news for Webster. Confusing!

2/ Meanwhile at Junction Oval, it had been going so well for Sam Konstas, ramps and all, before this muted drag-on….

The reactions of bowler Todd Murphy and non-striker Kurtis Patterson are pure cricket, yes? Patterson’s sticky start to the season continued soon after, roughly parallelling Cameron Bancroft’s. Jake Weatherald has fared better, and runs in the next round at the Junction Oval, livelier than usual this season, would further strengthen his case.