Doing it by halves

PL writes that Australia are in front, but squandered an opportunity to bury England on the 2nd day

Let’s not get carried away, as so many of Australia’s top order did.

Let’s just say it was a good day for cricket, well, inasmuch as a good day for cricket is traditionally a good day for those with a bat in their hand. Bowlers, who rarely get a chair at a committee table or in a commentary booth, don’t have much say in what constitutes good cricket. And it was a tough day for them.

That said, it should have been a much better day for cricket and for the Australian batsman who may rue their recklessness when a little more application was needed.

Australia is 6-378 at stumps, a lead of 44. Alex Carey (46no) and Michael Neser (15no) had put on 49 for the seventh wicket. The home team really should have been in position to put the game out of reach, but nobody in the top order could cash in on the best batting conditions seen in this country for some years.

Finally, in the last hour, the wicket started to play a few tricks. Josh Inglis (23) was bowled by a ball that kept low, but one that would have made its way through his defences had he pressed forward and not waited back.

Thus far this has been a most entertaining Test.

England, when its 10th wicket fell soon after the resumption of play, had posted 334 and batted almost 80 overs.

There’d been some thought that the 70 runs added by Joe Root (138no from 206 balls across 379 minutes of play) and Jofra Archer (38 from 36 balls across 54 minutes) for the last wicket had given England the advantage.

Australia, the theory went, had the front running when they were 9-264 but let it slip.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but this looked a ripping pitch to bat on, and those who have played here say that when the bounce is true like this, there’s no better place in the world to have a bit of willow in your hand. Phil Jaques reckons there are times it feels like you’re batting on a synthetic wicket.

Australia’s top order all scored at a strike rate of over 70. Marnus Labuschagne went at 83, Jake Weatherald 92, and Cameron Green almost 80.

England’s bowling, with the eventual exception of Jofra Archer and possibly Gus Atkinson, was, mostly, shite for most of the day, and some of its fielding even shite-er. Ben Duckett put down two catches late, and Ben Carse another before the close of play. There was another chance that could have been taken had slips been a little better organised. Alex Carey should have been out for a duck, but was still there at stumps. Travis Head was dropped on 3 and went on to score 33. Josh Inglis and Michael Neser were also given lives.

But the bowling.