2 weeks ago
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The Jane McGrath banner is rolled up and marched off the field. The flag-bearers wait by the boundary line near the respective team representatives. For India, just Washington Sundar, waiting for Ravindra Jadeja to join him. They have the job of putting together however many runs they can scrap out on this pitch. Thirty metres around the boundary, the Aussie XI masses and runs onto the field once the umpires step over the rope.
Various formalities happen on the field with a singer I can’t immediately identify, some banners being marched around by volunteers, and now the pink carpet walk takes place with the Australian team and the Indian team walking down to present their signed caps to Glenn McGrath. These will be auctioned later. The India ones might fetch much higher bids if they can pull off a win here.
It is Pink Day in Sydney! Glorious sunshine, too, in blessed contrast to a couple of these days over the years. The crowd has fulfilled the brief, pink outfits from wall to wall in the Members and Ladies stands. We haven’t filled up all the bays yet across the sweep of the Brewongle, Churchill, Trumper, O’Reilly, and Bradman stands, but they’re on the way.
Massive lines down at the tram this morning outside Central station. Sunday morning. Game in the balance. People are turning out.
Drop us a line, if you like, to let us know where or how or in what temper you’re closing out the series: our emails are open. Address in the sidebar.
It was a sugar-high day yesterday, so all I could really do after play was try to sum up a bit of what happened.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Alright, folks. Game on, and game almost over, if things continue at the pace they have. We saw 26 wickets fall in the first two days: a combination of a pitch doing enough, some fast bowlers using it well, and a lot of batting that doesn’t know how to handle it. The unforced error count has been high for both sides. On debut, Beau Webster’s 105 deliveries is the longest innings anyone has produced. Nathan Lyon and Ravindra Jadeja have delivered nine overs between them, and that’s the only spin out of 156 overs bowled.
So now we’ve got India 145 ahead, with Jadeja and Washington to resume, three fast bowlers who could raffle No11 between them to follow, and then an Australian chase of whatever those five batters can add. So yes, maybe the current pair resume and bat all day, but it’s more likely to be over quickly.
Today is also Jane McGrath Day at the SCG for the McGrath Foundation to raise money for breast cancer care, so the ground will be the usual wash of pink. Shall we commence?
