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Sticking with Rana, no change in the first hour this morning. Starc ducks the first but doesn’t duck the second, it hits his helmet. Rana comes up to check on him. Looks like a glancing one off the curved side of the helmet. They’ll take the drinks break mid-over while Starc gets the mandatory concussion check…
39th over: Australia 93-9 (Starc 18, Hazlewood 5) Another edge, glove in there, slower ball it looks like, so again no catch, it doesn’t carry to slip. Starc scurries a single last ball of the over, pushed to mid on, another Bumrah over gone. Getting frustrating for India, even if the difference on the scoreboard isn’t huge.
38th over: Australia 92-9 (Starc 17, Hazlewood 5) Time to slog! Starc realises Rana is his best hope to score, slaps a drive down the ground but there’s a sweeper, so he stays put and bangs the next ball over midwicket for four. Glances a single to keep strike against Bumrah. Important runs.
37th over: Australia 87-9 (Starc 12, Hazlewood 5) Did Starc forget the plan? Maybe in the moment, instinct taking over as he plays a good pull shot and runs. They take the single, just making it too, and that leaves Hazlewood two balls to face against Bumrah. It’s enough for the bowler, but not for his field, a spearing ball at middle stump that Hazlewood nicks, protecting his timber, and the edge flies between keeper and slip for four very lucky runs.
36th over: Australia 82-9 (Starc 11, Hazlewood 1) Rana carries on, still with pace. Up into the 140s. Oversteps though in his striving. Starc does let Hazlewood take his first run into the leg side – you can’t decline too many in this position. But they swap the strike back with a leg bye, and Hazlewood survives the over, despite nearly nicking an attempted steer from the last ball. Three from the over, two of them extras, and Bumrah is back.
35th over: Australia 79-9 (Starc 11, Hazlewood 0) Bumrah looking to finish it off and take his sixth. Short to Starc, gets out of the way. Huge attempted drive misses, no nick though despite the appeal. Doesn’t take a single, interestingly, when one is on from a glance. Starc reckons he has to be the one to survive Bumrah, and hope they can get through this spell to look for runs elsewhere.
34th over: Australia 79-9 (Starc 11, Hazlewood 0) Nearly gets Hazlewood nicking behind too, another rising ball outside off stump. The two left-handed quicks are all the Australians have left.
WICKET! Lyon c Rahul b Rana 5, Australia 79-9
There it is! Rana short and nasty, Lyon punches it, fist rather than bat, to gully for a looping catch, KL Rahul running in with his locks flowing. Lyon just couldn’t evade that, the ball followed him. Good fast bowling.
33rd over: Australia 79-8 (Starc 11, Lyon 5) Bumrah to Starc, nasty bouncer first ball that’s just over his front shoulder, Starc having to work to evade it. Then nearly getting a leading edge as Starc tries to clip across his pad to a ball angling away. Does make contact with the same shot next ball to midwicket. He’s rotating strike decently but how long can it last? Bumrah cuts Lyon in half. Surely a wicket comes shortly.
32nd over: Australia 77-8 (Starc 10, Lyon 4) Play Bon Jovi. They’re halfway there with Starc’s single to mid on. Lyon gets them into the second half with a gentle pull from Rana for another single. 76 plays 150, as Starc edges on the bounce into the cordon. Then a pull shot that nearly carries to square leg! Single there, and Rana snorts a lifting ball past Lyon’s edge. This is raw stuff. A bit more chatter between Starc and Rana, maybe getting pricklier.
31st over: Australia 74-8 (Starc 8, Lyon 3) Runs from Bumrah, Lyon manages to squirt it away for three. Starc says, no thanks, you have strike, and glances a single. Lyon defending awkwardly with an angled bat, but he’s still kept Bumrah out for longer than several of his batting colleagues. Tries a big drive but find cover. Australia still short of halfway on India’s score.
30th over: Australia 70-8 (Starc 7, Lyon 0) Rana the young bowler was picked to bowl fast, and he is at Starc, a few short balls including one that takes glove but lands safe. Starc is chipping him, though with a smile on his face. “I bowl faster than you, and I’ve got a long memory.” Starc pats Rana on the shoulder at the end of the over, all seems friendly.
29th over: Australia 70-8 (Starc 7, Lyon 0) Nearly gets a nick from Lyon, too, does Bumrah. And again. Pushing at one ball, fanning at the next. Finally gets bat on a defensive push from the fifth. Hit on the body to end the over.
WICKET! Carey c Pant b Bumrah 21, Australia 70-8
Of course it’s Bumrah! The Indian captain completes a five-wicket haul in the innings with his first ball of the second day. Around the wicket, back of a length, moving away off the seam with his brilliant wrist position. It’s not good batting though, Carey doesn’t need to play that, it’s too short to threaten the stumps and too wide on line, but he’s drawn into it, nervous about Bumrah, just wanting to block the ball out, and his defensive push nicks it through low to Pant.
28th over: Australia 70-7 (Carey 21, Starc 7) Harshit Rana to get us underway, with Australia trailing by 83 runs! Carey is happy to take an early single though, and Starc responds with one of his own. Carey again. Nudging and glancing, busy start.
Here’s my report on yesterday’s play.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Hello from Perth. The sun is shining strongly. It should be a bit warmer today, though still forecast to stay under 30 degrees. But the heat will be on in the middle. Alex Carey, in form and with a history of saving Australian innings, will need to do a special version of that, with only Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood for company. If not, then India will take a surprising advantage after they were knocked over for 150 yesterday. It was a wild opening day, 17 wickets falling in a fast-bowling demonstration.
