No sure I’d give him that rating.
The “Iron Gloves” tag wasn’t totally unfounded.
Think I would place him towards the bottom of Australia’s top 10 glovemen and maybe #5 as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Though the guy could bat.
On the other hand having Alan Knott or Tim Paine keeping to Lillee and Thompson in their pomp wouldn’t have given the same panache to a every good team.
I though him, Knott and Bari are generally considered the three best keepers of that era, (Taylor played too few tests IMO and Dujon came after).
Shane Warne. Oh my god. Dead from a heart attack at 52 
Separate thread
Three tests on right now, and no discussion. I guess this is an American board.
WI vs ENG has been a back and forth match with England holding and advantage at the end of day 4 but no clear path to victory. They might hit out in the morning and set a 275 target at lunch. But I think they are a bowler short, Wood being injured, so I don’t think they will bowl the Windies out in two sessions.
Australia had a productive but slow day 1 against Pakistan on what seems to be a dead track. Look for the teams to trade 450 off 175 in the first innings and a tame draw with no one interested in day 5.
India on the other hand are bowled out before tea but still manage to post 252 on a square turner. Their two highest scorers were better than a run a ball. Very un-test like.
The England game started as England games have tended to start recently, with a nice little collapse, but Bairstow restored their innings to some kind of respectability. England’s bowling is going to be an issue now with both Robinson and Wood out. Bringing along Craig Overton instead of either Broad or Anderson is, frankly, a joke.
Anderson and Broad should bring an age discrimination complaint. Older guys left out because the are assumed to be more likely to break down, replaced by younger guys who have an actual history of breaking down.
WI 65/3 with a session to go. It’s the hope that gets you.
Disciplined batting by Bonner and Holder in that long last session.
Seems like India had decided that the pitch was a minefield and you had to get them before it got you. Sri Lanka look to be headed for a big loss with all six recognized batsman gone in 30 overs.
Good to see Khawaja get a hundred in front of his “hometown” crowd. I didn’t hear what kind of reception he got, but I hope it was appreciative.
It’s that ancient meme that “Old swords are the best swords because only the best swords get to be old swords.”
@Mighty_Mouse Effusive is a better term.
The crowds have been hospitable beyond fault.
There were even sightings of a couple of locals dressed up as one of The Richies (pic is of them at the SCG).
Bit of a pity the surfaces in both Tests have been unforgivingly unresponsive.
In the 1st Test 1,187 runs were scored for 14 wickets. Pakistan scored 728 for the loss of 4 wickets, one being run out in 239 overs.
On Day 1, yes Day 1, of 2nd Test PAK was spooked by an aggressive AUS 100 runs in the first session, despite having a high quality pace attack and evidence of reverse swing.
So to kill a lot of the run rate, or to kill a lot of the overs to the new ball, or to kill off a lot of the chance of PAK losing, or whatever; PAK spent 90 minutes bowling spinners from around the wicket, pitching outside the stump to the extent they were called for wides, with a leg-side trap while Khawaja and Smith kicked away 4-5 ball per over. And dead batted the rest.
Given that both had peed’d away centuries in the 1st Test through loss of patience this was not going to be one of crickets brighter moments.
Then with the new ball still 6-10 overs away went back to standard lines and strategy. And when the new ball arrived the pace bowlers were as aggressive and effective as you could expect on that surface.
Unfathomable. Almost like the team had been given an ultimatum from high “If AUS score over 300 in the day we’ll take your first-born”.
That prediction hasn’t aged well. Can Pakistan pull off the greatest chase in history?
This would be Babar’s masterpiece if he pulls if off.
Mostly make up for some lousy captaincy. Mostly. *
Tomorrow first session is key.
If Pakistan can make it lunch without losing a wicket and having brought the target down to say 200, they will go for it.
Australia need strikes early tomorrow.
*Balls’s reversing and keeps Shaheen off?
Checking in this morning, the score tells me something, but the FoW really paints a picture
Waking up on the east coast of the US to a very encouraging score!
Australia should have enforced the follow on.
They had the Pakistanis flat. You go for the kill while they are still shell shocked after First innings. You don’t give them time to rest and regroup overnight.
A little too interesting in the last half hour for my liking, but very nice by Babar and Rizwan.
West Indies collapse in the second half of the day has raised a glimmer of hope for England to take a shot at winning this one. Very similar to the last test, 136-0 vs 150-1 at the end of day 4.
It is a very slim glimmer of hope. The England bowling line up just isn’t strong enough to take 20 wickets, I’m afraid.
It’s good to see more batting though. Regardless of opposition or pitches, other than that first morning the England batsmen have stood up and batted properly and are getting the rewards.
Now Usman Khawaja is just abusing our hospitality.
Usman: 5 innings for 496 @ 165
Now you know how the Poms felt about Steve Smith in 2019 (7 innings for 774 @ 110)