The World Test Championship final is reaching it’s final act, with Australia still in a strong position to claim the title for the first time.
Australia and India have played each other a lot recently — this is the fifth Test they’ve shared this year — so there was doubtless going to be some heat in this match given how well the players know each other.
We run our rule over the controversy and the other things you missed from The Oval overnight.
Green’s brilliant catch
Right, let’s get straight into it, the big controversy of the night.
Cameron Green has already taken one super catch in this match to shift the momentum back in Australia’s favour, that of Ajunkya Rahane, to end his impressive innings of 89 and stand of 109 with Shardul Thakur.
India lost its next three wickets for 35 runs and were all out for 296.
That one, diving high to his right, was probably the best of his impressive career in the gully.
Then he caught Shubman Gill on the stroke of tea.
India were cruising at 0-41 at a run rate of 5.72. Gill was 18 at a run-a-ball.
So Green did what Green does and completed another stunning grab, diving full stretch low to his left this time, somehow getting his fingers under the ball.
At least, that’s what third umpire Richard Kettleborough decided.
The cacophony of booing that greeted the decision on the big screen, and the debate that ensued between Chris Gaffaney, Richard Illingworth and Rohit Sharma, suggests other decisions were prevalent in the stands.
Footage appeared to show the ball fly downwards off Green’s hand towards the ground, where it may have brushed the grass before the West Australian came up clutching it and Gill was sent on his way.
“There’ll be a lot of opinion of Cameron Green’s catch online,” ex-Australia batter Justin Langer warned on ABC Sport.
“He’ll have to shut that out, it’s part of the journey of being in the jungle.”
BBC Test Match Special commentator and ex-England bowler Jonathan Agnew said on ABC Sport that it was a “sensational catch”.
“I think he has gone down holding the ball out and has swivelled the wrist to get the fingers underneath it,” Agnew said.
Another former England bowler Steven Finn agreed.
“The key moment is that Green’s palm is facing the ground when he goes down but it’s the question of the weight of when he tumbles,” he said.
“I think the correct decision has been made.”
But Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said on twitter that there was enough doubt.
“It was a great effort from Cameron Green but it is the moment immediately after the catch is taken, when the hand turns, that must cause Shubman Gill to be very disappointed,” he wrote.
India comes out with nothing to lose
The tragedy for India was likely that they came out swinging and were scoring at a hugely impressive rate.
At tea, India were going at a run rate of 5.72.
Gill was hitting at just under a run a ball, Rohit Sharma too was firing on all cylinders on 22, hitting boundaries galore.
Even Cheteshwar Pujara, the immovable wall of Rajkot at number three, came out and punched boundaries freely off his bat.
Perhaps it was the lingering influence of the recently concluded IPL.
Perhaps, in the land of Bazball, the aversion of playing for a draw is rubbing off on the visitors.
Perhaps they’re just playing to their strengths.
“Rohit is arguably one of the white-ball greats,” former Australian opener Justin Langer said on ABC Radio.
“There is no one I love watching more.”
So why not hit out?
This is an Indian team, remember, that chased down 328 with three wickets to spare at Australia’s Queensland fortress, the Gabba, which had remained impregnable for over three decades.
Confidence is not a commodity that India’s batters are short of.
There are, in theory, 137 overs left in the match — although given the woeful over rate employed so far, they’ll be lucky to get much past three figures — meaning India only need to go at about three runs per over if they bat out the time.
But with Nathan Lyon and his 482 Test wickets prowling around the outfield waiting for his chance, hanging about isn’t really an option.
“The way I see it you will have be very strong in the first 20 overs,” Finn said on ABC Radio.
At the end of 20 overs India were 2-92 at a run rate of 4.60. I’d say that’s a strong start.
GOAT things
Need a wicket? Throw Nathan Lyon the ball, he’ll get you one.
Lyon got Jadeja in the first innings to end his stay of 48 off just 51 balls.
In the second, he got Sharma LBW in his very first over for 43.
This is a pitch that has favoured the pace men, given the variable bounce — Lyon only bowled four overs out of 69.4 in India’s first innings.
But there is assistance for the tweakers — especially with Mitch Starc’s big boots roughing up the pitch at every opportunity in his follow through.
Ravindra Jadeja bowled 18 of India’s 121.3 in the first innings for 1-56, but he managed a team-high 23 for 3-58 in the second innings.
It makes the decision not to play Ravichandran Ashwin all the more upsetting for Indian supporters.
More bumps and bruises
As Australia compiled their runs in the morning at a steady 3.19 runs per over, Pat Cummins had to weigh up the risk/reward ratio of being out there on a pitch that was misbehaving as much as it did on day three.
On the one hand, Australia needed time for their bowlers to rest up and recover and, of course, Australia needed enough runs to make an India win unlikely in enough time for the bowlers to take 10 wickets.
So out went the batters and in came the Dukes-branded missiles, seeking out fingers and forearms.
Marnus Labuschagne copped the worst of the treatment on day three from the variable bounce on this Oval pitch.
And although that continued on day four, he shared some of the bruises around on another glorious Saturday morning in the English capital.
Cam Green was hit a number of times, on the arm, shoulder and fingers as he weathered the bumper barrage and helped Australia push towards their imposing lead of 443.
Fortunately for Australia, and indeed the Ashes as a contest, none of the blows were too costly in terms of broken bones.
Alex Carey has a blast
It’s safe to say that with all the balls flying about like missiles throughout the morning session, Australia was not finding it too comfortable on an otherwise entirely pleasant day in South London.
Overnight batters Green and Labuschagne were both out in the morning session, Labuschagne without adding to his 41 from overnight and Green for 25, leaving Australia 6-167.
It was the perfect time for Alex Carey to step up with another solid knock of 66 to settle Australia down and ensure they declared on their own terms.
Carey will score more runs this tour — Australia hopes at least — but it was a perfect time for the 31-year-old wicketkeeper to notch his best score in a Test since his 111 against South Africa at the MCG, some seven innings ago.
He was ably assisted by Mitch Starc, whose 41 off 57 balls was a vital part of a 93-run partnership.
Starc is a decent batter, averaging 21.81 in Tests — an average that rises to 28.00 in 10 Tests in England.
His 41 is Starc’s highest score in a Test match since his 54 not out in the 2019 Ashes Test at Old Trafford — four years and 31 batting innings ago.
It’s a timely return to form for the big quick.
Loading
التعليقات