Australia v India: second men’s cricket Test, day two – live | Australia cricket team

Here come the players for the second session of the day. Ashwin is going to start with the ball, Mitch Marsh on strike. Australia’s lead stands at eleven runs and counting.

ICYMI: Gus Atkinson takes the 50th hat-trick in Test cricket.

‘When the chance comes, don’t miss it’

Stumps in Wellington. Another quiet day at the Bazball office…

Lunch/Dinner/Whatever: Australia 191-4 (lead by 11 runs)

58th over: Australia 186-4 (Head 49, Marsh 1) There’s a long delay whilst India send a review for LBW to Marsh upstairs. The umpire said not out and the Big ol’ Bison was a heck of a long way down the wicket… it looks like he might have trapped it too? After many replays they decided to stick with the on field umpire and I think that is a fair decision. One more over before the interval.

57th over: Australia 185-4 (Head 49, Marsh 0) Siraj is called back into the attack but Head greets him with a Swiss clock timed clip off his pads for four through midwicket. The bowler does well to stem the flow with four dots on a length, Head makes room off the last, backing away and lashing to deep point for a couple more. We’ve got ten overs til the break, nigh on a hundred runs and three wickets in the session so far.

56th over: Australia 179-4 (Head 43, Marsh 0) Warning signs for India despite the wicket as Travis Head is positively purring. He launches Ashwin for another big SIX down the ground and takes eleven runs off the over to see Australia into the lead. Every run from now will hurt that bit more for Rohit and his men.

55th over: Australia 168-3 (Head 32, Marsh 0) Mitchell Marsh is the new batter and he blocks out the rest of the over from breakthrough man Nitish Kumar Reddy.

WICKET! Labuschagne c Jaiswal b Nitish Kumar Reddy (Australia 168-4)

54th over: Australia 168-3 (Labuschagne 64, Head 32) Australia in the ascendancy now after losing McSweeney and Smith early on this afternoon. A couple collected off Ashwin with no alarms and no surprises.

53rd over: Australia 166-3 (Labuschagne 63, Head 31) Rana is hoicked from the attack by Rohit and Nitish Kumar Reddy is summoned. Head sits back and punches for two through the off side and follows up with a bludgeoning cut for three that is hauled in by the fielder on the fence.

52nd over: Australia 160-3 (Labuschagne 62, Head 26) And breathe. Calpol administered and Ashwin sends down a maiden.

51st over: Australia 160-3 (Labuschagne 62, Head 26) Carnage! Four boundaries in the over as Head and Labuschagne take Rana to task!

Rana persists with short pitched bowling and is punished, pulled twice, cut once and glided for another. 17 runs off the over. Australia cut the deficit down to 20 runs and the partnership between this pair is 58 runs.

50th over: Australia 143-3 (Labuschagne 50, Head 21) A single off Ashwin poked through cover by Head.

Meanwhile, the syringe search continues.

49th over: Australia 142-3 (Labuschagne 50, Head 20) “Surely under such circumstances they should be called Wisden teeth?” Jake Kimber-Thomson isn’t the first to chime in with this zinger. Come one, come all.

FIFTY for Marnus Labuschagne, well batted. Takes some serious stones to come back from that Perth horror show.

The toddler is awake by the way. With a cough to boot. Tis the season. Excuse me whilst I dig out some Calpol and search for one of those syringes. I may be some time…

48th over: Australia 138-3 (Labuschagne 47, Head 19) Ashwin is coming on for a bowl. He has a slip and short leg in place to Marnus. Slightly too full and allows Labuschagne to drive down the ground and get off strike. Head has one ball to take a look… and then launches his second down the ground for a towering SIX! Got the front dog outta the way and committed wholeheartedly to the stroke. Smeared for 93 metres. Ashwin nearly strikes back immediately with a flatter delivery into the pads, it was going down leg though.

47th over: Australia 131-3 (Labuschagne 46, Head 13) Rana is slightly too full and is picked off for a couple each by Head and Marnus.

Rowan Sweeney has some teeth tales of his own:

“Much solidarity with Thomas Bancroft. I have traumatic memories of having my wisdom teeth removed in 2009. Owing to my teeth having curly roots, two of them needed to be cut into quarters. To make it worse the dentist was heading to the Perth Test, hoping to make day 3 and South Africa had reduced Australia to 3-15 on day one. He was disgusted, thinking he would miss the action entire. Good times…”

Curly roots eh? Leo Sayer smile.

46th over: Australia 127-3 (Labuschagne 46, Head 9) Shot! Siraj serves up a half volley and Marnus drives away handsomely for four.

45th over: Australia 122-3 (Labuschagne 42, Head 8) Marnus drives Rana for three. It’s all going off in Wellington by the way.

44th over: Australia 117-3 (Labuschagne 39, Head 6) The ursine Travis Head punches off the back foot for a single. Labuschagne is then beaten by a beauty from Siraj that bounced more than he thought and angled past the splice of his blade. This is a great Test deck, something in it for both bat and ball if the requisite graft is applied.

Eamonn Maloney mentions that game at Adelaide in 2006 in his email and to be honest I zoned out after that. Something about deckchairs. Yadda Yadda. Excuse me whilst I do my deep breathing exercises for a minute or two.

“We used to take our folding chairs to the Adelaide test every year growing up, and sat under the Moreton bay figs on the hill. After spending most of my adult life overseas I’m attending on Sunday for the first time since THAT famous fifth day of the ashes test (YOU know which one). I bought a ticket for the hill imagining nothing in the undoubtedly wonderful renovation this stadium has undergone since that time would preclude the bringing of a folding chair – indeed why else preserve the hill? but I can’t see any chairs on the hill on TV. Looks like I’ll be on the bones of my arse for 8 hours. I’m sure the renovation of this stadium has served the public interest but Things Have Been Lost!”

43rd over: Australia 116-3 (Labuschagne 39, Head 5) Hear that? A sigh of relief reverberates around Australia as Harshit Rana replaces Bumrah at the Cathedral end. The pressure valve is immediately released as Marnus clips beautifully off his pads for four and follows up by flicking a leg stump half volley to the fence for another. Rana tightens up with three dots on a good length.

Labuschagne has been proactive this morning and taken every opportunity to score. His flame is growing stronger with each run and over spent out in the middle. Nick Cave would be happy. Maybe. Nick?

42nd over: Australia 108-3 (Labuschagne 31, Head 5) Oh my cuss. Siraj gets his Lionel Richie on and beats Head three times in the over! The wobble seam is deployed and beats Head twice in succession before the batter then decides to throw the kitchen sink, toaster and fridge at a length ball but connects only with the Adelaide breeze. A maiden. Phew.

41st over: Australia 108-3 (Labuschagne 31, Head 5) Travis Head arrives in the middle. This is Box Office stuff. Head leaves his first ball but is then beaten all ends up by his second, feet in quicksand as Bumrah spears one past his outside edge. That was so close, the pink ball passing the edge by a Mr Creosote wafffer thin distance. Bosh! Bumrah goes a shade too full and Head clobbers him through cover for four.

Sing it, Damien.

WICKET! Smith c Pant b Bumrah 2 (Australia 103-3)

40th over: Australia 103-2 (Labuschagne 31, Smith 2) Siraj gets another ball to jag and spit off the surface, Smith gets a thick outside edge off it that falls short of gully. After saying it looked a good day for batting this pitch has looked quite lively at the start of day two. Marnus drives down the ground and they run a lesser-spotted but always satisfying all run four, that’s the hundred up for Australia.

39th over: Australia 97-2 (Labuschagne 26, Smith 1) Australia approach the team three figures. Every run feels crucial at the moment. Bumrah oversteps this time to gift one more. Smith is on the front foot, willing himself to get forward and blunt the threat from Bumrah. He survives but can’t get away from the danger end.

38th over: Australia 96-2 (Labuschagne 26, Smith 1) Siraj joins the dots but oversteps to add one to the total. Marnus is solid in defence and gets his hands out of the way to leave well alone a ball outside off that darts back a bit off the pitch. The pink ball glinting under the afternoon sun, looks like plenty of lacquer still on it. Lacquer is a good word, isn’t it? Lacquer. Mmmm.

37th over: Australia 95-2 (Labuschagne 26, Smith 1) Here comes Steve Smith, is the gimlet eye fading? He’ll need both peepers laser focused to repel Bumrah with his dander up.

A forward poke sees Smith off the mark with an inside edge into the leg side. Marnus then leans on a full ball and works it wide of mid-on for his second three of the morning. Three slips in place, both sides going toe-to-toe. Absorbing stuff.

WICKET! McSweeney c Pant b Bumrah 39 (Australia 91-2)

36th over: Australia 91-1 (McSweeney 39, Labuschagne 23) Siraj wheels off in celebratory raptures a la Stuart Broad after scudding one into Marnus’ front pad but then the bowler looks a smidge silly as the umpire says no and Rohit doesn’t call for a review, correctly indicating there was a meaty inside edge onto pad to save Marnus.

35th over: Australia 90-1 (McSweeney 39, Labuschagne 23) Jasprit Bumrah starts with a maiden, angled in at pace, pink ball darting off the surface like a cobra’s tongue. Good luck, lads.

34th over: Australia 90-1 (McSweeney 39, Labuschagne 23) Mohammed Siraj bustles in to Marnus. A couple of slips and a gully in place. Runs straight away! Marnus whips a ball from outside off through the leg side, doesn’t gave the legs for a boundary but three runs to start the day. Positive intent from the beleaguered batter. McSweeney defends the next four balls as Siraj lands it on a good length, a single off the final balls sees four runs PLUNDERED off the first over.

Here come the players, let’s do this. The sun is beating down in Adelaide, mocking my double sock and thermals get up here in London. It looks a day for batting, can India winkle a few early and get back into this match. Only one way to find out! PLAY

“More power to your typing fingers, and may the goddess of sleeping toddlers smile kindly on your household!” Brendon Murley gets the none existent prize for first email of the day! (Get in touch, for the love of all that is holy, details on the left flank of this page)

Ah, the Goddess of sleeping toddlers! Smiling? She’s been gurning and blowing raspberries for the past three years Brendon, as my capacious eye bags will testify. Who needs sleep though? Especially when there is a Smörgåsbord of Antipodean Test matches to tuck into.

Run (s) Run (s) Rudolph Marnus!

“All I want for Christmas is a rock n roll ‘lectric guitar career saving 12th Test century.”

Catchy.

Marnus and McSweeney grafted away under lights last evening, can they make it count this morning and both go on to make a chatter halting score? It’ll be a fascinating first hour, it always is, isn’t it?

Both men would love to be able to crack on and will be harbouring desires of half centuries at the least. I’m harbouring desires for a 3.34am UK time cup of coffee but daren’t pad down the hallway past a snoring three year old in case of a floorboard creak and an early hours wake up that could really put the cat amongst the pigeons toddlers ‘mongst the OBOs.

This Test is ticking along at a fair old lick but pales in comparison to the warp speed happenings over the ditch. England have fired up the afterburners in Wellington. I’ll forgive you for joining Rob Smyth for a few overs on t’other OBO, make sure you come back, mind.

The Rory Burns play of the day:

Geoff was indeed in fine fettle yesterday, as was another cloud busting bloke with a wavy barnet – Mitchell Starc.

Sporting songs from the outer are usually dross, partly because they’re most often sung tunelessly by annoying drunks, and partly because they usually consist of one cringey couplet jammed with no consideration of cadence or metre into the scarcely heeded melodic line of a mid-tier radio hit. The few that are slightly more artful stand out, appearing far better by virtue of their company than they might objectively deserve. One such of recent years that provides occasional enjoyment is: “Hark, the herald angels sing – Mitchell Starc, the new-ball king.”

The phrasing fits, the use of a Christmas hymn is seasonally apt for Australia in December or January, and the sentiment reflects a cricketing truth. Starc with a lacquered Kookaburra (while that sounds a strange object to possess without context) is a menace. But swap out the lyrics of “new-ball” for “pink-ball” and it would be even more apt. In the day-night Test format, nobody has done it better.

Preamble

James Wallace