Australia vs India. 4th Test. Melbourne. 2024/25. Day Five.

Of any thoughts of what I thought might occur today... none of them came to pass. Surely Australia declare overnight... nope, bat on. Surely India come out positively to show they are at least interested in chasing down 340 to win the Test... nope, batten down the hatches. Surely the Indian batters will not play stupid shots and throw their wickets away if they aren't chasing a total... nope, some dreadful shots. Having shown the pitch is negotiable by not losing a wicket in the second session, surely India are safe for the draw... absolutely not. I obviously know heaps about cricket.

India's outlook today was the most confusing. At lunch, after 26.1 overs, they were 3/33. The bowling had been good but they made no effort to move the game forward. And in that were two dreadful strokes from two players who look close to the end. Rohit slap to leg to be caught at gully was the shot of a defeated man. He has no answers out of his slump, and if India are serious about winning in Sydney then Sharma should have played his final Test innings today. And Virat Kohli's awful no foot drive to a wide ball from Starc in the final over before stumps was as bad as Steve Smith's had been yesterday. His is a frazzled mindset at the crease, and he is doing his team zero good with the bat or with his antics in the field. He needs a reset if he is to continue forward.

 
Jaiswal and Pant were terrific in the middle session, keeping their wickets intact while adding 79 runs, but only 28 of those in the second hour. Despite the frenetic barracking from the commentators on Channel 7 who said India would launch an audacious bid for victory in the final session, it was plainly obvious they had decided on the draw, and at 3/112 and 37 overs remaining it looked the safe bet.
Then Rishab Pant lost India the Test match. In the same way as Jaiswal's run out changed the match in the first innings, this changed the outcome of the match. Such a numbskull shot, after basically dead batting for two hours, he decided to hit a long hop from Travis Head over the boundary. Why? Dead bat it like the others, and count down the overs. But he had a brain explosion and he hit it straight down Marsh's throat. For as much as he is praised for his innings where he wins India matches, this cost them the match.

Then Joel Wilson decided to put his hands in his pockets, and but for the cool and correct decision making of the third umpire Sharfuddoula from Bangladesh we may have had a different result. Both Jaiswal and Deep were plainly and obviously out. Wilson has had a good match for his standards, and he almost blew it on the final afternoon. The third umpire deserves enormous credit for making the correct decisions. Jaiswal's shot was the fourth dreadful shot of the afternoon, and footage on Channel 7 showed Travis Head asking him if he had hit it, and getting the answer in the affirmative. His resigned look when Australia reviewed also proved it to be correct. No doubt Indian commentators and board members will make much of this incident. That is a shame, because the correct decisions were made, and isn't that why we have the third umpire for? I'd love to know if Jaiswal admitted to his teammates the truth when he returned to the dressing room.

Australia's bowling in the main today was superb. Starc was terrific for a guy who seems unlikely to play in Sydney and he got the big wicket of Kohli. Cummins was the aggressor, Boland was the patient killer. Lyon was good in patches but seemed unable to settle to a line and length required for each batter. Perhaps I'm being pedantic. His 2/37 today probably flattered him compared to his three pace bowlers.
In the long run, Australia, despite no input with the bat from Head or Marsh, managed to find a way to win the Test. India perhaps did more to lose it. And look what happens when you offer reasonable pricing for Test cricket tickets. Kids were free and adults just $10 to sit anywhere in the MCG today. If it had been normal pricing they would have gotten perhaps 20,000 people, still a great crowd. Instead they got over 70,000, and the atmosphere combined with the cricket being played out made it a fabulous day. Note Cricket Australia - it CAN be done!

And so to Sydney and hopefully no rain. Australia now only need a draw to regain the Border Gavaskar Trophy and to practically tie up a spot in the World Test Championship Final. India now must win to do either.

Surely India must make changes. I cannot believe Rohit retains his spot. Bring in Shubman Gill for him, and Bumrah takes back the captaincy. What wouldn't they give for Ashwin to be available? Australia must exchange Marsh for Webster, but will likely need a replacement for Starc. Sean Abbott, on his home ground, for his Test debut, would be a wonderful reward for ten years of hard work.

Let's wait and see. All I know is that Day Four in a box at the SCG is going to be very loud!!

Australia vs India. 4th Test. Melbourne. 2024/25. Day Four.

Hello to everyone out there who believes Test cricket should be shortened to four-day games. You are imbeciles.

We enter the fifth day of this 4th Test no wiser as to what the result of this game will be. What has become obvious is that the bowlers from both sides are also required to score the majority of the runs. Yesterday on a pitch that died completely once the ball became old, Reddy did what he has done all series, seemingly scoring runs with ease, and twice now having been a big part as to why India have managed to avoid two follow on's in succession. His 114 and Washington Sundar's 50 have proven to be a stumbling block for the Australian bowlers. It also shows that India's selection policy is based around having a lengthy batting line up. In two innings in this match, where India has bowled a total of 205 overs, between them Reddy and Sundar have bowled only 27, a little over 13%. They obviously have not been a part of India's bowling plans, which to be fair revolve almost entirely around throwing Jasprit Bumrah the ball and hoping he decimates the Australian batting. Which, to be fair, he did again today. He removed their middle order in 11 deliveries, and with the scoreline at 6/91 and a lead of just ove4r a hundred, it began to look as though the Test would be over today. Then Cummins again fought hard with 41 runs off 90 deliveries, and the final pair of the rabbit Nathan Lyon (41 off 54) and the ferret Scott Boland (10 off 65) put on an unbroken partnership of 55 runs to get Australia to an overall lead of 333 runs. After Bumrah's spell Australia scored 3/137 off 46 overs. It was almost ridiculously easy for Australia's 10 and 11 to see off 18 overs at the end of the day.

Which brings us to tomorrow. What happens from here. 98 overs are available to both teams. Which team is the bravest to announce they are looking for victory? We know that England now seem to play for victory at all costs from any position no matter how ridiculous, but will either of these teams risk defeat to chase victory? In India's case, they don't need to win. A drawn series sees them hold the Border Gavaskar Trophy, and after the first two days they would see a draw as a great result, much as they did in Brisbane. Australia need to win the series, which means they need to win here. Is the bowling cartel up to the task, given Starc is obviously not 100% and Marsh has barely bowled all summer? Will Cummins continue to attack even if the pitch flattens out further, or will he retreat to a defensive mindset and hope that India implodes? Will the Indian top six hope to repeat their victory at the Gabba four years ago, or repeat the draw in Sydney the week earlier on that same tour?

333 is a gettable target in the modern age, and the pitch doesn't seem to have deteriorated too much. Their elder statesmen are not in the best of form but certainly have the pedigree to break out of their slumber for a famous run chase. Australia will rely on Boland's nagging accuracy, Cummins' aggression and Lyon's persistency. To win Australia will have to risk losing, to draw India into a chase they may want to attack. India will be positive early but even with Jaiswal and Pant and Jadeja in that top six, you feel they will want to ensure they are safe before they looking for a victory chase.

Whatever happens, it should be the final day that Mitch Marsh treads on the field for Australia in a Test match. I have spoken about generational change in the Australian Test team all summer so far, and any attempt to retain Marsh in this team should mean the immediate eviction of the selection panel from their jobs. There are a lot of players in this team who will be waving their goodbyes in the near future, but Marsh should be given his plane ticket to the BBL as soon as stumps are called tomorrow afternoon.

Australia vs India. 4th Test. Melbourne. 2024/25. Day Two.

After two days of play, this Test can already be split into two halves. The difference between India's fading star batsman Virat Kohli and Australia's rising star Sam Konstas, as well as India's captain Rohit Sharma and Australia's captain Pat Cummins.

Sam Konstas has had the best two days a 19 year could have. His innings on day one was audacious, creating heart attacks for Australian supporters early and then heartburn for India's cricket team by its conclusion. Konstas had to have fortune shining on him for his innings to work, and on the day he did. Surviving that first over from Bumrah was remarkable in itself, the attempted ramps in his second something surely no one expected. The fact that they then came off not long after that, causing the bowlers to lose their focus in the heat of the battle which not only allowed Konstas to make people stand up and take notice but gave Usman Khawaja the space to find his own form and work his way into the innings. Then today, for two sessions in the field, Konstas became a crowd her0. He channelled Marv Hughes on the boundary, he encouraged the crowd into clapping as Lyon bowled, he ran around the field and threw the ball at the stumps. And he smiled all afternoon. Think back to when you were 19. How much would you have loved to have done all of that?!

On the other hand, Virat Kohli is rattled and confused and struggling to find his feet. He offered his usual advice to the batters from second slip, but as Konstas continued on his merry way, he decided to take things into his own hands. His deliberate and unprovoked decision to walk and deliberately bump into the 19 year old, and feign responsibility and indeed claim it was Konstas's fault the collision occurred - all in an effort to get into his head and change his game plan - was a disgrace, and far below anything someone with his standing in the game should ever have stooped to. His arrogance in refusing to accept he did anything wrong is exactly how far he has fallen in recent times, and something that should have been immediately taken care of in the dressing room. The fact he barely got a slap on the wrist for this incident is only indicative of the power the BCCI holds in world cricket, and not an indication of the severity of the incident.

And his batting today exemplified that. Though he looked determined, even on a track that has flattened out completely he was not fluent and not at ease. Even so, he and Jaiswal had gotten India to within stumps at 2/153 when the kid on 82 hit the ball to mid-on and called yes immediately. If Kohli was on song, he would have just run on the call of his partner and would have made his ground. Instead, he thought about himself, looked around at the field, and his first movement was back into his crease rather than to the other end, and he barbequed his teammate who was destined for a century and more. Sure, some believe there wasn't a run there... but if he had trusted his partner, not stopped to look around at the field and just run, there would have been no problem. On a flatbed, Australia had made the breakthrough.
And with his head now out of place, he poked at a ball from Boland that he had spent all afternoon ignoring, and edged it to Carey to end his own innings at 36 just seven balls later. Instead of being 2/180 at stumps, India is 5/164 and the game is wide open again. Kohli has not had a good two days at all, while Konstas is having a ball.

The captains too are having a whole different game once again. Pat Cummins has been at the top of his game again. Winning the toss and batting was a fillip. Today he reached 49 in a partnership with Smith of over a hundred that truly set Australia up for their final score of 474. And today he again bowled the perfect delivery to dismiss the very solid looking KL Rahul on the final ball before tea, and he also dismissed his fellow captain. He fielded the ball that caused the run out of Jaiswal. And his tactics in switching the bowlers around constantly to find a wicket led to Scott Boland nabbing two before stumps from terrific bowling. So with bat, with ball, in the field and as a captain, Cummins has had a very successful two days.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma looks a shell of the cricketer he once was and could well be playing his final Test match. His tactical acumen in the field for much of Australia's innings was a dismal failure. He had no idea how to attack Konstas, and lucked out with Khawaja and Labuschagne pretty much dismissing themselves. Then today then seemed no plan to dismiss the Australians, it seemed as though he was just hoping that Bumrah would run through the tail, and when he didn't, he had no plan B. Cummins and Starc are solid bats, but should they have batted without many problems like they did today? He was months overdue to utilise a short ball policy against Cummins, and even then his bowlers didn't seem able to comprehend it. The field and bowling plans looked as though they fell apart, and Sharma just let the game run without trying to find a way to change it.
He then came back out as opener, hoping to find a way to break out of his form slump and lead his team with the bat. He lasted five balls, and fell to a shot that was neither one thing or the other. His confidence has gone, and he is at an age where it is very difficult to rediscover it.
Finally, with 25 minutes still left in the day, Sharma decided to send in a night watchman in front of Rishab Pant when Jaiswal was dismissed. Now that is a scrambled decision from the captain. Designed to protect a batter, but telling him to last almost half an hour at the crease. Which he did not. There was no justification for the decision, and it seemed one made with a belief of disaster rather than an air of confidence.

Two days down, and there is still a lot of cricket to be played, and a result is still not certain for either team. Australia though appear better placed, and India have an air of resignation about them. Day three could well decide the match. It has been a fascinating Boxing Day Test so far. It looks as though that will continue into the next three days.

Selectors Boys Club Does for McSweeney as Marsh Survives Again

It must be great to be a part of the Boy's Club. Keep being fun and popular with the boys, and you'll never have to worry about whether you are performing or not.
A few short weeks ago, Nathan McSweeney would have been the most excited cricketer in Australia. He had lived his dream, getting the Baggy Green of Australia, and becoming a Test cricketer. He had proven over a lengthy stretch that he was in good touch and had scored the runs necessary to make the team. Sure, he was going to bat out of position, but he would be given plenty of opportunity to succeed, and the experienced batters around him would score enough runs to provide the support he needed early on.

Well... no. McSweeney ran into a red hot Jasprit Bumrah, and has found the going tough. So too though has most of the rest of the batting lineup. Indeed, the new kid has done just as well as two of the other batters, and not much less than one other. But that's okay, because we know it is harder to get out of the team than to get in, and he would be given that support by the selectors to help him find his feet. Just like certain others have had before him.
Well... no.

Once again, our selectors have flown in the face of a reasonable selection policy and thrown out the baby with the bath water. McSweeney is now deemed disposable and is dropped. Looking at the situation can anyone see how he gets back into the team in the near future? There is no Shield cricket to play, only T20 rubbish. The next tour is to Sri Lanka, with the selectors currently mulling over a guy who doesn't play first class cricket, Glenn Maxwell, as a possible middle order player. After that is the Ashes next summer. Even if he makes runs in February and March... who will be watching? And given the selectors don't even seem to watch Shield cricket anymore, will it matter?!

Meanwhile, the 38 year old opener has scored few runs in the last 12 months, someone who is surely closer to the end of his career than anyone suspects. And the 33 year old allrounder who rarely bowls because he's injured has also scored less runs than the man who was dropped. Indeed, with his Test batting average now less than 30, what is the justification for his place apparently being secure?
I applaud the selection of Sam Konstas. It is one that probably should have solved this problem by being done for the 1st Test rather than the 4th Test. He looks a long term proposition. We can only hope he is given longer to find his feet than they have offered the previous incumbent. And here is where the problem lies. The differing time players are given, and the number of chances they are offered.

We can talk more about this later. For today, I feel sick for Nathan McSweeney. He doesn't deserve to have had this happen to him, while the others around him, the experienced players who should have been performing better in order to support him, are again left untouched. If the selectors are serious about generational change, they are not showing it. Callum Ferguson's Test career was destroyed by the same sort of selection madness. So too Nic Maddinson. They were cast aside in the most heartless and thoughtless of ways without giving them a chance to settle into the team. Others seem to be given far more chances. It is a difficult thing to watch

Australia vs India. 3rd Test. Brisbane. 2024/25. Day Five.

While Brisbane's rain brought a damp end to a Test match that had the potential to be one that would be full of intrigue, the speculation will be rife over the coming days as we head to Melbourne and then Sydney to find a series result.

For India, to be at 1-1 after three Tests is a win. Despite a thumping victory in Perth, they have struggled severely with the bat. The celebrations in the dressing room when their tailenders managed to pass the follow on was indicative of their mindset. It seemed even India doubted they could see off a second innings blitz to save the Test. And while they would have been happy to rescue Australia to 7/89 in their second innings, despite all the posturing it is only Jasprit Bumrah who poses a major threat to decimate a batting line up.
KL Rahul has been excellent, but he had to survive one of the easiest dropped catches in history to make his 84. Rohit Sharma appears dead in the water, while the other bats have all had one innings in five that could be considered worthy.
So, India is well in the series and only requiring a draw to retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy, but with performances that leave you wondering just how they are in that position. Melbourne's pitch in the past 24 months has had far more life in it so conditions are likely to be similar to the first three matches, but Sydney may well be more to their liking. If they can win or draw in Melbourne they will be odds on to leave Australian shores with the trophy once again. Jaiswal, Rahul, Gill, Kohli, Pant and Sharma looks a top six that should excel in these final two Tests. Along with this, Bumrah, Siraj, Deep and Reddy have shown they are a handy bowling line up for these conditions, and Jadeja will be more dangerous with ball in hand in Melbourne and Sydney. Despite having been mostly outplayed for the last two Tests, India appear in the best position.

Australia should have been better placed to win in Brisbane, and if all things had been equal perhaps they would have been. Hazlewood breaking down - again - left them a bowler short, something the selectors assured us was why they had to pick an allrounder to share the bowling workload. That chosen allrounder bowled only two overs as India managed to creep past the follow on mark with Australia reduced to just three bowlers. Yes, the rain spells allowed the bowlers to remain fresh-ish, but it flies in the face of what the selectors and team management have insisted is a reasonable selection policy. Two scores in double figures in his past eight innings also creates a facade of his continued selection. Meanwhile the form allrounder in the country over the past 18 months is cooling his heels in the BBL, an allrounder who not only bowls seam up but off spin. You'd think that would be a handy thing for Melbourne and Sydney.
Hazlewood's injury that has now ruled him out of the rest of the series again highlights that, beyond Scott Boland who will no doubt replace him in Melbourne, Australia's reserve bowling stocks are very thin, especially in Test experience. Neser is injured, Jhye Richardson is perennially injured, and Doggett and Abbott have no Test experience. If either Starc or Cummins falls, suddenly Australia's bowling is well and truly exposed.
Australia's inability to finish off the tail of India to enforce the follow on is also problematic. True, if Smith had snared the dolly offered to him first ball of day four it would have been far easier, but tactically again Australia seemed wayward. The last four wickets put on 119 runs. The rain may well have won in the end anyway, but it was a missed opportunity to force an unlikely victory.

Australia's batting is bordering on tragedy and complete implosion. Yes, Bumrah has been exceptional, and the others very good, but at home our batters are usually imperious. Head has been wonderful, averaging 81.80 in the series, which with his injury on day five has sent shudders down the spines of Australians everywhere.
Why? Because this is where our other batters currently rank in this series. Carey 40.50. Smith 24.80. Labuschagne 16.40. McSweeney 14.40. Marsh 13.80. Khawaja 12.60.
The openers have the toughest gig in this series, and seeing off the new ball or a session of cricket is just as important on occasions as runs scored. McSweeney and Labuschagne did this in Adelaide, Khawaja and McSweeney here on day one. And no doubt the team will say they were doing the 'team thing' in the second innings.

There is little doubt the selectors will stick with the same team for Melbourne. They will roll out the same lines, the team spirit, the best six bats in Australia, we're unlucky not to be at 2-1... but it will be lip service. Even though Darren Lehmann had to have realised the irony of what he was saying when he said this week that the Chairman of Selectors George Bailey was 'too close' to the players when it came to selections, he was correct. It's very hard to drop your mates, and if you are mates with them all, and the coach and captain are of the same opinion, then that seems like a conflict of interest.
So as I said, Australia and India will likely go to Melbourne unchanged, apart from Boland in for an injured Hazlewood, and the injury watch on Travis Head. India will be in raptures if Head is out for the summer, and it would indeed tip the scales heavily in their favour.
McSweeney deserves time, Khawaja has simply earned that over time. Probably Labuschagne as well. Despite a Test batting average that has dipped under 30, Marsh will continue to receive the selectors blessings.

Change just has to be around the corner. Sam Konstas looks like an international player. He is ripe. If the selectors wait much longer it will be a criminal waste. Beau Webster is at the height of form, and should be given a chance at this time rather than waiting until he begins to slide, which does seem to be the MO of this selection panel. Lance Morris has waited for two years without getting an opportunity, Sean Abbott even longer. Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchicciolli are two offspinners with talent.
I've said it twice already this summer. If Australia lose this series then panic will hit and recriminations will abound. But if that is what it takes to get some regeneration in our Test team then perhaps it is the best thing that could happen. If Australia win, this same team will be there at the start of next summer, another year older, and again without any real succession plan. The future is here, and the time is upon us. I just wonder whether or not those in charge of that happening actually want that to occur.

Australia vs India. 3rd Test. Brisbane. 2024/25. Day Two.

"Send 'em in Nasser!"
It's a phrase that has become synonymous when visiting captains insert Australia first on the first day at the Gabba. It didn't work for Nasser Hussain 22 years ago, it doesn't appear to have worked for Rohit Sharma here.
Though the top three didn't do much damage on the scoreboard, they once again saw off tough periods of play - the openers on the rain shortened first day for 14 overs, and then Labuschagne the first hour of the second day. When he was dismissed with the score on 75, almost 34 overs had been bowled. The ball was getting softer, the pitch a tad more benign.

Enter Smith and Head.

Travis Head has his doubters, but he has proven to be a match changer. He does hit the ball in the air more than he may need, he does flash often outside off stump. He rides his luck, and when it's in he's impossible to stop. Game positions like yesterday are where he thrives, taking the hard work down by the top four and turning it into runs at a good clip, feasting on tiring bowlers and changing the momentum of the innings. It is what teams want from their numbers 5 and 6, and Head is in a good place at the moment. He rightfully won plaudits for Australia's win in Adelaide, and has set them on a similar course here. But he would be the first to suggest that it was that hard work done at the top of the order that gave him that opportunity.

Not the least by his partner in their 241 partnership. Steve Smith has been out of runs lately, but not out of form. He looked good in the ODI's. He got a good one first up in Perth, and a leg side strangle in Adelaide. He tinkered again, and went back to what has been successful in the past. His imperious batting is on the wane, as even the greats have happen to them in their final few years. Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara... they all became less productive, but continued to work their backsides off to contribute to their team. So too did Smith yesterday. He refused to budge. He had some fortune, without which he could well have been out LBW twice. But he deserved it. He fought with the same tenacity that he showed here at the Gabba against England 7 years ago with a first innings century that ranks as one of his best. Here it was nudges and pushes and swivels, as he stood fast as his teammate dominated at the other end. As he approached his century, we finally saw the cover drive emerge, the one that flies across the outfield along the ground, piercing the gap in the field to the boundary - the one always indicates that Smith is getting back to his best. A rare celebration on reaching three figures told how much this meant to him and how hard he had worked to get it. His disappointment at being dismissed shortly after showed he knew he'd left some runs out there, but perhaps also that there are more to come this series.

With the new ball taken India - or at least Bumrah - made some incisions, but the second best in form batter in the Australian line-up Alex Carey looked superb, and guided Australia past 400 by stumps. He will be hoping his bowling cartel can hang in this morning to allow him to cash in more.

For India, problems await, but having watched Australia they will surely assess that if you can see off the new ball, batting becomes easier. Bumrah and Siraj were wonderful in the first session, but even they couldn't stop Head and Smith once the shine had dispersed. India will need to play the same way in order to keep themselves in this Test. If Australia can manage another 50 runs the follow-on will be a tough prospect, and even though no one enforces it anymore, perhaps having lost most of the first day will encourage Cummins to go for the throat if he gets that opportunity late on day three or early on day four. It would certainly make for entertaining viewing.

Australia vs India. 3rd Test. Brisbane. 2024/25. Preview.

What can we expect at the Gabba over the next few days? Will it last more than three days? Which Australia and which India shows up?

The pink ball Test could not have come at a better time for Australia. They play more day/night Tests than any other team, and they've only lost one of them. They looked underdone in Perth but the change in format helped the home team. The pink ball is Starc's superpower, and he proved it again. But Australia won the game in the twilight session of day one, when McSweeney and Labuschagne refused to budge, and helped set up the home team's batting for day two, where Head took all before him.
Neither side is where it wants to be. Jaiswal and Kohli were superb in the second innings in Perth but have three low scores apart from that. Shubman Gill showed glimpses in Adelaide. Pant looks like he's counting. Rahul and Rohit have been terrific players who may or may not rediscover their best. Jasprit Bumrah is a magnificent bowler, and Siraj a useful lieutenant. They've tried both Sundar and Ashwin as their spinner for little success. Perhaps Jadeja gets a chance in Brisbane.

 
Australia has the same problems. Head is the talisman, but if he falls who is taking up the slack? Khawaja is looking his age, and McSweeney is still finding his way. Labuschagne and Smith have been the engine room for five years, but the engine is beginning to falter. There is no longer the confidence that no matter what the situation those two will rescue the team. Marsh and Carey promise much but deliver significantly less. The same four bowlers who have served Australia for the best part of seven years continue to be the ones charged with the duty of finding 20 wickets.

Who is under pressure? Everyone! Someone will leave the Gabba 2-1 up and in the box seat to win the series. And although the focus will be on individuals such as Smith, Kohli, Rohit and Labuschagne, it will still be the best team that comes away with victory. The one that puts together the consistent partnerships, with bat and ball. The one that shows patience, the one that fights to the end.

I don't know what is going to happen. I hope McSweeney builds on the promise he showed in Adelaide. I hope the bowling cartel attacks the stumps. I hope to see Steve Smith build on how good he has looked with the bat this season and gets the score that kickstarts his summer.

For Australia, this Test is everything. Lose, and they will likely lose a series to India at home for the third successive time. The elder brigade will come under even tougher scrutiny, and answers will have to be found. Win, and they keep those questions at bay for another week or so.

Across the ditch, England are building a team that is powerful, young and has a self-centred sense of belief in their ability. They believe they can take the Ashes next summer. Australia isn't even sure how many of its current 12 players will still be around next summer. A loss here will hasten that change. A win may not even prevent it.

Australia vs India. 1st Test. Perth. 2024/25. Review.

A week ago, most Australians would have been comfortable about the national team’s chances in the First Test in Perth. India was struggling, under the pump and missing key players in Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Then they left out both Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja from their XI. Australia on the other hand, apart from Cameron Green, was nominally at full strength. And after the first two sessions of the match, there could be only one winner of the match.

 
And Australia did not win one session for the next three days. And India is now back at its arrogant steamrolling best.

 
India was superb. Bumrah, Siraj and Rana laid waste to the Australians batting twice. Even as Head, Marsh and Carey built small innings and partnerships of consequence, the bowlers did not panic or stray from their plans. And with 534 runs to defend, they didn’t have to. Bowling the lines, bowl the lengths, and let the pitch do its job. Or the batters to blink. Despite the talk of the pitch, the bowling was what got wickets yesterday. Khawaja being drawn into a pull shot fourth ball of the day was lower grades stuff. The match situation required more than that stroke offered. Smith fought hard but was undone by a terrific delivery. So too Head who played with typical intent but like Smith found a ball that just caught the edge of his bat. Marsh looked to follow but fell to the crooked bat where a straight bat may have seen him survive. The final action of dominance came from Josh Hazlewood being crashed in his helmet by a perfect bouncer. Australia’s final totals of 104 and 238 suggest either an opposition who is far better than the batting team or conditions that are foreign to the home team. Neither is true here.
India is now suddenly awash with a wealth of players trying to force their way into the Test XI. Rohit Sharma has arrived ready to resume the captaincy, while Shubman Gill is likely to be fit for inclusion for Adelaide. While Washington Sundar did the job for his team you can be sure that both Ashwin and Jadeja will want to get in on this Aussie bashing as soon as possible. Kl Rahul has again proven his worth, Jaiswal proven his talent. Whoever India chooses for the pink ball Test, they will be brimming with confidence and all primed to continue to rub Australia’s nose in the dirt.

 
Australia has other problems, ones that have been rumbling for some time but have been buried by the selectors. They spent two years ignoring David Warner’s waning form, constantly suggesting his position was not under threat, and that he was still ‘one of the best six batters in the country’. Somehow Australia was able to win in most situations despite this, and he got the fairytale exit he wanted. It was the new selection policy – back the guys we have, don’t worry too much about form, and in the process have the talent in the rest of the country, cricketers worthy of selection on the basis of ACTUALLY scoring runs, wither on the vine as opportunities dried up.

 
Now the selectors face their next quandary. Marnus Labuschagne. He looks cooked. His mind is rattled, his thoughts at the crease unclear and confused. His luck and runs have nosedived. Mitch Starc looked more composed at the crease in this Test than Labuschagne did. He looks like a man who needs a rest, the chance to rediscover his touch and mindset at a lower level and come back as the player he was between 2019-2022. This of course won’t happen, mainly because the Sheffield Shield is about to go into hiatus for three months because of the BBL, which means there is no opportunity for this to occur as was the great thing about Australian cricket up until 20 years ago.

 
The other two reasons are these – one, there doesn’t appear to be any easy solution to replace him, and two, the selectors have shown that they just don’t do this. Stick with what you have, keep the group together, ignore everything coming from the outside, and remain solid to a man.

 
Was there a selector at the Shield yesterday watching Henry Hunt score a century from the opening position for South Australia? What about one watching Kurtis Patterson score an excellent 99 for NSW? Or Bancroft finally breaking through to be 71 not out at stumps against South Australia? Or Marcus Harris being 50 not out against Queensland? I guess not, because George Bailey was in Perth alongside Andrew McDonald and Pat Cummins. Tony Dodemaide is the only other selector, and he couldn’t have been at all three Shield games at the same time. So have those innings gone to waste? And what about the conditions and the bowlers they faced? Does ANYONE at the national level have any clue as to what is happening in first class cricket in Australia?! Because it seems as though it doesn’t matter what happens there, because the team is chosen and this is what we are going with.

 
We know the same team will be chosen by Australia for Adelaide. It will be said that the first Test was a blip, and that they won seven of the eight Tests they have played since last November before this Perth Test. But the signs were there last summer. Pakistan were awful and competed manfully, while the Windies won in Brisbane against the odds when the Australian team seemed as though they thought they just had to turn up to win. And only the fact that New Zealand still has an inability to believe they can beat Australia in big games stopped them from doing so in February. If the Kiwis believed like they do against England and like they did just last month against India, they would have won that series earlier this year. But because they didn’t, the selectors choose to inform us that everything is fine.

 
If Australia lose in Adelaide, expect panic stations. And the selectors only have themselves to blame. England have rotated batters and bowlers for two years, ensuring that whenever injury or form rules a player out, there are several options to bring in to the team, all of whom have at least tasted Test cricket. India has done the same, the benefit of which we have just witnessed. Australia has just had its first debutante batter in three years, since Will Pucovski’s only Test in Sydney. Since Chadd Sayers single Test in 2018 only three fast bowlers have debuted for Australia – Jhye Richardson with 3 Tests, Michael Neser with 2 Tests and Scott Boland with 10 Tests.

 
Now I’ve said these things before, and when Australia bounces back and win, I am ridiculed. And that’s okay. I accept I don’t get everything right and my opinions at times are at opposite ends of the spectrum from most. But as a lover of cricket, this result is worrying for the future. The team is ageing rapidly. As wonderful as the top order has been, all three of Khawaja, Smith and Labuschagne are waning, and it appears to be speeding up alarmingly. After all of the angst over recent months in just replacing one of the top four, they may well be looking for three more in quick succession. The bowling group has been together so long that they have taken over 1000 Test wickets when all four play in Tests together. That is an amazing stat, but it also suggests that time is not on the side of any of them, and sooner or later replacement have to be found, prepped and actually given an opportunity. Spencer Johnson is hooped a pink ball at the Gabba in Shield cricket at the moment, Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris are bowling heat in Adelaide.

 
Australia just got their arses handed to them in a match they would have felt comfortable about winning. The way they attack the next Test could well decide the fate of this series, but also the fate of some Test careers in the very near future.

Australia vs India. 1st Test. Perth. 2024/25. Day Three.

Test cricket is still a joy to watch, even when your team is being man handled and monstered by their opposition. Once this Test is completed, probably sometime this evening, there will be a lot of discussion over just where it all went wrong for Australia.

 
As I was out day drinking on Saturday I saw none of Day 2. But for the first two sessions yesterday, I thought Australia overall bowled pretty well. Starc was too full or too short initially, but all three seamers beat the outside edge of Jaiswal’s bat on multiple occasions without reward. You have days like that. Cummins looks short of a run which after this Test he won’t be. The pitch still had pace and bounce, but the tinge of green that gave that nip off the seam on Day 1 had vanished, leaving a pretty good surface to bat on.

 
Wickets came sporadically, each one looked upon by the Indian batter dismissed as though they were dreadfully unlucky. That does become a little annoying. Given the state of the game, Kohli’s hundred was easily predicted. He tried nothing flashy, he got in on a good surface and did what all batters of his calibre should do. The supporting cast did their job and made sure he got his century before the declaration came. Australia’s bowling in that final session was ragged, along with the tactics. They had been perfectly burned to a crisp by the heat, the pitch and the batting. Which all made what happened next all too obvious.

 
After three days of only two balls not bouncing as they should have, McSweeney’s fourth ball stayed low on cue and cannoned into his front pad. When the cricket Gods are in your corner, they perform wonderful feats. It has been a tough debut. He will have better days ahead.

 
The decision firstly to send in a night watchman with over 20 minutes of the day remaining, and that being the captain himself, is hard to fathom. What does that say about the mindset of our number three bat? His job is to face the new ball when necessary. This was his time to show leadership. Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting would have stridden purposefully to the crease to face the music with a determined steel in their eye. It was another admission of his failing powers. Cummins flashed at a wide ball he didn’t need to play at to give Labuschagne only a small respite, and once at the crease his mindset was exposed for what it is, the indecision in how he should be approaching his batting. His dismissal last ball was almost prophetic, not offering a shot whereas in the past he would be clear minded and assertive in either leaving the ball or playing the defensive stroke. He is in a sea of madness at the moment. It is fair to say that he had a run of good fortune up until 18 months ago in regards to being dropped during an innings or being saved by a no ball. That has well and truly deserted him, and he needs to work his technique out fast if he is going to save himself and his team in this series.

 
At 3/12, today may determine if Australia is capable of being in this series by Melbourne. The bowlers for the most part stuck to their guns and fought hard on a pitch that was against them on Day 2 and 3. The top order batting has been average for some time. They are marvellous on a shirtfront, but in dire danger when the ball is moving around. Today is a Test for Khawaja, Smith, Head, Marsh and Carey. They are playing on their home pitches, which is supposed to be an advantage. They need to stand up and be counted today. If Australia is rolled for under 200 then questions must be asked. If they can get to 5/320 at stumps, then even though winning is still probably out of the question, they will have shown that they won’t roll over this summer.

 
The problem for Australis is – this is their best XI available. Behind them... just who is there that could possibly take their place?...

Australia vs India. 1st Test. Perth. 2024/25. Day One.

The first day of the first Test of the summer is almost always fascinating, and can often set the tone for the whole series. What yesterday in Perth did was suggest there could be very little cricket on Day five of any of the five Tests. 

Finally, we have a real Perth wicket. Not as much pace and bounce as the WACA but not far off, and certainly more movement off the seam. It was great to watch after seeing barren flat pitches around the country for so long. It will be interesting to see if the bounce and pace in particular can carry through the whole Test match (no pun intended).

The bowlers of both sides thrived. Starc and Hazlewood’s opening spell was just brilliant. The benefit of playing Shield prior to the Test came to the fore. And Mitch Marsh must have been out the back bowling to Shaun for the last week or so as he showed the benefit as well. The skipper was a little off but that spell will have done him good. He’ll need it today.

Jasprit Bumrah showed again why he is the best in the world. My word he is fun to watch. How happy must he have been to finally see a pitch with something in it apart from a couple of white lines down the middle or a raging dust bowl. He did not waste one delivery and it was a pleasure to see him go about his work. Siraj and Rana on debut backed him up superbly.

The batting had some excuse given the conditions, but overall just proved once again that the deterioration in technique caused by the plethora of T20 cricket means that if the pitch is not a road, batters around the world are in trouble. Only the two wicket keepers and Indian stalwart KL Rahul showed any real ease against the constant attacks. Rahul was unhappy with his 50/50 decision, and perhaps didn’t get the benefit of the doubt especially as Kettleborough had given him not out on the field. That’s the age we live in with referrals. That one went against India (though I still think for all money he hit it). Pant again played the rescue job in his own inimitable way, and Reddy on debut contributed 41 runs that now look like the difference between teams being level on first innings or India have a substantial lead. Alex Carey, the form batter of the summer for Australia, carried it into this game and is now the one thing between India and a 50+ first innings lead.

Today should be fascinating. Can India start better in their second dig. Can Kohli finally break his shackles and regain the powers of old. Can Australia limit India to a total that could possibly be chased down.

Cricket is back and the dash are better for it.

Warner's Offer Highlights Holes in Selectors Doctrine

As we approach a month out from a Test series that for... ever... really... was considered exciting to watch, but that Australia would never ever be in danger of losing on their home turf, and suddenly are now facing down the barrel of losing for the third time in succession, it seems that the predictable squad that Australia generally chooses at the start of the summer may be in for a slight revamp. And as per usual everyone has their opinion of which player should be the smokey that comes from out of the clouds to fill a place.

That place of course is the one vacated by Cameron Green, whose summer has been sent to rehab after announcing he required surgery on his broken back. Despite his enormous talent, his second major operation on his back now leaves his career in a state of limbo. Can he recover in time for next season's Ashes contest? Will he be the same player? Will he be able to force his way back into the squad if he is fit? No doubt those questions will continue to be chased over the next 12 months.

One question no one expected to hear again was whether David Warner would play Test cricket if the selectors asked him to return. As it turns out, that WAS the question that lit up both the mainstream media and social media over the past few days, after what appears to be an innocuous question in an interview published this week on The Code had Warner seemingly renouncing his previous statements about retirement, and saying that if George Bailey still thought he was the right man for the job then he was willing to kit up straight away and head into the fray. And the media hounds starting frothing at the mouth.
Of course, all of this was nonsense. Warner knew he was now out of cricket apart from his many forays into the domestic T20 competitions worldwide but also savvy enough to know that that comment would provide him with enormous amounts of free publicity to stay in the public's eye for a little while longer. And the selection panel and Cricket Australia, having finally been able to throw off the anchor that Warner's continued forced selection despite average form over the previous two years had created, were ever going to entertain any such idea of offering him a return.
The fact that this was such a huge blowup is indicative of two things. Firstly, that there are apparently so many contenders fighting for one place in the Australian top six, and that those who were considered to be the main contenders a month ago have failed to light up the scoreboard in the opening rounds of the Sheffield Shield. It also points to the selectors weakening argument when it came to selecting Warner's replacement nine months ago, choosing to elevate Australia's best number four to open rather than one of the several candidates around the country who ACTUALLY open the batting for their state.

The selectors have had two years to pick any of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matthew Renshaw as an opener in the fading light that was the last part of Warner's career. Harris got four Tests against England at home three years ago, and was then cast aside when the selectors couldn't face leaving out Usman Khawaja after he scored twin tons in Sydney as a late replacement for the covid infested Travis Head. Matt Renshaw got a similar chance in the middle order a year later and then another in India when the selectors decided to drop their best bat for fear he couldn't play spin. Bancroft hasn't been sighted since 2019, but has scored more runs than anyone else in first class cricket over the last two years. The opportunity has been there for the selectors to give any of those three a decent spell at the top of the order for Australia, but the fact that they have not suggests they don't want to. The fact that none of them are banging down the door at the moment is also unfortunate for them. The one who has is 19 year old Sam Konstas, with twin centuries in the first Shield match and a reasonable 40 in the second. But already it feels as though the selectors are slowly leaking to their media favourites that it is too early for him and that he needs more time.

George Bailey was quite open when Warner retired that they were going to pick the best six bats in Australia and worry about the order after that. It is fair to say that my opinion on those best six widely varies from George Bailey. They have already made clear that Steve Smith, who opened in New Zealand and looked uncomfortable the entire time, will be moving back to number four. If that mentality hasn't changed from the selectors, then you won't see an opening batter chosen. You will instead see someone like Western Australian wicket-keeper Josh Inglis chosen, because he fits the mould of batter they currently want in the team (ie Head, Marsh). Then one of those three will open. Marsh and Head have both opened in white ball cricket recently, leading some quarters to suggest they can do the same job in a Test match. Inglis has opened in Shield but with little success, and of course has opened in white ball cricket domestically, but like Marsh and Head for the Australian white ball teams, we all know is NOT the same as opening in a Test match. And yet, the selectors may well be about to tell you otherwise.

Another part of this story is the constant attempt to insist that the team requires an allrounder in the team, in order to offload the workload of the three major fast bowlers in the squad. With Green out of the picture, and Marsh always at the point of breaking down, there currently isn't a viable option in the team to do that job (no, Labuschagne's seam bowling is not the answer). So it is also very possible they won't pick another batter. Instead, they may consider putting Marsh or Head up to open, bring Alex Carey to 6, and then choose an allrounder of sorts to bat at 7 and bowl some overs. In this instance there are some reasonable candidates. Aaron Hardie has shown excellent form with the ball, and hits the ball hard. He was on a shortlist two years ago to perhaps play in Sydney, and his recent white ball form for Australia shows a lot of promise. There is also Beau Webster, leading run scorer in the Sheffield Shield last season, and not only bowls seam up but off spin as well. That helps the bowlers workloads given they will all want to play all five Tests. If the selectors deem it necessary to have someone offering up more than a token over here and there this summer, this may also be a path they are considering.

Whatever happens over the next month, be prepared to be very disappointed with Australia's Test squad this summer. That doesn't mean they can't win the series whichever way the selectors go, but my fear is that the selectors will continue to ignore form and instead will pick players like England do now, on the kind of player they might be if they are on their best day, rather than on actual performance on the field. And whichever way they go, it will also probably mean Marnus will be seeing a lot of the new ball this summer.

T20 World Cup 2021: Warne's Warbling More Dangerous than Loss to England

The cricket media used to be the most reliable section of journalism. There was little hysteria with extreme results, good or bad for the local team, and the analysis of the game was generally thoughtful and reserved. In the age of social media and parts of the media more interested in clickbait than actual commentary on the game, that kind of composure is becoming a thing of the past. Instead we have a multitude of former international cricketers who are more interested in having their voice heard above everyone else’s, and don’t mind too much if what they say today completely contradicts what they said yesterday, or what they will say tomorrow. I bring this up after the barrage of opinion that has come in the last three days, firstly over Australia’s unfortunate but not unexpected capitulation to England in their T20 World Cup clash, but also with India falling similarly to New Zealand and now in danger themselves of missing out on the semi-finals of the tournament. So as a result, what I can offer you today is my own opinion on what has transgressed over the past week or so, and see if I can outshout those ex-Test cricketers who seem to love to create drama, on today’s episode of The Casual Mankadder, right here on Thoughts From the Metal Cavern.

It has been an interesting few days in international cricket, and depending who you are listening to and on what day, Australia’s World Cup campaign has either been a success or a complete disaster. Last Thursday you might have been led to believe that Australia was on track for a famous victory in this World Cup, and the likely victory over England was about to prove that. Come the following day and it was obvious that Australia was a shot duck, likely to miss the finals and all because the team needed to be completely revamped from the combination that had lost that day... even though they had won their first two matches. As hard as it must have been for Australians, worse was to follow for India, who having already allowed their main rivals Pakistan to flog them by 10 wickets, then managed to lose again to NZ, this time by 8 wickets. And as with Australia, the knives were out, with so many ex-players who had turned themselves into experts simply by leaving the game and moving to a commentary box now suggesting mass changes for the rest of the tournament.

The main thing about this – Australia and India supposedly struggling – is this. T20 cricket, from the outset, has been a gamble, a toss up. Any team can defeat another team on the day. It is the format where upset results come far quicker and more prolifically than any other form of the game. If there is a distinct advantage of, say, batting second in a tournament, then the toss of the coin can be the deciding factor rather than the skill of the two teams on show. If all aspects appear equal, then it is pressure that can stall an innings, proving to be vital in the outcome of the match.

The West Indies squad contains players such as Gayle, Bravo, Russell, Pollard, Narine, all players who are the T20 mercenaries of the world, travelling around to all of the T20 domestic competitions, and have played more T20 cricket than any other players in the history of the format. And yet, the Windies so far have barely fired a shot in anger and are no guarantee to make the semi-finals. India host the world biggest annual T20 domestic tournament, the IPL, and has the cream of international stars playing in it as well, which as a result should mean that Indian players have the best possible upbringing in the T20 game, and indeed are feted by their board and their commentators alike as such. All of their young domestic players are raised in this tournament, a place where they can stake their claim to further international honours. And yet, India has now lost twice – to very good opposition it must be said - and are now also in danger of missing out on the semi-final stage.

What this has shown again is that T20 cricket is a fickle game. Australia defeated SA and SL comfortably, and in the days leading up to their clash with England the media talk was all about the great match that was to come, and could Australia upset one of the tournament favourites. When it comes to pass that they don’t and instead get summarily thrashed by a team that has proven to be far superior to Australia in both white ball formats over the past four years, its panic stations, and suddenly massive changes are needed, especially from our good mate Shane Warne.

Far be it for me to try and lock horns with the experts of the game such as Shane Warne and Michael Clarke. For guys who at different times were left out of the Australian team and were very vocal (then and now) about the injustice of it all, the notion that Steve Smith should not be chosen in Australia’s T20 XI still seems a little far fetched. Six months ago, if it had been suggested that Smith would have been left at home with an eye to playing the longer formats of the game and prepare for an Ashes summer, I would have been in favour of that, given the inconsequential draw of T20 cricket for most cricket lovers and a desire to ensure we can retain the Ashes this summer. But with Smith in this squad, the idea that he should be left out of the team doesn’t stack up. No matter what these two giants of the game believe is Smith’s lack of strike rate and big hitting in the T20 game, suggesting he should be replaced – by anyone – is ludicrous. Indeed, I believe it can be answered by your thoughts on this one simple question: Who would you pick in your best Australia team – Steve Smith or Mitch Marsh? Or Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis? In any situation, if you are betting on either Marsh or Stoinis to be more effective with bat in hand, then the tournament is already as good as over. We all know Warne has a penchant of, when constantly asked for his opinion, choosing teams that suddenly have two or three players in it that no one else in the country is thinking about. It’s his way, and like all of us armchair selectors, he has the comfort of knowing that his thoughts never actually have to be tested in the real world. Heaven help us if he ever really did become a selector. Imagine the mayhem that would ensue.


In the international version of T20 cricket, it appears from the outside that the best teams have a team plan, one that is followed no matter who is actually picked in the squad. England have done this best in recent years. Their plan has been to attack from the outset. If that works, great, keep going. If it doesn’t.... well, keep attacking and see what happens. They pick their teams based on this philosophy, leaning heavily on aggressive batting led by Buttler, Roy, Malan, Bairstow, Morgan, Livingston, and allrounders Woakes, Ali and Jordan. Billings can’t even get into the XI, while in this tournament they are even with Root and Stokes and Archer who would probably only have made this squad stronger. The bowling attack is balanced between pace and spin, and there are lots of options if something goes berserk.

Australia doesn’t have players like England, and so any effort to play the same way, as Warne suggests Australia must do, to me is uninformed. You have to play to a plan that works for the players you have in your team. And at the moment that is compromised, because teams have worked out Australia’s batsmen. Four of the top six have been in the ODI and T20 top six for Australia since before the 2015 ODI World Cup. That’s almost 7 years ago. Bowling at a length and cutting into Finch’s pads has him out LBW or bowled almost every time. Bowling around the wicket and cramping warner has stopped his ability to score runs (thanks Stuart Broad). The constant change of mind by selectors and coaches and captains as to how best use his ability has seen him only show his true depth on stagnated occasions. And keeping the ball a foot outside off stump keeps Smith at best at a run a ball, which opposition teams are happy to do until he gets himself out in frustration. Added to this is the rotation of so many players in the other batting positions in the top six, such that no one really knows if they are going to be able to secure their position like the other four mentioned previously – players like Stoinis and Marsh and Carey and Wade and McDermott and Henriques and Head and Turner – and there is a real confusion as to just how the team should play its batting. England currently have no such problems. They know their role and execute it. The same with the bowling. Australia’s big three in Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood rarely play together in T20I because it is often these matches where they get their rotation rest breaks in the season. As such, other bowlers like Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson have gotten their chance and have done well, but now that the big three are together, they sit on the sidelines. And though both Starc and Cummins are capable of big hitting at the end, they are really specialist bowlers, and with Australia playing four specialist bowlers on most occasions while other teams are able to boast more substantial all-rounders with bat and bowl, it does leave Australia’s ability to bat through the order compromised.

Before this tournament started I didn’t think Australia would reach the semi-finals. Despite all the grief and moaning since the defeat to England, Australia now only has to win its final two games to do so, against the Windies and Bangladesh. They have lost to both nations in recent times - and a lot - but it was with a half strength side that didn’t truly reflect this squad. Given the performances of the West Indies so far, and the fact that Bangladesh’s best player Shakib Ul Hasan is now out of the rest of the tournament with injury, and that South Africa still has to face England themselves, then really, from this point, if Australia DOESN’T make the semi-finals, it will have no one but itself to blame for it.

Podcast: Episode 59: 45 Years of Rainbow's "Rising"

It has been a week of remembrance, being that it was 11 years ago this week that the great Ronnie James Dio left the building, probably on the back of a flying dragon brandishing a sword and singing about rainbows. And as it turns out, I’ll be discussing rainbows today, in particular the band Rainbow, and their sophomore album “Rising”. The album was released 45 years ago this week, and so I’ll delve back in time a little to discuss the elements that brought it together, and play some of the tracks for you as well. So sit back, throw the horns, and let’s get into a little stargazing on Thoughts from the Metal Cavern.

 

Podcast: Episode 58: Holding the Ball! Round 9

Week 9 proved to be a shocker for some of the big teams from the 70's and 80's, but impressive from the resurgent clubs at the top of the ladder. After a look back on round 9 I once again turn my attention to that basket case known as the Collingwood Football Club, before showing off my non-existent tipping skills for round 10.

Podcast: Episode 57: The Casual Mankadder: Ball Tampering

In my newly reshaped and retitled cricket sub-podcast titled "The Casual Mankadder", today we will discuss the same thing the rest of the cricket media has dredged up this week, with more discussion about the sandpaper incident of 2018. So let's get it all out there again, and discuss why this keeps being brought up all the time, when every other incident of ball tampering in the history of cricket seems to have been confined to history.

Podcast: Episode 56: In League With the NRL Round 10

Welcome to today’s episode of Thoughts from the Metal Cavern, and in particular this week’s instalment of In League with the NRL. Magic Round has been and gone, and there was plenty of action on the field that we’ll have a short discussion on. Then we’ll move along into week’s Talking Point, which today has a look at the onset of players being chased and signed for next season when we are barely a third of the way through the current season, and also have a sneak peek at what the Cronulla Sharks may do to revive their fortunes next year. And then we’ll finish with me throwing some darts at the dartboard to come up with my tips for next weekend.

Podcast: Episode 55: Album Reviews: Michael Schenker, Alice Cooper, Accept, KK's Priest, Helloween

On today's Album Review segment, we have a look at three 2021 album releases - Michael Schenker Group's "Immortal", Alice Cooper's "Detroit Stories" and Accept's "Too Mean To Die", as well as two singles preceding their album's release, K.K's Priest's "Hellfire Thunderbolt" and Helloween's "Skyfall". Enjoy!

Podcast: Episode 54: Holding the Ball! AFL Round 8

More AFL talk for you diehards who like AFL and like listening to some bozo talking about it. After having a quick look at last week's matches, today's Talking Point delves into the debate over playing strips, both the ones that some restrict one club from wearing, and a discussion on the need for 'clash' jerseys to come into play for all clubs. Finally my tips for next weekend are made available for you to ignore completely.

Podcast: Episode 53: In League With the NRL: Round 9

Round 9 of the NRL competition has been run and won, and I have a look back on the matches played and give a short analysis of what went right and wrong. And in today's Talking Point I look back on the end of the first half of the Eels vs Roosters match, and discuss the ins and outs of refereeing decisions and the worth of the Bunker and what can be done to avoid it happening again.

 

Podcast: Episode 52: Album Review: LORD's "Undercovers, Vol.1"

In the modern age of album releases, having albums entirely consisting of cover versions of other songs is not unusual. What you do hope for is something out of the ordinary, something that sets those songs apart from the originals, and can transcend the fans of both the original band and the one who is covering it. Come in and have a listen to how a high class Australian metal band does it.