Australia v. India - 4th. Test, Sydney

[Go_The_Mighty_Magpies]

The Don, The Hill … and the flying meat pie

Cricinfo

The new book Ground Rules contains in-depth chapters on the great cricket grounds of the world. In this exclusive excerpt Steve Waugh looks at Sydney, his home ground and the venue for his final Test on January 2:


My first memory of the Sydney Cricket Ground is going out there with my team-mates from the Panania-East Hills under-10s cricket side. After playing a match in the morning, we travelled to the ground in the back of our coach's van to see New South Wales play South Australia in the Sheffield Shield. It was November 1973.

Inevitably, my memories of that day have been clouded by time, but I do recall that we sat on The Hill and I was taken by the greenness of it all – not just where we sat, but also the playing surface and the roofs of the grandstands.

The ground needs its history and memories to keep it sacred. Back in 1973, I recall the immediate feeling that the SCG was a special place, and how I enjoyed the barrackers who were brave enough to yell good-naturedly at the players. The ground seemed so huge. Doug Walters seemed to be everyone's favourite; he quickly became mine.

Two summers later and I made my Test debut, so to speak, when dad took my twin brother Mark and me to the third day of the Test against West Indies. A study today of the scorecard shows that the day was dominated by Greg Chappell, who made 182 not out, the second of his four Test centuries at the ground. However, my main memory is of Aussie keeper Rod Marsh hitting a pull shot smack in the middle of his bat, but being caught spectacularly, one-handed with his body parallel to the ground, by Lance Gibbs in front of square leg. We were sitting in the Sheridan Stand and I was entranced by how much more vibrant the ground was with a full house in. The green grass of The Hill was now a mass of colour, bare backs, noise, energy and – late in the day – the odd brawl or two as well.

The story goes that when the young Don Bradman was taken to the fifth Ashes Test of 1920-21 at the SCG by his father, to see Charlie Macartney make 170 as Australia completed a unique 5-0 clean sweep of the series, he said flatly on the way home that he would not rest until he too played at the ground. I cannot say I had the same determination after that Windies Test. But I knew that it would be fantastic to be out there.

Within 12 months, Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket had brought night cricket to the ground, and I had come to appreciate the SCG in all its forms – the Tests, the one-dayers and the Shield, and also its place as the headquarters for rugby league, rugby union and for major soccer internationals. One of my strongest memories is of a soccer friendly between Australia and Uruguay in 1974, played just six weeks before the two teams appeared at the World Cup Finals in West Germany. Uruguay were two-time winners of the World Cup, had finished fourth in 1970, but this day they were beaten 2-0 by the Socceroos and shamed themselves when their defender, Louis Garisto, floored the Aussie striker Ray Baartz with a karate chop.

In my favourite dream, I am sitting on the grass of The Hill at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground, watching Don Bradman carve into an English attack. It is a beautiful summer's day and the operators in the old scoreboard at the back of The Hill are working overtime as The Don goes to another superb hundred. When he gets there, the spectators around me – among them the legendary "Yabba", Stephen Gascoigne, originator of lines such as "Send 'im down a piano, see if 'e can play that" – are on their feet, as hats are thrown in the air.

Strangely, Bradman's Test record in Sydney is not (by his standards) brilliant. In eight Tests, he scored "only" two hundreds and averaged "just" 58.58. By contrast, in 11 Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground he made nine hundreds and averaged 128.54. Bradman's finest Test performance at the SCG was probably his 234 against Wally Hammond's England team in 1946-47. Away from the Test arena, however, Bradman certainly made his share of runs in Sydney, most notably in early January 1930.

In the second innings of a Shield match against Queensland – having been out for 3 first time round – Bradman scored 452 not out. The innings, a new record for first-class cricket, took just 415 minutes. The slowest of his nine fifties took 58 minutes. When NSW's captain Alan Kippax declared, Queensland immediately collapsed to 70 for 7 at stumps, and were all out for 84 the next day, which suggests that there might still have been something in the wicket. Of course, they were also seriously exhausted from fielding to The Don.

The honour of the best innings by an overseas batsman at the SCG must, in my view, go to Brian Lara, who in 1992-93 played with surety and brilliance against Australia for 277, made from just 372 balls. It was Lara's maiden Test century, and only ended when he was run out; otherwise he might still be batting today. It wasn't so much that he regularly beat the field but that he consistently bisected the gaps between fieldsmen. His placement and power were unbelievable.

Incidentally, in that same Test I scored what was probably the most important hundred of my Test career. Batting at No. 3, I made an even hundred, after word had reached me that if I didn't get runs then I was going to be dropped. I couldn't complain about the pressure, I needed the runs. Had I been omitted, I might not have made the 1993 Ashes tour, which is when I finally cemented my place in the Test XI.

Night cricket is a different game, more of a social event, there for the spectators and the treasurers who have to balance the books. The lights add to the theatre. Even now, 25 years on from the first night game at the SCG – a World Series Cricket one-dayer between the Australians and the West Indians which was played out in front of a full house – there is still a novelty value. And you are guaranteed a result.

For the players, day/night games are terrific value. You start at a different time, stop at a different time. It is exciting to walk out under the lights at night.

The crowds were different too; after dark The Hill wasn't a pleasant place to be. Sitting there one night during a one-day international in the early 1980s I was struck on the back of the head by a pie. Night cricket – and night football – hastened the demise of The Hill. The recurring headlines about the drunks behaving badly forced the authorities to concrete it over, and put plastic seats in. It's a shame The Hill is gone, and there is no doubt some of the character of the ground departed with it, but I understand why it had to go.


In January 2003, I had my own moment of last-ball excitement at the SCG when I scored a century in the fifth Ashes Test. The runs came after a spell in which my place in the side came under fierce scrutiny. I find that at a time like this some people like to put the boot it, but many more – family, friends and fans – offer strong support, so it was that on the second afternoon I walked out to applause and adulation.

Three hours later, I hit a four from the final ball of the day to reach my hundred and 40,000 people went crazy, clapping and cheering, roaring out my name. I never imagined that this would happen, and when it did it was very emotional for me. This was one of those occasions as a sportsperson when you are in that special place called "the zone", something that happens only once or twice in a career.

A few weeks later, in a Pura Cup match in Sydney, I was fielding in the covers on the eastern side of the ground, in front of the Bill O'Reilly Stand, the grandstand that grew out of where the old Bob Stand once stood. From there I could look past the batsman over to the Members Stand and the Ladies Stand. And I was thinking, "Jeez, how lucky am I? There's a lot of people who'd give a great deal to be where I am right now, playing cricket on this ground." There may even have been one or two boys in the crowd preparing to write the next chapter in this great ground's history.

[Donny]

India won the toss and will bat.

India team:

A Chopra, V Sehwag, R Dravid, SR Tendulkar, *SC Ganguly,
VVS Laxman, +PA Patel, AB Agarkar, A Kumble, M Kartik,
IK Pathan.

Australia team:

JL Langer, ML Hayden, RT Ponting, +AC Gilchrist, DR Martyn,
*SR Waugh, SM Katich, B Lee, JN Gillespie, NW Bracken,
SCG MacGill.

[Donny]

From a 'Waugh's last Test' point of view, it's set up perfectly.

If things take a normal course. Australia will be chasing a win on the last day. Bring it on !!

India look a little light on in the bowling department with both Zaheer and Nehrer out. Kartic comes in and he and Kumble will bowl a lot of overs.

Lee is a bit lucky to get a run ahead of Williams, on form, but should be ready for a big effort for the skipper - his biggest supporter.

[Donny]

Waugh wants big guns

By Malcolm Conn - Fox Sports


STEVE WAUGH has demanded the selectors provide him with Australia's two fastest bowlers, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, in the hope of producing a fond farewell on a surprisingly well-grassed SCG wicket.

The captain has dismissed fitness concerns over Gillespie and Lee's modest Boxing Day return, claiming that together the pace pair can unsettle the Indian batsmen in the series-deciding fourth and final Test at the SCG, beginning today.

"If I were the Indian batsmen, there are certainly two blokes I wouldn't want to be facing," Waugh said after training at the SCG yesterday. "Lee and Gillespie will be top of the list.

"I certainly want him (Gillespie) in the side. He's been fit for the last four or five days. He just missed out on the last Test. That was more of a precaution. He's ready to play."

A final XI will not be announced until this morning and might well contain the sixth different bowling combination in as many Tests this disjointed season.

Should Waugh get his way, which appears likely, then the last bowling spot will be between Nathan Bracken, Brad Williams and Andy Bichel.

In a tight race, Bracken is favoured to play, given his outstanding but largely unrewarded performance during the second innings in Melbourne.

His accuracy has been an excellent foil to the quicker bowlers and the left-armer's angle across the Indian right-hand batsmen has unsettled a number of them.

Although Sydney is usually a wicket suited to batting first, Waugh believes there may be a case to bowl first.

"I think there's a bit in the wicket," Waugh said. "It's nice and hard; it's not really a traditional Sydney wicket. I think if you expect it to play like it has previously, you might be wrong.

"This might hold a few surprises and, with the toss of the coin, the choice won't be as obvious as it has been in the past to the guy who wins it.

"I think there'll be something in it for the quick guys. It's going to be quite pacey."

Curator Tom Parker believes it will offer the fast bowlers more help than usual. This may be aided by the fact that he continues to water it because of Sydney's hot weather.

"Obviously, at the SCG, it's always going to turn from late day three but I think we're going to see a bit in this during the first day or two," Parker said.

Gillespie missed the Melbourne Test after breaking down in Adelaide with a slight groin strain but Waugh denied it was taking a chance to pick the country's best fast bowler despite his injury history and a lack of any state match to prove his fitness.

"He knows his body very well," Waugh said. "It was only a very slight injury. It's not as if he's coming back from a major tear. And he's honest enough to know whether it's going to be right."

The Australians have taken inspiration from their victory in Melbourne after India's batsmen dominated most of the opening day, racing to 1-278.

"I think that was one of our best Test wins," Waugh said.

"There's been some fantastic Tests between these sides over the last six or seven Tests but to come back like that and to win by nine wickets is a major win. We've taken a lot out of that match."

[Donny]

Lee is getting good movement through the air, Gillespie is a bit rusty.

I'd like to see Bracken on early.

[JLC]

Dear oh dear Simon Katich...............catches don't come much easier than that.

Australias fielding standards have really slipped!!!!!

jlc

[JLC]

I think Gillespie is bowling pretty well. They should leave the combination on for the first hour.

jlc

[Donny]

The biggest dichotomy in big time cricket was in evidence again, as Lee looked to have claimed a wicket only to see the umpire's arm out. No ball.

We see players risking whole careers diving after balls to save 1 run, on the boundary and yet bowlers continue to give away many more runs by bowling front foot no balls. Even Warne and MacGill are guilty of this !!

It's completely unnecessary and undisciplined. Why bowlers strive to get centremetre perfect (front foot) is beyond me.

Why the hell aren't Buchanan and Waugh on to this ??

[Donny]

Get Lee off !!

Why would you give Sehwag a short ball outside off ?? It disappeared over the backward point boundary. It was also a no ball. 7 runs.

Even if he misjudged it and the ball was caught, it wouldn't have been out !!

[Johnson#26]

Bracken into the attack. India are 0/58. Who thinks that the ball in about the 3rd over by Lee to Chopra was out?? How loud was the noise? Surely Billy Bowden heard it?

[Donny]

Johnno, Billy might have heard a noise but that's only part of what he'd have to take into consideration. A noise isn't enough.

He must be sure that noise comes from ball hitting bat. If that was the case, the curling finger would have reached skyward.

Otherwise, not out and a correct decision.

[Donny]

At lunch and after 27 overs, India is on 0/98.

Sehwag is 55 n.o. and Chopra, 35 n.o.

If that's an example of the team playing extra well for their skipper's last Test, they had better go to plan B - and quickly.

Let's hope we don't pay too heavily for leaving out Williams in favour of Waugh's preference, Brett Lee.

We so often hear Waugh and others stating they want the best eleven and yet here we have a bowler getting a game ahead of one who clearly outbowled him in the previous Test.

[foxy]

despite being thoroughly unimpressed by william's antics after he dismissed tendulkar last test, he really should be in the side today. disciplined AND flamboyant, and he can field.

gotta be impressed with this indian opening pair. beating australia at their own game.

[JLC]

Yeah their running is very impressive and as a combination they have out performed Hayden and Langer this summer in terms of their opening stands. Australia were their own worst enemy though with their fielding.

Katich has a little bit of ground to make up and hopefully he can do this with the ball this afternoon.

The Australians could do a lot worse than watch Akhtar bowl - fast and straight and forcing the batsman to play.

jlc

[Donny]

Lol. That's a good one, JLC.

You must only see Shoaib's wicket taking balls.