Boxing Day Test. Australia v. New Zealand.

[Donny]

If weather fine, there will be way more than that.

[Jezza]

75,000 sounds about right.

Apart from the Ashes, the Boxing Day crowds never draw more than 80,000 people through the gates. The only time the Boxing Day crowd was more than 80,000 which didn't involve the Ashes was the 1985 Test match against the West Indies.

Boxing Day Crowds (2009-2019)

2009 = Pakistan (59,206)
2010 = England (84,345)
2011 = India (70,068)
2012 = Sri Lanka (67,138)
2013 = England (91,112)
2014 = India (69,993)
2015 = West Indies (53,389)
2016 = Pakistan (63,478)
2017 = England (88,173)
2018 = India (73,516)
2019 = New Zealand (?)

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Called mcc at mcg again this am they are only expecting 65 thousand now

[K]

Interesting they told you their estimates. Did they ask why you wanted to know?

[K]

Wrap-up of news leading up to Boxing Day:


Team selections:

Boult in (recovered), Ferguson out (injured); Raval out (dropped), Blundell (spare keeper ) in. [So NZ will sort of play three keepers, but one of them is a real batsmen who keeps in their ODIs.]

Talk of selecting Neser as 5th bowler to combat dead pitch. Paine would bat at 6. [Hope they're really sure it's dead before doing that.]


In the nets:

Warner hit and injured by throw-downs. Thumb bandaged. Will play, possibly in pain.

Smith practising throw-down short balls on hip, which he's struggled with. I don't know why he has such a problem with them, given he's always on the back foot, but it's good that they are trying to fix it and not living in denial.


Talking ex-players:

Michael Vaughan says not to worry about pitches and just get the ball to do more. A bigger seam seems to be the idea.

Mark Butcher thinks the opposite: it's not the ball, he says; it's always the pitch.

Mark Taylor says Oz's biggest problem is... in the spin department. Need a good leggie, he says. Swepson? [O'Keeffe said the Sheffield Shield needs to support spin bowlers better with wearing pitches. He's probably right that slogathon pitches are not best for 'young' spinners' development.]


Media focus:

Most of the media coverage has been about the MCG pitch and CA's PR attempts. (Save for new post.)

[Donny]

Williamson won the toss and elected to bat.

Burns out, first ball, to Boult.

2/99. Warner 41.

Labuschagne 35*, Smith 21*.

[Donny]

The quite incredible Labuschagne story continues.

In his 13th. Test match, just brought up his 7th. half century to go with his 3 tons.

Oz 2/126.

Lubu 53*, Smith 30*.

[K]

Pattinson is in for the injured Hazlewood, as Oz selectors decided against surprises. And Swepson has been called up for the SCG Test.


At tea, Oz 3/155 (55).

Crowd about 78,000.

Marnus will be unhappy to have played on CdG trying to leave. Not as unhappy as Burns though. (Ponting says Marnus was a bit unlucky, but CdG deserved a wicket.)

I don't know why Wade keeps getting hit by Wagner's short balls.
Ponting says his mindset is too defensive and he's not watching the ball closely enough.

[K]

After tea, Smith has passed 50 but has nicked Southee twice for lucky 4s. A bit fortunate for Smith.

[Donny]

3/174.

Steve Smith 55*, Matt Wade 12*.

[K]

Wade is hit on the back of the helmet by Wagner and the ball deflects for 4lb. Ponting won't like seeing that. The short balls that have bothered Wade (and Smith previously) aren't even all that short. He's been trying to duck balls that aren't getting up all that high.

[K]

Copeland tells us compared with last year's Boxing Day Test, there's been more bounce and swing (1.7 degrees, compared with 0.9 degrees).

[K]

Wade nicks CdG but it's on the half-volley to first slip. Oz have been lucky this session...

But it was a no ball (uncalled)! NZ are lucky it didn't carry, or it'd do their heads in!

[K]

Wade inside edges CdG for 4.

Next ball, Wade nicks off, caught behind.

A deserved wicket for CdG.

Oz 4/216. New ball 6 1/2 overs away. Head in.

Slater says Wade didn't know where his off stump was.

[K]

Why was Wade batting ahead of Head anyway? Is Head that bad? Wade is a converted wicketkeeper. Mark Waugh infamously scoffed at Wade ever being able to become Test quality as a batsman (not so remarkable in the social-media age, but that was from a recent national selector). There are sort of five wicketkeepers playing in this Test. Are there only three Test batsmen in Oz?