Boxing Day Test. Australia v. New Zealand.

[Pies4shaw]

Burns has managed to get out to Santner for 35. 3/110. Smith is 7*. Wade to the crease.

[Jezza]

4/134

Smith was dismissed on 7.

[K]

A "short" ball by Wagner does him yet again. It was not even all that short. It's the ball above the hip that troubles him.

.....................

And we're told:

200 Test wickets for Wagner, second-fastest for NZ behind Hadlee.
(Hadlee 44 Tests, Wagner 46, Boult 52.)

Wagner is almost 34. He's played 45 matches, bowling a bit over 10,000 balls at an average of about 26.8 and SR under 52. (These don't include this match.)

.....................


Cummins took 70 wickets between LBW dismissals (QdK, March, 2018, Johannesburg; Nicholls, today, MCG).

Out of 138 Test wickets, Cummins has 6 LBWs.

[This reminds me of the burnt TV review Paine went for against Stokes off Pat's bowling just before the wrong not out decision against Stokes to Lyon's bowling that cost the series win, with no challenges left. ]

Cummins has a SR of 46.4, which is the best for an Oz bowler with 100+ wickets.

[K]

Injury news:

Boult's hand (struck while batting) is broken and he is flying home.

At least it's not his bowling hand. (He bowled 9 overs in the Oz second innings.)

[K]

[K]

' "It's harder and harder for teams to be competitive. Not every country has the history of Test cricket like we have with England," [Greg] Chappell said.

"Ashes Test matches will go on for as long as I'll be around and probably a lot longer. I think Test cricket will be squeezed."

Chappell, who has long feared for the five-day game, is hopeful the recent introduction of day/night Tests and the new Test Championship will be the saviour of the traditional format.

"You have to go where the spectators are," Chappell said. "I hope we can continue to develop that.

"I hope we continue to find really good Test cricket because I personally believe cricket without Test cricket won't be cricket at all."

New Zealand's greatest player Hadlee, who at one stage was the world's leading wicket-taker, fears Twenty20 will "dominate" world cricket. ...

"Test cricket is the foundation of what the game was based," Hadlee said. "I know revenue-makers already want more and more T20 cricket but I think that will be bad news for the game overall."'

(SMH)

[K]

Some odd captaincy decisions from Kane and Paine (who might commiserate with each other -- and Root in S. Africa -- after the match about the folly of winning the toss and sending your opponents in to bat first):

In the Oz first innings, Kane gave keeper Blundell three overs.

Then in the NZ innings, Paine gave keeper Wade an over, which was clattered for 13 runs.


Isn't it easy enough for batsmen without facing keepers' bowling? I guess this was rare in previous times because it was rare to have five keepers playing in the one Test match. (England are playing two keepers against S. Africa currently, but S. Africa only one.) This is probably a sign of the declining batting and keeping standards in world cricket. When standards are low, keepers can hope to play as batsmen, and batsmen as keepers.

[K]

Peter Siddle has announced his retirement from international cricket.

[Donny]

Wickets for Patto.

NZ 2/33.

[Donny]

Ross Taylor (3) becomes Pattinson's third victim. NZ 3/35.

[Donny]

Patto 3/5 from 2 overs.

[Donny]

NZ 3/39. Blundell 23*, Patto 3/6 from 3 overs.

[Donny]

What's with the moronic chanting in the crowd ??

The Poms AREN'T playing in this Test.

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Was at mcg yesterday the chanting was terrible I thought we were playing the poms the nz fans are vocal more then I thought first 2 overs I had nz to win it but not now bowling master class from the Aussies

[Donny]

3/58.

Nicholls 13*, Blundell 28*.