Aussies v. Windies - Tests.

[Donny]

WI 0/35 at stumps.

[Donny]

2/91. Chanderpaul 51*.

[Donny]

8/277. Joshua Da Silva 52*.

Windies need 32. PM's need 2 wickets.

[Donny]

4 overs left.

8 an over is not too much to ask for. Doesn't look like they're going for it.

[Donny]

Two maidens from the spinners.

Will be a draw unless PM's can jag the 2 wickets.

[Donny]

Disappointing. 7 maidens in a row.

[Donny]

Draw.

[Donny]

First Test starts on Wednesday, from Perth Stadium. 10:20am (local).

[Donny]

Australia XI for first Test: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

As Cummins said, "You could've picked this XI a year ago"

Boland and Harris miss out.

[K]

[Donny]

"The Australia skipper got his first look at the drop-in surface sporting a healthy tinge of green on Tuesday's match eve, with Cummins admitting he was none the wiser as to exactly how it might play.

A host of Australian players, along with coach Andrew McDonald also inspected the track while Cummins was doing his pre-match press conference on the outfield.

A forecast temperature of 33 degrees on Wednesday, before it cools later in the week, could accelerate the deterioration of the track.

"I don't really know what to expect, I can't really read wickets," said Cummins. "But it looks there's a bit of grass. It's hot today, hot first day (of the Test) so it might crack up. But no idea really."

CA.

[K]

Hope there's a lot for the bowlers... for Cricket's sake & for Oz's sake.

Flat pitches are an existential threat to the game. (The SCG pitch is a national disgrace.)

----------------------------

"In the two Tests played at the venue between its opening in 2018 and Western Australia's borders being closed due to COVID-19 from 2020, off-spinner Nathan Lyon's 14 wickets at 15.5 stands as the benchmark - albeit marginally superior to teammate Mitchell Starc's 14 at 15.86.
...

With temperatures pushing 37C today and 35C tomorrow, McDonald indicated he would make a decision tomorrow morning as to how much grass he shaves off the current 12mm of growth which he hopes is preventing the strip from drying out too severely before the first ball is bowled."

(cricket.com.au)

[K]

Meanwhile...

'"There's a lot of cricket, it's hard to follow as a spectator, it's very hard to keep up with it," [Steve] Waugh said on SEN's Saturday Morning Mowers Club show. "The three one-dayers against England seemed pretty insignificant, really. I mean, what were they playing for? There wasn't big crowds, I think the public has almost overdosed on cricket."'

[Pies4shaw]

[Pies4shaw]

Lunch, day 1. Australia batting, Warner out for 5, dragging one onto his stumps. 1/72.