Australians are
well known for their sledging ~ but the exchanges between Tim Paine and Rishab
Pant were seen as comic banters, eventually ending with Pant fulfilling the
request by baby-sitting !
There have been
some hilarious comments and some sharp ones, credited to Tim Paine, who seem to
be enjoying the captaincy and the success of wins. Ross Taylor survived a difficult LBW claim
and Paine went sleding : "I've seen
him hit on the pad by (Englishman Stuart) Broad in New Zealand, hit him middle
stump. He knows the bloke in the (video review) truck." - that was Paine’s way of letting Ross Taylor
know he was a lucky, lucky Black Cap for surviving a massive lbw shout at the
MGC. Three overs before stumps on day
two of the Boxing Day test Taylor was given lbw. Trapped on the crease by James
Pattison, it looked out and the Australian fielders went up in convinced
celebration. Caught by a fuller length ball that nipped in, Taylor was hit
above the knee roll. He went on a review
and when he called upon the decision review system, it looked more in hope. Video
replays showed nothing on hot spot. Nothing on RTS. But ball tracking had it bouncing over the
stumps, so Taylor remained.
Latham sweeps ~ Paine looks
Keeping up to
spinner Nathan Lyon after Taylor's lifeline, Paine was still shaking his head. He
felt Taylor had cashed a cricketing lotto ticket. "That's twice I've seen
him get out plumb and not given," and that is perhaps he knows the man on the
truck - Paine said as Taylor prepared to face Lyon. The result however, was to
the liking of Paine. James Pattinson and
Nathan Lyon combined to bowl Australia to a handsome 247-run victory with a day
to spare, and with it retention of the Trans-Tasman trophy, but makeshift
opener Tom Blundell showed tremendous spirit with a second Test hundred to take
it deep into the final session. Pattinson's three-wicket pre-lunch burst
appeared to be hurtling New Zealand to a swift defeat, but Blundell stood up
magnificently to the challenge. However, Lyon's 4 for 81 ensured Australia
would not have to return on Monday to wrap things up. After being set a
hypothetical 488 for victory - following Australia's declaration 10 overs into
the day - New Zealand plummeted to 3 for 35 as Pattinson claimed three wickets
in nine balls which included losing Kane Williamson for a duck. Blundell, who
had never opened in first-class cricket before this match, could have been lbw
in the first over but went on to play an outstanding innings and score the
first century by a New Zealander at the MCG.
Off
the field, in a significant move - Peter Siddle announced his retirement from
international cricket during the Boxing Day Test. He is one of just 17
Australians to take 200 Test wickets, finishing with 221 scalps from 67 Tests.
A lion-hearted performer, he was a captain's dream after starting his career as
a firebrand in 2008 before reinventing himself as a steady, skilful swing and
seam bowler later in his career where he played a key role in the retention of
the Ashes in England in 2019. Here are five highlights of his Test career.
His
first ball in Test cricket in Mohali 2008 rattled Gautam Gambhir's helmet, but
his first Test wicket was the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. Having toiled
all day on a slow pitch, he beat Tendulkar for pace with the second new ball,
drawing him into a drive and producing a thick edge that flew low to slip where
Matthew Hayden took an excellent catch. He bowled more overs than any of his
team-mates in his debut Test in an attack that included Brett Lee and Mitchell
Johnson.
"He's
given him! He's given him! Peter Siddle has got a hat-trick on his
birthday!" That was the iconic commentary from Mark Taylor when Siddle
took a hat-trick against England in the first Test of the 2010-11 Ashes series
at the Gabba. Late on day one, he found the outside edge of Alastair Cook, who
would go on to have the best series of his career. He then blasted through the
defence of Matt Prior first ball, before pinning Stuart Broad on the toe with a
yorker to celebrate a famous hat-trick. The moment was dulled a touch by
Broad's subsequent review but it meant Siddle could celebrate twice. He told
Channel Seven on the day of his retirement that he relives that hat-trick every
year on his birthday and has watched the clip many times.
Paine’s tryst with
LBWs were to continue beyond Ross Taylor.
Australia captain Tim Paine blasted cricket's Decision Review System
Friday, saying it left him “disappointed and angry” after he was dismissed
controversially in the second Test against New Zealand. Paine played one of his
best innings and was on track to score a maiden Test century when he was
removed lbw by Neil Wagner for 79 after New Zealand reviewed the umpire's
original not out decision. He was asked about the DRS by broadcaster ABC
afterwards and replied: “Don't start.” “I thought from the length that it
pitched, and the bloke bowling around the wicket, it's pretty difficult to hit
you in line, and hit the stumps,” he said of the delivery. Tim Paine's first innings lbw verdict was
shown to be correct by a narrow margin on HawkEye as well as the VirtualEye
ball-tracking used by the umpires to make the decision. While VirtualEye's
ball-tracking is used by the host broadcaster Fox Cricket, the rival Seven
network has HawkEye ball-tracking in place for analytical use. Both
technologies showed Paine was stuck in line to ensure it would not be
"umpire's call" and therefore not out, after Neil Wagner's initial
appeal was turned down. Paine was visibly frustrated, but it appears that the
decision was a case of fine margins rather than outright errors on the part of
the technology or its operators. Ian Taylor, the chief executive of VirtualEye,
had extended an invitation to Paine to watch the decision in detail, but Paine
hadn't yet accepted the offer.
For
the records, Siddle played 67 tests took 221 wickets with his best of 54/6
coming against England at Gabba on Nov 25, 2010. He debuted at Mohali in Oct 2008 and played
his last test this Sept at the Oval. A
few years ago, Siddle was in news for different reasons – for turning a total
vagan and living on a diet of bananas ! ~ I live on a plant-based diet now,”
Siddle had said. “My partner has been a vegetarian and vegan all her life. I
have had a few niggles through my career and I have done a bit of research on
different ways of approaching my game and that is the lifestyle I have worked
out now. It is working. I am feeling fit and strong. It can vary anything
between 15-20 bananas a day. Obviously it is a fruit-based diet and a lot of
vegetables. It keeps my healthy, it keeps me strong and that is what is working
at the moment.” ~ Siddle quipped.
Interesting
!
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
30th
Dec 2019.
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