Ashes 2017/18 - Melbourne Day 1 & 2 - Boxing Day, Boxing Clever

The Members Stand, surprisingly sparsely populated on Boxing Day

David Warner drove superbly

The traditional Boxing Day fixture at the majestic Melbourne Cricket Ground is always a highlight on the cricket calendar, especially during an Ashes series. Unfortunately, the series has already been decided and the Victorian crowd are left to witness a dead-rubber Ashes match again, which detracts from the occasion and could go some way to explaining why a "sell-out" crowd of only 88,172 showed up to a 100,000 seater stadium.

Both sides were forced into making a change; Devon/Somerset's Craig Overton aggravated a fractured rib during the WACA test that he originally sustained at Adelaide, handing South African born Tom Curran a Test Match debut in a showcase event. Australia's change was also forced as Mitchell Starc's bruised heel hadn't healed (no pun intended) in time so Jackson Bird deputises having impressed in Sheffield Shield cricket this year.

Cameron Bancroft struggled to 26

If the coin toss counted for anything, England were themselves 3-0 up going into Melbourne. Joe Root called incorrectly, 3-1 and Australia chose to bat as the sun shone brilliantly upon the perfectly manicured Billiards table that was the MCG outfield. Sitting in Bay 15 alongside the Barmy Army I got a sense of something imminent when watching David Warner stroll out to the middle and from the get-go he looked set for a score. Two shots in particular caught the eye, one each off the bowling of Anderson and Broad; two punched blocks that headed straight down the ground for four, gathering pace all the way to the fence. Warner eclipsed opening partner Bancroft who was only on 12 as Warner passed 50.

Whilst Warner was sublime, there were areas of frailty in his innings. I've said many times that if an overweight club-cricketer bowling medium pacers such as myself can knock Warner's off stump out then international bowlers should be able to exploit the weakness. From around the wicket, the top of off-stump area is a weakness for David Warner and the few times when England hit that area he mis-timed, played and missed or looked uncomfortable, but the rest of his innings was a lesson in positive Test cricket batting.

Warner's moment of horror on 99...

If Warner looked sublime as I mentioned, Bancroft looked disjointed but not in any real trouble until Chris Woakes trapped him lbw on 26. Warner by this stage was on 96, Australia 122-1. Not a single extra, but all that would change in dramatic fashion. On 99, Warner inexplicably looped one of those half-pull/half-nudge shots straight to Stuart Broad at Mid-On to the delight of debutant Tom Curran and the Barmy Army. A disconsolate Warner trudged towards the changing room but suddenly a roar from the Australian crowds as the big screen showed Tom Curran had overstepped breathed new life into the little opener. He clipped the next delivery away for a single to send the home fans wild, and he led out a guttural roar of delight to have made the milestone on a momentous day.

...Warner leaving the MCG just seconds
before his reprieve came on the big screen

In reality, it didn't cost England as Warner was dismissed by James Anderson shortly afterwards for 103, from around the wicket succumbing to that nagging off-stump line with a thin edge. Make no mistake, Warner deserved his moment, he deserved his hundred and there aren't too many hundreds in cricket at any level that don't have some element of luck. Tom Curran's misfortune was Warner's prize.

Usman Khawaja's contribution could best be described as curious. Without any real intent to rotate the strike, the Queensland Captain was the antithesis of David Warner. The second session figures of 45-2 showed as much. England bowled tidily, but it was Khawaja's lack of intent that really raised eyebrows, even with the free-scoring Steve Smith alongside him. Khawaja is attracting the critics with his current form, as was Stuart Broad in the lead-up to the 4th Test. Duly, Broad removed Khawaja with another nick behind and was convinced to have trapped Shaun Marsh next ball, a review showed the ball clipping leg-stump, the ruling of Umpire's Call the correct one, but a pivotal moment in the innings?

England's All-Time Leading
Wicket Taker, James Anderson

Moeen Ali has looked out of sorts all series, and the same could be said of his bowling in Melbourne. It spoke volumes that Australia went after him enough to convince Root to throw the ball to the previously unseen Dawid Malan for some leg spin. Malan impressed with his control, although with Khawaja batting as he was and Smith watching carefully it could be argued his 7 overs for just 20 runs could easily have been different had the partnership been two different individuals. It could also mean Ali's place in the side come Sydney will be under threat if he fails with the bat in Melbourne.

Steve Smith, never orthodox, drives
on Boxing Day 2017

Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith easily got to the close, not before the Australian captain brought up another fifty. Warner and Smith looked like they were batting on a different pitch such was the ease of their play as Bancroft, Khawaja and Marsh all grifted towards their scores. A marvellous Boxing Day,
the ubiquitous Barmy Army song repetoire in full voice and the sun beaming on Australian cricket's grandest occasion; A pleasure to have been in attendance for.

Day 2, watching from back in Sydney gave me some déja vu that I hadn't booked tickets for a second day. Back in 2009, three of us had travelled 2 ½ hours to Birmingham to watch Day 1 of the Ashes match at Edgbaston. Play was delayed due to rain, commencing at 5:30pm with only 25 overs of play possible, just enough for the organisers to avoid paying any refunds on the tickets. Australia reached 126-1, Simon Katich the only wicket to fall. Watching from home in Devon the following day, England started the day with Graham Onions taking two wickets with the first two deliveries. Not quite so dramatic at the MCG, but with Australia starting on 244-3 the need for wickets and the desperation England showed to take them was great to see, although it could be argued it doesn't matter now the Ashes are gone.

Tom Curran impressed on debut, but had to wait until
Day 2 for his first Test wicket; Steve Smith.

Smith added just 11 runs to his overnight score when he dragged a short and wide delivery from Tom Curran onto his stumps, no dramas with the front foot this time and for the second time in the series Smith was a debutant's maiden wicket, in the same fashion too. Mitch Marsh dragged on from Woakes in similar circumstances, as did Tim Paine with James Anderson after Stuart Broad had pinned Shaun Marsh lbw. Wickets at regular intervals have eluded England this series (when they are bowling, I mean) and from a position where Australia would be looking at a score of 450 plus, suddenly making 350 was far from certain. Broad and Anderson wrapped up the tail as Australia were dismissed just after lunch for 327. Broad finished with 4-51, a timely return to some kind of form as Anderson also claimed 3-61.

Stuart Broad claimed 4-51

Without Mitchell Starc's thunderbolts to start proceedings, Josh Hazlewood was partnered with the new ball by Jackson Bird. The dryness of this MCG track gave nothing to the opening bowlers, so it was no surprise when cult hero Nathan Lyon entered the attack in the 8th over. Inevitably, he made the breakthrough with another stunning one-handed caught-and-bowled to remove Stoneman, pleasing as it was to see the England opener showing some intent to score against Lyon.

Jonny Bairstow:
A Barmy Army favourite

Alastair Cook looks to have made a change to his technique, making a more concerted effort to get his front foot out to meet the ball rather than sitting deep in his crease. Taking advantage of a weakened Australian attack, Cook played an array of drives, clips and pulls to register his first fifty of the series not long after James Vince had fallen lbw to Hazlewood for 17. The ball was clearly hitting the stumps, and the two noises appeared to be the ball hitting both pads. After a short conversation with Cook, Vince decided not to review and replays then showed he had got a significant inside edge that he clearly must not have felt, otherwise he would have reviewed the decision immediately and continued his innings.

Joe Root has plenty to ponder

Pat Cummins was struggling with some kind of stomach upset but still resolved to get his overs in to share the workload, although Tim Paine felt confident enough to stand up to the stumps for a while. This backfired as Cook was given a life on 66, a difficult chance to Steve Smith at slip who seemed a little slow to pick it up as it came past Paine. Cook has long been overdue this fifty, and Joe Root will be frustrated to have made several starts this series without going on to make a hundred. With Starc missing, Cummins under the weather, Bird unproven in Ashes cricket and a relatively lifeless pitch to deal with there will be no better chance than this.

That Alastair Cook showed the intestinal fortitude to convert that fifty to a hundred in the last over of the day, and Joe Root sits on 49 not out means that England have fought back magnificently. The two names that England needed to stand up in this series have done so, what a shame it's taken until the 4th Test for Cook to fire, hopefully Joe Root will convert his start this time around. All in all it has been a great start to the Test match and there is finally a contest, rather than a one-sided pummelling. An occasion such as the Boxing Day Test deserves as much.

Complete with Devon flag, attending Boxing Day at an Ashes Test has fulfilled a
lifelong dream. The magnificent MCG is the perfect setting for such an occasion.