1. Test Cricket. Riveting play in the past two tests. Great viewing and a top result. A funny series in that the bowlers kept both teams in the chase.
- 1. Jasprit Bumrah (IND) – 32 wickets
- 2. Pat Cummins (AUS) – 25 wickets
- 3. Scott Boland (AUS) – 21 wickets
- 4. Mohammed Siraj (IND) – 20 wickets
- 5. Mitchell Starc (AUS) – 18 wickets.
The batsmen were much more sparse for Australia...
- 1. Travis Head (AUS) – 448 runs
- 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) – 391 runs
- 3. Steve Smith (AUS) – 314 runs
- 4. Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) – 298 runs
- 5. KL Rahul (IND) – 276 runs
2. Beau Webster. A Wrap favourite who we have been pushing for higher honours for three years now, has done us proud. Our man Beau (Repairs, Derek, Desert, Champion, Scott, Duke - and Slug) Webster was superb. He played conventionally and looked the most balanced and sensible on the ground. Top hands and a wicket too. A handy start which may consign Mitchell Marsh to the dustbin of test cricket now with Cameron Green returning soon. Dan Christian is also coming out of retirement. What a great cricketer...like Beau Webster, the latter of whom will prove to be very useful in England too.
3. Kohli. Behaved like a brat in the last two tests and such unnecessary behaviour. His batting has fallen off a cliff and he is Boland's bunny now. He strikes you as the spoiled child who has never had any boundaries and has never had people around him to keep him in line. The Indian press and fans are also to blame. Fancy mimicking Smith re 'sandpapergate' again. What a clown! Kohli will be sadly remembered as a bitter fellow of ability but who played with hate at times, rather than intensity, not poise and no grace.
People talk of the 'tough Australian tour'. Honestly, these players are spoiled to the point of low golf handicaps. It is a great lifestyle for coaches and players in all countries.
4. Bumrah - Best Ever? In the heat of the moment, we forget some of the great bowlers who have dominated in our summers... Ambrose, Warne, McGrath, Rodney Hogg (41 Ashes wickets)...but the greatest of all was Richard Hadlee. He got 33 wickets in three tests in 1985-1986. 16 in the first test and 11 in the third test. Awesome. Also won the BMW in the International Cricketer of the Year award!
Was Travis Head unlucky not to be Man of the Series in a 3-1 winning team?
5. Records.
- Steve Smith. Stranded in the nervous 9,990s. 9,999 Test runs.
- Scott Boland's bowling average of 17.67 is the best for any bowler with a minimum of 50 Test wickets to have debuted after World War I. It is also the second-best of any bowler to have debuted after 1900 with the same criteria.
6. Umpire Joel Wilson. Some strong efforts as umpire to resist the Aussie appeals in Melbourne (over ruled by the third umpire on three occasions), then mysteriously he is appointed as third umpire in the final test. Strange influence exerted by some in the game so it seems. Overuled the Smith catch and then the most ridiculous decision to deny a run to Australia on the final day when an Indian fieldsman's dive clearly saw the ball in hand with ropes touched.
He should be in the IPL as an umpire soon. He had the worst record of every elite ICC umpire in the world in 2024. One in three decisions are overturned! Unbelievable. ('Popgun' Reiffel needs to sharpen up too).
7. Ange Postocoglou. The Tottenham team has hit rock bottom. Ange is on borrowed time. Sad, but he has to understand he needs to be more brutal around transfer windows and twist owner arms so he is never caught short of personnel as he is now. He is defending his players like never before. The last bastion of support.
8. The Sentry. Season opening event in Hawaii. Hideki Matsuyama is leading in fine style, but a certain Cameron Davis is bearing down on him! Came 12th and picked up $410,000US. Handy, beating Cam Smith's bet ever PGA score of -34, with a -35!
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