AUS vs NZ | MCG Day 1 Talking Points - Freshness to MCG surface and Smith’s reaction to Wagner magic
It was a mixed bag day for both Australia and New Zealand in front of a buzzing and packed Boxing Day crowd at the MCG that surprisingly dished out a good wicket this time. The day that saw Steve Smith doing Steve Smith, Kane Williamson’s usage of Santner left a lot to be desired.
Early Verdict - MCG is alright
Less than three weeks ago, the Sheffield Shield game between Victoria and Western Australia was abandoned after the visiting batsmen were hit repeatedly around the head and chest with the most of the deliveries skidding and rearing off a good length. The divots that were created led to the alarmingly uneven bounce. It was a matter of great embarrassment for Melbourne Cricket Club and everyone and their dog were frightened about the prospect of the ground nullifying the charm of the Boxing Day Test.Â
Expect, it didn’t. Of course, it was a flat deck, like all MCG Tests in recent times has been, but there were more equitable aspects to the deck and outfield than it was for the India Test a year ago. Under cloudy skies, Trent Boult let the new ball talk, even dismissing Joe Burns for a golden duck, with Tim Southee managing to extract enough movements to ensure David Warner and Marnus Labuschange kept their front foot busy all throughout. But the major takeaway of the game was the way the pitch maintained its shape throughout, not creating any raucous on Day 1.
More often than not, it was the concrete tray under the MCG turf that brings in a sense of flatness with the balls carrying an even bounce with the grass falling prey to the Victoria heat as the day goes on. But with a smattering of grass left on the surface, the day 1 became an absorbing contest, with even the likes of Labuschagne and Steve Smith finding it hard to break the shackle. The packed 80,000-plus crowd had been finally served a Boxing Day Test of high quality that is not borderline of a Ranchi deck. Everything seems as Aussie colloquial goes, Alright at MCG!
Smith cracks Wagner code like only Smith does
Success against Steve Smith is an elusive option that doesn’t really happen more than twice in a row. Jofra Archer tried and failed. India did that every time they came against the Sydneysider but to no avail. He is the story of the decade, with his love for batting being second to none. On the other side, there is Neil Wagner, a hit-the-stride bowler, who loves the difficult art of fast bowling, and as Sritama wrote, adds beauty to the barren. When the duo come face to face against each other, expect a battle as ravaging as it would ever get and think what, I would thank my stars for waking up early in the morning to witness this stunning battle.Â
In Perth, it was Wagner who took the bragging rights with him, dismissing Smith twice. But a session with Graham Hick ensured Smith, “the greatest-ever problem-solver of our generation” as Bharat Sundaresan put it on Cricbuzz, wouldn’t be dismissed once again to similar kinds of deliveries. That showed in Melbourne as the packed crowd was greeted with an innings of absolute magnificence and audacity. From his first spell, Wagner, who doesn't follow the tradition of fast bowling in Tests with a pacer’s natural “outside off-stump” line being replaced by shoulder-length bouncers, tested Smith with a probing spell but that was just a microcosm of what was set up to be delivered in the late Lunch and post-tea session.Â
Smith waited for the balls to arrive late and ensured his body was not falling to his left, as it used to in Perth. A revealing graphic during Fox broadcast showed that Smith was late to his feet movement that means he had enough time to react to deliveries that were coming close to his body. The leg gully was employed as did a short mid-wicket but that rendered totally ineffective with Smith trying to be squared off inside the crease first - effectively in sync with the movement of the ball - as he found ample reaction time to execute the pull shots to perfection. It was down to practise and how brilliantly it paid off.
Santner undoes pacer’s effort but was Williamson patient
In a four-man Kiwi pace-attack, Mitchell Santner’s roles are pretty much well defined, that he has to bowl before the pacers could take a bit of long rest. Let’s get one thing straight - Santner is not really your holding bowler too in alien conditions, with an SR of almost 94 and an average of 44. This requires context, but when New Zealand required him the most, on a day they started really well courtesy Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, Santner disappointed once again. But more than that, it was Kane Williamson who was the bigger disappointment.
The first ball that the Northern Districts bowler bowled in the game created a wicket opportunity, with the ball missing the top of the leg-stumps by a whisker, but after that, he was all toothless. In fact, he was forced to be toothless. After the 26th over, which was his first in the day, Santner was brought in the 38th over again, which concluded his second spell. To put things into perspective, the left-arm spinner bowled his first four overs over three different spells.
While one could stand on Williamson’s side for taking Santner off the attack as the pair of Smith and Labuschagne collected a total of 17 runs in one over, it is difficult to understand his propensity of not giving one moreover to let the spinner find his rhythm. On a wicket, where there were pre-existing mini-cracks and a bit of crack underneath the grass cover, Santner could have played the role of an aggressor - something that he is not famous for but conditions asked for his usage desperately - to give the pacers a bit of rest. Also, Colin de Grandhomme who was bowling to restrict the run-flow emerged as the wicket-taker and that should have been a learning good enough for Williamson to try out Santner more.Â