I don’t know if the AW has many Bangladeshii members. In their likely absence I have taken it on myself to say…
Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Victor Trumper,Robert Forster, Evonne Goolagong, Margot Robbie, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Steve Irwin, Julia Gillard, Germaine Greer, Rupert Murdoch, Nick Cave,Julian Assange, Kerry Packer, Nellie Melba, Billy Hughes, Kylie Minogue, your boys took a helluva beating etc..
Cheered me up no end.
I’m used to Australia’s test matches being played in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
But a test match in Darwin? Very unusual, surely?
First for a couple of decades, I think. See here for rationale
https://www.flashscore.com/news/australia-s-summer-of-cricket-to-begin-in-darwin-three-weeks-before-winter-ends/8YBU2lVr/
Two before this I believe
They have previously done display matches etc in Darwin, such as Prime Minister’s XI games.
The second test in is Mackay, of all places.
I’d never heard of Mackay, so I had to look it up on Google Maps.
Hmmm … it’s on the Queensland coast, between Townsville (which I’ve heard of due to the Necks live album of the same name) and Rockhampton (where the great Grant McLennan was born).
It’s strange that Australia have only ever played one test match in their capital city (v. Sri Lanka in 2019). I was going to suggest that this must be very unusual, but then I remembered that Pakistan have never played a text match in their capital city (Islamabad). But I presume that text matches were played in Karachi and Rawalpindi when those cities were the capital of Pakistan in 1947-67.
Also during the footy season too.
Australian test team has no one born before 2000.
Maybe time to change that.
Did you mean to say born after 2000 ?
yes
You were hoping for the call, weren’t you?
This makes me very happy 🙂
Australia have dropped opening batsman Jake Weatherald for the Mackay test. Poor bugger. He opened for all 5 Ashes tests last Australian summer, and apart from one score of 70-odd didn’t impress. You gotta feel sorry for him. He’s replaced by Matt Renshaw, who was also tried as an opener a few years ago and never got the big score. Being an opening batsman for Australia has got to be the most stressful job in the known universe.
Discussion about dropping Lyon which seems remarkable but it is all about current form.
Look at Hazelwood, thought he was cooked, yet in he motors.
And now it’s a two day game with a highest team score of 210. I’m not sure either side is taking this Test Cricket thing seriously.
@chiz It’s a worry. I think if you asked the players they’d all tell you how Test Cricket is important to them but then the batters go and get themselves out playing T20 shots. Also, how can Bangladesh play proper Test Cricket in the first test, which everyone agrees they did, and then throw it all away in the second? Granted the pitch by all accounts had more bounce, but surely that’s the thing – you play according to the conditions.
Fuck I sound like I’m a commentator who knows what they’re talking about…
Whatever, I agree with Ricky Ponting, Marnus need to be put out to pasture.
First Test in Darwin in decades. Second in Mackay – has a test been there before? Both a good month earlier than even grade cricket starts.
Odd all round.