Australia v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December, 2023

So onto Boxing Day.

Shirley the Wackies can find some batting steel and a decent spinner?

The G pitch will offer swing, seam and bounce.

Hope none of our players copped breaks while batting.

In Boland, out Haze.

I thought Boland might come in for Starc, if we’re resting quicks.

Seem unlikely.

Pat said on the nooz that he favoured going in with the same XI.

Boland is the new Reiffel / Bichel then.

Morris released from squad to play BBL

Nath wrote:Morris released from squad to play BBL

… good

(even if skully does just think of him as The New Tait)

lardbucket wrote:Boland is the new Reiffel / Bichel then.

At 34 I think that is a forgone conclusion.

lardbucket wrote:

Nath wrote:Morris released from squad to play BBL

… good

(even if skully does just think of him as The New Tait)

Hmm, don't recall alluding to that. I did confess to not knowing who he was when apparently* he was becoming a thing, to which Assassin ranted in his sandy-vaginaed way (as he does when anyone has the temerity to undersell a wozzie cricketer) that I chose to be uninformed (I think chosen ignorance was the term the ex-beanie used)!!! Must've been a bad day in the Uber.

feel free to believe your own version

SGDT v SGWT (ref glossary) exemplified!

nice drive by , Lardy

So it seems Marnus, Smith et al who were hit on the fingers escaped breaks.

lets face it, this is a team that was beaten 3-0 in pakistan by the holders of moral ashes. Its
not looking good in oz either for Babar and his chums. It would be a good time to try out some
other younger quicks, surely?

Wackie 3rd seamer Shahzad has been ruled out of T2 with a rib injury.

skully wrote:Wackie 3rd seamer Shahzad has been ruled out of T2 with a rib injury.

and their backup spinner ruled out too with appendicitis
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/pakistan-noman-ali-out-of-the-series-against-australia-with-injury-1413987


https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/australia/former-test-opener-marcus-harris-scores-rapidfire-ton-in-hit-out-against-pakistan/news-story/8c60d06769f213dd4c4bab4d368906c0

please don't pick Harris in the future squad. He scores all his runs at the Junction.

Interesting to see how much play happens today. Still some rain about,

Sunny and pleasant in Melbourne at the moment.

Nath wrote:

skully wrote:Wackie 3rd seamer Shahzad has been ruled out of T2 with a rib injury.

and their backup spinner ruled out too with appendicitis
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/pakistan-noman-ali-out-of-the-series-against-australia-with-injury-1413987


https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/australia/former-test-opener-marcus-harris-scores-rapidfire-ton-in-hit-out-against-pakistan/news-story/8c60d06769f213dd4c4bab4d368906c0

please don't pick Harris in the future squad.  He scores all his runs at the Junction.

Weird that the scratch match was closed to the media and the public.

Pity Boland is not playing. Conditions would have been ideal for him. Should have played ahead of Haze, now the red ball equivalent of Maxwell.

Harsh. Thought he bowled very well in Perth.

Wackies win the toss and bowl.

Amazing to see Uzzies nick/guide go for four. Given the amount of rain we’ve had, the drainage at the G is amazing.

Sitter dropped at 1st slip off Warner.

Drinks.

34 rus, no wickets, one dropped sitter, lots of play & misses.