Key events
42nd over: West Indies 117-5 (Hodge 27, Da Silva 27) Thanks Jim. This is a nice recovery for the Windies now, the partnership up to 53 as Hodge back-cuts Lyon to the rope after a couple of singles.
James Wallace
41st over: West Indies 111-5 (Hodge 22, Da Silva 26) No wickets for Green so his solo celebration will have to wait. Loins girded for that one. A couple of runs to Da Silva and my work here is done, Geoff Lemon is here to guide you into the gloaming…
40th over: West Indies 109-5 (Hodge 22, Da Silva 24) Lyon whirls away after drinks. Da Silva tucks him down to mid-on for a single. Ah, now Cameron Green is coming into the attack. He’s got the ’rona poor chap and must be having a weird experience out there as he’s doing some half impression of isolating whilst very much playing in a Test match. If he gets a wicket he’ll be left to celebrate on his toddle?
39th over: West Indies 107-5 (Hodge 21, Da Silva 23) A fifth maiden for Hazlewood, Da Silva reining in his attacking attentions and showcasing some stout defence. Shadows getting chunkier at the Gabba and it is time for a drink.
38th over: West Indies 107-5 (Hodge 21, Da Silva 23) Two runs off Lyon. This has been a battling last hour for West Indies.
37th over: West Indies 105-5 (Hodge 20, Da Silva 21) Hazlewood stitches together his fourth maiden. He has 1-14 from his ten overs. My front room is slightly more eventful as the toddler refuses to put trousers on and starts a a bare buttocked stomp of protest. Such fun.
36th over: West Indies 105-5 (Hodge 20, Da Silva 22) Double change – Nathan Lyon is summoned for a sundown twirl. A slip, leg slip, and a short leg crowding the bat. Da Silva rocks back in his crease and flicks a single.
35th over: West Indies 104-5 (Hodge 20, Da Silva 21) Hazlewood returns and is miserly as per. Da Silva takes on a short ball but doesn’t get a good piece of it, the ball dropping in the turf and allowing a single to be scampered.
34th over: West Indies 103-5 (Hodge 20, Da Silva 19) Just a single off Marsh. Sun beginning to bid farewell in Brisbane. The bins are being emptied in the murk outside my window in London. I’m glad I’m not me.
Over in Hyderabad… play that Jonny!
33rd over: West Indies 101-5 (Hodge 20, Da Silva 19) Cummins is going to go for some shock and awe, but with three fielders placed out on the rope the former is pretty well signposted. One particularly wild delivery is just hauled in by Alex Carey above his head and called a wide by the umpire. If West Indies can deprive Australia of wickets and build partnerships then they can frustrate and build a semi-decent total. At the minute they are still in the skittling danger zone. Hodge drives for two to bring the ton up for West Indies.
32nd over: West Indies 97-5 (Hodge 18, Da Silva 18) Marsh thunders in, he’s one of life’s reluctant bowlers, somewhere in the mould of Jacques Kallis. I think he admitted as much when he was mic’d up during the Adelaide Test. He gives it his all though and is on the moolah from the off. Da Silva works off his pads for a single, the only action of the over.
31st over: West Indies 96-5 (Hodge 18, Da Silva 17) Cummins reels off his eight over, he hasn’t been as dangerous as Starc and Hazlewood so far today. Still, he’s tidy enough, just a single off the over as the shadows begin to elongate across the outfield. Mitch Marsh and his splendidly feathered mullet are coming on for a bowl.
30th over: West Indies 95-5 (Hodge 18, Da Silva 16) More positive intent from West Indies after the break, they are having a decent thirty minutes here. Starc slams one into the middle of the pitch and Hodge decides to take it on, getting the swivel pull out and executing it very well – the ball soaring into the coloured seats. Sixer!
29th over: West Indies 87-5 (Hodge 11, Da Silva 15) QuickDaSilva! Back to back boundaries for the keeper-batter, off Pat Cummins no less. A bouncer is smashed away on the pull shot and the following full ball is driven powerfully back down the ground for four more. Counterpunch, lovely stuff.
28th over: West Indies 79-5 (Hodge 11, Da Silva 7) Mitch Starc nearly adds to his haul – Hodge fences at a steepling ball and just manages to get it wide of the gargantuan Green in the gully and away for four. Cummins has put two slips and two gullies in place and Hodge plops one just short of the latter – another short ball – another spliced edge but somehow lands safe.
27th over: West Indies 72-5 (Hodge 3, Da Silva 6) Pat Cummins hurtles in to Da Silva who goes back and across and gets a thick edge wide of Green prowling in the gully. The visitors pick up three runs.
More good news from Brisbane, with now only a 40% chance of rain on Saturday and the estimated rainfall amount for Sunday decreasing. Should be plenty of time for a result. It wasn’t looking good earlier in the week. #ausvwi
— Rory Burnside (@RoryBurnside) January 25, 2024
The forecasters piling in on West Indies now too is it?
26th over: West Indies 69-5 (Hodge 5, Da Silva 3) Here come the players after some scran – Mitch Starc has four balls left in the over. West Indies need their tail to wag like a happily hopped up Hungarian Puli. Joshua da Silva is the new batter and he’s off the mark right away with a lean into the covers. Starc goes full off the next ball and Da Silva mis-times a drive down the ground but still comes back for two.
Lunch/tea time reading/plugging:
“Not right away of course, but the game had him in its clutches. Anyone who has ever tossed themselves an apple from the fruit bowl and imagined that they’ve just held a skier at the SCG or spun a nectarine from one hand to the other a la Shane Warne at the top of his mark will recognise what came next. Joseph bowled with anything he could get his hands on. At first this was lemons, limes and guava, later it was ad hoc games with a ball made of tightly wound tape.”
Arf Arf.
Right, I’ll be back soon. Time to get my Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment* on and sneak past my sleeping toddler’s bedroom to brew some strong coffee. Wish me luck.
Feel free to drop me a line if you are tuning in. We might well be here for a good time rather than a long time judging by the last few hours. I’m on email and Twitter/ X and will have a sift through the OBO mailbag ‘pon my caffeinated return.
*Whaddya mean that’s not a very current pop culture reference?
Afternoon Tea/Dinner Break – West Indies 64-5
Pat Cummins, sporting Judge Dredd style shades, gives a brief interview whilst leaving the pitch. Fair to say he’s pleased with the last few hours’ work. He’s full of praise for Mr 350 – Mitchell Starc:
350, that’s a lot. He was so impressive there. He is the most resilient bowler, always wants to play, even sometimes when he shouldn’t”
WICKET! Greaves c Khawaja b Starc 6 (West Indies 64-5)
Starc has another on the stroke of the afternoon tea break! Greaves offering a low edge that is well scooped by Khawaja at first slip. That’s five edges and five catches in the first session and Australia stride off the Gabba turf in full control of this match. The visitors will have to dig in under lights (if they even make it to sun down) later on to make a fist of this.
Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
25th over: West Indies 64-4 (Hodge 3, Greaves 6) Josh Hazlewood would have had his fourth maiden of the morning but for overstepping with his size 11s to give away a no ball. He has 1-13 off his eight overs so far. Tidy.
24th over: West Indies 63-4 (Hodge 3, Greaves 6) West Indies really can’t afford to lose another before the interval, they’ve got a couple of overs to cling on. They’ve still got the tricky gloaming period to encounter a bit later on too. Greaves eases a couple in front of point off Starc.
23rd over: West Indies 61-4 (Hodge 3, Greaves 4) Hazelwood. You guessed it. Maiden.
350 magic moments* for Mitchell Starc:
*One for the Perry Como ultras out there.
22nd over: West Indies 61-4 (Hodge 3, Greaves 4) Justin Greaves – a fellow debutant with Shamar Joseph at Adelaide – joins Hodge in the middle. Shot! Greaves plays the shot of the morning so far to his very first ball, driving Starc elegantly through the covers for an emphatic four. Starc has a rueful grin on his face, he takes his baggy green from the umpire and lomps down to fine leg where he receives a hearty cheer from the Gabba faithful.
WICKET! Alick Athanaze c Carey b Starc 8 (West Indies 57-4)
Mitch Starc racks up his 350th Test wicket! Alick Athanaze the unfortunate milestone man, prodding at a length ball and getting a big ol’ snick through to Carey. The Aussie players mob Starc, a lovely moment for the big leftie.
21st over: West Indies 57-3 (Athanaze 8, Hodge 3) Josh Hazlewood is a master. He puts together a devilish maiden, targeting pads, stumps and the outside edge. Giving Hodge’s technique the interrogation treatment.
2oth over: West Indies 57-3 (Athanaze 8, Hodge 3) Kavem Hodge arrives in the middle. Hello Gruesome. Starc says g’day with a brutish short ball. Hodge leaves the next and then gets off the mark with a nice push down the ground for three.
Dawn starting to creak here in London. “I could pass for seventeen if I just get a shave and catch some Z’s”
WICKET! Chanderpaul c Smith b Starc 21 (West Indies 54-3)
You edge it we’ll catch it! Starc draws Chanderpaul into fencing at a ball he perhaps could have left, on that nagging length just outside off stump. The knick is taken and swallowed by the assured palms of Steve Smith in the slips. Could this be the beginning of some real strife for the visitors? Nervy twenty minutes or so incoming.
19th over: West Indies 54-2 (Chanderpaul 21, Athanaze 8) Josh Hazlewood replaces Cummins, he’s looked the most dangerous bowler for the home side in the early exchanges this afternoon. Yep, he squares Athanaze up on the crease and takes the edge of his splice, fortunately for the batter the nick is meaty enough to fly wide of the slips and away for four. Mitch Starc is going to replace Lyon for a burst before lunch/tea/whatever.
18th over: West Indies 49-2 (Chanderpaul 20, Athanaze 4) Lyon joins five dots together to Athanaze after Chanderpaul clips a single off the first ball.
Classic from K O’Keefe re Lyon bowling to both Chanderpauls. He’s bowled to the father and the son. Next stop is the Holy Ghost #AUSvWI
— Where’s my blue tick? (@RMalacari) January 25, 2024
17th over: West Indies 48-2 (Chanderpaul 19, Athanaze 4) Athanaze is into his work, picking up two with a clip through midwicket and another couple into the off side off with a watchful drive. Hmmm – nothing watchful about that – A full blooded cut attempted to a ball that is too close to the body. The ball flies past the edge and the slips let out a collective groan.
16th over: West Indies 42-2 (Chanderpaul 18, Athanaze 0) Lyon keeps the pressure on and rattles through his over. Just a single to Chanderpaul into the covers.
15th over: West Indies 42-2 (Chanderpaul 17, Athanaze 0) Yeeesh – Cummins nearly gets new man Alick Athanaze first ball! A fast delivery zips off the pitch and takes the thigh pad rather than bat, ballooning to the Covid beleaguered Green in the gully.
WICKET! McKenzie c Khawaja b Cummins 21 (West Indies 42-2)
Have some of that! Cummins goes too full and McKenzie greets it with a flowing blade, driving through cover for four. Now now Kirk… McKenzie plays an audacious back foot slash at the next ball and is well beaten. GONE! A slash to a back of a length delivery and a sharp grab by Khawaja to his right at first slip. West Indies lose their second of the morning.
14th over: West Indies 38-1 (Chanderpaul 17, McKenzie 17) Cat and mouse stuff between Lyon and McKenzie. The GOAT beats the outside edge with one that straightens sharply and McKenzie decides attack might be the best form of defence, sweeping the next ball away for four and flicking off his toes to collect a couple more.
13th over: West Indies 31-1 (Chanderpaul 17, McKenzie 10) Cummins drops short and wide, Chanderpaul pounces and cuts away behind square for four. Big Pat chastises himself and comes back over the wicket. Chanderpaul plays late and glides for two to point. First hour done in Brisbane, time for a drink.
12th over: West Indies 25-1 (Chanderpaul 11, McKenzie 10) Now then! McKenzie sees Lyon drop the ball on a length and decides to have a piece of it. He gets a big piece! Lofting the ball high and proud into the stands for SIX. The visitors getting some momentum into the early stages of their innings now after the loss of Brathwaite.
11th over: West Indies 19-1 (Chanderpaul 11, McKenzie 4) Shot! West Indies hit back after a quiet start – Chanderpaul unfurling a lovely on drive off a Cummins half volley, the ball tracing across the baize and away for four through mid on.
10th over: West Indies 15-1 (Chanderpaul 7, McKenzie 4) A double change as Nathan Lyon replaces Hazlewood. Slip and a short leg in place, Lyon bounds in, shades on and the sun bouncing off his pate. Close! He takes the edge of McKenzie’s bat but the ball flies wide of Steve Smith’s grabbers and away for four welcome runs to West Indies.
First boundary of the Gabba Test arrives in the 10th over. A somewhat different tempo to Hyderabad #AUSvWI
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) January 25, 2024
9th over: West Indies 9-1 (Chanderpaul 5, McKenzie) Captain Cummins replaces Starc. He’s around the wicket with three slips and a gully. There’s no let up in this Aussie bowling attack. Cummins bookends the over by beating the outside edge.
“Hi James”
Hello to you Rohan O’Farell!
“Loving this coming on today, the house is full of family hunkering down waiting for the cyclone to appear! Space in front of the TV (and decision making rights on what to watch) are at a premium. Hope the West Indies can post something approaching competitive that makes for a contest.”
Here’s hoping Rohan, and also that the gnarly weather passes you by. Glad to have you on board with us.
8th over: West Indies 9-1 (Chanderpaul 5, McKenzie) A wicket maiden for Hazlewood and first blood to Australia. Kirk Mckenzie arrives at the crease and survives the rest of the over.
WICKET! Brathwaite c Carey b Hazlewood 4 (West Indies 9-1)
It was coming… Brathwaite plays a half hearted drive to a Hazlewood stock delivery and serves only to feather an edge through to Carey behind the sticks! The pressure told in the end, seventeen dots in a row for the Windies skipper preceded his demise.
7th over: West Indies 9-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 5) The pressure cooker starts to hiss as Starc sends down another maiden. Something’s gotta give soon.
6th over: West Indies 9-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 5) A one handed slice through point brings Chanderpaul three runs. Hazlewood tests out the middle of the pitch and the ball steeples onto the splice as Brathwaite gets in behind it well enough.
5th over: West Indies 6-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 2) Just a single off Starc’s third over as Chanderpaul drives compactly into the off side. Starc responds by whipping one past his outside edge.
Get the Ferrero Rocher’s out – Don of the OBOs Rob Smyth is over on the other channel calling the early knockings between India and England. Knockings it is too – out of the corner of me peeper I can see Crawley and Duckett giving it some tap in Hyderabad. Yes you can have a quick squizz… as long as you promise to come back – I’ve a feeling this one is going to liven up soon.
4th over: West Indies 5-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 1) Australia burn a review hoping that Brathwaite got a tickle down the leg side to Alex Carey off Hazlewood. No dice – the ball clipped the hip not the blade. Chanderpaul opens his account with a plinked edge into the leg side. Fidgety stuff so far from the visitors but they are unscathed.
3rd over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 0) Brathwaite plays and misses at another full ball and then squirts an edge from a back of length ball that doesn’t carry to third slip. Starc stitches together a maiden – his pink ball record is exemplary: 61 wickets @ a lick over 18s. When those floodlights come on later he’ll be licking his lips once more.
2nd over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 4, Chanderpaul 0) Cripes! The first ball from Josh Hazlewood thuds into Brathwaite’s front pad and is given out by the on field umpire but the decision is overturned. There was a sizeable inside edge. Jittery start for the visitors and the officials. My oh my. Next ball Brathwaite aims a booming drive but connects only with the Brisbane breeze. Settle down now. A clip to leg brings a couple to the Windies skipper and he pokes to mid-on for a single to keep the strike. The ball is zipping through off the surface, don’t go anywhere.
Although already having one shocker – Hope Shahid Saikat has a strong test as the first Bangladeshi umpire to stand in a test in Australia and second overall to stand internationally #AUSvWI
— Joshy (@the_joshy_boy) January 25, 2024
It was a bit of a shocker. Umpires have nerves/feelings too you know.
1st over: West Indies 1-0 (Brathwaite 1, Chanderpaul 0) Starc steams in with the afternoon sun on his back and there is sizeable movement from the off! The pink ball hooping and decking off a full length. Brathwaite knocks into the off side for a single and Chanderpaul does well to survive the rest of a probing over. This won’t be easy for the visitors.
Play is imminent. Just time for me to brew something dark and heavily caffeinated. The clock ticking round to 4am here in a black treacle skied south London. Mitchell Starc has the shiny pink orb in his south paw…
The players emerge onto the Gabba outfield for the anthems – poor Cameron Green has tested positive for covid but is still allowed to play, albeit he’s being made to keep his distance. ENTER JOKE HERE.
Here he is looking completely normal and at ease the toss.
A big first hour coming up for Kraigg Brathwaite, the skipper will stride out with his opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul very shortly and will be hoping to set a solid platform. I enjoyed this footage of him getting in the zone last night:
Some pre first ball reading:
Forgive the self plugging, I’ll crawl back under my bushel immediately. Shamar Joseph’s story is one to savour and his debut performance last week in Adelaide was a stirring one.
Joseph’s journey to that moment on the green turf of the Adelaide Oval is barely believable. Here’s a kid from the tiny remote village of Baracara in deepest Guyana, its population of about 350 people were isolated from much of the wider world until five years ago when mobile and internet coverage arrived. As a child, Joseph had happened upon some footage of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh doing their thing on a black and white TV and it changed his life.
Not right away of course, but the game had him in its clutches. Anyone who has ever tossed themselves an apple from the fruit bowl and imagined that they’ve just held a skier at the SCG or spun a nectarine from one hand to the other a la Shane Warne at the top of his mark will recognise what came next. Joseph bowled with anything he could get his hands on. At first this was lemons, limes and guava, later it was ad hoc games with a ball made of tightly wound tape.”
Teams: Australia unchanged, Kevin Sinclair given a Test debut for West Indies.
Australia Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
West Indies Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Kevin Sinclair, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph
Toss – West Indies win the toss and will bat first
Kraigg Brathwaite calls the coin correctly and decides to have first use of the facilities. The pitch isn’t as green in hue as it looked a day or so ago. He’ll be willing his side to knuckle down and post a competitive first innings score, give the Aussies something to think about.
As pitches & ice cream flavours go, the Gabba surface has gone from strong pistachio two days ago to more almond-pistachio (badam-pista for the Indians) right now #AusvWI pic.twitter.com/qpEY2spiFh
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) January 25, 2024
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the OBO of the first day of the second Test between Australia and West Indies. Who’s ready for some pink ball action at the Gabba? Well Pat Cummins’ side, that’s who. It’s been a golden year for Cummins and his men and one more victory in this Test will see a 5-0 scoreline returned in the home summer and the World Test Champs’ wagon will keep on rolling.
A spirited West Indies side stand in their way, perhaps some inclement weather too, although the forecast has improved a smidge in the last day or so. The pitch had a green tinge a few days out and when the lights crank into action a bit later on it could be lots of fun… for the bowlers.
Australia have an impeccable record in day/night Tests – they have won all eleven matches they have played with the pink ball, If West Indies are to challenge the Cummins juggernaut then they will have to improve with the bat and hope their bowlers can do the business in the gloaming, the heartening performance (and incredible story) of Shamar Joseph in Adelaide the blueprint to follow in Brisbane. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a corker, fast and fun.
Jim here with the call for the first session and a bit, I’ll bring you news of the teams and toss very shortly. Play gets underway in a little over 30 minutes 2pm local time/3pm AEDT. Do drop me a line with any thoughts, theories or general musings. Let’s get stuck in!