Welcome to our reside protection of day two of the World Test Championship closing.
Travis Head and Steve Smith piled on the runs to go away Australia in a commanding place to say the one piece of silverware from its trophy cupboard.
Scroll down for the reside match centre and main speaking factors all through the day.
8.17PM: GREEN GONE ON GREEN TOP
Cameron Green’s entrance foot has once more proved his undoing, edging an tried drive to Shubman Gill at second slip.
8.00PM: HEADS EPIC KNOCK OVER
Travis Head’s (163 from 174) unbelievable knock ends in a whimper, lastly succumbing to India’s short-pitched barrage to glove one down leg.
But the harm could have been completed if Head’s excellent century-win conversion is something to go by – Australia has by no means misplaced a Test match when the swashbuckling left-hander converts to triple figures.
The high quality knock will probably be bittersweet for Head with the Aussies greeted with excellent batting situations at The Oval.
However, if we had been to select some nits from Head’s innings, his skill to play the legside brief ball will give future opponents loads to consider – ‘shame’ India managed to execute their plan 163 runs too late.
“It’s not a natural shot,” Hayden mentioned of Head’s dismissal. “He loves to go over and through the onside but that was played on the off-side.”
7.32PM: SMUDGE SCORES 31ST TON
Well, that didn’t take lengthy! Smudge strikes inside one century of equalling Steve Waugh’s ton file with consecutive boundaries from the opening over of day two – and hasn’t it garnered a response from Mohammed Siraj.
If the fiery India fast clearly didn’t take kindly to gifting Smith his seventh Test ton on English soil, he was ropeable with the Aussie pulled away throughout his run up. This might warmth up very shortly.
Back to the legend that’s Steve Smith … he now attracts degree with Steve Waugh on seven Test centuries in England. Of non-Englishmen, solely The Don (11) has extra.
Furthermore, Smith is simply the second touring participant to attain three centuries at The Oval.
Travis Head passes 150 down the opposite finish.
WHY HEAD IS UNDROPPABLE
If Travis Head’s centuries to wins conversion is something to go by Australia will declare the one trophy absent from its bulging cupboard.
Head smashed an unbeaten first day century within the World Test Championship closing to show the match on its head after India elected to bowl first.
Head has by no means misplaced within the dishevelled inexperienced after scoring a century, a statistic which makes him as undroppable as Steve Smith and Pat Cummins.
And after being dropped by three totally different choice panels since making his debut, Australia’s brains belief will probably be pencilling him for the 5 Ashes Test yesterday.
“Yes I’d love to play every single Test match, that’s not always going to be the case,” Head mentioned after day one at The Oval. “Hopefully I don’t get dropped too much in the future.”
We don’t suppose you’ll want to fret about that anytime quickly, Trav.
CA MUST SHOW SMITH THE MONEY
– Ben Horne
Cricket Australia ought to take a totally totally different strategy to its subsequent contract negotiation with Steve Smith.
Guarantee him the identical cash he’s on now — within the area of $2 million — however to play Test match cricket solely.
A reduce in cricket, however with out the pay reduce.
Smith’s masterful knock within the World Test Championship Final is a contemporary reminder of the vital function he can play within the evolution of this group and why it’s important Australia locks him into one other couple of years of Test cricket.
DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS: RECAP EVERY KEY MOMENT HERE
The sequence of cryptic feedback Smith made final summer season about how lengthy his Australian profession would possibly proceed on for shouldn’t be dismissed calmly.
Before this Test match, Smith was once more coy about his future, successfully shutting down the road of questioning.
Just as a result of Smith remains to be posting magnificent innings like he has at The Oval in opposition to India, doesn’t robotically imply he’ll simply merely proceed on till the runs dry up.
Smith would possibly churn out centuries like a robotic, however don’t underestimate the toll the sport has taken on him each mentally and bodily when you think about battles with insomnia, a degenerative again and Cape Town 2018.
In these ever-changing, fickle instances, elasticity is required and whereas most gamers world wide are in search of the pliability to hunt the huge {dollars} in T20 cricket, Cricket Australia should go the other means with Smith and recognise the distinctive asset he’s for the sport.
Allow him to stop worldwide white ball cricket — ought to he want — however nonetheless pay him the highest greenback of a three-format famous person to replicate how essential Test cricket is to Australia, and the way essential Smith is to Test cricket.
If it means Smith continues on in Test cricket and doesn’t retire prematurely, will probably be a deal price each penny. As it will be for the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins ought to they select the same path within the months and years forward.
Australia merely can not afford a scenario the place David Warner bows out throughout this dwelling summer season, Usman Khawaja probably not lengthy after, solely to have Smith additionally stroll off into the New York sundown when he’s nonetheless arguably the very best batsman on the planet.
Not only for the runs Smith himself nonetheless brings, however for the affect his presence can have on a new-set of openers and the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Cameron Green round him constructing a brand new period of batting success.
Just ask Head about Smith’s affect in defusing stress.
“I‘ve always said I do really enjoy batting with Steve because of how much attention he receives,” Head mentioned.
“ … He’s our best batter, he’s unbelievable in these conditions, and he receives so much attention from opposition in terms of plans and how difficult he is to bowl to, so I’ve always said going out to bat with him, it feels like you’re in the shadow of that, you can sort of stay under the radar and go about your business.”
Not to say the sensible management function Smith has performed as quick bowling skipper Pat Cummins’ vice-captain, capable of briefly take the reins at a second’s discover.
If Smith scores the 5 runs wanted to succeed in 31 Test centuries at The Oval, he’ll path Steve Waugh by only one and shut into inside 10 of Ricky Ponting’s all-time file of 41 Test tons of.
Smith mentioned through the summer season he didn’t really feel he’d be round lengthy sufficient to problem Ponting’s mark.
But Australian cricket will probably be a lot richer if it could persuade Smith to bat on in Test cricket and it needs to be a precedence after this Ashes is accomplished.
Whether he in the end reaches Ponting’s file or not doesn’t actually matter to Smith’s legacy as the very best since Bradman – and should not inspire him in any respect – however conserving him across the dressing room lengthy sufficient for it to turn out to be doable will assist Australia construct in the direction of a brand new period.
Originally revealed as World Test Championship closing reside: Follow all of the motion from day two between Australia and India
Source: www.news.com.au
