IT’S A REAL WARNER OF WORDS!
Opener in four-letter blast after he’s let off by no-ball
Tom Curran will never again experience the extreme highs and lows of a dramatic passage of play on the first day of the fourth Test that saw what he thought was a notable maiden Test wicket snatched from him.
Curran was ecstatic when England’s plan to frustrate David Warner ended with him lobbing one of those short-arm jabs that have often proved his downfall to mid-on, one run short of a Boxing Day mCG century.
Yet the debutant’s joy quickly turned to despair when he was found to have overstepped and Warner was allowed to reach three figures off the next ball and set off on an extravagant celebration that heaped salt on to England’s wounds.
It was the most eye- catching moment of a see-saw opening to England’s attempts to reclaim some of the pride that was lost along with the ashes when they crashed to a third thumping defeat in three Tests in Perth.
But at least it did not prove costly as Warner added just four more runs before Jimmy anderson claimed him as his 100th ashes victim in another Test that already seemed to be slipping away.
England bowled with great discipline to keep Warner, who had cruised to an unbeaten 83 out of 102 without loss by lunch, in the 90s for 40 minutes, frustrated by the seven fielders placed on the off-side by Joe root.
and their reward was their second wicket, to follow that of a torturous 26 from Cameron Bancroft ended by Chris Woakes, in a middle session where they clawed their way back into contention by conceding just 43 runs in 25 overs.
There was controversy too, as ever with Warner, when he launched a tirade of abuse at Jonny Bairstow after England took exception to the australian’s slice of fortune and the way he milked it when he reached three figures.
It was in Brisbane where Warner and Steve Smith made comments to Bairstow that were alleged to have overstepped the mark of what is acceptable in the heat of a Test battle. England’s wicketkeeper said in his Sportsmail column that if the nature of the abuse was repeated he would go public with it so Warner needed to be very careful when he screamed at Bairstow.
anderson, who drew level with Courtney Walsh on 519 Test wickets when he got rid of Warner, appeared to bring yesterday’s comments to umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s attention before at least three England players exchanged more words with Warner during a drinks break.
But both Bairstow and England were insistent last night that Warner was simply foul-mouthed rather than offensive in the latest outburst that proves him to be anything but the reformed character australia insist he is.
a point here, too, about Curran’s no-ball, the third to cost England a Test wicket in the last four years, only being picked up by replays rather than by Dharmasena who should have spotted it. umpires these days simply do not check for front-foot no balls and it is a dereliction of their duty to hand responsibility to the TV official.
Curran, who moved his mark at the start of his run forward after Dharmasena told him only half his foot was crossing the line at the moment of delivery, can only blame himself, but the sooner the ICC cricket committee’s recommendation that all no balls are instantly called by the TV umpire using ‘touchline’ technology is brought in the better.
When Stuart Broad, bristling to prove those like michael Vaughan wrong in calling for him to be dropped, took his first wicket in almost 70 overs to claim usman Khawaja, England were in with a chance to seize control.
and if Broad had managed to convince umpire S ravi to give him Shaun marsh’s wicket off his very next ball — England’s review of the not-out decision showed it to be the umpire’s call — then they might have been in business.
Yet they again ran into the immovable object that is Smith, who proved impossible to budge even though he was struggling with a right hand injured in the nets on Christmas Eve.
The australia captain averages 140 in melbourne and reached 65 by the close, with australia battling through to 244 for three.
In truth, there was not a lot more England could have done on the flattest wicket of the series with a one-paced attack after root lost his first toss of the series.
only moeen ali was a disappointment and it said everything about his form that root preferred the occasional leg-spin of Dawid malan to his no 1 spinner throughout the final session.
moeen, who went for 35 runs in his six overs after passing a late fitness test on a hand injury, looks devoid of all confidence and is playing for his place in the rest of this Test.
England could have blooded a second debutant in mason Crane, but were worried about the length of their tail. now the 20-year-old leg- spinner will almost certainly play in Sydney unless moeen goes big here with the bat.