WARNER’S LUCK
The moment that summed up England’s summer
IT was the moment that said it all about Australia’s dominance of this Ashes series.
Opener David Warner was on 99 on day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG yesterday when he skied a ball from England debutant Tom Curran and was caught.
A dejected Warner was halfway back to the dressing room when the big screen at the ground showed Curran had overstepped the mark — much to the delight of the big crowd.
Jubilant at his lucky escape, one ball later the opener broke through for his first century of the Ashes series, helping Australia to a commanding start in the fourth Test.
Warner saluted the crowd after making his 21st Test century — 100 off 130 balls, including 13 fours and a six.
THE English bowling attack may want to find a phone number for Umesh Yadav, and quickly.
Yadav, the fiery Indian quick, was the last man to get Aussie captain Steve Smith out on the MCG. That was three years ago.
As imperious as Smith has been through the Ashes so far, his Melbourne record is reaching ridiculous levels.
Smith has scored 434 runs without being dismissed since Yadav had him caught down the leg side for just 14 on day four of the Test against India in 2014. That was December 29. In that 1093 days Smith has been undismissable. He’s so good we need to create new words.
He’s scored hundreds in his past three MCG Tests, big hundreds, too, no doubt with eyes on a third as Australia presses for a big first innings total today.
His average at the ground is already 140 and while plenty want to compare him with Sir Donald Bradman, in this sphere he has the Don beaten.
Bradman averaged “only” 128.5 at the MCG in his 11 innings. And Smith made his 65 runs yesterday batting with a tweaked technique, too, after copping a ball on the top of his hand during a net session last Sunday.
He wasn’t batting when a ball ricocheted off a rail in the nets and hit a “hot spot” that had already taken blows in Perth. It was a shot from Cameron Bancroft, who couldn’t apologise enough.
“I’ll be able to deal with it and just get on with it. Maybe I just have to use a bit more of my top hand through this game, be a bit wristy,” Smith said before the game.
That Smith could just decide to change his way, midway through a Test series, staggered former Test batsman Mike Hussey.
“To hear him say he may have to change his technique a little bit and use more of his top hand. He must be in some serious form,” Hussey told Fox Sports. “He’s obviously seeing the ball pretty well.”