Brisbane Rain and Magdalene Laundries
Day Five: Australia v India, The Gabba
AUSTRALIA 445 and 89–7 declared
INDIA 260 and 8–0
Match Drawn
Alas, and despite the best efforts of both teams and a Gabba grounds team working over time day after soggy, rain filled day, the Brisbane weather won and the collective “we” of players, spectators and a worldwide audience all lost. I tuned in at 11.45pm local time here in England to blue and white cloudy skies high above the Gabba and although it took a frustrating 20 minutes for Australia to finally snag the last remaining wicket of India’s 1st innings it was game on, and with an innings left apiece Australia held a 1st innings advantage of 185 runs. 10 minutes later and with the players readying themselves to recommence battle and “set up” (in cricketing parlance) a final day shoot-out worthy of the two best Test Match teams in the world, lightning was forecast to hit this storied sporting venue and mere minutes later, the heavens opened once more with pouring rain.
Frustrated, I swapped the rain of down under for the rain of 1980s Ireland and a horribly grim (yet still highly recommended) true life tale of the despicable Magdalene Laundries and a film entitled Small Things Like These and after admiring the acting skills once more of a quite magnificent Cillian Murphy I returned to Brisbane, more in hope than in expectation, and, well, it was game on again!
In my cinematic absence I’d missed the first 7 overs of Australia’s 2nd innings and at 16–2 they were tottering and crumbling under the weight of the superstar bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and the veteran had already accounted for birthday boy Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. Watching live now, Nathan McSweeney fell immediately and without any addition to their 2nd innings total and 16–3 soon became 28–4 and 33–5 with the dismissals of both Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith. Admittedly, Australia were chasing quick runs to set-up a final innings run chase for India but for this English “Pom” watching through the night, I couldn’t have been more excited as I readied a mountain of duvets, filled the hot water bottle and made a fresh round of raspberry jam on toast to accompany a piping hot cup of tea.
And why not?
There was a Test Match to be won!
Travis Head and Pat Cummins bludgeoned some quick runs. Australia declared on 89–7, and India had 54 overs (weather permitting) to chase down, if they so wished, 275 runs for a quite improbable and indeed remarkable victory.
Alas, mother nature had the last word again as with India edging their way to 8–0 the heavens opened once more and at a tick past 5am here in England I too declared, and went to bed.
Strictly speaking this was a cricketing free hit for me as I routinely cover England’s games as per the sub-titles of two of my cricket books “through the night”, but any chance is grabbed like an eager catch in the slips to watch yet more cricket from the sunshine on the other side of the world as the rain teems down the window panes of a cold and dark outside world at 4am on a winter’s day I want no part of. So I shouldn’t have been watching or even writing about this Test Match, but I was and I have, and will continue to do so throughout the Boxing Day extravaganza from Melbourne and the New Year’s Test from Sydney.
Even as a mad-dog Englishman, these are my favourite two Tests to watch every year as they conjure so many memories of Christmases of the past and ushering the family, ancient and modern, off to bed so I could have the house, television and the Melbourne Cricket Ground all to myself.
I’ll rustle up some extra raspberry jam on toast. See you in Melbourne in 7 nights time? Oh come on!
It’s the Boxing Day Test Match!
Thanks for reading. Whilst you’re here I may as well brag about the release of my latest self-published book (Sunday 8th December 2024) as it’s a real doozy and a pride and joy from my English summer. Free to read if you subscribe to Amazon Kindle “Unlimited” or reasonably priced in both paperback and hardback. Go on, treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas and help out an Indie Author! Buy the book if you’re financially able.
We HAVE to keep the spirit of reading books alive and well.
Thanks.
"My Ironbridge Summer" - link to Amazon
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.