Australia vs India, Test Cricket at SCG
Day 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Cricket Test, India is 8 for 455 and Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin are batting, facing Australia's in-and-out of the team but extremely fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Yesterday a dropped catch at the pink Test's Jane McGrath day had new Australian captain Steve Smith seeing red, as he blamed the mistake on the high-tech camera hovering above him. The Spidercam - which provides close-up images for broadcast - is near centre, above the MA Noble stand. It is suspended by cables painted black to avoid distracting the players.
The $197 million upgrade to the MA Noble, Donald Bradman and Dally Messenger stands was opened mid-year before being finished, but the long-overdue upgrade looks good, with new food and drink outlets, wi-fi and AV system. The new stands have 13,360 seats. Services, if not their quality, have caught up with the Stadium built for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Sadly the SCG retains its ban on normal-strength booze, stocking weak sponsor's beer and wine that costs more by the plastic cup than the cask it probably came from. You can't even get the sponsor's main product. Cidar (sic) was mis-spelt. It's about time the SCG offered a modern bar choice, but the keg beer bastion's ads tell its patrons they are rowdy drunks, public nuisances, health deviants and social misfits. It's fun that the 'don't forget to hydrate yourself' message comes up surrounded by giant beer ads, adjacent to stacks of 'don't drink and drive' advertising. Dull beer is no longer the only choice, so we eventually rejected the dismal alcohol choices for coffee.
About 19,000 people attended, a good outcome given the Test's late rescheduling this year. There was good cricket on the fourth day. India's new captain Virat Kohli was dismissed early for 147, his fourth century of the series, but India's tail put up resistance and they closed the innings on 475, conceding a lead of 97. The Australians then blitzed to 6-251 from 40 overs. Six runs an over is unheard of in tests. It included a 70-ball 71 from the skipper, who now holds the record for runs in an Australia-India Border-Gavaskar series (with Kohli not far behind), and a 39-ball 66 from new Test batsman Joe Burns. This was briliant even against a slightly iffy attack which bowled too short to penetrate on a granite pitch. However, the odd ball was unplayable, such as the one which caught Smith for lbw. The Australians could already declare with a lead of 348, and they are in the box seat. Depending on the timing of the declaration, either Australia or India could win, but India will have to fight to draw. Tomorrow entry is $20 at the door, no pre booking.
Australia vs India, Test Cricket at SCG
Day 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Cricket Test, India is 8 for 455 and Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin are batting, facing Australia's in-and-out of the team but extremely fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Yesterday a dropped catch at the pink Test's Jane McGrath day had new Australian captain Steve Smith seeing red, as he blamed the mistake on the high-tech camera hovering above him. The Spidercam - which provides close-up images for broadcast - is near centre, above the MA Noble stand. It is suspended by cables painted black to avoid distracting the players.
The $197 million upgrade to the MA Noble, Donald Bradman and Dally Messenger stands was opened mid-year before being finished, but the long-overdue upgrade looks good, with new food and drink outlets, wi-fi and AV system. The new stands have 13,360 seats. Services, if not their quality, have caught up with the Stadium built for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Sadly the SCG retains its ban on normal-strength booze, stocking weak sponsor's beer and wine that costs more by the plastic cup than the cask it probably came from. You can't even get the sponsor's main product. Cidar (sic) was mis-spelt. It's about time the SCG offered a modern bar choice, but the keg beer bastion's ads tell its patrons they are rowdy drunks, public nuisances, health deviants and social misfits. It's fun that the 'don't forget to hydrate yourself' message comes up surrounded by giant beer ads, adjacent to stacks of 'don't drink and drive' advertising. Dull beer is no longer the only choice, so we eventually rejected the dismal alcohol choices for coffee.
About 19,000 people attended, a good outcome given the Test's late rescheduling this year. There was good cricket on the fourth day. India's new captain Virat Kohli was dismissed early for 147, his fourth century of the series, but India's tail put up resistance and they closed the innings on 475, conceding a lead of 97. The Australians then blitzed to 6-251 from 40 overs. Six runs an over is unheard of in tests. It included a 70-ball 71 from the skipper, who now holds the record for runs in an Australia-India Border-Gavaskar series (with Kohli not far behind), and a 39-ball 66 from new Test batsman Joe Burns. This was briliant even against a slightly iffy attack which bowled too short to penetrate on a granite pitch. However, the odd ball was unplayable, such as the one which caught Smith for lbw. The Australians could already declare with a lead of 348, and they are in the box seat. Depending on the timing of the declaration, either Australia or India could win, but India will have to fight to draw. Tomorrow entry is $20 at the door, no pre booking.