The Follow-OnSECOND TEST REVIEW: ‘Stung by a bit of the criticism’ Gilly breaks down how Aussies turned it around in Adelaide
Fox Cricket expert Adam Gilchrist joins the Follow On Podcast to review Australia's scintillating 2nd Test victory over India in Adelaide.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Fox Crickets Podcast one. I'm coming to you from Adelaide and I'm delighted to be joined by brilliant great Adam Gilchrist, who has bought the coverage on Fox Cricket and KO Sports for the last couple of days in Adelaide. And what an eventful couple of days it was. Thanks for joining us.
Adam, Oh my pleasure, mate. Yeah, it was lively, wasn't it? All done and dusted pretty quickly.
Very rapid. But I'm going to get into a couple of way do you matters first before we get down to the nitty gritty. I think I'll just start by following up on the tail end of last week's podcast with Michael Vaughan. We've discussed all things paddle. Now what I want to know, because I know you're on the court a lot. Who's a better player you or Vaughn when it comes to uh to.
Paddle takes the title there. I mean, he plays every day, so he should be decent by this stage. I don't know what as he does in his life. Actually it's pretty much paddle and commentate for us on Fox Crickets. He's got a good touch. Good touch. He just moves you around the court nicely and then he knows he knows how to put your way. It's good fun, it's a good game.
One of the things I've been enjoying in the last couple of weeks Perth and how adelade is he get the occasional front of the crew outgo for a wander along the river, the beautiful Swan River in Perth. The River Torrens here which is magnificent, separates Adelaide Oval from the central business district. But they made the point that you went racing past them on foot, so you clearly got them a little bit in terms of your endurance and agility. Is that true?
On the first morning, I felt like I needed to run more than a walk, so I went. I set off a bit later than there. I ended up running past them and they were waddling along in their little little walking groups. So I just went past them. I cracked it up a little bit. You've got to do that. You've got to if you're run and past someone that you know, you sort of got to lift the chest up and stride out a little bit harder and quickest up. You create the perception gotny that that's the way, that's how fast and running on the whole run. But yeah, I then joined them for the rest of the rest of the test in the walking groups. Good good fun, good exercise clearly and good chat. It was a good chat, very interesting topics of discussion that we get to.
Well, I was going to say it just one last one on the lightest sort of side of things. But you know, each every team that you're in, there's always a character. It's always some banter, et cetera. Just extend to the to the broadcast crew where you have to have that bit of bit of banter because having had the fortune to duck in at different stages, you see that there's a lot going on in an actual office and it's a fairly high stressful so the thing and you always want to make sure you get it right. So there's that banter or that that little bit of back and forth between the team. You know, does that make things easier to make it make for a bit of team.
Yeah, it's like any team you need, you need your different personalities and we've got that. I think Kerry o'keef can absolutely take the leaders start as being the entertainer David Warner in a recent inclusion that's he's creating quite a few interesting discussion topics with the content that he brings. But there's always always a bit of taking the mickey going on and how he's always at front and center of it, or Mark will probably he he can be funny without him even intending to be funny or trying to be funny. So yeah, plenty plenty on and Vaughn is a scurrels type, so yeah, it's good fun and great Davis, you go back on deck. Each was missed out on the on the Perth Test. You're just a bit delayed getting out here. So it feels like the teams can compleat now we got everyone on deck and the broadcast is rolling along nicely, which is easy to do when the entertaining cricket's being played well.
It probably brings me to the first one. Having a good chat to Kerry last night for Fox Sports talking Points, and one of the talking points was the day night tests and Adelaide and it is a magnificent look. It's it's such a beautiful ground Adelaide Oval and I suppose on the tram down each morning just listening to some fans they're a bit perplexed by the fact that it's going to Brisbane next year. I suppose more from a more from a well a win lost point of view, Should we be giving up that advantage with the Ashes coming around? I've given Australia is unbeaten at Adelaide Oval in day night in the pinball cricket, but did have that shock loss to the West Endies earlier this year in Brisbane. Are we given the old old dart, the old rival a league up by not playing an Adelaide next year?
Yeah? I guess statistically it looks like a fortress and other teams haven't been able to adapt to the conditions, So yeah, yeah, it probably is an advantage that administrators have maybe not taken into account on. I'm not sure how it all works and whether that I don't know whether the team get are so like the leadership group of the current team, whether they're considered in the decision making. But it's a remarkable test. It's so much fun, the atmosphere, the way the city embraces it. I don't think anyone embraces their Test match as well as Adelaide does. And that's right across everywhere of the played test create it's just as you say, the trams walking down, run a mall out at dinner, whatever the case may be, or more so in the mornings at breakfast because of the day and I fixture, everyone's a buzz and it's a great atmosphere. So I'm sure Brisbane will create a another hostile environment for the Englishman next year. But it's an impeccable record in Adelaide.
When we left Perth, there was a lot of questions about clearly the Australians after that performance, the two hundred and ninety five run performance. But I remember how to chat to you the day prior and you made the point that you were pretty strong on this that if Australia could survive the initial onslaught from Jasper Boomera, you saw enough there to think there can be a way to make some runs that it is possible. I think clearly Travis Head was exceptional in Perth, but Mitch marsh and Alex Caerry also got among the runs. It almost as though it panned out Lavashane and McSweeney on the Friday night he was so gritty, is what you sort of spotted in Perth. Come to fruition to an extent in Adelaide and as a result, that's part of the reason of perhaps a blueprint that we can look for going forward for the rest of the border. Gaviscar Trophy.
Yeah, I think coming into the series that the uncertainty for India was what the support app for Boomra is like. And Mohammed Siraj Hasha Rana did a really good job in Perth, they just just weren't quite up to that same level in Adelaide. I know Siraj ended up with four wickets and he cannot fault his aggression. Obviously it flared up a bit, but his intent. So yeah, I think that still is the glaringly obvious part of that discussion is that Boomra is at a certain level and the rest of them aren't quite there, and Australia identified that. I thought that. I mean, all the headline was about Travis head but the effort of Martins Flabershane and Nathan McSweeney in tough conditions on Night one, that's what laid the foundation for Australia to be able to launch. So a lot of credit to them.
What did you like about the way they went about it was Kerry again, somebody to chatching miss today basically said he just refused to give up his wick at Martiste. We know he'd been struggling sort of clearly, you know, one p fifty I think in the last nineteen innings or so. I was watching him in the nets on the Thursday and we're a couple of nicks late in the piece. But it was an extraordinary hot day. But he did look like he had that intent back.
Yeah, yeah, even just in his defense. Simple things. It's pretty specific, but simple things when you defend, if you're sort of immediately looking to size up whether there's a single on offer or not, it's I might be wrong, but in perfect CNB was just so focused on being rock solid in defense that you lose the intent in that action and you might then miss an opportunity to pinch a quick single and get yourself off strike and not get bogged down. So everything about he did was really positive and looked looked really like it had the right intent. And yeah, he's a determined young man and he's been as frustrated as anyone about his lack of results, so I'm sure it felt good. He would have been extremely disappointed to give up his wicket the way he did in the end in what turned out to be a reasonably soft manner. But the fact that he spent so much time out the crease and started to accumulate runs and had that really important partnership with McSweeney that I think has set Marnus back on the right track. Now it's his job to try and replicate that over and over.
Again. Disrefriended, checked the pendulum of pressure, so it tends to swing when a couple make runs. Steve Smith must have been very disappointed to get out down caught down the league side. I'm sure he's exceptionally hungry for some runners at the Gabba, but he this is grammar. He's played well up before and he did make the ninety one not out unbeaten against the West Sydney's earlier this year. Probably unlucky enough to carry the bat in the Australian winn't given it was such a tight sort of test, sort of grant he can make some runs and the other thing is just Usmond and Nathan Bean. I know it was only a nineteen run chase, but being able to sort of see it through yesterday in that first session, late in the first session. It must be a nice thing to walk off the ground now and you've got those runs, even though it's only sort of like a small chase, you're there at the end. Does that sort of boost some confidence again?
I think the nice feeler than walking off by yourself having been dismissed. It was those horrible scenarios, everything to lose nothing in the game. But I think Nathan mcsweeny hit a square cut that tied the scores, I think, and I reckon of all the delivery he's faced, of which there's not many in his short test career, that probably been his most special men Perhaps it just he has extended the arms, open the shoulders and just belted it. It was a pretty ranked delivery, but he absolutely creamed it. And there was about thirty thousand people in yesterday. So for him to have that feeling and that that appreciation of a crowd, that'll help fuel him going forward. There's no doubt. I bet he's so eager to get out in the middle again and try to replicate that feeling, and he'll be well supported up at the Gabba because that is his home, his true home state and I think that they'll having discarded him or said he's surplus to requirements, all of a sudden he'll be a Queenslander again. So he's playing up there and yeah, that was all round to a perfect game. Really save Steve Smith. He'll be frustrated with that, but he'll keep working hard. And not every player and every team fires all at once. So the fact that Marcus has now stepped up, that creates opportunity in the next game for Mitch Marshall or Steve Smith who missed out in the last game.
Mark Waugh talks a lot about SIB spielding and you've clearly had a position alongside Samith's standing players in your time. Just one for later in the series, a little mileson coming up for Steve Smith. What makes him such a good subspielder.
I think he stays low, so his technique is really good. He gets himself in a really nice position so that you know, just by very subtle little movements and staying low and keeping at a certain height gets the eye line right. He does remind me a lot of Mark Wall in the way that he caught it second slip and just really soft, soft hands, really relaxed but I think it's mainly the body position and the body height. You know, you look at replayers and Steve Smith hands are down really really low, and he's just in really good position and he's just got outstanding reflexes. But I just love the way the ball sounds going into his hand, or you know, if you do watch them warm up and do practice, you can just it's just a deep, soft sound. So he's naturally gifted. But don't underst about how much they work at it.
Again, back to that trend that I was on, and you know, when we were running down before play on day two, it's a bit of chat about people wanted to see Nathan Mix twenty the adoptive local boy sort of seek around, but it was all about going to see the man at the moment in Adelaide, Travis Heady. He's clearly a local local hero here, eighth Man of the Match, which is quite incredible when you think he's only played fifty one tests. But Pat Cummins impressed. Last night we was talking about the way bats and the way you can take it away. He said, it's not like it's necessarily a new thing, and he raised you as the comparison as someone who could take the game away from the opposition at sort of five six to seven, and you know, as a left hander, do you see that sort of similarity between yourself or was it hard to talk about yourself in that matter? And what do you like about Trevis? What have you seen with him?
Well? I guess it's just that if that's his eighth man of the match I gather he's got one every time he scored one hundred because being his eighth ton. So that there in itself shows you just how much of an impact he has. It. It's okay to get the hundred, but how effective was it in setting up a victory for your team? Mitchell Starr could very easily have claim Man the match on is there in that game particularly he set the tempo right from the very first ball. But yeah, I think Travis Innings did swing the game, you know, too much in Australia's advantage. So that's the sort of impact. That's what you hope to do. You hope to contribute significantly to team victories and it's just great fun to watch. It had been a little bit of a barren spell for him in Test match cricket, not to the point of being concerned that he's going to be left out, but a lot of that was covered up through white ball dynamics. He's a great all format player. But I think with Travis said, that's just and the Australian hierarchy, you know this and appreciate this. You're just going to have to ride the highs and the lows with him, and when the highs are high, they have impact and win test matches. So that's you know which side of the bargain you want to sit on in that negotiation.
There was a bit of controversy as we've touched on it. The well Sarres has been touched on widely. We haven't touched on it about Saraj Sharma rot Chalma in press last night he spoke about how he thinks he brings his best when he's actually fired up and motivated. But I suppose your counterpoint is, does he bring his best when he's fired up and motivated? Is it possible that he could get a little distracted and you could see him a little more wayward when he's that engaged in such a fis he encounter how do you sort of assess that with Saraj just in terms of the impact of you know, he's bowling and what he can do.
Yeah, I think he's a bowler that likes to be in the contest and psychologically get himself into a place where he thinks he's in a bit of a dog fight, a bit of a scrap with the opposition player. He carried that sort of role and mantle in Perth and did it brilliantly without going anywhere near crossing any line or getting himself under the attention of the match referee. I think what really centered over the edge. Again, it wasn't rageous what happened. Let's be honest, it's not. It's not the best image, but it's not the worst. I think the fact that he dropped Travis's head on seventy six and probably every run after that, he knew that that was the game slipping away from them. So to then get Travis out on one hundred and forty, I mean, Sir Arge would know that that Travis had won that battle. So that was just all I think frustration coming out more than anything. And Travis said he's disappointed with his own reaction, But I think it's an emotional game and the temperatures up I don't really see too much about any of it. They've copped it a slap from the match referee, I think, but everyone I'll move on.
With someone who was probably less tested. And Josh Hazerwood had a quick hit after play last sight and I think most outlets will. We have some of his words later on today and he's going to have a bowl in the nets today. But he said he did have a joke. He said that Nathan Lyon came across to him and he said, maybe I might as well leaning your shoes. I only bother the one over and Josh said, hang on, good more than you actually had a bowl on Saturday and actually a bowl on Thursday. My point in that, in terms of getting to the fact, I think they only bolt eighty overs thesis through the two winnings. It's finishing so quickly, it's quite a lot. Gives extensive turned around to Brisbane, but just with the next three tests to come, a lightloaded, clearly advantageous. Mitch Mars only had the bowl to four over, so he wasn't necessarily stressed with some doubts. But what does it mean for the rest of the summer when you have for the bowlers. When you've got that sort of light load and you have stark bowling like you did, you have Packhummans back to his best. That looked like in that second innings he was five for and Scott bowlands the reserve. Have you ever seen is he the most unlucky bowler in the world. If Josh Haes would bounces back given, I think you removed Coolie Gil aswell and Charma four good scalps at your five wickets, and you might make away the next time around.
Yeah, that's the nature of the beast. So I would expect if Hazelwood's fit, they'll go back to Hazelwood, particularly at the Gabba. I think that's conditions that will suit him. I mean, either one, either way you go, you're going to get. You know exactly what you to get, and that's consistency and a batting order that as an opposing batting order that'll be under threat. So yeah, timing is unfortunate for Scotty, But I just love the way he just steps up and it's like you're plugging in a board machine that's got a setting on and it just cranks up again to the identical setting. So and I love the way the crowd embraced him and broadcasters and he's just a fascinating story. He's such a humble guy but just just going about his day at work and he can electrify our nation and fifty thou people in a grandstand. But as far as the workload, clearly that works in an Australia's favor. But also the game moved so quickly, India didn't exactly have to bowl a mountain of overs either. And you know, looking at the two games, Australia has bowled more overs, but it's been a nice spread out now with that extended break between the first and second, and now an extra few days gives them near enough to a week to be ready to go. So that's just going to mean the intensity of battle is going to be high quality and continue deeper into the series. By the time we get to Sydney, you know, the bowlers could still well be feeling feeling reasonably not fresh, but certainly not running to the ground, So that augurs well for the series.
Michael said, to be prior to the adlaid test, that gives surprise that the Aussis didn't bump the Indians a bit more in Perth. It was pretty notable yesterday that the aggression seemed to be back in terms of the attack and Pat was you know, he unleashed a bit. I think I like the line from Mitchell Stark unleash the handbreak, Let the handbreak go a little bit in that first sities. What did you see from him now the.
Perth Cummins he was You could see just through his celebration that there was a more you know, every wicket that was taken. He was more aggressive in his celebration, not in a lose control extent, but you could just see that clearly they've been stung by a bit of the criticism around after their performance and they internally would have been so disappointed with the way they played in Perth. So it showed you what it means to them and that they knew that they were back at the level that they want to play their cricket. So he was outstanding. He looked like that, you know, if there needed to be a bit of agreed and oil change after Perth and the tune up, he was purring by the end of it. So that was terrific to watch. And they were just a unit that, you know, the three bowlers, Nathan Lyne only the went over and Mitch four. Other than that those the big three start Borron comers were just hunting as a pack and bould as a unit. So that was really really fun to watch.
Well, just to finish off, Adam and we had a chat about a month or so ago for the feature that we'll run on Fox sports dot com dot Au and also a video on Chao Sports about the great tests. We've been doing a series rolling about each time around and going back to twenty twenty one in Brisbane, Australia was basically unbeatable in Brisbane prior to that twenty twenty one series against India where the Indians turned it around. From Adelaide, what's happened at Brisbane where we've lost that little bit of edge and what can we expect there now? What do we expecting next weekend?
I think I don't think anything's happened. Opposition teams have played well, maybe the pitch hasn't quite been as spicy, trying to think back to the Indian victory. Yeah that I mean they had a bunch of newcomers come in without any fear and who knew what opportunity they had for them if they if they sort of played conservatively, so they came out and really attacked and and so to the West indiesh Shama Joseph, you know a newcomer to test Creet. He didn't know any history and didn't have any scars of yesteryear on him. So this Australian team is a team that generally the opposition if they're going to beat them, the opposition have to play an extremely high level and play to their best, so that that's a sign of respect towards a good team. Australian create team is a good team. They had a slip up in per they've rectified that and I think that extra edge and determination will be there again to try and quieten down any issue around the Gabba and their results in Brisbane, I think they'll want to build that back up again, so I expect their level of competition will be at the same height.
Well, look, thanks so much for your insights as always, Adam, I really really appreciate it. It's great for the following listeners. But also hope that you get a couple of days back home with the family before you head up to Brisbane. It's a benefit of a three day test that does give a bit more of a break. But thanks so much for joining us as all us.
Thanas you mate. See you in Brisbane.
