Probably because of the weather, the SCG track didn’t have much in it for Australia’s spinners, and they didn’t have much of a say as South Africa fought to save the Test
It was a pair of spinners who played the decisive hand on the final day at the SCG, but not the two Australia had hoped for.
The defiance shown by Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, while not saving the follow-on, took enough time out of the game that Australia could not force a result with just 47 overs remaining.
It was always going to be a tall order for the home side to take 20 wickets in a day-and-a-half when play finally resumed on Saturday, but six wickets by the close yesterday had raised hopes. Missing four catches of varying difficulty on the final day did not help their cause.
However, the pitch was effectively a day-three surface because of the time lost to rain and it may have broken up further if the game had been played in warm sunshine, but having been billed as the closest conditions Australia would get to India ahead of their tour next month, Pat Cummins admitted it did not quite play out that way. “The wickets probably didn’t play the way we envisioned them. I wish they were a little more broken and a little more crooked,” he said. “I’m not sure how much of this is a misunderstanding and how the weather over the past few days has been rather than a full day of traffic. Perhaps it wasn’t the typical Indian wicket we expected I guess.”
In both innings, the pace of Cummins and Josh Hazlewood became the biggest threats. Because the pair found a challenging backswing, even though Nathan Lyon had no reward or luck in bowling. A series of line ball decisions did not go well as he finished 120 for 2 from 55 overs. It continued the trend of SCG being one of the least successful home venues. It was not a fruitful return to the Test side for Ashton Agger, even considering the pitch was as worn as possible.He was given only 22 in South Africa’s second innings of 149.5 overs. . When asked about team balance, Cummins said that “potentially” another quick would have been useful, but hinted that it was at Matt Renshaw’s expense, not Agger.
Agar got a nod for India’s upcoming tour when he got a new ball in the second inning, but he struggled with consistency.Two more short spells followed as the game ended in a draw, Cummins said the match was not a testbed for Indian Tour picks. “He’ll definitely be there,” Cummins said. wickets out of the middle of the wicket and the left-arm orthodox is a little more effective against right-handed batsmen. It wasn’t easy for him, but he felt he did a really good job.”
Manager Andrew Macdonald has previously admitted there is a leap into the unknown given the lack of top-flight cricket in Agar in recent years.This is the fourth top-flight game since 2021. and with the BBL now underway, there will be no more opportunities for red balls before the team departs at the end of January.
Agar would likely have played for Sri Lanka last year had he not suffered a side sprain, and Australia believe the left-arm spinner is a key part of India’s composition. The only real option in domestic competition is Queenslander Matt Kuhnemann. He played his leg in limited overs in Sri Lanka. It’s highly unlikely they’ll add two left-handed spinners to their roster.
Like Agar, Kuhnemann has had problems with a lack of quality playing time, but the root cause is that he rarely plays alongside Mitchell Swepson in Queensland. have played one Sheffield Shield game this season despite taking four wickets against South Africa in a warm-up game that was not of top-flight status. But after a summer when only weather prevented a 5-0 win, Cummins confidently faced the challenge of winning in India for the first time since 2004, drawing on experience from last year’s series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. bottom.
“I think we gave ourselves the best chance,” he said. “[It’s been] another great summer…the start of our batting group was fantastic.Except for this short time slot game, take 20 wickets in each test under varying conditions.” I feel like we are making adjustments, our experiences in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year really helped us because we know no one goes blind. I think we have more chances than ever before.”