Ruminators,
There’s been a fair amount of hue & cry down at my local from wise men and fools about how Simon Katich was so cruelly robbed of the man-of-the-match award in the first test by Mitchell Johnson.
Lots of blithering about how on earth a good first class bowler, but not much more than that, could be rated as best-on-ground, on a pitch that bowlers would like to take around with them everywhere they go, bleating about how easily century’s scored the day before are forgotten, whining about how match winners don’t even get so much as a pat on the back, that sort of thing.
Well, forget all that.
The Motm Crystal Vase should have been placed firmly at the feet of MJ Clarke, for mine.
He was called upon to save a test match yet again, this time very early on in the piece, and answered the call in spades with his first innings 98 - doubtless one of best ever9 knocks - without which New Zealand would have taken the priceless first innings lead and probably gone on to win the match.
Not that it was in anyway an exhibition of craft and style, what with edges through the slips, leg glances gone wrong, balls over the top of short stop, miscued drives that could have easily gone to hand, streaky boundaries aplenty, and what look like half-chances all over the shop.
But he does love the Woolloongabba Ground.
You can disregard the lack of art and grace, there were still a couple of breathtaking shots and given how pale and gaunt the kiddie looked after battling the “mystery virus’ that he picked up on the sub continent; it said plenty about moral fortitude.
Knew exactly what was required from the perils of 3/23 and was prepared, like no one else, to dig deep at the crease for three minutes short of five hours.
In the final paralysis, it has to be rated at least on a par with The Kat carrying his bat, a bit further down the track.
While Pup expressed disappointment on interview after the knock at not reaching the triple figures on account of a complete brain snap brought about by obvious fatigue, that produced such an awfully lazy shot, to see him bowled through the gate, he was very mindful of the match situation, saying first up…
“if you told me at the start of the day that I would get 98, I would have been stoked”.
Not sure that his Captain fully appreciated the magnitude of the contribution, knowing that he had the attack to better the opposition, even though Straya appeared to be a bowler short, and only a couple of bats would have to turn up in the second innings and the featherbed they found themselves bowling on would turn out to be a bed of roses.
Note in passing Bing Lee’s 300th test wicket; a champion effort by anyone’s standards, and his recent apparent attempts to reinvent himself in his old age to try and prolong his career by spearing off the short run for much of the time.
At least, that way, he won’t be chucking his really quick one any more.
In the hose down after the game, you’d have to be left shaking yr head in disbelief, saying why oh why oh why?
Did Roy allow himself to be out on the drink in public, and end up going around clocking blokes.
The Great Siddle must be counting his lucky stars, now that he’ll probably get a run in Adelaide.
