The first triple century at the Sydney Cricket Ground since Bradman, and other stories...

Hedonists,

During Saturday afternoon’s massive day on the punt with my best mate Trev down from Newcastle [won early, won often, then backed the Cox Plate winner at 11/2 until our noses bled] the bush telegraph in the corner of the lounge room chattered into life and announced that Clarke [yep that’s right, Clarke, with an “e”] had taken three wickets late in the Queensland innings!
Intending to get along to the ground for day three, the late news came in that MJ Clarke has been “senselessly run out” for 23, with Simon Katich involved at the other end and Ryan Broad apparently throwing down the stumps from flat on his back…oh dear…Pup’s out…and we’re going to the game the next day.

Cricket and racing have one thing in common – no one can ever know what will happen from one minute to the next.
Certainly nothing presaged what would transpire on the day.
Simon Katich started the day on 70 odd, and then, with avoiding the follow-on on his mind, proceeded to spend something like 70 minutes in his 90’s, as Dom Thornley at the other end launched some heavy artillery, hitting two enormous sixes off the first two balls from the innocuous spinner Simpson [who the crowd quickly dubbed “Homer”].
For good measure he then finished off the over with a shot that sailed over the top of the sightboard at straight hit, and finished 30 rows back.
Katich finally got his 100 before lunch.
When we returned 20 minutes late from lunch at the Olympic Hotel, and were contemplating popping in to have a look at the A-league match next door at the SFS, it was clear something was going on.
Kat was really getting in amongst it and before anyone knew it he was approaching his 200.
When he got the double ton [with two sixes mind you], he had a mid-pitch conference with the Queensland skipper Jimmy Maher who appeared to all but concede the first innings points and ask ”when are you bloody well going to declare?’
Kat would have nothing of it.
The superbly well organised left hander clinically took apart the by now ragged Queensland bowling, again hitting two sixes [off another innocuous spinner, Sullivan, who was quickly dubbed by the crowd “Ed”], including a corker well back into the Ladies stand, to take what at the start of the day had been a highly unlikely first innings lead.
The crowd, which by then had swelled to about five thousand, just went completely bananas when he got the triple!
It was an almost faultless innings, his lofted drives on the on and the off in complete safety were imperious, while some lovely off cutting and driving beating point and cover all ends up, as the ball raced away to the boundary was a joy to watch.
Kat’s defence was impeccable, he never played the pull or the hook shot, but very rarely did he miss a chance to smack the rubbish, of which there was plenty on the four lane highway that the curator had rolled out.
Old hand’s described it as the best early season belter seen in Sydney in years.
Even Bing Lee got hit for a hundred in the Queensland innings, while TSC MacGill went for more than 200, and said afterwards that he “felt the ball was coming out the hand pretty well”.
Still, 300 is 300 is 300. Big numbers.
Kat offered his only chance in about his 180’s, when he put a very thick edge onto one from Mitchell Johnson [who couldn’t disquise his disappointment in the end] that flew; Queensland keeper Hartley performed a spectacular dive to the leg side, appeared to glove the ball cleanly, but then in the cloud of dust, arms, and legs that followed, managed to spill the pill, never having quite got the ball under control.
Problem was, the umpire at the bowlers end already had his finger up!
Hartley was good enough to approach the square leg umpire and say he didn’t catch it, the digit was withdrawn, and Kat was recalled to the wicket.
While all this was going on, Brad Haddin hit a gem of a ton.
Haven’t seen anyone for while who can stand and deliver off the back foot like he does – punching the ball like a boxer – the thing rolling away to the boundary more often than not.
Haddin’s also an excellent noodler; a consummate nudger of the ball for the typical well-run one-day-type single.
Hit his fair share of sixes too - a couple of square drives to the leg sailed into the empty Brewongle Stand concourse and took quite a while for the fieldsmen to find among the seats.
With the bats blazing away, Queensland got quite cranky in the field.
At one point, Haddin pushed a ball from Symonds to about deep cover, and then found himself struggling for his ground.
Symonds was backing up at the stumps, but the throw from the field collected Haddin on the neck and shoulder as it went through, to dribble to a stop at Symonds feet, as Haddin’s bat slid over the crease.
Roy, in a fit of pique, put in a genuine appeal for “obstructing the field” and by the looks of the thing, made sure the umpires knew what he was appealing for.
The square leg umpire turned him down.
The day was made even more enjoyable by about a dozen lunatic spectators obviously on a weekend bender.
They rolled in about 11 am, after what would have been an all nighter, in fancy dress.
They were fitted out in old sports blazers, teamed with Hawaiian shirts and long baggy shorts, topped with a variety “jazz hats”, ranging from the ten gallon, to the Sicilian fisherman’s cap, to things with propellers on the top of them.
One bloke even had the stick-on Elvis Presley style sideburns.
They were quite subdued in the first session, but once they got drinking again, became quite raucous, but good natured, witty barrackers.

As Trev pointed out, in normal circumstances, Kat would have played himself into the Australian middle order; open with MEK Hussey, and sorry about that Phil.
But it won’t happen.
The team was already picked before the weekend.
If Tait is fit, Johnson will be 12th man on his SCG showing, where he became visibly frustrated and began bowling some rank full tosses and rude long hops, as he completely lost his line and length in the face of the onslaught.
Suggest some of the crack Sri Lankan bats would similarly find him out.
Didn’t impress me much.

All in all one of the best day’s first class cricket witnessed in many a season, and at least The Kat, by his own admission, atoned for the cardinal sin of running out Pup!

The SCG Trust has apparently guaranteed Cricket Australia that the New Hill Stand will be ready for the test match.
On the look of construction proceedings yesterday, they have a snowflakes chance in hell.
Two huge cranes are in place, but less than half the foundations have gone in, and that’s it.
Unless most of it is being pre-fabed off site, getting to lock up stage by January would appear well nigh impossible.