The importance of dropped catches again came to the fore in the match between unbeaten Western Australia and the charging South Australia. Callum Ferguson has been slowly rebuilding his game after his controversial one Test appearance in Hobart last season. Picked without recent form behind him, he failed in both innings before being pushed aside for the new generation in the next Test. He then spent the majority of the summer putting out single figure scores, unable to mount a case for his return. The new season has been kinder to him, and his innings a few days ago was more like the Callum Ferguson everyone enjoyed watching. But today was special. An early chance gave him the opportunity to make a statement, and that he did, pounding the Warriors bowling from pillar to post, building his run rate to excessive levels, and eventually completing a score that must have even surprised himself. His 169 runs from 138 deliveries was striking of the purest kind, playing shots all around the ground in various forms of along the ground and over the top. It was just terrific stuff, and reminded those who remember of his time in the ODI team when he looked as though he was destined for a place in the Test team as well. Injury ruined that dream at the time, and his one taste last summer was like a drop of water to a dehydrated man. Whether he gets another chance or not, if he retains this form he will at least put severe pressure on the incumbent number six.
Chasing 331 for victory, the rampant Warriors top order went at it like it was a forgone conclusion. Even the early loss of Shaun Marsh and Cam Bancroft didn’t ease the attack. Michael Klinger – once again, running out of superlatives for his batting even in the late stages of his career – was just brilliant. He knows his game so well that he can score against any type of bowling that is hurled down at him. He is just as effective playing power shots over the top as he is in playing the cute ducks and slaps around the corner. There have been any number of players down the years that have missed a lot of national section when they obviously deserved their chance, and none was better than what Klinger has shown in recent years. He is a marvel. Alongside him, newly installed captain Mitch Marsh again proved that he has the talent with the bat that we are yet to see at International level, especially in Test cricket. He monstered the bowling, playing in his V between mid-off and square leg. It has been his defence that has been a concern in the Test arena, but here in the one day game he just launched himself and battered the bowling around. I’ve said this recently a couple of times, that the break from bowling because of his ailments may yet be the best thing for his game in the long run, allowing him the time and responsibility to earn his place as a batsman without relying on his bowling keeping him in the frame.
The finish was hurt by losing both of these men in successive balls with 30 runs required off three overs, and while the middle order tried hard they fell five runs short, confining the warriors to their first loss, and the Redbacks the very real chance of making a play-off final. And while it wasn’t a bowlers game one again, the crowd got its money’s worth.
The chaos at North Sydney Oval will have brought tensions between New South Wales and Victoria to a head once again, reliving the events of two years ago when a Shield match was abandoned at the SCG due to what was stated to be poor pitch conditions, handing a forfeit to Victoria that essentially won them the Sheffield Shield and had the Blues missing the final because of it.
Last night seemed even more surreal, as the Blues batted first and was dismissed by the Bushrangers for just 144 – a score only inflated by an amazing innings from number eleven Doug Bollinger who made 30, easily top score. The bowling was highlighted by the amazing economical figures of Peter Siddle, whose ten overs cost him only 0/14, while the stars were firstly 17 year old Will Sutherland who finished with a terrific bag of 4/11 from 5.2 overs and Fawad Ahmed who again bamboozled everyone apart from Bradman Bollinger in taking 3/24.
In reply, Mitch Starc and Pat Cummins came out on fire, and bowled with power and pace at their opponents to get their team back in the game. Starc smashed through Harris, Dean and Handscomb to give the team a fighting chance, while Bollinger took out the stubborn Short to have the Vics at 4/66 and the game was in the balance. A restorative partnership had them at 4/108 after 26 overs, and in the box seat to win the game and take the bonus point they needed to knock the Blues out of the competition, and likely Tasmania as well.
It was then that the umpires decided that the pitch had become too dangerous, following two deliveries from Sean Abbott that reared awkwardly at the batsmen. They abandoned the match from any further play, a simply amazing reaction, given that the game was over three quarters of the way through. Why, having watched the Blues bat their entire innings, and then the Bushrangers bat halfway through theirs, did they suddenly decide the pitch wasn’t fit to continue? It is bizarre to say the least, and raises questions not only about the surface itself but the competence of the officials in charge. Does anyone believe that if the match had been the other way around, that New South Wales was on the verge of winning and the game was abandoned in their favour, along with awarding a bonus point to make the finals, that there would not have been an abrupt and over the top screaming match coming from officials suggesting that the old bias in favour of New South Wales had resurfaced? Does anyone think that Cricket Victoria would not have appealed the decision and forced the officials to revisit their decision? It really does appear highly unlikely that in that reverse universe that the match would have been halted at that stage. There is no doubt that Victoria was almost absolutely going to win the match, and highly likely they would have picked up that bonus point as well. No one is seriously disputing that fact. What must be in dispute is why there was no apparent warning that this type of decision was about to be made, that the pitch had changed so severely in such a short space of time that it required this kind of action. While there is no doubt that the Phil Hughes incident was at the forefront of the minds of those that brought about the abrupt end to this match, it still seems unlikely it would have been abandoned had the Blues been about to win, and that they would have been forced to pay out the match.
This now seriously brings into question the match that is scheduled be played at the ground later this week, and also the Shield match that is scheduled there in November, and not to mention the Test match between the Australian and England Women’s teams. Two things will happen from this point – either the games will have to be moved to another venue, or this result will be buried, and games will continue on this surface as scheduled. If that is to happen, then officialdom will surely not escape the axe from this result having been allowed to occur. What is perhaps most disappointing is that an amazing spell of bowling from a 17 year old young man who looks to have an enormous future in the game of cricket in Australia will be overlooked, all because of the over zealous decision making of officials.
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