Cricket Described

I’ve long dreamed of travelling to far flung locations to watch test cricket. The lifestyle of the travelling cricket writer, commentator, or podcaster has always seemed romantic and out of reach. To consume their words has felt like a kind of escapism. 

Doubtless the reality for those who live this life is much more mundane, and just as full of its unique frustrations as any other job. When you travel infrequently, and spend more time daydreaming about going to exotic locations than actually doing so, it is easy to forget how much time and energy is spent dealing with minutiae such as packing, finding toilets, deciding what to eat and where to do so, navigating crowds and people, standing in line, working out how basic systems work in an unfamiliar place, ensuring that gadgets are charged, waiting for baggage, taxis, buses, and planes, and making sure that nothing has been forgotten. I tend to err on the side of over planning, and I’m easily discombobulated when reality doesn’t align with my plans. Perhaps those who do this more frequently and are more familiar with the process are better adapted to going with the flow.

This trip to Darwin is the first time I have travelled a significant distance purely for the purpose of watching cricket. I have never had the opportunity to do so in the past, and now that I can it feels a little indulgent. But I have long wanted to do this, and despite my control freakery described above, or perhaps because of it, I have always wanted to do it independently. The planned, packaged tours have never appealed to me. I understand why people would choose the convenience of that option, but it’s not for me.

The first impression on arrival in Darwin is that it is visibly, viscerally different to other Australian cities. The difference is stark. Most Australians live in the temperate Southeast corner of the continent, and this place is completely unlike that region. 

It’s not just the temperature, it is the climate. Air conditioning is constant and ubiquitous in all indoor spaces. Leaving the airport by taxi we were instantly driving through what appears to be tropical scrub. A fire burned in the distance and a large plume of smoke spread out to the horizon. The air was thick with the sickly-sweet smell of smoke and tea tree.

The cab driver agreed to stop at a bottle shop so I could procure some beers to have at the motel, and the cashier required that I produce my driver’s license so that he could scan it. Noting that I was a Victorian, he explained that this is a legal requirement here. Darwin has a reputation for being laid back – a place with fewer rules and regulations than the rest of the nation. However, it would seem that this experience very much depends on who you are – Aboriginal Territorians apparently have a very different experience of the power of the state.

The Grade Cricketer performed on the eve of the test at The Darwin Festival. I had wondered if their niche subject matter would be too obscure to draw a big crowd at what is ostensibly an arts and culture festival, but the place was packed. The audience was a typical TGC crowd – overwhelmingly men in their thirties. But the show was typically sharp and witty, and guest Alyssa Healy showed why her media star had risen so rapidly since retirement from cricket.

Game Day

Marrara Stadium is primarily a footy oval, but it works as a cricket venue. It is reminiscent of the old VFL grounds in suburban Melbourne. It is kind of like Whitten Oval, if the Whitten Oval was spacious, inviting, and located in the tropics. The single grandstand extends along one wing, from forward pocket to forward pocket, so in cricket formation the seating and commentary positions are square of the wicket. There really isn’t any seating behind either bowlers’ arm, but it doesn’t seem to matter.

The grandstand was mostly full by the start of play, but queues were minimal and not inconvenient. From the perspective of a Melbournian transplanted straight from the depths of winter, the heat and humidity was oppressive. The mid strength beer was bland and almost redundant – cans went warm moments after purchase and whatever alcohol it contained was quickly sweated out before it could impart any effect on the brain.

Australia won the toss and batted, to the surprise of many but perhaps to the relief of anyone who had bought tickets for day 3 or beyond. Following their routing at the adjoining venue at the hands of a largely unknown CAXI, the not unreasonable expectation was that Bangladesh would be similarly routed here. But their bowlers applied themselves to the task with discipline and patience. On a pitch that didn’t appear to offer them much, they bowled tight lines and lengths, and quickly had the Australians in trouble.

The usual criticism will be levelled at the batters who came into the match under pressure, but it is noteworthy that Bangladesh took more wickets with excellent deliveries, than through poor shots. The normally reliable Head, Carey, and Webster were all bowled by balls that plainly beat them. Hasan Mahmud led the attack, bowling at consistent pace in very taxing conditions. Hossain and Ahmed maintained similar pressure, only conceding boundaries through occasional unconventional shots.

Steve Smith was the only batter to offer sustained resistance. He was typically fidgety, quirky, and demonstrative, at one stage gesticulating at a TV camera man on the edge of the sight screen who was nowhere near the line of the bowler, and incapable of moving his fixed position regardless. Nonetheless Smith’s timing was a mercurial and he appeared to think his way through a challenging set of circumstances as he so often does. The mental energy expended in doing so was tiring to watch as a spectator. It is impossible to know what it is like for him. Smith is a fighter, but an unconventional one. He fights himself, he fights the conditions, he fights confused spectators who stray anywhere near his line of sight. But he never seems to fight his opponents – he scarcely acknowledges they exist, which must be perplexing and frustrating for those who want to engage him in mind games. Accordingly, his wicket fell on 71 more as a result of an error by him, rather than anything in particular that the Bangladeshis did. In all the discussion about Smith’s unconventional habits and movements, what often gets overlooked is the unorthodoxy of his batting. He has effectively abandoned the conventional wisdom, and invented his own batting technique. His unique combination of talent and eccentricity is perhaps why he is the only batter who has carved out their own method so successfully.

Australia’s total of 198 was well short of the expectations of just about everyone. Nonetheless, there seemed a distinct possibility that the wickets would continue to fall and the apparently fragile Bangladesh batting would be overwhelmed by Australia’s legendary bowling quartet. Instead they dug in, and showed as much grit with the bat as they had with ball. Shadman Islam looked solid until his leading edge skied a Starc delivery for an easy catch to Lyon at point – perhaps making amends for earlier having dropped Tanzid Hasan. Mominul Haque Tanzid did better than merely digging in, they played an impressive array of strokes to see Bangladesh well on top at 1/96 at stumps.

Australia has significant batting problems no doubt, and there are serious concerns as crucial test series will be coming thick and fast over the next year. And at the same time, there is much that is encouraging about a Bangladeshi side playing outstanding test cricket against Australia in Australia. Both things can be true.

Day 2 began with a chance meeting with the greatest cricket writer of them all, Gideon Haigh. He was outside my hotel waiting to meet a friend for coffee. Gideon was engaging and funny, and told of how the air conditioning in the press box was so extreme that some were complaining about the cold. We discussed the woes of Australia’s batting, and because we were outside the Argus Hotel I made a lame joke that it could be an appropriate venue for another review of Australian cricket.

There was a general expectation going into the day that the Australian bowlers would inevitably run through the Bangladeshi batters for a modest total. Those expectations evaporated with Tanzid Tamim showing excellent temperament and technique, ably supported by Haque and Rahim. I spent the day in the standing area at the back of the stand with a contingent of cricket loving middle aged men who had travelled from various states to watch the game. The consensus among these wise men was that Bangladesh were batting properly, while lamenting the fact that the Australians had not. It was an obvious point, but true nonetheless. 

Tanzid’s century was greeted by a standing ovation, which was soon repeated when he was dismissed on 101. As the day wore on, discussion again turned to which players should be dropped, and who should replace them. This discussion seems likely to continue for some time, but the problem the selectors face is that there is no evidence to suggest that someone else might make a better fist of it.

This was terrific test cricket from Bangladesh. Up against the most esteemed bowling line up in world cricket, they were calm, composed, and confident. They defended well, and exploited the loose deliveries. They provided very few chances, and there were many fewer LBW appeals than you would expect to see when the Australians bowl all day. Hazlewood was the best of the Australian bowlers, despite speculation that he would be the most likely to make way should the selectors prefer Scott Boland. Starc and Cummins maintained their pace in defiance of the heat and humidity, but only occasionally looked threatening. Returning from injury, Nathan Lyon was easily dealt with by the Bangladeshi batters. On a pitch that did him no favours, he seemed to lack his usual spark. It seems inevitable that his place in the team will come under scrutiny should he repeat this performance in Mackay.  

When Bangladesh finished day two in total command on 6/351, it was not as a result of any specific acts of brilliance, or match turning performances. They had simply performed each aspect of the game well, and done exactly what was required, when it was required. In that sense it was more traditional test cricket than we have become accustomed to in the post-covid era.

And so ended my Darwin test experience. I had only come for days one and two. Partly because, like most, I hadn’t expected the game to last much longer than that, and partly because I needed to return to Melbourne for non-cricket reasons. Top end test cricket in August works. So much so, that it is surprising that it has not happened in more than twenty years. With an increasingly crowded cricket calendar and the requirements of the World Test Championship, it would make a lot of sense for Cricket Australia to schedule tests here perhaps every second year. They are not going to play England or India here, but Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh could be rotated through. From the perspective of a fan from a southern state, the timing is perfect. Winter in Melbourne has grown very tedious by August, and if there is a regularity to these tests then interest will grow, and it could become a destination test.

From my perspective day three was experienced via radio on my return journey. From the perspective of the Australians it was mostly more hard toil. Bangladesh kept Australia in the field until the middle session, finally all out for a seemingly insurmountable 426. More top order trouble followed for Australia, with the beleaguered Weatherald chopping on for a duck, modest totals for Head and Labuschagne, and Smith out for 44. Australia would go into day 4 with six wickets in hand and a massive task just to make Bangladesh bat again.

The final day of the test was spent in the more familiar surrounds of the lounge room in Melbourne. Part of what makes test cricket unique is that we can experience the same match in very different ways from day to day. One day we might be at the venue, the next listening on radio while travelling, then the next day is experienced on TV in a different city. These changing perspectives and locations seem to enhance the sense of time transpiring as the game evolves. This test had its twists and turns over the journey, and on day four Cam Green provided something of a redemption story, scoring his first century on home soil. But when he was dismissed, so too went any faint hope of Australia saving the test. All out for 284, setting Bangladesh only 57 to win which they achieved for the loss of only Tanzid Hasan.

The simultaneous narratives from the media tell us that this was a completely unacceptable loss by Australia, and it was the greatest upset in the history of test cricket. There may be some hyperbole in both, but they are not mutually exclusive. The question is which of these two would you rather focus on, and the answer to that might depend on whether your primary concern is the Australian Cricket Team, or test cricket in general. Had this test gone as most had expected, we probably would have seen a fairly forgettable demolition of weaker team at the hands of a stronger one. What we ended up with was something truly remarkable and joyous, and totally unforgettable. As test cricket fans we live in fear for the future of test cricket. The anticipated result would have done nothing to allay those fears, whereas this result is somewhat reassuring. Bangladesh have shown that they are a genuinely competitive test cricket nation, and this is doubtless more surprising to us than it is to them. Perhaps if they had been invited here more frequently, perhaps if we knew more about their accomplished players, this result would have been less surprising.

Bangladesh have not done this by accident. They engaged renowned coach Phil Simmons and set about building a quality seam attack that could compete against the best. Their tactics were smart, and they executed their plans brilliantly across all facets of the game. Simply focusing on Australia’s shortcomings is as predictable as it is patronising to a very well organised Bangladeshi side. Weaker teams sometimes beat stronger teams, and the possibility of such results is part of what makes sport interesting. New Zealand have recently won away test series against India and England. It may be that the distance between the cricketing powerhouses and the rest isn’t as big as we had thought. And if that’s the case, all the better for test cricket.