As powerful because it seems, Australia skipper Pat Cummins can be anxious he and fellow bowlers in some way ship victory towards South Africa within the Sydney Test on Sunday to comb the collection 3-0. A draw appears the probably end result, although decreasing South Africa to 149/6 in reply to their first innings of 475/4 declared would maintain Aussies relying on a final-day SCG pitch.
Rain and unhealthy gentle have led to the lack of 170 overs, with no play doable from after tea on the second day till nicely after lunch on Saturday, Day 4. And however for seepage via the seam within the covers, play might nicely have resumed early. While all this is able to justify the declaration by Cummins, Usman Khawaja can be dejected after lacking out on his first double century.
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The left-handed opener, 36, is having fun with a fantastic run. On 195 not out when play was halted on Thursday, the declaration meant Khawaja joined West Indies nice Frank Worrell (197*) and Sachin Tendulkar (194*), the opposite two batters who had been stranded following declarations.
Worrell was left quick within the Bridgetown Test towards England in 1960—his dwelling floor—when skipper Gerry Alexander declared with West Indies on 563/8, after a 299-run partnership with Garry Sobers, who made 226. It didn’t assist as England had been 71/0 in 42 overs and the match was drawn.
Interestingly, Worrell, a revered determine in cricket, had additionally been left unbeaten on 191 when Windies had been bowled out at Nottingham on the 1957 tour of England. The 197 not out was his final century—he didn’t get to triple figures within the 18 extra Tests he performed over the three-and-a-half years earlier than his Test profession ended.
Tendulkar was on 194—he was on the different finish when Virender Sehwag (309) scored a historic first Test triple century by an Indian–at Multan towards Pakistan in 2004 when Rahul Dravid, standing in for the injured Sourav Ganguly, declared to spark some controversy.
Dravid had advised the batters—Yuvraj Singh was the opposite—that he deliberate to declare quickly, although Tendulkar’s feedback on the finish of play sparked a serious debate.
“Obviously I’m a little disappointed, having got so close. I was aware that the declaration was around the corner, but when it came I was taken by surprise…we were playing very positively at that time,” he mentioned.
India’s New Zealand coach John Wright, in his e-book John Wright’s Indian Summers, says {that a} faster declaration by Dravid, quicker scoring by Tendulkar or the workforce giving again to Indian cricket’s stalwart by ready for his double might have helped keep away from any unpleasantness.
“I should have convinced Dravid to declare earlier and he should have grasped that it’s one thing to declare when a batsman’s 170 or 180, quite another when he’s 194. And Tendulkar should have pushed to get there quicker,” wrote Wright. India received their first collection in Pakistan 2-1 and Dravid’s determination was ultimately acknowledged as optimistic.
Khawaja had hoped on Friday that Cummins would give him the chance to get his first Test double, saying “I think it’d be pretty harsh if he bowled straight away… He’s been in the changing room taking the mickey out of me. We could go out there and get a few more runs really quickly or we could declare pretty much straightaway. I’m not the captain. I don’t make those decisions. A result is very unlikely, let’s be honest, but it’s still possible,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Fans were critical of Khawaja being denied the opportunity, though former spinner Kerry O’Keeffe, doing commentary on Fox Cricket, said: “I can’t see the point in Australia continuing to bat despite the milestone.”
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