MCG Test Part Two - Even Better

Once again many thanks to London Leprechaun who reported in on the MCG test.  Here is the second and final part of this wonderful report on a wonderful test match.  At least, it was wonderful for England fans.

It was that good again days 2, 3 and 4

I am writing this Wednesday afternoon after a little time spent with some champagne, happy England supporters and a replica Ashes urn.  This has been a brilliant two and a bit days cricket with the Barmy Army in full flood just below us and England utterly dominant from the moment they continued that excellent overnight position on day 1. The only glitch on the morning of Day 2 was the weather. Now I know you have been cold, and snow bound in Britain, but it really was a bit much that having tried to escape the winter weather, we had to wear winter clothes, and stand in long queues for warming coffee because Melbourne had decided to start the day with its winter hat on. And it was that cold dank morning that led to a little wobble when Siddle undid Cook and Strauss, helped by a really good catch from Hussey, and Australia had a little hope of restricting the England lead. But Trott is relentless, Pieterson flared a little bit and Prior was solid.  And Melbourne then agreed it really was summer and a beautiful afternoon saw the lead grow, and grow and grow. Ponting lost his rag, Australia ran out of ideas and the Barmy Army completely outsang the Australian supporters who really only had Siddle to chant about anyway for his bowling and two excellent catches. And the next day, the Australian press turned full circle and vehemently on their team and captain.  

Day 3 was no better for Australia; Harris pulling up with a stress fracture, England’s lead over 400, Ponting fined, and Melbourne finally deciding to have just one season during the day, so on a beautiful summer’s afternoon Australia had to just bat and bat. And bat. And for a while Hughes and Watson threatened the England party with a bright and confident start. But just as Philip Hughes was starting to look a little like the player he had been for Middlesex, he was shafted by Watson’s dodgy calling. Mixed feelings there; England needed the wicket, but with his Middlesex connection I do hope he does make it with Australia. But that runout turned the innings; Ponting looked horribly uncomfortable for his innings, and when Clarke and Hussey were outhought by Swann, Bresnan and smart field placings, there was no way back for Australia.  Everyone bowled tight, we did not need any player referrals, and we briefly toyed with the thought of an extra half hour, but England were happy enough to come off after a hot afternoon, let the bowlers rest and let everyone prepare for a party the next day.

Just outside the ground some enterprising locals had already set up shop with T shirts to celebrate the impending victory and a magnanimous Australian bought one and was happy to pose with it – notice anything interesting in the spelling?

And during the evening we and our friendly Aussie did celebrate a little –I mean there is no way we cannot win this now can we?  Australia can’t bat and bat for two day with just three wickets left can they? NO of course they can’t. Forget Atherton’s last stand, forget that record NZ record for the 10th wicket. Australia can’t do this. Can they?

Of course they can’t and of course they didn’t. Walking to the ground on Day 4, the air was thick with British accents and rarely an Aussie one. The ground was full of English flags, and the great Southern Stand had hardly a glimpse of green and gold. The Barmy Army was in full flow from the first ball, including a visit from the queen and Johnson’s early wicket was a trigger for very noisy song that made the MCG like a home ground. And though Siddle and Hussey with some lusty hitting got the deficit down below 200, there was an inevitability about one hit too many, and a running KP catch and a good diving catch by Prior led to party time. Shame for Prior really – the end of the match overshadowed how good it was.  But no matter. We have retained the Ashes. 

Ponting was dignified and gracious in defeat, Straussy happily but temporarily calm and focussed: “I am not sure if we will remember tonight but we do still want to win the series.”, the England players toured the ground as if they were at home, and of course had to do the sprinkler dance for us; the Australians in the ground were magnanimous, police officers took pictures of happy groups of supporters, the big screens kept reminding us that England had retained the Ashes. And it all lasted long enough so that the Australian equivalents of our Kwik cricket kids could play on the outfield while there were still people in the ground.

So an afternoon stroll back by the river, an afternoon savouring the win, and realising it really did happen along with a very large number of England meandering through the streets.

And another day off for sightseeing . Brace yourselves for a Melbourne tourist report.

More free time in Melbourne 

The plan had been to go to the MCG in the morning to visit the Sports Museum and then maybe take a boat trip in the afternoon before the dreaded packing reared it head. But there was a special offer on for a tour of the ground as well and five hours later, we were exhausted but very well educated about the MCG and Australian sport.  Along with a huge number of mainly England supporters who were part of the conveyor belt of tours – every fifteen minutes or so!

So we got to tour the vast new Members area, saw the media areas, stood very briefly on the edge of the outfield, visited the Australian dressing room (England still had their kit in the other one), wandered through the Melbourne CC Long Room – where they were preparing for a dinner with the Marylebone CC. It took nearly two hours and showed how huge the ground is, and really reinforced that it is not a cricket ground but a sports stadium. The dressing rooms are vast but they are in a basement cavern near the underground car park and feel soulless and disconnected from the playing area; the players dining area looks like a works canteen and the viewing area for the players seems miles away, in the shade, under an overhang and square of the wicket. Which is fine for the football teams who play the other way round to the cricketers and who don’t need to adjust to the light or try and watch the bowling. In fact the MCC members get a better view and nicer facilities than the cricketers. But they had already got Siddle’s six wickets onto the Honours Boars which was good. There are some nods to the cricketing tradition – the Long Room, a huge cricketing library and the MCC Museum which, with leather chairs and panelled displays makes you feel you need to whisper. And the Long Room has long leather couches which look very comfortable and restful to watch from and which carry a sign which not would be out of place at Lord’s. But cricket is no longer the dominant sport at the MCG; almost as if the C no longer stands for cricket.

The Sports Museum was brilliant, very well laid out and with plenty of interactivity.  A big highlight was a clever film about Shane Warne’s life in cricket, presented by the man himself in a very realistic 3D style hologram, where he wandered about the stage, chatting to us as if he was really there! And of course describing THAT BALL.

There was an Australian cricket hall of fame, - Bradman to Warne (will Ponting make it I wonder – I hope so; there is so much more to his cricketing life than the Ashes defeats), and there was a complete list of Australian test cricketers – including Manou and McKay who have played for Australia in the last two years – where have they disappeared to?

And there was lots of stuff about other sports from the Melbourne Cup to the big thing in Melbourne – Aussie rules football.  And what with all that and the chance to try some sports in an interactive gallery – I got a bull eyes in the archery but was rubbish at attempting a run out! – the boat trip never happened, but we got a pleasant late afternoon stroll through Federation Square full of English voices, before the dreaded packing!

So now Melbournites can have their city back, England are about to invade Sydney and I will have to make do with TV for the last Test. And I do hope there were no power cuts in all that snow in the UK so the highlights of Melbourne recorded. I will need to check when I get home that these last few days really happened! And of course I can delete Perth!