Official: Sydney confirmed as bowlers’ graveyard

The Aussies will hope for blue skies on a flat, slow deck as they resume their innings 197 runs behind the visitors, with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.

Fox Cricket’s Kerry O’Keeffe said today was “moving day,” but which way will the game move?

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10.45AM: THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST PITCH… FOR BOWLERS

It used to be the MCG that had the reputation of Australia’s deadest pitch – but has that been passed on to the SCG?

In recent years the MCG pitch has been revived, providing some outstanding contests… and the SCG has pivoted towards draws, albeit many of them rain-affected.

But on top of that, it is also the hardest ground on the planet to take a wicket.

“A wicket falls once every 80 balls on average, with that the worst strike-rate of any ground in Test cricket,” writes journalist Scott Bailey.

A batter’s paradise? Perhaps. Although Australia have made hard work of it so far, scoring at roughly 2.5 runs an over through their first 60 overs.

10.30AM: SLOW GOING FOR AUSTRALIA

Half an hour into day three, and Australia’s strategy remains one of attrition – with just 10 runs added to the overnight score.

With Smith and Labuschagne at the crease, that’s likely to be the case certainly for as long as Pakistan’s first-choice seamers Hasan Ali and Mir Hamza are working through their first spells.

Smith is unbeaten on 11, with Labuschagne on 28, having worked their way through five maidens on Friday morning.

They do, of course, have the gamechangers coming in next in the form of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.

But after losing more than 40 overs to rain yesterday, both teams might want to move the game along a touch today.

10.20AM: MYSTERY SURROUNDS WARNER’S BAGGY GREEN RETRIEVAL

In the other biggest news of the day – David Warner’s baggy green caps have been found, and returned to his possession.

Warner went public earlier this week calling for the return of his treasured caps, and just prior to play on day three he posted on Instagram trumpeting their return.

It’s great news for Warner in the middle of his 100th Test, but now the mystery turns to just what happened to them over the past week.

News Corp cricket writers Ben Horne and Robert Craddock have the latest on the saga here.

10.05AM: ‘SHUT YOUR MOUTH’: INDIA HIT BACK AT CRITICS

Fresh from thrashing South Africa by seven wickets in the quickest Test match ever played, India have taken on a fresh enemy: the haters.

After triumphing on a Newlands pitch where 23 wickets fell on the opening day, and India chased down the modest victory target inside five sessions.

And that gave captain Rohit Sharma the chance to have a crack at the critics of India’s dustbowl home pitches.

“I don’t mind playing on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and doesn’t complain about Indian pitches,” he said.

“You come here to challenge yourself. And when people come to India it is challenging as well.”

9.50AM: HUGE DAY LOOMS FOR AUSTRALIA

So we’ve made it to Day Three at the SCG. Jane McGrath day, with the famous old ground a sea of pink.

And the stage is set for a big day for Australia and Pakistan, following the time lost to rain yesterday.

Australia will resume on 2-116, trailing by 197, and with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.

After crawling along at around 2.5 runs an over throughout yesterday, the senior pair have been encouraged to lift the tempo today and properly take the fight to the tourists.

“I can understand they were struggling as far as runrate was concerned on the Melbourne pitch – it was a seaming pitch,” said Pakistan great Wasim Akram on Fox Cricket.

“But this is a slow pitch, but the runrate was just under 2.5 yesterday.

“That’s adding extra pressure on the batters. Today when they come out to bat, both experienced player, they should look for runs otherwise they’ll get a good delivery from a spinner or fast bowler.”

9:35AM: ‘EVENTUALLY, SHE WILL DIE AND AT HER GRAVE WILL BE MISS T20’

Yesterday’s early stoppage in play due to bad light and subsequent rain caused many to savage where Test cricket is headed, but Fox Cricket’s Kerry O’Keeffe took a more light-hearted approach to the matter.

O’Keeffe labelled himself a “devotee of Test cricket,” as the growth of franchise cricket and shorter-forms threaten a game that appears to some to be antiquated.

The former Test player himself said that T20 cricket will simply never have the history and stature of the longest form of the game.

8:45AM: KHAWAJA: WARNER WAS ORDERED TO GET IN PEOPLE’S FACES

-Lachlan McKirdy

David Warner sacrificed his own external image to be the antagonist for Australia in the early part of his career, according to his opening partner Usman Khawaja.

Warner’s penultimate innings in Test cricket ended on Thursday for 34 when he was dismissed before lunch on day two at the SCG.

While there are still more celebrations to come in “Warner Week”, Khawaja became emotional when he reflected on the career of a friend he has known for more than 30 years.

“I always love batting with Davey,” Khawaja said. “This series he has batted beautifully. too.

“He got that big 100 in the first game … it’s nice to see him leave on a high.

“He has been such an amazing cricketer for Australian cricket for so long, it’s nice for him to go out on his own terms in front of his home crowd.

“I couldn’t think of a better way for him to go and he’s still entertaining. Four off the first ball yesterday, he’s still doing it the Davey Warner way.”

With public perception still firmly split on Warner despite his record as one of Australia’s best openers, Khawaja offered a new take on the 37-year-old’s unique career.

Khawaja felt that while in the past he might have come off as aggressive and abrasive, often he was asked to play the attack dog role by the team and it didn’t reflect who he really was.

And since returning from his ban after Cape Town, Australian fans have finally had a chance to see the David Warner that Khawaja has known the entire time.

“For a long period of time, he was in people’s faces and doing stuff playing cricket,” Khawaja said. “But that wasn’t always Davey. He was also getting told to play a certain way by the coaching staff.

“If coaches or senior players asked him to get into the contest and sledge the other team, he’d do it. He’d always put himself second in those situations.

“He doesn’t have to go out and do it but he wants to do it because he wants to help the team and that’s how he felt like he had to help the team.

“You’ve seen a very different David Warner since he’s come back, after 2019 he’s been great. He’s scored runs. He’s done it his own way.

“You can tell he’s smiling a lot on the field. He’s doing it David Warner’s way, which has been really good to see in the last half of his career.”

8:00AM: SUN PEEKS OUT IN SYDNEY

Good morning, it’s 21 degrees and partly cloudy in Sydney!

Yesterday’s weather drama looks like it won’t be repeated on Day 3, with chances of showers lowering dramatically as the day progresses.

Play will start at 10am AEDT to make up for lost time.

FORMER AUSSIE SKIPPER BLASTS ‘TERRIBLE’ SCG WICKET

– Ben Horne

Usman Khawaja has come to the defence of the SCG pitch, after former Test captain Tim Paine slammed the wicket as “terrible.”

The Australian opener declared the surface to be the “perfect SCG wicket”, but his comments stood in stark contrast to the assessment of Paine, who doesn’t believe the Sydney pitch has improved from earlier in the season when he made damning comments following a Sheffield Shield game.

“The wicket it just looked terrible again. I don’t know what’s going on there. They were bowling balls on day one of a Test match and it was rolling,” Paine said on SEN.

“ … I can’t believe that, for day one of a Test match in Australia, the ball was rolling along the ground.”

Paine last month described a pitch which yielded 24 wickets in a single day as an “absolute disgrace” and “embarrassing.”

However, Khawaja, who grew up playing in Sydney, leapt to the defence of SCG curators and praised them for the surface served up for the Test match.

Khawaja believes the SCG has actually replicated the great Sydney pitches of old in this Test.

“I think this is as close to an SCG pitch that I grew up playing on,” Khawaja said after play on day two.

“Once that new ball got a shine off after 10 overs, it was quite a slow wicket and it spun a bit and the ball stayed low. And that’s what we want.

“That’s the SCG we grew up playing.

“I think that’s what we love about Australia, all the wickets aren’t the same.

“Yeah, if this was Perth or the Gabba then you’d be like, ‘Yeah, something’s not right here’.

“But this is the SCG. I think that’s a really good wicket out there. I think it’s a perfect SCG wicket out there.

“If we keep getting play on it, I expect it to deteriorate, it’s already taking turn. I think it’s a very good wicket.”

On Channel 7, former Australian Test bowler Trent Copeland revealed that there is a dead patch in the middle of the wicket due to the centre bounce area for Sydney Swans matches at the AFL.

Curators are powerless to do anything about the quirk of that patch in the pitch due to the traffic from AFL season.