Errol Fernando in his Regular ‘Bout’ with Gavin by Letter
Day one kept me glued to my television for 6 hours and it was good Test match cricket. When Pakistan chose to bat I was prepared to give a knighthood to the entire team and the management for the brave decision. Had they inserted I would have switched off my TV for the entire summer. England too made a good decision to bat against New Zealand and they are well on top. That game is all over.
Pakistan 240 (Shafiq 76, Azhar 39, Rizwan 37, Starc 4-52, Cummins 3-60, Hazlewood 2-46) v Australia
When the Pakistani openers got to lunch without being parted, my admiration was boundless. It was probably the best first session at Brisbane by a visiting team. 75 for 0 was fantastic but 94 for 5 handed the game back to Australia. The openers have every reason to feel badly let down, and Babar has much to atone.
240 is a disappointing total but they are still runs on the board. I have no idea how good or bad the bowlers are,and I have never heard of a 16-year-old being given the new ball in a Test match. Sounds a bit crazy to me, and he may as well be made Prime Minister. Warner must be licking his lips!
Let’s see whether day two keeps us enthralled. If the Aussies are 400 for 1 I will turn to the tennis!!
Keep well Gavin, …….Errol