BLACKCAPS In Australia. First Test. Gabba. Day Five. Game Over.
B-Mac, on attack, his cap's black, but the BLACKCAPS were whack
Well there we have it, Australia are 1-0 up in the series after the first Test in Brisbane and while I'll get knee deep into this Test and what needs to happen before the second Test, there's nothing like some emotional hot-takes.
There was a hope that the BLACKCAPS could see out the day and that if they did see out the day with Brendon McCullum blazing away as he did, that perhaps the BLACKCAPS could somehow do the impossible. A draw was obviously the main goal however and it required a heavy dose of guts, along with a fair amount of skill.
This Test required grit at various stages, I harped on about it a few times and it's fairly disappointing that the BLACKCAPS weren't good enough to handle the Australian bowling attack. I've come to rest on the view that we showed grit, guts and determination, yet the Australian bowlers led by Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood combined patience, accuracy, speed and bounce to take seven wickets today.
Misfortune with the umpire reviews is the fault of the players, so never mind that.
Day five was summed up by Mitchell Marsh, who took the wicket of Brendon McCullum (controversially, but hey) and then sent Doug Bracewell back to the sheds with the next ball. Marsh is a superior all-rounder to Jimmy Neesham and while it's hard to judge Neesham on this Test - his last of the tour thanks to a back injury - Marsh always seemed more likely to contribute with either bat and ball. Marsh is bigger, bowls quicker and bowls with greater accuracy. In many regards, this was men against boys.
At least Neesham will be able to get back on the telly right!?
The bright spark was McCullum, who played the only way he knows how. I'm immensely conflicted about McCullum as I appreciate his natural game and his desire to at least try to win, yet I also want to see him showcase a more rounded game plan with the bat. While McCullum provided hope, the way he bats means that opportunities are likely to be presented to bowlers and fielders which doesn't lend itself well to a team that looks crumbly.
Crumbly, this BLACKCAPS team looked crumbly. You always felt that one wicket could become two quick wickets. That's a signature of previous BLACKCAPS teams and there's no need get depressed about that thought, it's just that Australia were good enough to bring the crumbly demons back for a few days.
There'll be a new players and issues to discuss, so stay tuned for the second Test preview.