Quick Singles: Warney’s big night out, Australia’s new dynamic duo and Gabba’s India snub
Turning 50 slowed Shane Warne somewhat, but the notorious party animal hinted a night on the town could be on the cards. Plus Australia’s new dynamic duo and the Gabba’s India snubbing.
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Shane Warne may be sporting a sore head at the Gabba on Saturday morning.
The notorious party boy hinted he was planning a night out on the town in Brisbane on Friday night.
Warne, who turned 50 in September, had a quiet night after the first day’s play on Thursday.
“I’m older now – 50,” Warne said on Fox Cricket.
“I had a shower after the day’s play (on Thursday), hopped into bed and started watching a bit of Netflix. I was asleep by 9pm and up at 6.30am with the alarm.
“I might have to check out Brisbane tonight … look out Brisbane, I’m coming.”
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Cricket Australia boss Kevin Roberts has admitted the Gabba could be lumped with a Test match against Afghanistan instead of India next summer.
The Gabba is fighting to secure one of four Test matches against Virat Kohli’s all-conquering Indian team in 2020-21.
But the fight among Australian stadiums has never been stronger, with the MCG and SCG guaranteed two of the four Tests while the Gabba battles with Adelaide and Perth for the remaining two.
The loser of the five venues will host Afghanistan’s first Test appearance in Australia next November before the India series begins.
Australian players are keen to host India in Brisbane in the first match of the series given they haven’t lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988.
The Gabba generally wants to host the first Test of the Australian summer, however it wants India next year instead of Afghanistan for commercial reasons.
Cricket and government officials have been in discussions throughout the current Test match and Roberts said there was a chance Afghanistan could be playing in Brisbane.
“If the Test summer proper did start that way, it’s a possibility, but there’s a lot to work through,” Roberts told SEN Radio.
“From a playing perspective there’s no doubt there’s a very strong case for the Gabba to host the opening Test from a playing perspective, and that’s consistent with the comments from Shane Warne and Michael Vaughan and others.
“There’s a number of other perspectives though, we’ve seen governments around the country invest significantly in venues.
“So you’ve got to consider the fan perspective, the players’ perspective, government perspectives…and it’s never simple to balance things across all of those different groups.”
Warne wants the first Test played in Brisbane and former England captain Michael Vaughan said the Gabba was an intimidating venue.
“It has a feel and intimidation,” he said.
“When you arrive, there’s something about this town, it’s uncomfortable for the opposing team.
“It has to start here.”
India beat Australia 2-1 last summer while Steve Smith and David Warner were suspended and the series did not feature a match at the Gabba.
Move over Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer – the Gabba has a new dynamic duo.
David Warner and Joe Burns are Australia’s most successful opening partnership to have graced Brisbane.
Warner and Burns have amassed 620 runs together as an opening partnership at the Gabba in only one-and-a-half Test matches.
The mercurial Hayden and Langer were one of the best opening partnerships of all-time, but Warner and Burns have blown them away at the Gabba.
Hayden and Langer scored 563 runs in eight innings together in Brisbane. Warner and Burns yesterday passed them in only their third innings.
Warner and Burns struck 161 in their first dig together against New Zealand in 2015 and backed it up with 237 in the second innings.
Friday was the first time they have batted together at the Gabba since and they compiled 222 for the first wicket in an extraordinary performance.
They now have two double-century opening stands. Langer and Hayden had six during their time together.
It’s incredible to think Australia’s best first-wicket partnership in the recent Ashes series was 18 in 10 innings as Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris struggled to make an impact.
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Queensland Cricket has described crowds for the Australia-Pakistan Test as “reasonable”.
A crowd of 13,769 watched Australia dominate day two at the Gabba yesterday after 13,561 attended on Thursday.
The attendance was well down on the 26,353 that attended the first day of Brisbane’s historic first day-night Test against Pakistan in 2016.
The crowds have been reasonable considering Pakistan is lacking any genuine star power and the match is being played outside of school holidays.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said they were striving to get more people through the gates.
“It was reasonable,” Svenson said.
“We want to see more people come out and support the Test but overall it was a strong first day.
“Having Australia bat helps get more people into the stadium.
“We’re looking at about 50,000 across the five days.”
Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said the scheduling was challenging for crowds.
“Thursday is challenging – it’s a school day, in business hours,” he said.
“We know we attract a lot more people to day-night Tests.
“We’re anticipating larger crowds (on Saturday).”
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