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A great contest ... Geeves was impressed by Australia's reverse swing in Hobart. Source:News Limited
Brett Geeves has only been to one Test this summer and what a ball he had. Here are his five final day reflections.
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1. Nail-biting finish
Big news here at Bellerive Oval on day five … Peter Siddle was caught shining the ball. There is a photo sweeping the internet of Siddle holding the ball. What you can see is quite shocking - look at the state of his fingernails! Peter needs to start giving more care to the state of them.
My recommendations would be:
1) Keep your fingernails dry and clean. This prevents bacteria, fungi and other organisms from growing under your fingernails. Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when washing dishes, cleaning or using harsh chemicals, and avoid long soaks in the tub.
2)By the looks of it, those bad boys are down to the skin. I can guarantee that he is not able to pick open cans of Coke or find the beginning on a new roll of sticky tape with the length of those things. How do I know this? I too am a chewer of nails and in a grade game last weekend, I attempted to pick at the seam and rough side of the ball with no success. I threw the ball to Luke Butterworth instead - he is the master.
First Test ... ball tampering allegations. Source: Supplied
2. Reverse Swing
Getting the ball to reverse is as important as paying the ferryman, once you have reached your destination. Now if you listen to the slanderous words of Chris de Burgh, he will have you believe the hooded man near the rudder was dangerous and that the ferryman was running an under-the-table public transport business. If I were the ferryman, I would sue Chris de Burgh, based on the effect his hearsay words had on the Ferryman's respectable family business. Where is the Ferryman now? I'm told he and the hooded man were last seen entering Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.
Late in one-day games, before a mandatory change of balls was brought in (over 35, now two new balls), reverse swing was used as a defensive tool. Yorkers that swing are tough to hit. Ask Karunaratne. Reverse swing was something that happened naturally with the white ball and there was no real science in getting the ball to swing in an unconventional way. The red ball, on the other hand, is a temperamental monster and requires a mother's love if you are to get it hoopin'.
For many years, Tasmania used the "spit rock" method. This involved letting the ball get wrecked and then throwing as much saliva as possible into one side of the ball. This meant that players were sharing saliva, which kept us close as a team and meant we could buy our cold sore cream in bulk and a large saving was enjoyed by all.
In 2005, Australia lost the Ashes simply because England had mastered the art of reverse swing. Simon Jones was the reverse genius and he bowled like Fred Spofforth in his heyday. Since then, Australia have put an enormous amount of time, and quite possibly money, into researching the best way of getting the Kookaburra to swing against the grain. The Poms used lollies and we were unable to find the answer.
Post 2005, Tasmania moved away from the spit rock and thought that to get proper reverse swing we had to … improvise. So, we applied chapstick (lip lubricant) to the shiny side of the ball and felt content that was the answer. So when I tell you that we went through at least three tubs of the gear in the first innings of a game against NSW, you would expect that we cheated our way to success. NSW all out for 5700 and the Blues bowling group laughing at me discreetly applying, knowing full well it wasn't having the desired effect. They knew the answer and bowled us out twice for under 200. Reverse swing is dangerous when applied correctly.
Whatever the Australians did in this Test, they need to write it down and put it away for safe keeping. They had the ball reversing for the most part of both innings. Mitch Starc and Peter Siddle have used it to full effect, bowling Australia to a hard-fought victory. Australia now has the answer - possum blood and maybe a little scratchy scratchy to the rough side? Who knows?
3. Matthew Wade bowling
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This is the conversation between Matthew Wade and Michael Clarke in the lead-up to the wicketkeeper getting a bowl. Wade: "Clarkey, I have a very, very cunning plan." Clarke: "Is it as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on and is now working for the U.N. at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning?" Wade: "Yes, it is." Clarke: "Hmmmmmm, that's cunning."
For a shortish bloke, Wade generated some reasonable pace and impressive bounce. If he bowled in half spikes, he can expect a bruised toe on Wednesday morning and if he is lucky, his big toenail may fall off and he can use this as a practical joke on one of his teammates. The old blood-ridden toenail in the glove trick.
4. Australia win
The even better news is that Sri Lanka made them earn it. A fighting first-innings partnership from Dilshan and Mathews, a fightback with the ball at the backend of Australia's second innings and some true resilience throughout their second innings showed the tourists have plenty to offer. If this game of cricket is any indication of what we can expect throughout this series, it's going the distance.
5. Stumps in Hobart
I'm actually done - I would like to thank a few people. Thanks for having me foxsports.com.au users; bombard the comments if you want some more. The ABC crew are a tremendous bunch to work with and I thank them for having me as part of their team for the Test as well. I did get to enjoy a dinner with them and if it wasn't for the fact that Jim Maxwell fell asleep at the table, I could say a terrific night was had by all. Last, and by no means least, thanks also to the caterers.
