MARSH NIGHTMARE BEHIND BROTHERLY LOVE
Thanks a lot, Mitch.
Aussie allrounder Mitch Marsh was widely praised at the end of day three for having the maturity to play it safe and deny his brother a chance to chase a Steve Waugh-like hundred in the final over of the day.
Marsh hogged the strike in the final over to leave his brother stranded at 98 not out at stumps.
It was a memorable scene as the two brothers walked off the SCG, grinning unbeaten as Australia finished the day just four poles down.
It turns out there is a little more behind the story, and Mitch might actually owe his big brother an apology.
Aussie Test great and assistant coach Brad Haddin revealed before play on day four that Shaun hit his brother with some classic silent treatment in the dressing room after day three — and he had good reason too.
Haddin said Shaun Marsh got just two hours sleep on Saturday night, knowing he was just two runs away from his sixth Test hundred.
"His brother hasn't spoken to him because he didn't give him the strike in that last over, but there's a good brotherly banter in there now," Haddin told Triple M Cricket.
"I bumped into them this morning. They went and had a swim and a coffee together with young (Cameron) Bancroft. I said, 'How'd you go' and he said, 'I've slept two hours. I just had to get out of the room'.
"He deserves a hundred. We've had a few collapses over the past 12 months, but Shaun has sort of stopped that. He's put an end to that this series. He's also shown great maturity.
Haddin also said the Aussie dressing room has been delighted at Mitch's batting form this summer.
"He's starting to show that maturity and what we've seen yesterday, it was hard to start, but why he's so valuable to the team is that power he has," Haddin said.
"He turned that game on its head in an hour yesterday. That's what we want him in the team for."
CRANE'S NIGHTMARE DEBUT 'WORST EVER'
Mason Crane has endured a horror introduction to Test cricket after returning the most expensive figures ever by an English debutant.
On an SCG pitch that favoured spin, the rookie legspinner went for 1-193 during Australia's first innings of the fifth Ashes Test.
His figures surpassed Devon Malcolm's 2-166 against Australia at Nottingham in 1989 as the worst ever by an Englishman in his maiden Test.
The runs from Crane's 48 overs were the fifth most conceded by a debutant as Australia batted for 193 overs to establish a 303-run lead.
His return was the third most expensive by an Englishman and the third most expensive in an Ashes Test.
Crane, who bowled just three maidens, was only spared further punishment when Australia declared their innings at 7-649 halfway through the second session on day four.
The 20-year-old made one Sheffield Shield appearance for NSW 10 months ago. However, he received no favourable treatment from the Sydney crowd and was frequently booed as he failed to release the ball and received a bronx cheer when he did.
His only wicket came on day three when Usman Khawaja charged down the pitch at him to be stumped by Jonny Bairstow.
He should have had Khawaja earlier that day when he trapped the Australian century-maker LBW but had it taken off him due to a no-ball.
- AAP
SYDNEY SWEATS THROUGH 45C
More than 33,000 brave spectators showed up to the SCG to battle the heat in the first session of play as the mercury soared past 45C in Sydney.
As the city of Sydney turned into a giant sweat box — which across town also resulted in play being stopped at the Sydney International tennis event at Sydney Olympic Park — unfortunate cricketers were made to suffer inhumane conditions.
During the lunch break, a thermometer out in the middle of the SCG reportedly registered a temperature of 57.3C just before 1pm.
Even for the spectators in the shade, thermometers available to the SCG Trust ground staff recorded temperatures of 43C. In. The. Shade!
The temperature became a major factor in the Fifth Test as avoiding the physical and mental drain of fielding out in the SCG furnace became a major strategic ambition.
As Shaun Marsh batted on in the second session, Aussie captain Steve Smith was systematically ruining the English attack, which suffered through 193 overs before a declaration was finally made.
MARSH BURNT BY WEIRD SUPERSTITION
Shaun Marsh will have two roasted arms to show for his highest Ashes Test score after he spent the best part of seven hours in the Sydney sun. Temperatures reached 41.1 degrees on the SCG by lunch on Sunday, and extra an drinks break was scheduled for each session to deal with the heat. But that would have done little to help Marsh's raw red arms before he was barbecued by Tim Paine on 171 after 401 minutes at the wicket, when the wicketkeeper took off for for a quick single.
"Shaun will probably kill me for saying this, he has a batting superstition of not wearing sunscreen when batting," Marsh's wife Bec revealed to the Nine Network on Sunday.
"He came home yesterday with bright red arms." England will also be desperately hoping the record-breaking Sydney heat hasn't taken its toll on them as the fight to save the Test on the fourth day with a first-innings deficit of 303.
The 193 overs they sent down in Australia's first innings was the most bowled by either team in an Ashes match since 1993, while their total time spent in the field for the summer reached 1000 overs.
It marked the fifth time in as many Tests they have to send down more than 120 overs in at least one innings.
In comparison, the English have batted that long just once this summer, but will likely need to do so again to force a draw in Sydney.
England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow insisted the heat wouldn't be an issue in the visitors' efforts to do so when he was quizzed on the matter on Saturday night.
"We did 180 overs in Perth, we've done 200 in Cape Town when it's been 35 degrees. We've done 30-plus degrees in Chennai and we did 200 overs there," Bairstow said.
"It's not something you're adverse to when you follow the sun around doing a job you love."
- AAP
