Santner is bowling poorly. Paine helps himself to easy runs. Paine has a start now.
The 50 partnership comes up. They are going well. Brayshaw praises Paine and says the batting was stagnant when Smith was in. (Ponting noted that Smith scored 3 off his first ball of the day and then only 5 more runs in the next hour.) 12 runs come from the last over before lunch.
Oz 5/336 (117). Lunch.
Boxing Day Test. Australia v. New Zealand.
And he did!K wrote:...
And now Head reaches 50. He needs to go on with it, for his own sake.
Head has 5 boundaries. One of them was cut in the air through Santner,
who was just beaten with power and did not get a hand on it.
Head ended with 114 (234), with 12 4s.
And he went on to a fine 79 (138), with 9 4s.K wrote:... Paine helps himself to easy runs. Paine has a start now.
... 12 runs come from the last over before lunch. ...
A century would have been nice, again for his own sake -- he does not have a Test century, though he has an ODI one -- but pretty good nonetheless. (Paine has only two first-class centuries.)
Brettig:
Paine breaks shackles to play classical keeper's innings
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id ... er-innings
"Fast forward to the Boxing Day Test, however, and Paine was able to bat with a clarity of thought about his role and his future that reflected a far greater degree of focus on how he best serves his team, and for how much longer he may do so. Late December, generally a time of stocktaking, also saw him state far more frankly that yes, he is now looking at leading the team all the way through to the 2021 championship final at Lord's, should Australia manage to qualify.
...
But in Melbourne, after perhaps growing a little frustrated with Australia's slow progress alongside most of the 59,676 present at the MCG, Paine set out to play a classical wicketkeeper's innings.
...
At the same time, Paine gave Head the confidence to score more freely himself, going on to a century that may well come to be seen as a vital, formative moment for the South Australian left-hander after so many squandered starts in the past.
All up, their stand was worth a bold 150 in 43.3 overs, quite a contrast with the furtive 68 squirrelled away in 31.1 overs by Head with Smith either side of stumps on day one. Paine had thus collected the majority share of the partnership that ensured Australia would surpass 400 for the fourth consecutive Test match, a position which the coach Justin Langer knows is just about impregnable for a team with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon to call upon.
In the end, Paine was deprived of the chance to go on to a first Test century by a hearty Wagner and a ball-tracking verdict that appeared to miscalculate the first point of impact with the stumps: a dose of misfortune for Paine that he appeared more than a little miffed about."
Paine breaks shackles to play classical keeper's innings
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id ... er-innings
"Fast forward to the Boxing Day Test, however, and Paine was able to bat with a clarity of thought about his role and his future that reflected a far greater degree of focus on how he best serves his team, and for how much longer he may do so. Late December, generally a time of stocktaking, also saw him state far more frankly that yes, he is now looking at leading the team all the way through to the 2021 championship final at Lord's, should Australia manage to qualify.
...
But in Melbourne, after perhaps growing a little frustrated with Australia's slow progress alongside most of the 59,676 present at the MCG, Paine set out to play a classical wicketkeeper's innings.
...
At the same time, Paine gave Head the confidence to score more freely himself, going on to a century that may well come to be seen as a vital, formative moment for the South Australian left-hander after so many squandered starts in the past.
All up, their stand was worth a bold 150 in 43.3 overs, quite a contrast with the furtive 68 squirrelled away in 31.1 overs by Head with Smith either side of stumps on day one. Paine had thus collected the majority share of the partnership that ensured Australia would surpass 400 for the fourth consecutive Test match, a position which the coach Justin Langer knows is just about impregnable for a team with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon to call upon.
In the end, Paine was deprived of the chance to go on to a first Test century by a hearty Wagner and a ball-tracking verdict that appeared to miscalculate the first point of impact with the stumps: a dose of misfortune for Paine that he appeared more than a little miffed about."
Baum, The Age:
"Paine’s contribution was a case of cometh the man, cometh the hour. Naturally attacking in the wicketkeeper-batsman model, Test cricket’s many pinches have not always suited. But this moment, when second gear needed to become third, did. With surprisingly few alarms, he took on the Kiwis’ short-ball barrage when others baulked, drove breezily when afforded the chance and with Head disappeared over the New Zealanders’ horizon. He will rue only that he did not advance to 100, for as much as he looks like Peter Pan, he is not."
"Paine’s contribution was a case of cometh the man, cometh the hour. Naturally attacking in the wicketkeeper-batsman model, Test cricket’s many pinches have not always suited. But this moment, when second gear needed to become third, did. With surprisingly few alarms, he took on the Kiwis’ short-ball barrage when others baulked, drove breezily when afforded the chance and with Head disappeared over the New Zealanders’ horizon. He will rue only that he did not advance to 100, for as much as he looks like Peter Pan, he is not."
Deano (yesterday morning):
"The batsmen have to get smarter. Courage is important but letting the ball hit you, as Matthew Wade did in Perth, is not the answer as something will end up breaking. It’s just a matter of when."
[And on TV Ponting asked why, if they're going to play the short ball like that, they don't wear arm guards. Good question!]
Deano:
"I asked [S.] Waugh about his game plan. “Each player has to come up with a game plan that they will commit to and are comfortable with,’’ he said. ‘‘I wasn’t a great hooker compared to cutting the ball. So it was a no-brainer from me.’’"
"The batsmen have to get smarter. Courage is important but letting the ball hit you, as Matthew Wade did in Perth, is not the answer as something will end up breaking. It’s just a matter of when."
[And on TV Ponting asked why, if they're going to play the short ball like that, they don't wear arm guards. Good question!]
Deano:
"I asked [S.] Waugh about his game plan. “Each player has to come up with a game plan that they will commit to and are comfortable with,’’ he said. ‘‘I wasn’t a great hooker compared to cutting the ball. So it was a no-brainer from me.’’"