The Darkest Day

I love cricket. I love cricket more than most things. There's nothing like the excitement and buzz around the build up to a big home summer, or seeing a young upcoming player make their first century or take their first wicket, or staying up late with fingernails in mouth to watch gripping conclusions of important matches fought in various timezones across the world.

Unfortunately, however, my voracious love for the game means, along with the good times, many heartbreaking moments and gut-wrenching days. Today is one of those.

I can't help but feeling that this could have been the day that turned the India-Australia series around. In fact, I have this sickening feeling which tells me that the success or failure of the Australian cricket team for the coming year hinged on today's play. Had all gone according to plan, the only way from here was up. Now, it feels like the only way is backwards. Today is probably the darkest day I have ever endured as a follower Australian cricket.

It all started when Pragyan Ohja turned an absolute beauty past Steve Smith's outside edge, causing him to lose his balance and consequently his wicket - stumped by MS Dhoni - eight runs away from what would have been one of the most deserved maiden test centuries I have ever seen. I was so ready to show a rare bit of emotion and give a little fist pump in celebration. Steve Smith surprised me with how well he played. He has a good temperament for a young player, he sticks to his own game plan, and he's a really good player of spin - nimble on his feet, with a good balance of attack and defence. Hopefully some of the senior members of his team learn a thing or two from his innings today.

If Steven Smith deserved a little fist pump for what could have been his maiden test ton, Mitchell Starc deserved a full-on jump for joy (as well as a rise up the batting order) if he had made his. I have never felt so heartbroken for anybody getting out in the 90's before in my life - and I was watching when Warnie lofted Daniel Vettori straight down Mark Richardson's throat on 99 at the WACA!

Despite Smith and Starc falling just short of their maiden tons, their heroics guided Australia for a very respectable 400+ total. With a fresh, well balanced bowling attack ready to come out and win the test match for the Aussies, the day's disappointments were surely well and truly behind us, right? Wrong. I didn't watch it, but I can only imagine the horror of Shikhar Dharwan making an absolute meal of Xavier Doherty and co in his debut innings. How Australia did not manage take a single wicket in two and a bit sessions, with four frontline bowlers and two allrounders on a day three pitch is unfathomable. I've seen long days on slow, low subcontinental pitches before, but nothing like this.

So continues the rollercoaster ride in this wonderfully fickle game I love so much. It's not like watching the great Aussie teams of yesteryear, when you were pretty much guaranteed a victory every time you watched. I guess it's kinda exciting, knowing that the next game the Aussies play will end in either one of the following: Complete disaster, narrow defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, or narrow win by a margin too close for comfort. Close your eyes and hope for the best. Kinda like what Phil Hughes does...