Ravichandran Ashwin retires after Australia and India draw rainy ...

Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from Indian cricket

4 hours agoWed 18 Dec 2024 at 5:50am

The Test officially ends in a draw

4 hours agoWed 18 Dec 2024 at 5:26am

10h agoTue 17 Dec 2024 at 11:48pm

We'll close off things here with an image that, sadly, has dominated this Test match.

It's been enthralling. Frustrating. Infuriating. But enjoyable at the same time.

Sums up Test cricket, really.

From myself and Jon Healy, we've enjoyed spending the last few days with you, even if there hasn't been as much cricket as we'd like.

The team will be back for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

So, from all of us here, good bye from a very wet and rainy Gabba.

Brett Lee says that he's "shocked" on Fox Sports.

"This guy is one of the greats of the game," he says.

"The last time a spinner retired mid way through a series was Graham Swann, I think."

Brad Haddin says Ashwin has "earned the right" to call his career.

Michael Vaughan says that he will miss watching him bowl.

And I think I will too.

Some thoughts from Rohit Sharma.

"Some decisions are very personal and I don't think too many questions should be asked,' Rohit Sharma says.

"If a player has a choice, he should be given that choice.

"We as teammates have to respect it.

"He was very sure what he wanted to do.

"Obviously there is a bit of a gap now, so there is a bit of time for us to step back and regather our thoughts."

He says that he heard that it was in Ashwin's mind in the Perth Test.

"There are a lot of things that went behind it [the decision]," Sharma says,

"He understands what the team are thinking, he understands what combinations he was thinking.

"This was a chat we had, I convinced him to stay for the pink ball Test match, after that, he just felt that if he was not needed at this stage in the series he would leave it.

"If this is what he thinks, we should allow him to feel that way."

Key Event

4h agoWed 18 Dec 2024 at 5:50am

A bit of a surprise now, as Ravi Ashwin has called time on his international career.

"This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level," he says.

"I do feel there's a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to showcase that in club-level cricket.

"I've had a lot of fun, I've made a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. We are the last bunch of OGs in the dressing room."

It's been a very good career as well, for the 38-year-old.

He's taken 537 wickets at 24.00 in 106 Tests. He also scored six Test centuries and 14 half tons with the bat.

Additionally, he's played 116 ODIs for India, taking 156 wickets, and 65 T20I matches as well.

"A big thank you to the Australian cricket team who've been very fierce competitors," he says.

"I've enjoyed my time playing against them.

"Truly a very emotional moment."

Here's Pat Cummins.

He says he is happy with the situation, but it would be better to be up 2-1.

"Unfortunately a lot of rain," he says.

"Really happy with the guys, putting on 450-odd after being put in was a great effort."

Speaking about Josh Hazelwood, he says he feels sorry for him.

"It's just one of those things. If anything those rain breaks helped us push through, but it's one of those things," he says.

He liked the pitch.

"Day fives here can be up and down, especially when the ball was hard it looked like a bit of a handful."

He says that the Aussies "ticked every box" - except for the most important one, I guess.

Rohit Sharma is speaking now.

"We'll take that," he says.

"To have interruptions like that wasn't great.

"But going to Melbourne 1-all pretty much gives us the confidence that we can pull things towards us.

"The situation we were in after lunch, we wanted someone to stand up, keeping in mind the weather, we knew it wasn't going to be a full game.

"Credit to Jadeja.

"It was great to watch these guys do their thing."

He also pays credit to Akash Deep.

"He's a very feisty character, wants to stay in the battle. He's got lots of character," he says.

"Games like this can teach him so many things."

No wonder really.

Head is player of the match for his 152 in the first innings.

"It feels like we batted quite a while ago, it's been a long couple of days," he says.

"It's a shame the weather didn't play ball."

He says the pitch was challenging but that he enjoyed playing on it.

"Very pleased with the tempo that I'm batting with."

He says it was "relaxed" being out there for a long time with Steve Smith and it was a great partnership to be a part of.

As for his injury, he says he will be fine.

"It's been a big couple of weeks, body is a bit sore, but I'll be fine."

Key Event

4h agoWed 18 Dec 2024 at 5:26am

The Australian and Indian teams come together to shake hands in the sheds and the Gabba Test match ends, fittingly, in the midst of a rain delay.

It's a draw.

Ever since the rain inundated the Gabba field and wiped out 85 per cent of the first day's play, we were always pushing uphill to get a result.

Once the follow-on was gone, it was never likely to happen, even with the outlandish hitting displayed by Australia that really accelerated the game to the tune of a declaration on 7-89 today.

Alas, we end the third Test with the Border-Gavaskar series tied 1-1, with two games left and Australia needing to win the series to regain the trophy it hasn't held since winning the 2014/15 series.

Another "severe weather is expected any moment" warning appears on the big screen.

Security guards vacate the field and fans are told to scatter for cover in the concourse.

And there's more to come, which is not quite as pleasing as it could be.

Good for the grass, I guess.

Especially as the forecast looks so good tomorrow.

The only Test that does have a reserve day in case of rain as far as I know is the World Test Championship Final.

But seeing as tours are being ever squeezed by limited over tournaments/competitions, I doubt it will ever happen.

The teams are packing up their gear out under the awnings on the boundary line.

No official word just yet, but the end feels nigh.

If it’s too dark to play, can’t they turn the lights on, or does that only work for pink ball cricket?

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And pretty much, yes. The pink ball exists for day-night Tests because the red ball is too hard to see under lights, so chucking the lights on and firing an invisible rock-hard leather missile around seems dangerous.

Technically, yes.

But we're really just waiting for the big handshake between Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma.

The ground staff are securing the big cover and battening down the hatches. This is going to be a draw.

The first real drops of rain have arrived and the Queensland Cricket ground staff once again, after delaying the inevitable for as long as possible, finally drag the big white cover over the wicket block.

This is as good as over, folks.

Sounds like you've been battered, Steve, and judging by the radar, northern NSW is copping it too.

At the Gabba, however, we're still yet to get it. It's coming though.

Key Event

5h agoWed 18 Dec 2024 at 4:34am

The clouds are thick overhead and the umpires say it's too dark to continue. The storm is imminent.

Once again Mitchell Starc's over is cut short.

Pat Cummins approaches the umpires as they leave the field. It had the air of a man asking 'How long until we can shake hands and call this a draw?'.

I wonder if Marsh will bowl more than two overs in this innings.

And straight away the 12th man runs the helmet out. Are we anticipating a short leg and some bouncers?

Well played by Jaiswal to start, dropping to the leg side and sneaking through for a single.

Cummins puts someone under the lid for Rahul, but it's not the usual short leg, Travis Head. Nathan McSweeney is in there and Head isn't on the field at all. It looked like Head pulled up a little lame while running between the wickets, so that's a bit of a concern.

Half a shout for LBW as Cummins spears in at the pads, but it was always going down leg.

Rahul drives down the ground and sub fielder Hugh Weibgen tracks it down. No word yet on what's wrong with Travis Head.