Welcome to our coverage of Day 3 of the SCG The weather stole some cricket from the fans on Thursday, so what will we see in Sydney today?
The Australians will be hoping for blue skies on a flat, slow surface when they resume their innings 197 runs behind the visitors, with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.
Fox Cricket's Kerry O'Keefe said today was a “moving day”, but in which direction will the game move?
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9:35am: “In the end, she will die and Miss T20 will be at her grave.”
Yesterday's early halt in play due to poor lighting and subsequent rain left many savage about where Test cricket is headed, but Fox Cricket's Kerry O'Keefe took a more light-hearted approach to the issue.
O'Keeffe described himself as a “lover of Test cricket”, as the growth of franchise cricket and shorter formats threatens a game that to some appears archaic.
The former Test player himself said that T20 cricket will never have the history and status of the longest form of the game.
8:45 AM: Al-Khawaja: The warning was ordered to appear in people’s faces
-Lachlan McCurdy
David Warner sacrificed his overseas image as the opposition for Australia in the early part of his career, according to opening partner Usman Khawaja.
Warner's penultimate innings in Test cricket on Thursday ended for 34 when he was dismissed before lunch on the second day at the SCG.
While there was still more to celebrate at Warner Week, Khawaja became emotional as he reflected on the career of a friend he has known for more than 30 years.
“I always love batting with Devi,” Khawaja said. “This series has hit beautifully. Also.
“He got 100 points in the first game… It's nice to see him leave on a high.
“He's been a great cricketer in Australian cricket for a long time and it's good for him to go out on his own terms in front of his home crowd.
“I couldn't think of a better way for him and he's still entertaining. Four runs off the first ball yesterday, and he's still doing it the Davey Warner way.”
With public opinion still deeply divided on Warner despite his record as one of Australia's best openers, Khawaja offered a fresh look at the 37-year-old's unique career.
Khawaja felt that although in the past he had appeared aggressive and rude, the team would often ask him to play the attack dog role, and this did not reflect his true identity.
Since his return from ban after Cape Town, Australian fans have finally had a chance to see the David Warner Khawaja has known all along.
“For a long period of time, he was getting in people’s faces and playing cricket,” Khawaja said. “But that wasn't always Davy. The coaching staff also asked him to play a certain way.
“If the coaches or the senior players asked him to get in the contest and the other team skated, he would do it. He always put himself second in those situations.”
“He doesn't have to go out and do it, but he wants to do it because he wants to help the team, and so he felt he had to help the team.
“I've seen a completely different David Warner since he came back, and after 2019 he's been fantastic. He's scored runs. He's done it in his own way.
“You can see he's smiling a lot on the pitch. He does it in a David Warner way, which is something that was good to see in the latter half of his career.
8:00 AM: The sun rises in Sydney
Good morning, it's 21 degrees and partly cloudy in Sydney!
It looks like yesterday's weather drama will not be repeated on day three, with rain chances decreasing significantly as the day progresses.
Play will start at 10am AEST to make up for lost time.
Former Australian skipper blasts 'terrible' SCG wicket.
-Ben Horn
Usman Khawaja has come to the defense of the SCG, after former Test captain Tim Paine criticized the wicket as “awful”.
The Australian opener declared the surface the “perfect SCG wicket”, but his comments stand in stark contrast to the assessment of Paine, who does not believe the Sydney pitch has improved from earlier in the season when he made damning comments after a Sheffield Shield match.
“The wickets looked terrible again. I don't know what's going on there. They were bowling balls on the first day of a Test match and they were rolling,” Payne said on SEN.
“…I can't believe that on the first day of a Test match in Australia, the ball was rolling down the ground.”
Last month Payne described a pitch that yielded 24 wickets in one day as an “absolute disgrace” and “embarrassing”.
However, Khawaja, who grew up playing in Sydney, jumped to the defense of the SCG trustees and praised them for the surface provided for the Test match.
Khawaja believes the SCG has truly replicated the great Sydney pitches of old in this Test.
“I think this is closer to the SCG where I grew up,” Khawaja said after playing on the second day.
“Once that new ball got going after 10 overs, it was a very slow wicket and it spun a little bit and the ball stayed low. That's what we want.”
“This is the SCG game we grew up playing.
“I think that's what we like about Australia, all wickets are not the same.
“Yes, if this were Perth or the Gabba, you would say, ‘Yes, something is not right here’.”
“But this is the SCG. I think that's a really good wicket. I think it's a perfect wicket for the SCG over there.”
“If we keep playing on this, I expect it to deteriorate. It's already taking its turn. I think it's a very good gateway.”
On Channel 7, former Australian bowler Trent Copeland revealed there is a dead patch in the middle of the wicket due to the central bounce area for Sydney Swans AFL matches.
The curators are powerless to do anything about the oddity of this pitch patch due to traffic from the AFL season.
