Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith is facing severe criticism for his team’s alleged time-wasting tactics on the opening day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane. Only 74 overs out of the mandated 90 were bowled on the day, despite a half-an-hour extension, with regular delays during the Aussie bowlers’ overs.
It was the fewest number of overs bowled ever in a full day’s play in Australia. Experts felt it was a deliberate decision from the hosts to avoid bowling England out before Stumps — the visitors were nine down for most of the last session — and face a new pink ball under the lights when it’s the most difficult to manage.
“To think we are going to get through an extra half-hour, so six and a half hours’ cricket, and we are going to get 74 overs in,” former cricketer Simon Katich said, as quoted by Fox Cricket. “It’s beyond a joke, an absolute joke.”
Former England pacer Steven Finn wanted the umpires to step in.
“Smith took a long time to set the field there … he’s now changing the field between balls,” Finn said on TNT Sports. “Certainly strikes me that this is a good time for Australia to be delaying things. Means that if this last wicket does fall, each minute that goes by, it’s a minute that England won’t have that bright pink ball in their hand in these conditions. Definitely a tactic here, and the umpires should have a word with him. Every second that ticks by, Australia will have fewer seconds to bat this evening. It really is obvious.”
Former Australia captain Mark Waugh also chimed in: “I don’t think it was acceptable at the end (of the day). We know what (Smith) was trying to do. He didn’t want to face any overs … but the umpires have got to step in then, when you’re deliberately slowing the game down. Anyone can see that, if you’re got half a brain, you can see it happening.”
