00:00Steve, how do you think you're placed after a pretty eventful first day?
00:05I think we're in a good spot.
00:09We've probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total,
00:15but I think the wickets offered something all day, as we've seen.
00:19And we're in a pretty good position, 169 in front.
00:23What are they? Four down.
00:25So yeah, we're in a decent spot.
00:27Hopefully it does a little bit in the morning like it did today.
00:30So it could have been a better day, but we're still in a nice position.
00:35How did it feel out there for you personally after a bit of a break?
00:39Felt good. Yeah, felt in a nice place.
00:43Yeah, I love batting here at Lord's.
00:46Yeah, enjoyed my time out there while I was out there.
00:49And yeah, left a few in the shed, unfortunately.
00:52Steve, do you know if you guys were going to bat first or bowl first?
00:57Yeah, I think we were going to bat.
00:59Did the way the wicket play, it looked like you guys came out a bit more intent after lunch
01:03and sort of a few more shots flown?
01:06Is that sort of the way to go on that?
01:07And how did you sort of see the wicket, I guess?
01:09I didn't feel like it had more intent.
01:14It was more just, I think we got a few more loose balls that we could put away.
01:17Yeah, it felt quite tricky.
01:20The wicket felt like it was doing enough all day.
01:23A little bit too paced, probably a little bit on the slower side
01:26and then one kind of zing through if that makes sense to you.
01:29But yeah, it offered something all day, I think, even with the older ball
01:34the last few wickets that Rabada got.
01:37It felt like when I got out, it got a little bit softer,
01:40but it still offered something at that point.
01:42So yeah, hopefully it's the same in the morning.
01:45Steve, what have you made of the way that Bo Webster's attacked his opportunity
01:49in the team and the way he batted today?
01:52He's done a terrific job.
01:54I think he was pretty annoyed at his first 30 balls today.
01:57Didn't feel like he could spell bat for a little bit there.
01:59But, you know, things can turn around really quickly in England
02:02and I think playing in England actually suits him.
02:06The way he scores his runs, he scores really square of the wicket.
02:09So when the ball's swinging around, it suits him.
02:12He gets it on the top of the bounce, being tall.
02:14And yeah, like I said, he defends nice and straight and scores really square,
02:18which I think is a good trade in England.
02:21And did you have a good look at the LBW appeal that they sort of had in England?
02:26And were you surprised they didn't?
02:30I heard it was out. Is that right? Yeah.
02:32It looked pretty good to me from the other end.
02:35I don't know what actually happened there.
02:38I know Bo was in a little bit of pain.
02:40I don't think it actually hit his pad.
02:41I think it just hit his leg.
02:43Someone said they saw a rubata shape to say he might have hit it.
02:49Certainly didn't look like that from my view.
02:52But yeah, I was surprised they didn't appeal more.
02:55I don't think many people really went up, to be honest.
02:58Where I was, I was like, geez, that looks pretty good.
03:00But they, yeah, they had a chance to use a referral and didn't.
03:07Put your hand right up.
03:12So what did, what was the discussion after you were out,
03:15before you went out to bowl?
03:16Did you have a chat?
03:17Was there a bit of a pad to give some words before you went back out to bowl?
03:21Just to keep it simple.
03:22Just try and hit good areas for long periods.
03:25And yeah, hit the top of the stumps, I think.
03:28Excuse me.
03:30Oh, dear.
03:35There's been a, yeah, obviously there was a bit on offer.
03:38A little bit of variable bounce, as we saw.
03:40You know, we were standing really close at slip.
03:43And we had a couple still not get to us.
03:46So a little bit of variable bounce and a bit of sideways movement.
03:50So, yeah, it was, I was basically just keep it really simple.
03:52Hit the top of the stumps and challenge the defense.
03:56Steve, just a word on, on Rabada.
03:58You faced him quite a lot.
03:59This might sound strange, but what makes him good?
04:02Cause he's not particularly fast.
04:04He doesn't really move it around.
04:05He doesn't really have like something like unique about him,
04:07but he obviously gets a lot of wickets and he's very good.
04:09What, what is it about him?
04:11I wouldn't say he doesn't move it around.
04:13Yeah.
04:14I think he's got good skills.
04:15He, yeah, he can shape the ball away.
04:17He can nibble it both ways.
04:19Um, he's relentless.
04:21He's always at you.
04:22Um, you know, he's always up for the challenge.
04:24He charges in all day and, um, you know,
04:27his record speaks for itself, doesn't it?
04:29Um, he's a quality bowler and showed that again today.
04:32Um, Steve, is there anything you learned from your lesson today
04:36that you might, uh, do differently, uh, in the second innings,
04:39if you can, when you get a bat in the second innings?
04:41Don't nick the part-time off spinner.
04:43Down the slope.
04:44I'm still trying to fathom how I've done that.
04:45Um, but yeah, don't do that.
04:46Um, and then, nah, I don't know.
04:47Just play, play what's in front of us.
04:48You know, might take a bit more spin as the game wears on.
04:49It's pretty dry.
04:50Um, I don't know.
04:51Um, I don't know.
04:52I don't know.
04:53Um, I don't know.
04:54Um, and then, nah, I don't know.
04:56Just play, play what's in front of us.
04:57You know, might take a bit more spin as the game wears on.
05:00It's pretty dry.
05:01Um, I don't know.
05:03The seam might go down as the game goes on as well, potentially.
05:06So, uh, I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game
05:11as we've seen already on day one.
05:12So, nah, just, just play what's in front of us.
05:15And yeah, hopefully we can get a few early ones in the morning
05:19and, uh, sort of go through them and have a bit of a lead.
05:22Uh, that's the ideal scenario for us right now.
05:25Steve, last time you were here for a test match, obviously,
05:28you came up against a batting side that came at you a little bit harder
05:31than, uh, than perhaps happened today.
05:33Were you surprised by how South Africa let you guys bowl to them
05:38a bit in the way they did?
05:39I thought the guys bowled pretty well, to be fair.
05:41Um, it's not the easiest surface to just come out and try and wallop it either.
05:45Um, and I think the couple of times we actually,
05:48they went at it and tried to drive the ball.
05:51We got the edges.
05:52So, a couple of them played quite nicely when they were late
05:55and, um, defending under their eyes.
05:57It was pretty, um, you know, difficult to get out,
06:00I suppose, for them at that stage.
06:02So, um, yeah, it's the kind of wicked, I think,
06:05where, yeah, you've got to be solid in defence
06:07and then when you get a loose ball, pounce on it.
06:09Um, that's key.
06:10So, uh, no, the boys bowled really well tonight.
06:13And in terms of how the ball, um, is the ball, do you sense it's going softer?
06:18Obviously, you guys had a tough time at the top of your innings getting through it.
06:21Do you think getting through the first 20 odd overs makes a big difference?
06:24Yeah, what, what are we at?
06:2820 something right now?
06:30I'd say probably 40 maybe it gets a bit softer.
06:33Um, it's kind of general in every game almost in that we play.
06:38Um, particularly because of the surface is a little bit abrasive as well.
06:41Uh, but even when it got soft, Bo was out there at that stage
06:46and he said it was still offering something as well.
06:48So, you know, that might change as the game goes on, but, um, yeah,
06:52it was a day one wicket, but, um, we'll see.
06:59Steve, it probably feels like a long time ago, but, uh, Manus in, in the opening role,
07:03um, how do you alter his expectations given the trickiness of the conditions
07:08and what was the sort of pass mark for, for him in that role today?
07:13I thought he started pretty well today.
07:15Uh, he looked really sharp in his movements.
07:17Uh, he left really nicely.
07:18He was solid in defence and he, um, played some really good shots.
07:22So, yeah, I think, yeah, it would have been nice to have gone on and made a few more
07:27as it would have been for all of us out there.
07:28But, um, you know, I think we can take some positives on the way he was moving
07:32and the way he was playing.
07:38Steve, were you guys surprised at all?
07:41I guess the way the surface played relative to how it looked.
07:44You know, it looked, you know, it looked pretty, I guess, straw coloured,
07:47but were you expecting it to do a bit before the game?
07:52I feel day one here, it always offers a little bit of something, even when it looks, um, you know,
07:58the colour of the wicket was quite white.
08:00It wasn't a green wicket, I suppose, um, that you see.
08:03But, you know, I've seen one day wickets we've played here where it's been similar
08:07and it's actually seemed quite a bit, um, particularly with the newer ball.
08:11So, uh, I always feel like it offers something, um, particularly early on in the game.
08:18As the grass dies down, I think it's going to offer less.
08:20But, um, I wasn't too surprised that it was offering what it did.
08:24I thought it would be pretty slow, given how dry it looked.
08:27Um, yeah, kind of played as I thought it would, in a way.
08:31Um, Steve, Alex Carey would have been disappointed with that drop catch.
08:36Um, was there anything, sort of, do you think that happened there that, I guess,
08:41threw him out of his normal, um, position for catching that?
08:45And how did he kind of react afterwards?
08:48Because, I suppose, not an easy thing.
08:49Yeah, he was fine after.
08:50I think it was just one of those ones that just swung a little bit on him,
08:53which can happen with the Jukes ball.
08:55Um, you know, you quite often see the ball go past the bat and it's swing late.
08:59Um, it was one of those ones that just swung a little bit on him
09:02and got himself in a bit of an awkward position with where it got to at his chest, I suppose.
09:07Um, yeah, it's a tricky place to catch behind the wicket sometimes when the ball does that.
09:12And, you know, he's been keeping so well, um, the last two years.
09:16So, you know, we're all allowed to drop him every now and again.
09:19Uh, Steve, just obviously, you know, when you talk about Mitch, Pat and Josh,
09:24uh, do you know how good they are? They've proved it over a long time.
09:27But just the fact that at this stage of their career,
09:29they are able to bowl 6-7 over spells, uh, on warmish days and keep that intensity up.
09:35Like, what kind of a luxury is that, especially on a day where probably you didn't get the kind of total you wanted?
09:40Yeah, they've done it for a long time, haven't they?
09:43And, yeah, today was no different.
09:45I thought they all bowled really nicely.
09:47Uh, you know, when you know you've only got, um, a couple of hours to bowl, uh, in the night,
09:53you know, you can probably give a little bit more knowing you can have a break afterwards.
09:57And the boys bowled a couple of long spells.
09:59Um, you know, it wasn't too warm out there, so that was nice.
10:02It was a pretty good temperature, which always helps.
10:05But, uh, yeah, they keep coming again and again.
10:08And, you know, I've done it for a long time.
10:09And, you know, I looked up today and kind of forget every now and again Stark.
10:15He's played 97 tests, this one.
10:17Um, which is a, you know, a hell of an effort for a fast bowler.
10:20Um, you know, he's just relentless with his body.
10:23And, um, you know, he's a tough character.
10:26He bowls through a lot of pain and, and things like that.
10:29So, yeah, the three have been great.
10:31And hopefully they can come again in the morning and make a few early inroads.
10:35Great.
Comments