Key events
The skies have changed quickly this morning. Blue when I arrived, overcast when Cummins won the toss, now the sun is breaking through again. Things move fast in the tropics.
The national anthems round out the formalities. Both teams on the field, as per tradition, with large flags held parallel to the ground behind them. The reserve players and support staff ring the boundary, standing to attention with hands behind their backs as they have done for the duration.
The Welcome to Country is performed by Aunty Deb Sandy of the Yuggerah people, who asks everyone in the crowd to call out their names so that she can welcome them properly. A nice addition that I haven’t seen before. She also sends out condolences to the Wieambilla victims.
The ceremonial proceedings are about to get underway. There’s a ground-wide round of applause as a tribute to the two police officers who were killed not far from Brisbane earlier this week. It goes on over James Sherry’s attempts to resume speaking. There are representatives of the forces on the ground with him, and a minute’s silence follows as people remove their hats in a poignantly old-fashioned gesture.
Teams
As expected. South Africa go with the keeper at six and five bowlers, the first three of whom can bat decently. Australia go as unchanged as possible, with only Cummins returning for Michael Neser, and Boland retaining his position as first option off the bench.
South Africa
Dean Elgar *
Sarel Erwee
Rassie van der Dussen
Temba Bavuma
Khaya Zondo
Kyle Verreynne +
Marco Jansen
Keshav Maharaj
Kagiso Rabada
Anrich Nortje
Lungi Ngidi
Australia
David Warner
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Steven Smith
Travis Head
Cameron Green
Alex Carey +
Pat Cummins *
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Scott Boland
Australia win the toss and bowl
Innnteresting! Cummins must be thinking of putting England under the cosh on the opening morning last year. The pitch is very green, but it often is at the Gabba without providing much meaningful assistance. Still, SA have a sketchy batting line-up so maybe Australia can make inroads anyway. Batting second is historically not an impediment at the Gabba.
If you want a preview of today’s match and the series to come, here’s one I prepared earlier.
Green track, bit of cloud… intriguing call at the toss for whoever wins. The last visiting captain to win the toss, bowl first and win a Test at the Gabba was NZ’s Jeremy Coney back in 1985… #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/sbHBq2mLct
— Louis Cameron (@LouisDBCameron) December 16, 2022
What’s happening in the middle? The South Africans have just finished an all-in game of some variety of volleyball, and now they’re doing ground fielding drills, running in to pick up balls being pinged at them along the turf. The Australians are more spread out: Smith and Khawaja doing slip catching, Starc and Green going through their run-ups, players throwing medicine balls or chatting to commentators. Mark Nicholas is back out on an Australian Test ground after those years with Nine, must be doing commentary for SuperSport I’m guessing. Pat Cummins has just left the field to get changed for the toss.
My name is Geoff, I’m at the ground keeping my eyes open for anything interesting. You can get in touch by emailing [email protected], or (while it lasts) on Twitter at @GeoffLemonSport.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Good morning from Brisbane. The sun is shining, the palms are swaying, the sky is paradise blue. It is a million miles away from the lead-up to the Ashes Test a year ago, when it rained Biblically for two weeks straight and I was starting to pair off lemurs and marmosets just in case. It is also very mild for Brisbane, which in summer usually has the heat and overwhelming humid of an armpit. I’ am not a meteorologist, but presumably the cool summer system that has made the southern states into a frigid hellscape for the past few weeks has also had a gentling effect on the north, because nothing all week is forecast to get above the high 20s in temperature, and the humidity is relatively low.
That is the setting of the scene, if you’re watching along on television or reading along while doing other things, and wanting to know what the players are feeling. Which players? Those of Australia and South Africa, one of the strong rivalries in the small world of Test cricket, in their first series since the sandpaper business in 2018. Nobody remembers that, surely? It’s not like it has been in the news ever since.
