‘Can’t believe what I’m seeing’: 10 minutes of madness as greats baffled by ‘ridiculous’ gamble
It took one Brydon Carse over to change the course of the second Ashes Test, with a “baffling” decision and a stunning catch coming in the 57th over.
Australia were cruising at 3/291 when Cameron Green opted to back away from a Carse delivery, which rattled into his stumps and sent him packing for 45 off 57.
Both Green and Steve Smith had taken to the English seamer, and specifically Green had given himself room to dispatch Carse over the off-side field multiple times.
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But with only 43 runs left to take a first innings lead, his decision to step more than a metre away from his stumps left commentators bewildered.
“He was almost off the pitch,” Mark Waugh said, before David Warner handed the all-rounder a reality check.
”It’s baffling, you’re six-and-a-half foot tall, it’s ridiculous to keep moving around like that and playing white-ball style cricket,” Warner said.
“But when you’re so far away from your stumps, if he does throw at the stumps you’re not going to be able to reach it, which was his downfall.
“Every single ball, if you showed the bowler back, anyone with half a brain would go at the stumps.”
Will Jacks’ stunning catch at the Gabba.Source: FOX SPORTSWill Jacks celebrate after a stunning catch.Source: AFP
What happened next stunned more than just the commentators.
Three balls later, Smith played a regulation pull shot with the ball sizzling toward the boundary rope — until Will Jacks flew to his right.
The pink ball stuck in his hand, running across the ground with his finger raised in a stunning moment at the Gabba as his teammates swarmed him.
“England, the door is open and they are walking through it,” Adam Gilchrist said.
Smith was sent packing for a well made 61, with Alex Carey and Josh Inglis being left to reel in the remaining deficit and take a lead under lights.
Carey was also dropped by Ben Duckett during the over in what could have been a monumental collapse from the hosts.
“It’s been a big ten minutes, a real change in direction for this match,” Gilchrist said.
“It was all one way traffic up until this over from Brydon Carse.”
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David Warner was asked if he could believe what he was seeing, with Australia starting the over at 3/290 and ending it 5/292.
“I absolutely cannot, but Australia do always let the opposition in with some collapses,” he said.
“What we have just seen there, a hell of a catch.”
Mark Waugh echoed his opinion, saying: “I think they may have been lulled into a false sense of security.
“At 3-291 England were down and out, and maybe the Australians just relaxed and now there are two new batsmen in the middle.”
