Ah the silly season ...

[blamebrampton]

It is our habit to be complete slugabeds on Boxing Day*. Which is why Mr Brammers staggered from bed and into the shower at 3pm. On coming out of the shower, with something approaching a compis mentis, he looked at the cricket on the television and asked, 'How's it going?'

'Good,' I replied. 'For me.'

He peered at the score across the bottom of the screen. His jaw dropped. 'Oh what?! Holy Mother of God!' Yep. 9 wickets had fallen for 92 runs.

In a bid to cheer themselves up, the Australian commentary team showed the score cards from the Centenary test back in 1977, where Australia also suffered a first innings batting collapse, but England suffered a worse one. Of course, I was busy laughing at Mr B through this period, so when we turned back to the telly, we were momentarily baffled as we read down the order. 'Who? What?' we said.

'Oh, it's 1977,' I said as the England card came up and I recognised names. 'I remember that era -- was there ever a more pernicious phrase in the English language than caught Marsh, bowled Lillee?'

'I'll let you know in a few days,' moped Mr B.**


* And sundry other days throughout the year when we think we can get away with it.
** A minute later Australia were dismissed for 98. The commentary team are cheering themselves up with the possibility that this is just another fabbo bowling wicket, which I would scoff at, but given how this series has been going so far ...

Comments

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

And all caught behind or in the slips... self destructive insanity!!!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what they were thinking after the first few wickets fell -- it was blindingly obvious what England was doing, but there was no adaptation in the face of it. You're right, insanity.