Brisbane: If less dramatic than the ball Glenn McGrath trod on at Edgbaston in 2005, team warm-ups before day four at the Gabba will not be remembered fondly by Australia. A day that began with Australia still a genuine chance to force a Gabba victory over India via the follow-on had its major twist before the first official ball was bowled. Australia paceman Glenn McGrath lies on the ground after being injured in the pre-match warm-up.
Credit: Getty Images Josh Hazlewood felt something go in his right calf during warm-ups , and the sensation did not diminish after some work by physio Nick Jones. Hazlewood missed the start of play – the distracting news may have contributed to Steve Smith dropping a chance offered to him at slip by KL Rahul on the first ball of the day – and from the moment he could only bowl one proppy over in the morning session, the whole complexion of the match and series changed. Without Hazlewood for the game, captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon made a valiant effort to knock India over in time to enforce the follow-on.
Assistant coach Dan Vettori confirmed after play that the Australians would have enforced it, even though it would have heaped a huge load onto the remaining fit bowlers. The Australians made slower than hoped progress through the Indian line-up in between rain breaks. But they were still able to get to the last pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep with 31 runs to spare before the follow-on was avoided.
Cummins, in p.
