The Test: A New Era for Australia's Team (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Episode #1.2 - full transcript
There is a renewed focus on 'character over cover drives' as Justin Langer and the team head to the UAE to face the mercurial Pakistan.
COMMENTATOR #1: It's going
right down to the wire. Australia 358/8.
Can Australia do it? Can they hang on? It
would be an unbelievable effort if they could.
COMMENTATOR #2: This is the ball.
If Tim Paine can survive this,
Australia will have made the great escape.
COMMENTATOR #1: He's under
enormous pressure at the moment.
JUSTIN LANGER: One ball. Come on, Painey.
COMMENTATOR #2: "Come on, Tim," is the call.
Come on, little fella.
- Come on.
- Come on.
LANGER: Two Tests against Pakistan
in the UAE.
It's gonna be tough.
It's gonna be really tough.
TIM PAINE: People saying we were one
of the worst Australian sides ever seen.
So that's what was driving us,
because even the best Australian teams
have been to Dubai or to India or wherever
and played against Subcontinent sides
and haven't been able to do it.
But there was some real optimism
that if we play our best cricket,
we think we can... we can beat
this Pakistan side.
LANGER: We'd lost
two of our most senior players
who got, I don't know, 110
hundreds between them.
Then we've got India coming up in the
summer and then we've got the Ashes.
So we've gotta start building a team
to be ready for both India and the Ashes.
So every opportunity we get to play
is a chance for us to build our team.
It's not about the likes of good
individuals. It is all about the team.
I'm pumped about this squad.
Look around and I'll tell you what we
have got - we've got 15 great blokes.
And anyone who knows me,
that won't surprise you,
'cause I know really great cricket teams.
We have that glue, that camaraderie,
we have good people, and we'll be OK.
I know this is a really tough period
at the moment,
but while we try and win every game, the
point is that when you build a foundation,
it takes work, it takes
time, it takes patience.
All I'm asking today,
boys - we've got two hours.
From the time we kick off,
high intensity, high concentration.
Everything we do is
Test match intensity, OK?
PETER SIDDLE: I think JL, you sort of knew
that he was always gonna lead from the front
and take a lot of responsibility himself,
which is hard.
You know, as an individual, you don't want to
have that much pressure, but he likes that.
A very clear message from now, gents.
Every time you speak to the players,
or every time you speak publicly,
they're gonna pick holes
in us, whatever happens.
No matter what the selection is,
we're gonna get holes picked in us.
It's a really clear message.
Make hundreds, be a good bloke.
Take wickets, be a good bloke.
SIDDLE: He knows the
direction he wants to take.
I think us as players, it's about, you
know, believing in him, backing him up
and then going out
there and playing his way.
Where we are in Test cricket now, right?
We've got six hours to bat.
So unless it's right in your slot...
[CLICKS TONGUE]
..drop it at your feet.
Or if it's a pull shot,
either smack it down to the ground
or fuckin' let it hit you on the body.
Mate, if it's not in our
zone, we don't play it.
Because it gives them a chance.
OK?
Righto, let's go.
Half an hour. Let's go.
PETER LALOR: Playing
away is always a challenge.
No cricket team does well away
these days.
I mean, it's always hot
when you play cricket,
but Dubai and Abu Dhabi
are stinking-hot places.
AARON FINCH: Shirt's wringing wet, it's all
running down your arm, onto your hands.
Sunscreen in your eyes and you're trying to
wash that out, like, rub it out.
It's, like... There's just no escape.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE: I mean,
it was hot, but for me personally,
it wasn't like it was, you
know, outrageously hot.
I think it's different,
'cause we come from Queensland.
MAN: Oh, Marnie!
[CLAPS]
It's gonna be hot. We all know that.
But we don't want to use that
as an excuse, do we?
I don't think we need
to talk about it anymore.
Mate, we're here to
play cricket. Life goes on.
LANGER: How about we do that right now?
We'll not mention it. If they say it in the press,
"Yeah, it's hot. Yeah, we love it. We love it."
Aussies, we love the heat.
[WHISTLE BLOWS]
FINCH: JL, he has his ideas of
how he wants the environment to be,
and obviously fitness is a huge part
of his life and his direction for the side.
There's no real difference
between the two teams.
OK? That's why we get fit.
We don't get fit just to tick boxes.
We get fit for these moments.
For these moments.
That's what we get fit for.
So we've got an advantage
over the opposition.
And there is no doubt
collectively we're fitter than Pakistan.
FINCH: He's a strong man,
he's fiercely competitive.
Everything that you
hear about JL, it's true.
He can be ruthless at times,
but it's all for a reason.
LANGER: Five days out from the game, they're
going to put you under pressure in these sessions,
and that's just how
we're gonna go about it.
Good, Heady. Yes, good sprinting!
NATHAN LYON: The game's changing
from back in the day to where it is now,
where you used to have a KFC
after a Test win and a couple of beers.
We need some intent
to move the bar quickly.
So, sharp and snappy
on your main exercises.
Knees!
Toes! Hips!
Head! Knees!
Black!
[ALL SHOUT AND LAUGH]
SIDDLE: The way he played the game
is how he coaches it -
is very hard and aggressive -
but he did everything right.
LANGER: Righto. As we discussed, right?
If you get out, we rotate.
And I know that pisses
you off, and that's OK.
I know it shits you. I know.
Just for 45 minutes here,
let's have a red-hot dip at it.
- OK, new balls to start off in this net, Starky.
- Yep.
Just get 'em out and let 'em know.
Rotate, please, lads.
USMAN KHAWAJA: In the nets,
JL, he has some sessions
where if we get out, everyone has to swap.
And it's an absolute pain in the arse
and I hate it.
But he's just trying to teach us
that when one person gets out,
it actually has a ripple effect
on the whole team.
LANGER: Righto, feedback on that 45 minutes.
Honest feedback.
I think more worried about getting out
than actually trying to execute better
and execute well.
Yeah, well, what happens
when you get out in a game?
If I'm getting out two
times in the nets, right...
- Right.
- ..I know I'm getting out two times in the nets.
- I'm playing fucking Test cricket here.
- Well, what are you worried about, then?
I'm worried about harping
too much on negatives.
What? Don't get out?
What we are saying is
we're not gonna accept you getting out,
because for the last 20 times
in Australian cricket,
we've had 20 batting collapses.
20 fuckin' batting collapses!
And we've got to get better at that.
It's got nothing to do with
how we set up the net session,
because the Pakistanis,
they might put 10 blokes around you.
"Well, this isn't fuckin' fair."
Or they might put 10 blokes on the boundary.
"Oh, this isn't gonna suit my fuckin' style."
You've got to deal with it. 'Cause
you've gotta deal with it in Test cricket.
So we're gonna put pressure on you.
OK, now, if you guys will say,
"Oh, no, this is a bit fucking...
"I don't know, this isn't suiting
my fucking style," no worries.
It'll suit your style when we don't have
fuckin' 20 batting collapses
every time we play for Australia.
I love Usi. He's got his own mind,
he's strong in his beliefs,
and if you treat him with respect,
you usually get your best results,
especially with the most combative ones.
If the coach tells me to do something,
I'm the kind of guy who... pushes back.
Like, you don't tell me what to do.
I mean, that's not saying I'm not a team
player. I do what the team needs me to do.
I'll always put the team first
and what I think the team needs.
But my motivation comes from me.
Like, you can't force someone to do
something that they don't want to do.
LANGER: Attention to detail.
Just like valuing our
wicket. Every time counts.
KHAWAJA: Before he had a meeting with the
whole team, I chatted to him a few times.
I just wanted to know what was happening.
I was really just disappointed
about not being selected
in the one-day side going to England.
He was really honest. Getting off the phone
with him, I felt invigorated.
I felt like I had something to aim for.
Yes, Us! That's what we're talking!
That's the standard!
LANGER: We had some really honest
conversations with him.
A lot of people had talked about it
for five or six or seven years,
he needed to lose a bit of weight,
he needed to get more agile in the field.
And don't do it for me,
or don't do it for the system,
or don't do it to tick boxes.
Do it for you,
so you can become a better cricketer.
And he took it on. I think he
lost six or seven or eight kilos.
KHAWAJA: I put everything into it.
He said, "I want you
in the senior players in Australia."
I was pretty honest with him.
I said, "I really struggle overseas
because I feel like you guys put...
"..everyone puts added pressure on me."
I said to him, "This time,
I'm just gonna play the way I want to,
"and I need support from you guys, too."
Because I can't do this without...
I don't care what the media are saying,
I don't care what the people say,
but I need support from my teammates,
I need support from the coaching staff.
LANGER: I've always
admired him as a cricketer,
but to see him getting better,
I admire that greatly.
Good session, boys.
Good session. Well done.
TIM PAINE: I'm enjoying having JL around.
I enjoy what he brings to our group.
He sets really high standards in cricket,
in the way we want to prepare,
but he also sets really high standards
in the way we go about our life as people
and as role models
for the Australian public.
When you first come into the Australian team,
I think you hope that it will just continue,
but it went pear-shaped, it's fair to say.
I was playing in an
exhibition game, if you like,
and got hit on the index finger
and had a pretty bad break.
You know, I was a long way off my best
for probably four or five years.
I certainly wasn't looking
at playing for Australia again
or captaining Australia
at that period of time.
I was struggling to get runs
in grade cricket at one stage.
Seven, nearly eight years in between Tests,
I think it was.
So, I think I pipped Brad Hogg for the
longest stint out of the Australian Test side.
I just want to soak it up
and make this time at least feel like
it's lasting for as
long as it possibly can.
It's not my team, it's Australia's team,
and, again, I'm lucky that I'm the one
that gets to have some say
in the direction we want to take it.
But it's certainly not my team,
it's as much every player
and every staff's team as it is mine,
and it's as much the young kid
playing grade cricket.
Thank you, mate. Appreciate that.
As you guys know, we've got
this foundation document, I guess.
Certainly from a very personal point of view,
this is really important we stand for something.
Now, I will say honestly,
I've got a couple of West Australians,
not as many as I'd like,
but a couple of West Australians here.
Probably prefer 10 of
you, but we've only got two.
But that's how we live it.
In WA, we live by it, right?
You need to stand for something.
This is not going to be just words on paper,
this is going to be something that this group -
staff, players,
an organisation as a whole, I guess -
we live by and we pride ourselves on.
So, whether that's talking to your friends, it's
talking to your mates, it's talking to the media,
this is about every time we're talking to
to all these different
stakeholders in cricket,
when they ask about the Australian
cricket team, these are the key messages.
The first slide for me is really important.
We are Australia's team.
I spoke to Steve Waugh last week.
He felt that the Australian cricket team
had lost its humility.
He thought we were a bit...
...a bit arrogant, a bit selfish
and put ourselves first.
I thought that really hit home for me.
To have a legend of Australian cricket talk
about us over the last couple of years,
to have him see us like that
was pretty disappointing, to be honest.
You know, we don't own
the Australian cricket team.
We're the privileged ones to get to
play for and get to represent our country
and our people and our fans.
So, at any moment,
while you're representing this badge
and playing cricket for your country, whether
you're at home, whether you're in your states,
whether out on the field, whether out for dinner
or having a beer after you've won a game...
...what we're doing, we want to be
making Australians proud at all times.
Our expectations.
This for me is our most important slide.
These are the things that we 100% keep
everyone in this room accountable for.
We respect the game,
we respect our opponent,
we love playing cricket,
we use common sense,
we keep things simple,
and we play hard but fair.
I think if we do that,
if we're seen as an Australian team
that's prepared to roll up their sleeves,
have a crack in any situation,
that's gonna be the way
we're going to win our fans back.
LANGER: I was in the kitchen
and a phone call comes
from Tony Mann at the WACA.
"I'm just ringing to tell you, son,
"you've been selected to play cricket
for Australia tomorrow."
We then get to the hotel, and - I still
remember - there's this big cardboard box.
"Justin Langer, Australian Test cricketer"
written on top. Imagine that!
Like, I wanted this since I was a kid.
I opened the box.
And when you play for Australia, especially
for a bloke, it's like Christmas, mate.
It's like Christmas.
Because you get so much stuff.
You know, I'm throwing out shoes and track
suits and shirts and cash and sunnies.
It's like gold, mate.
You're playing for Australia.
But then, unlike today, at the
bottom of the box, a baggy green cap.
So, there's my baggy green.
It's not a baggy green cap, or the baggy...
This is my baggy green
cap. Right? This is it.
I'm like... "Oh, this is unbelievable."
I put it on my head.
And I went to bed that night, baggy
green cap on, favourite bat, go to sleep.
Beautiful.
MAN: Now, I'll go through the list here.
Now, you will see there's some
bloody good stories here.
So, congrats to those that are playing
in this first Test match.
OK, Finch - debut.
Khawaja.
Marsh.
Marsh.
Heady - debut.
Marnus.
It was amazing, you know,
just when he called out your name.
All of a sudden you're like, "Oh, wow.
"This is actually happening. I'm gonna play,
you know, Test cricket for my country."
Good on you.
Congratulations.
You got it, mate.
Thank you.
Thanks, mate.
Cheers.
Oh, it's meant a lot because it's been my number
one goal from when I started playing cricket.
And I think as you get older,
you feel it slipping away slightly.
You know what he did last night?
He went three days out
to try on the baggy green cap.
You can't hide the smile
much, can you, Finchy?
It's pretty impressive.
It's so rare that there are
multiple debutants in a Test team.
It's not like the footy codes where they blood
them young and get them in and give them games.
'Cause Test cricket's
not a development game.
That's a positive, I suppose, isn't it?
LANGER: To have in the Test match
there is Marnus, Travis Head and Finch,
and they had all their families out there.
We had some legends
presenting the cap to me.
That's what it's all about. That
was... Yeah. Oh, I love that, mate.
Family's there, legends of Australian cricket
there, young kids realising their dream.
That's a magic moment, that.
You're now an Australian Test cricketer,
so well done.
- Thank you.
- Finch!
The legend Allan Border to present my cap
was pretty special.
Something that I dreamed about forever,
as long as I can remember,
about playing Test cricket for Australia.
First of all, thank you for the opportunity
to come and present Marnus with his cap.
So, good luck. I hope you enjoy
your journey with the Australian team.
LABUSCHAGNE: You know, take it to
when I got my cap presented by Huss.
That was an awesome experience and that
to share with my family
and my friends came over from England.
To kind of sit back now and you
actually think about it and you go, "Wow."
I'm real close with Nathan Lyon
and we were talking about it over a beer
probably a week out from the first Test and I sort
of said to him, "If I debut, would you do it?"
And he sort of laughed it off.
He's like, "Bullshit. You don't want me."
I debuted for South
Australia and he was there.
"Make sure you pull your finger out
so we can play together."
And he'd always message me,
he's always like, "Keep going, keep going.
"I want to play Test cricket with you. I want
to make sure you're there, get the opportunity."
So, once I did, it was fitting that he
was able to present my cap to me.
Always thought legends do it.
In my eyes, legends have always done it.
So when Travis asked me to do it,
that was probably...
...probably one of the biggest
defining moments of my career, actually.
I get the massive honour and privilege to
present Trav with your baggy green, mate.
I was just like...
..."Yeah, nah, it'll be fine."
Then, once I got the baggy green,
I was just like, "Oh, shit."
I've looked at you as my little brother...
[VOICE SHAKES]
..that I never had.
[SOBS QUIETLY]
Fuck. You got me.
I could hear his mum start to just lose it
a little bit.
So that didn't help me.
One thing I will ask, when you wear this,
always compete no matter what.
Stay humble with the way you are.
But also, never forget the reason
why you fell in love with the game.
Because when you get this, you become
more than just a guy who plays cricket.
You're part of the baggy green club.
And it makes me extremely proud
to present you number 454.
HEAD: Yeah, he's a great mate
but also at a time when I see now
when young guys come through it's like,
you're trying to find your way
and you don't really know what way to go.
To have senior guys like that on your team that
grab you and go, "This is the way you gotta train,
"this is the way you gotta try and play."
Like, that kind of stuff, really look
after me, was really, really good.
Like, a young guy, to
sort of teach me the ropes.
And Nathan's just amazing.
Great to have a great mate
to present you your baggy green.
I was like, we're gonna win the toss today,
we're gonna bat. It's a beautiful wicket.
Feel like I'll get some runs today.
UMPIRE: Heads is the call.
It is tails.
MAN: Pakistan have won the toss.
Sarfaraz, what are you gonna do?
SARFARAZ AHMED: Yeah, we'll bat 1st today.
And the toss goes up, you lose it,
and you're fielding on a flatty at Dubai.
It's one of my favourite things about coaching.
First ball of a game, have a cup of coffee now.
There's nothing else we can do.
[SPEAKS URDU]
COMMENTATOR: It's pitched up
and put away beautifully.
Straight over the top.
First six of the morning.
COMMENTATOR #2: Big shot. Big drive
down the ground. That's good batting.
[FANS WHISTLE]
100 partnership is raised.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, beautiful shot.
Great use of the feet. Quality batting.
Ominous signs for Australia.
Right in the heat of the day.
Tough for the bowlers
and also the fielders,
trying to stem the flow of runs as best
they possibly can, the Australians.
- [PLAYERS CHEER]
- Caught behind!
- Yes!
- [SCATTERED CLAPPING]
COMMENTATOR: Goes big down the ground.
It's a lovely shot.
300 up for Pakistan.
And that is the 400 up for Pakistan.
Straight over the top.
Big shot.
Great hanging in there, boys.
COMMENTATOR: 482 Pakistan all out,
and so now it's up to Australia.
It took a lot of overs, a lot of energy.
FINCH: It was a long time in the field.
My first innings of Test cricket.
And then to put the pads on and walk out
and open the batting,
which I hadn't done a huge amount of
in first-class cricket.
I was like, "Shit! This
is what it's all about."
You've been in the field
170 overs in the heat,
but now we've got 12 overs
to get through for the night.
And these are important.
They go a long way to setting up the game.
COMMENTATOR: And Finch is away.
First runs in Test cricket.
COMMENTATOR: Down the wicket and over the
top. Good positive shot, that, from Khawaja.
- [MAN APPEALS]
- It's close.
Big appeal, but no.
COMMENTATOR: Australia survives.
Pakistan in front.
[APPLAUSE]
Today was a real hard grind
from the first session right to the last,
but not at any stage did
they get away from us.
I want to make special mention of this.
We had one guy on debut, Usi opening for...
He's only done it a handful of times.
That was a shit time to bat.
And the way you guys went about that then
was all class.
FINCH: As you're sort of dipping
in energy levels and stuff in the field,
your mind starts to wander.
Then it's like you bat and it's...
and you're fresh again.
It's like, Jesus. You've actually got
another gear to go to when you bat.
I think it's just because
you're not fielding any longer.
COMMENTATOR: There's the cut shot,
and it's four.
50 partnership for Australia.
Goes back, pumps it through the off side.
That's another excellent shot from Aaron Finch.
At one point I was like, I felt like
I could really take the spinner on.
COMMENTATOR: Big shot.
Over the top. And six.
It's like, f... Don't do it.
Just keep batting, keep batting, keep
plugging away and chipping into their lead.
COMMENTATOR: And it's a boundary.
And it brings up a very
good 50 for Aaron Finch.
FINCH: And who knows?
If we bat amazingly well in the first
innings, we might be able to get a win.
[PLAYERS CHEER]
FINCH: But I probably was thinking so much
about the game, so much about the situation,
trying to get into a
real partnership with Usi
that I used up so much mental energy,
I was so tired.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, taken! That's a sharp catch.
And he'll be disappointed.
FINCH: And I hadn't really experienced that
a hell of a lot.
I think just being on way too much probably
led to my downfall in that first innings.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, that's gone up in the air.
This should be taken.
A lot of bat involved. And he's walking.
And the end of the dangerous Khawaja.
He's made 85.
Travis Head on debut.
[PLAYERS SCREAM]
COMMENTATOR: Edge, and taken.
And so Travis Head has got to walk back.
Didn't get off the mark.
You know, the journey of cricket
is so rollercoastery, you know.
When you dream about playing your first Test,
you're never dreaming of getting a duck on debut.
- [PLAYER SCREAMS]
- COMMENTATOR: Is that out?
It is. Given. Four quick
ones now for Australia.
And Marnus Labuschagne is on his way.
You know, after I got a duck in the first
innings, you know, you sit there and go,
"Am I actually gonna make a Test run here?"
Am I gonna be the guy that gets a pair
on Test debut and doesn't play again?
COMMENTATOR: Oh, gone!
[PLAYER SCREAMS]
COMMENTATOR: Edge, and taken.
Straight through him.
All out, Australia, 202.
And Australia lost all 10 wickets
in this session to date,
so they'll be shaking their heads
and they've got to regroup.
Pakistan will bat again.
LANGER: We've got to take this game
as deep as we can.
If we don't win the game,
we can bloody draw the game,
and that'll be an absolutely brilliant
fighting effort for you.
And you guys deserve it. You deserve at the very
least to get a drawn game, at the very least.
Because you've worked so hard, you
had good spirit, you prepared really well.
So we've got two days
to keep fighting our arse off, OK?
Let's not have this game defined
on a crazy two-hour period today.
How many you got left, Daz?
COMMENTATOR: Big shot.
That's gone all the way for six.
And it looks like Pakistan are declaring.
Right, then, the focus will be
on Australian batting now.
How fit are they to challenge Pakistan
and how dented are they mentally?
WHATELEY: It was assumed
Australia would lose that Test match.
But what Australia was looking for
was a test of character.
COMMENTATOR: Swept away fine.
Khawaja is away with a nice boundary.
Cut away nicely from Khawaja.
Lovely batting.
Well, that's a really classy shot.
[CLAPPING]
KHAWAJA: I actually try to stay in
the moment. I was just trying to bat.
I wasn't thinking,
"Oh, we've got to survive for 150 overs."
I'm just thinking, "I'm just gonna bat normally
here, and if I do that for long enough,
"well enough in these conditions,
that's how I'm gonna survive."
COMMENTATOR: That will be the 50
for Usman Khawaja.
So, that'll be stumps here in Dubai.
Australia, you'd think, have still got
a lot of work to do tomorrow.
FINCH: It was all really positive chat.
Sriram spoke to us.
He started talking about how
the pressure's all on Pakistan.
From what I think,
you've got a great chance
to make those guys regret their decision
not to put us in again.
Everything's in our favour, as I see it.
The expectation for them to win the game is
so much greater than it is for us to save it.
You've just got to be trusting our plans
and be able to execute.
FINCH: We've had a
collapse of the last 26 games.
No-one's expecting us to hold on for a
draw, so just changing the mindset of...
The pressure is on them.
What have we got to lose here?
LANGER: I like your thinking. I'd much rather
be in our shoes than theirs for this Test match.
Silver lining. That's good, Sri. Good work.
And we've got plenty to play for.
We've got so much we can gain.
Like we have for the first four days,
not just for this five days of our life
but for the next month of our life,
for the next six months of life,
for the next five years of this Test team,
we've got plenty to play for tomorrow.
We can take some
really great stuff out of it.
MAN: How does Australia
get through the day?
MAN #2: Well, it's gonna be tough.
I mean, it's as simple as that.
You've got to be brutally honest.
TIM PAINE: Yeah, I was pretty nervous.
I was hopeful.
Um...
Not overly hopeful, because I know
that the pitch was starting to spin a lot.
JL spoke really well that morning
about, you know,
this is another opportunity for this group to show
Australia and to show our fans what we're made of.
LANGER: If we can draw today,
we can draw from anywhere.
Whatever happens today,
it's a great opportunity.
The last four days have
been a great opportunity.
Today's another great
opportunity for us, OK?
And let's just fight, fight, fight, fight.
We talk about earning respect, making
people proud, each other, everyone else.
Just fight today. Just fight every minute.
When that little voice comes on in
your mind, "Oh, it's a bit of pressure,"
or, "Fuck, I'm a bit tired,"
or, "I'm gonna get to..."
No, no. Just fucking... Come on.
No, no, no. Just fucking steel vault.
Keep trusting your plan. It's a
really important day for us. Alright?
Individually and as a team, as this
team keeps building together. Alright?
[FANS APPLAUD]
KHAWAJA: I've never had an issue
batting a long time. I love batting.
I could bat all day. If I could, I could
bat all day and next day. I love it.
COMMENTATOR: That's fine.
That one just sliding down the leg side.
Heady had obviously
batted unbelievably well.
That was a change of pace, but it's good
enough for Khawaja and he gets it through.
Got to strike early, Pakistan.
COMMENTATOR #2:54. Travis Head on debut.
That's a wonderful innings under pressure.
I didn't go in trying to hit harder
or worrying about results or anything.
I knew that we had to
bat a long period of time
and I just wanted to do what it took
for the team to try and get that result.
[APPLAUSE]
[TEAM CHEERS]
FINCH: He's a pretty stubborn character
at times, Usi,
and you could just see that he...
that he wanted it desperately.
COMMENTATOR #1: Swept nicely from Khawaja.
COMMENTATOR #2: Flicks it out in the deep.
KHAWAJA: It's really hard to stay in the present
and not think about what could happen later,
or what has happened in the past.
It's so hard. That's...
that's the mental battle.
COMMENTATOR: Big shot, Khawaja, taking a
little bit of risk going against the spin.
KHAWAJA: People are going,
"Yeah. he's done nothing.
"You gotta bat long. You gotta bat time."
But I sort of figured out in my head doing
well on spinning wickets in county cricket
and throughout the last couple of years
that if I bat normally and
keep that same tempo,
that's giving myself the best chance
to bat for a long time.
It's a big shift from what everyone
was trying to tell me at the time.
And this time, I was like,
"Yeah. OK. I'm gonna do that."
So I came out and reverse swept one.
COMMENTATOR: The reverse sweep.
Beautiful shot from Khawaja.
You know, trying to save a match, it's
not usually the way to go about things,
but that's how I was going to do it
because I had that in my head.
FINCH: To stick to a game plan,
the reverse sweep against Yasir Shah,
regardless of what's happening around you,
was extraordinary.
If he gets out the first time
he tries a reverse sweep,
he's going to cop some grief.
But he's committed to it. And he
stayed committed to it until the very end.
COMMENTATOR: Goes back, works it into the
gap. And there it is, it's 100 for Usman.
- [CHEER AND SHOUT]
- Usman!
His first against Pakistan.
What a knock under pressure.
He's absolutely loving it.
He should be very proud of this century.
[APPLAUSE]
KHAWAJA: The feeling of getting
100 for Australia was unbelievable.
It was a relief, because I
knew in myself that I could do it,
but it doesn't matter whether you
know you can do it, you still got to do it.
And having Rach in the stands,
she's just there always.
She knows that
that's how I want to play my cricket.
She's just there to remind me
to just relax and enjoy it.
And you know that this
is not gonna last forever,
so there's no point worrying about
anything else further on.
As I said, the hardest thing
is to stay in the present.
And she helps me to do that.
To bat like he did for nine hours
against spin bowling on a turning wicket?
Oh, I was so pleased for him.
PAINE: Usman Khawaja played one of the
greatest innings I think I've ever seen.
In tough conditions,
just the concentration and power
that he showed to bat in that
heat for that long was extraordinary.
And I thought, one, it took a lot of courage
when you're trying to play for a draw,
to play that way,
and, two, showed
such a high level of skill.
COMMENTATOR: The captain comes out
to the crease, Tim Paine.
But it's not about runs, it's about
playing out the remaining overs.
PAINE: My focus was
just pure survival that day.
I was just trying to keep it out
as much as I could.
Oh! My goodness me.
PAINE: I didn't have too
many plans, to be honest.
- Oh, my God!
- Ooh, Tim Paine slips over.
He's under enormous pressure at the moment.
FINCH: We talk a lot
about playing the Australian way,
which is when your
back's to the wall you fight
and you do everything in your power
to change momentum
or win a game for your country.
- How's that?!
- [TEAM SHOUTS]
FINCH: This is how you hang in there. You
find any way to get through a situation.
That's what fighting is.
PAINE: I made a conscious effort that day
not to look up at the scoreboard
or the overs remaining.
And it was amazing when you do that actually
how quickly the time started to go by.
I wasn't fussed on scoring runs.
It was just purely about
trying to spend some time.
And I knew, whilst I was
out there with Usman,
I felt reasonably confident
that we could get it done.
- Out!
- [TEAM SHOUTS]
COMMENTATOR #1: Was that high?
And that will be the question.
They're going upstairs.
Oh, he's hit it!
COMMENTATOR #1: Not out.
COMMENTATOR #2: It's such a
fine line in this game.
LANGER: When you're a player, you've got to
give 100% attention to the next ball,
but as a coach, you sort of tend
to write off every single ball.
Yeah. It was a nervous time. Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: 15 overs to be bowled.
Anything can happen, but at this stage,
Australia look hot favourites to draw this.
[PLAYERS APPEAL]
Appeal, and gone!
And it's the centurion
who's been dismissed.
Taken! A magnificent piece of fielding.
Wickets falling in a heap for Australia.
Pakistan need two wickets
for a most dramatic turnaround.
PAINE: Lyno came out,
and I remember he was so nervous,
and he always tries to act like he's not,
but he was, he was packing 'em.
To be honest, I was just talking about
watching The Inbetweeners with Painey
and having a pizza.
COMMENTATOR: 50 up for Tim Paine,
the captain of Australia.
He'll raise the bat slightly,
but he won't be thinking about it.
He'll be thinking about
getting this team over the line.
LANGER: When you're captain,
there's more responsibilities.
Tim Paine was like Albert Jacka, you
know, the way he batted at the end there.
It was just... It was...
Honestly, it was brilliant.
He's Tasmanian. They're tough.
COMMENTATOR: So it all comes
down to the last. One over remaining.
LABUSCHAGNE: I was sitting next to JL
probably for the last three hours, I reckon.
I was... We weren't allowed to move.
JL was like, "We've been doing well
in these spots. Stay there."
COMMENTATOR: Ooh, that's a nice start.
Oh, Tim Paine wants the single, does he?
What are you doing?
He's gonna run hard here.
COMMENTATOR: No, he's coming back for two.
HEAD: Painey started
taking a couple of runs.
He's just got to block out the draw
and he's looking after the average.
He's taking two...
COMMENTATOR: Ooh, nice bowling again.
Tim Paine wants more runs.
Then he's knocked it again,
and he's gone two again.
They started taking runs in the last over, and
that's when I started to get a bit nervous.
COMMENTATOR: So far, so good for Tim Paine.
Three balls remaining.
Can Australia do it? Can they hang on?
It would be an unbelievable
effort if they could.
PAINE: When you're looking
to defend every ball,
you know every ball is going to be in here,
close, so you don't want to pop one up
because they catch everything.
And even just their chat and, you know, they're
quite excitable. And they were up for it.
COMMENTATOR: I can hardly watch.
Ooh, catches the
outside edge. It's so close.
[APPLAUSE]
This is unbelievable.
COMMENTATOR: This is the ball.
If Tim Paine can survive this,
Australia will have made the great escape.
Come on, little fella.
- Come on.
- Come on.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, and he's done it!
[ALL CHEER AND CLAP]
Whoo-hoo!
FINCH: This is how you
play tough and you scrap.
And to be in a different situation where
the win was out of the question, it was...
...it was pretty special.
PAINE: To achieve what we had achieved,
which does not happen in those conditions
very much,
which is to bat an extraordinary amount
of overs in the fourth innings of the game,
for where our group came from,
what we're trying to build,
was... I thought was really important
and kept the series alive.
I'm so proud of everyone
in this room. Well done.
That's it. Just so proud of you.
All those people who wrote us off
and wrote so many individually off
and wrote us off...
White noise, eh?
So, we keep it at white noise,
keep doing what we're doing, we'll be OK.
But I'm so proud of everyone.
Well done. Well done.
He said it, didn't he?
We're definitely in the box seat.
We had the game won before
we even left last night 'cause of you.
Well done, buddy.
WHATELEY: I think
more than winning the Test match,
a fighting draw, which in some circumstances
might have been declared as a heroic draw,
drawing on a batsman who batted
selflessly, compellingly throughout a day,
and then the captain
who guided Australia to safe harbour,
as storylines, it hit the perfect tones
for the starting point of a new era.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
29.
- 29.
- [LAUGHTER]
FINCH: The mood amongst
the group was fantastic.
It's not a win, so we didn't celebrate it,
but it was a real acknowledgement
of that's what we can do.
PAINE: We've got some momentum
out of the first Test
and some confidence and belief
that we could win a Test
and compete in those conditions
against that team.
LANGER: I remember Steve Waugh used to say
sometimes drawing a Test
is as important as winning a Test.
And for us it was a really
important Test match.
And I know in the Pakistani changeroom
they thought they'd lost,
but actually, they'd played better cricket
for us for most of the time.
But that's the uniqueness of Test cricket.
To draw that Test match, you know, that
should give the captain good confidence,
should give Usman Khawaja great confidence,
should give Travis Head in his
first Test match great confidence.
Now, there's some really positive things
that come out of that.
Been a lot of talk about the last game
of the tour, excellent effort.
Really good, really gutsy,
the sort of stuff we're talking about.
Let's make sure
that's not our grand final, OK?
'Cause this is our grand final. We're here
to win this series against Pakistan here.
And this is our opportunity.
Have a good day, boys.
- [CLAPPING]
- OK. Come on.
We've turned up day one
and Nathan Lyon bowled brilliantly.
- Catch!
- COMMENTATOR: Down the ground. Chance.
And this time taken by Nathan Lyon.
Good piece of bowling.
- PLAYER: Catch! Yes!
- COMMENTATOR: Gone! First ball!
Another one!
Catch!
- COMMENTATOR: There's a chance.
- PLAYER: Yes!
Well, there we go. Pakistan have lost 3/0.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, he's got him!
Through the gate!
Fantastic bowling again by Nathan Lyon.
Four wickets in six
balls. Australia on fire.
LANGER: We had them 5/50
in the first session of the Test match,
and then...
...everything seemed
to go downhill after that.
COMMENTATOR: And that's a nice shot.
Hammered away though the off side
for another boundary.
Individually, as a team, we can't afford
to have those sessions we had today
when you've got 'em by the fuckin' nuts.
COMMENTATOR: Goes over the top.
And all the way. So, the 200 for Pakistan.
This has been a very, very good recovery.
We had 'em 5/50 and we were up.
And then we let 'em
go. You can't afford it.
[SUPPORTERS CHANT AND BANG DRUMS]
COMMENTATOR: And Pakistan,
after winning the toss, bowled out for 282.
To be in that position and then let that
slip was... was bitterly disappointing.
Still hurts me now to think about it.
FINCH: And then to lose a few wickets
in a clump again was tough.
COMMENTATOR #1: Edge. Taken.
COMMENTATOR #2: Edge... And taken.
And that's great bowling.
FINCH: Just takes one half-chance...
COMMENTATOR: Catch chance. And that's gone.
...and then you lose one, you lose two,
and guys rushing around
who have been sitting
there with their trackies on
and before you know it, "Shit. I'm putting
the pads on 'cause we've lost another one."
Ooh, that's close, is it?
Big shout again. And given!
Oh, Lyon's gone.
Australia are all out for 145.
And what a day it's been for Pakistan.
Completely dominated Australia.
PAINE: I just thought today, myself,
I thought we looked timid.
We were just half there,
half back, half forward,
poking our fucking bats at the ball.
We didn't look committed or confident
in any way, shape or form.
And it's been a trend
every time we're put under pressure.
Every time in the last 12 months
we've been under the pump,
we haven't got the job done.
And we're having these collapses too often.
We've got to find a way
to cope with pressure.
And it's not hitting heaps of fucking balls
and changing our techniques.
It's dealing with the pressure
in your own mind
when you are out there.
And we're falling well short of that
at the moment.
LANGER: Coaching, what you can do, you can
prepare them as well as possible, the players,
and you give 'em as much love as you can,
and sometimes you've got to give 'em a
little clip, just so they're ready to play.
But then as soon as they walk over
the white line individually and as a group,
well, they're living their lives now.
[CROWD CHANTS AND CLAPS IN TIME]
COMMENTATOR: Pakistan now
in touching distance to topple Australia.
COMMENTATOR #1: Chance, and taken!
There it is.
So, Pakistan win by 374 runs.
Comprehensive victory.
And they'll take the series 1-0.
[CROWD CHEERS AND WHISTLES]
LANGER: It's such a hard business.
And we want them to play like Ricky
Ponting, but that's the end product.
And we want 'em to be the end product now,
but it's not how life works.
When opportunities come, great teams,
they fucking grab it and they shake it.
And we didn't do that.
We've got to get our batting better.
We've had 25 batting collapses
in the last couple of years.
That's just the facts. That's not...
We can't sugar-coat shit.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
LANGER: You've got to be really patient.
You've got to remember the bigger picture.
You've got to respect
how the real world works.
And that's one of the things we are at the
moment - a lot of guys starting their journey.
Appreciate everyone's efforts.
I know everyone worked bloody hard.
We prepared well. We just didn't
put it into practice in the middle.
And that's what great players do.
That's what very good players,
not that many great players,
that's what great players, very
good players and very good teams do.
So... And we didn't quite do it.
The best Australian teams
haven't gone over there and won.
And for us to be able
to put ourselves in a position
where we could have
and then let it slip, really hurt.
But, yeah, you know, cricket the sport,
you get another opportunity.
And we knew India were coming
and all the sort of fanfare and hype
that comes with India and Virat Kohli
and we knew that was going to be
a really exciting series as well.
VOICEOVER: Next on The Test...
LANGER: It's gonna be a tough series.
I don't reckon we're 100% set
on our batting line-up yet.
We can beat 'em. And we will beat 'em.
HEAD: I was scared shitless.
- COMMENTATOR: Oh, gets hit!
- Arrgh!
LANGER: Virat Kohli is the best player
I've ever seen in my life.
I want him completely ignored.
There's no room for
abuse. But there's banter.
This is what playing for your country
is about, boys.
PAINE: I'm the captain. I have to stand up and
show him that we're all here for the fight.
right down to the wire. Australia 358/8.
Can Australia do it? Can they hang on? It
would be an unbelievable effort if they could.
COMMENTATOR #2: This is the ball.
If Tim Paine can survive this,
Australia will have made the great escape.
COMMENTATOR #1: He's under
enormous pressure at the moment.
JUSTIN LANGER: One ball. Come on, Painey.
COMMENTATOR #2: "Come on, Tim," is the call.
Come on, little fella.
- Come on.
- Come on.
LANGER: Two Tests against Pakistan
in the UAE.
It's gonna be tough.
It's gonna be really tough.
TIM PAINE: People saying we were one
of the worst Australian sides ever seen.
So that's what was driving us,
because even the best Australian teams
have been to Dubai or to India or wherever
and played against Subcontinent sides
and haven't been able to do it.
But there was some real optimism
that if we play our best cricket,
we think we can... we can beat
this Pakistan side.
LANGER: We'd lost
two of our most senior players
who got, I don't know, 110
hundreds between them.
Then we've got India coming up in the
summer and then we've got the Ashes.
So we've gotta start building a team
to be ready for both India and the Ashes.
So every opportunity we get to play
is a chance for us to build our team.
It's not about the likes of good
individuals. It is all about the team.
I'm pumped about this squad.
Look around and I'll tell you what we
have got - we've got 15 great blokes.
And anyone who knows me,
that won't surprise you,
'cause I know really great cricket teams.
We have that glue, that camaraderie,
we have good people, and we'll be OK.
I know this is a really tough period
at the moment,
but while we try and win every game, the
point is that when you build a foundation,
it takes work, it takes
time, it takes patience.
All I'm asking today,
boys - we've got two hours.
From the time we kick off,
high intensity, high concentration.
Everything we do is
Test match intensity, OK?
PETER SIDDLE: I think JL, you sort of knew
that he was always gonna lead from the front
and take a lot of responsibility himself,
which is hard.
You know, as an individual, you don't want to
have that much pressure, but he likes that.
A very clear message from now, gents.
Every time you speak to the players,
or every time you speak publicly,
they're gonna pick holes
in us, whatever happens.
No matter what the selection is,
we're gonna get holes picked in us.
It's a really clear message.
Make hundreds, be a good bloke.
Take wickets, be a good bloke.
SIDDLE: He knows the
direction he wants to take.
I think us as players, it's about, you
know, believing in him, backing him up
and then going out
there and playing his way.
Where we are in Test cricket now, right?
We've got six hours to bat.
So unless it's right in your slot...
[CLICKS TONGUE]
..drop it at your feet.
Or if it's a pull shot,
either smack it down to the ground
or fuckin' let it hit you on the body.
Mate, if it's not in our
zone, we don't play it.
Because it gives them a chance.
OK?
Righto, let's go.
Half an hour. Let's go.
PETER LALOR: Playing
away is always a challenge.
No cricket team does well away
these days.
I mean, it's always hot
when you play cricket,
but Dubai and Abu Dhabi
are stinking-hot places.
AARON FINCH: Shirt's wringing wet, it's all
running down your arm, onto your hands.
Sunscreen in your eyes and you're trying to
wash that out, like, rub it out.
It's, like... There's just no escape.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE: I mean,
it was hot, but for me personally,
it wasn't like it was, you
know, outrageously hot.
I think it's different,
'cause we come from Queensland.
MAN: Oh, Marnie!
[CLAPS]
It's gonna be hot. We all know that.
But we don't want to use that
as an excuse, do we?
I don't think we need
to talk about it anymore.
Mate, we're here to
play cricket. Life goes on.
LANGER: How about we do that right now?
We'll not mention it. If they say it in the press,
"Yeah, it's hot. Yeah, we love it. We love it."
Aussies, we love the heat.
[WHISTLE BLOWS]
FINCH: JL, he has his ideas of
how he wants the environment to be,
and obviously fitness is a huge part
of his life and his direction for the side.
There's no real difference
between the two teams.
OK? That's why we get fit.
We don't get fit just to tick boxes.
We get fit for these moments.
For these moments.
That's what we get fit for.
So we've got an advantage
over the opposition.
And there is no doubt
collectively we're fitter than Pakistan.
FINCH: He's a strong man,
he's fiercely competitive.
Everything that you
hear about JL, it's true.
He can be ruthless at times,
but it's all for a reason.
LANGER: Five days out from the game, they're
going to put you under pressure in these sessions,
and that's just how
we're gonna go about it.
Good, Heady. Yes, good sprinting!
NATHAN LYON: The game's changing
from back in the day to where it is now,
where you used to have a KFC
after a Test win and a couple of beers.
We need some intent
to move the bar quickly.
So, sharp and snappy
on your main exercises.
Knees!
Toes! Hips!
Head! Knees!
Black!
[ALL SHOUT AND LAUGH]
SIDDLE: The way he played the game
is how he coaches it -
is very hard and aggressive -
but he did everything right.
LANGER: Righto. As we discussed, right?
If you get out, we rotate.
And I know that pisses
you off, and that's OK.
I know it shits you. I know.
Just for 45 minutes here,
let's have a red-hot dip at it.
- OK, new balls to start off in this net, Starky.
- Yep.
Just get 'em out and let 'em know.
Rotate, please, lads.
USMAN KHAWAJA: In the nets,
JL, he has some sessions
where if we get out, everyone has to swap.
And it's an absolute pain in the arse
and I hate it.
But he's just trying to teach us
that when one person gets out,
it actually has a ripple effect
on the whole team.
LANGER: Righto, feedback on that 45 minutes.
Honest feedback.
I think more worried about getting out
than actually trying to execute better
and execute well.
Yeah, well, what happens
when you get out in a game?
If I'm getting out two
times in the nets, right...
- Right.
- ..I know I'm getting out two times in the nets.
- I'm playing fucking Test cricket here.
- Well, what are you worried about, then?
I'm worried about harping
too much on negatives.
What? Don't get out?
What we are saying is
we're not gonna accept you getting out,
because for the last 20 times
in Australian cricket,
we've had 20 batting collapses.
20 fuckin' batting collapses!
And we've got to get better at that.
It's got nothing to do with
how we set up the net session,
because the Pakistanis,
they might put 10 blokes around you.
"Well, this isn't fuckin' fair."
Or they might put 10 blokes on the boundary.
"Oh, this isn't gonna suit my fuckin' style."
You've got to deal with it. 'Cause
you've gotta deal with it in Test cricket.
So we're gonna put pressure on you.
OK, now, if you guys will say,
"Oh, no, this is a bit fucking...
"I don't know, this isn't suiting
my fucking style," no worries.
It'll suit your style when we don't have
fuckin' 20 batting collapses
every time we play for Australia.
I love Usi. He's got his own mind,
he's strong in his beliefs,
and if you treat him with respect,
you usually get your best results,
especially with the most combative ones.
If the coach tells me to do something,
I'm the kind of guy who... pushes back.
Like, you don't tell me what to do.
I mean, that's not saying I'm not a team
player. I do what the team needs me to do.
I'll always put the team first
and what I think the team needs.
But my motivation comes from me.
Like, you can't force someone to do
something that they don't want to do.
LANGER: Attention to detail.
Just like valuing our
wicket. Every time counts.
KHAWAJA: Before he had a meeting with the
whole team, I chatted to him a few times.
I just wanted to know what was happening.
I was really just disappointed
about not being selected
in the one-day side going to England.
He was really honest. Getting off the phone
with him, I felt invigorated.
I felt like I had something to aim for.
Yes, Us! That's what we're talking!
That's the standard!
LANGER: We had some really honest
conversations with him.
A lot of people had talked about it
for five or six or seven years,
he needed to lose a bit of weight,
he needed to get more agile in the field.
And don't do it for me,
or don't do it for the system,
or don't do it to tick boxes.
Do it for you,
so you can become a better cricketer.
And he took it on. I think he
lost six or seven or eight kilos.
KHAWAJA: I put everything into it.
He said, "I want you
in the senior players in Australia."
I was pretty honest with him.
I said, "I really struggle overseas
because I feel like you guys put...
"..everyone puts added pressure on me."
I said to him, "This time,
I'm just gonna play the way I want to,
"and I need support from you guys, too."
Because I can't do this without...
I don't care what the media are saying,
I don't care what the people say,
but I need support from my teammates,
I need support from the coaching staff.
LANGER: I've always
admired him as a cricketer,
but to see him getting better,
I admire that greatly.
Good session, boys.
Good session. Well done.
TIM PAINE: I'm enjoying having JL around.
I enjoy what he brings to our group.
He sets really high standards in cricket,
in the way we want to prepare,
but he also sets really high standards
in the way we go about our life as people
and as role models
for the Australian public.
When you first come into the Australian team,
I think you hope that it will just continue,
but it went pear-shaped, it's fair to say.
I was playing in an
exhibition game, if you like,
and got hit on the index finger
and had a pretty bad break.
You know, I was a long way off my best
for probably four or five years.
I certainly wasn't looking
at playing for Australia again
or captaining Australia
at that period of time.
I was struggling to get runs
in grade cricket at one stage.
Seven, nearly eight years in between Tests,
I think it was.
So, I think I pipped Brad Hogg for the
longest stint out of the Australian Test side.
I just want to soak it up
and make this time at least feel like
it's lasting for as
long as it possibly can.
It's not my team, it's Australia's team,
and, again, I'm lucky that I'm the one
that gets to have some say
in the direction we want to take it.
But it's certainly not my team,
it's as much every player
and every staff's team as it is mine,
and it's as much the young kid
playing grade cricket.
Thank you, mate. Appreciate that.
As you guys know, we've got
this foundation document, I guess.
Certainly from a very personal point of view,
this is really important we stand for something.
Now, I will say honestly,
I've got a couple of West Australians,
not as many as I'd like,
but a couple of West Australians here.
Probably prefer 10 of
you, but we've only got two.
But that's how we live it.
In WA, we live by it, right?
You need to stand for something.
This is not going to be just words on paper,
this is going to be something that this group -
staff, players,
an organisation as a whole, I guess -
we live by and we pride ourselves on.
So, whether that's talking to your friends, it's
talking to your mates, it's talking to the media,
this is about every time we're talking to
to all these different
stakeholders in cricket,
when they ask about the Australian
cricket team, these are the key messages.
The first slide for me is really important.
We are Australia's team.
I spoke to Steve Waugh last week.
He felt that the Australian cricket team
had lost its humility.
He thought we were a bit...
...a bit arrogant, a bit selfish
and put ourselves first.
I thought that really hit home for me.
To have a legend of Australian cricket talk
about us over the last couple of years,
to have him see us like that
was pretty disappointing, to be honest.
You know, we don't own
the Australian cricket team.
We're the privileged ones to get to
play for and get to represent our country
and our people and our fans.
So, at any moment,
while you're representing this badge
and playing cricket for your country, whether
you're at home, whether you're in your states,
whether out on the field, whether out for dinner
or having a beer after you've won a game...
...what we're doing, we want to be
making Australians proud at all times.
Our expectations.
This for me is our most important slide.
These are the things that we 100% keep
everyone in this room accountable for.
We respect the game,
we respect our opponent,
we love playing cricket,
we use common sense,
we keep things simple,
and we play hard but fair.
I think if we do that,
if we're seen as an Australian team
that's prepared to roll up their sleeves,
have a crack in any situation,
that's gonna be the way
we're going to win our fans back.
LANGER: I was in the kitchen
and a phone call comes
from Tony Mann at the WACA.
"I'm just ringing to tell you, son,
"you've been selected to play cricket
for Australia tomorrow."
We then get to the hotel, and - I still
remember - there's this big cardboard box.
"Justin Langer, Australian Test cricketer"
written on top. Imagine that!
Like, I wanted this since I was a kid.
I opened the box.
And when you play for Australia, especially
for a bloke, it's like Christmas, mate.
It's like Christmas.
Because you get so much stuff.
You know, I'm throwing out shoes and track
suits and shirts and cash and sunnies.
It's like gold, mate.
You're playing for Australia.
But then, unlike today, at the
bottom of the box, a baggy green cap.
So, there's my baggy green.
It's not a baggy green cap, or the baggy...
This is my baggy green
cap. Right? This is it.
I'm like... "Oh, this is unbelievable."
I put it on my head.
And I went to bed that night, baggy
green cap on, favourite bat, go to sleep.
Beautiful.
MAN: Now, I'll go through the list here.
Now, you will see there's some
bloody good stories here.
So, congrats to those that are playing
in this first Test match.
OK, Finch - debut.
Khawaja.
Marsh.
Marsh.
Heady - debut.
Marnus.
It was amazing, you know,
just when he called out your name.
All of a sudden you're like, "Oh, wow.
"This is actually happening. I'm gonna play,
you know, Test cricket for my country."
Good on you.
Congratulations.
You got it, mate.
Thank you.
Thanks, mate.
Cheers.
Oh, it's meant a lot because it's been my number
one goal from when I started playing cricket.
And I think as you get older,
you feel it slipping away slightly.
You know what he did last night?
He went three days out
to try on the baggy green cap.
You can't hide the smile
much, can you, Finchy?
It's pretty impressive.
It's so rare that there are
multiple debutants in a Test team.
It's not like the footy codes where they blood
them young and get them in and give them games.
'Cause Test cricket's
not a development game.
That's a positive, I suppose, isn't it?
LANGER: To have in the Test match
there is Marnus, Travis Head and Finch,
and they had all their families out there.
We had some legends
presenting the cap to me.
That's what it's all about. That
was... Yeah. Oh, I love that, mate.
Family's there, legends of Australian cricket
there, young kids realising their dream.
That's a magic moment, that.
You're now an Australian Test cricketer,
so well done.
- Thank you.
- Finch!
The legend Allan Border to present my cap
was pretty special.
Something that I dreamed about forever,
as long as I can remember,
about playing Test cricket for Australia.
First of all, thank you for the opportunity
to come and present Marnus with his cap.
So, good luck. I hope you enjoy
your journey with the Australian team.
LABUSCHAGNE: You know, take it to
when I got my cap presented by Huss.
That was an awesome experience and that
to share with my family
and my friends came over from England.
To kind of sit back now and you
actually think about it and you go, "Wow."
I'm real close with Nathan Lyon
and we were talking about it over a beer
probably a week out from the first Test and I sort
of said to him, "If I debut, would you do it?"
And he sort of laughed it off.
He's like, "Bullshit. You don't want me."
I debuted for South
Australia and he was there.
"Make sure you pull your finger out
so we can play together."
And he'd always message me,
he's always like, "Keep going, keep going.
"I want to play Test cricket with you. I want
to make sure you're there, get the opportunity."
So, once I did, it was fitting that he
was able to present my cap to me.
Always thought legends do it.
In my eyes, legends have always done it.
So when Travis asked me to do it,
that was probably...
...probably one of the biggest
defining moments of my career, actually.
I get the massive honour and privilege to
present Trav with your baggy green, mate.
I was just like...
..."Yeah, nah, it'll be fine."
Then, once I got the baggy green,
I was just like, "Oh, shit."
I've looked at you as my little brother...
[VOICE SHAKES]
..that I never had.
[SOBS QUIETLY]
Fuck. You got me.
I could hear his mum start to just lose it
a little bit.
So that didn't help me.
One thing I will ask, when you wear this,
always compete no matter what.
Stay humble with the way you are.
But also, never forget the reason
why you fell in love with the game.
Because when you get this, you become
more than just a guy who plays cricket.
You're part of the baggy green club.
And it makes me extremely proud
to present you number 454.
HEAD: Yeah, he's a great mate
but also at a time when I see now
when young guys come through it's like,
you're trying to find your way
and you don't really know what way to go.
To have senior guys like that on your team that
grab you and go, "This is the way you gotta train,
"this is the way you gotta try and play."
Like, that kind of stuff, really look
after me, was really, really good.
Like, a young guy, to
sort of teach me the ropes.
And Nathan's just amazing.
Great to have a great mate
to present you your baggy green.
I was like, we're gonna win the toss today,
we're gonna bat. It's a beautiful wicket.
Feel like I'll get some runs today.
UMPIRE: Heads is the call.
It is tails.
MAN: Pakistan have won the toss.
Sarfaraz, what are you gonna do?
SARFARAZ AHMED: Yeah, we'll bat 1st today.
And the toss goes up, you lose it,
and you're fielding on a flatty at Dubai.
It's one of my favourite things about coaching.
First ball of a game, have a cup of coffee now.
There's nothing else we can do.
[SPEAKS URDU]
COMMENTATOR: It's pitched up
and put away beautifully.
Straight over the top.
First six of the morning.
COMMENTATOR #2: Big shot. Big drive
down the ground. That's good batting.
[FANS WHISTLE]
100 partnership is raised.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, beautiful shot.
Great use of the feet. Quality batting.
Ominous signs for Australia.
Right in the heat of the day.
Tough for the bowlers
and also the fielders,
trying to stem the flow of runs as best
they possibly can, the Australians.
- [PLAYERS CHEER]
- Caught behind!
- Yes!
- [SCATTERED CLAPPING]
COMMENTATOR: Goes big down the ground.
It's a lovely shot.
300 up for Pakistan.
And that is the 400 up for Pakistan.
Straight over the top.
Big shot.
Great hanging in there, boys.
COMMENTATOR: 482 Pakistan all out,
and so now it's up to Australia.
It took a lot of overs, a lot of energy.
FINCH: It was a long time in the field.
My first innings of Test cricket.
And then to put the pads on and walk out
and open the batting,
which I hadn't done a huge amount of
in first-class cricket.
I was like, "Shit! This
is what it's all about."
You've been in the field
170 overs in the heat,
but now we've got 12 overs
to get through for the night.
And these are important.
They go a long way to setting up the game.
COMMENTATOR: And Finch is away.
First runs in Test cricket.
COMMENTATOR: Down the wicket and over the
top. Good positive shot, that, from Khawaja.
- [MAN APPEALS]
- It's close.
Big appeal, but no.
COMMENTATOR: Australia survives.
Pakistan in front.
[APPLAUSE]
Today was a real hard grind
from the first session right to the last,
but not at any stage did
they get away from us.
I want to make special mention of this.
We had one guy on debut, Usi opening for...
He's only done it a handful of times.
That was a shit time to bat.
And the way you guys went about that then
was all class.
FINCH: As you're sort of dipping
in energy levels and stuff in the field,
your mind starts to wander.
Then it's like you bat and it's...
and you're fresh again.
It's like, Jesus. You've actually got
another gear to go to when you bat.
I think it's just because
you're not fielding any longer.
COMMENTATOR: There's the cut shot,
and it's four.
50 partnership for Australia.
Goes back, pumps it through the off side.
That's another excellent shot from Aaron Finch.
At one point I was like, I felt like
I could really take the spinner on.
COMMENTATOR: Big shot.
Over the top. And six.
It's like, f... Don't do it.
Just keep batting, keep batting, keep
plugging away and chipping into their lead.
COMMENTATOR: And it's a boundary.
And it brings up a very
good 50 for Aaron Finch.
FINCH: And who knows?
If we bat amazingly well in the first
innings, we might be able to get a win.
[PLAYERS CHEER]
FINCH: But I probably was thinking so much
about the game, so much about the situation,
trying to get into a
real partnership with Usi
that I used up so much mental energy,
I was so tired.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, taken! That's a sharp catch.
And he'll be disappointed.
FINCH: And I hadn't really experienced that
a hell of a lot.
I think just being on way too much probably
led to my downfall in that first innings.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, that's gone up in the air.
This should be taken.
A lot of bat involved. And he's walking.
And the end of the dangerous Khawaja.
He's made 85.
Travis Head on debut.
[PLAYERS SCREAM]
COMMENTATOR: Edge, and taken.
And so Travis Head has got to walk back.
Didn't get off the mark.
You know, the journey of cricket
is so rollercoastery, you know.
When you dream about playing your first Test,
you're never dreaming of getting a duck on debut.
- [PLAYER SCREAMS]
- COMMENTATOR: Is that out?
It is. Given. Four quick
ones now for Australia.
And Marnus Labuschagne is on his way.
You know, after I got a duck in the first
innings, you know, you sit there and go,
"Am I actually gonna make a Test run here?"
Am I gonna be the guy that gets a pair
on Test debut and doesn't play again?
COMMENTATOR: Oh, gone!
[PLAYER SCREAMS]
COMMENTATOR: Edge, and taken.
Straight through him.
All out, Australia, 202.
And Australia lost all 10 wickets
in this session to date,
so they'll be shaking their heads
and they've got to regroup.
Pakistan will bat again.
LANGER: We've got to take this game
as deep as we can.
If we don't win the game,
we can bloody draw the game,
and that'll be an absolutely brilliant
fighting effort for you.
And you guys deserve it. You deserve at the very
least to get a drawn game, at the very least.
Because you've worked so hard, you
had good spirit, you prepared really well.
So we've got two days
to keep fighting our arse off, OK?
Let's not have this game defined
on a crazy two-hour period today.
How many you got left, Daz?
COMMENTATOR: Big shot.
That's gone all the way for six.
And it looks like Pakistan are declaring.
Right, then, the focus will be
on Australian batting now.
How fit are they to challenge Pakistan
and how dented are they mentally?
WHATELEY: It was assumed
Australia would lose that Test match.
But what Australia was looking for
was a test of character.
COMMENTATOR: Swept away fine.
Khawaja is away with a nice boundary.
Cut away nicely from Khawaja.
Lovely batting.
Well, that's a really classy shot.
[CLAPPING]
KHAWAJA: I actually try to stay in
the moment. I was just trying to bat.
I wasn't thinking,
"Oh, we've got to survive for 150 overs."
I'm just thinking, "I'm just gonna bat normally
here, and if I do that for long enough,
"well enough in these conditions,
that's how I'm gonna survive."
COMMENTATOR: That will be the 50
for Usman Khawaja.
So, that'll be stumps here in Dubai.
Australia, you'd think, have still got
a lot of work to do tomorrow.
FINCH: It was all really positive chat.
Sriram spoke to us.
He started talking about how
the pressure's all on Pakistan.
From what I think,
you've got a great chance
to make those guys regret their decision
not to put us in again.
Everything's in our favour, as I see it.
The expectation for them to win the game is
so much greater than it is for us to save it.
You've just got to be trusting our plans
and be able to execute.
FINCH: We've had a
collapse of the last 26 games.
No-one's expecting us to hold on for a
draw, so just changing the mindset of...
The pressure is on them.
What have we got to lose here?
LANGER: I like your thinking. I'd much rather
be in our shoes than theirs for this Test match.
Silver lining. That's good, Sri. Good work.
And we've got plenty to play for.
We've got so much we can gain.
Like we have for the first four days,
not just for this five days of our life
but for the next month of our life,
for the next six months of life,
for the next five years of this Test team,
we've got plenty to play for tomorrow.
We can take some
really great stuff out of it.
MAN: How does Australia
get through the day?
MAN #2: Well, it's gonna be tough.
I mean, it's as simple as that.
You've got to be brutally honest.
TIM PAINE: Yeah, I was pretty nervous.
I was hopeful.
Um...
Not overly hopeful, because I know
that the pitch was starting to spin a lot.
JL spoke really well that morning
about, you know,
this is another opportunity for this group to show
Australia and to show our fans what we're made of.
LANGER: If we can draw today,
we can draw from anywhere.
Whatever happens today,
it's a great opportunity.
The last four days have
been a great opportunity.
Today's another great
opportunity for us, OK?
And let's just fight, fight, fight, fight.
We talk about earning respect, making
people proud, each other, everyone else.
Just fight today. Just fight every minute.
When that little voice comes on in
your mind, "Oh, it's a bit of pressure,"
or, "Fuck, I'm a bit tired,"
or, "I'm gonna get to..."
No, no. Just fucking... Come on.
No, no, no. Just fucking steel vault.
Keep trusting your plan. It's a
really important day for us. Alright?
Individually and as a team, as this
team keeps building together. Alright?
[FANS APPLAUD]
KHAWAJA: I've never had an issue
batting a long time. I love batting.
I could bat all day. If I could, I could
bat all day and next day. I love it.
COMMENTATOR: That's fine.
That one just sliding down the leg side.
Heady had obviously
batted unbelievably well.
That was a change of pace, but it's good
enough for Khawaja and he gets it through.
Got to strike early, Pakistan.
COMMENTATOR #2:54. Travis Head on debut.
That's a wonderful innings under pressure.
I didn't go in trying to hit harder
or worrying about results or anything.
I knew that we had to
bat a long period of time
and I just wanted to do what it took
for the team to try and get that result.
[APPLAUSE]
[TEAM CHEERS]
FINCH: He's a pretty stubborn character
at times, Usi,
and you could just see that he...
that he wanted it desperately.
COMMENTATOR #1: Swept nicely from Khawaja.
COMMENTATOR #2: Flicks it out in the deep.
KHAWAJA: It's really hard to stay in the present
and not think about what could happen later,
or what has happened in the past.
It's so hard. That's...
that's the mental battle.
COMMENTATOR: Big shot, Khawaja, taking a
little bit of risk going against the spin.
KHAWAJA: People are going,
"Yeah. he's done nothing.
"You gotta bat long. You gotta bat time."
But I sort of figured out in my head doing
well on spinning wickets in county cricket
and throughout the last couple of years
that if I bat normally and
keep that same tempo,
that's giving myself the best chance
to bat for a long time.
It's a big shift from what everyone
was trying to tell me at the time.
And this time, I was like,
"Yeah. OK. I'm gonna do that."
So I came out and reverse swept one.
COMMENTATOR: The reverse sweep.
Beautiful shot from Khawaja.
You know, trying to save a match, it's
not usually the way to go about things,
but that's how I was going to do it
because I had that in my head.
FINCH: To stick to a game plan,
the reverse sweep against Yasir Shah,
regardless of what's happening around you,
was extraordinary.
If he gets out the first time
he tries a reverse sweep,
he's going to cop some grief.
But he's committed to it. And he
stayed committed to it until the very end.
COMMENTATOR: Goes back, works it into the
gap. And there it is, it's 100 for Usman.
- [CHEER AND SHOUT]
- Usman!
His first against Pakistan.
What a knock under pressure.
He's absolutely loving it.
He should be very proud of this century.
[APPLAUSE]
KHAWAJA: The feeling of getting
100 for Australia was unbelievable.
It was a relief, because I
knew in myself that I could do it,
but it doesn't matter whether you
know you can do it, you still got to do it.
And having Rach in the stands,
she's just there always.
She knows that
that's how I want to play my cricket.
She's just there to remind me
to just relax and enjoy it.
And you know that this
is not gonna last forever,
so there's no point worrying about
anything else further on.
As I said, the hardest thing
is to stay in the present.
And she helps me to do that.
To bat like he did for nine hours
against spin bowling on a turning wicket?
Oh, I was so pleased for him.
PAINE: Usman Khawaja played one of the
greatest innings I think I've ever seen.
In tough conditions,
just the concentration and power
that he showed to bat in that
heat for that long was extraordinary.
And I thought, one, it took a lot of courage
when you're trying to play for a draw,
to play that way,
and, two, showed
such a high level of skill.
COMMENTATOR: The captain comes out
to the crease, Tim Paine.
But it's not about runs, it's about
playing out the remaining overs.
PAINE: My focus was
just pure survival that day.
I was just trying to keep it out
as much as I could.
Oh! My goodness me.
PAINE: I didn't have too
many plans, to be honest.
- Oh, my God!
- Ooh, Tim Paine slips over.
He's under enormous pressure at the moment.
FINCH: We talk a lot
about playing the Australian way,
which is when your
back's to the wall you fight
and you do everything in your power
to change momentum
or win a game for your country.
- How's that?!
- [TEAM SHOUTS]
FINCH: This is how you hang in there. You
find any way to get through a situation.
That's what fighting is.
PAINE: I made a conscious effort that day
not to look up at the scoreboard
or the overs remaining.
And it was amazing when you do that actually
how quickly the time started to go by.
I wasn't fussed on scoring runs.
It was just purely about
trying to spend some time.
And I knew, whilst I was
out there with Usman,
I felt reasonably confident
that we could get it done.
- Out!
- [TEAM SHOUTS]
COMMENTATOR #1: Was that high?
And that will be the question.
They're going upstairs.
Oh, he's hit it!
COMMENTATOR #1: Not out.
COMMENTATOR #2: It's such a
fine line in this game.
LANGER: When you're a player, you've got to
give 100% attention to the next ball,
but as a coach, you sort of tend
to write off every single ball.
Yeah. It was a nervous time. Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: 15 overs to be bowled.
Anything can happen, but at this stage,
Australia look hot favourites to draw this.
[PLAYERS APPEAL]
Appeal, and gone!
And it's the centurion
who's been dismissed.
Taken! A magnificent piece of fielding.
Wickets falling in a heap for Australia.
Pakistan need two wickets
for a most dramatic turnaround.
PAINE: Lyno came out,
and I remember he was so nervous,
and he always tries to act like he's not,
but he was, he was packing 'em.
To be honest, I was just talking about
watching The Inbetweeners with Painey
and having a pizza.
COMMENTATOR: 50 up for Tim Paine,
the captain of Australia.
He'll raise the bat slightly,
but he won't be thinking about it.
He'll be thinking about
getting this team over the line.
LANGER: When you're captain,
there's more responsibilities.
Tim Paine was like Albert Jacka, you
know, the way he batted at the end there.
It was just... It was...
Honestly, it was brilliant.
He's Tasmanian. They're tough.
COMMENTATOR: So it all comes
down to the last. One over remaining.
LABUSCHAGNE: I was sitting next to JL
probably for the last three hours, I reckon.
I was... We weren't allowed to move.
JL was like, "We've been doing well
in these spots. Stay there."
COMMENTATOR: Ooh, that's a nice start.
Oh, Tim Paine wants the single, does he?
What are you doing?
He's gonna run hard here.
COMMENTATOR: No, he's coming back for two.
HEAD: Painey started
taking a couple of runs.
He's just got to block out the draw
and he's looking after the average.
He's taking two...
COMMENTATOR: Ooh, nice bowling again.
Tim Paine wants more runs.
Then he's knocked it again,
and he's gone two again.
They started taking runs in the last over, and
that's when I started to get a bit nervous.
COMMENTATOR: So far, so good for Tim Paine.
Three balls remaining.
Can Australia do it? Can they hang on?
It would be an unbelievable
effort if they could.
PAINE: When you're looking
to defend every ball,
you know every ball is going to be in here,
close, so you don't want to pop one up
because they catch everything.
And even just their chat and, you know, they're
quite excitable. And they were up for it.
COMMENTATOR: I can hardly watch.
Ooh, catches the
outside edge. It's so close.
[APPLAUSE]
This is unbelievable.
COMMENTATOR: This is the ball.
If Tim Paine can survive this,
Australia will have made the great escape.
Come on, little fella.
- Come on.
- Come on.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, and he's done it!
[ALL CHEER AND CLAP]
Whoo-hoo!
FINCH: This is how you
play tough and you scrap.
And to be in a different situation where
the win was out of the question, it was...
...it was pretty special.
PAINE: To achieve what we had achieved,
which does not happen in those conditions
very much,
which is to bat an extraordinary amount
of overs in the fourth innings of the game,
for where our group came from,
what we're trying to build,
was... I thought was really important
and kept the series alive.
I'm so proud of everyone
in this room. Well done.
That's it. Just so proud of you.
All those people who wrote us off
and wrote so many individually off
and wrote us off...
White noise, eh?
So, we keep it at white noise,
keep doing what we're doing, we'll be OK.
But I'm so proud of everyone.
Well done. Well done.
He said it, didn't he?
We're definitely in the box seat.
We had the game won before
we even left last night 'cause of you.
Well done, buddy.
WHATELEY: I think
more than winning the Test match,
a fighting draw, which in some circumstances
might have been declared as a heroic draw,
drawing on a batsman who batted
selflessly, compellingly throughout a day,
and then the captain
who guided Australia to safe harbour,
as storylines, it hit the perfect tones
for the starting point of a new era.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
29.
- 29.
- [LAUGHTER]
FINCH: The mood amongst
the group was fantastic.
It's not a win, so we didn't celebrate it,
but it was a real acknowledgement
of that's what we can do.
PAINE: We've got some momentum
out of the first Test
and some confidence and belief
that we could win a Test
and compete in those conditions
against that team.
LANGER: I remember Steve Waugh used to say
sometimes drawing a Test
is as important as winning a Test.
And for us it was a really
important Test match.
And I know in the Pakistani changeroom
they thought they'd lost,
but actually, they'd played better cricket
for us for most of the time.
But that's the uniqueness of Test cricket.
To draw that Test match, you know, that
should give the captain good confidence,
should give Usman Khawaja great confidence,
should give Travis Head in his
first Test match great confidence.
Now, there's some really positive things
that come out of that.
Been a lot of talk about the last game
of the tour, excellent effort.
Really good, really gutsy,
the sort of stuff we're talking about.
Let's make sure
that's not our grand final, OK?
'Cause this is our grand final. We're here
to win this series against Pakistan here.
And this is our opportunity.
Have a good day, boys.
- [CLAPPING]
- OK. Come on.
We've turned up day one
and Nathan Lyon bowled brilliantly.
- Catch!
- COMMENTATOR: Down the ground. Chance.
And this time taken by Nathan Lyon.
Good piece of bowling.
- PLAYER: Catch! Yes!
- COMMENTATOR: Gone! First ball!
Another one!
Catch!
- COMMENTATOR: There's a chance.
- PLAYER: Yes!
Well, there we go. Pakistan have lost 3/0.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, he's got him!
Through the gate!
Fantastic bowling again by Nathan Lyon.
Four wickets in six
balls. Australia on fire.
LANGER: We had them 5/50
in the first session of the Test match,
and then...
...everything seemed
to go downhill after that.
COMMENTATOR: And that's a nice shot.
Hammered away though the off side
for another boundary.
Individually, as a team, we can't afford
to have those sessions we had today
when you've got 'em by the fuckin' nuts.
COMMENTATOR: Goes over the top.
And all the way. So, the 200 for Pakistan.
This has been a very, very good recovery.
We had 'em 5/50 and we were up.
And then we let 'em
go. You can't afford it.
[SUPPORTERS CHANT AND BANG DRUMS]
COMMENTATOR: And Pakistan,
after winning the toss, bowled out for 282.
To be in that position and then let that
slip was... was bitterly disappointing.
Still hurts me now to think about it.
FINCH: And then to lose a few wickets
in a clump again was tough.
COMMENTATOR #1: Edge. Taken.
COMMENTATOR #2: Edge... And taken.
And that's great bowling.
FINCH: Just takes one half-chance...
COMMENTATOR: Catch chance. And that's gone.
...and then you lose one, you lose two,
and guys rushing around
who have been sitting
there with their trackies on
and before you know it, "Shit. I'm putting
the pads on 'cause we've lost another one."
Ooh, that's close, is it?
Big shout again. And given!
Oh, Lyon's gone.
Australia are all out for 145.
And what a day it's been for Pakistan.
Completely dominated Australia.
PAINE: I just thought today, myself,
I thought we looked timid.
We were just half there,
half back, half forward,
poking our fucking bats at the ball.
We didn't look committed or confident
in any way, shape or form.
And it's been a trend
every time we're put under pressure.
Every time in the last 12 months
we've been under the pump,
we haven't got the job done.
And we're having these collapses too often.
We've got to find a way
to cope with pressure.
And it's not hitting heaps of fucking balls
and changing our techniques.
It's dealing with the pressure
in your own mind
when you are out there.
And we're falling well short of that
at the moment.
LANGER: Coaching, what you can do, you can
prepare them as well as possible, the players,
and you give 'em as much love as you can,
and sometimes you've got to give 'em a
little clip, just so they're ready to play.
But then as soon as they walk over
the white line individually and as a group,
well, they're living their lives now.
[CROWD CHANTS AND CLAPS IN TIME]
COMMENTATOR: Pakistan now
in touching distance to topple Australia.
COMMENTATOR #1: Chance, and taken!
There it is.
So, Pakistan win by 374 runs.
Comprehensive victory.
And they'll take the series 1-0.
[CROWD CHEERS AND WHISTLES]
LANGER: It's such a hard business.
And we want them to play like Ricky
Ponting, but that's the end product.
And we want 'em to be the end product now,
but it's not how life works.
When opportunities come, great teams,
they fucking grab it and they shake it.
And we didn't do that.
We've got to get our batting better.
We've had 25 batting collapses
in the last couple of years.
That's just the facts. That's not...
We can't sugar-coat shit.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
LANGER: You've got to be really patient.
You've got to remember the bigger picture.
You've got to respect
how the real world works.
And that's one of the things we are at the
moment - a lot of guys starting their journey.
Appreciate everyone's efforts.
I know everyone worked bloody hard.
We prepared well. We just didn't
put it into practice in the middle.
And that's what great players do.
That's what very good players,
not that many great players,
that's what great players, very
good players and very good teams do.
So... And we didn't quite do it.
The best Australian teams
haven't gone over there and won.
And for us to be able
to put ourselves in a position
where we could have
and then let it slip, really hurt.
But, yeah, you know, cricket the sport,
you get another opportunity.
And we knew India were coming
and all the sort of fanfare and hype
that comes with India and Virat Kohli
and we knew that was going to be
a really exciting series as well.
VOICEOVER: Next on The Test...
LANGER: It's gonna be a tough series.
I don't reckon we're 100% set
on our batting line-up yet.
We can beat 'em. And we will beat 'em.
HEAD: I was scared shitless.
- COMMENTATOR: Oh, gets hit!
- Arrgh!
LANGER: Virat Kohli is the best player
I've ever seen in my life.
I want him completely ignored.
There's no room for
abuse. But there's banter.
This is what playing for your country
is about, boys.
PAINE: I'm the captain. I have to stand up and
show him that we're all here for the fight.