The Test: A New Era for Australia's Team (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript

GERARD WHATELEY: Boxing Day is the
biggest Test cricket day on the calendar

anywhere in the world.

[CHEERING]

PAT CUMMINS: As a kid,

Boxing Day was probably the only time
I'd ever get nervous for the players.

PETER LALOR: All international players
want to play on that day

in front of 90,000 Australians
baying for their blood.

JUSTIN LANGER: Australians love
the Australian cricket team.

But if we mess it up, they'll let us know.

Right. Merry Christmas, everyone.

- Boxing Day Test match. You bloody beauty.
- [LAUGHTER]



Everyone's dream
to be here for this Test match.

So, I'm all excited
and I'm sure you are, too.

I just wanted to show you this little
cartoon I just noticed in the paper

on the way home the other day.

There's Painey. It's about right.

There's Virat.

And then, if I move it down a little...

...and the goat.

[RAUCOUS LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE]

Alright.

The other day I showed you a little graph
about where we are with our sessions.

The greens are the ones we've won
during this series.

The reds are the ones we've lost.

And the oranges are the ones
that have sort of evened out.



Halfway through the series,
we're seeing a lot of green.

So that's a really good thing.

India, away from home, have an
average of 247 in their first innings,

and we know how important
first-innings runs are.

They're at currently 267

and we're actually out-batting them
at 281 at this point in time.

OK? We're winning that war.

We don't know what these wickets
are gonna be like, Sydney and Melbourne,

so this is where hundreds are
gonna be really important,

the big partnerships,
the big individual efforts,

from a batting perspective.

I think we're doing
some really good things.

I think the challenge for us... or, from me
to all of us for this Test match

is quite simply we've just got to keep doing
what we are doing for longer periods of time.

I think our best cricket, we've shown
that we can break them open with the ball,

we can put them under pressure
with the bat.

I think if we keep doing it for longer,
we're gonna have some really good results.

ADAM GILCHRIST: Boxing Day Test match.
The series level at one-all.

WHATELEY: Rather perfectly, Australia
had set Boxing Day up as the main event.

It was 1-1.

But I didn't quite buy into the idea
that suddenly Australia had won

and everybody regarded all the problems
as solved.

UMPIRE: OK, teams. Let's play.

WHATELEY: There were very specific
circumstances in Perth that suited Australia

which were not going to be replicated
in Melbourne.

The pitch, as it has been for a
number of years, was perfect for India.

COMMENTATOR: Oh.
Well, that's rolled on Tim Paine there.

It'll go down as byes.

I think it was the second or third over
the ball bounced about this high

and it was like you could just feel
the energy in the whole coaches' box

just go, "Oh, no!

"It is the flattest wicket in the world!"

Yeah, looks like it's gonna be
very hard work for the bowlers.

As a bowler, you want...

...either swing, seam,

pace, bounce,

hopefully some spin for the spinners,

and a flat wicket basically has
none of those things. [LAUGHS]

So, Cheteshwar Pujara.

Well, we talk about how important
Virat Kohli is to the Indian team.

I think this guy here is
almost just as important.

He's someone that can occupy the crease
for long periods of time,

wear the bowlers down.

LALOR: Pujara is old-school.

He's a classic Test match batsman.

Pujara, to a younger generation,
is almost a curiosity.

As the game moves more and more towards T20,
which is the modern saviour of our game,

the word resilience starts to go out,
because there is no time for resilience.

[CLOCK TICKS]

- [CHEERING]
- And runs for Pujara.

There's just no ego about his batting.

He doesn't care how he looks and how long it takes
to get his runs. He just gets on with the job.

As soon as he's faced that ball it's, "OK.
The next ball. The next ball, the next ball."

He doesn't look a session ahead or a
day ahead. He just focuses on the now.

MARCUS HARRIS: And you can tell
by the way he plays

that he's not worried about anything else
besides just batting.

And that's all he does.
And that's what he did.

Oh, he gets it through the gap.

It's just got the feel about him batting
a long time in this Test match.

He already has.

He was happy to bat
for five days if he had to.

The mighty MCG,
day two of the third Test match.

The Indians, 2/215 after a tough
day of Test cricket yesterday.

The partnership between Pujara and Kohli
is already at 92,

and if the Australians don't break it
early, it could grow and grow and grow.

LANGER: We respect it
was a tough day yesterday.

We've talked about it's
gonna be an arm wrestle.

The pitch, there is nothing we can do
about it and we've got to deal with it. OK?

But it's out of our control.
Nothing we can do about it.

They showed great patience,
but we showed great patience.

Who's gonna break first?
That's my question to you.

It's gonna be hot. It's gonna be flat.
Who's gonna break first?

Is it gonna be us, or is it gonna be them?

There was nothing wrong with the bowling. The
bowling was gonna keep Australia in the game.

Pujara was like kryptonite to these blokes.

This partnership now
really starting to hurt Australia.

He was just wearing down the bowlers,
wearing them down till they were exhausted.

Drives down the ground.
100 runs for Cheteshwar Pujara.

And India will realise the enormous value
he brings to this side.

LANGER: The way Pujara batted,
that was just brilliant.

I always thought, as an opener, you're
the marathon man. You're not Usain Bolt.

Great Test match batting.

- [CHEERING]
- Virat Kohli is declaring!

CUMMINS: A declaration normally means
you're in front of the game.

They're confident they can win the game
if they declare it.

Good day for the Indians.

They've got themselves in a
strong position. 443 on the board.

170 overs in the field.

I mean, there's a few tired bodies there,
especially the big quicks.

REPORTER: The criticism of the MCG pitch,
is it all fair, in your opinion?

MAN: I think it's not an easy pitch
to score quickly on.

So, you know,
that's gonna be Australia's problem.

Even if they bat really well, it's gonna take
them a long time to get level with India,

and, you know, they really would then need
to build up a decent lead

to have a hope of putting some pressure
on them in the second innings.

LANGER: Only thing for me, boys...
Oh, a couple of things, actually.

One - nothing changes.

It's Test match cricket. You've got plenty more
time than you think, all that sort of stuff.

Now it's a matter of absorbing
the early pressure with the new ball

and then grinding the shit out of them.

What is it about your bowlers?

Give them one day off,
they'll win you a game.

That's right, yeah. It's actually true.

Give them a day off. We can probably
give them more than a day off if we can.

But, for all of us, as a group...

...this is where we get tested.

We've had two tough days in the field.
This is where we've got to stick together.

Whether in the corner talking
to each other, or up there,

whatever we're doing, this is where we've got
to stick together, every one of us, right?

Every one of us when it gets tough. This
is what pro teams do - they stick together.

We've got to do that out in the middle, off
the field, keep sticking together, right?

If we start coming apart and...
then we're fucked.

By the time we were batting,

a few foot holes opened up, a 450-run lead
and they set the game up,

and we just weren't good enough.

And he is gone! Finch goes.

Oh, "catch it" is the call.
Ishant Sharma settles and takes the catch!

Out!

Khawaja goes for 21,
and Australia 3/53 and in trouble.

BHOGLE: Bowlers win you series, not batsmen.

Australia's batsmen are not giving the
bowlers enough time off between innings.

And it's not a happy changeroom
for the Australians, now under siege.

Oh! They like it! Full! And given!

Bowled! Jasprit Bumrah is fired up!

Australia 7/138.

Gloved! And Paine goes.

Hazlewood.

Oh, bowled him! He's got six!

Australia all out...

...for 151.

They trail by 292.

And Virat Kohli decides to grind Australia
down and bringing the Australians out again.

How much of a psychological blow is that?

LALOR: When the batting
couldn't get its act together,

suddenly the bowlers were
called out there again, you know?

They'd barely got... treated the blisters
from the first bowling innings

and they had to have the
second bowling innings.

Well, they've got to be shell-shocked,
the Australians,

after basically two days in the field.

And there's the opening runs.

[CHEERING]

A lovely drive through the covers.

Dances down the ground. Connects well.
That's four.

Exciting. Paddy Cummins gets ready
to swing into the attack.

CUMMINS: As a kid, I never really
understood how taxing bowling is.

Every time we run in to bowl, it's 10 to 12
times our body weight going through our legs.

You go out there, you bowl 20
overs in a day, you cover 20-odd kay,

and then they expect you to wake up
and do it all again the next day.

It's super exhausting.

Pat Cummins, I think he could be the man.

He's taken the big wickets of this series,
but he still hasn't got a big bag.

Maybe today is his day.

Pat Cummins has been the player
Australia identified as a teenager

who had essentially five years
taken out of his career.

LANGER: He got injured all the time.

People were going, "Oh, he doesn't play any
games. He's always in the rehab centre."

He always had a bit of a smile on his face,
kept smiling, kept training.

Right. Is there a wicket here? There is.

Yeah, that's a big
blow for the Australians.

Pat Cummins tireless in his effort.

My first Test was in 2011 -
Johannesburg, South Africa.

I was out of school six
months, bowled day one.

I remember walking off
and just had a sore heel.

By the end of day three, I couldn't walk.

Six, seven months out of the game
because of that injury.

And from there, it was
almost one after the other.

I tore a side on my next tour.

Then I did my back
and missed about six or seven months.

And then did my back again -
another seven or eight months.

Cummins looks threatening here.
He looks dangerous.

Getting back and playing Test cricket
and backing up day after day,

that was, you know, something
I definitely questioned,

'cause I felt so far
away from that at times.

- [CHEERING]
- There. There's another one.

Pat Cummins in the action.

We always knew how good he was, but
I think now he's in that real sweet spot

where he's got confidence in his body,
he's got confidence in his skill.

- [CHEERING]
- Oh, another one!

What an inspired fielding position that is.

Last seven balls, 3/0.

And what a spell this
has been for Australia

and for Pat Cummins, on the field
for pretty much the whole of this match.

[CHEERING]

Gone! Pat Cummins with another!

He is on fire!

He's got 4/2!

He's on a hat trick.

Well, will it be a hat trick for Pat Cummins?
You wouldn't write him off at this stage.

He's got 4/2. He's on a roll.

Oh, he's gone for it!
It was just wide of the leg gully.

Pat Cummins, he's bowled over 100 overs
in this series.

He's battled away with the ball,
with the bat in his hands,

in the searing heat.

He's still fighting on for Australia.

[CHEERING]

Oh, I'm privileged to have
bloody Sir Garfield Cummins behind us.

Is there anything that man can't do?

He is...

I know he's got
a little sponsorship deal with Gillette,

but is there a more
appropriate slogan for a man?

"The best a man can
get." You're looking at it.

Look at him.

[SIGHS]
CUMMINS: Thanks, Painey.

COMMENTATOR: And Virat Kohli
has declared with a lead of 398.

Mountainous chase ahead for Australia.
399 to win.

Can they find a way to survive?
Can they find a way to score?

Out! Finch!

Out. Marcus Harris.

MAN: At the moment, our batsmen are falling down.

It seems to be that we've got
a long, long way to go to right the wrongs.

COMMENTATOR: Ohh, played on.

Just so symbolic of
what's happening with Australia.

You know, we just weren't able to bat
for long periods of time.

MAN: I think that they need to go away
and have a really good think

about what they do when
they're under pressure.

COMMENTATOR: Oh, there's an edge there,
I think. Up goes the finger.

Another batsman who's in goes out.

PAINE: Melbourne wasn't ideal.
We didn't play all that well.

They came out and put us
on the back foot straightaway.

Yeah, that was a really
disappointing Test match.

Edge! Gone!

Ishant Sharma does the job.
His third for the match.

India win by 137 runs.

They go 2-1 up in the series
and they retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

From Perth to then Melbourne was...

...you know, it's the same players, it's the
same game, playing against the same team,

and there's not much different things
going on, but the result is so different.

LANGER: I hate losing.

And my body language shows that.
I don't like losing.

Like, I suppose, all people,
all coaches, I just...

And that's something, an area
I've got to keep getting better at.

You know, that was a very, very flat
changeroom after that Test match.

You know, I notice things.

You know, I noticed that
a lot of guys would sit down,

there'd be little groups sitting together
not watching the t...

They weren't up in the viewing area.

Yeah, it just seemed to be... We just...

Even though we had a great win in Perth,
it just... I don't know.

Just, we weren't...

Just wasn't feeling right.
Wasn't just the result.

Yeah, there was just a lot of frustration
that had built up.

And it was a, yeah, very flat changeroom.

I've got Painey to lead the players.
They can have a chat.

To see how they're gonna help us
go 2-all in the series

and what they make from the game.

And I said to Painey, if there's any
honest feedback, very happy to take it.

But I would just like to see them
take a bit of ownership, that's all.

LANGER: We had a team meeting.

More about getting some feedback
from the players, how we...

And the players went off and spoke
and got some feedback.

They are happy with what they're getting.
They're saying... um...

...they can't fault the prep.

They just spoke a bit more about
just taking a bit of onus themselves.

That's what they reckon - it's just, under
pressure in the middle, shitting the bed.

And then they also spoke about the fact
that there is...

...that guys have felt a little bit
of the noise from outside.

And there's no doubt
guys are listening to what's being said.

And, again, I know you won't agree,

but I think they feel that they want
just a little bit more positivity.

They think they know now
what they're doing wrong,

but at times they feel
they're going out in the middle...

...worrying too much about that.

Yeah, just a slightly more positive message
around batting times.

- Righto. Anything else?
- But still being honest.

Yeah, whatever. OK. Anything else?

It's always a fine line, actually,
as a coach, or with all of us -

when you're emotional,
I think it's best to just...

[INHALES DEEPLY]
..take a breath

and, you know... and maybe analyse things
and reflect on things.

On that day, we probably did, but we probably
could have left it a bit longer, I reckon.

Righto. No worries. Thanks, mate.
We'll come out in five minutes.

Thanks, mate.

CUMMINS: I think at that stage, you know,
JL was still fairly new to the role.

It was his first home summer.

He's head selector. He's head coach.

He's basically in charge of finding our
culture, our set-up, all these kind of things.

So, I think the hardest challenge is

everyone in the team has different things
that make them tick.

So, when you think of JL batting,
he likes to get in the fight.

You know, almost the faster the bowling, or
the more he gets hit, the more he loves it.

Other batters are the opposite, you know? They
just want to relax, be totally chilled out.

So you throw that all together, I think...

...especially the batsmen at times
found it hard to just relax

and just concentrate on batting.

HANDSCOMB: The players gave back
some honest feedback

and the coaches did the same
and then it was all done,

not as an attack towards anyone,
but just for the betterment of the team.

And I think once you start those conversations,
then... then the team can move forward.

We can't always control...

...the result.

So if we can get better as individuals,
players, staff, everyone,

being better at controlling our emotions,

be more level-headed
without trying to make it too complicated.

I think that's what the
boys are trying to say.

If that makes sense. If it doesn't, then...

Is that coming from specific people?

Um...

I think the boys are
intimidated by you, Alf.

Like, I think there's a bit of... yeah...

...walking on eggshells sort of thing.

Um...

Yeah, I think...

You know, you're gonna...

So, you're specifically talking about me?

No, straight up.

I feel like... I think the boys are
afraid to say it.

And let me totally clear this up -

this is no way us saying
we are losing because of this.

I think the boys are saying things
that we can improve on.

We didn't play like shit this game.

Batsmen are not saying
that this is gonna make us score hundreds.

That's a different story.

LANGER: Usi was like
the spokesperson of the team.

He is just an honest dude.
He'll tell you what he thinks.

And it always comes from a good place.

And that's why I respect him so much.

One of the main feedbacks I got
from the playing group

was that, "You have talked to all of us about
white noise and, 'It's all white noise, '

"and you say, you know, 'Don't let it
affect you. That's mental toughness.'

"But you've let it affect you."

MAN: The reality is that I think
Warner and Smith covered over the cracks.

They're gonna help when they come back,

but there is still a real dearth
of quality long-form batting below them

in Australian cricket at the moment.

The media scrutiny on an Australian
cricket team is always intense.

MAN: At the moment, I'd defy anybody
to pick who the best six batsmen are.

You've got 50 commentators or something,

all with differing opinions,
all with throwaway lines.

SHANE WARNE: I mean, there's so much talk
about the batting,

but the bowlers, for an attack that's
meant to be one of the best in the world,

the numbers don't stack up.

HANDSCOMB: I started blocking out the noise
when I first came into the Australian side.

I did relatively well to start,

and then all of a sudden, you know,
without changing anything,

my technique had gone from being "unique"
to, "This is terrible. Should never be done."

And I made the big mistake
of reading all that stuff.

It was a perfect storm of media scrutiny
this summer

because of what's happened in South Africa.

MAN: Australian cricket, I think,
need to stop worrying about being liked

and start worrying about being respected.

Yeah, we might be the most liked team
in the world - we're not gonna win shit.

Everyone's wondering,
how will they go about it?

But on top of that,
you've got a new media rights deal.

So you've got two
networks covering the game.

PAINE: This summer was different

and there was a lot of people on the ground
and there was a lot of cameras.

HAZLEWOOD: You notice when you're
warming up before the start of each day

and, you know, you get a little
10m x 10m bit of grass to warm up on

because there's cameras and leads
and cameras going everywhere.

They forget there's a cricket game
about to start. [LAUGHS]

LANGER: At some stage,
it felt like you were in a fishnet.

You couldn't go anywhere.
It was so claustrophobic.

The world's gone mad.

The media stuff is
out of c... unbelievable.

You're getting out of the car
and there's a camera in your face!

And then you get to the ground...

And what was most fascinating this year,
which I've never seen before -

every time you walk into a changeroom,
there's a big whiteboard

and it's got, in 15-minute increments,
everyone's media commitment!

And it was a whole whiteboard!

Like, usually you walk into a
cricket changeroom, it might say...

"Watch the ball." "Catches win matches."

This is a whole timetable
of everyone's media commitments!

I could not believe it!

WHATELEY: The scrutiny on the
Australian cricket team is unique.

It's unique in a way that
there's not a footy team in the country

that endures the same level
of speculation and debate

about, "Should this player bat
at number five in a Test side?"

Glenn, it's crystal clear
from me and the selectors

what he needs to do
to get back in the Test team.

And all the conjecture about it,
that's all part of the noise.

So, Glenn knows exactly what he has to do.

To be completely honest,
it got to me this year.

And I've been in the business a long time

and I've preached for years,
I say, "White noise. Don't worry about it."

- Are you certain that's what happened?
- REPORTER: I'm asking you.

- Are you certain that's what happened?
- I'm asking, Justin.

- What are you asking?
- I'm asking who gave the directive.

Trevor Hohns said he wasn't aware
of such a directive.

I'm asking, who on the selection panel
did say that to Glenn?

- Did it happen?
- That's my question.

Well, you're telling me it did happen.
I'm asking you, did it happen?

I had the press conference
and I blew up a bit.

I'm asking the q... You're asking me...
I'm asking, did it happen?

LANGER: I didn't blow up,
I actually stared at one of the journos

who was asking me about
Glenn Maxwell's selection

and I sort of got a bit grumpy.

No. I've got zero knowledge of that.

- No worries.
- Alright.

REPORTER: Um, in terms of...

Careless whispers, eh?

I turn up the next day
and there's "Langer Management".

And there's talking
about how I'm losing it.

"Langer's losing it. He's getting angry.

"He got angry to the players" -
which never happened.

"Now he's getting angry with journalists."

And it was like, ohh!
And that was where it started.

That's when my wife started going...

..."Mate, I didn't realise
this was gonna happen."

Morning. Morning. Hey, Daniel.

Hey.

- Hey, mate.
- How's it going?

Good.

MAN: We're rolling.

REPORTER: What's the overall feeling
after yesterday?

Uh, I think everyone's tired, actually.
It was a really tough Test match.

It's been a really... It's been...

I've said from day one it's gonna be
a real arm wrestle of a Test series,

and it feels like that.

Disappointing. Tired. Now ready to refresh
and get ready for the fourth one.

[FIREWORKS BANG AND POP]

I don't think players would have known

how I was feeling or how... a lot of it.

Oh, well... I think we were all feeling pretty
flat for a long period of that last year.

SCOTT MORRISON: Hey, Mitch.
How are you going, mate?

- Justin Langer.
- How are you, Justin?

Welcome, everybody. It's wonderful
to have you here at Kirribilli House.

This is a great tradition,

having both of the teams, the Indian
team and the Australian national team,

here together at Kirribilli House.

There's a lot to play for in this Test.

If the Indians can secure this Test series,
it'll be their first win on Australian soil.

- So, no pressure. No pressure.
- [LAUGHTER]

But also, that's a great thing
for the Australians to defend that record.

And I'm reliably informed
that in the Border-Gavaskar series,

going back now over 20 years,

India has won 19, Australia has won 18
and there are nine draws.

So, looking forward, Justin and Tim,
to seeing that levelled off

as we wrap up the Test
series here in Sydney.

- Hello. Hello...
- Hello, Justin.

- MAN: G'day, Coach.
- LANGER: How are you, mate?

Good, good.

It's not the same on the big screen.
That's all I'm gonna say.

- It's what?
- It's not the same...

...when it's not on the big screen.

- I don't get it.
- A Star Is Born.

- Yeah, he said that.
- It's not the same, mate.

Ooh. Just a little damp.

I think it'll be good
when we get to bat on it.

LANGER: We knew from day one
it was gonna be an arm wrestle.

We knew it was going to be tough.
They're the best team in the world.

They've got some conditions
that are suiting them.

All that, we knew it. We knew it from day
one. But we also knew what our game plan was.

And you know what? We've been bloody close.

The only thing is - Finchy knows this -
Finchy is not playing this Test match.

We've had a good talk about it, mate.

It's time to recharge your batteries

to get ready for the one-dayers now
and to help us win the World Cup.

The only thing for me, boys, is
there's been a lot of distractions.

There's that old saying - you're never
as good or as bad as people say you are.

Two weeks ago, we had
a brilliant Test win against India.

We were all celebrating.
We were singing the song.

One week later...

...it's like we're the worst cricket team
in the world again.

Winning can paper over some stuff.

Losing, all of a sudden, you know,
we've got a bad vibe in the team,

we've got, you know, cultural... the
selectors have got no idea what we're doing.

Da, da, da, da, da... All that noise.

And we've said from
day one it is all noise.

[CHEERING]

WOMAN: ♪ Australians all, let us...♪

WHATELEY: Australia needed to win the toss
in Sydney.

I've been at a couple of overseas venues
at the toss

where Australia desperately needed
to win and choose,

and when they have,
there's this great sense of relief -

"Alright. We're in the Test match."

[DIDGERIDOO PLAYS]

When that coin fell India's way,
there was a sigh.

COMMENTATOR: So, the news from the middle
is that India have won the toss

and have elected to bat first.

I reckon there was a sigh in the middle.

There was definitely a sigh in the stands.

And here in Sydney, when you lose a toss,
you've got to make inroads with that new ball.

HAZLEWOOD: What you want
against a Subcontinent team

is a bit of pace, a bit of pace and bounce,

and, you know, they
were quite slow wickets.

Melbourne was bouncing that high.

This was probably bouncing that high.

Danger signs for the Australians, I think.

And then Pujara battered us,
just battered us into oblivion.

That is a magnificent 100 from Pujara.

His third of the series.

This man just bats...

...and bats... and bats.

India well and truly in control.

NATHAN LYON: I hate the word comfortable.

Because if you're comfortable,

that means it can be taken away...
[SNAPS FINGERS] ..like that.

Aren't you bored yet?

So I was trying to make him feel comfortable.
"Oh, are you bored yet?" Like, "Come on." Like...

All he said was, "No, bro."

Which drove me nuts.
[CHUCKLES]

And India in total control.

At stumps on day one, 4/303.

SAKER: Alright, how was that?

LYON: I felt like we were pretty flat...

...for a Test match.

Playing for your country, I thought we were
pretty... pretty flat and pretty poor.

We got some decent spells together.
And we looked like getting wickets.

But we weren't aggressive,
hitting that wicket long enough.

And we usually are. Aren't we?

Where was that? Why?

We're playing a fucking Test match that
matters! Something that really fucking matters!

Because it could be 2-all
and we're going, "We're fuckin' flat"!

We can't be flat!
And we can't be non-aggressive!

Where's that aggression, lads?
It's got to come tomorrow.

It's got to!

And there's no fucking
flatness from anybody!

COMMENTATOR: The start of day two.

India are on the verge of making history
here at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

For the Australians,
they need to make early inroads,

or else India are gonna keep batting
and it will be tough going.

[CHEERING]

LALOR: Pujara broke
them. He ground them down.

And they just ran out of puff.

You can see the fatigue
in the Australians' bowling attack.

They're just getting the
life sucked out of them.

The pain is getting
piled on the Aussies now.

And there's the sign from Virat Kohli.

He's decided that 622 on the board
is absolutely fine for him.

We can't fault your effort. No doubt
about it, we cannot fault your effort.

Days like this are very sobering, eh?

Conditions certainly are as tough
as they get for bowling,

which is disappointing
from our point of view.

But we've seen in the last two days,
probably the first two days in Melbourne,

we're still a fair way off being
the best team in the world.

We're in day two.

The best thing about it is you all
get the chance to have a crack at it.

As we've said for nine months,
is make Australians proud of us,

make each other proud of us
and bat our arse off.

That's what Australians
want to see from you.

COMMENTATOR: This is probably the
flattest wicket we've had of the summer.

If you're ever gonna make some runs,
this is the time to do it.

[PLAYERS SHOUT]

Chocked it on, and
it's all over for Harris.

It's taken!

All falling apart again
for the Australians.

Bowled him! Beautiful bowling!

It is crumbling before your very eyes.

The last time Australia was asked to
follow on was 150 Tests ago for Australia.

Amazing.

LALOR: There was a sense that Australia had lost
its way again, that there'd been some false dawns.

They were tired. They were worn down.

LANGER: A pivotal moment for me

was that we were at breakfast on day three
of the Sydney Test match against India.

And I've known my wife
since I was 14 years old, right?

So, we've known each other a long time.

And we're sitting at breakfast
and she starts crying.

I said, "What are you crying about?"

Like, my wife doesn't cry, mate. I don't...
She's sort of been in this game...

And she got really upset. She goes,
"I just don't like what it's doing to you.

"I don't like what it's doing. I just...
You're not smiling. I just..."

And she was really... she was abs...
she was crying, mate.

And that was a massive wake-up call for me.

It was really tough.
Like, it really got to me.

Very light rain falling
at the SCG at the moment.

They're held up by this rain delay,

but you sense, you know,
that Australia's cause is gone.

- Cheers, boys. All the best.
- Cheers, mate.

WHATELEY: What a fizzer of a way to finish.

India deserved its 3-1 result.

It deserved something more than the umpires
walking into the changerooms

and saying, "Congratulations.
We're calling the game.

"You've drawn this and won the series."

PAINE: They outplayed us.

You know, they had guys scoring hundreds,
and big hundreds,

and we didn't, and it was disappointing.

You know, and India winning, I think, the
first time in Australia, to be a part of that,

yeah, it stings a bit.

HAZLEWOOD: I think especially
when it's on Australian soil.

That's only the second series that
I've lost, I think, in Tests, Test cricket.

You're meant to win Test series in Australia,
playing as the Australian cricket team.

[CHEERING]

LYON: To be honest, India outplayed us.
They were hungry.

I've never seen an Indian team
fight like that before.

[CHEERING]

LANGER: In 1993, I got dropped from the
Australian cricket team for the first time,

and I was shattered in '93, mate.

It was a dark time.

But I look back on the darkest periods
of my career and they are the best periods.

They are the best periods of my cricket career.
Because I had to learn, I had to get better.

And I am absolutely
certain in 10 years' time

I'll look back on Christmas and New Year
of this year

and think, "That was a really dark time,
but I'm so glad I went through it."

It'll be the catalyst
for me being a much better coach.

Thanks, everyone, for being here.

No doubt it's been a tough
couple of weeks for everybody.

We've now found it necessary
to revamp our Test squad

for the series against Sri Lanka
coming up very soon.

Obviously, we're looking now
after the Indian series

to shore up our top order.

So, Joe Burns has a record in Test cricket.

He's scored hundreds. There's no doubt
about that. And he has been in good form.

We also have Jhye Richardson.
He's seen as a very bright prospect.

So, these guys have got the opportunity
to cement a place,

or at least make it difficult
for us to leave them out.

- MAN: Alright. Thanks very much, everyone.
- Thank you, guys.

MAN: Thank you.

LANGER: The thing that struck me most about
coming back into the Australian cricket team

is how it is so much
about just the individuals.

Like, I can't believe it.

I'm shocked. I'm shocked.

We needed to make changes.
We had lost a big series.

We hadn't batted well enough.

Joe Burns came in.
Jhye Richardson came into the side.

How would it be received if we put
Kurtis Patterson into the Test squad?

If we honestly - and you're the selector -
think in your gut he's in our best six...

..."You're in."

He's got runs. Like, if he's in it...
We can't lose this Test match.

The very first session when I got
into Brisbane on that Monday morning,

JL sat everyone down and made a big point
that for this series it's "we", not "I".

We have to all get better
as a whole business,

but as a team, it's got
to be more about "we".

We are gonna come to the ground together

and we are gonna leave the ground together.

Now, that's gonna bugger the shit
out of a lot of you. That's OK.

I remember having a heated discussion here.
"That's not how we usually do it."

Exactly! Exactly!

And I remember saying to Gav, our manager,

"You've got to trust me on this.
You start... You've got to trust me."

"Yeah. No worries. No worries, mate."

So we started doing little things,
little behaviours

so we are doing it together.

I'll never forget this - we turned up to
Gabba for the first Test against Sri Lanka

and we drove into the Gabba
and we drove under the grandstand,

and I thought to myself,
"Imagine if we lose to Sri Lanka."

Oh! Mate!

But I also remember it clear as day -
day one, going, "Oh, how good's this?

"We don't have to bowl to Pujara.
We don't have to bowl to Kohli.

"Bumrah's not playing. Oh!"

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,
a very good afternoon.

Welcome to the Gabba for the first Domain
Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.

It felt to me like Australia was on a hiding
to nothing going into the Sri Lankan series,

but what changed that dynamic
was the selection of the next generation.

When I got told I was gonna play, all
these things start going through your head.

"What if I play, I don't perform so well?
What happens next?

"I don't take a wicket.
I don't have a Test wicket."

But when you get your first wicket,
it puts all of that to rest.

COMMENTATOR: Edge. Taken!

Joe Burns with a catch to his left.
A very good one.

The first Test wicket for Jhye Richardson.

RICHARDSON: All of
the relief has just come out

and now I can just enjoy it and go,
"Wow. How good was that?"

Thank you very much! Richardson.

His second wicket in Test cricket.

He's one of the new gen... He loves
the Play... Is it called a PlayStation?

He actually carries his monitor round.
He carries a TV monitor!

People think, you know, as a parent, "You don't
want to spend too much time on the PlayStation."

But I actually love it,
'cause he's playing games all the time,

so he actually loves playing games,
and cricket's a game.

Edged away. Beautiful bowling.

And for Richardson, that's number three!

And Sri Lanka all out for 144

into the third session of play on day one.

HADDIN: No matter how dark a place
you think you've come from

and things, whether they're working
or they're not working,

and we're trying new, different things,

you also can't get away from the excitement
of someone making their Test debut.

Richo, how many messages
did you have on your phone?

Um... I had 92 text messages.

Did you?

How many Instagram followers
did you get? Any new ones?

I'll tell you in a sec.
I haven't looked at Instagram yet.

No, not many.

- Not many?
- Nuh.

Oh, no, a few. 800.700, 800.

[LAUGHS]

LANGER: It's "we", not "me".

It's "we", not "me".
There's a big difference there.

If you start concentrating on the
Australian team and your mates, it's amaz...

...it's amazing the pressure it takes off.

COMMENTATOR: Oh... Oh, what a catch!

Oh!

On debut, Patterson!

PAINE: A number of the guys that came in
did a fantastic job

and showed that they've got
a huge future in Test cricket.

Another guy, Will Pucovski, who didn't play but
was in around our group, is now a 21-year-old.

It's exciting for an older guy, 'cause I then
try and keep up with them and challenge them.

And, you know, whether we're training
or running or in the gym,

it brings the best out of you.

To Griezmann.

Whoa! What a shot!

I told you I'd get you. How good is that?

COMMENTATOR: There's the Test match.

There is the Test victory for Australia.

And innings-and-40-run victory.

Magnificent performance by the Aussies.

You can start seeing it through the TV set.

How many people said, "Gee, it looks
like the boys get on well together"?

"God, they're playing together."

Yeah, no surprise,
because the focus is about the team.

We talk about the way
we did really good stuff.

Awesome win. Canberra's gonna be
a bit different. It's gonna be tough work.

Just make sure you do everything, get ready to
take 'em on and go 2-0 up in the series, OK?

LALOR: And it just felt
like a more settled unit.

The only thing that hadn't really been done
was win a series

and for some batsmen to make some hundreds.

BURNS: An opportunity is a wonderful thing.

To get the call to say
that I was in the Sri Lankan Test squad,

mate, when you get the chance to pull on
the baggy green and you go out on the field,

you'd do anything just to make everyone
proud and to put in a good performance.

COMMENTATOR: Ooh, it's a quick single.
He goes.

And he gets it. The first
Test 100 of the summer.

And it goes to Joe Burns.

And it's days like that that are
really special that you never forget.

And when you're playing a game that
you love and representing your country,

there's nothing better in this game.

A magnificent innings by Joe Burns. 180.

[APPLAUSE]

Well done, mate. Well done.

Well done, mate. Awesome. Great stuff.

HEAD: I went through a stage
in my first-class career

where I think I got five 90s
before I got a first-class 100

and I literally thought
that it was never gonna happen.

And the drive. Gets the full toss.

The magical moment arrives with a boundary.

Travis Head, his maiden
hundred for Australia.

HEAD: Yes, it was great,

but I guess that sense of feeling of relief
and how amazing it was

probably didn't sink in
until after the Test match.

Because I'm there to get a hundred.
Like, that's my job.

It's through. Kurtis Patterson, the
magical moment for the elegant left-hander.

His maiden ton.

It's a big moment for him,
but also for the parents and the family.

PATTERSON: Throughout my entire schooling life,

I just loved cricket
and I loved going down to the nets.

Dad never asked me to go for a hit,
but any time I asked him, he never said no.

He just made it all about enjoyment,
and that was always the main focus.

And that's something that I can
look back on with a lot of gratitude,

because it really just fuelled
my love for the game.

Thanks, Coach. Thanks, mate.

Yeah!

And there you go. You heard it
from Usman Khawaja, the celebration.

Eighth Test century. Sixth in Australia.

Well done, Usman.

KHAWAJA: It was just a really tough time,
the summer.

A lot of stuff happening
back home with family.

And I knew I could do it,
but JL, he had the confidence in me

to tell me that he thought he could do it
too, and he backed me the whole way,

and that was massive.

I owe him a lot, 'cause he actually, you know,
whether it's off the field or on the field, he...

...it always feels like he's got my back.

LANGER: We've got Test centurions.
We've got Jhye Richardson taking wickets.

Mitchell Starc, who'd been under
massive scrutiny all summer,

takes 10 wickets for the game.

And publicly, we've been backing him
the whole time.

So you go, "Oh, awesome.

"There's a bit of hope here."

Straight through him! Knocks him over!

Starc gets five for the
innings, 10 for the match,

and Australia wrap up the series
two Tests to zero.

A difficult summer in Test Match cricket
comes to a very nice end.

[ALL CHEER]

WHATELEY: Australia needed a
glimmer of hope at the end of the summer,

and out of those Sri Lankan Tests, it came.

LANGER: We're going to India with a bit of hope
and a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

[INHALES SHARPLY]
Nice feeling.

On a serious note - and I bet you no-one
else in this circle will know this...

This is disappointing.
We've had a security breach this week.

It was the evening on day one.

We actually had a look-alike
come into the changeroom.

I could not believe it.

One, I thought it was the coach.

And I know there was
a couple of other staff members

and a few players thought it was the coach.

- But he had a smile on his face.
- [LAUGHTER, JEERING]

PAINE: There's a lot of staff and there's a
lot of players and there's a lot of families

that put in a lot of time and a lot of work
into the Australian cricket team.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to Jetstar flight...

You sacrifice a lot, no doubt,

but, you know, I think
for us who are actually doing it,

it's not that bad,
because we love doing it.

I think it's... you know, a lot of the
sacrifice is back on your families.

And, you know, I know my wife, for
instance, was at home for a lot of the time

with two kids under two.

She sent me a text and said...

..."I told them Dad's on
his way home." [LAUGHS]

[CHILDREN CRY]

They're tears of joy. Tears of joy.

It's felt really quick for
me, the last 12 months.

I'm honoured to be
Test captain of Australia.

You know, it's absolutely massive
for me and my family and my friends.

As I've said before,
I'm just a captain of a cricket team

and I want to make sure I'm enjoying it.

Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!

- [LAUGHS]
- Hey! Who's that?

Oh, I've missed you!

VOICEOVER: Next on The Test...

MAN: I love playing in India.
It heightens all your senses.

Who dealt that?

KHAWAJA: Camaraderie is great, but at the
end of the day, we've still got to win games.

FINCH: I'd wake up in the middle of
the night thinking about getting out.

You don't have to be the captain, you don't
have to be anything else. Be Finchy, mate.

ASHTON TURNER: I've played one game for Australia
and I've got no bloody idea what's going on.

Yes!

You beauty!