Boxing Day Test
Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:49 amRain has been forcast in Melbourne today.
from http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200612/1818248.htm?melbourne
Rain forecast for start of Warne-McGrath farewell tour
Tuesday, 26 December 2006. 07:39
Rain is likely to put a dampener on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against England and Australian leg spinner Shane Warne's farewell to his home-town crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today.
Showers are forecast for the first three days of the Test, putting under threat Australia's much-hyped chances of sweeping the Ashes series 5-0.
The Australians won back the Ashes by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series in Perth.
In the build-up to the Melbourne Test both Warne and fellow Test veteran Glenn McGrath have announced that they will retire from Test cricket after the fifth Test in Sydney.
Despite the forecast, a world record crowd is expected to attend the opening day.
Cricket Australia predicts a crowd of 95,000 which would break the previous record of 90,800 set at the same ground in 1961.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he always looked forward to playing in the Boxing Day Test.
"It's always a special game, this one, to come and play on this ground," he said.
"It's my favourite ground to play on anywhere in the world here at the MCG.
"The atmosphere is going to be electric as we all know."
Ponting warned his players to expect England to hit back hard after losing the Ashes.
England would be playing for pride and were no longer weighed down by the pressure of defending the Ashes, he said.
"Sides can be really dangerous in this sort of situation I think as we've found before," he said.
"We have to make sure we don't give them that opportunity to play the sort of cricket they want to play."
England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff echoed Ponting's words, saying his team was still highly motivated.
Flintoff said despite losing the Ashes, England wanted to give their thousands of supporters in Melbourne something to cheer about.
"Obviously we're playing for a lot still," he said.
"The occasion of Boxing Day in Melbourne is huge and we want to show that we can win out here.
"We want to show that we can win two Test matches. It's a big occasion for us and there's a lot of people coming out to watch us and we want to give them something as well."
Many who will be attending the Test at the MCG will be hoping to see Warne become the first bowler to reach the 700-wicket mark in Tests.
He is poised on 699 victims. McGrath is third on the all-time Test wicket-taking list with 555 victims. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (674) separates the pair.
Ponting said his side wanted to sweep the Ashes series to give Warne and McGrath a fitting farewell.
Ponting said the other Australians would relish their final opportunities to play with two of the game's greatest stars.
"It's a great opportunity for all the players to really enjoy these next two games, these next two weeks, with two of the all time greats of the game," Ponting said.
"I'm not only talking about Australian players, either, I think they're going to go down as two of the all time greats that this game has ever seen.
"So, we've got to get out there and play cricket as well and as hard as we can and make sure that they're sent out on the right note."
from http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200612/1818248.htm?melbourne
Rain forecast for start of Warne-McGrath farewell tour
Tuesday, 26 December 2006. 07:39
Rain is likely to put a dampener on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against England and Australian leg spinner Shane Warne's farewell to his home-town crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today.
Showers are forecast for the first three days of the Test, putting under threat Australia's much-hyped chances of sweeping the Ashes series 5-0.
The Australians won back the Ashes by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series in Perth.
In the build-up to the Melbourne Test both Warne and fellow Test veteran Glenn McGrath have announced that they will retire from Test cricket after the fifth Test in Sydney.
Despite the forecast, a world record crowd is expected to attend the opening day.
Cricket Australia predicts a crowd of 95,000 which would break the previous record of 90,800 set at the same ground in 1961.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he always looked forward to playing in the Boxing Day Test.
"It's always a special game, this one, to come and play on this ground," he said.
"It's my favourite ground to play on anywhere in the world here at the MCG.
"The atmosphere is going to be electric as we all know."
Ponting warned his players to expect England to hit back hard after losing the Ashes.
England would be playing for pride and were no longer weighed down by the pressure of defending the Ashes, he said.
"Sides can be really dangerous in this sort of situation I think as we've found before," he said.
"We have to make sure we don't give them that opportunity to play the sort of cricket they want to play."
England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff echoed Ponting's words, saying his team was still highly motivated.
Flintoff said despite losing the Ashes, England wanted to give their thousands of supporters in Melbourne something to cheer about.
"Obviously we're playing for a lot still," he said.
"The occasion of Boxing Day in Melbourne is huge and we want to show that we can win out here.
"We want to show that we can win two Test matches. It's a big occasion for us and there's a lot of people coming out to watch us and we want to give them something as well."
Many who will be attending the Test at the MCG will be hoping to see Warne become the first bowler to reach the 700-wicket mark in Tests.
He is poised on 699 victims. McGrath is third on the all-time Test wicket-taking list with 555 victims. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (674) separates the pair.
Ponting said his side wanted to sweep the Ashes series to give Warne and McGrath a fitting farewell.
Ponting said the other Australians would relish their final opportunities to play with two of the game's greatest stars.
"It's a great opportunity for all the players to really enjoy these next two games, these next two weeks, with two of the all time greats of the game," Ponting said.
"I'm not only talking about Australian players, either, I think they're going to go down as two of the all time greats that this game has ever seen.
"So, we've got to get out there and play cricket as well and as hard as we can and make sure that they're sent out on the right note."
