"It's Murphy's Law": Matthew Hayden on Australia's momentum shift in BGT series
Dec 07, 2024
Adelaide [Australia], December 8 : Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden provided an in-depth analysis of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series. He highlighted how a sequence of events, referred to as "Murphy's Law," shifted the momentum in favour of Australia.
"It's Murphy's Law. It's a sequence of events that has unfortunately swung the momentum in favour of Australia," Hayden stated while speaking to Star Sports.
He supported India's decision to bat first, explaining the strategic advantage it usually provides.
"It was a good decision to bat. It had to be there. When you look at this game statistically, those that bat first and are brave enough to take on slightly greenish conditions, they get the benefit of the third innings where it becomes really tough to bat. And so diminishing returns with the bat. Must bat first," he added.
Hayden noted the similarities in how both sides were dismissed, akin to the scenario in Perth, which allowed Australia to survive the crucial final overs of the previous evening.
"But the way that the game turned out yesterday, both sides being dismissed similarly to what was in Perth, meant that Australia was able to hang on for those final few overs last evening," he said.
He pointed out that conditions significantly improved the following day, benefiting Australia's batting.
"They got this great day today. It was a totally different day. More wind. Blue skies. Better track," he said.
According to Hayden, Australia capitalized on these favourable conditions by accelerating their innings, effectively putting India under immense pressure.
"They actually went through the gears so quickly that they enabled, they almost may as well declared in many ways, because it meant India then were under pressure," he said.
Hayden's analysis underscores the strategic elements and situational dynamics that have shaped the second Test, emphasizing how Australia leveraged conditions and timing to gain a crucial advantage in the series.
Australia with another dominant performance moved closer to securing another pink-ball Test victory. By the end of Day 2, India was at 128/5, trailing by 29 runs and facing a formidable task in Adelaide.
