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Happy tidings of the Yule. Now that I think about it, I’ve never thought to check what Yule means. Yuletide could be the guy from The King and I doing an album of Vance Joy covers. Regardless, what with all of those logs and whatnot, I’m going to assume that most people had a festive time. In most of Australia, Christmas was stinking hot, in the UK it’s been cold and bleh to a moderate sort of level, and wherever else you were in the world, it was something else. Or still is something else, for those on the negative side of Greenwich Mean.
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Whatever the case, it is Boxing Day in Melbourne, and that means one thing. We are about to send 13 players and two umpires into the middle of the MCG to suffer in ridiculous heat all day. In Melbourne the temperature didn’t drop out of the 20s all night, it will be into the 30s by the time the toss takes place, and it will be up towards 40 degrees by the end of the afternoon. The following days will cool off.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure the ICC doesn’t have an extreme heat policy, even though the world is getting hotter. Cricket Australia does have one, where something called the Heat Stress Risk Index can be calculated to theoretically suspend games if it gets hot enough. But at this level of heat they usually just have extra drink breaks.
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So, on we go. Safe to say this is a bat-first day, even though the MCG has become the best bowling pitch in the country after they renovated it for being too flat.
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Send me cheerios after Christmas
Tell us about your day, whether you're ending it in one half of the world or it's already yesterday in the other half. Who ate what? Who offended whom? Who is full of seasonal energy? Enjoy salty, schmaltzy, smoothie, or whatever you like. Our email lines are open.
Here is an introductory article about Constas and his predecessor Ricky Ponting.
The biggest news for Australia is the debut of our young sensation Sam Constas Open your batting. It's a big challenge for him, especially if he gets called up right away. That would give me less time to get nervous though. He seems pretty confident, but walking in front of 90,000 people would have to challenge any teenage bravado.
scott borland Return to Australia in place of injured Josh Hazlewood. It remains to be seen how India will fare, but they always play cards at the last minute and always seem to make a change somewhere.
preamble
Jeff Lemon
Good news for Yule. Come to think of it, I never thought to look up the meaning of Yule. Yuletide is part of The King and I and may be working on a Vance Joy cover album. Anyway, I think most people were in a festive mood with these logs and whatever else. While Christmas was stinkingly hot in most parts of Australia, and moderately cold and unpleasant in the UK, Christmas was different everywhere else in the world. Or, for those on the negative side of the Greenwich Mean, it's still something else.
In any case, today is Boxing Day in Melbourne and that means one thing. We're going to send 13 players and two referees into the middle of the MCG and have them endure ridiculous heat all day. Temperatures in Melbourne will remain in the 20s overnight, dropping into the 30s by the time the toss takes place and rising to near 40 degrees by the end of the afternoon. The next day will be cooler.
Sorry if I'm wrong. The world is getting hotter and hotter, but we are confident that the ICC does not have a heatwave policy. Cricket Australia has something called a heat stress risk index, which could theoretically allow matches to be called off if it gets hot enough. But with this level of heat, it's usually just an extra drink break.
So let's go. Even though the MCG has become the best bowling alley in the country after being renovated because it was too flat, it is no exaggeration to say that today is Bat First Day.
