First Test – The Gabba, Brisbane 25-29 November 1994 Day One – Morning Session

I’ve been inspired people. So very inspired. A few weeks ago Adam Hurrey of @footballcliches fame wrote a blog post detailing his exploits playing Sensible Soccer using an online Mega Drive emulator. And what a post it was, with the quirks and whizz-bangs you’d expect from full-blown breakdown match-reports of England’s 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign (which was of course, in real life, as the football cliché goes: ill-fated). It gave me an idea. Cricket. On the Mega Drive, match reports, completing an Ashes Series… There was only one game of choice: Brian Lara Cricket. The best cricket game that’s ever been made and probably will ever be made (if the current makers of the biannual Ashes Cricket are still making Ashes Cricket 2021). Anyway, here we go.

It’s 1994. England haven’t won the Ashes since the tour down under in 1986-87, and Ian Botham and Gladstone Small’s heroics in the innings victory at the MCG Boxing Day test seem a long way off; with Australia winning two series on the spin. Mike Atherton, having come under fire during a ball tampering controversy the summer series against South Africa, retains his place as captain. To assist Atherton a new man is placed in role of ‘head coach’, the unknown Nick Hayhoe and he is immediately vilified by the national media; with the Daily Mirror describing him as ‘Doughnut Hayhoe’. Hayhoe insists in a press conference down under that he will win the Ashes.

The selectors produced no surprises in an England line up that seemed to be in a clean bit of health, with no obvious injuries or illnesses affecting the squad. Darren Gough, hailed as the new Fred Trueman by some in the British press, received the nod as did spinner Phil Tufnell. It would seem that Devon Malcolm could be the key man in attack for England in order to keep up with the fierce one possessed by the Australians; especially on a Gabba pitch that was asking more questions that it was answering. With Mike Gatting playing well in the previous summer’s home series, and keeper-batsman Alec Stewart already looking in good nick, the mood in the England camp was unusually buoyant. For Australia, Gatting’s old tormentor Shane Warne was the first man on the selection sheet, as were Healey And Hughes. A loss in the series away in Pakistan seemed to do little to damage captain Mark Taylor’s optimism.

In a good toss to lose, England won; and Atherton chose to bowl first, perhaps making note of the cloud cover above the Gabba. Gough was first to bowl, in an opening tandem with fellow pace-man Malcolm and nearly saw a run out in just the third ball of the match; with Tufnell’s quick throw almost beating Slater to the striker’s end. But he was home, and Australia were underway. But, almost inexplicably, the following ball he miss-timed a pull shot completely and top-edged it to Mark Ramprakash standing at cover; who caught the ball with an almost bemused expression on his face. The Gabba fell silent, as if their pre-match absinthes the night before that are available in many of downtown Brisbane’s bars had caused what they had just witnessed. Malcolm in the next over, on the other hand, did not start his Ashes series down under in the best way; with Boon creaming an attempted bouncer behind deep-backward square into the stand for six runs.

The following ball, Boon decided to give his captain a sprinting warm-up, calling a run off a ball that had just been poked to mid-off. Tufnell did not fail with his throw and it smacked into the middle stump with Boon adrift by several yards; an absolutely farcical run-out. England in the ascendancy.

Boon and Taylor attempted to steady the sinking ship, but the latter continued to play some rash shots, twice almost edging deliveries from Gough that went straight through the gate and spooning an attempted sweep shot that only just landed short of the man standing at fine leg. And, almost inevitably, with the two men determined to up the scoring rate on a pitch that was obviously becoming a minefield, Malcolm got Taylor. Taylor seemed determined to play anything wide of off through mid-wicket, and he feathered one to Russell, who took a smart catch, down low to his left; with the ball now starting to swing around corners. Australia  now 43/3, a high run rate, indeed. But leaking wickets, perhaps determined to have a bowl themselves. Just before lunch, with Hayden and Waugh sticking to the tactics of upping the run rate, Defreitas – in his first over in the attack – trapped Hayden LBW in somewhat controversial circumstances after television replays seemed to suggest that he’d got bat on ball before it thumped into his pad. Nevertheless, up went umpire Randell’s finger. Atherton jumped for joy in the slips. Next over, the last over before lunch, Waugh mistimed an attempted drive to cow-corner and was caught by Tufnell at mid-on. Then, three balls later, the exact same thing happened to Waugh; who’d smashed 23. Malcolm could hardly believe what was happening. Australia at lunch on the first day of the first Ashes test were, almost inexplicably, 79/6.

Lunch Day One

More to follow soon