Mumbai: Speaking exclusively on Cricket Live on JioHotstar after Day 2 of the ICC World Test Championship Final, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar reflected on Alex Carey’s batting performance:
“He’s a busy player—always looking for runs and not afraid to take risks. Because he’s so proactive, he puts away the bad balls effectively. If there’s a ball to drive, he drives; if it can be pulled, he pulls. He keeps it simple. While he’s been criticized in the past for going to the sweep or reverse sweep too early, especially against spin, he showed more restraint today against Keshav Maharaj. His approach was more conservative, and his batting against pace was spot on.”
JioStar expert Matthew Hayden also highlighted Pat Cummins’ pivotal role in restricting South Africa:
“Cummins does everything right—he challenges the off stump, uses the slope, and targets the top of the stumps, making batters play constantly. He now has over 300 Test wickets despite not bowling for five and a half years due to injury. That’s extraordinary. The trio of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc might just be Australia’s best-ever pace attack—even better than McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee—because they’ve bowled more together, in more combinations. Add Nathan Lyon to the mix, and it’s an ‘awesome foursome.’ Australia did well to pull ahead despite pressure. South Africa fought back hard, making this a seesaw contest. It’s been a fantastic Test match so far, and Day 3 promises more drama.”
JioStar expert Matthew Hayden provided his assessment on the overall batting performance from both the teams:
“Looking at Day 2 performance, an equal number of wickets have fallen over the two days. Batters seem a bit rusty in terms of Test match batting. The lateral movement has made footwork difficult—they’re getting hit on the pads, edging deliveries. Bowlers have dominated this match. There hasn’t been a single century partnership yet, and that could make a huge difference in the fourth innings. Even if Australia gets a lead of 250, South Africa will need a 100-run stand and another 50-run partnership to stay in the game. Ironically, more wickets have fallen when the sun’s been out, not under overhead conditions. It speaks more about batting rust than exceptional bowling.”
JioStar Matthew Hayden shared his views on what batters must improve going forward:
“Test match cricket demands that you get comfortable with not scoring quickly—something that’s the opposite of what the shorter formats teach. T20 batting encourages moving away from the ball to create space and power, but in Tests, that becomes a weakness. Dismissals like those of Labuschagne, Green, and Webster all stemmed from not getting close to the ball. We were taught to ‘smell the leather’—to let the ball come under your eyes. In the longer format, that means moving towards the ball, not away from it. At the moment, there are clear technical deficiencies as these players readjust to Test cricket.”
Adding to the technical discussion, JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar highlighted the positional play of modern batters:
“This might be a tendency among Australian and South African batters. Many of them, like Marnus Labuschagne, are consistently getting out on that fifth or sixth stump line. Standing on off stump makes you think defensively, and your front foot doesn’t go towards the ball. You’re worried about LBW, and that hesitation impacts technique. In England, successful batters—like Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Joe Root —often stayed leg side of the ball. On bouncy wickets, you can get away with it, but in these conditions, you become a sitting duck in front of the stumps.”
JioStar expert Dale Steyn praised Lungi Ngidi’s Day 2 performance after a slow start:
“Lungi is a quality bowler—he just needed a wicket to get going. He hasn’t played much red-ball cricket recently and looked a bit rusty on Day 1, especially in his run-up. The second half of his approach was slow, making him rely more on his body for pace. On Day 2, everything changed. He landed the ball well and picked up key wickets, stepping up when South Africa needed him, especially while supporting Jansen and Rabada.”
