In ancient Rome soothsayers examined the entrails of slaughtered animals in an attempt to predict the future in much the same way in much the same way as the modern cricket scribe approaches a Test match, probing through the records and recollections of previous Tests at the venue and earlier encounters in the series to gain an insight into what might happen this time around.
Press coverage of the New Year Test at the SCG has, predictably, tended to focus on three aspects of the game, and that's fair enough since a close examination of those factors brings just about everything else into play.
First, of course, there's been the speculation on the nature of the pitch. Is it the raging turner we've come to associate with the SCG, and if it isn't, how much will it actually turn, and when will it start to do so?
Well, boys and girls, when you've read all the column inches devoted to the subject it's a matter of having a look at the pitch report and then waiting to see how things shape up isn't it?
The second, and it flows on neatly from the state of the pitch is the role of the spinner, and the associated question of whether you play a spinner at all. The observer might be inclined to question whether Lyon's spot was up for grabs, and I'm inclined to see Harris being slotted into the twelve as cover if something happens to one of the three quicks. At the same time, while he's in the squad they can keep a closer eye on his fitness can't they?
No, I suspect Lyon was always going to play unless the SCG track turned out to be something akin to a Gabba green-top.
That was never an overly likely scenario, though one also noted the fact that the old style Sydney turner has tended not to bother India as much as it has affected other sides. On that basis you might have looked at Harris even if there wasn't a greenish tinge, but a four man pace attack will have inevitable consequences when it comes to over rates.
So Lyon will be looking to contain and relieve in the first dig, and will be a more important component later in the game if and when the track starts to turn. He's still, as previously remarked, a work in progress, and it's interesting to compare him with Ashwin, because the comparison delivers a few clues when we're looking at the role of the spinner.
Given the rather irregular path Lyon's career has meandered along I'm inclined to see him as coming very much from the traditional spin bowler school rather than the late twentieth century finger spinner as dart thrower approach.
Given the fact that Lyon spent his formative years in environments where everyone down to Eleven is inclined to slap, and even dart throwers get carted, a slightly built youth is going to learn very quickly that loop and guile are more likely to achieve results through mishits and deception in flight.
That's where I see him coming from, and while it doesn't really prepare you for an encounter with a batting lineup that regularly devours two or three spinners before breakfast, it's a better background than dart throwing.
Ashwin, on the other hand, seems to have come from the recent ODI/T20 school of thought that emphasises variety and six different balls an over rather than consistency, a stock ball and subtle variation.
The actual part either of them will play will depend, among other things, on the track, the toss and the third factor under discussion in the press, namely the approach of the Indian batting order.
After Melbourne it seems it'll be a case of same order, different batting and the forecast seems to be based on limiting the range of shots played and leaving rather than sparring at deliveries that don't demand a response.
That may have been a workable strategy against an attack operating on the old back of a length principle, but things may just be different in the era of pitch it up and give it a chance to swing.
Under the old regime back of a length equated to won't be likely to hit the stumps anyway, whereas pitched up around off stump and doing a bit both ways is going to demand a bit more full-bladed respect.
In any case, both sides will be looking to bat long, and in both cases that'll wear down the three quicks and bring the spinner and the part timers into play. From an Indian perspective that'd also involve carting Lyon as much as possible, shifting the workload back to the quicks, and when they tire dining out on the spinner, Hussey, Clarke and Warner.
From an Australian point of view batting long will deliver a number of benefits if we can manage it.
For a start, batting second and batting long would look like a handy win the game scenario which would, in turn, mean that the worst result that could come out of Perth and Adelaide would be a drawn series.
Then there's the not insignificant point that batting long will answer a few of the question marks over the current batting order, particularly if batting long translates into big hundreds to one or more out of Warner, Cowan, Marsh and Clarke. A big ton to Ponting and/or Hussey might be helpful, but big scores to both with relative failures to the other four is the stuff nightmares are made of when you're looking at rejuvenation, innit?
As far as the bowling lineups go, I reckon we're close to level pegging. Sure, Australia looks stronger on paper, but we'd be looking even stronger if the bowling were lining up against our own top six rather than Messrs sSehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman.
The other bit about batting long, of course, is the possibility of one of the quicks breaking down, and given recent injury issues with Zaheer and Ishant Sharma…
Having looked at all those factors we're really only left with two remaining issues.
As far as the captaincy goes, we can look forward with interest to what happens when India tries to belt Lyon out of the attack, and what happens if Australia bat long and Dhoni is forced into giving his ageing superstars extended spells in the outfield.
That, in turn, brings us to the fielding, where Australia's definitely on the upswing and India are definite question marks if asked to spend two consecutive days chasing leather.
So, until we know the result of the toss, that's it from the LHoC Sports desk...
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