World Test Championship Final Report Card, Day Two

Featuring packed October calendars, seductive fiends and fake Ts

Packed October Calendars
Grade: A-

Steve Smith and Travis Head picked up on day two from where they left off on day one, as they are required to do, not just by historical convention, but by the very laws of the game. You can’t just skip a few overs to get your eye in, or go back and have some do-overs of that tricky mini-session just before stumps. No. Continuity is sacrosanct, and just one of the many aspects of Test cricket that we traditionalists savour.

It therefore made sense that Smith followed up his last-ball four on the first day, with a pair of fours from his first two balls on the second to bring up his 31st Test century. As an indicator of how impressive a feat this is, think of it as one Test century for every day in October - a month in which Australia traditionally plays little to no Test cricket! Astonishing. (How does he find time to make a Halloween costume?) Now, he just needs to put his head down and knock off the other months.