Had to search for Sydney ! ~ and read .. .. that Australian model Annalise Braakensiek was found dead in her Sydney apartment on Sunday afternoon. Police and ambulance crews attended her Potts Point apartment around 3.30pm after friends and family became concerned about her whereabouts. Close friends have told news.com.au the jewelry creator, lingerie designer and health guru hadn’t been heard from for a few days. There were no suspicious circumstances, police said, and they will prepare a report for the coroner. The Australian model split from her stockbroker husband Danny Goldberg in April after 16 years together. At the time, in a deleted Instagram post, she wrote: “I don’t know if a broken heart mends or learns to live in pieces”.
.. ..
most searches perhaps were on Sydney Weather – more specifically on whether it
would rain at Sydney tomorrow.A weather
forecast for Jan 7, Monday reads that the temperature would be min 20 max 24 ~
chance of rain 20% - how would you read that ? – a positive
sign, good for India !!
Another news report
states that a Sydney man electrocuted
when he stepped on a fallen power line outside his home has been remembered as
a “great humanitarian” by the charity he chaired.The person died after coming into contact
with the 11,000-volt power line in his driveway in Punchbowl about 10.30pm on
Saturday. Emergency personnel had to wait at least 30 minutes before the power
was turned off and his body could be reached.A Fire & Rescue New South Wales spokesman said the line was brought
down by a lightning strike.
Sydneysiders
have enjoyed a much cooler night’s sleep after the mercury plummeted
dramatically yesterday afternoon following a constant span of sweltering days
since the end of last year. Temperatures at Mascot cooled by 11 degrees in 10
minutes at 12pm, with other sites experiencing similar drops. Observatory Hill
dropped by five degrees in 15 minutes at the same time. The change occurred
later out west, with Penrith and Richmond plunging by seven and six degrees
respectively after 3pm. In the Illawarra region to the south, a severe
thunderstorm brought a wet start for Kiama, with rainfall reaching 65mm – the
highest 24-hour total since November 2017.Rain and easing wind conditions have allowed crews to get the upper hand
on several bushfires burning across New South Wales.
"It’s
your Test," said the Cricket Australia marketing slogans around the SCG,
selling fans the message that the game, apparently, belongs to them. By keeping
the players off the field for most of a frustrating day, the umpires issued a
reminder that no, it is their Test.Cricket
faces many threats from contemporary culture. But we mustn’t forget the
old-fashioned threats, officialdom steeped in bureaucratic customs dictating
that while the British Empire is gone, due process is the once and future king.
In Melbourne last week, fans sat through an hour of dry, bright weather while
the umpires ordered, and then ate, lunch. In Sydney, Kerry Packer’s floodlights
at full power were decreed, and remained, ‘bad light’. India had three spin
bowlers available, and wanted to play. With careers to save, some of the
Australian batsmen ought to have wanted to play, too. So much for putting the
fans first.
Twenty-five
overs were played, just enough for Cricket Australia not to have to issue refunds
to 18,000 mostly good-natured but also baffled spectators. It was also enough
time for Australia to display more signs of their alarming onfield decline and
to become the first home team to follow on in this country since the
Bicentennial Test match of 1988.
In many
ways, India is sitting pretty ~ and with no showers tomorrow, a win could be an
easy reality .. .. .. the last time Aussies were asked to follow-on at home was
in 1988 and Indians have now done it again at Sydney.At SCG in 1988, England had enforced
follow-on and Australia played 172 consecutive home tests without that
ignominy.This is the 4th
time, India had asked Australia to bat again (they could have asked at
Melbourne) – earlier instance was 1986 New Year test at Sydney and in 1979-80,
tests at Delhi and Mumbai when Kim Hughes led the visitors.
The brief scorecard
reads at stumps on day 4 : Australia 300 (Harris 79, Kuldeep 5-99) and 0 for 6
trail India 7 for 622 dec. (Pujara 193, Pant 159*, Lyon 4-178) by 316 runs.
After rain took
away three hours, India nipped out three lower order wickets when play resumed this
morning at Sydney. Then, the last-wicket
pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood held on for an hour before
wristspinner - Kuldeep Yadav - playing his first Test of the tour, and only his
sixth overall, picked his second five-for by removing a stodgy Hazlewood, who could
have been out much earlier had Hanuma Vihari held a top-edged slog sweep at
midwicket. India quickly enforced the follow-on, Australia's first at home in
31 years after securing a 322-run lead.
India's
first-ever series win in Australia is all but sealed.
Kohli can lay his hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he will be aching
for a 3-1 scoreline. For that, India would need 10 wickets on the final day,
but with a forecast similar to Saturday's and the rule book that calls for play
to stop at the slightest hint of rain or play to hinge on a light reading -
despite having quality, state-of-the-art floodlights - it seems possible the
Sydney Test could end in a draw.Indian
fans are hoping that 10 wickets would fall making India clinch a famous 3-1
series win.More clouds are forecast
today but with minimal rain, meaning Australia will have to produce something
special when they resume 316 runs from even forcing India to bat again.
“We’ve
obviously got a really good chance to shift some momentum back into our camp
and not just for the one-dayers coming up but also there’s the World Cup and
the Ashes,” said Handscomb, who made 37 before playing on to Jasprit Bumrah. Before a 42-run last wicket stand between
Mitchell Starc (28) and Josh Hazlewood (21), pundit Ponting said No.10 Lyon’s decision not
to review his dismissal gave a concerning insight. Replays suggested the ball
may have been missing the stumps, leaving Ponting flabbergasted. ‘‘That
dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team
... There’s no desperation there whatsoever,’’ Ponting said. ‘‘Why wouldn’t they
have had a look at that?”
Pressed on the
decision after play last night, Handscomb quickly came to the defence of the
pair out in the middle. “DRS is random with stuff like that,” Handscomb said.
“You ask Gazza [Lyon], he thinks [it hit him] on the full and on his big toe.
It’s not often anyone in the world thinks they are going to review that.’’
~ hoping
for play tomorrow morning and .. .. another big Indian win !
Regards –
S. Sampathkumar
6th
Jan 2019.
