WEBVTT - Todd on the pod: Murphy spins back into Test contention 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.239 The Unplayable Podcast is proudly presented by quantas the official 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:06.439 podcast partner and the official airline partner of Cricket Australia. 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.799 Once again, this season, Quantus is prouds Toby be flying 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:17.400 Australia's cricketers as they take on the world. Hello everybody, 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:20.000 welcome to The Unplayable Podcast. It's the final Test of 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:22.040 the Ashes. Someone, We've made it to Sydney and now 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.400 we're sitting in the trip Land box ahead of the 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.360 final Test. Louis, it's a big episode coming up. Was 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:31.920 mcquijor has retired? Todd Murphy's on the show curator chat 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:33.000 all the fun stuff. 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:34.840 So where do we begin? 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:37.440 Yeah, a lot of build up to a dead rubber 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:39.920 Test match. Yes, there are World Test Championship points on 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:42.960 the line, but the Ashes have have well and truly 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:44.920 been one. But yeah, there's a there's a big going 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:47.240 on leading to this one. It was McGuire's press conference 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:51.680 this morning, I mean nearly an hour long. He fired 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:55.320 a few shots, he made you know, it was heartfelt, 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.400 a lot of it wasn't it, And made some beautiful 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:02.360 points around you know how he suffered racism as as 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.080 a young kid and how that has kind of shaped 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.240 his career and still does and still does. Yeah, so 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:08.720 I mean that's going to be the one that creates 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:11.399 a lot of headlines over not just today but kind 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:13.880 of going forward. But yeah, we're farewell in one of 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.840 the great beautiful symmetry that he noticed. I mean, he 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:20.120 must be spending a bit of time in statsgu I 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:24.240 reckon because eighty eight tests he will end up playing 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:28.640 at the SCG. It was forty four before he when 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:31.080 he got dropped during twenty nineteen ashes, he had about 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.400 eighteen months to twenty four months out of the team 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:36.600 and since his recall at this ground, the SEG during 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.240 the twenty one twenty two ashes, he will have played 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.840 forty four tests. So as really nice symmetry for all 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:44.720 the cricket stats nerds, and there's a. 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:48.000 Few a few, there's some great coverage across all of 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:50.480 cricket dot com, dot Au and the SA Live app 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:54.080 of course, honoring Kawaja dropped seven times in eight years 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:57.520 before he got that run. After those twin times as 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:00.640 you spoke about, and yeah, very long preference. You can 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.160 watch it all as well on our channels loo for 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:07.480 those who don't have fifty minutes to spare. 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.040 What sort of were the main talking points out of it. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.160 Yeah, well, he kind of started off by saying, so 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:17.720 his family initially lived, he said, a stone throw away 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.320 from the SCG in a really small two bedroom flat 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:22.840 when they moved from from Pakistan when he was a 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.920 young little tucker and he saw Michael Slater roll up 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:28.960 to the s CG in a red Ferrari and that 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.360 was one of his enduring memories. And you know, he 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:35.720 subsequently moved to the family moved to Western Sydney, and 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:40.040 he called them hard streets and you know, experienced, you know, 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.120 a lot of a lot of things, heard a lot 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:43.960 of things he said he couldn't repeat in the press conference. 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.320 This is all stuff he's spoken about a lot before. 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:48.160 But I think it was it was nice and it 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.400 was important that he repeated it because I think, you know, 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:53.640 he made the point and I think we would all 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.400 agree Cricket's got a long way to go to to 0:02:56.639 --> 0:03:00.520 atone for some of the issues that he's that he's 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.800 encountered in which a lot of people still do encounter. 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:05.960 And then yeah, just I mean, what you know, the 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:10.079 gap that is gonna it's gonna be left by him 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:12.760 when he when he calls time. It's a funny one, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.440 isn't it, Because we've talked a lot about the opening 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:17.799 hole that he filled, and David Warren had all these 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:21.280 partners and finally he got one in Usmond Kwaja, who 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:25.560 was a reliable, steady presence. Yes, we know Kuaja's results 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:30.080 of the last eighteen months just about have diminished in 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:33.799 that time, and they've kind of neatly found a decent 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:37.520 kind of replacement in Travis ed and Jake Weatherley. 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:39.160 So it kind of feels out of all times. 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:41.400 He could about out, well, he's actually bowing out with 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.200 you know, having given away to his replacements. So yeah, 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:49.320 he spoke a little bit about that, and yeah, just 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:52.240 the ups and downs of a turbulent career. It's kind 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:55.440 of hard to have to summarize in less than fifty minutes. 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:59.000 Yeah, I found interesting how he said that he had considered, 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:01.560 you know, have retired at any point in the last 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:05.480 two years, but then had sort of found this point 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:06.480 of the cycle. 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:07.920 I suppose to call it. 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.720 Given that the next big series India and England until 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:14.320 twenty twenty seven, and there are some less scrutinized series 0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:15.680 for Australia. 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.040 Coming out term that he used. 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:21.760 This Bangladesh, South Africa and the New Zealand and the 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:25.160 next ones is going to be hard to replace because openers, 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.880 as he also mentioned, they have lower averages the middle 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:31.520 order batters. Even though he played his whole first half 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.920 of his careers the number three specialist, number three really 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:36.840 came in and did an amazing job as opener. And 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:38.960 now with Warner and him gone in the space of 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:40.320 a couple of years, Yeah, it's going to be a 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:41.200 very new looking side. 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:42.880 Yeah, your point about the timing is a good one, 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.000 because he mentioned how he had a conversation with Andrew 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.159 McDonald during or around the last year's Boxing Day Test 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.600 against India where he eventually offered to retire, as he 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:56.320 kind of recalled it, and McDonald was really stronger wanting 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:58.800 him for that sriugh Anchor series. And what a master 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:02.159 stroke that was because we got to witness one of 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:03.920 his best test innings, the two hundred and thirty two 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.719 he made in Gaul right up there with well maybe 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:10.880 just a notch below say edge percent twenty three and 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:14.840 Dubai twenty eighteen. I think I'd have edge percent twenty 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:18.839 three is his absolute top performance in a Test match. 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:21.279 I think it's one hundred and forty and sixty five. 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:23.640 But he batted for more than thirteen hours in that 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:27.640 game in yeah, sorry, he batted for more than thirteen 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:31.120 hours in twenty twenty three the innings in Dubai. I 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:35.880 think the second innings was more than eight hours. We 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:38.040 need to double check the stats. So that was the 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:40.039 one he played for the draw. The one in Edgerson 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:42.520 was for a win, so I'd probably have that a 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:44.960 bit higher. But yeah, that were the ones was he 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.000 kind of spoke about. I'm interested you wrote. You wrote 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.760 a nice piece, Joshure summing up the amount of times 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:53.280 and he's been dropped, and you put the number at seven. 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:55.800 I wonder if that in Sorry, I don't wonder, but 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:59.200 and that doesn't include this is just a summarize what 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:02.880 a crazy up and down career he had and maybe 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.920 mistreated along the way in some respects. But the twenty 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:11.000 thirteen trip to India, the homework Gate series where he 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:14.080 was one of the four players who were a naughty 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.760 boy and wasn't allowed to play in the Mahali Test, 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.120 he would have played in that game, I think, So 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:22.200 that's virtually a dropping and then he was virtually dropped 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.159 during this series, right when Steve Smith at the last 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:29.960 minute had to pull out with vertigo symptoms. So just 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.640 so many what ifs along the way. I kind of 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:33.880 like that to panned out that the. 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:34.479 Way it has. 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:37.360 Yeah, well we had these number of droppings at seven. 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:39.880 I was hoping I could get up to nine for 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:43.000 sort of a nine lives a cat analogy, and he's 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.240 a cool cat. But I did quite managed to get 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:46.800 him to that cat status. 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:50.080 Well, if we talked about it, I mean, if it 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:51.560 added those two in, it could have been nine. 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:52.880 We could have got to know, we could have got 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:53.160 to known. 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.520 And yeah, it was the fact that he was left 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.880 out of that Adelaide test before Steve Smith obviously had 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.320 to pull out. That sort of all so gave him 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:03.160 the nudge to say, well, maybe it is my time 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:03.640 to call it. 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:05.920 So yeah, it's the end. 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.839 Was in QUADJA one final walkdown or maybe two final 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:12.080 walks down those famous stairs from the members Paillion here 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.640 and what an amazing record. He's got three centuries against 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:19.840 England at this ground, including one back in twenty seventeen eighteen, 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:22.640 So who's to say you can't do it again. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:27.240 Yeah, and the way he was able to conquer some 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:30.000 spin issues in the subcontinent. You know, he's very such 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.480 a contrarian and he's so confidence is what makes him 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:33.880 such a good player. But he's so confident in his 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.200 own ability. The way he speaks about it is if 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.640 you know, everyone was riding me off against spin, but 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:40.440 you know there was a legitimate issues there, Like he 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:44.960 went to sril Anka in twenty eleven, first first st 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.280 up and you know, you know it was early in 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.120 his career. Probably struggled there understandably, But I think it 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.320 really came to the four in twenty sixteen when that 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:56.280 Rang and a Harath series and he got everyone else everyone. 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:58.720 I mean, he made even I think even Steve Smith 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:02.280 struggled in that series or didn't quite have the same 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:06.320 output as what he'd normally have. And that's when you 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:08.520 kind of sa already got dropped again in Bangladesh in 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:12.200 twenty seventeen, And yeah, I think there were issues against spin. 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:15.680 But to his credit and to Justin Langer's credit, I 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:17.600 think it was one of the people he kind of 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:21.200 thanked for kind of giving him the belief that he 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:25.680 could succeed like he developed the reverse suite. He just 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:27.360 become a much better He played a lot more off 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:29.120 the back foot. That was really noticeable when he went 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:33.320 to Pakistan in twenty twenty two and just had had 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:34.360 a game that succeeded. 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:38.120 So a guy who had failed several. 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:41.000 Times then was given the opportunity and succeeded in the 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:44.080 toughest conditions, probably in Test cricket. So that's a great 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:45.360 lesson for any Test bat. 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.600 Up definitely finishes with sixteen Test centuries, maybe more if 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.600 he gets another one in his final including overseas in 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:53.800 England and in India and in Pakistan and in Sri 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:57.120 Lanka and in the UAA and in New Zealand. So 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:00.480 pretty much all conditions around the world is conquered. 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.679 So what are we missing? Bangladesh, Zimbabwe? He only played 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:05.760 one Test in Bangladesh. I know that from having a 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:06.400 last night. 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.199 I think the West Indies he didn't quite get there, yes, 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:10.560 but they were pretty tough. 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:13.320 I think if anyone managed to. 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.120 If anyone opening the batting, and that's huge, cumulatively made 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:17.920 one hundred runs over at sixty innings, that was a 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:20.600 win that should be counted a Test century. Given some 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:21.679 of the wickets I were playing on. 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:25.199 He opened today's press conference with a bit of a speech. 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:27.760 Let's just play that now in case you missed it earlier. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:34.480 Just bear with me. I've just ridden something. Funnily enough, 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.640 I did. I lived just up the road from the 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:42.760 SCG on Cook Road, to be exact, and I'll never forget. 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:45.360 When I was younger, I saw Michael Slader drive and 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.640 his red Ferrari. I couldn't believe in my luck. I 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.560 just saw a Test cricketer, and as a boy whose 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.400 parents were barely scraping through and trying to provide for 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.360 their kids in a little two bedroom apartment, I thought, 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.120 one day I'm going to be a Test cricketer. One 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.280 day I can drive whatever I want. Never do I 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.839 think that God would grant me such a wish. I'm 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:09.880 here now today that I'll retiring from all international cricket 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:16.720 after the seg Test match. God do, Cricket has given 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:19.760 me far more than I ever imagined. 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:22.719 Sorry, this this whatever's writing, this is really frustrating. 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:29.840 He's given me memories I'll carry forever, friendships that go 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:32.640 well beyond the game, and lessons that shape me who 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:35.640 I am off the field. But no career belongs to 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:39.040 one person. Obviously had a lot of help. To my 0:10:39.160 --> 0:10:42.959 parents who are over there, thank you for your sacrifices 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.200 that never made the highlight drill. That's you, Mum and Dad, 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.800 Tarik and Fuzzier. The early mornings, the long drives, the 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:53.280 beliefs and when the results weren't there. Mom, you knew 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:55.680 plenty of those, and I used to come disappointed sad. 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:59.400 You always consulted me, and I'll never forget that. Dad, 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:01.800 you all said that I would play for Australia one day, 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:06.000 even though sometimes I didn't believe in myself. You taught 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:08.760 me values before ambition. You taught me to be humble, 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:12.480 always respectful, and treat everyone as equals no matter what, 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:17.360 and that grounded me through everything that followed. I hope 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:21.160 I repaid your sacrifice and leaving everything behind in Pakistan 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:23.839 to come to Australia to give us kids a better life. 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:30.080 Eighty eight test matches, Dad, that isn't that enough? Okay. 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.920 To my brothers Aslan and Norman, I want to thank 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.319 you for the countless hours you spend, the nets at backyards, 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:38.920 everything you did, even down the road here in Centennial 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:41.079 Park where you give me that token five minutes bat 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:43.960 at the end of the day. Without your time and effort, 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.040 I wouldn't be here, nor would I have my pulll shot, 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.120 because all you did was bump me. But you always 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.319 instilled in me that my journey would be tougher than 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:54.280 the other kids, and if I wanted to make it 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:56.559 that I had to work harder than everyone else, score 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.960 more runs than the rest, and make sure that I 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:02.000 don't give them any not to pick me. I'll never 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:06.920 forget those words, and you were one hundred percent right. Rachie, 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.520 my beloved wife. This journey has asked more of you 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.960 than has ever asked of me, particularly since you read 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:17.880 everything that goes on in the press, the miss moments, 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.120 the long stretches apart the pressures that come with this 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:23.360 life and taking care of the kids on your own. 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.800 You carried our family so I could chase my dream, 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:31.280 and I'll always be grateful for that. And don't worry, 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:33.240 I know how you always remind me that all my 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:37.000 international centuries came after I met you. You truly are 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:39.800 one of my greatest blessings in life. You change the 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.760 path of my life, and you definitely change the path 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:45.760 of my career, and I think I every day that 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:47.920 I got to share this journey with you. I love 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:52.439 you so much. To my kids, Aisha and Eiler, you 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.000 gave me perspective and remind me of what really matters, 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.040 win or lose everything I did out there. I hope 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.960 one day that you'd be powered of what I achieved, 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:05.120 but also what I was like as a human. I'll 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:07.040 continue to buy you chippies and give you lots of 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:09.760 lollies when Mum isn't looking. Don't worry, because you know 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:15.400 I'm a sucker for hugs and kisses. To Rachel's family, 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.360 including John and Michelle, Rachel's parents, thank you for all 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.920 your support and time spent over the last ten years. 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:24.120 I'm truly blessed out such a great extended family. The 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:27.040 fact that Rachel's brother and dad both love playing golf 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:29.880 is just a bonus and probably half the reason why 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:33.480 I married you, Rachie. But I tell you what, next 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:34.680 year is going to be a bad year to be 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:36.480 a prideless privy one because I'm want to be playing 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.719 lots of golf and there's nothing you guys can say 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:44.920 about it. To Bill Anderson, my friend and mentor, thank 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:47.679 you for being Thank you for believing in me before 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:51.200 the numbers did, for your honesty, for your patience and 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.960 your guidance, and your path when things weren't clear. You 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:58.679 help shape my career but also my character. To my teammates, coaches, 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:00.000 support staff, has been a privilege. 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:01.040 Sharing reressing room with you. 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:05.120 You make the hard days manageable and the good days unforgettable. 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:08.679 Cricket is a team game, but more than that, it's 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:11.480 a people game, and I've been incredibly lucky with the 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:15.920 people I've gotten to be around along the way. I've 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.040 learned that not everything in life is in our control. 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:22.240 I train my best, but then it's all up to 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:25.800 Allah and all as the best of planners. If he wasn't, 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.920 I wouldn't be here right now. This game humbles you. 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.800 It tests your patience, your resilience, and your character, and 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:36.600 if you're lucky, it teaches you gratitude even on days 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:40.800 that doesn't go your way. A'l humbrella always. I hope 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:44.400 I've inspired many children along the way, particularly those who 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:47.160 feel that they are different, those who feel that they 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.520 don't belong, or those others tell that they will never 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:54.400 make it. I felt all these things growing up and 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.720 trying to be an Australian cricketer. But seeing is believing 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:01.160 and I'm here to tell you that you can do 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.600 whatever you want. You've just got to keep trying. Never 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.200 let anyone convince you that you can't, because if they 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:11.080 do convince you, then you never will. I'm a proud 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:13.720 Muslim colored board for Pakistan who was told that he 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:17.080 would never play for the Australian cricket team. Look at 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.760 me now and you can do the same. As I 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:22.320 walk off for the last time, I do so with 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:27.280 gratitude and peace. Where as we say it's Salaam, grateful 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:30.240 for the journey, the people, the lessons. Thank you for 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:33.480 letting me live my dream and for sharing it with me. 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.280 And so those words from Uzi Quadra. You can watch 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.120 the full press conference on on cricket dot com dot 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.840 if you're so inclined, because it is a really engaging 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.320 It was an engaging fifty to fifty minutes or so. 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.160 But before he kind of made that speech, his family 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:51.360 or you know, we're all kind of waiting for him 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:53.440 to come in and I think not everyone one hundred 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:54.760 percent sure if he was going to retire or not, 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:56.520 or if he's going to declare that he's going on. 0:15:56.600 --> 0:16:00.480 But I think when we saw mum dad, he's two orders, 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.640 his pregnant wife, his brother. I think there was a 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:06.840 close friend in there as well. When they all came 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:08.440 in with it, he's probably not going to play on 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.680 and it's just invited them for the ride. But that 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:14.600 was really sweet. And then those two girls, they must 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:18.040 be three or four and maybe five and six. I 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.440 want to say they were the most well behaved young children. 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.840 They sat there the whole fifty minutes without making a peep. 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.600 I thought, you know, absolute for a grade behavior from 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.840 two youngsters. And then we got to see them kind 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.960 of all embrace after it, and the two little girls 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:35.720 got to sit up on the stage with it. 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:36.040 Was he in. 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:38.840 It was a really nice moment to kind of see that. 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:39.760 I thought, definitely. 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.240 And then afterwards the whole family went out onto the 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.560 surface here of their CG. Got some nice photos in 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:48.600 front of those famous stands sitting down on turf, and 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.120 it had Adam Lewis, the curator looking over. He was 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.440 busy at work in the middle of the SCG and 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:58.600 he also can get off my lawn and he was 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.840 also asked some questions today, Lou. Obviously there's a lot 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.560 of interest in what's going to happen out in the middle. 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:07.720 We had a look today at the surface. It looks 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:10.240 very green, but of course we are two days out. 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:13.879 And yeah, he said six mills is going to be 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.360 the ideal amount that he's going to leave on. He's 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:18.639 not going to be influenced by the results around the country. 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:20.280 This has been the plan for a couple of months, 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:23.040 so he's going to stick to it. And yeah, well 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.160 we're all waiting with baited breath if that's the right move. 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:25.760 That's right. 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:28.480 Yeah, and as you'll hear from Todd Murphy, I think 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:30.359 we all kind of want him to, you know, can 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:32.480 we get that six down to five or four, or 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.359 you know, can we can we give it a completely 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:39.199 new nut shade. But no, it's and it's admirable that 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:41.639 he's taking that approach, like he you know, what happened 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:44.520 in Melbourne, you know, shouldn't really have a bearing on 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:49.439 what happens here. And yeah, it's a really tough one. 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:51.080 It's a tough one to kind of follow up. I mean, 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.080 they've had challenges a little bit here, like it hasn't 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:56.280 I wouldn't say it's been a great Test week. At 0:17:56.280 --> 0:17:58.840 the last couple of years. It was the lowest rated 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.000 of the pictures for of the five for last year's 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:05.080 brought to Gavasco it got a satisfactory rating. All the 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:08.120 other ones got very good. It was a three day 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.919 test here. You'll remember that was the one where Steve Smith. 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:13.040 I think we all thought he was gonna get to 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.560 ten thousand runs. He was only about nine away. And 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:18.600 I think Rashi Kristen had got him out for in 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:25.360 the nervous nine and ninety nineties the right amount of there. So, yeah, 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:28.280 it has been seen friendly here and yeah, I think 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:31.879 ideally everyone you know, cricket Australia would like it to 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:35.639 go the journey. But yeah, there's not much that Lewis 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:37.200 can kind of do at short notice, so you can't 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.760 just all of a sudden prepare a new wicket. And yeah, 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:42.200 you don't want it to be a reaction. I think, 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:44.560 like I kind of think, tell me if you agree 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:47.000 with this, Josh, but I reckon, like, you know, Curros 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:48.399 might already be doing this. But I feel like the 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:50.399 magic number is like can you get it to fourth, 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:52.919 like late to day four, like if that's kind of 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.760 what you aim for, and then you're building in some 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.040 some leeway the way like if it's a really if 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.240 it ends up being more seen friendly and the teams 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:03.399 play more aggressively, maybe it only goes three days. If 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:06.160 you get some rain or whatever, you push it maybe 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:08.120 into a too a fifth day. I think that's kind 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:09.960 of the magic number. 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:12.760 Yeah, I think you're right, because if you're aiming always 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:15.399 and of course everyone wants it to end in the 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:17.520 final session of day five. But if you're aiming for 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:19.800 that and you get it slightly wrong and it's going 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:21.680 to be a drawer and then if there's rain again, 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:24.159 so yeah, probably best to pull it back a little bit. 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:25.960 But of course I've got no idea what I'm talking about. 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:27.880 I don't know how to roll the wicket, let alone 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:31.119 prepare or whole block of pitches. So yeah, it's an 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:32.080 amazing work. 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:33.119 What they really do they do? 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:35.000