Just, you know, there's always different kinds of hype around an Ashes series or a Borda Gavaskar trophy, but historically, Australia and South Africa just feels like they produce the best kind of cricket, haven't they, when it comes to tests?

Yeah, I think, well, hype at the moment, hype's obviously for certain reasons being talked about more this series.

Yeah, it probably hasn't got the same sort of energy around it in terms of everyone externally has on the inside.

And I think you see that with the series.

I think they probably start slowly and then they build up.

If you go through all the series, there's had...

I've had tipping points in most of them where it's got pretty exciting and entertaining and some good series.

How do you see that as one of the leaders of the team?

As you always do when you talk about your kids.

And to my beautiful kids, you are my greatest adventure.

I've always thought the job of a parent was to teach you all the right values, but in fact, you three have taught me more than you'll ever know.

Mum and I can't wait for you to chase your dreams jus- just like I have done for the last 20 years.

You are always and will be the greatest gift, and I love you to the, to the moon and back a million times over.

Oh, yeah

... around what's going on with that competition at the minute and how we get big superstars like that playing, and more of them.

I think we wanna see two or three on each team, along with hopefully the test stars at some stage be able to go back and play.

What do you think it's gonna be like over the fence?

I think we've gotta prepare for the worst and then hope that it's okay.

I, I think we've gotta prepare like it was 19 Ashes again.

Um, I think they're a hostile crowd, um, and they're an aggressive team.

I don't think it will be too bad, but I think if you don't prepare for it and you get there and then you sort of blow your socks off on that first morning and we're not prepared for it, so I think it'd be silly to say there wouldn't be a little bit of banter around it or from the crowds and the media and everyone.

I think the teams will be okay about it.

Um-

Oh, yeah

How, how important is that in your cricket career?

Yeah, loved it.

I, I think that's what made me, like, built me into what I am.

I, it used to...

It was very old school.

Used, I played as a youngster.

I used to sit in the changing rooms and, and not speak unless I was spoken to, and just sit there and listen.

[laughs]

Is there any part of you that then swings across to Adelaide and wishes them well?

Yeah, yes, there is.

I'm a big Geordie Dawson fan, so I did say when they finished top the other year, I said, you'll get the keys to the city if you win this thing, and then they straight said it.

So, no, I was pleased.

I think Nixie's a good man as well, so I was pleased that they won.

They need to win, otherwise...

They might have burnt that level down if they hadn't won a final.

You're making this game look way more difficult than it actually is.

Whatever you're into,

yeah.

Jess was happy with the rose and the puppies.

I'm not sure about the lifesaver.

I've been down in Bondi all week, and I don't think I could cut it out there, so that's probably a bit of a lie, that one.

Yeah.

Are we one? Yeah,

we're one, unless we drop one after Bangladesh.

Yeah

... um, which I think, yeah, brought the stumps into more play.

Um, we've seen some, um, some movement in the day one, and then that sort of went out of it and become a really sort of really good wicket.

Um, but not much pace in it, so be seeing, um, both teams bat well in the second innings and, and, and yeah, we got outplayed in Darwin.

But, uh, Mackay, heaps of pace in it.

A lot faster, a lot quicker and, um, so was the test match.

[laughs]

... men and women not in the same place.

Yeah.

We're like, "Are we all carrying the bag of fruit around with us for the whole time or not?" And so then the sort of s- consensus was no, we're just, uh...

It's more a casual night.

Um, obviously a busy schedule, and they, they, they did something similar for the girls, uh, earlier in the year.

So, um-

[laughs]

[laughs] You'd mistake it for the woop on the arm.

Yeah, probably.

Yeah.

We're like, "Are we all carrying the bag of fruit around with us for the whole time or not?" And so then the sort of consensus was, no, we're just, uh...

It's more a casual night.

Um, obviously busy schedule and they, they, they did something similar for the girls, uh, earlier in the year.

So, um-

[laughs]

[laughs] You mistook it for the whoop on the arm.

Yeah, probably.

So it's been a pretty good tournament for your boys.

Yeah, we started a touch slow and then we, we hit our straps in the middle.

So, um, strung a, strung a few games in a row which is always important.

And then yeah, we've, um, yeah, knocked ourselves in which is always nice.

And RCB who are top and probably the best team by a mile at this stage, we got them last in, um, game.

And I think if we, yeah, if we end up finishing in the top two, we could play them three or four times in a row now, which should be good fun.

Means we have to face off at the start, which is always enjoyable, so.

Ooh.

And just maybe have the English boys over as well.

I'll probably share that with Slug and Ingo's pairing away a little bit as well.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that.

And, yeah, there's no doubt we'll share a beer with them at some stage.

I know the family's in.

I'm looking forward to Jess getting down here with the kids at some point, have a run around if it doesn't get too chaos.

But, yeah, the family's coming for a little beer.

And where you come as a test opener in just the space of one and a half months?

And just maybe have the English boys over as well.

I'll probably share that with Slug and Ingo's pairing away a little bit as well.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that.

And, yeah, there's no doubt we'll share a beer with them at some stage.

I know the family's in.

I'm looking forward to just getting down here with the kids at some point, have a run around if it doesn't get too chaos.

But, yeah, the family's coming for a little beer.

of career-defining trap, can you take us back to the point when you put your hand up in Perth, feels like a long time ago, and he said, like, you know, I'll open, and where you come as a test opener in just the space of one and a half months?

And even having chats with umpires about what it was like last year compared to this?

Yeah, I get along well with both umpires actually.

Both guys are really, really good guys and I'm pretty relaxed about things and sort of talking about the wicket and last year it was a lot greener with the same sort of cracking that we may be seeing in the next couple of days.

I had a little bit of a different tempo last year I think.

We criticised day one for apparently not being as ruthless as we could have been but Maybe not just doing cartwheels when we get wickets, and England are allowed to play well, but last year it sort of had a different tempo about it.

It was 2-1, India could retain and hold Porto Gavisca and draw 2-2, where obviously we were coming in with a different week this week and with different motivations.

We talked about World Test Championship points a couple of days ago and Uzi, and we're 3-1 up.

Do you know when he's in that kind of mood trap?

What have you made of the amount of assistance that bowlers have had from the surface through the series?

I haven't been surprised, honestly.

I think everyone's been, we've all documented the last few years, two or three years has been challenging to bat when the bowlers put it in the right area.

I spoke a bit about it during the week.

When you give one or two extra mil on grass on wickets with world-class bowlers, like we've seen last year with Jasper, players are under pressure so slightly the other way I felt like in Adelaide on a really really good batting wicket the pressure sort of shifted on the bowling unit on how you can take 20 wickets and how can you win a game of cricket on a wicket that is more batter friendly so no I'm not surprised with I know how much grass they're going to leave on them throughout the summer how much they have left over in the few years so again it's a red bull coming down on a wicket and there's variables and everything so like I said problem solved on the go and be ready to tackle anything really

huge response to Usman Khawaja the last couple of days

what's his legacy to your dressing room um oh it's huge play 80 what's 88 test matches um i think this will be 89th he's just that's why they were going the crowd would give a nice cheer because he just walked on the ground so um huge week for him obviously growing up around the corner and um he's had some unbelievable moments here um he didn't thank me for uh getting back in the team all those years ago when i got covered um which i'm sure he will uh will enjoy over a coke zero later and later in the week but um He's been unbelievable.

To go through some of the things he's gone through, to come out the other side of it, to put together the four or five years that he did to finish his career, I know Davey is immensely proud of that.

Is there a secret to how you guys have been able to manage that behind the scenes or is it just great culture and great camaraderie?

I think when you've built a squad and that mentality of the next man in sort of thing and we've talked about problem solving on the go, all the sort of cliches that you hear for this team over probably three or four years now gets you in a great space.

When you talk about evolving batting orders and where blokes fit and how Yeah, having bowlers on the sidelines that are ready to go, that are itching at the bit to get a chance, and then at some stage, this team's not going to be the same as it always was, and we haven't made many changes over the last three or four years.

So when you've got guys that are ready to go, hardened, ready to go, and know, it just sort of works seamlessly.

So I think this series has been a massive showpiece for one, how...

I guess how good of a job as Ron and Bauer's daughters and Pat have done around not one, the section of the team, the squads that they've had around who they've had around, how they've built the team, but then also just, yeah, how they've got the team playing and, and the buy-in from the next person in to be able to do the job and, and be ready to do the job.

So I think it, um, a huge lot of, um, Yeah, thanks.

I feel like it's unjustified, but that's just my opinion.

We're all finished.

We've got golf and good wine, good food and a good atmosphere.

I think, yeah, I'll be responsible for most of those moving forward.

And then, yeah, I'd be in the batting.

I only think that I'd be in the batting because I miss walking out by myself.

So, Alex gets that because, yeah, they are very supportive and it's always a great moment, that one, walking out of bat.

But, Yeah, if I am doing it this week again with Jake, yeah, what we claim is a South Australian.

What was it like to witness that? up front, him

what do you make of back pages front pages social media algorithm domination on just a game of cricket have you paid much attention to it has anything made you chuckle

oh a lot of things make you chuckle um Oh, yeah.

It's like you can't get away from it.

If you do read the paper or do sit on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or all those things, it's everywhere.

So, hardly go past it.

You can read as much or as little as you want.

You can laugh or cry.

What is it about them about hitting over 90 consistently, 90 miles per hour consistently that kind of changes perhaps how you might go about it?