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Usman Khawaja was handed an ICC accolade, while Cameron Green had to stand alone on day one of the second Test between Australia and West Indies at the Gabba.
Here’s the five quick hits from day one of the Gabba Test.
As it happened: Look back at how the action unfolded on day one in our live blogFull scorecard: Get all the scores and stats
1. Green in isolation
Poor Cameron Green.
As the most recent of Australia’s players to contract COVID, the recently recalled all-rounder was forced to self isolate in the middle of the Gabba in front of several thousand observers.
As well as being banished to what shall forever be known as the Renshaw room to change — after the Queenslander had to self-isolate and change by himself in the third Test against South Africa at the SCG last year — Green had to stand all on his lonesome at the anthems.
The only acknowledgement of Green was from Mitch Starc who, standing on the end of the entwined Australian line, miming to throw his arm over Green’s shoulder from a distance.
Even when the first wicket fell, Green was shooed away from the celebratory huddle by Josh Hazlewood. It could have been worse though — he was still able to play.
2. Starc’s 350th Test wicket
As Australia tore through the West Indies top order, it was surely only to be a matter of time before Australia’s pink ball specialist achieved a major personal milestone.
Coming into this Test, Starc had played 11 pink-ball day-night Tests, taking 61 poles at an average of 18.16.
Surely his success in Brisbane, (nine wickets in two pink ball Tests) was a given?
And so it proved, with Starc taking the second and fourth wicket of the morning, the latter being his 350th in Test cricket.
The 33-year-old is just the fifth man to take 350 wickets for Australia in Test cricket and is closing in fast on Dennis Lillee’s tally of 355.
3. A wicketless session
It doesn’t happen often, but Australia went through an entire session of bowling without taking a wicket for the first time this summer.
Pakistan came closest to doing so back in their first innings in Perth, surviving 20 overs before tea for 0-43 on day two.
The West Indies pair of Kavem Hodge and Joshua da Silva though, bucked that trend with an 81-run partnership through the middle session of the day.
That partnership ended up being worth 149 runs, huge given the pair came together at 5-64.
But big partnerships are not foreign to this pair.
In the Cricket Australia XI tour match, Hodge scored 99 and Da Silva 105 in a 163-run partnership in the second innings.
Nathan Lyon eventually made the decisive move, ending the partnership on 149 after trapping Da Silva LBW.
4. Is the GOAT hamstrung?
That wicket notwithstanding, things were not entirely rosy for the GOAT.
Nathan Lyon toiled through more overs than any Australian on day one, but he may have done so under the cloud of a new injury.
Having had his 2023 Ashes ended prematurely by a calf injury, there would have been cause for concern when Lyon reached for his hamstring during the third session.
A little rub was followed by a stretch, before Lyon left the field at the end of an over. After a chat with coach Andrew McDonald, Lyon felt well enough to resume action — but his laboured jog back to the middle did little to convince he was 100 per cent.
The wicket might have eased concerns, but after the new ball was taken he went off again for a three-over spell.
Lyon’s fitness is something to watch throughout the rest of this Test, with a series in New Zealand a month away.
5. Usman Khawaja is ICC Test player of the year
Towards the end of the day’s play, Usman Khawaja was named by the ICC as their Test player of the year for 2023.
Fully deserved too, he scored 1,210 runs in 13 matches at an average of 52.60.
Khawaja was the only player to pass 1,000 runs for the calendar year.
He played a huge role as Australia won the World Test Championship, retained the Ashes and a host of other matches across the year.
He also won the ABC’s Alan McGilvray medal for the second straight year as well.
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