Debutant shows poise in face of poor luck

The moment that nearly was for newcomer Michael Beer, whose celebrations of Alastair Cook's wicket were cut short by Billy Bowden's referral.

UNTIL very recently, Michael Beer was a club cricketer. Successful club cricketers work hard, don't have airs, don't date models or drive Lamborghinis, and don't much believe in fairytales.

They know that the joy of cricket is in the pursuit, but that it is a game that mostly disappoints. So when Beer's fairytale start to Test cricket was snatched away from him at the SCG yesterday, he was not surprised.

With just his 14th ball, Beer had lured Australia's nemesis, Alastair Cook, into an indiscretion and had him caught at mid-on from a skier. But umpire Billy Bowden called for a referral that revealed a no-ball.

Beer stared momentarily at Bowden, then licked his fingers as spinners do and made purposely for his bowling mark. This was his mistake; only he could make reparation for it.

At over's end, he stalked off to fine leg, glowering. If ever he had an ingenue's manner, it was gone now. Next over, he slipped a ball past Kevin Pietersen's broad bat. Soon afterwards, Pietersen's top edge came flying towards him at deep backward square leg on the sort of trajectory that gives a man just long enough to think about the consequences for dropping it. Beer didn't.

The Cook misadventure came and went. Beer cursed himself, but only himself. Far from broken, he bowled the day out. At stumps, every teammate went to him, not ostentatiously, but in brotherhood. It took Warne more than 40 overs to take his first wicket, but 700 more followed. Beer does not have Warne's talent and his craft - left-arm finger-spin - is plebeian beside Warne's exotica. But he comes to Test cricket from the same crucible as Warne and it is one that allows a man no pretensions. He might be beaten, but he won't be bowed.