John Polack
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10th Match: Australia v Zimbabwe at Hobart, 30 Jan 2001 John Polack |
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Australia innings:
Zimbabwe innings: |
Alistair Campbell (124) and Mark Waugh (102*) traded centuries, and both bowling attacks were no better than steady, but there was little else in the way of parity between the teams. At 6/279, Zimbabwe appeared to have handed itself a great platform from which to attack the Australians. Alas, the target was overhauled with ridiculous, almost farcical, ease.
The Zimbabweans had headed to the southernmost of Australia's six major cricketing centres today with hopes of lifting themselves closer to the heights scaled by the all-conquering home side. For three and a half hours, they performed the job beautifully; after being invited to bat, the tourists produced their highest total of the tournament, a ground record score for a one-day international, and established a target of such magnitude that an Australian team had never previously overhauled a bigger score on home soil in one-day international history.
In the main, it was Campbell who was responsible. After a tough initiation against Glenn McGrath (2/43 off ten overs) and Damien Fleming (0/46 from ten), he orchestrated a half-century stand for the opening wicket with Guy Whittall (36); another half-century association for the second wicket with an aggressive Stuart Carlisle (36); and then a century stand for the third with Andy Flower (51).
Severe on anything wide or short, Campbell conceived a masterful performance. Before being given his marching orders - on the back of exhaustive replays of a stumping decision - he was assured and confident. He didn't even offer a chance as he made his way serenely toward the second highest score of his one-day international career and the highest ever made at this venue. Sparkling driving through the off side was matched by serial gliding behind the wicket and clever working of the ball into gaps in the leg side field.
On the back of their former captain's anchoring performance, the Zimbabweans made excellent progress all the way through their innings. The pace of the run scoring was frenetic early, was eased back through the middle stages, and was then accelerated again nicely with a flurry of clean hitting toward its conclusion.
"It's disappointing in the end. I thought 280 was a good score. But, obviously, it's not good enough against these guys," lamented Campbell after the match.
"We knew that, with that sort of score on the board, we'd have to make them work to get them. But we just weren't able to create enough pressure on the bowling side," he added.
Undoubtedly encouraged by events in Sydney two days ago, the Australians had meanwhile again become flirtatious with their form early in the match. And this time, they were punished for it. A decision to throw Ian Harvey (0/54 from ten overs) the ball in the seventh over cost sixteen runs immediately and another six in the over that followed. Moreover, it allowed the Zimbabweans to establish some irresistible momentum.
Also aiding the tourists' cause was an uncharacteristically sloppy display from the home team in the field. Aside from an excellently effected run out from wicketkeeper and international debutant Brad Haddin to remove Whittall and a wonderful running catch from Andrew Symonds at long on to spark the demise of Carlisle, there was little about to which to enthuse from an Australian point of view.
There was even an ugly fumble from Haddin himself as he attempted - ultimately successfully - to win the approval of third umpire, John Smeaton, in the stumping decision which went against Campbell. Only some fine saves in the deep and another excellent catch from Damien Martyn to dismiss Flower over the closing stages of the innings helped temper the general spectacle of misfields and unremarkable returns.
Perhaps it was the case that Australia had simply become too concerned with its desire to supplement established practice with new tricks.
But the tale of its pursuit of the target gave another pretty good idea of its awesome power. Symonds (60) might well have been out from the very first ball of the response when his gloves either just made or just failed to make contact with a rising Heath Streak (0/49 off ten overs) delivery. As it was, the Zimbabweans simply could not believe that Umpire Steve Davis failed to uphold their frenzied appeal.
Thereafter, the belligerent Queenslander, in his role as Australia's fifth opener of the series, simply tore the Zimbabwean attack to shreds. As Waugh proceeded to make slower and more measured progress toward a sixteenth one-day hundred at the other end, Symonds led Australia past the half-century mark inside eight overs. On a placid pitch, under sunny skies, and against bowlers showing more in the way of enthusiasm than skill, it was never really a contest after that. Captain Steve Waugh (79) also offered a convincing contribution.
"We knew it was a good wicket. We had to get through the first five or ten overs when there was a bit of bounce and sideways movement. But after that, we knew it'd flatten out," said the Australian skipper.
"It was a target we thought we could achieve."
It was a task so casually achieved, in fact, that Mark Waugh even permitted himself the ridiculous luxury of farming the strike toward the end and refusing a multitude of potential singles on offer in the name of reaching his landmark. Although the Australians required more runs, their victory was one which didn't require too much more in the way of exertion than the eleven which have preceded it this summer.
Assisted by a rampaging innings from Andrew Symonds (60) in his unfamiliar role as an opener and by two slightly more patient displays from Mark (70*) and Steve (45*) Waugh, the home team has moved to its current total without so much as appearing to raise a sweat. Hard toil from the Zimbabwean bowlers and fielders - around some near-comical efforts from emerging cult hero Angus MacKay - has predominated, but the attack has not earned anything above the tag of 'steady' to this stage.
There were two moments of joy for the visitors in reasonably quick succession - Symonds' departure in the fourteenth over followed a short time later by the surrender of local hero Ricky Ponting (6) to a wild cross-batted slog that ended in the hands of a stumbling MacKay at mid on. Otherwise, it has been an afternoon in the field which has brought with it few rewards.
Curator Peter Apps had predicted before the match that the Bellerive Oval pitch could well produce two scores around, or even above, the 250 mark. That assessment looks as though it will be spot on.
The innings started on a bizarre note as makeshift opener Andrew Symonds (60) appeared to play fractionally inside the line of a delivery of good pace and bounce from Heath Streak. Streak and his teammates were convinced that the ball had brushed glove on the way through to wicketkeeper Andy Flower, and a long, confused delay ensued as the Zimbabweans gathered in a huddle behind the wicket, while Symonds and Umpire Steve Davis remained firmly in their positions. Ultimately, Symonds and opening partner Mark Waugh (38*) even cheekily set off on a run as the disbelieving Zimbabweans looked on helplessly.
Neither of the openers appeared to be in complete command in a stand that ultimately spilled to a mark of eighty-nine and a number of plays and misses - particularly against the noticeable bounce exploited by Streak from the Church Street End -featured. Yet Symonds still achieved the feat of chalking up a contemptuously struck half-century from the matter of just forty deliveries in forty-eight minutes. It came as something of a shock when he attempted to slam Brian Murphy's very first delivery of the match over the leg side and dragged a catch straight down the metaphorical throat of Dirk Viljoen at mid on.
With far less of the strike initially, Waugh has also sauntered toward his score. It has been a less emphatic innings than the one played by the hard-hitting Symonds but not significantly less effective.
Batting second, Australia's highest winning one-day international score before today was the 7/263 that it compiled against New Zealand in Adelaide in the 1997-98 season. A winning performance here would not only erase that piece of history from the record books, but would also establish a new record one-day international total at the Bellerive Oval and would reverse a trend that has seen Australia fail to secure a one-day international win in Hobart since as long ago as 1994.
Severe on anything wide or short, Campbell conceived a masterful performance. There was something of a struggle through the early going as he and opening partner Guy Whittall (36) fought a gritty duel with new ball bowlers Glenn McGrath (2/43 off ten overs) and Damien Fleming (0/46 from ten) just outside the line of off stump. But, as the pitch played increasingly truly, so indeed did he. He didn't offer a chance as he made his way serenely toward the second highest score of his one-day international career. Sparkling driving through the off side was matched by serial gliding behind the wicket and clever working of the ball into gaps in the leg side field.
It was a measure of his significance in proceedings that he featured in a half-century stand for the opening wicket with Whittall; another half-century association for the second wicket with an aggressive Stuart Carlisle (36); and then a century stand for the third with Andy Flower (51). On the back of his anchoring performance, the Zimbabweans made excellent progress all the way through their innings. The pace of the run scoring was frenetic early, was eased back through the middle stages, and then was accelerated again nicely with a flurry of clean hitting toward the end.
The Australians, for their part, looked rusty. Like a team struggling to find inspiration any more. Quite apart from some unsuccessful bowling changes - one of which arguably even helped Zimbabwe establish its momentum in the first place as Ian Harvey (0/54 off ten overs) was clouted for fifteen runs from the seventh over of the innings - there were signs of general sloppiness in the field too.
Aside from an excellently effected run out from wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to remove Whittall (36) and a wonderful running catch from Andrew Symonds at long on to spark the demise of Carlisle (36), there was little about to which to enthuse from an Australian point of view. There was even an ugly fumble from Haddin himself as he attempted - ultimately successfully - to win the approval of third umpire, John Smeaton, in a stumping decision against a horribly unlucky Campbell. Only some fine saves in the deep and another excellent catch from Damien Martyn to dismiss Flower (51) over the closing stages of the innings helped temper the general spectacle of misfields and unremarkable returns.
Whilst it needs to be said that the pitch and general conditions are excellent for batting, the visitors have assembled a fine total here. At last, they've given an enthusiastic, sell-out, crowd the rare chance to witness what could, just possibly, develop into a competitive finish too.
Australia's newest kid on the block effected his intervention in the twenty-third over of an innings in which his new teammates had been struggling to make any kind of impression. Opener Guy Whittall (36) had attempted to sweep a Shane Warne delivery but failed to make significant contact, and the ball trickled away slowly into the leg side. It was from here that Haddin pounced; he gathered the ball quickly and unleashed, past a still-appealing Warne, a throw with his right hand that crashed into the stumps at the bowler's end. Suddenly, from nowhere, a fine innings from the right hander - and an even better opening stand of ninety-four with Alistair Campbell (75*) - had been brought to its end.
For all of the annoyance that manner of dismissal must have provided the visitors, they have only added to their early position of strength in the overs since. Together with Campbell, who continues to produce a lovely assortment of strokes to all parts of the ground, number three Stuart Carlisle (23*) is also playing brightly. No language has been heard to pass between them, but Carlisle seems to be particularly enjoying his battle with Warne, and has milked the leg spinner for runs consistently to this stage.
After a period of relative inactivity from openers Alistair Campbell (38*) and Guy Whittall (23*) against the new ball, the spur to their run rate was provided by Australian captain Steve Waugh's introduction of medium pacer Ian Harvey into the attack after just seven overs had been bowled. At that stage, the scoreboard read 0/25. Four minutes later, it had the total of 0/41 branded large upon it. Six runs were also plundered off the following Harvey over in an explosion of lovely driving through the off side from Campbell.
As Harvey's early struggle has proved, the pitch at Bellerive is settling down nicely and playing very truly in the terms of pace and bounce so far. Aside from a difficult early duel just outside the line of off stump with Australian spearhead Glenn McGrath, this has helped Zimbabwe's cause nicely, allowing them to build what has flourished into a very attractive opening partnership. It's the sort of platform that they have rarely established this summer.
There's already good news for the large audience, too. Australia has won the toss and will field first, unleashing their attack on a struggling Zimbabwe top order on a pitch expected to contain a touch of early moisture. Although Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken are being rested, this means that they'll also be given the opportunity to see star duo Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming open things up for Australia.
Alongside Lee and Bracken, it's Michael Bevan's turn to take a rest from the Australian side today. And, of course, the Australians also have a new wicketkeeper - New South Wales gloveman Brad Haddin helping to give regular custodian Adam Gilchrist a break from his duties.
For Zimbabwe, one change has been effected. Out-of-sorts batsman Gavin Rennie has been omitted, his place assumed by bowler Angus MacKay.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 30 Jan2001 - 14:23