John Polack
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9th Match: Australia v Zimbabwe at Sydney, 28 Jan 2001 John Polack |
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Australia innings:
Zimbabwe innings: |
In again reshuffling its batting order, in again rotating its playing list, in setting Test-style attacking fields, and in turning to unlikely change bowlers, the home team's most difficult challenges today were again provided by its own brains trust - and not the opposition. Captain Steve Waugh conjured up one of the sternest tests of all, perhaps, when he won the toss and decided that his team would bat in possibly the most demanding conditions of the day.
But, after Adam Gilchrist (63) and a slightly-tentative Mark Waugh (36) had weathered the swing and seam extracted by new ball bowlers Heath Streak (1/56 from ten overs) and Bryan Strang (1/50 off ten) in muggy, humid conditions, this proved another stroll in the park. The fifth successive Australian opening stand to exceed the half-century mark in this series provided the platform for a brutal onslaught that ultimately took the Australians to within twelve runs of their highest ever one-day international score against Zimbabwe.
Ninety-eight runs had been added by the time that the Gilchrist-Waugh stand was eventually ended - by means of a bizarre run out. Waugh was the unlucky batsman, departing after Gilchrist had powered back a straight drive with such force that his partner had no chance to regain his ground at the non-striker's end as the ball went past him. He could only watch in horror as the ball took a thin deflection from bowler Brian Murphy's fingers back on to the stumps. Gilchrist made his own exit shortly afterwards, when he was deceived by a Strang delivery and lofted a simple catch to mid wicket.
For as much encouragement as the sight of the two openers returning to the pavilion must have provided, though, there was only more in the way of punishment for the Zimbabweans to follow. Characteristically, Michael Bevan (74*) proceeded to anchor a succession of productive stands.
Importantly for the Australians, theirs was an innings which offered valuable time in the middle for a number of players who had barely been required to date to bat in this series. Together with Bevan, Steve Waugh (36) and Andrew Symonds (21) also capitalised upon chances that have been far from readily forthcoming. The Zimbabweans, for their part, toiled manfully. With the new ball, Streak and Strang were steady and also generated sideways movement and variable bounce at different moments. Spinners Murphy (0/38 from eight overs) and Dirk Viljoen (3/62 off ten) also bowled tidily during the middle stages of the innings.
But there were times when the bowlers and fieldsmen looked helpless, powerless even. At no point was this more obvious than during the closing eleven overs of the innings, when Bevan, Darren Lehmann (36) and Symonds combined to help themselves to a gargantuan 110 runs and clobber the total toward 6/291. It was a feast of brilliantly improvised strokeplay and electrifying running between the wickets that again served to underline the vast gulf that exists between Australia and its opponents in this series.
Despite a gallant stand of ninety-two for the third wicket between Stuart Carlisle (44) and Andy Flower (39), Zimbabwe never really looked like challenging the rival score. Let alone overhauling it. Carlisle and Flower responded attractively upon being joined in the fifth over after another poor Zimbabwean start. In composed style, they defied excellent new ball bowling from Damien Fleming (2/21 from six overs) and Glenn McGrath (1/26 off 6.5) before cutting loose against the pace of Nathan Bracken (0/25 from five) and, more specifically, the leg spin of Shane Warne (2/52 off ten).
It was Flower who frustrated the Australian star early with some contemptuous reverse sweeping through the off side. But Carlisle was quick to join in. He hit two massive sixes over mid wicket in quick succession to have Warne looking unsettled at the bowling crease for one of the few times in recent memory.
However, a dubious shot and a dubious decision soon had matters reverting to type again. Ironically, Flower was removed almost as soon as Steve Waugh had turned to another unlikely slow bowling option, left arm wrist spinner Bevan (1/25 from seven overs). He cut, in rash fashion, at a ball spinning well away and landed a comfortable catch in the hands of Symonds at point. Carlisle was far more unlucky, harshly adjudged lbw by Umpire Peter Parker after being struck in line with off stump by a Warne delivery that appeared to be turning even further away.
And that was about the end of that. Another disappointing Zimbabwean batting collapse ensued around some valiant strokeplay from Viljoen (31) and Grant Flower (30) as Waugh threw the ball to Symonds (2/35 off eight overs) and medium pacer turned off spinner Ricky Ponting (1/12 from five) just for good measure. Paradoxically, it was Australia - delighting in its success at stumbling upon new strategies - which seemed the team more interested in staying on the field by then.
For a time, the tourists had been executing a brave bid to fight their way back into the match on the back of an excellent partnership of ninety-two runs between Flower and Carlisle for the third wicket. Having been joined in the fifth over with their team in desperate trouble at 2/11, the act of resistance inspired by the two batsmen was a superb one. They started a touch hesitantly against the new ball pairing of Damien Fleming and Glenn McGrath but slowly worked their way on top of the attack with an expertly conjured mixture of forthright attacking shots and well placed nudges and glides.
The pair were especially harsh on the bowling of leg spinner Shane Warne; Flower frustrating the Australian star early with contemptuous reverse sweeping before Carlisle rubbed salt into the wounds with two powerful sixes over mid-wicket.
Ironically, it was when Australian captain Steve Waugh turned to another unlikely spinning option, left arm wrist spinner Michael Bevan, that the pair were finally parted. Almost inexplicably, the normally restrained Flower cut wildly at a shortish delivery, failed to middle the stroke and sent a comfortable catch flying in the direction of Andrew Symonds at point only five balls into Bevan's spell.
Just three overs later, Carlisle's excellent innings was also at its end. Although it came by means of Parker's rather dubious judgement - as he was hit in line with off stump by a ball that looked to be spinning away - the number three's exit sparked a particularly large slice of revenge for Warne.
Grant Flower (21*) has played valiantly in the overs that have followed each of those dismissals. But now that his team is rapidly running out of recognised batsmen and battling to keep pace with the steepling rate of scoring required, the cause that he is fighting still appears to be very much a losing one.
Openers Alistair Campbell (3) and Guy Whittall (10) are the men back in the pavilion after these early overs of the innings, each having failed to come to grips either with the Australian new ball attack or with a pitch which still contains some venom.
In truth, Campbell looked a touch unfortunate to be dismissed, adjudged lbw by Umpire Peter Parker to a Damien Fleming delivery that seemed to pitch marginally outside the line of leg stump before arrowing in and trapping the left hander well back on his crease.
There was not so much doubt about Whittall's dismissal, though. It was a regulation catch for first slip fieldsman Shane Warne off the bowling of Glenn McGrath which proved the source of his demise. Whittall played slightly inside the line of a ball short of a driveable length and attained an outside edged as the ball bounced steeply and seamed fractionally back into him.
In the overs which have followed, the serially reverse-sweeping Andy Flower (22*) and Stuart Carlisle (17*) have waged a brave battle, conjuring an unbroken partnership of that has been predicated upon a mixture of daring efforts at attacking strokes, careful defence and occasionally risky running between the wickets. Against an attack which is relentless and a side which is fielding enthusiastically, their progress has not always been comfortable.
The Australians opened the evening session with attacking field settings, stationing three men in the slips and showing even greater confidence by placing as many as seven men on the off side. For much of the first fifteen overs, they have utilised tactics that somehow seem more germane to the Test than the one-day international arena. Yet, with five straight one-day international victories behind them and a sixth now appearing likely, the strategy somehow seems fitting given that the gap between their number of consecutive successes in the two different forms of the game is closing all the time.
In humid weather which allowed the Zimbabweans to bowl with the aid of swing and seam, the tale of this innings was of the construction of consistently effective partnerships. In another enterprising display, Adam Gilchrist (63) and a slightly-hesitant Mark Waugh (36) added ninety-eight runs at the outset, and then Michael Bevan (74*) characteristically anchored a succession of productive stands lower down.
Most importantly of all for the Australians, it was an innings which offered valuable time in the middle for a number of players who have barely been required to bat until now in the series. Together with Bevan, Steve Waugh (36) and Andrew Symonds (21) also capitalised upon chances that have been far from readily forthcoming.
The Zimbabweans, for their part, toiled manfully. With the new ball, Heath Streak and Bryan Strang were steady and also generated sideways movement and variable bounce at different moments. Spinners Brian Murphy and Dirk Viljoen also bowled tidily at times during the middle stages of the innings.
But there were times when the bowlers and fieldsmen looked helpless, powerless even. At no point was this more obvious than during the closing eleven overs of the innings, when Bevan, Darren Lehmann (36) and Symonds combined to contemptuously help themselves to 110 runs off the attack. It was a feast of brilliantly improvised strokeplay and electrifying running between the wickets that again served to underline the gulf that exists between Australia and its opponents in this series.
The visitors enjoyed a tremendous evening session the last time they played a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, securing a phenomenal victory over West Indies as they defended a total of just 138. But this is a completely different task against completely different opposition. Their hopes already look forlorn.
Mark Waugh (36) was the unlucky batsman, departing in the twenty-second over after his opening partner Adam Gilchrist (63) had advanced a pace at the bowling of leg spinner Brian Murphy and powered a straight drive firmly back down the pitch. The shot had been struck with such force, in fact, that Waugh - backing up - had no chance to regain his ground at the non-striker's end and could only watch in horror as the ball took a thin deflection from Murphy's fingers back on to the stumps.
Having halted the first wicket stand at 98 (the fifth time in succession that the Australians have registered an opening partnership that has exceeded the half century mark), the Zimbabweans were then presented with a chance to build on the position almost immediately when Gilchrist played a loose cut at Bryan Strang. The chance went begging, though, as the top edged shot eluded wicketkeeper Andy Flower, who had robbed Peter to pay Paul by deciding to stand up to the stumps and discourage Gilchrist from taking guard outside his crease.
The miss was not to prove particularly expensive, though. With only an extra four runs having been added to his score, the powerful left hander committed one of the few mistakes of his innings. An effort to loft a Strang delivery over mid wicket was undone when he misread the slower pace of the ball and spooned a simple catch to Alistair Campbell fielding inside the thirty metre circle.
For as much encouragement as the sight of the two openers returning to the pavilion must have provided, though, there has only been more of the same in the way of punishment for the Zimbabweans since. Experienced campaigners Steve Waugh (29*) and Michael Bevan (13*) have started to avail themselves of the opportunity for valuable stays in the middle, taking little time to tick the scoreboard over in a partnership that has already realised thirty-four runs for the third wicket.
In muggy conditions, swing and seam movement with the new ball was evident for the Zimbabweans. But, while steady, neither Heath Streak nor Bryan Strang looked close to capturing a wicket through the early stages. The closest they came was when Waugh lazily played away from his body twice at Strang in the eighth over, sending edges spearing in the air through where a second slip might normally have been stationed. Change bowlers Mluleki Nkala and Guy Whittall have fared little better.
After days of being dogged by controversy, Waugh came out to an enormous ovation from his home crowd. But, while he never looked especially likely to be dismissed, he played tentatively for a long period upon reaching the crease, batting without the same assurance that has marked many of his international innings this summer. It wasn't really until the ninth over when he imperiously clipped a Streak delivery away through mid wicket that he genuinely appeared to break the shackles.
Gilchrist, for his part, has produced some more of his typically scintillating strokeplay from close to the outset. Strong driving through the off side and some magnificent pull strokes have featured repeatedly. And, just to make matters worse for the visitors, the Australian vice captain has also benefited from some more uninspiring fielding from his opponents. The most obvious manifestation of this came when substitute fieldsman Douglas Marillier allowed one off drive to travel straight between his legs at the start of the twelfth over, permitting Gilchrist to add another four runs to his total from what should clearly have been a dot ball.
Matters already look ominous for the tourists.
The odds of a Zimbabwean victory are small enough but the fact that even the team's captain, Heath Streak, conceded only yesterday that the prospect of beating Australia is one that extends beyond his wildest dreams probably puts them into even sharper perspective. And the task hasn't become easier after the outcome of the toss - opposite number Steve Waugh winning and deciding that the home side will bat first. Nonetheless, even a tight result here might prove significant as the tourists, fielding an unchanged line-up, attempt to sneak their way into the tournament's best-of-three finals series.
The Australians, for their part, go from strength to strength. After a crushing ten wicket win on Sunday in Adelaide, they appear, if anything, even to have strengthened their team for today's match. Brett Lee, Ian Harvey and Damien Martyn are the latest members of their squad to be rested and have been replaced in the starting eleven by Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting and Nathan Bracken.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 28 Jan2001 - 22:23