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Warne tips balance in favour of Australia

Christopher Martin-Jenkins

21 November 1996


THE return of Shane Warne gives Australia, on paper at least, an impregnable look as they prepare for the opening Test of their keenly awaited series against the West Indies, starting at the Woolloongabba ground in Brisbane tomorrow, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

Any side who can afford to drop Michael Slater and Stuart Law, with a batsman of the quality and emperament of Michael Bevan batting as low as six, are going to be hard to beat and the West Indies will need Australian Brian Lara in his best form, which has eluded him on the tour to date, if they are to score quickly and heavily enough to make the most of their ageing but still formidable fast bowling.

It hardly needs marketing slogans more appropriate to world boxing championships to sell a home series against the West Indies to the Australian public. Since the epic Benaud/Worrell rubber in 1960-61 there has always been excitement at the prospect of a meeting between these two heavyweights of the cricketing world.

Several topical factors add piquancy to what is always the most important game in any series. Australia's perennial selfconfidence (their critics might call it arrogance) has been dented by the uncertainty surrounding Warne after an anxious period of recuperation from the operation on his spinning finger and the series of defeats in their least favourite theatre of action, the Indian subcontinent, last month. They were without Warne or the captain, Mark Taylor, also recovering from surgery, and three of their best fast bowlers.

A new coach, Geoff Marsh, also has something to prove after Bobby Simpson's successful run in charge, which reached its triumphant climax when Australia finally defeated the West Indies early in 1995 after 19 years without a win in eight previous series.

For 15 years the West Indies had not lost a Test series to anyone. Their own changes have been much deeper: in lieu of Peter Short, Andy Roberts, Wes Hall and Richie Richardson we now find a new, commercially-minded board chairman, Pat Rousseau from Jamaica; a new coach, Malcolm Marshall; a 'new' manager, Clive Lloyd; and a 'new' captain, Courtney Walsh.

That lofty Jamaican leads the West Indies tomorrow in his 83rd Test on his seventh tour of Australia. He is in a way the most remarkable of all these great names, having played Test cricket with both his senior advisers on this tour, the avuncular, deceptively shrewd Lloyd, and Marshall, who is a better communicator than his predecessor, Roberts.

Walsh was an old enough dog not to fall for the trick also played against England on their last two tours by the Australian Cricket Board. Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Kenny Benjamin all rested in the final preparatory match for this first Test, played against an Australian XI in freezing conditions at Hobart. No touring itinerary should be accepted which places a match in the lee of the snow-capped Mount Wellington in November immediately before a Test in the sub-tropical heat and humidity of Brisbane. The not entirely surprising consequence was that the second-string West Indian attack was pummelled. Matthew Hayden scored a double hundred, Matthew Elliott 158 and Greg Blewett 89 not out.

Of the successful trio it is Elliott, Victoria's patient left-handed opener and a batsman who brings back memories of Bill Lawry in both his build and his method, who has been chosen as Taylor's new opening partner, with Ricky Ponting, at three, trying to try to fill the boots of David Boon.

Since Boon's retirement from Test cricket, too much has depended upon the extraordinary ability, determination and consistency of Steve Waugh, rated by all the computers as the best Test batsman in the world at present. He was the hero of the tour of the West Indies, scoring 429 in six Test innings at an average of 107, but he may be due a less dramatic series.

As always, it is likely that the form of the exceptional players will determine the series either way. Is Ambrose in the mood? Is Lara ready, after a breather, to resume his record-breaking? Warne only got him out once in the last series, but as the leading West Indian batsman his own average was a modest 44.

On paper, the West Indian batting is stronger. Lara averages 60 and his fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the best thing to happen to West Indies cricket for some time, 55. It is hard not to think, however, that Jimmy Adams is a fraction flattered by his exalted Test average of 66 and after a season of batting at Chester-le-Street, Sherwin Campbell hardly looked worthy of an average eight runs higher than Mark Waugh's.


Source: The Electronic Telegraph
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Date-stamped : 25 Feb1998 - 15:23