Revived Ambrose gives Australia rough ride

By Simon Hughes in Melbourne

AUSTRALIA'S largest Test match crowd for 25 years gathered at the MCG yesterday hoping to salivate over further West Indian humiliation while they munched through their turkey sandwiches.

But before they had even had a chance to unwrap them, the Australian batting order had exhibited a bad case of indigestion and the first four were all back in the pavilion. A typically resilient innings by Steve Waugh and the uncomplicated methods of Greg Blewett made the afternoon a little more palatable, but the last five wickets going for 24 left a nasty aftertaste.

Despite nipping out the reliable Sherwin Campbell before the close, the Australians' eventual total of 219 was well below par on a springy but far from lethal pitch, and the majority of the 72,821 spectators - the most at an Australian Test since the heyday of Lillee and Thomson - knew it.

Their main tormentor was a rejuvenated Curtly Ambrose. He had already shown signs of a return to form in a one-day international at the Adelaide Oval, and here he rediscovered the superb rhythm and cutting edge that transforms West Indies dawdlers into dangermen. At one stage his figures were 8-4-5-3.

He was helped by a grassy strip, and a revamped Australian batting order which began uncertainly and never fully recovered. With Matthew Elliott injured and

Michael Slater still struggling for runs, the burly left-hander Matthew Hayden won the vote as Mark Taylor's opening partner, but though he regularly bullies first-class attacks in both hemispheres, he has never quite managed to establish himself at the next level.

This may be because he is over-dependent on the front foot, an impression Ambrose clearly shares. As soon as Hayden was at the opposite end he unleashed a flesh-seeking missile which thudded into Hayden's ample right pectoral as he eased forward. Two balls later his feet were nowhere as Ambrose angled one across him and Carl Hooper took the edge in front of first slip's nose. It was the first of several inspired pieces of West Indian fielding.

Taylor lingered without ever looking convincing while another compact left-hander, Justin Langer, preferred to Ricky Ponting at No 4, went busily about his work. Langer had just hooked the ineffective Kenny Benjamin over long-leg for six, when Taylor was tucked up by one from Ambrose which cut back and bowled him off his body.

Mark Waugh strode in fresh from a weekend partnership of 273 with his brother for New South Wales, poked hopefully at the next delivery and was palpably lbw.

Steve Waugh survived the hat-trick ball and proceeded to play the kind of innings that makes him appear more and more like a right-handed version of Allan Border. Precise judgment of which balls to let go, knowing which scoring avenues were safe (the back-foot slash and the leg-side nurdle) and when to return the fast bowlers' glares after a play and miss.

He was partly to blame for the loss of Langer - calling him for a quick single and then hesitating to leave him stranded, plunging Australia to 27 for four - but fully responsible for galvanising the fast-improving Blewett.

After a period of retrenchment aided by the withdrawal of Ambrose, the waywardness of Bishop and the fatigue of Walsh, both batsmen freed their arms against Benjamin. Blewett oiled his pull and lofted Hooper's off-spin one bounce into the fence.

Their stand was worth 102 in 35 overs when Waugh, who had looked totally at ease, fenced at a ball from Bishop and was given out caught behind. It must have been a faint edge, because Waugh stayed put for some time before trudging off.

Ian Healy was Blewett's jaunty companion as he passed fifty with a smear through the covers, and the wicketkeeper maintained his position as the leading run-scorer in this series before slicing Ambrose from round the wicket to second slip.

Trying to farm the bowling, Blewett then embarked on a risky single to mid-on and was run out by a direct hit. The tail was swiftly amputated, though Glen McGrath was unlucky to depart caught off his helmet grille. He took revenge by almost decapitating Campbell with a vicious bouncer, then trapping him lbw two balls later, but it was still West Indies' day, their first moral victory of the series.

Day 2; Electronic Telegraph

McGrath cuts and seams West Indies down to size

By Simon Hughes in Melbourne

A LEAN, mean, seam machine and feisty Australian out-cricket regained the initiative the home side had lost on the first day of this third Test here and but for the resilience of two unsung left-handers, the West Indians would have surrendered the lead by the end of the second.

As it is, they will have to bat last on a pitch already behaving a shade unreliably. The tourists do not need reminding that Shane Warne took seven for 52 on the last day here four years ago to give Australia a 139-run victory.

But the West Indies' vulnerability to hostile, persistent seam bowling makes Warne probably the least of their worries. Glenn McGrath had already taken 14 wickets at 15 apiece in this series when he marked out his run yesterday morning and though he was wicketless in his first spell, he and Paul Reiffel gave the batsmen so little that in the first hour only 21 runs were scored. All day, half-volleys were about as plentiful as Mike Atherton smiles.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's nimble, fleet-footed method manufactured a few runs behind square on the leg side, but wiry left-hander Robert Samuels was rapped painfully on the gloves by both bowlers and had managed only 17 in 20 overs when the introduction of Warne caused him to mentally relax. He was tempted to attack one tossed up invitingly outside off stump but succeeded only in slicing a sharp catch wide of first slip, which Mark Taylor swallowed expertly. Samuels does not look to have the patience to deal with these bowlers.

The West Indies needed a substantial contribution from Brian Lara to resuscitate this series and he had promised them a hundred to back up Curtly Ambrose's five wickets. He singularly failed to deliver. He took 20 minutes to get off the mark, jerked tentatively at three balls from McGrath, his current bFte noire who Taylor had shrewdly reintroduced, sparred at the fourth with an open face and glided a waist-high catch to Warne, positioned precisely in the gap between second slip and gully.

It was the fourth time in five innings McGrath had dismissed Lara and the prince of Trinidad looks more like a pauper at present.

Tall and supple, McGrath moves smoothly to the wicket, bowls from very close to the stumps and in method and approach is quite reminiscent of Shaun Pollock. Hostile rather than outright quick, he moves the ball a little this way and that, rarely strays off line and bowls a disconcerting shorter ball that climbs uncomfortably from only just short of a length, accompanied by a lengthy follow through and a good Aussie glare. Even in warm conditions, his perseverance never wavered - all the more important yesterday after the tyro, Jason Gillespie, left the field with a back strain -and his figures at lunch read 15-7-11-2.

McGrath is no slouch in the field, either, and followed a neat pick-up and throw to run out a dozy Carl Hooper with a blinding one-handed return catch as Chanderpaul scooped an attempted drive. It was the little Guyanese's first mistake in 3.5 hours of wristy manoeuvre.

At 107 for five, Adams presumably felt it would be an uphill task getting close to Australia's total with only the erratic Junior Murray and the fast bowlers for company. But while Adams felt his way forward in singles, Murray injected impetus to a moribund batting performance and rattled to 50, pulling and driving with abandon as seems to be the wicketkeeper's prerogative in these parts.

The partnership realised 90 in as many minutes until McGrath returned to secure his 97th and 98th Test wickets in his 23rd match.

Adams eventually found his touch but the tail are easily outwitted by these canny bowlers, none more so than Ambrose, who was softened up by McGrath and then snared by Warne's slow teasing leg break which slipped through the gate almost in slow motion. We might experience deja vu on Monday.

Day 3- Electronic Telegraph

Ambrose gives Australians timely warning

By Simon Hughes in Melbourne

FEE FI Fo Fum, I smell the blood of a vulnerable one, Curtly Ambrose's body language proclaimed as he paced out his run on Boxing Day at the start of the third Test in Melbourne.

Taking guard for Australia with Mark Taylor, the captain, was Matthew Hayden, a heavy scorer in first-class cricket, but making his home debut in Test matches.

Introducing non battle-hardened opening batsmen against the West Indies pace attack is not good selection policy, as competent players for England such as Andy Lloyd, Tim Curtis and Hugh Morris will tell you. It is one thing to feast on so-called pie-throwers, quite another to assault grenade-bearers.

Ambrose looked jaded and weary during the early part of this tour, but rediscovered his rhythm in an Adelaide one-dayer 10 days ago, and the sight of Hayden opening at the MCG was like a late Christmas present.

Devouring a young fledgling was just what he needed to whet his lost appetite. He knew an early breakthrough would present another succulent morsel in the shape of the inexperienced left-hander, Justin Langer, due in at No 3, and he said after the first day's play: ``Usually when I see a couple of young faces come into Test cricket I want to make sure I stamp my authority early, let them know this is the big time. That's one thing that really motivates me.''

A hard, grassy MCG pitch with hairline cracks was a further gift from Santa. In fact Ambrose was so keyed up he tweaked a hamstring in his excitement, before reducing Australia to 27 for four in his first spell.

By the second innings the injury had stiffened up considerably but, again galvanised by the appearance of Hayden - this time bravely volunteering to take first ball - he plunged headlong into their batting. Within three overs Australia were three for two, both Hayden and Langer back in the pavilion.

One immortal assailant can transform a moderate outfit - Botham did it for England, Warne for Australia - and the other West Indies bowlers feed off Ambrose's exploits.

Australia lost in three days to have their series lead cut to 2-1 because Ambrose twice blew away their top order. During his second-innings four for 17 he took his 100th Australian Test wicket (only the third non-English bowler to achieve this after Lance Gibbs and Richard Hadlee) confirming him as Australia's post-Eighties nemesis.

The Australian selectors must take their share of the blame for allowing the West Indies back into this five-Test series. They banished the proven Michael Slater (now not even in the Australian A side), cast out the emerging Ricky Ponting on the grounds of indifferent form and tossed raw flesh into the ring.

Jimmy Adams, with a spirited 74, derived benefit from watching the way Shivnarine Chanderpaul dealt with Glenn McGrath's round-the-wicket menace.

Most reassuringly of all for the West Indies, they won without even the slightest hint of a contribution from Brian Lara. Quite apart from his double failure with the bat, he looked a forlorn figure in the field, often practising his golf swing.

Clearly 'McGrathitis' (five dismissals in six innings) was getting to him. ``It's simple,'' McGrath said. ``I just tuck him up for a while from round the wicket, then give him the one outside off stump and he can't resist it.''

Australia now revert their attention to the World Series before the fourth Test in Adelaide on Jan 25.