Day 4: Blewett, Richards smash Australian XI to astonishing win

Just four days away from the fourth Ashes Test, Blewett and Corey Richards humiliated the English bowlers as they went on a huge run chase at the rate of almost five an over.

Blewett slammed 213 and Richards 138 as Australia rocketed to 376 to win by nine wickets with 22.4 overs to spare.

The win was meaningless in one sense as it required a series of declarations on a benign Bellerive Oval wicket -- 1,337 runs were scored for the loss of only 14 wickets.

But the ease with which the second-string Australians reached their target underlined both the rich depth of Australian batting and the ineffectiveness of the English bowlers.

That is what angered Gooch, who had made it clear before the match that good bowling performances here could win places in the team for the fourth Test starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

While he thought England's morning declaration at 199 for three was generous he was upset by the failure to protect the total.

``It was not the loss, but the manner of the loss,'' he said in yet another criticism of his team's performance on tour. ``We bowled both sides of the wicket, it was very disappointing. We were totally abject today.''

All that could be said in England's defence was that they ran into two batsmen who could do nothing wrong. When Blewett reached 38 he became the sixth Australian to score more than 1, 000 first class runs before the new year. When he had completed his innings he had amassed 1,175 runs at a 146.88 average, the most runs ever scored by an Australian before Christmas.

The other Australians to have reached the milestone are Bill Ponsford, Bob Simpson (twice), Graham Yallop, David Hookes and Allan Border. When he reached his century he became the sixth Australian to score first-class centuries in four successive innings. The others are Don Bradman (three times), Charlie McCartney, David Hookes, Allan Border and Michael Bevan.

All the same South Australian Blewett has a way to go to challenge Bradman, who scored six in a row. Blewett's runs started with 158 in South Australia's second innings against Victoria. This was followed by 152 against Tasmania and 169 not out in the first innings of this match.

On Tuesday he was dynamic, with the seven English bowlers unable to bowl a single maiden between them. In all he needed 228 minutes and 180 balls while hitting 20 fours and three sixes.

Yet he cannot get into the Australian team, although he gained a consolation prize of sorts when he was named Tuesday to captain an Australian A side to play three one-day matches against Sri Lanka in the new year. Richards suffered little in comparison with his more experienced partner.

The only member of the team not to have played at international level, he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings. But he atoned richly Tuesday, attacking from the start. He slowed a little as he approached his century and then tore into the dispirited bowlers. While less brutal than Blewett, he was not much slower. His 138 came from 142 balls with nine fours.

Their unbroken stand of 345 took only 206 minutes off 307 balls. Blewett said later he was disappointed by not being in the Test side, especially for an Ashes series since he had done well against England in the past.

But he was philosophical. ``I know why I'm not in the Test side,'' he said. ``I have been in the opposite situation.'' He attributed his golden summer to studying tapes of his disappointing Indian tour earlier this year which showed his stance was too open.