CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Day 1: Warne omission reflects his decline

Peter Roebuck in Antigua

After the storms of the Test in Barbados came the calm of the Recreation Ground in Antigua as the final Test yesterday began on a brown pitch apparently full of runs.

Winning the toss for the 11th time in a row and needing to win the match, the Australians sent out their opening pair to establish the innings against an attack strengthened by the inclusion of Corey Collymore, a hustling pace bowler from Barbados.

Michael Slater, the likeliest man to inspire an Australian fightback, took out with him a new partner, Greg Blewett, replacing Matthew Elliott, whose form had gone to pieces. Blewett and Elliott, between the two of them, could produce a top batsman, for Blewett has the brain and Elliott the game.

Although both openers are buccaneers by temperament, they were held in check by tight bowling from the West Indian stalwarts on a desperately slow pitch. Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose cut their pace in response to the surface and bowled so accurately that only 23 runs came in the opening hour.

It took the appearance of Collymore to create a sense of danger, though the runs also began to flow, Slater pulling hard and playing pleasant and sometimes uppish drives. Patently, it was up to Australia to press for victory.

Inevitably events off the field provoked as much debate as occurrences upon it. After all, it is not every day that the greatest spinner in the history of the game, and perhaps the most influential player since the war, is dropped.

Shane Warne is one of three touring selectors and wanted to play, only to be outvoted by Steve Waugh and Geoff Marsh, supported by the chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns, from his Brisbane home.

It was a matter of form. Since returning to the team in Sydney, Warne has taken four for 378 and in this series he has claimed two wickets for 268 runs, his wickets being Walsh caught at long-off and Ridley Jacobs held at mid-on.

Admittedly Warne has missed Mark Taylor's outstanding work at slip and has found himself bowling to numerous left-handers. In his heyday such challenges could not have stopped him.

After years of hard work the important parts of Warne's anatomy have let him down. Wear and tear has taken its toll of his spinning finger and bowling shoulder. He remains a fine thinker about the game and a fierce competitor, but his bowling has lost its nip.

At delivery his feet are more open and his body does not turn. Accordingly, his deliveries are not fading to leg before ripping across the right-hander in that wicked way that has so bewildered English opponents. Nor is he able to bowl his flipper or googly. In short, he is living on his wits, and the batsmen have smelt him out.

Nonetheless, Warne still has much to offer. Realising his predicament, he has put his head down with the bat and has also taken catches at slip. With Ricky Ponting, he is the team's most original and active thinker. It has not been enough to save him.

Despite Jason Gillespie's absence through injury, the Australian selectors felt obliged to field their four most dangerous bowlers. Stuart MacGill has not threatened much but he has spun the ball harder and worried the batsmen more.

His inclusion lengthens the tail but Australia could not afford to worry about that. Gillespie's withdrawal was damaging because he had bowled magnificently and unluckily in Barbados, and his final over to Walsh was superb.

Not until the next Australian season starts will the significance of this selection decision be apparent. By then Warne's shoulder will have had time to recover its strength and his future can more accurately be pre dicted.

This is an Australian team built around four great cricketers - Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Warne and Ian Healy. Previous captains have been able to bring together Warne and McGrath whenever opportunity arises or times are hard. Steve Waugh has enjoyed no such luxury, and accordingly the world's best side are vulnerable. Healy's form has also been poor.

It is extraordinary how quickly things can change. A month ago, a fortnight ago, the problems of the West Indians were the talking point. Now it is the Australians who seem to be in trouble.

Eager to take charge, Slater hit an off-break into the press box only to cut a long-hop to cover on the stroke of lunch.

Day 2: Miller chips in as Warne takes stock

Peter Deeley in Antigua

Shane Warne was in the shade in every sense during the final Test here yesterday as Colin Miller, the journeyman who replaced him, took two West Indies wickets in six balls - after hitting 43 breezy runs with the bat.

Warne, whose lack of cutting edge precipitated his exclusion, stayed well out of sight in the dressing-room as Miller, 34, took centre stage in his seventh Test.

He out-shone his captain, Steve Waugh, in a half-century ninth-wicket partnership and then, with his fifth ball, had West Indies opener Adrian Griffith caught behind reaching for a ball cutting away.

In Miller's following over Sherwin Campbell edged him to first slip where Mark Waugh took a very low catch. The third umpire was called upon to adjudge whether the ball had carried - as Waugh had indicated. That reduced the home side to 20 for two.

With Jason Gillespie out through injury and Glenn McGrath coming off after six overs it was a very strangesounding Australian attack with Miller at one end and Adam Dale, 30, coming in for his second Test.

But Miller blotted his fairy-tale start by dropping Brian Lara, then on 14, when the home captain pulled McGrath, in his first over back, straight to him at wide mid-on. To rub it in, Lara then creamed Miller for three raking fours in one over.

Warne had declared that he would have to reconsider his future after the World Cup. ``I must consider seriously where my career is going but I'm not going to jump to any quick decisions.''

As vice-captain and a selector he voted at the meeting on the eve of this Test to remain in the side, but Steve Waugh and coach Geoff Marsh went against him.

``I believe I should still be part of the team. I don't think I've been bowling badly at all. I just haven't got wickets. I've created chances but unfortunately they just haven't gone to hand and I'm out of the side. It's as simple as that. You just cop it on the chin and get on with it.

``But I know that when Shane Warne is at his best he is still the best leg spinner in the world. My record (317 wickets in 71 Tests) proves that and I think I can get back to that form. I think my dropping may be just a one-off.''

Warne hinted that he might become exclusively a one-day bowler, admitting that being left out of the team ``took a lot out of me. You are kicked in the guts and it's up to you which way you go then.''

Miller hit 43 off 38 balls to help Australia to a final total of 303. He came to the crease after Curtly Ambrose had dismissed three batsmen in the space of four overs, all caught in the slip cordon.

He so dominated the ninth-wicket partnership that Waugh contributed only eight to the 53-run stand.

Miller twice hooked a tiring Ambrose for six and at one stage was literally throwing his bat at the ball - it once flew from his hands and landed perilously close to the square-leg umpire.

West Indies captain Brian Lara persisted for too long with his strike bowlers, Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, allowing the Australians another 82 invaluable runs on a slow pitch and an even slower outfield.

Waugh's batting tactics were just as baffling. He scored 20 runs in the two-hour morning session, regularly taking singles off the first ball and leaving the bulk of the batting up to his tail-enders.

Day 3: McGrath cools home euphoria

Peter Deeley in St John's, Antigua

After Brian Lara's Easter Sunday pyrotechnics, Australia's batsmen took the cautious route in Antigua yesterday in this final Test as they sought to build a match-winning lead.

Michael Slater hit two sixes in an otherwise unusually restrained innings of 44 before he again threw away his wicket, playing on with an angled bat to a Courtney Walsh ball that was harmlessly wide of off-stump.

Justin Langer bats towards his third fifty in four innings

That followed the early dismissal of Greg Blewett, but Justin Langer was heading for his third fifty in four innings as Australia moved to 110 for two at tea on the third day. This gave them a lead of 191, but they will be very conscious of the fact that West Indies scored 311 in the fourth innings in Barbados to win that game.

West Indies needed to get close to Australia's first innings 303 to stay in contention, but their last four wickets went down in the space of nine overs.

Glenn McGrath took two wickets, first bowling Nehemiah Perry and rounding matters off by trapping Courtney Walsh leg before.

Carl Hooper, on whom West Indies hopes were now based, chanced the fielding of McGrath by coming for a second and he was run out by nearly three feet.

But the whole of the island was still buzzing with varying views about Lara's 82-ball century on the second day. Some thought it was magnificent, others memorable, but not the kind of innings wanted from the West Indies captain if they were to prevent Australia winning the game.

One Australian player thought Lara had been so drained by his match-winning 153 not out in Barbados in the third Test four days before that he had not the strength to play another long innings.

``The way he played and missed against Glenn McGrath at the start I think told him he was not going to be there long and so he was determined to make the most of what time there was available to him.''

The contest between Lara and McGrath will be one of the abiding memories of this high-octane series. Without their captain's feats with the bat West Indies could hardly imagine themselves leading the series 2-1.

Lara has scored 539 runs in six innings, 35.7 per cent of all West Indies runs to date. Lara's contributions are on a different planet to the rest of the batsmen around him. Next in the aggregate comes Sherwin Campbell with 166.

Day 4: West Indies face fight for survival

Peter Deeley in St John's, Antigua

The West Indies were looking for a match-winning fourth-innings total of 388 yesterday in this final Test after an Australian batting collapse engineered by Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. The home side, 2-1 up in the series, had a minimum of 138 overs in which to score the runs but history is against them.

While the West Indies have three times passed 300 in a final innings to win - the most recent occasion a week ago in Barbados - they have never scored more than 345, and that was 30 years ago against New Zealand in Auckland.

Both West Indies openers survived anxious moments early on. Adrian Griffith was dropped by Ricky Ponting at second slip off Glenn McGrath's second over. It was a difficult chance, low to Ponting's left, and he managed to get a hand on the edge which ran for four. Then Sherwin Campbell tried a risky third run and would have been out if Colin Miller's throw from the deep had hit the stumps.

Griffith had to leave the field after being hit on the right arm by a lifting ball from McGrath. The crowd hooted their disapproval at the bowler but Griffith had only himself to blame for not getting out of the way. But Australia soon regained the initiative, McGrath having Campbell caught behind and Adam Dale dismissing Dave Joseph to have the West Indies 58 for two.

Australia's hopes of setting the West Indies a 400-run target by lunch and having five sessions in which to bowl them out were thwarted by Brian Lara's strategy, which was as skilful now as it had been vacuous the previous day.

He attacked with his strike bowlers at one end and bottled up the batsmen at the other, with Jimmy Adams

and Carl Hooper pegging away outside leg to such an extent that umpire Steve Bucknor called a wide for negative bowling against Adams, who seemed perplexed by the ruling.

But most credit for stifling Australia's quest for quick runs must go to Ambrose, who produced an extraordinary spell of hostile and accurate pace bowling, sending down 10 overs at a cost of nine runs. He claimed two priceless wickets - those of the Waugh twins. Mark had added five to his overnight score when he played a careless waft and was caught behind. Then Steve was similarly dismissed when Ambrose produced a much better ball, cutting away from the Australia captain.

Only 33 runs came in the first hour, but Justin Langer was able to reach his third Test hundred after 51/2 hours in the middle and he upped the pace with 11 off a Hooper over, including a pull for six.

Eventually Langer was bowled by a ball from Hooper that turned considerably. He had then been joined by Ricky Ponting, who played an illogical innings considering Australia's need to get on with matters.

It was largely to do with his inability to score off Hooper that Australia ran along for the morning session at under two runs an over. Ponting faced 39 balls from the off-spinner before scoring off him and by lunch had four to his name off 50 deliveries. Then Walsh claimed three for 13 in 4.4 overs, with Australia's last five wickets falling for 19 in six overs.

Day 5: Australians are made to dig deep for victory

Peter Deeley in St John's, Antigua

Australia won the final Test here yesterday by 176 runs to level the series at 2-2 and retain the Frank Worrell Trophy. But they had to struggle until deep into the afternoon before bowling out the West Indies, who had battled against the odds to save the match.

Glenn McGrath took only one wicket in the day, a few hours after being fined for spitting. He did not endear himself to the home crowd for hitting No 10 batsman Corey Collymore - making his Test debut on the hand with one short delivery, or for shaping to throw the ball in his direction on another occasion.

Over and out ... Glen McGrath says goodbye to West Indies batsman Corey Collymore

Then Collymore fended off another short ball, was caught at third slip apparently off his gloves and, though umpire Dave Orchard did not give him out, the batsman decided to walk. A curious end to an amazing series.

As if the series had not produced enough drama, a murder cast its shadow over this game. During the Easter weekend, the body of Alvin Morris, who once played for Antigua, was discovered in suspicious circumstances and at the lunch break yesterday both teams came out to observe a minute's silence in front of the dressing rooms.

It seemed improbable that the West Indies could bat out the entire day, having lost four wickets overnight - including Brian Lara - let alone score the further 283 needed to win the game. If either eventuality took place, however, they would regain the trophy.

But for once there were some heavy clouds overhead, carrying the first threat of rain in the entire five days, and the seemingly immovable Adrian Griffith was still there.

The left-handed opener was playing in only his third Test, having been ignored after his debut appearance in Adelaide two years ago. He has limited technique, much of it associated with playing leave-alone shots. However, this was an occasion well suited to his obduracy.

Australia broke through in the third over when Jimmy Adams, trying to turn Colin Miller's spin down the leg side, overbalanced and Ian Healy removed the bails.

The next wicket did not fall for another 25 overs and Australia's growing frustration was evident, particularly when umpire Steve Bucknor turned down an appeal for a Griffith bat-pad catch at silly point after the opener had reached 32.

Greg Blewett replaced McGrath and the seamer instantly had reward when Ridley Jacobs pushed across the line, giving Blewett his 11th Test wicket.

Griffith left the field the previous evening after being hit on the funny bone by McGrath and soon after the interval he took another sharp rap on the shoulder, but this time stayed his ground. He began to show some aggression towards Stuart MacGill, encouraged by Nehemiah Perry, who struck the leg-spinner for a series of boundaries through the leg field.

MacGill had his revenge, however, when he went round the wicket and Perry found the waiting hands of Michael Slater at extra cover. The new ball was taken after 86 overs but it was MacGill, not McGrath, who immediately made the breakthrough with his second delivery - one of the few times the leg-spinner can have shared the new ball.

Curtly Ambrose tried one of his inimitable lofted drives - hardly the appropriate shot in the circumstances - and was bowled.

Griffith eventually reached his half-century, his first for his country, when he straight-drove MacGill for his fifth boundary. He had been batting for close on five hours when he pushed forward to MacGill, offering no shot once too often, and after a long hesitation Bucknor's finger went up.