NSW win but MacGill to front hearing

SYDNEY - Steve Waugh and Simon Katich produced the sweet notes, but Stuart MacGill struck a sour one with the umpires as NSW beat Tasmania by 41 runs in an ING Cup one day cricket match at Drummoyne Oval here today.

Man-of-the-match and NSW captain Waugh scored 104 in the Blues' total of 7-264 while part-time wrist spinner Katich took 3-43 with the ball.

Waugh said Katich, who claimed a match winning five wicket haul in last week's dramatic Pura Cup win over Western Australia, was a quality spinner who could become a genuine allrounder.

However, the Blues' premier slow bowler, Test leg spinner MacGill, had a less fulfilling day and will front a hearing at Cricket NSW's Moore Park headquarters tomorrow after being charged under the players code of conduct with unbecoming behaviour and crude and abusive language.

He will appear before a commissioner and match referee Dick French while NSW Cricket Association CEO David Gilbert will also be present.

The charges are understood to be related to an incident during the Tasmanian innings when MacGill remonstrated with one of the umpires after appearing to having an appeal rejected.

MacGill has twice been punished for incidents arising out of four-day matches against Tasmania.

He was fined $1,500 in October 2001 for separate charges of decent and crude and abusive behaviour and was pinged $500 the previous year for indecent and using crude language.

The talented but volatile spinner's disciplinary record also includes a $1,500 fine imposed by Australian team management in 1999 for swearing at a Colombo casino dealer while he was warned but not fined by the match referee in December 2000 for a collision with West Indies player Ramnaresh Sarwan.

If a suspension was imposed on MacGill tomorrow it could mean even more responsibility for Katich, whose burgeoning bowling talents were instrumental in NSW's two victories over the last week.

"I think Katich has shown in the past week or so that he could become a genuine allrounder," Waugh said.

"He's a quality spinner and obviously a very good bat and a great fieldsman and I think he's a great acquisition."

He said Katich was largely responsible for the "spring in the step" of the Blues today after his effort in Newcastle and thought the former WA star was one of four or five players who could replace him as NSW captain.

Waugh swiped three leg side sixes in addition to his seven fours as he produced a typically pugnacious innings to haul NSW out of early trouble.

The Blues were 2-14, but Waugh ensured a competitive total through partnerships of 73 with Michael Clarke (39) and 91 with Mark Waugh (45).

"He (Waugh) is still playing like a man with something to prove," Tasmania captain Jamie Cox said, though Waugh responded by saying he just played the way he always had.

Michael Dighton (59) was the only significant batting contributor for third placed Tasmania which was only one point ahead of NSW on a congested ING Cup ladder.

Tasmania was reasonably placed at 2-112 in the 25th over, but lost 3-9 with Katich adding valuable wickets to the two catches and quick-fire 25 not out off 20 balls he made.

"That was probably where we lost the game, we weren't that far behind at that stage," Cox said, referring to the mid-innings collapse.

Cox said denying NSW a bonus point by a handful of runs was only a minor victory and the Tigers probably had to win both their remaining matches to make the final.

Tasmania had to reach 211 to deny NSW a bonus point and reached their "target" in the penultimate over.