Aussies expected to win and clinch trophy today (12 February 1999)

12 February 1999

Aussies expected to win and clinch trophy today

Elmo Rodrigopulle

Australia after their dramatic 10-run victory over England in the first of three Carlton and United one-day finals are expected to dump the Englishmen in the second final and pocket the series.

The second game between the two teams will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground also under lights and if the excitement that was provided at the SCG is an indication, then a near 90,000 spectators are expected to fill the ground.

England could well have been one-up had not Nasser Hussain who was going well-thrown away his wicket. He was well on top and had good support coming from Vince Wells. He was particularly severe on leg spinner Shane Warne who unsettled him with sledging.

Hussain instead of concentration on his job ahead - that of taking his side to a remarkable victory - fell to the disruptive tactics adopted by Warne and came a cropper. Warne and McGrath resort to dirty tactics when they are being hit around and in this game they once again resorted to these disgusting tactics which unsettled Hussain and the other England batsmen.

McGrath is on a suspended sentence. It is time that match referee Peter Van Der Merve takes a look at the bowler's suspended sentence and he will not be faulted if he introduces it. The match referee has been too lenient on this bowler who is allowed to indulge in sledging which may not be sweet sounding.

The Aussies accuse Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga of getting under their skin. But he is nowhere in comparison to the manner in which Warne and McGrath behave on the field. Accepted that one must show aggression on the field. But that does not mean resorting to tactics that are not in the spirit of the game and that are not cricket.

Hussain had only to ignore Warne's taunts or given Warne a look so as to convey to the bowler what he would want him to do with his sledging. But at the end it was Warne who was the winner. A sad winner and not one who would have gained in the popularity stakes.

It is also evident that Warne wants to win at all costs to prove to the Aussie selectors that his name must also be considered when naming the captain for the Caribbean tour. In the popularity poll everyone wants Steve Waugh as the next captain. But Warne will not bow to the more competent man. By this he might be creating a rift in the team. It is said that everyone loves a winner. It will be interesting to see what the selectors think when they sit on Friday.

To recap on Wednesday's game, it was left hander Michael Bevan who first put the Aussies on the victory rails with his intelligent and clever batsmanship. He is today the most feared one-day batsman. It is a pity that he dislocated his right index finger trying to stop a powerful pull from Alec Stewart. He has been ruled out of the series and once he recovers he will be on call for the one-dayers in the West Indies.

Without Bevan Australia will be struggling to name a middle order batsman who can hold the innings together. With the MCG wicket likely to be pace friendly, it will not come as a surprise if the Aussies go in with an extra bowler.

England did well to restrict the Aussies to a gettable score. Every Aussie batsman, got into double figures. But except for Bevan the others could not turn it into big scores. Gilchrist is not consistent and a big score from Mark waugh who is middling well is long overdue.

England must take the field with more purpose. They are a team that can dump the Aussies. That they need is a bit more urgency in their every approach. Apparently they have been playing too much cricket and have become a bit stale and so they are not performing at full capacity. They must be waiting when to get back home.

Getting back could be more rewarding if they can take with them at least the Carlton and United Trophy, considering that they had been bashed in the Test series 3-1.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)