BORDER_BOWS_OUT_27MAR1996

Border bows out on a low note

ALLAN BORDER bowed out of Australian first-class cricket in Melbourne a few days earlier than the script called for.

The former Australian captain, who retired from Test cricket in May 1994, was hoping to lead his adopted Queensland in defence of their Sheffield Shield title in Friday`s final against South Australia in Adelaide.

Instead, the 40-year-old left-hander misses out after Victoria destroyed Queensland hopes with yesterday`s five-wicket win at the MCG, allowing Western Australia to leapfrog over them into the final.

It was only last March, amid chaotic crowd scenes, that Border played his part in Queensland`s first Shield triumph in Brisbane. Yesterday, there were only a few hundred spectators present to afford Border a standing ovation as he left the MCG for the last time.

Yet even if it was not the perfect farewell after almost 20 years of first-class cricket, memories will instead dwell on the considerable legacy Border leaves Australian and world cricket.

For the record, Border`s final first-class innings for Queensland were four and 34, taking his career aggregate to 27,131 runs with an average of over 50 from 385 games.

He also amassed Test cricket`s greatest number of runs (11,174) from a record 156 appearances, 153 of them consecutively since March 1979. He scored 27 centuries and a further 63 halfcenturies, averaging 50.56. There were also a record 156 catches, while his 93 matches as captain is unrivalled at Test level.

Border made his first-class debut for his original state, New South Wales, against Queensland in December, 1976 and went on to make his Test debut two years later against England in Melbourne, making 29 and 0.

He subsequently presided over a tumultuous era in Australia cricket - he took over as captain from a tearful Kim Hughes for the third Test against the West Indies in Adelaide in December 1984, a match that Australia lost by 191 runs.

He publicly threatened to step down as Australian captain after losing a three-Test series in New Zealand in March 1986. Subsequently, he withdrew the threat and and went on to lead the Australians to their first World Cup triumph in the final against England in Calcutta in 1987 and to two crushing Ashes tours to England in 1989 and 1993.

In 1989, Australia regained the Ashes for the first time in 55 years with victory in the fourth Test, going on to win the series 4-0.

Yesterday, referring to his retirement, he said: "I don`t think it will hit home until the Shield starts again next year and I`m not involved."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)