Wilde S: Cricket Roundup - 1994 (4 Jan 95)

Atherton's resolve offers sole glimmer of hope (By Simon Wilde)

The Conservative Party may think it has had a rough ride in 1994, but it could have been worse. It could have been the England cricket team. Losing a vote on VAT on fuel does not seem so bad when you could have been humbled for 46 by West Indies, 92 by Australia, or 99 by South Africa. Having nine whipless rebels in your ranks is nothing compared with fielding for two days while Brian Lara scores 375. There are allegations of sleaze and there is losing to Zimbabwe.

Rather like the Prime Minister, Michael Atherton saw his position as leader under threat in 1994 and survived. He presided over one of the worst years in England's history they won only three and lost six of their 13 Test matches, a record inferior to every country bar Sri Lanka but his tenacity was evident most of the times that he had a bat in his hands. For example, his first innings after pulling back from resignation after the dirt-in-thepocket affair at Lord's was a granite-like 99 against South Africa at Headingley that did much to re-establish his authority.

During the year, Atherton spent 64 hours at the crease for England, during which he chiselled out 1,136 runs. That works out at an average of 49.39 per innings and 18 an hour. Of Englishmen, only Denis Compton, Graham Gooch and Dennis Amiss have scored more Test runs in a year, Amiss leading the way with 1,379 in 1974. Atherton's closest rivals were Lara (996 runs at 71.14) and Alec Stewart (972 runs at 48.60).

Lara was, without question, the batsman of the year. His worldrecord scores at Test and first-class level assured that, but the Trinidadian played brilliantly for most of the year. In all first-class cricket, he scored more than 3,700 runs, at an average of 80, with 14 centuries. Two bowlers, Jimmy Adams and Manoj Prabhakar, dismissed him for nought.

Equally unarguably, the bowler of the year was Shane Warne. The Australian leg spinner followed his 72 Test wickets in 1993 with 70 more in 1994 at an average of just 18.20. While continuing to concede runs at only two an over, he was far more penetrative, his strike-rate dropping from 70 balls per wicket to 54.

Despite Warne's wizardry, Australia won only four of their ten Test matches a success rate that placed them behind Pakistan, India and West Indies largely because of the moderate nature of the rest of their attack. Australia's reliance on Warne is evident from the fact that he bowled three out of every ten overs they delivered.

Warne's strike-rate was, however, dwarfed by that of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, the Pakistan new-ball bowlers. In only seven Tests, Wasim took 47 wickets at a rate of one every 39 balls, Waqar 42 at a rate of one every 35. They played large parts in ensuring that Pakistan were the team of the year, topping both the Test and one-day "league" tables.

Pakistan won Test series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia, although their captain, Salim Malik, admitted that Australia outbatted and outbowled them. Salim himself scored 840 Test runs in the year at an average of 64.61, including 557 in three matches against Australia without being dismissed by Warne.

England should not expect things to improve in 1995, during which they are to play Tests against Australia starting tomorrow in Sydney West Indies and South Africa. The way things stand at the moment, defeat is all they can look forward to.

(Thanks : The Times)