Warne facing moment of truth (13 June 1999)

13 June 1999

Warne facing moment of truth

Ian Chappell

For Australia to vanquish South Africa and march confidently into the semi-finals today, they need to provide Glenn McGrath with more support in the firepower department.

This is not normally a problem as Shane Warne has complemented the lanky fast bowler in the past, but that was before his shoulder operation. There is no doubt that since the operation, Warne has failed to spin the ball or curve it through the air as much as he used to - and also missing is a bit of 'fizz' off the pitch.

To compound matters, Warne has injured his neck/shoulder region during the World Cup, which must be extremely frustrating for the leg-spinner as it occurred just when there were signs that some of the old magic was returning. All this has resulted in the better batsmen being more confident about driving Warne.

When other batsmen witness Zimbabwe's Neil Johnson driving strongly through the off-side, it gives them confidence to attempt shots against Warne that previously they wouldn't have been game to try. Consequently a small piece of Shane's aura is being chipped away.

These type of shots were possible against the pre-operation Warne, but most batsmen were frozen by the fear of what the leg-spinner could do and only the very best players were prepared to attack him.

Now, as with the old gunfighter who shows signs of vulnerability, there are a lot more opponents queuing up to do battle, but at least in Shane's case he knows he'll live to fight another day.

Warne is not the first bowler to suffer a reversal after shoulder problems. Those players who faced Richie Benaud before and after his shoulder problem in 1961 say that he was never quite the same bowler after that tour of England. One of the few who seems to have come through unscathed after a shoulder injury is Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, which probably confirms the belief that his bowling method involves a lot more wrist than shoulder.

Despite history, there is no reason why Warne cannot still be effective as a leg-spinner, it's a matter of adjusting to a new set of circumstances and thinking his way through a method change.

Warne has shown on many occasions he has the heart for a fight and he also possesses an excellent cricket brain, which means that what he may have lost physically he can make up for mentally, it's just a matter of coming to terms with the adjustments required.

Confidence is the big difference between a top player being in and out of form. The game against South Africa may be a case of the right opponent at the appropriate time for the blonde bamboozler. The thought of unleashing a few flippers in Daryll Cullinan's direction could be just the thing that gets Warne's adrenaline pumping. He is such a good competitor it won't take long to rebuild his confidence.

With Warne struggling to find his best form, however, South Africa have the better bowling attack, while Australia have the stronger batting line-up. There is very little between the two best fielding sides in the competition and to underline the fine line that divides these two teams; what Australia lack in bowling class they compensate for in depth, while South Africa are similarly placed in batting.

The Australians believe their opponents tend to crack under the pressure of big games, but Steve Waugh's team have shown they are vulnerable when the bowling is attacked and anger often overrides clear thinking. As captain of South Africa's Commonwealth Games gold medal team, Shaun Pollock was witness to an example of the chink in Australia's armour and you can bet the Proteas will be aware of this trait.

The Headingley pitch generally favours bowlers and this may be a plus for South Africa, as they are really the only side who haven't been seriously bombed by willow-wielding batsmen to the point where it has cost victory. Both Australia and South Africa make fewer mistakes than any other teams in the competition and, with Pakistan, they are the most talented.

It promises to be an epic battle and it will be a good indicator of both teams future prospects. In addition, there is a natural competitive rivalry between these two aggressive cricket nations and both teams will be keen to assert supremacy, even if it is only one battle in an on-going war.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph