Waugh has to put fire back into McGrath (30 May 1999)
Australia's puzzling form in the World Cup is a case of good and bad news
30-May-1999
30 May 1999
Waugh has to put fire back into McGrath
Ian Chappell
Australia's puzzling form in the World Cup is a case of good and bad
news. The good news is that they have improved with every game. The
bad news is that the first performance against Scotland was abysmal
and what followed had to be an improvement.
To find a parallel with Australia's form slump, you would have to go
back to the 1992 World Cup. On that occasion Australia entered the
tournament as defending champions and favourites to repeat it, only
to be beaten by New Zealand in the opening encounter. Before the
qualifying matches were completed, Allan Border's team were out of
the running.
Once again, this year, it was defeat at the hands of New Zealand that
put them on the slippery pole to oblivion, but this time they have
one last chance and that requires defeating the unpredictable West
Indies at Old Trafford today.
If Australia repeat their form in the match against Pakistan they
will beat the West Indies. They played good, fighting cricket at
Headingley, only to be outfoxed and in the end outfought by a team
who are emerging as a real power under Wasim Akram's guiding hand.
Australia's decision to play an extra batsman against Pakistan has
been blamed for the defeat as a combination of part-time bowlers were
first unnerved by smart batting and then slaughtered by powerful
hitting. However, against New Zealand it was the batting that
collapsed after a good foundation had been established. When a team
is struggling to find top form there is a tendency to compensate for
one problem and another emerges. Right now, the Australian selectors
must feel like the boy who stuck his finger in the leaking dyke in an
attempt to stem the flow of water.
Australia must revert to choosing their favoured all-rounder in the
No 7 spot and four specialist bowlers. Steve Waugh's main priority is
to get Glenn McGrath back on track because, currently, he is putting
the ball there rather than hitting the pitch hard. It is almost as
though he is worried about the white ball taking off on a path of its
own choice. He is one of the best spearheads in the business and he
must be encouraged to act as the battering ram against the Windies'
vulnerable top order. If McGrath confronts Brian Lara with a full
head of steam and a wicket or two under his belt, he could
effectively terminate the West Indies challenge inside the first 15
overs. The West Indies will rely heavily on a big score from Lara to
amass a total that will defeat Australia and if McGrath is able to
unsettle the maroon marauder, then Australia's chances of reaching
the Super Six stage will increase dramatically.
If Australia lose to the West Indies they will miss out on the Super
Six and, following disappointing Test and one-day results in the
Caribbean, the finger would be pointed squarely at Steve Waugh. This
is not surprising as rule No 1 decrees that, when a side are below
par, the captain cops the kick in the backside and Steve, as an
historically aware cricketer, will know all about this ritual.
He is lucky in that he controls his own destiny - if he inspires a
victory over the West Indies, that will silence the critics. In some
respects, Waugh was unlucky that, before he was appointed full-time
captain, his greatest rival had an opportunity to display his
credentials. Shane Warne captained the one-day side with great flair
in Steve's absence through injury and it was inevitable that
comparisons would be made if results were less than expected. This
has happened and now Waugh, who has many times held back the waves as
a player, has to emulate the role of Moses once again, this time in a
one-act drama.How does a side that has been dominant in Tests
struggle in the limited overs game? In addition to the Russian
roulette nature of one-day cricket, Australia's aggressive style of
play, that is so successful in Test cricket, is severely diluted when
opponents are forced to attack or perish. The same Australian bowlers
who impose their will on batsmen in Test cricket sometimes flounder
when the willow wielders are forced to attack and, by so doing,
suddenly unearth powers they did not know they possessed. At times
like this, Australia's train of thought is derailed and as yet Waugh
has not found a way to guide them back on track.
If Lara is able to inspire such an onslaught from his colleagues and
Australia cannot find an answer, then Steve Waugh will have plenty of
time to ponder a solution on the long journey home. On the contrary,
if he can conjure up a good performance from Australia and they
qualify for the Super Six, there will be a few other teams nervously
looking over their shoulder.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)