Windies and Aussies seeking easy points (26 May 1999)

26 May 1999

Windies and Aussies seeking easy points

Trevor Chesterfield

TAUNTON (England) - For Australia, their World Cup campaign under serious threat of embarrassingly disappearing without trace, have an important dress rehearsal in one of the more modern county venues today when they meet Bangladesh at the Riverside in far off Chester-le-Street.

And a three hour dash down the M1 West Indies prepare for their Sunday slog with Australia at Old Trafford when they play Scotland, who like Kenya face the prospect of finishing the tournament without even a Duckworth/Lewis result in their favour by way of compensation for their labours.

Both test countries have, however, come out with the identical comments, although the names of the team have been changed,

"Before we can think of Australia/West Indies we have to get past Bangladesh/Scotland," was the near as identical joint communique as you could find coming from opposing camps in the closing stages of a battle which will certainly decide whether Australia have a chance to scrape through in the event of New Zealand upsetting Pakistan tomorrow.

"We are not looking as far ahead as Old Trafford," said Steve Waugh. "We have some planning to do an that's important to us. We have a few options to examine and need to consider them carefully," he added.

Not a wildly exciting comment. But what options he does have need to be examined in the light of their general performances. There were times against Pakistan when it looked as though they would pull it off yet Darren Lehmann, who has an injured shoulder and is being rested, messed it up with his innings against Wasim Akram's Asian tigers.

And while their bowling is being reorganised in time for the West Indies game, chances are we may have seen the last of Paul Reiffel experiment where he opens the bowling, and possibly that of Glenn McGrath as well.

Perhaps Shane Warne might also want to have a rethink as well about where Australia's game plan is heading; you cannot blame everything in the skipper Steve Waugh, although ultimately Tugga will cop it should his side fall out.

As for the Windies they have a chance to get some ideal practice, yet it would be nice to see Gavin Hamilton do that little extra; he has learnt that competitive Yorkshire spirit and you can clearly see the flame of that burning bright the way he plays.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News