Slaughter: Big Windies, Aussie wins set up Sunday showdown (28 May 1999)
The West Indies and Australia finally woke up yesterday to the probability that comparative run rates, rather than points, will determine whether or not they proceed to the next round of the World Cup
28-May-1999
28 May 1999
Slaughter: Big Windies, Aussie wins set up Sunday showdown
Tony Cozier
The West Indies and Australia finally woke up yesterday to the
probability that comparative run rates, rather than points, will
determine whether or not they proceed to the next round of the
World Cup.
Against minor opposition on the first glorious summer's day of
the tournament, they ruthlessly did something about it.
Inexplicably handed the advantage when Scotland's captain George
Salmond ignored the substantial earlier evidence and allowed
them to bowl first at the Leicester county ground here, the West
Indies completed the swiftest victory in World Cup history, in
41.4 overs and just over three hours, by eight wickets.
They dismissed Scotland for 68 off 31.3 overs, a World Cup total
only lowered by Canada's 45 against England in 1979, and then
hurried to their goal in 10.1 overs. That Canadian match had
been an absolute marathon by comparison, occupying 54.2 overs.
It skyrocketed the West Indies' net run rate - calculated by
deducting the average runs per over scored against them from
their own runs per over - up 10 points to 0.88, higher than any
other team in the group.
The match, to use the term in its loosest sense, was all over
quarter-hour before the scheduled innings break, denying a
jovial crowd of 4 000 half the match they had paid to watch on a
cloudless day of warm, glorious sunshine.
Not that the fun-loving Scots in their tartan caps and kilts,
with their faces daubed in blue and white, and the celebrating
West Indians, with their several national flags and their
supposedly banned drums and horns, seemed to mind too much. They
just kept on partying in the sunshine.
By the time, Brian Lara had collected the winners' cheque of
US$6 000 and Courtney Walsh his second Man-Of-The-Match award,
Australia had not even started their pursuit of Bangladesh's 178
for seven more than 100 miles north at Durham's modern,
purpose-built ground at Chester-le-Street.
Already beaten by New Zealand and Pakistan and with a net rate
of minus 0.05, the situation was desperate for the Australians
who entered the tournament as second favourites. It called for
desperate measures and they massacred the inexperienced
Bangladeshi bowling and naive field placing by scoring the runs
for the loss of three wickets in 19.5 overs, a rate of over nine
runs an over.
It upped their overall rate to plus 0.77, well above New Zealand
and not far behind group leader Pakistan's plus 0.84 but below
the West Indies.
The West Indies and Australia have only one match remaining in
the group, against each other at Old Trafford in Manchester on
Sunday. If the West Indies win, they would advance without
reference to the calculators; an Australian victory would
necessitate the additions and divisions.
If net run rate is the determining factor, the mathematical
geniuses stated last night that Australia would need to win with
at least three overs to spare or by at least 15 runs at Old
Trafford to pass the West Indies.
In the meantime, both teams will follow today's contest between
Pakistan and New Zealand at Derby with intense interest. Judged
on their successive wins over the West Indies, Scotland and
Australia in their three matches, Pakistan are the stronger and
are already virtually assured of a place in the Super Sixes
since their final opponents are Bangladesh in Northampton on
Monday.
Should the Pakistanis win again, New Zealand's run rate would
fall even further and leave them with ground to make up in their
final match against Scotland in Edinburgh on Monday. Should the
New Zealanders win, it would increase the pressure on the West
Indies and Australia.
It is all quite complicated.
Captain Lara made the obvious point after the match that the
only certain way the West Indies can guarantee a place in the
Super Sixes is by beating Australia, full stop. That is their
one and only aim now. The respective run rates will not be part
of the strategy on Sunday.
They clearly and justifiably were yesterday, both here and at
Chester-le-Street.
Scotland gained entry to their first World Cup as third place
finishers in the 1997 ICC Trophy for associate members in
Malaysia. They are basically weekend club cricketers with only
three English county professionals in their ranks and they are
out of their depth at this level, even more so than Bangladesh
and Kenya.
Yet captain Salmond is a seasoned and knowledgeable cricketer
who had appeared more than 100 times for Canada. Presumably, he
has noticed how the well-lacquered white ball, with its
prominent seam, has danced around on fresh pitches in this
tournament. He would surely have been acquainted with the
reputations of at least two of the bowlers in the opposition,
Walsh and Curtly Ambrose.
It was, therefore, difficult to undertand why he decided that
Scotland should bat after winning the toss - and not at all
difficult to predict the embarrassment that would soon envelop
them.
It took an unbeaten 24 from the left-handed Gavin Hamilton, a
highly-regarded 22-year-old all-rounder with Yorkshire who has
been by far their leading run-scorer in the tournament, and a
few lusty blows from No.10 Asim Butt, to pass Pakistan's 43
against the West Indies in Cape Town in 1993 that is the lowest
total in One-Day internationals.
Lara, seldom conventional and always keen to try something new,
used Phil Simmons, rather than Walsh, as Ambrose's partner with
the new ball. It was a tactic that is unlikely to be used
against tougher opposition but, against Scotland, it quickly
paid dividends.
As it has done throughout, the ball swung and seamed every which
way so that Ridley Jacobs claimed the first four catches behind
the wicket and Stuart Williams had three and Simmons one in the
slips. The other two wickets were lbws to balls that jagged
back.
Simmons first produced an outswinger to remove Mike Smith in his
third over for his only wicket. Smith is the son of St.
Kitts-born Dr. Chris Smith, an elegant left-hander who played
for Barbados Colts against E.W. Swanton's XI in 1956 while at
Lodge School.
By the time Ambrose was through his ten overs, he had conceded a
mere six runs off the bat and the wickets of opener Mike
Allingham and captain Salmond. It only meant Walsh replaced him
and his seven overs cost five from the bat (along with a no-ball
and a wide) for three wickets, two to slip catches, one lbw.
Hendy Bryan, preferred to Merv Dillon for the match, collected
two wickets, but problems adjusting to the left-handed Hamilton
and his right-handed partners meant he was relatively expensive,
six overs for 29. On this evidence, Dillon will return for
Sunday's confrontation with Australia.
Reon King had only time for nine balls from which he collected
the last two wickets.
Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)