Date-stamped : 02 Feb95 - 10:31 England v Australia, Test 4 played at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 26-30 January 1995 ====> Prematch, 25 Jan 95 LEWIS FLIES TO RESCUE AGAIN AS HICK JOINS THE SICK LIST Mike Selvey in Adelaide on more bad news for Mike Atherton on the eve of the fourth Test CHEER up, we said to Mike Atherton, things could be worse. So he did and, sure enough, they soon were. Yesterday, what is left of the England team staggered, crawled, limped or were wheeled into Adelaide for the fourth Test, which starts here tomorrow (30 minutes after midnight tonight in Britain), in the knowledge that selection problems are a thing of the past. Anyone who can strap the pads on without medical supervision is in. The latest doubt is Graeme Hick, whose back went into spasm following his century at Bendigo at the weekend and has remained so since. So with Alec Stewart almost certainly out of the tour and Neil Fairbrother sufficiently bothered by the shoulder he dislocated in the World Series to be out of contention here and probably for Perth too, this is getting close to the final straw. In order to provide some sort of cover for Hick, Chris Lewis, no stranger to the sick list himself, has been called over from Melbourne, a case of poacher turned gamekeeper. Hick, meanwhile, is being given until the morning of the match to prove his fitness. Yesterday Hick visited a specialist, although he did not have a scan. "He is still very stiff and sore," said Atherton. "With luck he'll be fit for Thursday but, if the match was today, he would have no chance. Chris would certainly be considered if he couldn't make it, and we have even thought about Jack Russell." It is the second time that Lewis has been drafted into the squad. The first call came midway through the second round of World Series matches when, having arrived from England only days before and with no cricket under his belt since last season, he found himself playing in the defeat by the Australian A team in Sydney. Under the circumstances he acquitted himself well. This is a bit different, however, in that England really need a front-line batsman. In the short term it was his immediate availability that was the attraction. However, it is surprising that no call has gone out yet to the A team in India where Mark Ramprakash is said to be on permanent red alert and could be here inside a day. It would be tough luck to be dragged out of an environment in which he is enjoying responsibility and success on the off-chance that he might get a game but that ought to be the way of the cricket world. It means that both England's oldies - Graham Gooch and especially Mike Gatting - are given the chance to continue their careers a little longer. Gatting had been written off by everyone, not least himself, after a dismal tour but, although Gooch has been little better, he had been pencilled in if only because of the shortage of batting. Should Gooch play he will equal David Gower's record of 117 England caps. Nothing is more likely to attract the Law of Sod than the sight of this pair being given another crack. Both, naturally, will now get hundreds. The match promises no let-up for England if the words of Bob Simpson, the Australian coach, are anything to go by. "We are very determined to block England," he said, "and there will be no mercy. In Sydney we gave England rather too much and that will be the theme of our team talk. We want to go to the WestIndies at the end of next month on a high by winning this series emphatically, and we will do anything we can to achieve that." That is anything legal, presumably. To this end they are certain to include both their leg-spinners, Shane Warne and Peter McIntyre, who will be making his Test debut in front of his home crowd, as will Greg Blewett. The prediction for some while now has been that, whereas the old Adelaide pitch could be bland and low, this time Les Burdett will produce a turner. Omission would be harsh on Glenn McGrath or Damien Fleming, but one of them must go to accommodate the plan. For England there is the chance now to regain more credibility after the improvement of Sydney. But first Atherton will have his work cut out maintaining morale, no easy task with even the captain himself looking world-weary. "Obviously the injuries wear you down," he said, "and I can't explain why we've had so many. But we just have to make do. When the day comes, we've still got the chance to square the series and that should be a big spur to everyone. We've come back well in Tests over the last few years and the way we played in Sydney gives cause for optimism. If we can reach that level again, then we are in with a chance." But the catalyst for that change, Darren Gough, will be sitting at home in Barnsley watching on television, and things cannot quite be the same in his absence. "It would be fantastic if we could come back to finish 2 2," said Atherton, "although being realistic 2 1 would be a good performance. With the way things have been, any positive result here would be an achievement." The England side is just bloody-minded enough to do it. But do not hold your breath. (Thanks : The Guardian, 25 Jan 95) Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 1, 26 Jan 95 England have bled badly in the Ashes series, but any obituary notice was premature from the gnarled resistance of yesterday's fourth Test. Long after furious wind and driving rains swept down off Montefiore Hill to lash the Adelaide Oval, England continued to finish with 2-196 in their first innings, still wearing the badge of courage of desperation. Five minutes before the storm shook the Oval, captain Michael Atherton (80) cost himself the century which has evaded him all tour, hooking to David Boon on the fence. Thus he joined opening partner Graham Gooch (47) in the observation box. Gooch, appearing in his record-equalling 117th Test, nursed a bruised shoulder and returned forlornly to the pavilion bearing a battered helmet with an ear flap torn loose. In a flailing flurry of gloves, arms, bat and helmet, Gooch attempted to pull paceman Damien Fleming (2-50) forward of square leg, merely sending the ball drooping softly to Mark Waugh jogging in from second slip. Obviously uncertain, Waugh made no attempt to appeal although Fleming continued on along the edge of the pitch, celebrating optimistically. Gooch stepped away and stood awaiting the next delivery only to see umpire Peter Parker's fatal signal. The sag of Gooch's shoulders was more expressive than oaths. Gooch and Atherton shared a first wicket partnership of 93 in 147 minutes after which Atherton and Mike Gatting (50 not out) carried on for 82 runs in just over two hours. Atherton has been a model of consistency through the tour yet in 20 games has not registered a hundred. His Test performances in Australia have been a combination of calmly-ordered defence and crisp off-side drives for scores of 54 and 23 in Brisbane; 44 and 25 in Melbourne; and 88 and 67 in Sydney. The amalgam is good between England's captain and England's elder statesman. In 23 Tests, Atherton and Gooch have made 50 or better in 19 of their partnerships. With Graeme Hick heading home and Mark Ramprakash, England's sixth reinforcement or replacement due to arrive today, it was tempting to dismiss the visitors before a ball was bowled. Mercifully, there is a roar in the Old Lion still. Early morning showers cleared from the Adelaide foothills to allow the game to begin on time, Atherton calling successfully for the third successive occasion. In a brilliant sward of green, the rectangle of the Test pitch was like a cream plaster across the square. England's objective was to bat for two days. Australia included two new "caps" in all-rounder Greg Blewett (0-37) and leg-spinner Peter McIntyre (0-23). The quiet, congratulatory exchange between the pair after the first over was splendid to see. With 21 wickets in three Tests, Craig McDermott (0-31) disconcerted England's opener's periodically with his raw pace and chin-high aggression. But it was the milder, more subtle swing of Fleming which caused shots to slew off into the gully without the Victorian able to extract the necessary bounce for regular catches. When only four, Atherton drove at Fleming and wicketkeeper Ian Healy's glove could not grasp the sliding catch. Later Blewett, pitching too short too often, almost had Atherton caught at 15 and Mark Taylor moved tardily for a sharp catch when the opener was 52, to the anguish of McIntyre. A split second before McDermott glanced a delivery from the inside of Gatting's bat into his leg stump at 19, umpire Parker called no-ball. Long before the wind blast sent leaves showering to earth from the fig trees in the outer, England's resolution and the pitch's blandness were the clear winners of the day. With the majority of the 24,000 spectators gone from the ground, the teams returned to bowl another four overs until stumps were drawn at 7 pm. (Thanks : Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald) Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> Day 1, MORE Atherton Leads The Way For England - IHITHISHAM KAMARDEEN Captain Michael Atherton fully vindicated his choice to bat first by scoring a brilliant 80 as England reached 196 for two Thursday, opening day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test at Adelaide Oval. Rain and a thunder storm forced the players from the field late in the day,but they returned to play four overs in growing gloom. Atherton was aided by two former skippers Graham Gooch (47) and Mike Gatting (50 not out) as a weakened batting line-up put up brave fight against an Australian attack which looked thin for the first time on a placid pitch. Australia leads the five-match series 2-0 and already has made sure of retaining the Ashes. Atherton put aside the disappointment of losing the injured Graham Hick _ England's only form batsman apart from himself _ and played a chanceless innings before he fell just five balls prior to the storm. Graham Thorpe, his replacement, was not out 16 at stumps. Hick will return home on Saturday with a slipped disc and will be replaced by England A batsman Mark Ramprakash. Atherton cut, hooked and pulled the Australian medium pacers and tackled leg-spinners Shane Warne and Peter McIntyre with watchful defense while treating their loose deliveries with scant respect. He eventually fell to a square leg trap when he hooked a delivery from the only successful bowler, Damien Fleming, into the waiting hands of David Boon. Atherton's 273- minute stay included eight boundaries and lasted 217 balls. The post-lunch session proved to be the most enterprising as England added 95 runs, Atherton reaching his 50 in the process. It was his fourth half-century in Tests on tour, following his 54 in the first Test and 88 and 67 in the drawn Sydney Test earlier this month. Gatting, who hit his series highest score, dominated the second-wicket stand _ which yielded 82 runs in five minutes over two hours. He improved on his series-highest 25 made in the Melbourne Test but was fortunate to be there after being bowled by a Craig McDermott no-ball when on 19. He has so far hit seven boundaries in his 146-minute stay. Gooch and Atherton provided the foundation for one of England's handful of bright days of the series with a 93-run opening stand. The pair is the first English opening combination to survive a session in this series, but it soon was separated 30 minutes into the afternoon session. Lunch was taken on 69 for no loss with Gooch and Atherton on 36 and 32 respectively. Gooch, who equalled David Gower's record 117 appearances, was adjudged caught by Mark Waugh off Fleming for 47. The former English skipper and the fourth highest Test run- getter trudged back to the dressing room dejected. He was dismissed trying to hook Fleming. He missed the ball, which lobbed towards Mark Waugh in the slips off his right shoulder. Umpire Paul Parker, standing only in his second Test, was quick in ruling him out. Australia replaced batsman Michael Bevan and off-spinner Tim May with all-rounder Greg Blewett and McIntyre and named Glenn McGrath 12th man. Hick's place was filled by all-rounder Chris Lewis, who is in Australia on a playing holiday with a Melbourne club. (Thanks : AP Worldstream) Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 2, 27 Jan 95 Australia Replies Boldly After Gatting Century -Ihithisham Kamardeen Mike Gatting`s first test century in seven years helped Eng- land to a painstaking 353 before Australia replied boldly before stumps on the second day of the fourth Ashes cricket test at the Adelaide Oval. In-form openers Michael Slater and Mark Taylor made up for the slow progress by the England batsman as they breezed to 81 runs in the 22 overs remaining _ leaving Australia 272 runs behind. Slater and Taylor were unbeaten on 36 and 43 respectively. Gatting, 37, made amends for his dismal form in the series so far by grinding out his 10th century, and fourth against Aus- tralia, before falling for 117. England`s slow progress saw the tourists squander a great op- portunity of building a batting stronghold. They lost their way through between lunch and tea-- the slowest and painful session in two days. England`s collapse was preceded by a 75-run fourth-wicket stand between Gatting and John Crawley (28). Fast bowler Craig McDermott made up for the loss of his new ball partner Damien Fleming in an outstanding 11-over spell dur- ing which he accounted for Stephen Rhodes and Chris Lewis. Fleming left the field in the penultimate over before lunch to nurse a strained right hamstring muscle _ sustained during an en- ergetic spell. Leg-spinner Shane Warne triggered the English demise ending the stubborn two-hour stand between Gatting and Crawley. In his second over after lunch Warne bowled Crawley round his legs as the batsman padded up to him. The left-handed Graham Thorpe _ having helped himself to two boundaries off Warne-- pushed forward with an angled bat as Tay- lor took a sharp catch inches off the ground while falling for- ward. England lost four wickets in the post lunch session which realized an agonizing 67 runs off 29 overs. Gatting, in search of his first hundred in 35 innings and the first for England in the series, spent 77 minutes in the 90s-- 34 and 31 minutes on 95 and 99 respectively. He survived an animated appeal on 95 for a catch at first slip by Taylor off Warne when Indian umpire Srini Venkataraghavan stood firm. He eventually reached the century with a single to deep gully after Philip DeFreitas had him almost stranded mid-pitch by hesi- tantly responding. Gatting`s 410-minute presence ended when he was last out, caught at backward point to give debutante leg spinner Peter McIntyre his second wicket. He hit 14 boundaries off 286 balls. England managed seven runs to the tea 346 for seven, and lost their last three wickets without any addition. McDermott finished with three for 66 while Warne and McIntyre settled for two wickets apiece. Source :: AP Worldstream Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 2, MORE England veteran Mike Gatting conceded his Ashes series was fin- ished soon after his first-ball duck against the Australian Cricket Academy at North Sydney Oval last month. Yet yesterday, the 37-year-old batsman whose summer has been reprieve after deliverance all tour, ultimately missing none of the four Tests, made his first Test century in seven years. Round-shouldered, round-butted, round-gutted, the former Test captain who came to Sydney to join Balmain club as a scholarship winner in 1977, steered England to 353 in their first innings on day two at the Adelaide Oval. Then openers Mark Taylor and Micha- el Slater exploded away with 81 runs. Gatting sat about in Bendigo last weekend, expecting the end. Instead, Graeme Hick sustained a herniated disc, and he was re- called. Drawing on every particle of experience and courage from his 17-year, 78-Test career, Gatting dragged his way through an exhausting 31 minutes on 99 before edging paceman Craig McDermott into the gully for his 10th Test century. Even then it was a mish-mash of a single. Steve Waugh cut off the ball and hurled it at the wicket as Gatting and Phillip DeFreitas started, hesitated mid-pitch and then scurried on for the golden single. ``After more than seven years, it was a bit like getting the first one,`` Gatting said of his century. Through the 90s, Gatting was subjected to a torrid 77 minutes, cramped, often almost convulsed, by McDermott and leg-spinner Shane Warne with the most refined bowling of the summer. Barring an Englishman from the maiden Test century of the summer seemed as important as the Ashes themselves, so much hostility did McDermott foment and so malevolently did Warne operate from the River Torrens end. With Damien Fleming resting a strained right hamstring, Warne clipped the leg stump of John Crawley, curling one back around his legs, and conceding just 14 runs in the 11-over spell. No bowler was finer than McDermott. His rewards came late, in- timidating and then dismissing Steve Rhodes and Chris Lewis in an 11-over barrage, claiming 2-22. On Thursday night, in response to a message, Gatting made a phone call to Sydney to NSW scorer Ern Cosgrove to learn that the president during his three seasons at Balmain, Fred Bennett, had collapsed and died suddenly. Australia`s players all wore black armbands as a mark of respect for Bennett. Even Gatting was prepared to concede his Test career was over when, after an unexpected selection ahead of Crawley for the first Test at the Gabba, he failed, making 10 and 13. A double century against Queensland at Toowoomba resuscitated his tour, keeping Crawley at bay for Melbourne where Gatting made 9 and 25. Alec Stewart`s broken finger preserved Gatting`s position for the Sydney Test. He made a duck. Even Gatting was now convinced it was over. When Hick, Stewart and Neil Fairbrother all had injuries, he was chosen for Adelaide, where he made a century in the third Test as captain of the Ashes-winning England side of 1986-87. His first two hours were stubborn and unconvincing. At 19, he was bowled leg stump only for McDermott to be no-balled. For the next five hours he drove, cut and glided with increasing power and as- surance, hitting 14 boundaries in his 84th first class hundred. But having struggled to contain England at 3-286, the tourists lost their last seven wickets for 67. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.OZ.AU) ====> Day 3, 28 Jan 95 Australian Test batting tyro Greg Blewett leapt on to the inter- national stage with a dazzling unbeaten 91 yesterday to launch himself towards the West Indies and the Frank Worrell Trophy series. The slim 23-year-old hooked and drove his way to the verge of a century on debut and the glittering company of just 15 other Australians in more than a century of Test cricket. ``I was wishing the day hadn`t ended,`` Blewett laughed last night. With Australia lurching unsteadily in mid-innings at 5-232, Blewett was joined by wicketkeeper Ian Healy (72 not out) for an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 162 in just under three hours to take Australia charging to 5-394. By stumps on the third day, the pair had cruised past England`s 353, the lofty ambition today being to guide Australia towards 500 and exert last-day pressure tomorrow through spinners Shane Warne and Peter McIntyre. ``To get that many runs in my first innings is great,`` Blewett said. ``I`m very happy. I`ll probably find runs harder to come by tomorrow but we`ll see how we go. They bowled pretty well but after they took the new ball, it came on a bit quicker.`` Blewett and Healy overcame the second new ball with reassuring poise and dexterity, punishing the wilting English attack for 159 runs in the final two-hour session. Blewett hammered 12 boun- daries in his chanceless 211-minute innings. If Blewett carries on for his century, he will become Australia`s 16th batsman to hit a century on debut, the last being Mark Waugh against England on the same ground four seasons ago. Charles Bannerman hit a century in Melbourne in 1876-77 and since then only Harry Graham, Reg Duff, Roger Hartigan, Herbis Collins, Bill Ponsford, Archie Jackson, Jim Burke, Doug Walters, Greg Chappell, Gary Cosier, Dirk Wellham, Kepler Wessels, Wayne Phillips and Mark Waugh have completed the transition from novice to overnight star. After Australia surged to 128 without loss, they plunged with 5- 104 before Blewett and Healy joined forces in the mid-innings re- vival. Australia`s best-laid plans were in disarray when England`s bowlers retaliated after the 128-run opening partnership by Mark Taylor (90) and Michael Slater (67). Taylor was cut down short of his 14th century in his 61st Test by replacement all-rounder Chris Lewis (2-81) and from 0-128 Australia slipped to 5-232. Slater was the Sundance Kid in Adelaide`s morning warmth, daring to the point of being outrageous, his footwork and strokeplay a revelation. After Devon Malcolm (0-70) clanged a short ball - which skidded low - near the temple of his helmet, Slater pulled, hooked and drove the fastest bowler of the series as if he were an errant medium-paced hack. Malcolm`s new-ball partner Fraser (1-78) was similarly uncomfortable. Michael Atherton was as conservative as ever in his captaincy, giving Malcolm two slips and two gullies, paying the highest price when Taylor edged a head-high catch past third slip at 43. Atherton watched the ball sail by and rued his caution for the next three hours. Taylor and Slater registered their seventh Test century partner- ship in two hours of aggression during which Taylor dislodged Ian Redpath as Australia`s 10th most prolific Test batsman. In 66 Tests, Redpath made 4,737 runs at 43.45, one of the best and bravest of top-order batsmen. Slater cracked six boundaries before reverting to limited-over tactics, he attempted to run Phil DeFreitas (2-70) to third man and provided Atherton with a shoulder high catch at second slip. DeFreitas is a bowler who thrives on early success. Utilising the cross-breeze, he moved the ball either way, claiming the second wicket of David Boon (0) in his following over. On the ground where he began his Test career with a century, Mark Waugh (39) was another in sparkling form, down the wicket to flick spinner Phil Tufnell to the midwicket boundary and cover driving Fraser to the fence. But having established himself, Waugh was beaten and then broken by Fraser, paring an edge to Rhodes with a superb leg-cutter. Waugh and Taylor put on 72 runs in 104 minutes before Taylor was deceived by Chris Lewis`s sharply dipping in-swinger, driving the Australian captain back on his stumps for the LBW decision. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.OZ.AU) ====> Day 3, more Debutant Blewett rescues Australia All-rounder Greg Blewett marked his test debut with a superb unbeaten 91 as Australia took control of the fourth test againt England on Saturday. Blewett delighted his home crowd at Adelaide Oval by sharing an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership with wicketkeeper Ian Healy worth 162 runs to overwhelm the tourists late in the day. Australia, who have already won the Ashes series after taking a 2-0 lead in the five-test series, were 394 for five at close of play on the third day to lead England by 41 runs with five wick- ets in hand. Blewett and Healy, who remained unbeaten on 72, rescued Aus- tralia after England reduced the home side to a precarious 232 for five before tea. Blewett, who replaced out-of-form batsman Michael Bevan, displayed remarkable composure in his first game for his country after coming to the wicket with Australia in trouble at 207 for four. The South Australian opener needs another nine runs on Sunday to become the first Australian to score a century on his test de- but since Mark Waugh achieved the feat against England on the same ground four years ago. The tiring England bowlers conceded 159 runs in a dismal final session which was extended 30 minutes after the scheduled close because of their slow over rate. Earlier, Australia captain Mark Taylor fell 10 runs short of his second successive test hundred after sharing a century stand with fellow opener Michael Slater. Resuming on 81 without loss, Taylor and Slater tore into the English bowlers in reply to the tourists` first innings 353 to post their third century partnership of the Ashes series. Source :: The Reuter Library Report Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 4, 29 Jan 95 Craig McDermott began yesterday in hospital and hobbled off the Adelaide Oval last night as if in need of a stretcher, but it could be England for the emergency ward this evening. The Queenslander had stomach cramps yesterday morning and a nag- ging fast bowler`s left knee and bruised hip last night. At least he was cleared of crocodile food poisoning. Between illness and injury, McDermott dismissed Graham Gooch and Graham Thorpe to leave England writhing at 6-220, just 154 runs ahead with today remaining for a decision in the fourth Test. Adding to Australia`s mounting concerns, McDermott`s new-ball partner Damien Fleming made his own tentative return after straining a hamstring muscle in England`s first innings. Fleming bowled only nine overs, but survived the day without further com- plications, having his own moment of success when Chris Lewis limply dragged a wide ball into his wicket. It really was a cot-case attack, one to send charges of alarm through the Australian selectors with the fifth Test starting in Perth on Friday. With the Test team to be announced today, pace- men Jo Angel and Shane George are under consideration for a call-up. Having had x-rays and been cleared of a recurrence of the twisted bowel which ended his England tour in 1993, McDermott returned to the Oval to bat at No 11 yesterday. He was greeted by hearty boo- ing from the Barmy Army as seconds ticked by before his belated appearance to assist century-maker Greg Blewett. McDermott offered little resistance before scooping a catch to the lunging John Crawley at short square leg, leaving Blewett un- beaten on 102 after 261 minutes of ice-cold temperament and hot- blooded pulls and hooks. The banner on the Mound said it all: ``The Aussies have Blewett. England have blown it``. Trailing by 66 runs on the first innings, Graham Gooch and Micha- el Atherton experienced low-voltage new-ball attack. Atherton was most unfortunate to be ruled out lbw by umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan with the ball by Mark Waugh appearing to slant by his leg stump. But Waugh did all his captain could ask of him by bowling Thursday`s century-maker Mike Gatting for a duck with an in-swinger. Once again, No 4 Graham Thorpe revealed his spirit, driving the Australians for 10 spanking boundaries before the artful McDer- mott duped him, angling a ball across him for the catch to point. Thorpe and John Crawley, who made an unbeaten 49 despite the Aus- tralians bowling incessantly on his off stump, added 71 at almost a run a minute. Australia must strike promptly this morning. While the pitch is turning, Blewett was sure Australia could compile 100 runs a ses- sion for a 3-0 series win today. During the day Gooch`s imminent Test retirement was announced from London. At 42 a phenomenon of the game, the former England captain admitted his batting had deteriorated to the point he no longer wished to continue at an international level after the Perth Test. ``I set certain standards for myself and have not attained that level I need for myself,`` he said. ``I can`t mentally handle a drop in standard. All good things come to an end.`` England`s Test defeats of the West Indies in 1990 and 1991 were the high points of his 20-year Test career, the major frustra- tions being England`s loss of three World Cup finals. He dismissed his innings of 333 against India at Lord`s in 1990 as ``a good effort``. Gooch became the third-highest run maker in Test history yesterday, finishing with 8,859 runs at 42.79 in 117 Tests. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.OZ.AU) ====> Day 4, more Gooch, who announced his decision to retire from test cricket at the end of this week`s fifth test in Perth, made 34 before edging a wide delivery from fast bowler Craig McDermott to wick- etkeeper Ian Healy. The former England captain became the third highest scorer in test history during his innings by overtaking retired Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad`s total of 8,832. It was a typically frustrating performance by the 41-year-old Essex player, who said afterwards that his repeated failure to build a big innings after a solid start helped sway his decision. ``Age has caught up with me and I`m not satisfied to go on making 30s and 40s. That`s not good enough,`` said Gooch. ``I always said I would go when I was not happy with the way I am playing and I`ve decided it`s better to go now than hang on,`` added Gooch, who confirmed he would play for his county in the next English season. Gooch was England`s third casualty after opener Atherton and number three Gatting went in quick succession following lunch. Both players fell to the unlikely figure of makeshift medium- pacer Mark Waugh, who trapped Atherton leg before wicket for 14 in the first over after the break. Gatting, who made a defiant 117 in the first innings, followed his captain to the pavilion when Waugh comprehensively bowled him with a full-length delivery. Thorpe responded admirably to England`s crisis, scoring his runs off 117 balls with 10 fours during a two-hour 20-minute stay at the crease. He eventually fell after tea when he drove a McDermott delivery to Shane Warne in the covers. Wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes and all-rounder Chris Lewis followed cheaply, before Crawley and DeFreitas added an unbroken 39 for the seventh wicket. Earlier, Australia resumed on 394 for five -- a lead of 41 runs -- and appeared to be in a potentially match-winning posi- tion. But they lost their last five wickets for 25 runs in less than 10 overs to be 419 all out. The speed of his side`s demise almost denied all-rounder Greg Blewett the opportunity to score a century on his test debut and become the first Australian to achieve the feat since Mark Waugh four years ago. Blewett, who remained unbeaten on 102 after starting the day on 91, found himself in danger of being stranded in the 90s as wickets tumbled around him. His prospects were further diminished by a health scare for McDermott, which forced the Queensland fast bowler to leave the ground at the start of play for a precautionary hospital X-ray following stomach cramps. With his score on 94, Blewett found himself at the wicket with spinner Peter McIntyre, effectively Australia`s last man as McDermott had yet to return from hospital. After surviving several scares as he tried to smash his way to three figures, Blewett reached the milestone in the seventh over of the day to earn a standing ovation from his home crowd. He hit 12 fours during his superb four-hour stay at the crease, during which he faced 176 balls. Malcolm sparked the Australian collapse by removing Healy for 74 in the first over of day. The Derbyshire fast bowler finished with figures of three for 78 from 26 overs, while Angus Fraser took three for 95. Source :: The Reuter Library Report Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 5, 30 Jan 95 At last the Barmy Army was entitled to go starking mad, and it came charging across the Adelaide Oval last night as England ruled the world. With shadows seeping on to the Oval from the old grandstands, Devon Malcolm began the sixth last over of the fourth Test to Australia's No 11, Peter McIntyre. The hapless tailender attempted to turn the speedster off his legs and, as one, England's players erupted into an appeal for lbw. It seemed the horde of English supporters was stampeding towards the middle even as Queensland umpire Peter Parker upheld the appeal to the undisguised despair of Ian Healy (51 not out) and the unbridled joy of England's players, suddenly immersed in the Union Jack capes of their fans. It was 6:06 pm, and England were 106-run winners, trailing Australia 2-1 in the series going into the fifth Test starting in Perth on Friday. Three-quarters of an hour later, England's 250- strong band of supporters was still celebrating below the dressing rooms, some simply roling in delirium on the Oval. A champagne-sodden Michael Atherton entered the press tent to say: "The Ashes are gone, but the series is still alive. There have been some hard times and it's been a tough tour, but this one ranks with the good Tests I have had for England." Before the final day's play, he had instilled in his players an aggressive, win-at-any-cost attitude, declaring: "We may as well go three down as 2-0, otherwise the series is dead. A draw is no good to us." Phil DeFreitas exemplified England's spirit by smashing fast bowler Craig McDermott with beautiful disdain for 22 runs from an over - four boundaries and a six. "Daffy grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. It gave us a sniff of a chance to draw the series," Atherton said. DeFreitas last won the man-of-the-match award, but whatever mid- innings carnage was wreaked by the shaven-skulled reinforcement Chris Lewis, it was the hulking Malcolm who detonated the dynamite under Australia. In the spate of 11 deliveries, Malcolm dismissed Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and Steve Waugh in the first 12 overs of the innings. Taylor slashed at a fiery leg-cutter for the catch to Graham Thorpe at first slip; Slater failed to control a high-rising bouncer for Phil Tufnell's splendid diving catch at fine leg and Waugh's wicket was splintered by a ferocious first-ball delivery carving back from outside off-stump. Tufnell's catch running towards the Barmy Army camped 20 metres from the bar beneath the scoreboard nearly brought the house down. As he tried to pull a steepling bouncer forward of square leg, Slater's stroke flew to fine leg where Tufnell moved right, adjusted his angle and held the catch in his fall. Momentarily England's players were frozen in disbelief before descending on the player once considered the worst fieldsman in the game. Angus Fraser chimed in with the wicket of David Boon, and Australia were 4-23 in their pursuit of 263 for victory in 67 overs. When Mark Waugh played a delivery from Tufnell firmly down against the left boot of Mike Gatting and it rebounded off his knee for the most freakish of catches, it was obvious Australia were doomed. Yet a ninth-wicket partnership of 69 runs by Healy and the injured Damien Fleming kept England grinding their teeth in frustration for almost two hours before Lewis's critical breakthrough, trapping Fleming lbw. After the Test, Australian skipper Mark Taylor said: "They have played better than us since Christmas. There's no doubt about it. I'm a bit concerned. But I think the West Indies will get us going. Warney is feeling a bit flat. He knows he's not bowling that well." Australia's elimination of England's last four batsmen did not come with the ease expected as DeFreitas rediscovered his long- lost batting flair. He swept past his half-century with a barrage of strokes which belied a batting average of less than 15 before the series. In two hours he struck two sixes - the first caught by an Akubra-hatted spectator nine rows back from the fence behind square leg - and nine boundaries before edging Mark Waugh behind with a maiden Test century looming. John Crawley and DeFreitas put on 89 at a run a minute, both falling to the all-rounder Australia have needed since Steve Waugh dislocated his bowling arm - Mark Waugh. Invariably mark pitches the ball too short, but with Fleming restricted to two overs yesterday, Waugh's medium-pacers were more probing and better-directed. When Crawley skied a return catch to Waugh jogging off towards the covers, Fraser joined DeFreitas for a 47-run partnership in a rollicking half-hour. It was England's first win in Adelaide since 1979 and their first in Australia since the 1986-87 series. The crowd of 89,448 was the best Ashes aggregate in Adelaide since 1974-75. (Thanks : Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald) ====> Day 5, MORE England's triumphant captain Mike Atherton was reprimanded and paceman Chris Lewis was fined about $1600 after his "send-off" of McDermott yesterday. Atherton was reprimanded for failing to ensure the match was conducted within the spirit of the game and the Laws of Cricket. It was interpreted that England should have tried to bowl their overs at a faster rate and each player was fined $800 - 15 per cent of his match fee - for being three overs down on the Test requirement. Test referee John Reid described Lewis's repeated gestures to the dressing room after he had McDermott caught at the wicket as "a cowardly act". After Reid saw a videotape of the incident, Lewis was fined 30 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into disrepute, making his return to the Test side an expensive outing - he was fined about $2400 in all. (Thanks : Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald) ====> Day 5, MORE England were scarcely recognisable yesterday from the motley crew that travelled around Australia early in the season. This was a crew beaten twice by the Academy and once by Zimbabwe, the team that stuttered in Brisbane and capitulated in Melbourne, the team whose bowlers were called "pie-chuckers", whose fieldsmen were slow, whose batsmen were either doddery or feeble and whose tactics were ridiculed. It is extraordinary who quickly things can change. Suddenly, Phil Tufnell can catch. Oh, he has a roll and a dive as well, causing gasps among the Barmy Army and elsewhere. But he hangs on. Suddenly, Devon Malcolm can bat, a part of his game previously thought negligible even by his closest friends. His bowling has long been admired. Twice he broke through - on the fourth morning when Australia carelessly lost 5-25, and on this extraordinary afternoon when he was too fast for respected batsmen and certainly for Peter McIntyre. Suddenly, Chris Lewis, a wimp in so many estimations, could bowl leg-cutters that died on the pitch. Suddenly he was mixing it with his opponents. Suddenly, Phil DeFreitas can bat, and give a fair impersonation of a whirling dervish too. He might have departed lbw early, as might John Crawley, but he rode his luck and smote a wayward attack around Adelaide Oval. Suddenly, England were playing boldly, and their captain was setting interesting fields. Despite this victory, Mike Atherton cannot entirely escape censure because he delayed his declaration too long and showed undue faith in DeFreitas and Angus Fraser, both of whom bowled wide of the wicket. Only in the nick of time were Lewis and Malcolm restored. Tufnell was also under-employed and he bowled too flat. To bowl faster, ever faster, when the batsmen are blocking is one of spin bowling's greatest temptations and greatest mistakes. Atherton spent his young life captaining losing teams, and it shows. He has the killer instinct but not the killer tactic. In Australia it is essential to go for the jugular. Teams do not win on points here, only by knock-outs. The English custom of seeking victory without risk dies hard. It is greatly to Atherton's credit, though, that a cruelly weakened English team played with such tenacity. Criticising his tactics is fair, provided his durability and determination are also acknowledged. England have fallen apart so often before, and some of us can remember what the watching has been like. From the start Australia played dreadfully on this dramatic final day. Only Ian Healy enhanced his reputation. Behind the stumps he can be as irritating as a dripping tap but he is a respected and spirited opponent whose reputation as a sportsman has improved considerably during the course of this series. (Thanks : Peter Roebuck, Sydney Morning Herald) ====> Day 5, MORE Does it get any more humiliating than this? And I don't mean just the Australian Test players. They at least died in action, flailing away to the last, however ineffectually. For us Australian journalists, though, it was something else again. We were obliged to sit there impotently, watching the total disintegration of the same Australian side we've been building up for months as the de facto Masters of the Universe. A team of our own kith and kin, thumped at the hands of an English side we wouldn't have been prepared to put in charge of a chook raffle, let alone win a Test match. For months we have been intimating that this English side is chock-a-block with imposters and that they were quite possibly the worst touring side ever to visit these shores, up to and including the recent sojourn here of KC and the Sunshine Band. Our names are tied to these opinions, all over the place, dammit. Why, only Sunday night, your humble correspondent penned a piece for the London Daily Telegraph, quite properly patronising in its tone, at the time that I wrote it. But now? Now there are only two possible conclusions to be drawn from yesterday's extraordinary events. Either England are still as hopeless as they were, and the Australians were simply diabolically more hopeless; or we journalists have been wrong about England all along and they are actually an extremely good side who've merely been unlucky right up to yesterday. As painful as it is, we far prefer the latter conclusion. Thus, England, we got it wrong - and we're sorry. Good? You were GREAT. You're a bunch of champion players and you got us a good one on the day. (Waiter! More whisky and some generous lashings of humble pie for all of my colleagues. Humble crow pie, to be precise. And a double serving for me.) (Thanks : Peter Fitzsimons, Sydney Morning Herald) Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.OZ.AU) ====> Day 5, more DeFreitas innings sets up victory for battered tourists to keep series alive - Christopher Martin-Jenkins BEFORE long Mike Atherton's England side will discover the art of winning Test matches when they are not battered, bruised and beaten. To have won the fourth Test in Adelaide by 106 runs hav- ing been two down in the series and with six of their original touring party of 16 unfit for action was remarkable enough; to have won from an overnight position in which the eventual result seemed much less likely than a draw or an Australian win was an especially glorious example of the game's uncertainty. As at the Oval last August it was a bold, free, natural innings by Phillip DeFreitas which made the recovery possible. His 68 off 57 balls yesterday took him to 88, his highest Test score, and transformed the game. It also won him the man-of-the-match cheque, though it might equally deservedly have gone to Graham Thorpe, for the quality and audacity of his 83, or to Ian Healy, who helped Greg Blewett to take the game apparently out of England's reach on Saturday and so nearly saved it for Australia yesterday. It is so often proved in cricket that fortune favours the bold and great credit goes to Mike Atherton for ordering positive tac- tics yesterday morning, risking defeat in pursuit of victory and realising perhaps that an aggressive approach has been the common denominator of all the five wins now achieved in his 17 Tests as captain. In a way England won by playing the Australian way. It was by design not accident that they got on top of the bowling in the morning and suddenly the spirit and momentum of the Oval last Au- gust and Barbados last April was rekindled. In a twinkling almost everyone had the Midas touch, not excluding Devon Malcolm, who deposited Shane Warne into the gardens at midwicket before run- ning off to take the new ball half an hour before lunch. Aggressive bowling from Malcolm destroys Australian top order DeFreitas deserves equal plaudits for the positive approach which has greatly improved his batting for England since he returned to the side last June. This was his fourth fifty in his 10 Tests since his return against New Zealand and three of them have helped significantly towards England wins. This time there was no Darren Gough swinging away with even greater venom at the other end, but in a quieter, more cultured way, John Crawley's 71 also paved the way for the burst of ag- gressive fast bowling with which Malcolm destroyed Australia's top order. Without Crawley, indeed, England would have been almost down and out on Sunday night. He ricked his neck when turning for a run in the second over yesterday but added 22 stylish runs before top- edging a pull, helping Mark Waugh to his first five-wicket Test analysis. DeFreitas took 22 off one over from Craig McDermott, with one classical off-drive and four pulls, three of which went for four and one for six. Already he had clipped McDermott off his toes for his first six. Left with 263 to win in 67 overs, Australia made 16 without loss in seven overs before lunch. In five overs after the interval Malcolm took three for 13 and if Hansie Cronje was watching Steve Waugh's off stump being uprooted first ball on television in South Africa he will have understood from his experience at the Oval what Australia were up against: fierce, direct fast bowling by a very, very strong man. The luck had turned England's way Mark Taylor edged a cut to first slip and Michael Slater was well caught at fine leg, hooking, before Waugh S R made his en- trance and his still more rapid exit. David Boon was the odd man out, unluckily so to Fraser, caught off a glove as he hooked. Thus the score plunged to 23 for four, on a quite blameless pitch, before Waugh M E and Greg Blewett jointly put their fingers in the dyke. The luck, however, had turned England's way and after 58 minutes of relatively untroubled batting, Mark Waugh was cruelly unfor- tunate to be caught off a leg glance which popped up off Gatting's left boot into his hands at short leg. Chris Lewis then drew Blewett into a stroke just outside his off stump and either side of tea he claimed Warne lbw and McDermott caught behind. There the rot stopped. Healy, cool and watchful, led Damien Flem- ing in a ninth-wicket partnership which took the game far into the final 15 overs. Malcolm bowled another spell without success; Phil Tufnell bowled both over and round the wicket without slowing down sufficiently to spin the ball against a braced front leg; and the three fast- medium men toiled in vain until, at last, Fleming swivelled to pull Lewis, missed and was leg before. Having taken the eighth wicket at 4.02pm, it was not until 6.02, in the 10th over of the last 15, that England could finish the job. Recalled for just that purpose, Malcolm claimed another lbw to complete England's first win in Australia since the Melbourne Test eight years ago. Fleming, deemed unfit, and Peter McIntyre have both been left out of Australia's 12 for the final Test starting in Perth on Friday, in which Glenn McGrath is certain to play and for which the West Australian fast bowlers, Jo Angel and Brendon Julian, have also been called up. Match referee takes some gilt off the gingerbread England travel to Perth this evening after a day spent at the traditional rest-day venue of old, the Yalumba winery. They have much to celebrate. On the other hand, there was some gilt taken off the gingerbread by the match referee, John Reid, last night. For the first time in the series he took action against England's slow over-rate, fining them 15 per cent of their match fee for being three overs behind the required rate, and rightly reprimanding Atherton for acting against the spirit of the game on Saturday, when England took half an hour longer than they should have done to bowl their 90 overs. Lewis was also fined yesterday, for gesturing angrily and garru- lously to the dressing room after he had dismissed McDermott. I dare say his own dismissal in the first innings was the prelude, but that is no excuse. For England, as it had been for Australia in that all-important first match in Brisbane, it duly proved a very important toss to win, although spin bowlers played a much less important part than had been anticipated. The dry pitch had a curious alternative effect, causing the modern phenomenon of reverse swing which undermined England's first innings on the second day and enabled Lewis to take his middle-order wickets in both Australian innings. Yesterday afternoon he was swinging the ball more than anyone else in the game and he will surely play in Perth ahead of the unfortunate Joey Benjamin, with Mark Ramprakash no doubt coming in for Tufnell. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Vicky (vigneswa@risky.ecs.umass.edu) ====> Day 5, more Dramatic Test win gives England hope Injury-crippled England completed a famous victory in the fourth Ashes cricket Test here Monday, and now go into the fifth Test later this week with high hopes of squaring the series. On a final day on which 14 wickets fell, England savoured the sweetest moment of a trouble-ravaged tour with a compelling 106- run win to trail 1-2 with the Perth Test starting Friday. It was England`s first Ashes Test win in Adelaide for 16 years and their first on Australian soil for more than eight years. "Times like this make it all worthwhile," said a smiling, sun- burned and relieved captain, Mike Atherton. "The Ashes may have gone, but the series is still alive -- and that is what is keeping us going." With speed men Devon Malcolm (4-39) and Chris Lewis(4-24) proving a deadly pair on an unhelpful pitch, Australia collapsed for a second innings 156. They had been set 263 for an improbable win after England to- talled 328 in their second innings. But the Australians fought until near what must have been a particularly bitter end, given that they led by 66 on the first innings and began the day with high hopes of victory. England team management began preparing the champagne soon after tea when Australia slumped to a seemingly hopeless 83-8. But ninth-wicket pair Ian Healy (51 not out) and Damien Flem- ing fought like wounded tigers to keep the old foe at bay. They thwarted everything the Englishmen could hurl at them for almost two hours as the score advanced 69 runs. With only eight overs remaining, and anxiety showing on En- glish faces, Lewis struck a crucial blow when he trapped Fleming lbw for 24. That exposed last man Peter McIntyre, who was making his Test debut. He survived three balls in 10 minutes before falling lbw to a jubilant Malcolm. Eleven ecstatic Englishmen leaped in the air and a flood of English supporters bearing Union Jacks invaded the field. Source :: AFP ====> Day 5, more England`s day of glory began with an innings of rare savagery by all-rounder Phil DeFreitas, whose butchery, combined with his two first innings wickets, won him the man of the match award. The right-hander crunched 88 off only 95 balls -- an extraor- dinary scoring rate at Test level. DeFreitas was at his most belligerent immediately after being struck a sickening blow in the groin by fast bowler Craig McDer- mott. The batsman lay slumped on the pitch, in agony, for several minutes and received attention from an England attendant. But he was soon on his feet, battering the Australian bowlers with even greater relish. His nine fours and two sixes included a remarkable sequence in one over from McDermott: 4,4,0,4,4,6 for 22. John Crawley played an important role by carrying his over- night tally from 49 to 71. It was Malcolm who plunged the knife into Australia`s heart by removing both openers, captain Mark Taylor (13) and Michael Slater (5), as well as Steve Waugh (0) immediately after lunch. With Angus Fraser grabbing David Boon (4), Australia were in disarray with 23-4. Left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell removed Mark Waugh (24). Lewis, called up by England only because of their huge casualty list, then joined in the fun. He snapped up the next four wickets, pouching Greg Blewett (12), Shane Warne (2), McDermott (0) and Fleming (24) before Mal- colm deservedly crowned English`s triumph with McIntyre`s scalp. Taylor paid tribute to England, saying: "They have played the better cricket since Christmas." He said he was a bit concerned about his attack. "I believe, though, the big task in the West Indies will get us going." Australian start a Test tour of the Caribbean in March. Source :: Agence France Presse Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 5, more England`s irregulars drive on to victory - Mike Selvey DECEMBER 28, 1986, is a date branded on the heart of English cricket. On that day, in Melbourne, a side captained by Mike Gatting beat the Australians. It was the last time an English team had won a Test on Australian soil and it was beginning to rankle. Yesterday, under cloudless skies on the prettiest ground in the land, all the hurt disappeared as Mike Atherton and his mot- ley men took the fourth Test by the scruff of the neck and in memorable style won it by 106 runs. Chasing 263 to win in 67 overs, Australia wilted in the face of an explosive post-lunch burst from Devon Malcolm (as fast now as anyone in the world), crumbled to an inspired spell of swing from Chris Lewis, rallied when the game seemed lost and then were swept away just when safety seemed in sight. In the morning Phil DeFreitas, with the bat, had provided the ca- talyst for victory just as he and Darren Gough managed at The Oval last summer and Gough himself did in the previous drawn Test in Sydney. His 88, the highest score of his international career, was an uninhibited display of clean, controlled hitting - no slogs, these - that reduced the Australian attack to rubble, lent heart to England and brought him the Man of the Match award. Fittingly it was Malcolm who took the final wicket for it was he who cut the early swath without which England would have had no chance of forcing this win that has kept the series, if not the Ashes, alive. His first ball to Peter McIntyre, a batsman of lit- tle skill and less pretension, thudded into a pad and Peter Parker`s upraised finger told its story: the matador claiming the ears. The celebrations will have gone on long into the night, with a visit today to a winery merely a top up. After all they have been through, no one will begrudge them a single bubble in the champagne. By no means everything in the garden of English cricket is roses but neither, as this win and those at Bridgetown and The Oval have shown in the past year, is it full of weeds. Twice now, in successive Tests, England have emerged the stronger of these two teams and Atherton`s lament is of frustration that his side are so slow out of the blocks. Yesterday, though, they nailed their colours to the mast. "We had to get a win here. It was as simple as that. We might as well have gone three-nil down as kept it at two-nil. The series would have been over." So Atherton demanded a positive and aggressive intent in all his team did. For once, on this injury-plagued tour, things went England`s way: after DeFreitas`s blitz had given them a total at which to bowl, the new ball swung and then, when it lost its shine, re- verse swung and seamed for good measure; catches stuck - nine in the game for Steve Rhodes; bowling changes brought their divi- dends - three times a wicket fell to the first ball of a new spell; and there was an outrageous piece of good fortune besides. Even the ending of the England innings was timely, for a declara- tion might well have proved too late. Everything gelled. It was the afternoon session, when seven wickets fell for 67 runs, that opened the door with three of the top order - Taylor, Slater and Boon - going to attacking shots and Steve Waugh not given the opportunity, losing his off-stump to his first ball from Malcolm as he prodded desperately. An outrageous stroke of good fortune, however, came when Mark Waugh and Greg Blewett appeared to be pulling the innings round from 23 for four. Waugh clipped Tufnell`s first ball of the in- nings firmly off his pads, only to see it hit the left boot of Gatting, perched at short leg, and bounce up into his hands. Ten years ago a similar thing had happened at Edgbaston when Wayne Phillips had smashed a ball into Allan Lamb`s boot and seen David Gower catch the rebound to break a deadlock. There was doubt about the correctness of that decision: of this there was none. In that moment England became destined to win and, when Lewis followed with the wickets of Blewett, Warne - to the last ball before tea - and McDermott to the fourth ball after, Aus- tralia, at 83 for eight, appeared buried. But there is a steely resilience about Ian Healy. With Damien Fleming for company he defied England for 26 overs, making his second half-century of the match and farming the strike so effec- tively that he could qualify for a subsidy. It is at such times that the fielding side needs patience. The ball was still moving but had lost some of its bounce, and both batsmen were set on what remained a good pitch. "If we got the one," Atherton said later, "I knew we`d get the other as well." Finally it was Lewis who did the trick when Fleming attempted to pull a short ball that kept low and was leg before. The pair had added 69 for the ninth wicket but more im- portantly had denied England for almost two hours. The agenda for the day had been set by DeFreitas, who played a sensational innings. This is a player of exceptional batting ability who has rarely chosen to display it, languishing instead down the order with the stiffs. Chicken and egg: he wants to bat higher but has never given any cause for promotion. His first 55 Test innings brought a single half-century; his last nine have brought a further three. This, though, was something else, with his assault on Craig McDermott - a world-class bowler with a new ball in his hand - absolutely merciless. A six picked up over square leg while the ball was barely out of its wrapper and then, after Crawley had succumbed to Mark Waugh`s bouncer for 71, 22 off another over with four fours and a six. McDermott, who had bowled with such brilliance in the match, retired chastened, his new-ball spell yielding 41 runs from three overs. DeFreitas deserved a century and might have got one had Fraser not got above his station by also hooking a catch to long leg (by the end of the match, the hook shot had produced almost a quarter of the wickets to fall). But with Malcolm in and swinging - 10 off two balls from Shane Warne - he attempted another hook, off Mark Waugh`s bouncer and got a thin edge to Healy for the bowler`s fifth wicket. It had, said DeFreitas, been one of those days. "They bowled it short, I saw it and hit it. That`s about it really." Happily, Brian, he was not over the moon- just "chuffed". Source :: The Guardian Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)