Date-stamped : 07 Feb95 - 22:31 England v Australia, Test 5 played at the WACA, Perth, 3-7 January 1995 ====> Prematch England bowlers told not go "over the top" against Aussie foe England skipper Michael Atherton on Wednesday warned his pace attack - including fourth Test hero Devon Malcolm - against bowling "over the top" in their attempt to square the series against Australia. Malcolm took one look at the WACA Ground wicket being prepared for the fifth and final Test which starts here Friday and gave a huge smile. The man who captured seven wickets in England's 106-run win in Adelaide obviously liked what is reputedly Australia's fastest cricket turf. Malcolm would not comment on how it might play, but he obviously fancied his chances of spearheading England attempts to level the series 2-2. The WACA wicket has been a bowler's friend for years, but England captain Atherton said he did not want to see his pacemen bowl too short. "The danger is that when they see a bit of bounce they can go over the top," he said. "I will stress to our fellows they need to hit the right kind of length." Atherton said England, despite their fragile reputation, had been very happy in recent years to play on pacy surfaces. "It's perhaps unusual for an England side to say that, but we have played well at the Oval and Barbados and places where the ball has a bit of carry." Atherton gave strong hints that Mark Ramprakash will probably be added to the England lineup so there are six specialist batsmen. Ramprakash flew in from the England A tour of India after Graeme Hick was injured but not in time for the Adelaide Test. Atherton hinted at Ramprakash's probable inclusion this time when he said: "At the moment I would be reluctant to go in with only five batters, but that thinking could change." England will have to decide whether to omit one of the pacemen - Malcolm, Angus Fraser, Chris Lewis and Phil DeFreitas - or left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell who looks most vulnerable. (Thanks : John Yarwood, AFP, 1 Feb 95) Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Prematch, MORE Malcolm Told To Behave England fast bowler Devon Malcolm is on a final warning for his behavior from International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee John Reid going into the fifth Ashes Test against Australia, which starts at the WACA Ground on Friday. Malcolm bowled England to victory in the fourth Test in Adelaide on Monday with a devastating burst of 3-4 in 11 deliveries at the start of the second innings, dismissing Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and Steve Waugh to set up the tourists' 106-run win. The Derby paceman was lightning fast at times, but captain Mike Atherton revealed today that Malcolm was one of several bowlers who had been warned by the ICC referee for "overt aggression". Chris Lewis was fined 30 percent of his match fee at the end of the Adelaide Test for pointing Craig McDermott towards the dressing rooms and Atherton said Reid had told him after the Sydney Test to pass on a warning to Malcolm. Atherton said he would remind Malcolm of the penalties of the ICC code of conduct, but admitted he did not want his strike bowler to tone down his pace or aggression in the process. "John Reid spoke to me after Devon Malcolm waved Mark Waugh to the pavilion in Sydney and said it wasn't on," Atherton said. "Before the Adelaide game, he told me to mention it (to the players) and I did. I mentioned it to the lads who are on the last warning." Atherton said he had no problem with the fine Lewis received after Adelaide and said the Englishmen realized immediately he would face stern action from Reid. Reid has wide-ranging powers and can fine a player up to 75 percent of his match fee or even hand out a three-match suspension in extreme cases. England can square the series with a victory in Perth _ a feat that seemed impossible after heavy defeats in Brisbane and Melbourne. "It's been such a black and white tour," Atherton said. "In the first two Tests, we were way behind Australia. In Sydney and Adelaide, we were the better side but not by the same amount that they were better than us (earlier)." Replacement batsman Mark Ramprakash is likely to play in Perth, leaving the England selectors to decide whether to use four seamers or include spinner Phil Tufnell. Australia seems likely to play left-armer Brendon Julian, relegating Jo Angel to 12th man. (Thanks : AP Worldstream, 1 Feb 95) Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Prematch, more Warne not injured, he's just bowling badly - Mark Taylor Australian captain Mark Taylor angrily denied on Thursday the mounting speculation that wonder spinner Shane Warne had been playing with a serious injury. On the eve of the decisive fifth and final Test against Eng- land, Taylor rejected suggestions in the Australian media that an injury was the cause of Warne`s lack of success in the past two Tests. With pressure mounting on his side after the against the grain humiliation by England in the fourth Test, Taylor said Warne was simply not bowling well. After destroying England with 20 wickets in the first two Tests, Warne -- hailed as one of the greatest players of the past two decades -- has managed only five in the past two matches which were drawn and lost. Taylor said after Australia`s final practice for the Perth Test: "Shane does not have an injury. He has had niggles of the sort everybody gets. People talk about giving him a rest - but he doesn`t need a rest. "Because he has had so much success, people are expecting him to get eight wickets every time he plays. We have all seen enough cricket to know that doesn`t happen. "He has had a niggle in his right shoulder and with ham- strings, but there are no problems at the moment." "The reason he is not taking as many wickets as in Brisbane and Melbourne is that he is not bowling as well. "This has nothing to do with injuries. We monitor him as closely as anyone in the team, because we know he is a valuable asset." Warne had been working hard at the nets in recent days "to try to get it right, and I think he is getting there," Taylor said. "His line was not right in Adelaide," said Taylor of the match that England won by 106 runs. "I believe it is all to do with his action. "He was not turning the ball in Adelaide, even on day four. So something was not quite right with his action. But I have faced him in the nets since and he is turning quite a lot now." Source :: Agence France Presse, 2 Feb 95 Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> more Gooch aims for glorious farewell Graham Gooch is guaranteed a battle royal on his last appearance as an England Test player. Australia, stung by their 106-run defeat in Adelaide three days ago, are desperate to finish emphatic winners of a five-match series. Gooch, even at 41, will relish that challenge. "I would love to go out on a bright note and I`ll be trying as hard as ever," he promised. ====> more Warne will play, insists Taylor Star Australian spinner Shane Warne will play in the final Test in Perth, according to team captain Mark Taylor. Taylor and Australian coach Bobby Simpson ridiculed suggestions that Warne was struggling with a shoulder injury and neede a rest. "He has had a niggle in his shoulder and his hamstring but every- one has niggles through a season and he is fine," said the Aussie skipper. Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> prematch, more Australia`s turn to fret as England`s new worry is whom to leave out - Mike Selvey TOMORROW morning comes the showdown, not for the Ashes of course - prospects of regaining those disappeared into the Sydney gloom - but at least for the series. Humiliating as the last two series have been, and degrading as the first two Tests of this tour were, England appear to have drawn strength from the adversity of an injury list that would make a Clint Eastwood film seem like a beach barbie so that they now find themselves in a healthy position to square the series. Indeed the last five matches stand at 2 2 with a draw in England`s favour and for the first time this winter Australia are not odds-on to win a match. What a difference the New Year has made. The resolve of the England team to put the latter part of 1994 behind them has as- tonished even their hardest critics. Sydney was almost a miracle, although the rain there that finished them off was also, in its influence on the pitch, party to their reaching a winning position in the first place. But Ade- laide was something else: an exhilarating roller-coaster ride with a patched up team that few thought would stay the course. To win in the manner they did, by the margin they did, almost defies natural laws. In fact, they won because, although cricket is largely a collection of isolated individual performances, in the end it is a team game. At Adelaide every man Jack contributed: 81 runs from Gooch, a century from the old greybeard, Atherton`s grit, Thorpe`s aggression, Malcolm`s inspiration, Crawley`s tempera- ment, wickets for Lewis, DeFreitas`s charge, Rhodes`s catches, Fraser`s persistence (ask Michael Slater about him) even down to Tufnell`s catch and the vital wicket of Mark Waugh on the final day. No one finished the match feeling left out. Given the cir- cumstances, it was one of the grandest of all English wins. Yet, although a match like that generates spirit, it also creates its own problems, not least the selection of the side for the final contest. In Adelaide a winning combination was discovered purely by chance; there was scarcely any other option. Just consider: is there any person in the land who, before the tour, would have nominated the 11 who took the field as the side most likely to beat Australia? It made a mockery of selec- tion procedures. But, if it worked once, can it do so again? The state of the Waca pitch will have a big bearing on what happens. This, gen- erally speaking, is regarded still as the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, like the Oval only more so. Two years ago West Indies came here and blew Australia away be- fore lunch on the third day, a result that was deemed suffi- ciently poor to earn the groundsman the sack. Marketing departments do not like three-day finishes. There are those who are expecting a less sprightly surface this time around. But even a flat Waca track is likely to be bouncier and fas- ter than most. England then, it would appear, have two options: to retain the same side in the hope that they can repeat the miracle or to bring in Mark Ramprakash as a sixth batsman and omit a bowler. There is a reason for caution in making a change. Ramprakash has been in Australia for less than a week having spent a month on the A tour in India playing spin on slow turning pitches. He himself has warned of the dangers of expecting his game to be in full working order for a pace barrage here. However Atherton is likely to favour Ramprakash`s introduc- tion, which would leave The Management with a tough decision over which bowler to omit. Lewis? Despite his lack of cricket he made a strong case for himself in Adelaide. DeFreitas? That would be cruel after the last game. Twice now his batting has been a catalyst for a win, and the Fremantle Doc- tor, the sea breeze that bustles diagonally across the ground, is a huge friend to swing bowlers brave enough to bowl into it. Fraser? Malcolm? Unthinkable surely. The most likely outcome, considering the pitch, would be for Tufnell to make way, although Atherton has valued his control, albeit negative, in times of stress. England are not the only ones with selection problems. Aus- tralia have made a pair of changes to their side from that in Adelaide, with Damien Fleming out injured and Peter McIntyre, after a chastening debut, apparently destined to join the band of one-Test wonders. Instead, in an endeavour to boost their firepower (not to mention ticket sales) Brendon Julian and Jo Angel of Western Australia have been brought in. The big topic of discussion, though, is whether or not Shane Warne will play. Considering his contribution before Christmas, when he took 20 wickets in two Tests, his performances since - a mere five wickets in the pair of Tests - have been disappointing. In Adelaide, one spell apart when for an afternoon he spun himself off his feet and made the ball sing, he has been a roller and not an exceptionally accurate one at that. Mark Taylor, his captain, has warned of the burn-out factor, saying that Warne is "flat". Others, despite repeated denials, believe that bowling so much - Warne and McDermott have accounted for almost 60 per cent of their team`s overs this series - in the manner that he does has already taken its toll on his shoulder. To exclude him might be seen as a boost to England but his Test record at the Waca, in two matches, consists of one wicket in 62 overs. Julian, an all-rounder who bowls left-arm pace (Allan Border says he is as good as anything he has faced this season), was on the last Ashes tour. But Angel might need some introduction. Two years ago, as a blood-and-snot raw paceman, he was brought in for that final Test against West Indies. "I kinda look on myself as a sort of West Indies-type bowler," he said at the time. Translation: I bang it in short. Unfortunately he came across Richie Richardson, who kinda saw himself as a West Indies-type batsman not exactly shy of the hook. Rarely can the Waca terracing have taken such a pebble- dashing. Source :: The Guardian Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 1, 3 Feb 95 Michael Slater was the fire-dancer again before claiming a gift- wrapped century from England in the fifth Test in Perth yester- day. Three times England`s fieldsmen dropped the opener, at 0, 59 and 87, and he meted out heavy punishment for the error of their ways. Aided and abetted by England`s gross negligence, Slater and Mark Waugh strode through a sunswept first day of the Test at the WACA Ground for a 183-run partnership in 255 minutes of Australia`s 4-283. Slater`s reaction on reaching his century yesterday was a far cry from the pure ecstasy which greeted his maiden Test hundred at Lord`s in 1993 when he celebrated with the world by kissing the coat of arms on his helmet. Stretching arms wide in disbelief to the Australian dressing room, he clicked his heels in delight be- fore raising his bat to the crowd. coming,`` Slater said last night. ``I had my luck, but it was not my fault they were dropping the catches.`` It was his sixth century in 23 Tests and his third of the series for 578 runs at 64.22. This morning, with the heat intensifying on an England side which must win to level the series, Steve Waugh resumes on 23 not out and Greg Blewett 17 not out. The second new ball is five overs old. Reinforcement paceman Chris Lewis, the bowler whose touring docu- ments the selectors almost tore up in frustration last year, was England`s hero with involvement in all the dismissals, including the face-high catch from Slater at point. If anything was set to sort the wheat from the chaff this season it was the gulf in the standard of the teams` catching, specifi- cally, and fielding, in general. For England it was suicidal to drop the batsman responsible for much of the golden glow of the summer with 176 in Brisbane and 103 in Sydney. Slater lived the life of Riley, cracking 13 boundaries in almost five hours, and the Barmy Army wept tears of blood. Missing Slater was bad enough. Dropping Mark Waugh 40 minutes later at 18 only provided another rod to England`s back. Waugh drove and cut 10 boundaries in four hours of dripping honey. Having lost the previous three Test tosses, Australia took pos- session of a typical Perth pitch - hard, white, fast and true. In the hour before play, a number of the Australians knelt on the pitch, examining a long crack which wound along the spine of the strip. Traditionally, the WACA Ground`s Test pitch cracks open without becoming the batting hazard one might expect, but its proximity to the stumps caused some concern. Immediately Lady Luck beamed broadly on Australia. Twice Slater was beaten by Devon Malcolm`s blistering outswingers in his first three deliveries before edging the fourth ball wide of Graham Gooch at third slip. Appearing in his 118th and last Test, Gooch, 41, reacted slowly and managed only to lay a right hand on the catch. Not a run was on the board. Slater flew into overdrive. He welcomed Malcolm`s new-ball partner Phil DeFreitas with two full-blooded drives through extra cover. Lewis came into the attack as the fourth corner of England`s all-square pace attack, up-wind, and with his third delivery ran an outswinger away from the defensive edge from Mark Taylor for the catch at the wicket. David Boon, who became a father for the third time yesterday, has had a bleak time since his Melbourne century. He drove at Lewis and presented the paceman with his second wicket as Mark Ram- prakash dived low behind point. Everything is so blissfully easy for Mark Waugh. Having negotiat- ed a trying half-hour, he rolled his wrists to square drive Lewis and presented John Crawley with a whistling knee-high catch in the gully. Again Crawley`s reflexes were a split second too late, and the catch went astray. Like short leg, gully is a position for specialists. Slater and Waugh took daring singles to disrupt England`s field placings and disconcert their volcanic frontline man, Malcolm. Settling in 10 minutes after lunch, Slater buffed a head-high catch back to Malcolm. The big man grasped it, and deceived by its lack of pace, dropped it. Slater was 59. Every reprieve made the right-hand opener more outrageously the desperado. Inevitably, the front foot drives launched through long-off and extra cover from the pacemen drew a barbed observa- tion from Angus Fraser. Slater replied with a jab in the direc- tion of the boundary. Michael Atherton and England were at exasperation point when Slater hooked DeFreitas to fine leg where Malcolm positioned him- self for the low, direct catch, and spilled it. Slater was 87. Malcolm`s eyesight is poor and fine leg is unsuitable for him, but he is hard to hide in close. Slater and Waugh went within a quarter of an hour of each other, Slater cutting DeFreitas to Lewis at point for a rebound catch and Waugh clipping Lewis to short leg when well in charge. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> Day 1, more Slater Century Lifts Australia - Ihithisham Kamardeen Michael Slater scored a century and some woeful England field- ing Friday helped Australia to 283 for four at stumps on the opening day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket Test at the WACA Ground. England, in search of a series-leveling victory to salvage its battered pride after heavy defeats in the first two Tests, let Australia off the hook by dropping four catches after the home team won the toss and batted. Australia, which is still smarting from an unexpected 108-run defeat in the fourth Test in Adelaide, was lifted by Slater (124) and Mark Waugh (88), who hit the team out of another potential batting shambles. Slater led a charmed life and was dropped three times before he reached his third century of the series. He combined in a 183-run stand with Mark Waugh after Australia was uneasily placed on 55 for two. England hit back by dislodging the third-wicket pair in quick succession, but Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett survived some test- ing overs to remain unbeaten on 23 and 17 respectively at stumps. Slater and Mark Waugh took such toll on the England pace quar- tet that skipper Michael Atherton had to eventually turn to part-time off-spinner Mark Ramprakash for nine overs in a desperate effort to end the menacing stand. While Slater rode his luck and hit his way to his sixth Test century, a subdued Mark Waugh batted for four hours for his 177- ball innings. He hit 10 boundaries. Slater reached his century with a single off the bowling of Ramprakash and celebrated it with a skip and a jump, pointing to the team`s viewing gallery. He continually chanced his arm against the pacemen, hitting them over the infield for the major share of his 13 fours. After a breezy afternoon session that saw the addition of 112 runs, England kept a tight check on Australia`s progress and was rewarded with Slater`s wicket. A frustrated Slater tried to cut loose against Phil DeFreitas and hit a straightforward catch to Chris Lewis at point, who cap- tured the ball on the second attempt. Slater batted four minutes under five hours and faced 231 balls. Three overs later, Mark Waugh flicked a low catch to DeFreitas at square leg off the bowling of Lewis. Malcolm, England`s match winner in Adelaide, was the villain this time around when he dropped Slater twice _ on 59 and 87. This was after Slater, who then had yet to score, was let off by Graham Gooch off the fourth ball of the morning, at third slip off Malcolm. Australia, despite losing skipper Mark Taylor (9) and David Boon (1) in successive Lewis-overs, had made steady progress in the pre-lunch session, scoring 95 runs. Taylor edged Lewis` third delivery to wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes and a couple of overs later Boon`s drive was brilliantly caught by Ramprakash at cover point. England could have had the home team in trouble just before lunch, but John Crawley grassed a sharp catch offered by Mark Waugh (18) off the bowling of Lewis. Lewis continued from where he left off in Adelaide and fin- ished the day with the best figures among the England bowlers-- three for 44. Source :: AP Worldstream Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 2, 4 Feb 95 Waugh stranded on 99 Steve Waugh became only the second batsman in test history to be left stranded on 99 not out as Australia were dismissed for 402 in the fifth test on Saturday. Waugh, who was left unbeaten on 94 in the second test in Mel- bourne, failed to reach three figures when his brother Mark was run out before tea. The second Waugh twin was involved in the dismissal as runner for fast bowler Craig McDermott, who strained his back during batting practice before the start of play. Waugh, who batted for 288 minutes, hitting 12 fours, dropped a ball from seamer Chris Lewis down at his feet and his brother Mark hared down the pitch trying to see him to his century. But Stephen sent his brother back, and despite a dive, Mark was beaten by an underarm throw by Graham Gooch after umpire Steve Randell called for the third umpire Terry Prue to confirm the decision. Waugh suffered the same fate as former England opener Geoff Boycott who was similarly stranded on the same ground in 1979-80. It was the sixth time in his test career Waugh has reached the 90s without going on to score a century. Waugh held the innings together on the second day after the home side, looking to protect a 2-1 lead in the series, began the day at 283 for four. With the England bowling again very disciplined, they gradual- ly worked their way through the Australia lower order with Chris Lewis and Phillip DeFreitas sharing three wickets apiece. McDermott`s injury, which seemed likely to prevent him bowl- ing, was not the only fitness problem for the home side as wick- etkeeper Ian Healy tore a calf muscle during his innings of 12. Despite the obvious discomfort Healy felt as he batted, he was still expected to keep wicket following intensive treatment. ====> Day 2, more Steve Waugh, only the second batsman in test history to run out of partners so near to his century, said afterwards he had been convinced there was no chance of completing the single despite his brother`s enthusiastic backing-up. ``Mark was keen to get the run but I played the ball too near (the bowler) Chris Lewis,`` Waugh told reporters. ``I`m disappointed to have another 90-something against my name but it was a vital innings for me after I didn`t make many runs in the last couple of tests,`` said Waugh, who hit 12 fours from 183 balls during a near five-hour stay at the crease. His experience followed that of former England opener Geoff Boycott who missed out on a century in similar circumstances on the same ground in 1979-80. England team manager Keith Fletcher said his side still had justifiable hopes of sharing the series. ``We could bowl them out cheaply in their second innings and if you ask the Australians I`m sure they would say the test match isn`t over,`` he said. England`s first priority on Sunday will be to score the 93 runs they need to avoid the follow-on. They were stunned in the opening overs of their innings when Glenn McGrath, who was drafted into the side to replace injured pace bowler Damien Fleming, lured Atherton into edging a catch to Healy before bowling Gatting off the inside edge. But they appeared to have weathered Austalia`s initial burst when Gooch and Thorpe added 72 runs for the third wicket. Then makeshift bowler Mark Waugh took his two quick wickets to put Australia in the driving seat again. Gooch, who is setting a new record of 118 caps for England on his last test appearance, was trapped lbw for 37 in Waugh`s second over. Three deliveries later Crawley edged a low catch to Shane Warne at second slip to fall for a duck. Earlier, after resuming on 283 for four, Australia struggled for runs against England`s pace quartet of Devon Malcolm, Chris Lewis, Angus Fraser and Phil DeFreitas. DeFreitas and Lewis took three wickets apiece with Fraser chipping in with one wicket, before the last three Australian batsmen, Jo Angel, Glenn McGrath and McDermott, were run out. Source :: The Reuter Library Report Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu) ====> Day 2, more Fletcher refuses to admit defeat England are refusing to write off their chances of squaring the Ashes series. Despite finishing day two of the final Test in trouble at 110-4, needing another 93 to avoid the follow-on, boss Keith Fletcher refused to give up. "Our hopes of finishing the series 2-2 have not gone," he said. "This is the sort of pitch on which you can bowl a side out chea- ply. We could have dismissed Australia for 220." Thanks :: ITV Meridian Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> Day 2, more Steve Waugh remained stranded unbeaten on 99 when a hobbling Craig McDermott was ruled run out through television replay in the fifth Test in Perth yesterday. A frustrated Waugh left the WACA Ground without acknowledging his standing ovation at the end of Australia`s first innings of 402. Adding to the drama of a brilliant second day, new-ball bowler Glenn McGrath (2-45) dismissed Michael Atherton (4) and Mike Gat- ting (0) with successive deliveries only to be thwarted in his first-over hat-trick bid by Graham Thorpe (54 not out). Late in yet another Test of switchback developments, Mark Waugh (2-13) dismissed Graham Gooch (37) and John Crawley (0) in four deliveries to leave England wavering in their first innings at 4-110. Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash (14 not out) resume today. "Next time, I'll slog," Steve Waugh said last night when reminded six of his Test innings have finished in the 90s. Waugh refused to blame twin brother Mark, acting as McDermott`s runner, although he considered there was no single in the photo-finish run out. ``Just because it was Mark, it was no big deal. I told him: `Don`t worry about it. It`s over`,`` Steve said. Padded and strapped, McDermott creaked to the wicket in mid- afternoon as Australia`s No 11 in a vain attempt to assist Steve Waugh, then 91, reach his eighth Test century after the fast bowler strained a joint low in his back while batting in the nets before the Test`s resumption. McDermott resisted for 25 minutes. Mark Waugh attempted to steal the single for his twin`s century and was turned back half-way along the pitch. In hot pursuit of the ball, paceman Chris Lewis (3-73) returned it to Gooch, who broke the wicket as Mark dived to regain his ground. With Gooch`s shadow obscuring the crease, TV umpire Terry Prue examined three replays of the incident from different angles be- fore flicking the red light for McDermott`s dismissal. Waugh be- came only the second batsman in Test history to remain 99 not out, his unfortunate predecessor being Geoffrey Boycott on the same WACA Ground in 1979. Remarkably, having received manipulation from orthopaedic surgeon Phil Hardcastle, McDermott emerged for the last hour of the Test which should permit him to bowl later today. Australia`s ambition to sweep England aside for a 3-1 Ashes series win sustained a double dislocation with the setbacks to McDermott and Ian Healy (left calf muscle strain). McDermott has already been ruled out of New Zealand`s limited-over Cen- tenary Tournament next month with a degeneration of the left knee. Steve Waugh will never store his 288-minute Perth innings among his career`s mementoes, but considered it valuable from a team point of view, and from his own, before the team`s selection for the West Indies. Although responsible for some sizzling cover drives in his 12 boundaries, the torrid examination of his technique against fast bowling by Devon Malcolm must have riveted the chairman of selec- tors, Laurie Sawle. Anything Australia face in the West Indies in the ensuing three months will certainly be no faster or more volatile than Malcolm`s performance yesterday morning. It only made England`s frustration greater then after their blem- ished first day in the field when four catches were dropped - six in all - for Malcolm (0-93) to bowl so well for such scant re- ward. Five times Malcolm beat Waugh in two overs, flaring desperately at balls firing outside or over off stump. Eventually, Healy became obliged to speak to his partner of 72 Tests` experience, and a Bronx cheer went up as Waugh rode over the speedster`s next delivery, allowing it to fly by. Healy (12) himself was beaten by the sheer pace of Malcolm on three occasions, but the catch England sought eluded them. Australia struggled all the way. Greg Blewett (20) was at the wicket only a quarter of an hour before Angus Fraser (1-84) slanted a ball back through bat and pad for a catch at the wick- et. Blewett stood momentarily as umpire Steve Randell ruled him out caught Steve Rhodes, the suspicion being that the ball flicked the top of his batting pad. Pushing off for two sharp runs, Healy strained his calf muscle, receiving treatment on the filed from Errol Alcott before falling victim to Phil DeFreitas (3-91), cutting a catch behind point to the athletic Lewis. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> Day 3, 5 Feb 95 Australia`s spirited opener Michael Slater batted on with a bro- ken thumb in yesterday`s fifth Test against England, casting doubt on his tour of New Zealand. A century-maker in Australia`s first innings at the WACA Ground, he was struck on the right thumb by a vicious delivery from Devon Malcolm at 22, but continued on to make 45 of Australia`s second innings of 2-87. The fracture is across the top of the thumb rather than a knuckle and is not thought to be a long-term inju- ry. Two days remain in the Test with Australia holding an overall lead of 194 runs. Mark Taylor and David Boon resume this morning. England No 4 Graham Thorpe celebrated a belated century with arms outstretched as if to fly yesterday, only for his team to fail to soar with him. On a cloudless, sun-splintered Perth day before an involved crowd of 21,000, Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash provided England`s most stimulating partnership of the series with sleek driving displays in a 158-run stand. But after leg-spinner Shane Warne cleverly wheedled the pair out, England proved a castle of sand again, finishing with 295, fal- ling 107 runs short of Australia`s first innings of 402. Australia dashed off in the last session with much gusto, Slater and Taylor putting on 75 at almost a run a minute before Slater edged Angus Fraser to the wide-diving Michael Atherton at second slip. Having been smashed on the thumb by Malcolm - the ball soared over the slips cordon to the fence - Slater proceeded to play some apparently needlessly rash strokes, probably aware of the seriousness of his injury. With Slater`s departure, Jo Angel came to the wicket as night watchman, only for Taylor to sprint off for an unnecessarily dar- ing single to mid-on. Graham Gooch underarmed Angel`s wicket down. The Australians knew Thorpe was good from his unbeaten 114 in his maiden Test against them at Trent Bridge in 1993. Yet 14 Tests have elapsed between hundreds. Reserved and intense, Thorpe said last night: ``Cricket is tough out here and you have to raise your game to that level. Mentally, you have to give as much as you get. I thought it was time to take the attack to them.`` Both 25, Thorpe and Ramprakash grew up as schoolboy rivals and close friends, although they are across-the-Thames county op- ponents, Thorpe with Surrey and Ramprakash with Middlesex. Anyone who doubted England`s Test future and questioned the system`s ability to produce outstanding batsmen should have witnessed the 3-1/2-hour Thorpe-Ramprakash partnership. Thorpe has been promising a second Test century all summer. In Adelaide he was sailing towards a hundred when Craig McDermott slanted a ball across him for the catch at 83. His hooking tech- nique of taking his eyes off the ball and hoping for a connection is horrible, but there are few sweeter drivers. The compact little left-hander, collar raised, sleeves cut away, was at the wicket for five hours and struck 19 boundaries before leaping out to Warne`s wrong`un. Wicketkeeper Ian Healy executed a brilliant stumping, dragging the ball down from shoulder height. While Slater has had a magnificent series with three centuries and 623 runs at 62.3 - making him a favourite for International Cricketer of the Year - Thorpe has also had success with 444 runs at 55.5. As with paceman Fraser and all-rounder Chris Lewis, Ramprakash was not an original tour selection, but he certainly should have been judging by yesterday`s performance. Temperamentally some- thing of a rogue early in his career, Ramprakash drove stylishly through long-off and cover for 11 boundaries, and he proved flint-hard. McGrath bowled one of the fabulous overs of the summer early yes- terday, varying off-cutters and his much-improved outswinger, finishing with a rearing ball which struck Ramprakash on the point of the shoulder. The little right-hander, born in England of Guyanese-Irish extraction, sauntered down the pitch without a quiver. Later he took a blow on the foot from McDermott, but nev- er backed away. When a delivery slipped from McGrath`s hand, Ramprakash failed to sight the beamer and was struck flush on his helmet grille. ``He apologised, but it was quite an unnerving thing,`` Ram- prakash said. ``It would have rearranged my teeth if I`d not worn my helmet.`` Having recovered from their second-over setbacks when McGrath dismissed Atherton and Mike Gatting with successive balls, Eng- land pitched from the relative security of 4-235 to the grave site of 8-247. In 41 minutes they lost Thorpe, Steven Rhodes, Ramprakash and Phillip DeFreitas for 12 runs in just 9 overs be- fore an hour of flashing strokes by Lewis, striking out defiantly for eight boundaries. With McDermott hindred by an inflammation of a lower spinal joint, which required him to have a runner in Australia`s in- nings, the attack still functioned with encouraging efficiency. Initially, Taylor gave Jo Angel the down-wind role with McGrath up-wind, Angel proving powerful but scarcely dynamic. Later he yorked Rhodes and DeFreitas with in-swingers in quick succession, but was not as fast as McGrath or as consistently menacing. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> Day 3, more RAMPRAKASH FURY OVER BEAMER Mark Ramprakash refused to clear Australian paceman Glenn McGrath of all blame after being on the receiving end of a frightening beamer. Ramprakash was only saved from serious injury by the grille of his protective helmet when McGrath sent down a face- high full toss early on day three. The illegal delivery, feared by all batsmen, bent the metal bars in front of Ramprakash`s nose and mouth. Thanks: ITV Meridian Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> Day 4, 6 Feb 95 England`s walls came crumbling down in a last-hour bombardment after another glittering century by Greg Blewett in the fifth Test in Perth yesterday. Australia`s new-ball attack of Craig McDremott and Glenn McGrath smashed through the Englishmen to leave them helpless at 5-27 and ready for demolition today when they continue a now futile fourth innings chase of 453 runs to win. England`s plight was a flashback to their performance in Trinidad last year when they were dismissed for a miserable 46 by the West Indies in 99 minutes. As Mark Ramprakash prepared to join him, England`s captain Michael Atherton was ill at the edge of the WACA Ground pitch. Earlier in the day, Greg Blewett had stormed Immortality Boulevard, becoming only the fifth batsman in history to post a century in his first two Tests. But the slim, steel-wristed Adelaide right-hander`s lustrous 115 almost became irrelevant as England lost Graham Gooch (4), Mike Gatting (8), Angus Fraser (5), Graham Thorpe (0) and John Crawley (0) in 10 overs. In their final Tests, both Gooch and Gatting were greeted with three cheers by Mark Taylor`s men. It was their captain who had tears in his eyes at the end. McDermott glowed with delight last night, rubbing his hands and gleefully welcoming the approaching series against the West In- dies. The big Queenslander charged in with the nor`wester over his shoulder in a remarkable display after inflammation of a spi- nal joint compelled him to use a runner while batting in Australia`s first innings. After being 12th man for the past three Tests, McGrath made his own impressive strides, dismissing nightwatchman Fraser and Sunday`s century maker Thorpe with successive deliveries. Following his unbeaten Adelaide Test 102, Blewett plundered 19 boundaries from a fatigued England, as much mentally destroyed by their own fielding atrocities as anything. Spinning off his right foot and pulling the fast men with back ram-rod straight, or cov- er driving and cutting, Blewett raced to his century from just 135 balls in a 202-minute performance. ``I enjoyed this more,`` he said last night. ``The first one hap- pened so quickly it was a real shock to the system. I`m rapt be- cause we were in a bit of trouble when I came in [at 5-123].`` The selectors` decision to award the 23-year-old a green cap this summer ahead of apparently more distinguished young rivals has provided a master stroke. When Blewett rolled his wrists over De- von Malcolm`s last ball before tea and pulled it to the fence at wide long-on, he joined an illustrious company. For all his greatness, not even Don Bradman hit hundreds in his first two Tests. Before the advent of Bradman, the prolific Vic- torian Bill Ponsford made 110 in Sydney against England and then 128 in Melbourne in 1924-25. Four decades later, a young man from the NSW country town of Dungog hit 155 in his first Test against England at the Gabba in 1965-66. Doug Walters built on his immediate fame by making 115 in his following Test in Melbourne. The little West Indian Kalli- charan scored centuries in his first two Tests in 1971-72, while India`s captain Azharuddin recorded centuries in his first three Tests against England in 1984-85. Dropped at 22 by Thorpe, Steve Waugh went on to share a 203-run partnership in 191 minutes with Blewett for the sixth wicket yes- terday. Fast bowler Malcolm`s grisly misfortunes continued hand over fist. Six catches were dropped from his bowling of the 10 Eng- land missed in the Test. When Thorpe dropped Steve Waugh shin- high at first slip in the over after lunch, the comic capers that followed defied belief. Thorpe`s frustration was understandable. The catch was England`s last-gasp chance to win the game and level the series. Australia would have been 6-187 with an overall lead of 294. Thorpe, a former England schoolboy soccer midfielder, kicked the ball furi- ously, ostensibly back to Malcolm. The ball slewed off his foot through the covers and the Australian batsmen took two runs while a distraught Malcolm thumped his head in despair. Malcolm`s horrors began in the first over of the Test when Micha- el Slater edged him to Graham Gooch`s right hand at third slip. Slater, then on nought, finished with 124. The irony was not lost on the Englishmen when Malcolm himself held the long-range catch from Blewett beneath the Prindiville Stand. The 34-year-old David Boon failed again. For all his importance to Australia and longevity of tenure in the Test side, he knows legends do not play forever. When the selectors decided Allan Border should go, he went, without posies. Boon started the series well enough with innings of 30 and 28 in Brisbane and enjoyed his 20th Test century in Melbourne. Since then, his innings have been 3 and 17 in Sydney; 0 and 4 in Ade- laide; and 1 and 18 in Perth for 246 runs in five Tests at 24.6. After 97 Tests Boon has already felt the icy tap of the selec- tors` hands on his shoulder. No gamer man ever played for Aus- tralia and he will probably still go to the West Indies, but nothing is certain in life. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> Day 4, more Australia take control as Gooch and Gatting depart with a whimper - Christopher Martin-Jenkins PREDICTABLE only in their unpredictability, England faced humili- ating defeat in Perth after Craig McDermott and Glenn McGrath had knocked over the first five wickets for 27 runs in the last 14 overs yesterday. If it were not for the fact that Mike Atherton survived the mayhem, and the evidence that his teams do best when their situa- tion is most desperate, the Australians could safely have begun celebrating their 3-1 win in the series, eight days after England`s stunning victory in Adelaide. For once, the reason for their superiority brooks no argument: England`s grotesque catch- ing has surely lost them the match. The double failure of Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting in their fi- nal Test match made England`s collapse all the sadder. Gooch drove a return catch to McDermott to start the slide and Gatting, given permission by Mark Taylor to bat at No 3, despite not hav- ing fielded for the 404 minutes of Australia`s second innings, only narrowly missed a pair before, late and inside the line, he was bowled off his pads. Pleasant though it would have been for these two faithful warri- ors to have made a mark in their last innings after each had re- ceived a standing ovation, they were expendable so far as England`s future was concerned. It was more important that the young bloods should show their mettle, as Greg Blewett had so em- phatically for Australia earlier in the day with a commanding in- nings which made him only the fourth man to score hundreds in his first two Tests. Angus Fraser was sent in at No 4 to try to protect the middle- order, but there was still half an hour`s cricket to go when he walked out and he did well in the circumstances to hang on for 20 minutes before McGrath had him lbw. The lean, young fast bowler`s first ball to Graham Thorpe pitched on the stumps and flew off the outside edge towards Mark Taylor`s shins. John Crawley sur- vived the hat-trick ball but a few minutes later completed a pair, and a wretched match, by edging a McDermott away-swinger to second slip. Dreadful catalogue of errors in the field The difference between the eager grasping of these catches and the dreadful catalogue of errors in the field by England is real- ly the story of the match. By the time that Taylor made an ab- surdly delayed declaration, leaving England 57 minutes` batting last night and a minimum of 104 overs to score 453, they had tak- en their total of dropped catches in the game to nine, at least. The count was 11 if a disputed chance to Steve Rhodes on the first day is included, along with the top-edged hook by Taylor off Devon Malcolm which landed not 20 yards from Angus Fraser at long-leg yesterday morning. Fraser apparently never saw the ball and one can only surmise that this must be a difficult ground in which to sight the ball. Why this should be so in the clear light of Perth is hard to ex- plain. The Australians themselves or, to be precise, Jo Angel, missed a couple of half-chances last night, but one of these was due to the ball popping out of his hands as he fell forward at short-leg in an effort to catch Fraser and the other to tripping over his own huge feet as he back-pedalled at mid-on to try to catch a scooped mis-hook by Gooch. For all his sweat on his own and England`s behalf over his 20 years in Test cricket - the final count was 8,900 runs at 42.58, with 20 centuries - Gooch hardly deserved a guardian angel yes- terday, not because of the manner of his dismissal - a fine re- turn catch grasped at the second attempt by McDermott -but be- cause he had started the rash of dropped catches. A very fast bowler should have the support of safe hands In an ideal world, of course, Gooch should not, at 42, have been fielding in the slips, especially to a bowler of Devon Malcolm`s pace. It is axiomatic that a very fast bowler on a very fast pitch should have the support of safe hands to hold the inevit- able snicks. Following Taylor`s immediate reprieve, before a run had been ad- ded to the overnight 87 for two, David Boon was dropped in the fifth over, a hard chance to Gooch at fourth slip. Boon was taken behind the wicket in Malcolm`s next over but the damage to the bowler`s spirit was already done. Malcolm received loud support from spectators on a mercilessly hot morning - 94F and the Fremantle Doctor delayed on his rounds - and even more valuable assistance from Phillip DeFreitas, who kept his side in the game with a rhythmic opening spell of seven maidens and the wicket of Mark Waugh. Fraser followed up by bowling Taylor off an inside edge, bowling round the wicket and, unseen by the umpire, cutting the return crease as he delivered: a no-ball, in other words, but not called. It might have given Sir Donald Bradman further fuel to attack the front-foot law had he not, as he told me in Adelaide, "given that up as a dead duck". Only 230 runs on with five wickets left, Australia were falter- ing, but this did not faze young Blewett. In effect he was the senior partner to Steve Waugh, despite the disparity of 70 Tests between them, from the moment that their partnership of 203 started an hour before lunch. Hitting freely through extra cov- er, riding the ball`s bounce and steering it to backward point or, with marvellous confidence, pulling the short ones through mid-wicket off the front foot, Blewett hit 19 fours in scoring 115 off only 158 balls. From that moment England were doomed England had one last chance as the afternoon began. Malcolm had to break through and Waugh duly edged a ball in his first over low to first slip where Thorpe dropped a catch, similar to the one he had missed from Slater on Sunday evening. Thorpe kicked the ball away in despair, giving away two runs; Malcolm slapped his head and appealed to heaven. From that moment Eng- land were doomed. Blewett needed one slice of luck as he hit his way freely into Wisden, joining Bill Ponsford, Doug Walters and Mohammed Azharud- din as the only men to score hundreds in their first two Tests. At 62 he appeared to edge Mark Ramprakash to Rhodes but the um- pire was not convinced. Waugh played very straight and well enough as England`s attack wilted, only to pick up three more wickets as Taylor batted on superfluously. A lead of 419 at tea was surely sufficient and there was much irony both that, all too late, Malcolm should have taken a catch in the deep and Ramprakash and Chris Lewis brilli- ant ones at gully and slip. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by phaedrus (phaedrus@minerva.cis.yale.edu) ====> Day 5, 7 Feb 95 England captain calls for change after Australia wrap up 3-1 series win in Perth - Christopher Martin-Jenkins MIKE ATHERTON, the only man to have played in each of England`s 16 Tests since last February, said at the end of the series in Perth yesterday that he felt as if he had hit a brick wall. He pleaded after the game for changes to county cricket and faith in young players. Any faint hope of England batting through the final day of the fifth Test departed when he was caught down the leg side off the 12th ball of the day, and Australia duly went on to win, just be- fore lunch, by 329 runs, taking the series by three games to one. Some will think it important that Atherton should have hit a chair with his bat in frustration after falling into a very deli- berate Australian leg-trap off only the 12th ball of the day. But it was an incident seen by very few and ignored by the referee, John Reid, in a way that England`s slow over-rates could not be. The England players were fined 15 per cent of their match fees, a total in excess of #4,000. Having picked four fast bowlers this was predictable. They showed much more urgency in the first in- nings than they had at Adelaide, when they were fined the same amount, but having fallen behind Australia`s first-innings total, they also fell into bad habits again in the second. Hot as it was, and bothersome too when so many catches were going to turf, Atherton himself must take most of the responsibility for that. He was self-critical in other areas too, but if England are to build the crumbs of comfort from the tour into a decent sized cake, it is essential that faith is shown in Atherton himself and in those players who have emerged with credit from this tour. The desired objective is not far away He is, as he said at his last press conference of the tour, "a hundred per cent committed to the cause of trying to make England into a winning cricket side". He also feels that, despite the results here and the failure to regain the Ashes, the desired ob- jective is not far away. There was certainly hope in the way that Mark Ramprakash stroked the ball with authority and style yesterday in a seventh-wicket partnership of 68 with Steve Rhodes which averted a total humili- ation and the possibility of something even worse than the 46 in Trinidad, the 99 against South Africa at Lord`s or the 92 at Mel- bourne. Ramprakash scored 42 off 57 balls with five fours, seeing off Craig McDermott`s first spell, only to relax a fraction against Mark Waugh and to cut him in the air to his twin brother in the gully. McDermott returned to claim Lewis leg before to an inswinging yorker before bringing an emphatic and spectacular end to the series by knocking out Devon Malcolm`s middle stump. By batting with little difficulty for 105 minutes, and keeping Shane Warne at bay, Rhodes improved his chances of holding on to his place in the side as wicketkeeper and put his batting in the series into better perspective. McDermott finished on the same high note he started McDermott`s six for 38 allowed him to finish the series on the same high note as he had started, with six for 53 in Brisbane. His haul was 32 wickets, for which he was rewarded with two lit- tle cars as the international cricketer of the season. He now misses the short tour of New Zealand but his three-week break will be punctuated by early morning swimming, cycling and pad- dling (but not running). Despite his recent niggles, fitness, a good action, determination and, these days at least, a shrewd assessment of how to bowl to whom, are the secrets of his success. How he bowls in the West Indies will clearly be crucial to Australia`s chances of winning there. Ramprakash leaves today to rejoin the A team in India with his reputation further enhanced and I trust he will be in the first Test XI against the West Indies in June. Mark Taylor singled out Thorpe, Ramprakash and Crawley as the batsmen who had impressed him. Add Atherton, Hick and Stewart and the new selection commit- tee, whoever it is, need only find the right attack for the right conditions against the West Indies in the coming season. Atherton himself is 26 and the chairman of selectors, Ray Illing- worth, who cares at least as much about putting England back on top, would be wise to plan for the next tour of Australia in four years time by inking in Atherton as captain for that tour too. : `I tried to dig deep today but in the end I couldn`t do it` It was a long time before Allan Border started leading Australia to success, but they eventually began to achieve it consistently mainly because they stuck with the captain and the young players of talent and commitment whom they had identified. Atherton acknowledged defeat by a better side, wished Australia luck in the West Indies, and despite all the illness and injury which his side suffered, offered no excuses. He added much about why England did not succeed and how they might begin to do so: "We weren`t as united and focused as we were in the Caribbean. I felt less empathy personally with this team. "I am concerned about the cricket we play at home and feel that in the County Championship we need more quality and less quanti- ty. But I don`t feel doom and gloom about England`s prospects. We`ve got a lot of good young players. English cricket has got to invest in youth. More and more it is becoming a game for young players, and that is in no way a criticism of Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting. "Whether I am captain or not is a question for Raymond Illing- worth and the selectors but I implore them to look to England`s young players. I want to remain captain; I`ve got some ambitions, but a captain stands and falls by results and we`ve lost the last two series overseas 3-1. "Our fielding has dogged us from day one on this tour. We need a fit, mobile side in the field above all else. I have not cap- tained as well as I did in the West Indies but I`ve spoken to a few people [a reference primarily to a recent dinner with Ian Chappell which he found extremely helpful] and I hope I`ll get better. I`m not the world`s worst, although I was a bit disap- pointed with my batting form. I tried to dig deep today but in the end I couldn`t do it." Nor could England, and only if the right decisions are made, both about the team and the system which feeds it, will the cycle of failure change. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 5, more Glenn McGrath has claimed the mantle as Australia`s third pace bowler for the four-Test tilt at the world champion West Indies in the Caribbean. The rangy Narromine fast bowler proved an ad- mirable into the wind partner for International Player of the year Craig McDermott as Australia routed England by 329 runs in the fifth Test in Perth yesterday. The 25-year-old McGrath (3-88 and 3-40) was faster and signifi- cantly more skilful in his 38 overs than West Australian rival Jo Angel (3-65 and 0-20) on Angel`s home pitch at the WACA Ground. After Australia dismissed England for 123 runs, taking the Ashes series 3-1, captain Mark Taylor described McDermott (6-79) and leg-spinner Shane Warne (2-69) as world-class bowlers, but em- phasised the importance of having front-line bowlers to support them, specifying Damien Fleming and McGrath. ``I was very happy with McGrath`s good pace and line. He`ll trou- ble their players,`` Taylor said, pointing to the paceman`s development of speed since the start of the summer. Having lost his line and finishing with 0-101 in the Birsbane Test, McGrath had the mortification of being 12th man for the next three Tests. His response was exemplary in Perth. Australia leave for the Caribbean at the end of this month, not having beaten the West Indies in eight Test series, Greg Chappell`s 1975-76 team being their last conquerors, 5-1. In the Caribbean, Ian Chappell`s men were the last winners of the Frank Worrell Trophy, 2-0 in 1973. ``The West Indies have been the best team in the game for 15 years,`` Taylor said, ``They will not be easy to beat, but they are beatable and I think we have the team to do it. We will have to win two Tests and we`ll have to be tougher. We can`t let a Test slip away as happened in Adelaide. Do that against the West Indies and we could not win. The West Indies grab every half chance. Unlike England, they would not have dropped nine or ten chances in a Test.`` Taylor said that a tour of the West Indies, like Pakistan, was intensely gruelling. ``It is a mental thing and the important thing is to enjoy it and play it very tough from the first ball,`` he said. Rival captain Michael Atherton said he believed Australia would do well against Richie Richardson`s team, but he would not predict a winner. Considering the imminent pace barrage Australia will face on their nine week tour, Taylor welcomed the emergence of twin century-maker Greg Blewett, describing him as ``the find of the summer`` and praising his willingness to hook and pull fast bowlers. McDermott (32 wickets at 21.09), a worthy player-of-the-year and player-of-the-series and a narrow winner over opener Michael Slater, considered Australia can ``definitely beat the West In- dies``. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. ====> Day 5, more England capitulated in the fifth Test in Perth, losing their remaining five wickets just before lunch on the fifth day. Craig McDermott removed Atherton (8) in the first few minutes, with no addition to his overnight score, caught by wicketkeeper Ian Healy off a leg-side edge. Mark Ramprakash and Steven Rhodes then put on the best partner- ship of the innings, adding 68 runs before brothers Steve and Mark Waugh combined, with Steve taking a good overhead catch in the gully off a slashing square drive by Ramprakash (42), with Mark bowling. Chris Lewis (11) then combined with Rhodes for another 26 runs, before being out lbw, playing around a viciously inswinging McDermott yorker. He was hit just above the foot, right in front of middle stump and umpire Karl Liebenberg had no hesitation raising the finger. Phil DeFreitas (0) edged a low catch to Taylor at first slip just two runs later, again off the bowling of McDermott. Devon Malcolm (0) failed to see out the rest of the over, McDermott pitching two balls short and following up with an inswinging yorker which removed Malcolm`s middle stump and ended the Test. Rhodes remained on 39 not out. At the post-match presentations, there were many praises and hearty cheers for the retiring Englishmen, Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.OZ.AU)