Cairns, Australia, Nov 13 (AFP) - England pace bowler Darren Gough struck a telling blow ahead of the first Test against Australia when he took two wickets and broke Matthew Hayden's finger on the opening day of the tour match against Queensland here Friday.

The Yorkshireman led English bowlers into form to send Queensland slumping to 193 for eight at the end of the first day with former Test opener Hayden out of action for up to four weeks.

Gough, the spearhead of England's attack in the Ashes series, excelled in the humid conditions, taking only two balls to snap Hayden's finger. He also captured the wickets of Jimmy Maher (3) and Martin Love (29) to serve notice to Australia's batsmen before the start of the first test in Brisbane next Friday.

Gough finished with 2-37 off 16 aggressive overs, while Glamorgan off spinner Robert Croft snared 3-56. Half-centuries by Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy (57) and allrounder Geoff Foley (64 not out) gave the home team some respectability.

Hayden broke his finger when he played forward defensively to the second delivery of the match that reared from a good length, striking the former Hampshire opener on the glove. He faced a further three deliveries before retiring hurt without scoring. X-rays later revealed a broken middle finger on his left hand.

Queensland plummeted to 69 for four after Hayden's injury. Hayden's retirement added about five minutes to Gough's initial over after England won the toss and bowled in conditions rated by the tourists as oppressive as the subcontinent. Gough then slipped as he bowled the fifth ball of the match on a slightly greasy bowling crease. He requested sawdust be placed on the crease, but none was available at the tent-lined venue frequented today by a crowd boosted by hundreds of schoolchildren and the initial influx of England's infamous Barmy Army and other Ashes tour groups from Britain.

Ground officials had to scamper to a nearby hardware store to fulfill Gough's request as players adjourned to their tents while the shopping was completed. Gough finally completed the over 25 minutes after it started, one of the game's longest overs without a rain break included. Healy was customarily busy with the bat as he figured in a 90-run partnership with Foley, an invaluable stand given the damp state of the outfield and the pitch conducive to bowlers.

Healy said England's bowlers would benefit from Friday's hitout in humid conditions. "This game will help them for Brisbane, there's no doubt about that - they will find Brisbane's humidity easy after that," he said. "It was a hard day for them and I thought they went all right, they battled away pretty solidly."

Day 2
England worry as Butcher, Atherton fail again

14 November 1998

CAIRNS, Australia, Nov 14 (AFP) - England's worries over their brittle early batting continued here on Saturday as opener Mark Butcher failed for a third consecutive innings in the tour match against Queensland.

The Surrey left-hander was dismissed for two as the tourists ended the second day of the four-day contest struggling on 182 for seven in reply to Queensland's first innings 209. Butcher, under scrutiny since being struck above the right eye against Western Australia, was clean bowled by Queensland seamer Adam Dale on a slow, low pitch.

His opening partner and former Test skipper Michael Atherton was also dismissed by Dale, first ball. Dale, who has played just one Test, staked a claim for a berth in Australia's first Ashes Test side with five for 31 from 20 overs. Butcher and Atherton's highest opening stand in five first-class innings on tour is 26, against South Australia last week. The pair has just one more innings before the opening Ashes Test starts in Brisbane on Friday.

Butcher and Atherton are the only specialist openers in England's 17-man squad. Butcher has contributed just nine runs, at an average of three, on tour but England captain Alec Stewart continued to back the left-hander. "Ideally he would have had one score by now but he hasn't," Stewart said. "He's pretty strong and pretty tough ... from his confidence's point of view it would be nice if he made some runs in the second innings but I'm not overly concerned."

Butcher received 10 stitches above his right eye when struck against Western Australia, retiring hurt without scoring and taking no further part in the game. He returned against South Australia but again required treatment, this time for bruising above his left eye after crashing heads with teammate Peter = Such during a training mishap in Adelaide.

Stewart, however, made a welcome return to form on Saturday with a fighting half century after recording a pair against South Australia. The English skipper made 52 in more than three hours, figuring in a 100-run stand with vice-captain Nasser Hussain (40) after the tourists had been reduced to four for two. "It was good to spend three hours at the wicket after the disappointment of the last game," Stewart said. "To score 50 on a low, slow wicket - to put it politely - is a pretty good effort."

John Crawley scored 27 and Mark Ramprakash 16 as four lbw decisions went against England. At the close, Dominic Cork was unbeaten on 23 with fellow fast bowler Darren Gough on two.

Day 3
England 68 runs away from victory with five wickets in hand Influential England opening batsman Michael Atherton is in doubt for Friday's opening Ashes cricket Test with Australia after more back trouble here Sunday.

The former England captain, who is vying for his 85th Test in Brisbane on Friday, did not bat or field Sunday as England ran into strife in their pursuit of 142 runs to defeat Queensland here.

At the close on the third day of the four-day tour match, England were 74 for five, requiring 68 runs on Monday on a pitch troubling batsmen with its alarming low bounce.

Atherton's injury magnified concern over England's opening batting after his partner Mark Butcher was dismissed for a second ball duck Sunday. England captain Alec Stewart added to the top order misery when he was dismissed for a first ball duck -- his third duck in four innings.

Butcher was dismissed for two in the first innings here and has now made nine runs in five first class innings but England coach David Lloyd declared the Surrey lefthander was a certain starter in the Ashes opener in Brisbane. "He's not scoring runs, we've had three preparation matches and he has not featured in any of them but that's not to say he won't feature in the Test match -- he's got a rock solid, cast iron temperament," Lloyd said.

The England coach was clearly more worried about Atherton's back injury. "Getting close to the Test match we will have to be fully aware of monitoring him on a daily basis," Lloyd said of Atherton, the foundation around which England builds an innings.

Asked if the experienced Atherton was certain to play in the first Test, Lloyd replied: "No."

The frequency of balls shooting along the pitch played a large role in 17 wickets falling during Sunday's play for 208 runs. The majority of the dismissals were lbw and bowled. While the pitch was clearly inadequate, so too was Butcher's batting. Atherton was absent from the field as Queensland were skittled for 124 in their second innings, strokeplayer Jimmy Maher (56) the only batsmen to master the treacherous pitch.

Stewart fell lbw to a grubber from Test pace contender Michael Kasprowicz, one of his three wickets in five deliveries. Kasprowicz's spell was timely as national selectors sit down later Sunday to select Australia's side for the first Test, which is expected to be announced Monday.

Lloyd was diplomatic about the condition of the pitch. "I'd suggest there has been unseasonal weather here that has hampered progress in making the pitch and that's probably why the ball is keeping unbelievably low," he said.

Earlier, Queensland swing bowler Adam Dale made the most of the conditions to snare his best first class figures of 7-33 as England were bowled out for 192 in their first innings after resuming the day on 182 for seven. The tourists trailed Queensland by 17 runs on the first innings.

Day 4
Croft and Mullally the heroes as England sneak home CAIRNS, Australia, Nov 16 (AFP) - An heroic last wicket stand of 36 between Robert Croft and Alan Mullally on Monday gave England a a one-wicket victory against Queensland and a much needed boost ahead of the start of the first Test this Friday.

Croft and Australian-raised Mullally's stand just saw England to the target of 142. The tailenders' partnership was the fifth highest stand of a match played on a pitch that kept alarmingly low. The duo came together on the final day after Queensland paceman Michael Kasprowicz celebrated his recall to Australia's Test side by taking six wickets. Kasprowicz, who finished with 6-31, took three wickets as England lost four wickets for 15 runs to stumble towards defeat at 106 for nine.

But Croft (15no) and Mullally (23no) showed that their lengthy batting sessions in the nets had paid off as they mixed aggression with caution to chip away at the target. Croft survived a loud lbw appeal from Kasprowicz when the scores were tied and then struck the winning run. The win followed England's one run victory in the traditional limited overs tour opener at Lilac Hill in Western Australia and drawn matches against Western Australia in Perth and South Australia in Adelaide.

Croft said the victory was a boost for England with the first Test starting in Brisbane on Friday. "It's nice to get a bit of success but unless we perform well in the Ashes series, I have got to stress, this performance won't be worth much," the Glamorgan offspinner said. Mullally, who played Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia before settling in Leicestershire, said England's tailenders had spent long sessions in the nets with team manager Graham Gooch to improve their scoring.

"If I can make my 20s and 30s with the bat it's going to help us tremendously," Mullally said. "If three or four of the lower order batters can make a 20 or 30, that's 100 runs and that is a lot of runs, it's what turns games," he added.