Quotes after Test 4: Stewart praises 'awesome' Headley (30 December 1998)

30 December 1998

Quotes after Test 4: Stewart praises 'awesome' Headley

Electronic Telegraph

ENGLAND captain Alec Stewart paid tribute to the massive effort by his bowlers after a marathon stint in the field on the fourth day of the Melbourne Test.

"We played with so much heart. Dean Headley bowled for two hours - he was awesome," Stewart said. "We stuck to our task. We were knackered but, fortunately, Headley and Gough did it for us.

"Today we showed what we are capable of doing. It's just a pity we didn't do it earlier in the series.

"We have to make sure we become more consistent. The Ashes have gone but we have won one of the last two. Now we go on to Sydney aiming to win that one."

Headley, who took a Test best of six for 60, said: "There's a misconception that England players don't care about results. I can tell you it hurts when we lose and there were four or five players out there today who were close to tears, and if that is not showing emotion then I don't know what is."

After so many tour disappointments, coach David Lloyd was revelling in the belated success.

"It's a topsy-turvy world and a topsy-turvy game," he said. "The four hours in that final session were tough, but the adrenalin was flowing and we were taking wickets. That put us on top.

"Dean Headley was terrific but he got great support from the others. We fancied our chances to win. The response our players gave was really, really good.

"We'll have a good night and a good party tonight. Australia are a top team and we took one off them. We'll be coming on again in Sydney."

Lloyd pinpointed the Mark Ramprakash catch, to dismiss Justin Langer, as the defining moment.

"Throughout the series you are looking for little moments of inspiration, things that lift everyone. I thought that catch lifted us."

Ramprakash said: "I enjoyed the catch. It was great, something special. I was so happy to cling on to it. I missed a few earlier in the series and this made up for it.

"We have had a lot of stick since we came here and rightly so because we haven't played well. But this shows people in Australia that we can play a bit. It has proved a few people wrong."

Australia captain Mark Taylor admitted that he thought his side were going to win.

"It looked like it was coming back our way," he said. "The last hour was real nip and tuck but England came back. We thought the best chance for us to win it was to stay on and take the extra half hour.

"Too many of our guys made starts and didn't come off. I thought we'd won it but we got a bit lazy."

Taylor warned that it would be a sharper Australia who contest the fifth Test.

"Sometimes you need to get a sting in the tail," he said. "I think you will see that the hunger level from us is quite high in Sydney."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)