Fraser on Ashes Test 1: Unity can see off the Waugh of attrition (22 November 1998)
THESE England players must prove themselves or perish
22-Nov-1998
22 November 1998
Fraser on Ashes Test 1: Unity can see off the Waugh of attrition
By Angus Fraser
THESE England players must prove themselves or perish. If they
fail their prospects are grim because their opponents are just
warming up. Rude remarks have been made about English cricket by
newspapers and they were deserved.
After all, England have been beaten comprehensively in the last
five Ashes series. At times they have been embarrassing. In this
match four years ago the hosts tucked happily into tripe sent
down by various woebegone bowlers, supposedly the pride of the
country. England must prove their right to be taken seriously,
and to play a five-match series. And, anyhow, it is all part of
the Australian bombardment and there's no point complaining about
it. Australian scribes are duty bound to spin a yarn or no one
will take a blind bit of notice. A thick skin is needed here.
Respect has to be earned.
To watch the opening hours of this series was to feel strangely
optimistic. In a show of spirit the players stood arms entwined
as the ceremonies were eventually completed. Generally speaking,
Englishmen cannot stand each other. Put two Poms on a bus and
they will sit in opposite corners. Australians would sooner be
talking about horses.
This display of unity was important. It is easy to take such
matters lightly but a team as limited as these tourists must hold
together or else they will swiftly become a rabble. It is
especially important to stand firm under pressure. It is also
easy to joke about all the assistants running around. Great
Scott, nothing else has worked. Nor is there any harm in
improving fitness, diet, health and thinking. Even the 'Team
England' idea is tolerable, though a bit much.
Now is the time to support this attempt to restore former glories
that once persuaded us to set our alarm clocks to 5.00am and to
huddle under eiderdowns on cold winter mornings listening to the
news from Brisbane or Melbourne as our players match themselves
against the impossibly tough characters far away.
In those early hours England played well, bowling patiently and
allowing their captain set attacking fields. Later Alec Stewart
was condemned for spreading his men, yet his bowlers were as much
to blame. Pinned down, the Australians lost early wickets to
poorly executed drives. The top of their batting is not
impregnable. This is not Woodfull, Ponsford and Bradman.
Hereabouts, England looked a drilled and disciplined team with a
sound plan. But the test had not yet come. Unfortunately, England
missed their moment by dropping Steve Waugh and Ian Healy. It is
not wise to give these fellows another chance. I have been
watching Waugh bat for 12 years and still cannot figure a way of
getting him out. Bumpers and spinners no longer shake him.
Swearing does not work either, because he either replies in his
cryptic and unseen way or else stares piteously, not unlike Clint
Eastwood when facing the fast bowlers of his day.
Regarding Healy, it is enough to point out that he has scored
four hundreds in top-class cricket, all of them in Test matches.
By and large, Ashes series are won by the great deeds of great
cricketers. Australia has three great players, Waugh, Healy and
Glenn McGrath. A certain leg-spinner may soon add to that number.
England have none, merely a lot of stout-hearted yeomen.
Having failed to remove this formidable pair, the tourists lost
their game, tried too hard to make amends. For the first time
bowling grew erratic. England find runs hard to score and cannot
give any away. Admittedly, they had little luck in the way of
snicks with balls landing in empty spaces. Gough beat the bat
enough to drive another man to drink. Incredibly, he kept
smiling. No wonder he bowls so few maidens. He may be too
easy-going to become a truly outstanding bowler.
Only Alan Mullally kept his form throughout. If he maintains this
probing length he'll take lots of wickets. Here, he was the right
bowler for a pitch offering bounce but not much movement. Andrew
Caddick might also have been useful. Bounce is important in Test
cricket. England's other bowlers were wayward. Gough was punished
and the rest could not contain the batsmen. Indeed, they were
easily handled by a tail meant to capitulate in a few minutes.
England did lose their way but they did not lose heart. Stewart's
tactics can be criticised. He needed to slow the game down,
needed to draw his men together. Needed to tell them to keep
their length. Instead, he tried to protect the boundaries on both
sides of the wicket. Few catches are taken at deep square leg and
England should abandon this position. A strong slip cordon must
be maintained as long as possible and properly arranged.
But it was not only the captain's fault. He was in the hands of
his bowlers. Credit must be given to the Australians. Waugh does
the simple things well, plays straight, takes his chances, gives
nothing away. In the closing hour, England's batsmen seemed
capable of matching him, but they cannot afford bad passages of
the sort seen on Saturday or else they might as well go home now.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)