Lehmann left to sit it out as Australia play safe (15 October 1998)
DARREN LEHMANN, who says he is in the prime form of his career, has been forced to step down from the Australia side for the second Test against Pakistan starting here today
15-Oct-1998
15 October 1998
Lehmann left to sit it out as Australia play safe
By Peter Deeley in Peshawar
DARREN LEHMANN, who says he is in the prime form of his career,
has been forced to step down from the Australia side for the
second Test against Pakistan starting here today.
A groin injury did not stop him scoring a century in each innings
in a warm-up game last week in Rawalpindi to follow his 98 in the
first Test, but the tourists were not willing to gamble his
fitness over five days.
"I have never hit the ball so sweetly as now and it's a bitter
pill to have to step down," said Lehmann.
Ricky Ponting replaces him and Michael Kasprowicz is included in
a 12-man party for what looks like being a hard and fast wicket.
Pakistan have called up left-arm spinner Shakheil Ahmed, 31, who
took 10 wickets in the Rawalpindi pre-Test game. He may get his
international debut if Mushtaq Ahmed's knee injury does not
respond to treatment. Saqlain Mushtaq is unavailable.
The Pakistani authorities have tightened security for the
Australian team. Their dressing room is being guarded by
commandos and food and water has to go through special
checkpoints for examination.
The Australian Cricket Board had objected to playing in Peshawar,
near to the Afghan border, after Osama bin Laden, the Saudi
Moslem dissident based in Afghanistan who is a suspect in the
bomb attacks on US embassies in Nairobi and Sudan, threatened to
destroy all whites.
Pakistan are likely to play all three men at the centre of the
match-fixing and bribery controversy - Wasim Akram, Salim Malik
and Ijaz Ahmed - for the first time since the enquiry began.
It was Waqar Younis's turn in court yesterday and he incurred the
wrath of the judge when he came out with a string of denials.
Judge Qayyum told the Pakistan fast bowler: "I am not believing
it. I warn you that if I don't believe you I will make a very
serious account against all who make false statements."
Waqar, who is out of the Test team because of injury, said he
knew nothing and had never indulged in betting or fixing. Another
Test fast bowler, Aaqib Javed, has testified that a bookmaker
gave players £600 and a car during a tour of Sri Lanka. Aaqib
said he persuaded two players - one of them Waqar - to return the
cars. But Waqar denied he had received a vehicle.
Asked about allegations that a one-day international in England
in 1992 had been thrown by Waqar and Wasim bowling deliberately
badly, Waqar replied: "That is incorrect. We tried our best but
England are a very strong one-day side at home."
He admitted that after Rashid Latif had accused Salim Malik of
match-fixing in South Africa "there was an altercation between
them and I had to intervene".
That was at a time when the team were made to swear on the Koran
to eliminate the danger of fixing.
Although the judge indicated he would like to hear Shane Warne,
the Australian bowler has pulled out of his role as a television
commentator for the Bangladesh one-day series later this month.
Warne said his first priority was to get his shoulder right
before the Ashes tour.
Pakistan (from): *Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Iznamam-ul-Haq,
Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Yousaf Youhana, Azhar Mahmood, -Moin
Khan, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Zahid, Shoaib Akhter, Mushtaq Ahmed,
Arshad Khan, Shahid Afridi, Shakheil Ahmed, Naveed Anjum.
Australia: *M A Taylor, M J Slater, J L Langer, R T Ponting, M E
Waugh, S R Waugh, -I A Healy, C R Miller, S C G MacGill, M S
Kasprowicz, D W Fleming, G D McGrath.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)