Australians consolidate as storm holds up play

By Ted Corbett

BIRMINGHAM, JULY 7. Rain forced the Australian juggernaut to pull into a lay-by on Saturday, but Damien Martyn's top Test score of 99 and Adam Gilchrist's powerful 81 off 94 balls - and their stand of 150 for the sixth wicket - guided the score to 486 for five and appeared to secure the first victory in the five-Test series.

We may be looking at the start of a whitewash; there is the feeling of doom about this series. England killed its last hopes of getting into the game, in which it was clearly outclassed, by dropping two catches in successive overs.

Craig White, who had already held an extraordinary one-handed catch to dismiss Matthew Hayden, dropped a similar chance in the gully of Adam Gilchrist who was 14, from Andrew Caddick's bowling. Four balls later Alec Stewart, diving in front of Michael Atherton at first slip, spilled an edge from Damien Martyn on 65 off Darren Gough.

Gilchrist took advantage to crash the ball for four and six off successive balls from Ashley Giles after making 50 in 70 balls; Martyn, a classical batsman, defended, took singles when they were offered and stuck on 90. Spectators found a blow- up kangaroo and kicked it round the main stand. England never looked likely to imitate that example.

Only 14 overs were possible before a storm broke and drowned the first Ashes Test for three hours. Australia lost its captain Steve Waugh lbw half forward, after he had added just four more runs to the 26th century of his 15-year Test career, to Darren Gough's sixth ball of the day.

England could not force another opening even though Gilchrist edged a ball from Andrew Caddick high over the slips and Gough several times hastened Gilchrist and Martyn as the ball moved in the heavy atmosphere.

Martyn went to 65 and the dangerous hitter Gilchrist was 14 when, just before noon the light was so bad that the umpires led the players off the field. It was not the only bad news for the England cricketers on this wet Saturday.

Graham Thorpe's calf is unlikely to be ready before the third Test which means England will be without its leading batsman for more than half the series. He is almost sure to miss the Benson and Hedges Cup final and has been ordered to rest.

Michael Vaughan, who had made a century in his first Test in the crucial position of No.3, has had a setback in his attempt to get his knee fit for the second Test after keyhole surgery and has also been told to put his feet up. Worst of all, the succession of young batsmen selected to cover the England injuries are not yet experienced enough to outbat the Waugh twins and their back- up squad.

There are plans to send Owais Shah and Usman Afzaal to the new academy - housed in the Australian Academy at Adelaide for the first year of its operation - this autumn for special coaching.

England should not feel disgraced by its performance in the first Test. It has the spirit as the Stewart-Caddick blitz showed on Thursday. There is no side in the world to combat one of the all- time great teams? ``A lot better teams than England will lose to Australia by an innings,'' said Geoff Boycott as he watched its bowlers being murdered on Friday. It's not just that the Australians are superbly skilled, immensely confident and as fit as Olympic gymnasts. They are also willing to fight and they go to the wicket certain they are about to score freely. And they are likely to collapse as Tiger Woods is to miss a six inch putt.

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