Memo, mysterious leak and mileage

By Ted Corbett

NOTTINGHAM, JULY 31. The astonishing Australians, beaten by second division Hampshire on Monday, have recaptured the media war highground 48 hours ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge, in a memo from John Buchanan, their coach which has mysteriously been leaked.

It contains a damning assessment of the England team. ``Overall this English team is hanging on to excuses (i.e. injuries, toss, bad luck, dropped catches etc.),'' says Buchanan. ``By gradually taking each of these away, ultimately there is no place to hide.''

The memo goes on to turn the thinking of the fifth century Chinese warlord Sun Tzu into a team talk in which Buchanan explains how the rest of the series must be fought out. Students of Chinese philosophy may find it fascinating and it is certainly the wildest interpretation of cricket tactics since Ted Dexter tried to make Venus, Mars and their satellites part of his rallying call to England in India eight years ago.

In his memo - entitled Some Reading for Quiet Moments - Buchanan set out two pages of his own thoughts and 16 photocopied pages from Tzu's The Art of War. He nominates nine grounds of battle: dispersive, facile, contentious, open, intersecting highways, serious, difficult, hemmed in and desperate. He lists the arrival of spouses under dispersive and the two Test wins under facile. ``Now is no time to give up,'' he comments. He suggests - under ``open'' - that in future the Australians must give England ``no insights into our thinking.'' This may be a criticism of Shane Warne's suggestion that England play five bowlers in this Test; a tactic they appear likely to follow.

The most puzzling fact about this leak is contained in the words of Brian Murgatroyd, the Australians' spokesman. When I asked him today if the Buchanan memo had been deliberately leaked he giggled. ``Yes, I see that tale doing the rounds,'' he said. ``If not there is someone in our party spilling the beans.'' Murgatroyd, journalist turned England and Wales Cricket Board press officer turned Australian press officer, gave me the impression that the leak was deliberate and simply the latest weapon in the battle to turn the Ashes into a 5-0 Ozwash.

Why was such a leak necessary? Perhaps Buchanan is just having a bit of fun at England's expense. Australia leads the series 2-0 after two of the most crushing defeats I can remember in 20 years, it is almost impossible to get a bet on a 5-0 series victory and, as Murgatroyd reminded me, the defeat at the new West End ground by Hampshire, was hardly a disaster. ``Matthew Hayden made runs, Jason Gillespie bowled well, Brett Lee bowled at the speed of light,'' he said. ``It was a terrific cricket match and, remember, we did not have to declare. In fact the chairman of Hampshire thanked us for the way we opened up the match.'' The chairman would, wouldn't he? It was a very satisfactory way to build up the new ground's reputation for thrilling matches.

The Hampshire victory was based on the first innings when Alan Mullally, English-born, Aussie-raised, left-arm fast bowler took five for 18 as Australia was bowled out for 97. Hampshire made 354 and on Monday Steve Waugh declared at 389 for nine. Hampshire struggled past the winning post at 134 for eight.

Warne, the Hampshire overseas pro last summer, said: ``It was a tight finish but they held their nerve.'' A sweep by the Hampshire second string wicket-keeper 21-year-old Iain Brunnschweiler brought the winning runs.

Robin Smith, former England player and now captain of Hampshire, claimed his side's win was ``just what the Aussies need as preparation for the third Test'' and David Graveney, chairman of selectors, said: ``If that is their coach's view, fair enough. I just hope this inspires us on Thursday.''

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