The English have a new hero in Tudor

By Ted Corbett

NOTTINGHAM, AUG. 3. We saw further dramatic evidence on Friday of the can of worms that will embarrass cricket until the game fully embraces technology instead of using cameras, replays and the rest of the gadgets only for selected decisions.

England was heading for a winning second innings total-on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test-when at 52 without loss, a ball from Shane Warne went off Marcus Trescothick hip to Matthew Hayden at short leg and was finally snatched by wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist an inch from the ground. Umpire S. Venkataraghavan consulted John Hampshire at square leg and asked the third umpire. At that point the TV replay was shown on the ground's big screen and the crowd realised that whether the catch was properly caught was immaterial. Warne's foot was over the line and therefore all decisions were off.

But the third umpire David Constant was only allowed to rule on the validity of the catch. Not even whether Trescothick touched the ball, much less whether the ball was legal. So Trescothick was given out, and trudged off to the pavilion only a few seconds ahead of everyone else, at the beginning of a thunder storm and a considerable delay.

England, 52 ahead with nine wickets in hand, could reflect that it might be on top in a match of small scores but that Trescothick was not obviously the beneficiary of justice seen to be done.

As those of a pessimistic turn of mind feared it might be Adam Gilchrist who provided the bulk of the 85 runs that came in the 95 minutes it took England to shift the last three wickets. He began apprehensively and, after Brett Lee had been removed caught at slip by Alex Tudor, was so keen to take every single that in eight overs he received only six balls. When he got a full over from Darren Gough, going round the wicket, we saw the same Gilchrist who has smashed the ball about so effectively at Edgbaston.

He hit the first two balls like bullets through the offside, edged another over the stumps for four, and was almost caught at mid-on. When he had nine successive balls he hit 19, and his 54 came off 59 balls with ten fours.

This match-winner's luck could not last forever and after he and Jason Gillespie, a strange mix of confidence and perpetual twitch, had added 66 in 16 overs Gilchrist was caught at slip off Tudor, who also had Glenn McGrath snapped up at second slip. Australia led by five runs; in effect we now had a one innings match with hardly an advantage to either side.

Tudor was once again the pick of the England bowlers and finished the innings with five for 44. His biggest gift to the England team has been to win back the crowd.

At one time on Thursday afternoon the spectators were mocking England but once Tudor, tall, young and black, made the Aussies hop they took to the new hero immediately.

England banked on its openers surviving to lunch-which they managed with 11 runs-and making 225 to set Australia the biggest score of the match in the fourth innings. They achieved much more.

Neither Gillespie nor Lee had bowled cleverly in the first innings-three wickets for 89 while McGrath had five for 49-and on Friday they were just as poor. McGrath, needless to say, was the same ramrod-straight, leave it you dare, bowler who is now close to passing Dennis Lillee's 355 in 70 Tests at 23; compared with 343 at 21 in 73. Split them if you can.

Steve Waugh must have prayed for the downfall of Marcus Trescothick, who is not yet as technically sound as Atherton but who scores his runs briskly if he is set. England's troubles did not begin until the 11th over when McGrath let out a mighty appeal for lbw against Atherton who was on the move leaving umpire Venkat with a difficult decision. Frankly, Venkat got it wrong; but Atherton will ask if that was not simply a payback for a dreadful decision in the first innings.

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