The Hindu : Gilchrist to Australia's rescue again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 16, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Gilchrist to Australia's rescue again
By Malcolm Conn

DURBAN, MARCH 15. Steve Waugh's worrying slump in form turned into a crisis when he was dismissed for seven as Australia lost some initiative on the opening day of the third Test at Kingsmead on Friday.

Recently sacked from the one-day team, Waugh was caught behind for seven as Australia suffered yet another middle order collapse before recovering to make 315. South Africa was 48 for one in reply at stumps after another day of frustratingly slow over-rates.

Australia slumped to 182 for five before another brutal innings from Adam Gilchrist, who made 91 off 107 balls with 14 fours despite defensive fields when he was batting with the tail.

Waugh has now scored just 272 runs in nine Tests this summer at an average of 22.67, raising serious questions about how long the 36-year-old has in the game.

His overall average is in danger of falling below 50, a mark any fine batsman covets to define the very good from the great. It has fallen from 51.88 at the start of the season to 50.04. Anything less than 42 or a not out in the second innings and it will drop to the high 40s.

The Australian captain fell to left-arm wrist spinner Paul Adams for the third time in as many innings, caught behind cutting the same slider which bowled him during Australia's second innings in Cape Town. In his last three innings, Waugh has batted for a total of just 52 balls for 21 runs.

Twin brother Mark played another roller-coaster knock, combining some fine shots with poor ones. He hit four fours off Makhaya Ntini in his first two overs after lunch but two came from inside edges that flew to fine leg and another was off an outside edge that went past a thinly-populated slips cordon.

The younger Waugh twin was out for 45, edging a simple catch to solitary slip Graeme Smith off Kallis. This gave Waugh 48 runs at 34 this summer and left him facing an average of 35 or below in eight of the 11 series he has played under his brother's leadership.

But Mark's greatest crime was not his indifferent batting. It was the run out of Ricky Ponting, robbing him of a second successive century.

Totally dominating a wayward South African attack, Ponting had raced to 89 when Mark pushed gently to cover point and called Ponting through. As quick as Ponting is between the wickets, he could not beat the pick-up and throw of Herschelle Gibbs.

Taken in isolation this appears a bit of bad luck but in Cape Town last week, Mark judged a single so poorly when he pushed to cover that a direct hit would have seen him run out by two metres. Luckily the throw missed.

Such is Ponting's confidence after scoring a 100 not out to guide Australia to victory in the second Test that he made 69 of a 108-run partnership with Mark Waugh.

The Tasmanian's control rebalanced the match after the opening batsmen who have made South Africa's cricketing life such a misery this summer - Justin Langer and Mathew Hayden - both failed. Langer went for 11 and Hayden 28.

Hayden, who has dominated South Africa through both the home and away series, began his innings sedately. The broad Queenslander took half an hour to get off the mark, leaving the type of delivery that Langer tried to pull and got out. He played a lovely pull and cover drive but there were difficult moments.

Twice in one over Hayden edged deliveries from Jacques Kallis. The first went in the air past a late diving Neil McKenzie at second slip, who should at least have placed a hand on the ball as it sped to the boundary. The next edge went wide off slip for another four.

In the following over, Hayden edged again and this time McKenzie dived low to his left to scoop up the chance at grass level.

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