Australia humbled, put out for 162 by N.Z.’s much-maligned players

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33426, 7 January 1974, Page 18

Australia humbled, put out for 162 by N.Z.’s much-maligned players

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SYDNEY.

In four crowded hours of glory yesterday, New Zealand laid low the might of Australian cricket. After scoring 312 in their first innings, the New Zealanders caught so superbly that Australia was dismissed for 162.

In 22 nervous minutes before stumps, the tourists reached 10 lor no wicket, giving them the priceless lead of 160 with three day’s play remaining. *

The great damage was done when the New Zealand catching, so had in the first te*t defeat at Melbourne, snatched the first three Australian wickets for only 21 runs. A sohdly-defiant stand of S 7 by I. M Chappell (45) afid K. D. Walters (41) threatened to foil New Zealand, but once this partnership was broken at 98. the super- < harged New Zealanders took the last six wickets for 64 runs. Hcror- all round New Zealand had heroes ♦n plenty B Andrews fo> dismissing A. P. Sheahan and G. S. Chappell in one over; D. R. Hadlee for removing I M. Chappell. Walters and RW. Marsh from the heart of the innings; R. J. Hadlee for acvthing through the tail. Yet. on a moist misty dav. and on a pitch made for seam bowling, the real heroes

, were the much-ma!igiied New Zealand fieldsmen. J. F. Morrison got one catch and J. V. Coney two in the sensational attack at the top of the Australian batting. Coney held two in one over, and took another later for a fielder’s “hat-trick” in his first test. K. .1. Wadsworth got three in New Zealand's brilliant burst after tea.

Kun* saved As well, the New Zealand ’ ground fielding showed a ' vast improvement, and B. F. ' Hastings probablv did much to earn one or two of the earb wickets when he made three superb stops at gully -in the first few overs. ' The basis of New Zeai land's highly promising posi- • tion was laid on Saturday by : the magnificent century of •J. M. Parker, and the fighting of Coney (45) and r Wadsworth (54). in the middle of the innings. . The Hadlee brothers also r batted very soundly, both bei fore stumps on Saturday and

when the play resumed yesterday. During the morning there was little hint of the joys in store for the New Zealanders. A clammy mist swirled , clouds drooped over the top around the ground, the of the grandstands, and there seemed little chance of any play at all. But then a kindly breeze blew away the mist, and the Hadlee brothers were in the flatting business with only an I hour lost. A very useful business, too, as they chipped the ■one and the twos while G. Gilmour and Walters had their problems with the damp ball. They were almost at 300 when, M. H. Walker absent with a groin injury. G. S. Chappell came on to bowl. His first ball was a full toss, D. R. Hadlee hit at the morsel too eagerly, and sent a catch back to the bowler. Five balls later, R. J. Hadlee had a huge heave at a i short ball and the catch [lobbed up gently to the [bowler’s brother. Andrews, with a bat given [to him by Gilmour, genially I hit Gilmour for three fours, G. S. Chappell for one and then disappeared as Marsh's fifth victim of the match. Nine of the best j K. R. Stackpole hit one' .four before lunch, and a spanking drive to the fence' immediately after the break, i Then, in nine magical’ [minutes, the New Zealanders' | struck three dagger blows at [the heart of the Australian innings. Stackpole chased an outi swinger from R. J. Hadlee .and Morrison, at third slip, ‘held the chest-high catch. ■ Andrews straightened his ; second ball to Sheahan and Coney swallowed the catch I at second slip. Andrews bowled six inswingers — one of them a no-ball — to G. S. Chappell, [cut back the next, and Coney: again held the catch. And-' trews could not contain hist ■joy: he bounded about like, a puppy at the beach. ! Little wonder, for there j [he was with his first two test) i wickets in one over, top bats-1 linen at that, and this after I ; taking none for 100 in hisj [first test a week before. Stunned spectators The crowd was stunned into silence. Australia, three I

■ into silence. Australia, three [for 21, losing-three wickets in 12 balls, with Andrews’s no-ball the only profit. Australia escaped further immediate disaster only by a whisker. Four times R. J. Hadlee, moving the ball late and away, beat 1. M. Chappell, and Walters but just failed to have another catch winging toward the eager slips. Slowly, the Australian pair fought back, cracking the loose ball hard and drawing on all their vast experience to keep the rampant New Zealanders at bay. Firstly. R. I. Hadlee, who had seldom bowled better, and then the gallant Andrews, after eight overs, had to rest. Walters and Chappell scored 50 in 55 minutes, and as thev grew more confident one could only wonder whether the New Zealanders would once more have their grip on a game broken. Coney's third catch But D. R. Hadlee bowled tightly, seldom allowing the batsmen to relax until, at 94, Walters hammered a loose I ball to the fence. This seemed to break the stalemate for Walters chased after the next ball, got an edge, and Coney had his third catch. Only Chappell now seemed ito bar the way, leading his [side to 105 for four wickets at tea, and helped materially by the soundness of j. Davis, who kept a coo] head in the crisis. Suddenly Chappell went Too. playing a lazy cut at comfortable height to Hastings at gully, and D. R. Hadlee almost went into orbit so high did he leap for joy. There was less joy when Parker put down a low

chance off Marsh from B. E. Congdon’s bowling, but D. Hadlee had more direct methods. He so surprised Marsh with a bouncer that Marsh’s glove was rammed back into his eye. Hadlee bowled another bouncer and Marsh hooked it lustily for four. Again the bouncer, again the hook, but this time only an edge, and Wadsworth had the catch. Brothers’ turn K. J. O’Keeffe put one snick short of Coney and another just over third slip. D. Hadlee drooped with disappointment, and took his sweater, but he had bowled superbly in dismissing Waiters, I. M. Chappell and Marsh in a marvelous burst of 6.6 overs for only 23 runs.

But his younger brother, who had been prowling round the outfield bursting for action, was even more potent. In his first over, R. Hadlee ended O’Keeffe’s luck as Wadsworth held the catch. Davis mis-hit a hook, and after an agonising scramble to get under the catch, Andrews held the chance and collapsed on the ground with his legs thrust triumphantly upward.

Congdon at last got some reward when Wadsworth, standing up, held an edge from Gilmour, and R. Hadlee finished the innings when he had Walker leg-before with a yorker.