Batsmen fail miserably in first innings of test

Press, 14 March 1977, Page 30

Batsmen fail miserably in first innings of test

PA

Melbourne

Australia had regained the initiative from England with a lead of 147 runs by stumps on the second day of the centenary 7 test match at the Melb ourne Cricket Ground yesterday.

When play closed a few; minutes early because of bad light, Australia was three far 104 with the opener, lan Davis, 45 not out and Doug Walters 32 not out. They placed Australia in a sound position after the home side had lost three for 53 to the English pace attack of John Lever and Chris Old. Australia now has a more than even chance of taking, the match after a superb bowling and fielding performance against England in! its first innings. The Australians dismissed, England for a paltry first in-! nings total of 95 runs in which Tony Greig top-scored, with a mere 18. Their task was made easier bv Dennis Lillee and by accurate swing bowling from Max Walker.

Lillee finished the innings with six wickets for 26, his best bowling performance in a test match, and Walker claimed four for 54 including the prize scalp of Tony Greig who was beginning to look menacing. The last batsman out, John Lever, was a significant catch for the Australian wicketkeeper, Rodney Marsh. It was Marsh’s 188th dismissal in tests, breaking Wally Grout’s Australian record of 187 dismissals. England resumed yesterjday morning at one for 29 [with Mike Brearley on 12 not out and Derek Underwood not out on five. Brearley fell to Lillee Without adding to his overnight score and Underwood joined him in the pavilion I nine minutes later when he

s< was well caught by Greg > Chappell off Walker for! i seven. r Wickets began tumbling in’ ■ rapid succession and Engf land lost Dennis Amiss ; ■ ands Derek Randall, each for! four, with the score at 40. ij Greig came in at the fall) ; of the fifth wicket and ' immediately to attack. He slugged three bound-1 ..aries in his innings of 18 be- 1 ,[fore playing and missing at' J an inswinger from Walker. At that stage England had - lost five for 32 and was in ) desperate trouble in the > morning session. Fletcher departed four runs later when he was ■ • caught magnificently by ! - Marsh diving away to his 1 right to pick up the ball in i front of Chappell at first > slip. Chris Old followed min- , utes later when he was easily caught by Marsh after . trying to move out of the way of a short-pitched Lillee delivery.

England went to lunch at eight for 83 with Alan Knott on 12 and John Lever on three. It lost its last two wickets for 12 runs, both to Lillee, whose line and length in his 14 overs were irreproachable. Australia started its second innings at 2.19 p.m. with lan Davis and the makeshift opener, Kerry O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe, who made 14 in an opening partnership of .33 runs, played well in a role which was out of character for him. Chappell came in at number three but lasted only 14 deliveries before being bowled by Old for two runs. Cosier was next 13 runs later, caught by Alan Knott attemptong to hook. Cosier, who was out in similar fashion in the first innings, tried to hit a shortpitched delivery from Lever but succeeded in dollying a simple catch.

; England had taken all the honours on Saturday with a superb, sustained display of bowling and fielding. A non-stop barrage from Lever, Bob Willis and Old, with the penetrating accuracy of Derek Underwood, i tempted and tantalised the (Australian batsmen into rash land indiscreet strokes. Greig put Australia in to bat and the brittleness of the recognised batsmen was quickly evident. Lever struck first when he trapped lan Davis leg before for five in the fifth over and in the next over Willis dismissed McCosker for four. McCosker tried to hook, but the ball glanced off the ba‘ into ais f?'e and then rolled on to the 'tumps. He was assisted bleeding from the field and an X-ray later showed he had a fracture of the lower jaw which will take six weeks to heal. The rot set in when Gary Cosier was caught for 10. David Hookes, after a promising start, edged a simple catch when 17, and Doug Walters slashed at W’llis to lob the ball into the hands of Greig. A 51-run, sixth-wicket partnership between Chappell and Marsh briefly steadied the innings until Marsh tried to pull out of the ground and brilliantly snapped up by Knott for 28. Chappell went on to topscore with 40 before he lost patience with Underwood and was bowled. Underwood then mopped up the tail, claiming O’Keeffe and Walker with Lillee re-

maining not out on 10. AUSTRALIA First innings I C Davis lbw b Lever .. 5 R. B. McCosker b Willis .. 4 G. J. Cosier c Fletcher b Lever 10 G. S. Chappell b Underwood 40 D. Hookes c Greig b Old 17 K. D. Walters c Greig b Willis 4 R. W. Marsh c Knott b Old 28 G. J. Gilmour c Greig b Old 4 K J O'Keeffe c Brearley b Underwood .0 D. K. Lillee not out . .10 M. H. N. Walker b Underwood .2 Extras (4b. 21b, 2nb) .. 14

Total 138 Fall of wickets: 11, 13, 23, 45, 51, 102, 114, 117, 134, 138. BOWLING O. M. R. V/. J. K. Lever ..12 1 36 2 R. G. D. Willis .. 8 0 33 2 C M. Old 12 4 39 3 0. L. Underwood 11.6 2 16 3 Batting time: 289min. Overs: 43.6. Second innings Davis not out 45 O'Keeffe c Willis b Old . 14 Chappell b Old 2 Cosier c Knott b Lever .. 4 Walter not out 32 Extras (6nb. lib; .. 7 Total (for three wickets) 104 Fall of wickets: 33, 40, 53. BOWLING 0. M. R. w. Lever 6 0 28 1 Willis 9 0 37 0 Old 9 2 25 2 A. W. Greig .. 3 14 0 Underwood 3 2 3 0 Batting time: 195min. Overs: ENGLAND First innings R Woolmer c ■ Chappell b Lillee 9 J. M. Brearley c Hookes b Lillee 12 D. L. Underwood c Chappell b Walker 7 D. Randall c Marsh b Lillee 4 D. Amiss c O'Keeffe b Walker 4 K. W. Fletcher c Marsh b Walker 4 A. W. Greig b Walker 18 A. P Knott lbw b Lillee . 15 C. M. Old c Marsh b Lillee 3 J K. Lever c Marsh b Lillee 11 R. G. Willis not out 1 Extras (2b. 21b, 2nb, Iw) 7 Total 95 Fall of wickets: 19, 30, 34, 40, 40, 61, 65 . 78, 86. BOWLING 0. M. R. W. D. K. Lillee 13.3 2 26 6 M. H. N. Walker 15 3 54 4 K J. O'Keeffe .10 4 0 G. J. Gilmour 5 3 4 0 Batting time: 211min. Overs: 34.3. Attendance: 62,505.