Scene set for thrilling final day of test

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 40

Scene set for thrilling final day of test

From

R. T. BRITTENDEN.

Melbourne England needs 272 runs, with eight wickets standing, to achieve one of the most remarkable victories in all test cricket history today.

In a thrilling turn of i events yesterday. England i faced a most courageous! fight in this centennial test,' and at the close of the; fourth day had made 191 for two wickets, after Australia: had left it a target of 463 runs. Derek Randall, new to test cricket this year, led the way with 87 not out. an innings both perky and pugnacious.

it was a great comeback, but England still has an enormous task ahead. It will| go into the last day aware that the loss of the quick wicket will fan the flames of the Australian attack, left the previous evening simpiy smouldering.

The new ball is due after about an hour’s play today, and England's players are no doubt aware that only twice has a test match been won by a side making more than 400 in the final innings — and in both cases the scores were only just past the 400. But the previous evening the England captain. Tony Greig, had said an England victory was possible. And he also said that it would be particularly gratifying if the! runs were made while the 1 Queer was at the ground.

She will be at the cricket ground from the tea interval todav.

The pitch yesterday lacked malice, and if England can make a good start this morning, the great centennial celebration may have a climax none of the authors of the piece would have dared to hope to se«* staged.

Australia batted for an hour this morning, but the innings simply meandered along while 32 runs were added for the loss of Rick McCosker — the victim of a well-judged catch by Greig. Rod Marsh duly made the

[five runs he needed for his i second century in tests: he I was 251 minutes over the task. 1 England’s second innings j struggle seemed to be more for respectability than for victory when it began. The pitch was easier paced but . the immensity of England’s task gave the whole affair an air of inevitability. Even on this placid strip, Dennis Lillee was able to get the

I ball up at the ribs fairly i regularly, although he had I been stripped of some of his pace. When the bail was up, Max Walker had it moving ar nut sharply, but England’s openers. Mike Brearley and Bob Woolmer, defended stoutly and almost got through to lunch. In the last over of the morning. Walker beat Woolmer off the pitch and had him leg before. As Brearley and Derek Randall scored 85 for the second wicket, England might have started to dream its dreams. Never really in command, the batsmen fought tenaciously for two hours. Walker and Lillee were again demanding, and i the only period of plenty the ! batsmen were allowed to I enjoy was in Gary Gilmour’s ;brief spell. His bowling was of the same modest quality he showed in New Zealand. His four overs provided England ; with 29 runs and he tossed them half a dozen no . balls and a wide to enliven , an otherwise dour struggle. II There was one other colourful passage, however. i This was in an ovei from ; Lillee which cost 12 runs, but in which Randall was ■ dropped by Kerry O’Keeffe at gully. Randall, an interesting personality, seemed willing to counter-attack but w’as not

often able to do so. He found himself in some decidedly ungraceful positions when trying to counter deliveries from Lillee which cut back at him.

But this assertive young man — so swift in the field — improved the sunlit afternoon with some perfectly timed and flowing drives off Walker and O’Keeffe. At times he hooked or cut bravely if not always convincingly. By comparison, Brearley was almost anonymous, but he battled on and this substantial partnership took much of the edge from the Australian attack.

When Brearley went straight after tea. Dennis Amiss w r as again cast by the crowd in the role of Lillee’s rabbit. His eight most recent innings against Australia had yielded 27 runs, and Lillee had had him out six times. This dismal sequence was nearly extended. Amiss had the ball' in the air very close to Gary Cosier at short leg the first time he faced Lillee, and when he was eight, he was missed by David Hookes at third slip, again off Lillee. But Amiss, if never in full batting health, had some colour in his cheeks before long. He played a full part in a partnership which offered Australia its first threat since the opening day of the match.

With Gilmour an apparent liability, it was Lillee and Walker in turns at one end. O’Keeffe at the other — booming brass and delicate strings.

Although his spin was not sharp even on this fourth day, O’Keeffe bowled skilfully and if he had had a more agile short leg than Cosier, he might have had Amiss about an hour before the close.

O’Keeffe kept good control and seemed to trouble Amiss in particular with his top spinners.

But the man of the day was Randall: he is a Notts man, but he has the cheekiness of a London sparrow.

He had the sauce to attack Lillee with vigorous hooking, and to hold his own in a ver bal exchange or two with the great Australian bowler. England’s task is still enormous, and as the game enters its final day it holds a competitive interest which seemed almost impossible after England’s first innings collapse. AUSTRALIA First Innings 138 Second innings 1. Davis c Knott b Greig 68 K. O'Keeffe c Willis b Old 14 G. Chappell b Old 2 G. Cosier c Knott b Lever 4 D. Walters c Knott b Greig 4* D. Hookes c Fletcher b Underwood 54 R. Marsh not out .110 G. Gilmour b Lever 14 D. Lillee c Amiss b Oid 25 R. McCosker c Greig b Old 25 M. Walker not out -. 8 Extras (101 b 15nb) .. 25 Total for 9 wkts dec. 419 Fall of wickets: 33, 40, 53, 132, 187, 244, 277 . 353 , 407.

BOWLING O M R W Lever .11 1 95 2 Old .. 27.4 2 104 4 Underwood .12 2 38 1 Willis . 22 9 91 0 Greig 14 3 66 2 Batting time: 420mln. Overs: 94.4. ENGLAND First Innings 95 Second Innings R. Woolmer lbw Walker 12 J. Brearley lbw Lillee 43 D. Randall not out 87 D. Amiss not out 34 Extras (7b, 3w, Snb) IS Total for 2 wickets 191 Fall of wickets: 28, 11' 1. BOWLING 0 M R W Lillee .15 3 50 1 Gilmour 4 0 29 0 Chappell 1 0 Walker .14 2 3 45 0 1 O'Keeffe 18 3 49 0 Batting time: 270mIn. Overs: 52. Crowd: 37,448.