Post-mortems begin on Aust, cricket tour

Press, 27 March 1980, Page 28

Post-mortems begin on Aust, cricket tour

NZPA Lahore The lessons of the first Australian cricket tour of Pakistan for 16 years will be distilled over the next few weeks at the Australian Cricket Board’s Sydney headquarters. From it will come a blueprint for future tours to that part of the world.

The Australian team manager, Mr Fred Bennett, has said that he would put several strong recommendations forward, ranging from the export of Australian grass seed for use on Pakistani pitches to Air Marshal Nur Khan’s call for neutral umpires in future test series between the two nations. “I will also urge the board to have two complete sets of bowling attacks on tour to suit the different pitches which are prepared at the whim .of the cricket authorities there,” Mr Bennett said. Australia’s failure to assert its authority on the tour was

primarilv caused by its lopsided attack’s inability to cope with the conditions. Air Marshal Nur Khan, Pakistan’s cricket boss, said that the tour was the least controversial by any sports team for a long time. “The Australian visit has done the game in Pakistan untold good,” he said. The Australian cricketers ended their five-match tour of Pakistan without recording a win. Pakistan won the three test series one-nil, after taking the first test, by seven wickets. Both three-day games were drawn. Allan Border and Ray Bright were easily Australia’s best performers during the tour. . „ , Border played in all three tests, twice scoring 150 in an innings for a total of '395 runs at an average of 131.6. He was followed by Greg Chappell, who made 235 in the second test at Faisalabad, the highest score in matches between the two countries, i

Chappell also passed 50 f twice to average 762, whVf the Victorian Sheffield Shielc ? captain, Graham Yallop, whc j made his highest first-class f score of 172, also at : Faisalabad, ended the test I averages in third place. . |

Of the recognised batsmen, | David Hookes was the worst failure, making only two runs ? in four test innings. s Ray Bright completely I dominated the bowling, tak-f ing 15 test wickets at 23,5 Ji and 29 wickets in all.. Chappell was next with three J? test wickets at 24.6 runs • each, while Dennis Lillee 1 could manage only three wickets on the tour, all in the final test, at 101 runs each. Others who. found the con- -a ditibhs unsuitable included the star of last year’s Indian tour, Geoff Dymock, who captured only one test wicket from 71 overs for 128 runs. Mick Malone, who did not play in any tests, took only one wicket for a total cost i of 128 runs. ? 5