Botham shatters Aust, with four-wicket burst

Press, 3 August 1985, Page 80

Botham shatters Aust, with four-wicket burst

NZPA-Reuter Manchester The England all-rounder lan Botham shattered Australia with a four-wicket burst in the final session of the first day of the fourth cricket test. But a defiant last wicket partnership of 33 between Simon O’Donnell, who made 45, and Bob Holland carried Australia to a more healthy 257 all out at the close after being put into bat. Australia looked to have weathered an earlier collapse which saw the off spinner Phil Edmonds, claim three wickets in 35 balls in the post-lunch period. Thanks to David Boon and Wayne Phillips they had emerged from an unpromising 122 for four to stand at 193. But then the unpredictable Botham, who had previously sent down 10 unsuccessful overs for 51 runs removed Phillips (36), Boon (61), Greg Matthews (5) and Geoff Lawson (4). With John Emburey catching Craig McDermott leg before for a duck, Australia plunged to 224 for nine as the captain’s decision to put the opposition in looked like paying handsome dividends. The end looked inevitable,

but O’Donnell, playing with style and picking the right ball to hit, kept England at bay for 50 minutes. Botham, who ended with four for 79 off 23 overs, could not break the partnership and it was left to Edmonds, bowling the final over of the day, to finish matters off, clean bowling O’ Donnell with the first ball of the over.

The leg spinner Holland was unbeaten on five and must have watched with interest as both England spinners extracted enough life out of the wicket on the first day to make things uncomfortable for the batsmen.

Australia also made life difficult for themselves with some injudicious shots. Captain Allan Border, trying to put Edmonds out of the attack, charged down the pitch, hit across the line and was so far out of his ground Paul Downton had a fairly simple job to stump him for eight. Greg Ritchie gave the easiest caught and bowled chance to Edmonds and both Phillips, who was caught behind, and Boon, who fell to a fine catch in the gully by Allan Lamb, were out to balls they could well have left alone. It could have been different if Australia had capi-

talised on a fine start given to them by openers Kepler Wessels and Andrew Hilditch.

The pair put on a bright 71 in 85 minutes as Botham, entrusted with the new ball, and the paceman Jonathan Agnew struggled. Botham opened the match with a long hop which Wessels pulled for four and followed up with a wide. The next ball was steered to the vacant third man boundary for another four. The spinners broke through on the moist pitch, Emburey having Wessels, who was deputising as opener for the injured Graeme Wood, caught at slip by Botham for 34. Hilditch went in the third over of the afternoon, caught for 49 off bat and pad by Gower at silly midoff to become Edmonds’ first victim. Border and Ritchie fell in quick succession and a score of less than 200 looked a possibility until Boon, who hit a test best, and Phillips pulled Australia round for a while.

Edmonds ended as England’s most successful bowler with four for 40 off 15.1 overs. Emburey weighed in with two for 41 off 24 overs but the pace duo of Agnew and Paul Allott finished wicketless

after bowling 27 overs between them. Edmonds later put Border’s dismissal down to the Australian captain’s attempt to play an “lan Bot-ham-type role.” He said: “Border’s dismissal was due to a pure slog. I just bowled the ball. There was nothing subtle. “We have talked about Border’s approach in the dressing room and it seems as if he wants to play like Botham and impose himself from the start.” AUSTRALIA First innings K. Wessels c Botham b Emburey 34 A. Hilditch c Gower b Edmonds 49 D. Boon c Lamb b Botham 61 A. Border st Downton b Edmonds 8 G. Ritchie c and b Edmonds 4 W. Phillips c Downton b Botham 36 G. Matthews b Botham. . 4 S. O’Donnell b Edmonds . 45 G. Lawson c Downton b Botham 4 C. McDermott lbw Emburey 0 R. Holland not out 5 Extras Sundries (31b 3nb Iw) 7 Total 257 . Fall: 71, 97, 118, 122, 193, 198, 211, 223, 224. Bowling: I. Botham 23, 4, 79, 1 (Iw); J. Agnew 14, 0, 65, 0 ;3nby, P. Allott 13, 1, 29, 0; J. Emburey 24, 7, 41, 2; P. Edmonds 15.1, 4, 40, 4.