Duo battles but N.Z. set for win

Press, 12 November 1985, Page 60

Duo battles but N.Z. set for win

From

NZPA

staff correspondent,

KEVIN HART,

in Brisbane A battling sixth wicket stand between the Australian captain, Allan Border, and the allrounder Greg Matthews delayed a seemingly inevitable New Zealand test victory at Brisbane yesterday.

But with Richard Hadlee claiming the wicket of Matthews for 115 in the third-last over of the day, the scene remains set for New Zealand’s first test win on Australian soil today. At stumps, Australia was 266 for six, with its long batting tail exposed. A forecast of fine weather for the final day and the expectation that the paceman Geoff Lawson, who has a groin strain, will bat only in an emergency, stacks the cards overwhelmingly in New Zealand’s favour.

But champagne, which seemed certain to flow yesterday when Australia slumped to 67 for five shortly after lunch, had to be kept on ice thanks to the resistance of Border, unbeaten on 106 at stumps, and Matthews.

Border was initially the diligent captain, and then the world-class batsman, as he reproduced his form of the recent Ashes series. In the ebullient Matthews, he found the most willing partner. Border’s chief problem, as the New Zealand attack and fielding wavered slightly late in the day, under the twin burdens of a placid pitch and hot conditions, was to temper Matthews’ enthusiasm.

He temporarily gave that task away 30 minutes before stumps when Matthews drove the off-spinner, Vaughan Brown, for six to bring up his first test century — and promptly blew kisses to the crowd of 2022.

Border soon also registered his century, his fifteenth in tests, but his first against New Zealand. His century had taken a restrained 313 minutes, compared Ito the 198 minutes Matthews had batted to reach the mark. Matthews, however, failed his final challenge of the day, the new ball which became available for the final five overs.

Playing back tentatively to Hadlee, he edged to Jeremy Coney at second slip.

At the close, the Australians were still well shy of

the 375 runs needed to make New Zealand bat again, but a smidgeon of pride for Australia had been salvaged. That pride was severely tarnished when three wickets were lost off the first 37 balls of the innings for just 16 runs. The early loss of Kepler Wessels, David Boon and Andrew Hilditch, followed shortly afterwards by Greg Ritchie and Wayne Phillips, was a severe indictment of the temperament and technique of the Australian batsmen. After Coney had declared at New Zealand’s overnight total of 553 for seven, hoping to profit from any early life in the pitch, the tourists’ attack also offered Australia another lesson in controlled bowling. Ewen Chatfield, wicketless in the first innings, struck with the second ball of his second over to remove Wessels, and the final delivery of his third to oust Boon. Off the first ball of the next over, Hadlee chipped in with Hilditch. Wessels, whose 70 had been easily the most significant contribution in the first innings, was the first to go at 14.

The left-handed opener was beaten outside his off stump by Chatfield the ninth ball he faced. The next ball, his score on three, he prodded half forward, batpadding to Brown at forward short leg.

Two runs later, Boon failed to get behind a lifting ball from Chatfield, and the wicketkeeper, lan Smith, accepted the catch. Chatfield’s figures were two for five off three overs.

Hilditch, meanwhile, had been dabbling in his own special version of hara kiri, the hook.

A victim of the shot off the fifth ball of the first innings, and, in total, four times in his last five innings, the Australian vicecaptain represented the ultimate in self-destruction. The New Zealanders set the bait as early as Hadlee’s second over, and Hilditch immediately, but unsuccessfully, went for the hook. Off the first ball of Hadlee’s fourth over, however, he succeeded in lofting the ball straight to Chatfield at backward square leg. Hilditch had scored 12 and Australia was 16 for three. Hadlee’s wicket, in addition to his magnificent nine for 52 in the first innings, made him the first New Zealander to claim 10 wickets in a test against Australia. Boon’s exit had brought Border to the wicket, the carnage doubtless reminding him of Remembrance Day, 1984, when Australia was skittled for 76 by the West Indies at Perth. He staged a brief 31-run recovery with Greg Ritchie, before the aggressive Queenslander became the second batsman to carbon copy his first innings dismissal. Ritchie (20) again failed to get behind an outswinger, this time from Martin Snedden, and Coney took the catch at second slip. The wicketkeeper, Wayne Phillips, had appeared one of the more organised batsmen in scoring 34 in the first innings. But shortly after lunch, with the total at 67, he was fifth out dragging an attempted cut back off Hadlee on to his stumps. Phillips had scored just two. Hadlee also came close to claiming Border in this period. He beat the Australian skipper outside his off stump and then rifled straight through his defences with successive balls of his tenth over. But Border weathered the assault and found the ally he wanted in Matthews. The New South Wales’ allrounder survived intense pressure early in his innings, with three batsman clustered around his bat during a long, variable spell of off-spin from Brown. The battle was won by Matthews in the assertive manner which was to serve him so well in his facesaving innings. AUSTRALIA First innings 179 Second innings A. Hilditch c Chatfield b Hadlee 12 K Wessels c Brown b Chatfield 3 D. Boon c Smith b Chatfield 1 A. Border not out 106 G. Ritchie c Coney b Snedden 20 W. Phillips b Hadlee ... 2 G. Matthews c J. Coney b Hadlee 115 C. McDermott not out. . . 1 Extras (31b 3nb) 6 Total (for 6 wkts) 266 Fall: 14, 16, 16, 47, 67, 264. Bowling: R. Hadlee 20, 7, 46, 3; E. Chatfield 22, 7, 55, 2 (Inb); M. Snedden 17, 3, 62,1 (Inb); M. Crowe 6,2, 10, 0 (Inb); V. Brown 22, 4, 87, 0; J. Coney 3,1, 3, 0. NEW ZEALAND First innings 553