Aust, cricketers ‘overworked’

Press, 14 January 1986, Page 40

Aust, cricketers ‘overworked’

By

ROSS MULLINS,

of AAP Sydney Allan Border and his senior Australian test players are the most overworked of the world’s top cricketers. The New Zealand jibe: “What is the difference between the Milford Track and the Aussie cricketers?” and the answer “Not everyone has walked over the track” is cruelly clever and almost true. But the Australian programme continues to lend itself to adverse results. In 1985 there were 28 completed tests—Australia played 12, the most of any of the seven test playing nations. New Zealand headed the

rest with 10, followed by ’ England (9), India (8), Pakis- ' tan and Sri Lanka (6), and i strangely the West Indies only five. i Of the 12 the Australians I won only three, one each against the West Indies, i England and New Zealand. 1 On the face of it Australia I plays too much cricket to enable players to perform i to their abilities—they are , on a treadmill. Within the avalanche of activity were series losses to the Windies, 1-3, England, 1-3 and New Zealand, 1-2 and a drawn series against India. England topped the list winning two-thirds of its clashes with the West Indies a little behind with 60 per cent. New Zealand won more than half while Pakistan broke even—only Aus-

tralia, and Sri Lanka (42%) were on top of the cellar dweller, India, with 37.50%. And to compound their difficulties there were some big totals thrown at the Australians—s9s for 5 declared (England in Birmingham), 553 for seven declared (N.Z. in Brisbane), 520 (India in Adelaide), 482 for nine declared (England at Manchester) and 464 and 456 at the Oval and Nottingham, also by England. The crush of cricket got to the Australians—they hit up 6088 in 1985 for the loss of 196 wickets—an average of 31.06, but only the minnow Sri Lanka, with 29.06 were lower. The Australian chase of big innings scores seemed to stem from their inability to get breakthroughs in the top of the batting order.

Between the opening and fourth wicket of opponents in 1985 there were 12 of the 14 century or more stands made against the Australian attack. When Geoff Lawson failed to make the test teams against India he hadn’t had a first session wicket since Lord’s in late June, 1985. The Australian Cricket Board executive committee will be taking a hard look at the 1986-87 programme in Sydney on Thursday and Friday—including an Ashes tour by England and a fournation tournament in Perth, plus the World Series Cup. England has not taken too kindly to the “pyjama game” and wears its sky blue night outfit with an air of thinly disguised toler-

I ance. > The A.C.B. wants the > West Indies, Pakistan and s England to make up the i quartet with the Australians in Perth and the price for I David Gower’s men could s well be a restricted W.S.C. t qualifying lead-up. , The Australians emerged battle-weary from the back- ; to-back New Zealand and • India tests covering about r eight weeks, to plunge i straight into the present I W.S.C. clashes. ■ If the present merry-go-round is getting to the players then the senior ■ spokemen for them— Border, Greg Chappell and, , up to his dumping from the i one-day squads, David ’ Hookes, will have to be heard loud and clear right now.