Tactical edge to Hughes

Press, 29 January 1986, Page 23

Tactical edge to Hughes

NZAP-AAP Port Elizabeth The Australian rebels skipper, Kim Hughes, has a clear tactical advantage over the Springbok captain, Clive Rice, for the first time on the threemonth tour. The rebels have staggered just about everyone — except themselves — by going two-up in a sixmatch one-day series, where many so-called experts said they would be whitewashed. Now Hughes finds he has more options in team selection than Rice, whom the Springbok selectors have saddled with a squad of 13 for the first three games. In the “test” series, which the Springboks wrapped up last week 1-0 after the first two matches were drawn, Hughes was at times almost overwhelmed by injuries to key players. Apart from a few niggling hamstring problems, the situation has improved dramatically. Hughes confirmed that the paceman Rodney Hogg, would be rested from the third clash in the series at St George’s Park here today, but was confident Rod McCurdy would be able to plug the gap. McCurdy has been sidelined since straining a hamstring against Northern Transvaal, the last provincial game before the third “test”.

Hogg suffered leg muscle soreness in the dramatic last gasp win over the South Africans in Durban, but is expected to be right for the fourth match in the series in Cape Town.

A decision on the inform Steve Smith’s availability for the game will be delayed until just before the start, but again Hughes is hopeful. Smith’s persistent hamstring problem flared again at Durban, and as a precaution he used a runner for the last hour of his top-scoring innings of 70.

Rice, meanwhile, was in a quandary yesterday over his top order batting, which let him down again at Durban.

“Our problem was our poor start,” Rice said.

“At one stage we were 42 for four after 19 overs, but if we had managed to score another 30 runs to give them a target of 250, the Aussies would never have made it.

"Our top order didn’t exist. We moved opener Henry Fotheringham down to strengthen the middle order, and that proved effective, but it didn’t do us much good at the top.” As it was, a fighting partnership betwen Rice (91) and Fotheringham (71) turned the tide, enabling the Springboks to set a difficult target which the rebels achieved with only three balls left. The biggest setback for the South Africans was undoubtedly the loss of Graeme Pollock for the entire one-day series, after a Carl Rackemann bouncer broke his right hand in the third “test.” Now Fotheringham, who injured his right big toe in the Durban match, is in doubt for today’s match, which the ’Boks must win to keep the series alive.