S.A. batsmen face tough final day

Press, 30 November 1987, Page 56

S.A. batsmen face tough final day

PA Adelaide South Australia will begin the final day of its cricket match against New Zealand needing 321 runs for victory with nine second innings wickets standing.

Jeff Crowe declared New Zealand’s second innings closed at 267 for six, leaving South Australia approximately 430 minutes to score 386 to win.

a reasonable amount bf time in the middle before setting a final day target for the South Australians, but only Martin Crowe, coming In at No. 8, got to 50.

lan Smith merrily hit 18 off 21 balls before Crowe and Bracewell carried New Zealand through to the declaration. At tea Bracewell had spent 94 minutes getting 19, but Crowe lifted his rate after the interval, taking 35 balls to get his 33 runs after the break. Crowe despatched the off Spinner, Michael Haysman, for four to get his half century, brought up the New Zealand 250 on the next ball and the declaration came at 4.40 p.m. NEW ZEALAND First innings 360/7 dec. Second innings K. Rutherford lbw Smart. 22 J. Wright lbw Gladigau. . 39 A. Jones lbw Gladigau . . 26 J. Crowe c Hilditch b Sleep 21 D. Patel c Gladigau b May 35 J. Bracewell not out. .. . 41 I. Smith c Gladigau b May 18 M. Crowe not out 56 Extras (b 3 lb2 nb4) .... 9 Total (for 6 wkts dec.). . 267 Fall: 36, 84. 95,148,153, 178. Bowling: P. Gladigau 12, 6, 26, 2; S. George 16, 1, 66, 0; H. Smart 7,1, 29, 1; T. May 26, 5, 85, 2; P. Sleep 20, 8, 30, 1; M. Haysman 6,1, 26, 0. SOUTH AUSTRALIA First Innings 242 Second Innings A. Hilditch run out 10 G. Bishop not out 46 M. Haysman not out. ... 3 Extras (b 6 6 Total (for 1 wkt) 65 Fall: 46. Bowling: R. Hadlee 10, 2, 33, 0; E. Chatfield 5,1, 16, 0; J. Bracewell 5,2, 10, 0.

At stumps South Australia was 65 for one, with the opener, Glenn Bishop, looking in good touch on 46 and Michael Haysman on three. The batsman out was Andrew Hilditch. He set off for a short single, was sent back and Ken Rutherford’s direct hit running in from covers had him well short. That was a disaster for South Australia, with just 20 minutes left before stumps. Bishop has shown an attacking streak. He clipped Ewen Chatfield to the mid-wicket boundary, and took four more on the following ball wide of Richard Hadlee In the gully. He greeted John Bracewell with consecutive boundaries to long on and mid-wicket, but had a life on 42 when Hadlee dropped a slip chance off the spinner, low to his left

Crowe and John Bracewell added 89 in 90 minutes, with Crowe finishing on 56 and Bracewell 41, in 134 minutes. Crowe’s first-class aggregate on tour so far is 319 runs at 159.5, and his last three innings on Adelaide Oval — taking in two tours — have produced 242 not out, 144 and 56 not out. Three wickets fell in each of the first two sessions of the day. Both openers, Ken Rutherford and John Wright, and Andrew Jones were all dismissed leg before wicket with their scores between 20 and 40. The morning session produced 83 runs, and ended with Jeff Crowe battling hard to find some form. Crowe’s struggle continued in the afternoon. He lost Dipak Patel, brilliantly caught at deep square leg for a fluent 35 before departing at 153, caught off a bat-pad chance at short leg. He had spent 111 minutes in the middle and faced 88 balls in compiling 21.

It was a day of lost opportunities for almost all the New Zealand batsmen at Adelaide Oval. They all got a start on a day designed to give them