S. Australia wins in thrilling finish

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 68

S. Australia wins in thrilling finish

PA Adelaide New Zealand lost its final build-up match for the first cricket test when South Australia won their four-day match in thrilling fashion at Adelaide Oval yesterday.

A seventh wicket stand of 58 in 66 minutes between Tim May and Peter Sleep set South Australia up for a three-wicket win with four balls to spare. May was the hero of the last hour, finishing with an unbeaten 42 while Sleep was dismissed to a brilliant diving catch by Ken Rutherford at cover off John Bracewell for 25. The other not out batsman was Peter Gladigau on two. Going into the final 20 overs South Australia needed 62 runs to win with four wickets standing but the New Zealand bowlers could not separate the two spinners who have been picked in the Australian 12 to play at Brisbane later this week. May got moving with two cover driven boundaries off John Bracewell and they took 19 off the first five overs of the last 20. When he had made 12 Sleep got the benefit of the doubt from the umpire, Darryl Harper, when Rutherford took a bat-pad

catch and the entire New Zealand side went up for the appeal. The target had been reduced to 37 off the last 10 overs and May clipped Ewen Chatfield through mid-wicket to raise the 350. The batsmen needed 30 off the last eight overs as May again drove Bracewell through the covers. May and Sleep picked up eight runs off the fifteenth over and left themselves 14 short with five overs left. The 50-partnership came up when May drove Hadlee behind point for two. Seven were required off the last three overs, five off the last two when Sleep was out, trying to hit Bracewell over cover. Gladigau got a single off the first ball and May hit the winning runs when he pushed the next ball towards mld-on, John Wright could only deflect it and wrongfooted Martin Crowe behind him. Of the New Zealand bowlers, Martin Snedden was extremely steady, but

the spinners, Bracewell and Dipak Patel, suffered at the hands of Phillips in particular. New Zealand had earlier taken the new ball straight after tea. Danny O’Connor was dropped by Hadlee, diving one handed to his left at second slip off Chatfield, but was out, leg before wicket to Hadlee In the next over for a good 42. His partnership with Phillips was worth 107 in 116 minutes and had carried on the good work of Glenn Bishop and Michael Haysman before lunch. O’Connor was Hadlee’s first wicket in the match and it had taken him 40.2 overs to get it — longer by seven overs than he had needed to collect 10 Western Australian wickets at Perth last weekend. Phillips pulled Chatfield boldly over mid-wicket to the boundary and splendidly cut him to the cover fence to move into the 70s.

But at 75 he tried to pull a straight ball from Snedden through square leg and missed it He had batted 140 minutes, faced 108 balls and his eight boundaries. David Hookes began as he had left off in the first innings, but at seven he tried to cut Bracewell off his stumps and was bowled, setting up the dramatic finish. NEW ZEALAND First innings 360/7 (dec.) Second innings 267/6 (dec.) SOUTH AUSTRALIA First innings 242' Second innings A. Hilditch run out 10 G. Bishop c Chatfield b Bracewell ........ 123 M. Haysman lbw b Snedden 43 D. O’Connor lbw b Hadlee 42 W. Phillips b Snedden. . . 75 P. Sleep c Rutherford b Bracewell 25 D. Hookes b Bracewell . . 7 T. May not out 42 P. Gladigau not out ... . 2 Extras (b 7 lb 7 nb3) .... 17 Total (for 7 wkts) 386 Fall: 46, 164, 192, 299, 313, 324, 382. Bowling: R. Hadlee 34.2, 6, 102, 1; E. Chatfield 21, 5, 62, 0: J. Bracewell 35, 8, 116, 3; M. Snedden 19, 2, 40, 2; D. Patel 11, 0, 52, 0.