Crowe dropped from side

Press, 16 January 1988, Page 84

Crowe dropped from side

. By DAVID LEGGAT PA Brisbane The New Zealand cricket captain, Jeff Crowe, has been dropped from the side for the World Series Cup match against Sri Lanka today.

It is the second W.S.C. match Crowe has missed. He was rested for the game against the Sri Lankans at Adelaide last Saturday, but it is clear he has been omitted on merit for today’s match. Crowe’s performances with the bat do not fit the coach, Gren Alabaster’s, bill for the match. Mr Alabaster said form would be the pre-requisite for selection and unfortunately for Crowe he has none to commend his inclusion.

In 17 innings on tour he has made just 204 runs at 12.0. The W.S.C. series has produced 15 runs from four innings. “The policy was to play the best team for this game, taking into account

fitness and form,” Mr Alabaster said last evening. He added that Crowe was “quite relaxed” about the decision. Mr Alabaster, Crowe and the vice-captain, John Wright, are the tour selectors, and Wright will lead the side today, as he did at Hobart. “Obviously he would like to play but he feels what we’re doing is in the best interests of the side,” Mr Alabaster said. Crowe was unavailable for comment. The other two players omitted from the 15 are the wicket-keeper, lan Smith, and the injured offspinner John Bracewell. Smith fractured a finger on the final morning of the third test against Australia on December 30. He missed the first four W.S.C. games while the finger mended, and played at Hobart. But the injury concern is only

part of the reason for his exclusion. “There is still an element of doubt about his finger, but also we’re just looking for the right balance in the team we want for this game,” Mr Alabaster said.

That means Tony Blain will take the gloves for the fifth time in the series.

Bracewell was ruled out of consideration for the match yesterday morning after a practice session at which he moved gingerly. His back injury is slowly coming right, but whether he will play any further part in the competition is another matter. Wright’s opening partner is likely to be Ken Rutherford, with Andrew Jones set to return to No. 3 in the batting order. With Martin Crowe at four, and the inform Blain and Richard Hadlee in

the next three places the batting line-up has a solid

look about it. The only batsman overdue to produce runs is Dipak Patel, whose five innings to date have totalled just 53 runs. Five seamers are included in the 12, with one likely to stand down. The likely choice is Danny Morrison or Stuart Gillespie, assuming Martin Snedden has no recurrence of the back injury which forced him out at Hobart. For Sri Lanka the game looms as a must-win contest. Defeat will end its slim hopes of making the finals next week. The New Zealand team is.— John Wright (captain), Ken Rutherford, Andrew Jones, Martin Crowe, Dipak Patel, Tony Blain, Richard Hadlee, Vaughan Brown, Martin Snedden, Stuart Gillespie, Danny Morrison, Ewen Chatfield (one to be omitted). The umpires are Robin

Bailhache of Victoria and Col Timmins from Queensland.