Eight-wicket victory to Australia

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 92

Eight-wicket victory to Australia

By

DAVID LEGGAT,

of NZPA in Melbourne

Australia cantered to a thoroughly convincing eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in last evening’s opening World Series Cup cricket final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Batting first, New Zealand could muster only 177 in 49.5 overs. Australia won with 5.1 overs to spare, scoring 180 for two.

An unbroken third wicket partnership of 107 from 131 balls between Dean Jones and Mike Veletta carried Australia to the win.

They came together after the openers, Geoff Marsh and David Boon, had fallen to the hardworking medium-pacer, Willie Watson, by the time the total reached 73.

Jones finished on 58 from 75 balls while Veletta ended on 57 from 80 balls.

Veletta scored the winning runs when he twice lofted Ewen Chatfield to the long on and midwicket boundaries. New Zealand’s innings was built around Martin Crowe’s 48, Richard Hadlee’s 34 and the captain, Jeff Crowe, who scored a solid 33. But three wickets in the space of 21 balls removed the middle order of the innings and left the lower order batsmen with a tough assignment to raise a respectable total.

Australia’s bowlers stuck to a tight line, with Simon Davis and Tony Dodemaide being particularly impressive.

New Zealand worked hard in the field, but could not combat some brilliant running between the wickets from Jones and Veletta.

Chatfield bowled an excellent opening spell of seven overs for 11, Watson and Martin Snedden were generally very tidy,

but a lack of early wickets meant there was little pressure on the batsmen. A mid-innings collapse, with three wickets falling in 21 balls for just six

runs, removed the prospect of a solid score for New Zealand. In the end New Zealand had to settle for 178, which seemed about 25

runs short of providing Australia with a difficult task on a slow-paced pitch. New Zealand started slowly, just 16 runs coming from the first 10 overs

for the loss of Andrew Jones, skying an attempted pull off the impressive Tony Dodemaide.

John Wright made a slow 16 before being well .caught by the wicketkeeper, Greg Dyer, diving low to his left off Simon Davis.

Martin Crowe produced some bold strokes, taking 11 off Steve Waugh’s first over, as he tried to lift the tardy run rate.

At 20 overs the score was 53 for two, and the Crowe brothers gathered another 18 runs in the next five overs. Jeff Crowe swung Waugh to the square leg boundary but lost his brother, just as Martin Crowe seemed ready. to take charge. He had made 48 in 72 balls when he tried to hook Dodemaide and gave Dyer his third catch, with the score 91. Their third wicket stand was worth 44 in 66 balls. At 30 overs it was 93 for three and the 100 arrived midway through the thirty-third over. Richard Hadlee,

greeted by a wall of booing and chanting from the Bay 13 section of the cavernous ground, thumped Davis down the ground to the boundary and outscored Jeff Crowe in their 35-run partnership.

Then came the collapse. New Zealand was cruising along at 126 in the thirtyeighth over when Jeff Crowe fell to some smart fielding by Allan Border at mid-wicket. The throw to the bowlers end was too, fast and accurate for Crowe, who had hesitated in mid pitch. His 33 had taken 74 minutes and 56 balls. NEW ZEALAND J. Wright c Dyer b Davis. 16 A. Jones c Dyer b Dodemaide 4 M. Crowe c Dyer b Dodemaide 48 J. Crowe run out ...... . 33 R. Hadlee c Boon b McDer- . mott 34) A. Blain run out 1 V. Brown c Waugh b Davis. 2 J. Bracewell c Border b Waugh 17 M. Snedden c Taylor b McDermott 15 W. Watson c Border b Waugh 1 E. Chatfield not out .... 3 Extras (lb2, wl) 3 Total 177 Fall: 11, 47, 91, 126, 129, 132, 143, 161, 169, 177. Bowling: A. Dodemaide 10, 2, 29, 2; C. McDermott 9.5, 0, 37, 2; S. Davis 10, 1, 27, 2; S. Waugh 10, 0, 47, 2; P. Taylor 10, 0, 35, 0. AUSTRALIA D. Boon c Bracewell b Watson 47 G. Marsh b Watson 9 D. Jones not out 58 M. Veletta not out 57 Extras (b2, lb 3, nb2, w2) . 9 Total (for 2 wkts) 180 Fall: 33, 73. Bowling: E. Chatfield 7.5, 2, 19, 0; R. Hadlee 9,0, 36, 0 (nbl); M. Sneddon 10, 3, 39, 0; W. Watson 10, 3, 36, 2 (w2 nbl); J. Bracewell 8,0, 45, 0.