Spinners may hold test key

Press, 29 January 1988, Page 32

Spinners may hold test key

by

ROSS MULLINS

NZPA-AAP Sydney Allan Border plans to put England in a spin with the turning wiles of Peter Sleep and Peter Taylor when the bicentennial test starts against the old enemy today at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It will be the 263rd Anglo-Australian test. Australia has not lost on the S.C.G. since 1978-79, when it dropped the fourth and sixth tests to England there. In nine tests at the ground since, Australia has won six and drawn three, but since the fifth test in Sydney against

England last season Australia has played only three tests and an incredible 29 one-day internationals. "It is a typical Sydney track — pace and bounce early and a spinner’s track later,” said Border yesterday. “Unless something drastic happens Merv Hughes is favourite to be twelfth man.” Border wants to go off with his own brand of bicentennial fireworks; his first century on the S.C.G. He has scored the “ton” on every other Australian test ground and wants to complete the record book

with his maiden S.C.G. century. The England skipper, Mike Gatting, supports the claim of his vice-captain, John Emburey, that the tourists are the underdogs. Gatting said at the S.C.G. yesterday, “England is untried; the big names aren’t there, while the Australians are playing well, full of confidence, and on their home soil.” Gatting is tipped to take a leaf out of the Australian selectors’ book and use his experienced spinners, Emburey and Eddie Hemmings. r

The England manager, Peter Lush, said after naming the side last evening that either the seam bowler, Phillip DeFreitas, or the veteran off-spinner, Hemmings, would be twelfth man. The teams are: Australia: David Boon, Geoff Marsh, Dean Jones, Allan Border (captain), Mike Veletta, Steve Waugh, Greg Dyer, Peter Sleep, Peter Taylor, Tony Dodemaide, Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes. England: Chris Broad, Martin Moxon, Tim Robinson, Mike Gatting (captain), Bill Athey, David Capel, John Emburey, Bruce French, Neil Foster, Phillip DeFreitas, Graham Dilley, Eddie Hemmings.