MELBOURNE, 25 December 2004 — Pakistan’s fragile batting line-up will be glad to exchange the fast and bouncy Perth wicket for friendlier conditions in the second Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Australia’s pace attack were at their best in the opening encounter, Glenn McGrath taking eight for 24 in Pakistan’s second innings of 72 as Australia won by 491 runs.
Pakistan’s fans responded by burning effigies of players and Bob Woolmer but the coach said yesterday he had been buoyed by the players’ reaction in a team meeting after the match.
“They are very disappointed in themselves,” Woolmer told reporters. They know they’ve got to come out and fight really hard and make sure this doesn’t happen again.” The touring side will have to improve enormously in the second match starting tomorrow, however, if they are to salvage the three-Test series. “The conditions might suit them more than Perth,” Australia captain Ricky Ponting told a news conference yesterday.
“The pitch will be slower and lower than other wickets around Australia. As far as bringing the two sides closer together, we like to think not.
“We like to think we can still dominate Pakistan. “Whether that be through aggression or discipline, we still think we have most bases covered. In most areas in our side, it certainly looks stronger than theirs. The thing with Pakistan, you never know what they are going to do. (But) If you manage to keep them under pressure, they don’t play near their best.”
Australia, with nine wins and three draws in 13 Tests this year, may be without opener Justin Langer. Langer, the leading scorer in Test cricket this year with 1,426 runs, is struggling with a bulging disc in his back.
Australia have recalled middle-order batsman Simon Katich as cover. The 29-year-old Katich, with 13 caps, will open if Langer is unfit. Pakistan are yet to name a team but captain Inzamam ul-Haq will play despite a long-term back problem.
“He’ll have to play through it and we’ll just try to manage him from here on, now that we know what it (the injury) is,” said Woolmer.
The skipper was unable to field for part of Australia’s second innings in Perth, then made a first-ball duck in the second innings, shuffling back to the pavilion in pain.
McGrath Back on Top
Australian paceman Glenn McGrath has returned to the top of PwC Ratings for Test bowlers for the first time in two years, after his best ever Test figures of 8 for 24 against Pakistan in Perth. McGrath’s bowling figures in the first Test were in stark contrast to those of the bowler he replaces, England’s Steve Harmison.
A poor return of 1-142 at Port Elizabeth, where England beat South Africa in the first Test, means that Harmison has dropped 40 points and three places. Australia’s grip on the world top ten placings has been strengthened by the rise of Justin Langer to ninth place in the batting.
Michael Kasprowicz has climbed to 14th in the bowling, and it is not impossible that Australia will have four batsmen and four bowlers in the PwC top tens by the end of the series against Pakistan. Andrew Strauss of England has made his first entry into the world top 25 batsmen after two crucial innings in the first Test. England have not had any individual who has stood out as a batting star in 2004, but all of their top six are clustered between 17th and 30th place in the batting table. After another comfortable win against Bangladesh, India’s Rahul Dravid has extended his lead at the top of the batting.
