PERTH, Australia, 3 February 2004 — Zimbabwe will put its faith in the wicket that helped Australian bowlers tame the vaunted Indian batting line-up when the two sides meet in their final triangular one-day series match in Perth today.
The lively Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground wicket gave Australia’s pace attack the edge it was looking for to bowl out a full-strength Indian side for just 203 off 49 overs on Sunday.
Zimbabwe, yet to win a match in the series, is desperate for a breakthrough win in its final game before heading home and is hoping the WACA wicket may help their cause against India.
Skipper Heath Streak said he would be putting his faith in pace bowler Andy Blignaut to break his side’s series duck.
“He bowled well in his last outing here and we will be hoping for a bit more of that, he has not bowled to his ability this tour,” Streak said.
“We are hoping this wicket will suit him the best and he can pull off a match-winning performance which he is capable of.”
Zimbabwe does have some form at least on the Perth wicket, scoring their only victory on tour there last month with a narrow win over an experimental Australia A side.
The Zimbabweans went through their paces in the nets yesterday, with Streak shrugging off criticism that his bowlers didn’t have enough genuine pace to make use of the wicket and trouble India.
“I think Andy Blignaut has been as quick as some of the others. He is up around the 140km h mark and a few of us have been bowling as quick as (Australians) Brad Williams and Andy Bichel,” he said.
Streak said injuries to batsmen Mark Vermeulen and Craig Wishart had played a significant part in his side’s failure to make an impact in the series.
Streak predicted India’s batting line-up would make some adjustments to cope with the wicket after crumbling against Australia yesterday.
“They will be wanting to get some practice before the finals and we will be looking to leave the shores of Australia with at least one notch on our belt,” he said.
Streak has personally been very successful in the limited overs competition, making 205 runs at an average of 68.33 and claiming 14 wickets at an average of 21.57.
But he said he would not bat up the order and called on his top order to provide a solid platform.
Indian captain Saurav Ganguly said his team would be taking the match seriously. “Every one-day game is a new game,” he said. The Indians will head to Melbourne after the match to prepare for Friday’s first finals series clash with Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A second match is scheduled for Sydney next Sunday with a third to be played in Brisbane on Feb. 10, if the series hangs in the balance.
Law Blazes Queensland Batting Record
In Brisbane, Stuart Law became Queensland’s all-time leading run-taker after belting an unbeaten 146 against New South Wales at the Brisbane Cricket ground yesterday.
Law, who will this week officially announce his retirement from Australian cricket in order to play out his career in England, carried Queensland to 431 for five before the innings was declared closed.
When rain stopped play on the second day, New South Wales was facing an uphill battle to close the gap, floundering at 96 for four in reply.
Retired Australian Test players Mark and Steve Waugh were at the crease, both on two.
The innings was Laws’ first Sheffield Shield century in three years and his first at the Brisbane ground since 1997.
His effort today took him past Sam Trimble as the state’s leading first-class run-maker with 9465 runs overall with 8647 Sheffield Shield runs. He faced 202-balls, hitting 18 boundaries and two sixes.
In Adelaide, Victorian leg-spinner Cameron White took four wickets to help the top-placed side to an 81-run first innings lead over South Australia.
The two first innings points pushed Victoria six points clear on top of the Sheffield Shield table. In reply to Victoria’s 343, South Australia was bowled out for 262 with White taking 4-43.
At stumps Victoria was 13 for one in its second innings, with Matthew Mott out for six, lbw to Shaun Tait.
First innings century-maker Matthew Elliott was not out on six with Mick Lewis yet to score.