The Hindu : It's a Symonds show

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

It's a Symonds show

By G. Viswanath

Johannesburg Feb. 11. The Australian cricket team deploys its forces in a most unique way. A variety of players fit into their plan of action. Each of them has his detailed purpose.

Andrew Symonds' phenomenal effort that decimated the Pakistan pace attack at `The Wanderers' on Tuesday was an example of this.

The result of Symonds' out of the world innings was a clear win for Australia by 82 runs on a day on which the Aussies left their hotel without leading spinner Shane Warne because of a positive dope test.

Generally Australian cricketers do not like to beat about the bush; instead they show their talent in a most straightforward manner and perform to their potential with the ultimate aim of providing maximum benefit to their side.

Symonds trumpeted his merits as he took the Pakistan attack apart after the World's best left-arm seamer Wasim Akram, the World's fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar and captain Waqar Younis threatened to skittle out the Australians for a meagre total.

This World Cup has already seen the return to form of the West Indian master batsman Brian Lara. His 116 was a quality product that began first steering the West Indies ship to safety and then piloting it to a position from where the captain could take charge with confidence.

Symonds first century in 55 one-day Internationals was not akin to Lara's attempt and style because the West Indian managed to take control of things sooner than expected. Symonds on the contrary had to play second fiddle to his captain Ricky Ponting initially.

Ponting was the only Australian top of the order batsman equal to the task of giving a fitting reply to the Pakistani pace trio. Symonds took up the mantle of leading the way after Ponting departed showing his aggressive intentions for two hours and nine minutes.

The fall of wickets in a heap perturbed neither Ponting nor Symonds. Their policy supposed to repel the Pakistan attack paid dividends.

Pakistan was keen and eager to challenge its counterpart, which it regarded as weak in the absence of the Waugh siblings, Steve and Mark, Michael Bevan and Darren Lehmann.

Waqar Younis' readiness to play the game of one-upmanship saw him win the toss and insert Australia.

The Pakistan captain was probably correct in his assessment and decision to make use of the fresh pitch because the overcast conditions were also ideal for seam bowling.

Matthew Hayden began with a flourish smashing Wasim Akram high over mid-on for the first boundary of the match. Younis gave a truer picture of the contest tossing the ball to Akhtar who has always looked forward to bowling at his peak to the Australian batsmen.

As always Akhtar looked devastating. But there were sufficient ground to raise questions about his action.

It was really an engaging battle that saw Pakistan meet with success when it had Gilchrist in the second ball of the third over.

Hayden and Ponting took the attack to the rival camp before the artful bowler in Akram delivered two more wickets off as many balls and put himself in line for a hat-trick.

He had Hayden bowled off the under-edge and dismissed Damien Martyn in similar fashion, this time the right hander going on his backfoot to defend and nicking the ball onto his stumps off the inside edge.

When Younis replaced Akhtar and picked up the wicket of Jimmy Maher Australia was in the dumps at 86 for four in the fifth ball of the 16th over. Pakistan was right on top.

Its three seamers had removed the cream of the rival batting and were looking to move forward, but the Australian captain had not abandoned ship.

Ponting drove off the front foot and on the up. The Pakistan bowlers were still getting the ball to bounce, but the sixth-wicket pair showed plenty of character in the first middle-innings show of defiance.

Younis brought back Akhtar for his second spell and managed to get the Australian captain's wicket, but Symonds single-handedly caused as much mayhem to take his career best well past the score of an unbeaten 68 (scored against India in only his third match in August 1999).

The three spinners who followed made no impression on Symonds. Afridi was driven consistently on the off side for fours and twice Symonds got opportunities to clear the boundary.

What was remarkable was the way he managed to forge partnerships with Bard Hogg (70 runs off 56 balls), with Ian Harvey (54 runs off 40 balls).

Symonds struck the ball hard and long all over the park and completed one of the most outstanding knocks played in limited-over matches. The Queenslander's onslaught straigtaway made him a candidate for the `Man of the Match' award.

There was further disgrace for Younis when umpire David Shepherd stopped him from completing the 49th over because he bowled two beamers to Symonds.

Pakistan took lunch with its spirit thoroughly deflated by Symonds' onset that sustained the scoring rate at five an over and eventually took it over six.

Australia's pace trio in Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee never really allowed the Pakistan batsmen to make a blazing start although, young Tausif Umar stepped out twice to swat back McGrath who was bowled his 10 overs straight.

Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals before the eighth-wicket pair in Rashid Latif and Akram smacked the Australian spinners for some good runs.

In the end Lee, who bowls without bending his back at speeds in excess of 150 kmph, was not willing to spare Akhtar. But it was a blinder of a catch that McGrath took at mid-off that brought an end to a crucial `Group A' match which went the Australian way with Symonds' stamp of class written on it.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA

A. Gilchrist c Waqar b Akram 1

(3b)

M. Hayden b Akram 27

(41b, 3x4)

R. Ponting c Umar b Akhtar 53

(67b, 7x4)

D. Martyn b Akram 0

(1b)

J. Maher c Latif b Waqar 9

(19b, 1x4)

A. Symonds (not out) 143

(125b, 18x4, 2x6)

B. Hogg (run out) 14

(22b)

I. Harvey c Waqar b Akhtar 24

(19b, 3x4)

B. Lee c Inzamam b Younis 2

(6b)

J Gillespie (not out) 6

(4b, 1x4)

Extras (b-1, 1b-9, nb-9, w-12) 31

— —

Total (for eight wkts.

in 50 overs) 310

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Gilchrist), 2-52 (Hayden), 3-52 (Martyn), 4-86 (Maher), 5-146 (Ponting), 6-216 (Hogg), 7-230 (Harvey), 8-292 (Lee).

PAKISTAN BOWLING

O M R W

Akram 10 0 64 3

Akhtar 10 0 45 2

Waqar 8.3 1 50 2

Razzaq 6 0 42 0

Afridi 9.3 0 63 0

Y Khan 6 0 36 0

PAKISTAN

T. Umar c Hogg b Lee 21

(43b, 4x4)

S. Afridi c Gilchrist b Gillespie 1

(8b)

S. Elahi c Lee b Harvey 30

(40b, 3x4)

Inzamam c Gilchrist b McGrath 6

(13b, 1x4)

Y. Youhana c Symonds b Harvey 27

(37b, 4x4)

Y. Khan c Ponting b Hogg 19

(28b)

A. Razzaq c & b Hogg 25

(33b, 2x4)

R. Latif b Hogg 33

(23b, 1x4, 3x6)

W. Akram c Ponting b Harvey 33

(31b, 4x4, 1x6)

Waqar c McGrath b Harvey 6

(11b)

S. Akhtar (not out) 0

(5b)

Extras (b-3, 1b-9, nb-5, w-10) 27

— —

Total (in 44.3 overs) 228

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Afridi), 2-38(Umar), 3-49 (Inzamam), 4-81 (Elahi), 5-103 (Youhana), 6-125 (Younis Khan), 7-147 (Razzaq), 8-201 (Latif), 9-223 (Akram).