Slaughter: Big Windies, Aussie wins set up Sunday showdown
by Tony Cozier in LEICESTER
THE West Indies and Australia finally woke up yesterday to the probability that comparative run rates, rather than points, will determine whether or not they proceed to the next round of the World Cup. Against minor opposition on the first glorious summer’s day of the tournament, they ruthlessly did something about it. Inexplicably handed the advantage when Scotland’s captain George Salmond ignored the substantial earlier evidence and allowed them to bowl first at the Leicester county ground here, the West Indies completed the swiftest victory in World Cup history, in 41.4 overs and just over three hours, by eight wickets. They dismissed Scotland for 68 off 31.3 overs, a World Cup total only lowered by Canada’s 45 against England in 1979, and then hurried to their goal in 10.1 overs. That Canadian match had been an absolute marathon by comparison, occupying 54.2 overs. It skyrocketed the West Indies’ net run rate – calculated by deducting the average runs per over scored against them from their own runs per over – up 10 points to 0.88, higher than any other team in the group. The match, to use the term in its loosest sense, was all over quarter-hour before the scheduled innings break, denying a jovial crowd of 4 000 half the match they had paid to watch on a cloudless day of warm, glorious sunshine. Not that the fun-loving Scots in their tartan caps and kilts, with their faces daubed in blue and white, and the celebrating West Indians, with their several national flags and their supposedly banned drums and horns, seemed to mind too much. They just kept on partying in the sunshine. By the time, Brian Lara had collected the winners’ cheque of US$6 000 and Courtney Walsh his second Man-Of-The-Match award, Australia had not even started their pursuit of Bangladesh’s 178 for seven more than 100 miles north at Durham’s modern, purpose-built ground at Chester-le-Street. Already beaten by New Zealand and Pakistan and with a net rate of minus 0.05, the situation was desperate for the Australians who entered the tournament as second favourites. It called for desperate measures and they massacred the inexperienced Bangladeshi bowling and naive field placing by scoring the runs for the loss of three wickets in 19.5 overs, a rate of over nine runs an over. It upped their overall rate to plus 0.77, well above New Zealand and not far behind group leader Pakistan’s plus 0.84 but below the West Indies. The West Indies and Australia have only one match remaining in the group, against each other at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday. If the West Indies win, they would advance without reference to the calculators; an Australian victory would necessitate the additions and divisions. If net run rate is the determining factor, the mathematical geniuses stated last night that Australia would need to win with at least three overs to spare or by at least 15 runs at Old Trafford to pass the West Indies. In the meantime, both teams will follow today’s contest between Pakistan and New Zealand at Derby with intense interest. Judged on their successive wins over the West Indies, Scotland and Australia in their three matches, Pakistan are the stronger and are already virtually assured of a place in the Super Sixes since their final opponents are Bangladesh in Northampton on Monday. Should the Pakistanis win again, New Zealand’s run rate would fall even further and leave them with ground to make up in their final match against Scotland in Edinburgh on Monday. Should the New Zealanders win, it would increase the pressure on the West Indies and Australia. It is all quite complicated. Captain Lara made the obvious point after the match that the only certain way the West Indies can guarantee a place in the Super Sixes is by beating Australia, full stop. That is their one and only aim now. The respective run rates will not be part of the strategy on Sunday. They clearly and justifiably were yesterday, both here and at Chester-le-Street. Scotland gained entry to their first World Cup as third place finishers in the 1997 ICC Trophy for associate members in Malaysia. They are basically weekend club cricketers with only three English county professionals in their ranks and they are out of their depth at this level, even more so than Bangladesh and Kenya. Yet captain Salmond is a seasoned and knowledgeable cricketer who had appeared more than 100 times for Canada. Presumably, he has noticed how the well-lacquered white ball, with its prominent seam, has danced around on fresh pitches in this tournament. He would surely have been acquainted with the reputations of at least two of the bowlers in the opposition, Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. It was, therefore, difficult to undertand why he decided that Scotland should bat after winning the toss – and not at all difficult to predict the embarrassment that would soon envelop them. It took an unbeaten 24 from the left-handed Gavin Hamilton, a highly-regarded 22-year-old all-rounder with Yorkshire who has been by far their leading run-scorer in the tournament, and a few lusty blows from No.10 Asim Butt, to pass Pakistan’s 43 against the West Indies in Cape Town in 1993 that is the lowest total in One-Day internationals. Lara, seldom conventional and always keen to try something new, used Phil Simmons, rather than Walsh, as Ambrose’s partner with the new ball. It was a tactic that is unlikely to be used against tougher opposition but, against Scotland, it quickly paid dividends. As it has done throughout, the ball swung and seamed every which way so that Ridley Jacobs claimed the first four catches behind the wicket and Stuart Williams had three and Simmons one in the slips. The other two wickets were lbws to balls that jagged back. Simmons first produced an outswinger to remove Mike Smith in his third over for his only wicket. Smith is the son of St. Kitts-born Dr. Chris Smith, an elegant left-hander who played for Barbados Colts against E.W. Swanton’s XI in 1956 while at Lodge School. By the time Ambrose was through his ten overs, he had conceded a mere six runs off the bat and the wickets of opener Mike Allingham and captain Salmond. It only meant Walsh replaced him and his seven overs cost five from the bat (along with a no-ball and a wide) for three wickets, two to slip catches, one lbw. Hendy Bryan, preferred to Merv Dillon for the match, collected two wickets, but problems adjusting to the left-handed Hamilton and his right-handed partners meant he was relatively expensive, six overs for 29. On this evidence, Dillon will return for Sunday’s confrontation with Australia. Reon King had only time for nine balls from which he collected the last two wickets. 
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