Australia v West Indies - Fourth Test

Melbourne Cricket Ground

AUS: WM Woodfull, AR Morris, DG Bradman, GS Chappell, SJ McCabe, *R Benaud, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Egar & LP Rowan

After rearguard actions of contrasting style from both teams in Perth and Adelaide, the feeling was that something had to give in Melbourne; an Australian victory would give them the series with one match still to play, whilst a win for West Indies would set up a winner-takes-all final Test in Sydney. Australia suffered a blow when the news came that the in-form Allan Border would miss the remainder of the series with a cracked rib, but Richie Benaud made a surprise return to skipper the team here at the MCG, with many pundits believing that he may have been rushed back too soon following his broken finger sustained in the first Test.

Benaud's first decision was to insert West Indies after winning the toss on a damp, cloudy first morning, and for the first hour ball beat bat with great regularity; however, Greenidge and Haynes were able to reach lunch unparted with the score on 71-0, and from this foundation West Indies were able to build, and build big.

Greenidge eventually made a series-high 69, but the real impetus came once again from Viv Richards, who is enjoying a magnificent Australian summer. He blitzed a 44 ball half century before Davidson defeated him with an excellent yorker, but by this time the damage had been done. Benaud had been hit out of the attack, Lillee was proving expensive and West Indies were on their way. Weekes compiled a composed 54 as a rain shortened day one ended with the tourists on 284-5, and day two belonged to one man as Garry Sobers took charge of the Test.

With the help of the tail he was able to take West Indies to a total of 468, finishing undefeated on 140 (the in-fashion score for West Indian batsmen at the moment), an innings that took just 148 balls and contained 19 boundaries. Australia's attack looked woefully unbalanced, containing as it did two leg spinners in O'Reilly and Benaud, and on a wicket that offered neither of them any assistance, their combined figures were a sorry 26-3-134-2.

Australia's troubles were only just beginning though, for by the close on day 2 they had been reduced to 103-5, with that man Sobers claiming 4-15 including Don Bradman for a third ball duck, courtesy of a Clive Lloyd catch in the slips. By lunch on day three Australia were 182 all out, Sobers had claimed career best figures of 6-46 and Woodfull and Morris were preparing to bat again as the follow-on was enforced.

West Indies led by 286 runs, and with eight sessions in the match remaining there was no way that Australia would be able to shut up shop and bat for the draw as they had at Perth. A lead would have to be established and Woodfull began in positive fashion, but with Morris departing for another duck as his horror series continued (92 runs in eight innings, three ducks), West Indies were able to claim an early wicket and the hosts were immediately on the back foot.

Woodfull and Bradman added 65 in even time but that was to be the highpoint of the innings, and once Ambrose was able to burst through the Don's defences with a true exocet of a yorker, the writing was on the wall for Australia. Bradman's 62 proved to be the highest score in the match for the hosts, and half an hour before lunch on the fourth day it was all over. On a pitch whose bounce was now becoming erratic batting was proving increasingly difficult; Benaud survived a testing barrage from Garner and contributed 36 before flashing a simple catch to Dujon off Marshall, and once he was gone Ambrose knocked over the tail to finish with the excellent figures of 4-34 from 22 overs.

Australia were out for 234 had thus been defeated by an innings and 52 runs, and had been quite frankly outplayed in all areas of the game. Their team selection came in for severe criticism, and Richie Benaud did indeed look to have been brought back too soon into the cauldron of the MCG. His decision to put West Indies in totally backfired, and opposite number Garry Sobers chose this match to produce one of the best all-round displays seen in ATG cricket. The teams now head for Sydney tied at 1-1, and with the momentum well and truly with West Indies we could be in for a classic final Test.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 468 (Sobers 140*, Greenidge 69, Richards 63, Weekes 54, Lloyd 47; Davidson 4-120)
AUS 1st Inns 182 (Woodfull 50, Davidson 45; Sobers 6-46)
AUS 2nd Inns 234 (Bradman 62; Ambrose 4-34)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 52 RUNS

Man of the Match: GStA Sobers