Australia v New Zealand - Tour Match

Australian XI v New Zealanders
Hobart
4 Day Game
Umpires: PJ McConnell & MW Johnson
Toss: Australian XI

Austalian XI: MJ Slater, GR Marsh, DC Boon, ME Waugh, *KJ Hughes, DW Hookes, +WB Phillips, DW Fleming, MG Hughes, RM Hogg, BA Reid.
New Zealanders: GM Turner, MH Richardson, BE Congdon, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, BR Taylor, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Morale will be high in the New Zealand camp ahead of the Test series after a relatively comfortable victory over an Australian XI in Hobart, but enough questions and uncertainties still linger to ensure that the tourists will remain as firm underdogs once battle begins in earnest.

Kim Hughes' Australians failed to make the most of batting first on a placid pitch at the Bellerive Oval, with the captain himself alone in passing 50 after a succession of his comrades made starts only to get out. Hadlee's 4-75 led the way for the tourists, and Cowie and Taylor bowled with accuracy and aggression respectively as New Zealand turned in a professional performance in the field, limiting their hosts to a decidedly under par 296.

The Kiwis had little trouble in passing the Australian XI's total, with Congdon, Crowe and Reid all posting fifties, but the last four wickets fell for just eight runs to limit the tourists to 344 and an advantage of just 48. Reid was dropped three times on his way to matching Kim Hughes' 94, and as entertaining as his innings was, one wonders whether such generosity will be on offer come the Tests. Nonetheless, the New Zealanders were firmly on top at the halfway stage, and another four wicket haul from Richard Hadlee helped rout the Australians for just 149 in their second innings as the Kiwis pressed home their advantage. Michael Slater bagged a pair as the Australians stumbled to 19-3, and John Reid will have been very pleased with the way in which his bowlers finished off proceedings.

New Zealand made a bit of a meal in knocking off the 102 runs they required for victory, losing as they did four wickets along the way, but an assured looking Martin Crowe made the winning hit shortly before tea on the final day, and he will make up one part of a middle order that looks in good form ahead of the Test matches. Neither of the openers, Turner and Richardson, made a score here though, which is a worry, and Australian Test skipper Richie Benaud will have surely made a note of the fact that a number of the Kiwi batsmen looked less than comfortable against the short pitched delivery here; what price a 'Perth flyer' in the third Test? All in all though, New Zealand will have been happy with their performance in Hobart, and they will arrive in Brisbane in good heart ahead of the first Test.

Scores
AUS XI 1st Inns 296 (KJ Hughes 94, Fleming 40*; Hadlee 4-75)
NZL 1st Inns 344 (Reid 94, Congdon 62, Crowe 60; Hogg 4-75)
AUS XI 2nd Inns 149 (Hadlee 4-36)
NZL 2nd Inns 102-4 (Crowe 48*)

NEW ZEALANDERS WON BY 6 WICKETS

Australia v New Zealand - Series Preview

Australia are viewed as huge favourites ahead of this, the third ATG Trans-Tasman clash, and justifiably so; Australia sit second in the world rankings and New Zealand remain firmly anchored to the bottom, having yet to win an ATG series. However, it must be remembered that Australia have won only one series out of their last eight - that being their 2-0 victory in New Zealand - and a record of just three wins in their last fifteen Tests hardly inspires faith. Don Bradman's lack of form during this period has reduced him to the status of mere mortal, but the retention of the Ashes under Richie Benaud's leadership will have increased confidence in the Aussie camp, and there is every possibility that the Kiwis could fall victim to an Australian return to form.

However, John Reid's New Zealand did win their last Test, against Pakistan, and although that was just their fourth win in 36 attempts, there is an air of qualified expectation in the New Zealand camp. Bert Sutcliffe and Lance Cairns earn recalls in a touring party of 15, and the tour kicks off in Hobart with a four day game against an Australian XI, with three Test matches to follow.

New Zealand Squad
JR Reid (c), BE Congdon (v/c), SL Boock, BL Cairns, J Cowie, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, RJ Hadlee, DK Morrison, DN Patel, MH Richardson, B Sutcliffe, BR Taylor, GM Turner, KJ Wadsworth.

Pakistan v West Indies - Series Summary

Having never beaten Pakistan in eight previous ATG Tests, West Indies became just the fifth side to come from behind to win a series after four Tests of entertaining cricket and fluctuating fortune. Pakistan threatened a repeat of their 4-0 success in the Caribbean after a comprehensive victory in the first Test in Karachi, but following a classic drawn Test in Faisalabad, West Indies welcomed back skipper Garry Sobers after he had missed the first two matches with injury, and his influence told as the tourists rallied to win the final two matches and take the spoils.

Although six different players recorded centuries for West Indies, only Haynes and Lloyd batted with any consistency, and Viv Richards endured his most disappointing series for some time, averaging just 33 from his eight innings. It was a similar story with the ball, as only Michael Holding threatened on a regular basis, but timely performances from Marshall and Walsh in the third Test and Gibbs in the fourth provided a cutting edge when it really mattered, and Marshall and Holding also compiled two vital partnerships with the bat in Peshawar that ultimately proved pivotal in the outcome of the series.

Pakistan opened with a bang, running up their highest ever team total in the first Test as Javed Miandad broke his own individual batting record in the process, but it was very much a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' for Javed over the course of the remaining three Tests, and whilst the likes of Zaheer, Majid and Asif Iqbal all had their moments with the bat, there was never the consistency that was required for long term success, with the opening partnership of Hanif Mohammad and Saeed Anwar a particular disappointment. Asif and Imran both contributed on a regular basis with the ball, but received little support; Qadir and Akram were disappointing, whilst Waqar's performance was a complete let-down after his recent demolition job in New Zealand.

West Indies have now won three series on the trot as their rise back up the rankings continues, but despite recently setting a record of 15 Tests without defeat, Pakistan have failed to win any of their last three series, proving that it's tough at the top in the world of ATG cricket.

Pakistan Batting
Javed Miandad 443 runs @ 63.29, Zaheer Abbas 324 @ 46.29, Majid Khan 300 @ 42.86, Asif Iqbal 247 @ 41.17, Imran Khan 240 @ 40.00

Pakistan Bowling
Imran Khan 20 wkts @ 25.00, Asif Iqbal 10 @ 29.40, Wasim Akram 11 @ 34.82, Abdul Qadir 11 @ 34.91, Waqar Younis 12 @ 43.83

West Indies Batting
CH Lloyd 328 runs @ 54.67, DL Haynes 412 @ 51.50, GStA Sobers 146 @ 48.67, MA Holding 178 @ 44.50, CG Greenidge 331 @ 41.38

West Indies Bowling
MA Holding 16 wkts @ 26.38, CA Walsh 12 @ 33.42, LR Gibbs 14 @ 34.29, MD Marshall 15 @ 34.80

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1


Players of the Series: Asif Iqbal & MA Holding

Pakistan v West Indies - Fourth Test

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pakistan: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, +Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, IVA Richards, EdeC Weekes, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: West Indies

It was winner takes all in Lahore following West Indies' narrow victory in Peshawar, and the cast was almost identical, Fazal Mahmood's inclusion in place of Wasim Akram (side strain) the only change on either side. A very flat looking strip meant that the team winning the toss should gain a significant advantage, and Garry Sobers' correct call gave West Indies the first opportunity to use the immaculately prepared facilities.

Haynes (4) was an early casualty, driving Imran to Qadir at mid off from just the fourth ball of the match, but West Indies dominated the rest of the day's proceedings, rattling up an imposing 361-5 by close of play and eventually totalling 428 at a pace exceeding four runs an over. The innings centred around two partnerships: Greenidge (73) and Richards (103) added 154 for the second wicket as both players found their best form for just about the first time in the series then, after a mid-afternoon wobble left West Indies on a potentially precarious 222-5, Sobers and Dujon took over with a wonderfully phlegmatic, clinically efficient sixth wicket stand.

Both players reached richly deserved centuries during the course of their 178 run liaison, a West Indian record, and Dujon became the first wicket keeper to record the double of 2000 runs and 100 dismissals in the process. Waqar looked a shadow of the bowler that took all ten in New Zealand, and had it not been for Imran's perseverance then West Indies could have disappeared well beyond the horizon. As it was, a spell of 4-18 on the second morning allowed Pakistan's skipper to record his best ever analysis in ATG cricket, and it was now down to his batsmen to mount a worthy response to what was still a formidable total.

Eight players managed to reach double figures in Pakistan's reply, but crucially there were no centuries as the tourists' bowlers plugged away to secure a first innings lead of over a hundred. Saeed Anwar (76) and Majid Khan (52) were both missed by Dujon during a second wicket stand of 102, but once Anwar was well held in the gully by Gibbs off Marshall, wickets fell steadily as Pakistan failed to replicate the dominance displayed by the West Indian batsmen. The crowd became fractious when Javed was contentiously given out caught behind off Marshall by umpire Rowan, and with Pakistan's batting becoming ever more nervous, Holding snapped up the final four wickets as the innings closed on 306 half an hour after tea on the third evening.

West Indies now held the whip hand in this Test, and led by Gordon Greenidge they once again made batting look easy on the fourth day as Pakistan's weary attack continued to toil. Greenidge spanked a 93 ball century as he careered his way to 158, and with Haynes firmly anchored at the other end, 234 runs were amassed for the first wicket before Greenidge was smartly held by Wasim Bari off Qadir. Despite losing much of the afternoon session to rain West Indies managed to rack up a total of 274-3 before Sobers declared upon the fall of Haynes' wicket for 89, and Pakistan faced a target of 397 to win with 45 minutes on the fourth evening and all of the final day to get them.

Batting in the manner of West Indies could still give Pakistan the opportunity to pull of an incredible victory, and a lunchtime score of 103-1 on the final day might have provided the platform for such an onslaught, but a dramatic afternoon's play left West Indies as the only side capable of winning the match. Lance Gibbs finished the session with four wickets to his name after dismissing both openers in the forties, then a defiant partnership of 64 between Majid and Imran was cut off as both partners edged rising deliveries from Walsh and Holding in successive overs. Six wickets had fallen for 89 in a disastrous session for Pakistan, and they now faced defeat in both the match and the series. Brave resistance from the tail frustrated West Indies for a time after tea, but Gibbs took his fifth wicket by inducing Fazal to hole out to Holding for 17, and the new ball then accounted for Qadir (21) and Bari (19) as Pakistan were bowled out for 243, handing West Indies a well deserved victory with nine overs to spare.

West Indies had thus taken the series 2-1, ending the dominance that Pakistan had hitherto enjoyed over them, and their aggressive approach in this match had paid rich dividends. Pakistan had begun the series in fine fashion, but West Indies' tense victory in Peshawar was a crushing blow for the hosts, and a 153 run win here in Lahore rounded off what was eventually a most successful tour for Garry Sobers' team.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 428 (Sobers 104, Richards 103, Dujon 102, Greenidge 73; Imran Khan 6-86)
PAK 1st Inns 306 (Saeed Anwar 76, Majid Khan 52, Javed Miandad 45, Wasim Bari 40; Holding 4-53)
WI 2nd Inns 274-3 dec. (Greenidge 158, Haynes 89)
PAK 2nd Inns 243 (Majid Khan 59, Saeed Anwar 47, Hanif Mohammad 43; Gibbs 5-56)

WEST INDIES WON BY 153 RUNS

Man of the Match: CG Greenidge

Pakistan v West Indies - Third Test

Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar

Pakistan: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, +Wasim Bari, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, IVA Richards, EdeC Weekes, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DR Shepherd (ENG) & AR Crafter (AUS)
Toss: Pakistan

With Viv Richards and returning skipper Garry Sobers becoming the first players to reach 50 ATG caps, there were celebrations in the West Indies' camp before a ball was bowled in Peshawar, but would the tourists still be celebrating after five days' play on a pitch that was not expected to go the distance?

It was a good toss to win for Imran, and it was honours Pakistan on first innings, with Majid Khan's fluent century the main difference between the two teams. Majid (130) and Zaheer (89) piled on 167 for the fourth wicket after Zaheer had been dropped on 12 by Marshall off the bowling of Gibbs, but once Marshall removed Majid during an excellent second morning spell, Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for just 97, with Imran's 48 the only other meaningful contribution out of a final total of 385. As a footnote to the innings, all ten wickets had fallen to catches, just the third such occurrence in ATG history.

West Indies' reply got off to a rocket start, Greenidge, Haynes and Richards all passing 50 as the score sped to 170-1 on the third morning, but after both Imran and Qadir had been savagely hit out of the attack, three separate stoppages for rain did not help the batsmen's concentration, and Waqar returned to wipe away the middle order before a defiant fifty partnership for the eighth wicket between Marshall (34) and Holding (31) pushed the total beyond 300. A resurgent Qadir bowled well at the end of the innings, which closed with West Indies having totalled 328, and Pakistan thus took a 57 run lead into what proved to be a pivotal fourth day.

Batting was now proving more difficult on a pitch that was offering up some uneven bounce, and after both openers had departed fending catches to Haynes at short leg, Javed (18), Zaheer (9) and Majid (39) all fell hooking as Walsh in particular got the ball to lift off a length with alarming regularity. At 96-5 Pakistan's innings was in danger of imploding, but Asif and Imran built an important stand that took the score to 134-5 at tea, and a lead of 191; the wheels fell off after the break though. Asif, trying to leave Walsh's first ball after tea, played on for 32, Akram lost his leg stump to the same bowler for 1, then Gibbs found some turn to sweep away the tail to finish with figures of 3-5 off 6.2 overs as Pakistan collapsed to 146 all out, the last five wickets having tumbled for 12 runs after the interval.

Walsh and Gibbs had bowled West Indies back into the match, and they now faced a target of 204 to secure their first ever ATG victory over Pakistan. Bad light brought day four to a premature close only three overs into the West Indies' innings, and with rain forecast for the final day the tourists would be battling the elements as well as a hostile track and a deteriorating wicket. Wasim Akram removed Greenidge and Richards early, but Haynes and Weekes took West Indies to within one ball of lunch at which time Haynes, on 43, feathered a rising delivery from Imran to give Wasim Bari his hundredth ATG victim and to leave the match on a knife edge once more, West Indies 88-3 and still 116 away from victory.

Weekes held firm in the afternoon and nudged past 50 for the first time in the series, but just when it looked as though West Indies were going to be able to engage cruise control, three wickets fell in the blink of an eye and the outcome was back in the melting pot again. Asif removed Weekes for 54, his off pole flattened with a beauty that jagged away sharply off the seam, Lloyd (15) slammed a return catch to Qadir after lofting the previous ball for six and Sobers was cleaned up by Waqar for just 6 to leave the innings teetering at 136-6, still 68 runs short of the winning post.

The tension was becoming almost unbearable, but Dujon and Marshall batted sensibly in adding 27 for the seventh wicket until Qadir gated the former for 12 with an excellent googly, and at 163-7 it would surely now have to be down to Marshall and Holding to see West Indies home, with only Gibbs and Walsh to come. The same pair had added a valuable 51 in the first innings, and once again they batted calmly, despite a succession of appeals and close shaves, generated in the main by the enigmatic Qadir, but at 190-7, just 14 runs away from victory, the promised rain finally fell and the teams spent an agonizing half hour in the pavilion until the umpires deemed conditions fit to resume.

We were now into the final hour, but with the skies still leaden it was highly doubtful that all the overs would be bowled, so Holding took it upon himself to wrap up proceedings quickly. A towering six off Qadir raised the 200 and took West Indies to within two runs of victory, and a dismissive drive through mid off in Akram's next over sealed the deal, giving West Indies their first ever triumph over Pakistan in eleven attempts and squaring the series at 1-1 with one to play. Marshall finished on 35*, Holding - who has now scored 175 runs in the series at an average of 58 - finished on 22*, and the pair had added a steely, undefeated 44 to see their side home. It had been a finish for the ages in Peshawar, and the stage is now set for the grandest of finales in Lahore.

Scores
PAK 1st Inns 385 (Majid Khan 130, Zaheer Abbas 89, Imran Khan 48; Marshall 4-93)
WI 1st Inns 328 (Haynes 62, Richards 62, Greenidge 51)
PAK 2nd Inns 146 (Walsh 4-37)
WI 2nd Inns 207-7 (Weekes 54, Haynes 43)

WEST INDIES WON BY 3 WICKETS


Man of the Match: MD Marshall