Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

Times Sport
Injuries plague
Australians for
series decider
JOHANNESBURG. Tuesday. —
Three changes are likely in Kim
Hughes's Australian cricketer team to
play South Africa in the third intcrna
tipnal at the Wanderers from Thurs
day,
Steve Smith. Terry Alderman and
Peter Faulkner, who did not play in
, the first two internationals in Durban
and Cape Town, are cxpectcd to re
place Michael Haysman, Rod Mc
Curdy and Tom Hogan.
tTheir inclusion would mean that all
J 6 tourists would have made at least
.one appearance in the three-match
series.
Opening batsman Smith has made
a /juick recovery from a badly torn
right hamstring, and medium-fast
bowler Alderman's inclusion looks a
formality in view of McCurdy's
^trained hamstring.
.Hughes said today that Smith was
Ano't fit at this stage", and McCurdy.
was "definitely out" of the match.
Minor casualties were Alderman
(■slight muscle strain in a hip), Rodney
Hbgg (sore heel), Carl Rackcmann
(bronchial infection), and Graham
Yallop (hamstring strain, which had
-improved).
When asked if his team had any fit
■ players, Hughes said he would have
- ft- fit enough to win from Thursday.
^Medium-pace allroundcr Faulkner
pushed1 his claims ahead of Hogan by
Scoring a second innings century and
" raking three wickets against Northern
Transvaal in the three-day match
Which the Australians won by 25 runs
with 34 balls to spare at Bcrca Park
yesterday.
• Smith batted impressively in the
nets and did sharp sprint work early
J'eiterday. and later fielded at first slip
after McC.'urdy had limped off.
Provided Smith docs not ex
perience any discomfort before
Thursday, he will regain his job as
John (Dyson's opening partner, de
spite not having played since the day
night match against Natal in Durban
" on December 23 — three weeks ago.
• Smith, 24, was in the best form of
his career until he was injured, and
with ihe first two internationals hav
ing been drawn, Hughes is anxious for
him to play in the most important
match of the tour.
Greg Shippcrd, who made 59, 6,17,
and 8 as an opener in Durban and
Cape Town, then would take over at
No 3 from Haysman, who only scored
0, 3 not out, 4, and 33.
Faulkner may well bat al No 7,
ahead of wickctkccpcr Steve Rixon,
who has a first-class tour aggregate of
only 121 from nine innings (two not
out) in seven matches.
X-rays yesterday dispelled South
African fears that left-arm orthodox
spinner Alan Kouric would miss the
third international because of a sus
pected fractured knee cap or cartilage
trouble.
The Australians would have been
disappointed if Kourie had
withdrawn from the Springbok side as
he bowled poorly in the first two
internationals.
The tourists, especially Hughes, a
renowned good player of spin bowl
ing, upset Kourie's line and length by
moving down the pitch to him.
The South African Cricket Union
yesterday contradicted a recent re
port, not issued by it, that the first
four days of the Wanderers' match
were sold out. The ground has a
capacity of 30,000.
SACU chief Dr Ali Bacher said
more than 38,000 tickets had been
sold for the five days, including
12,000 for Saturday.
The Durban and Cape Town in
ternationals drew aggregate crowds of
19,000 and 33,000 respectively —
well below those expected.
Dr Uachcr said that with the record
S140,000 takings at the day-night
game against Transvaal on December
4, the SACU already had taken about
$428,000 for the four tour matclics at
the Wanderers.
He said he was confident the budget
figure of about $630,000 would be
exceeded.
Wests weakened for
twilight match
By GEOFF THOMSON
Willi several key players missing
from its line-up. Western District
faces a hard task against Weston
Creek in today's Tooheys Twilight
cricket knockout quarter-final at
..Kingston Oval.
Under-19 representative players
Donald Pyke, Daryl McDonald and
Mark Garrity, as well as opening
.bowler Mick Brady, arc absent and
••the struggling Wests will find them
■hard to replace.
* Wests put up a strong performance
; in the qualifying match against ANU,
•but have foundered badly in the one
day competition.
! i'yke and Garrity have been consis
tent players in the middle-order and
their aggressive batting and keen
fielding will be missed.
;■ Captain Bruce Willelt showed
glimpses of his best form last Satur
day. and if he can repeat that effort,
, as well as gelling good support from
players like Stuart Jones, Ashley
| Weston and Craig Henderson, Wests
-could trouble the more fancied West
'"on Creek combination.
Wests bowling attack looks a little
thin without Brady and McDonald
and a lot will depend on the cfTorts
of Scan Michclle, Peter Shea and Glen
Crokcr.
Weston Creek is making its first
appearance in the competition this
season, but its performances in the
Saturday competition indicate it will
be the team to beat.
With batsmen of the calibre of John
Abrahams and Greg Irvine in good
form, the side has the batting depth
to overcome the bowling attack of
Wests.
Openers Roger Lonic and Col
Kclaart arc attacking batsmen in
form, and if they can give their side
a reasonable start, the remainder of
the batting has the ability to take
advantage of the under-manned
Wests attack.
Weston Creek's bowling attack is
wcll-balanccd with the likely line-up
coming from Kel Brown, Tim
Overland, Tim Morris, Irvine, and
Abrahams.
Today's game starts at 4.15pm.
, NSW to meet Qld
i in Barclays' final
? SYDNEY: NSW made the final of
J the "Barclay's Under-19 crickcl cham
i pionship after easily, accounting for
; ACT at Shore Oval fn Sydney yester
| da y,
t !. NSW bowlers dominated and the
{ACT was out for 138 in reply to the
i NSW first-day total of 322.
| j Chief destroyer for the Blues was
'right-arm fast bowler Chris Killen
i who took four for 28, but St George
j.paccman Paul Stcpto maintained his
rgood form, taking two for 40.
|; ,A commanding century by skipper
CDcan Reynolds steered Queensland
J into the final, where it will meet NSW
til the SCG on Thursday and Friday.
' Reynolds hit 122 in 300 minutes as
' Queensland tallied four for 246 to
.beat Western Australia, 236, at
wson Oval.
* Reynolds and his opening partner
iiC'rcg Chambers who scored 60 took
a ccnlury stand, ensuring the
Maroons stayed on top.
Meanwhile Victorian bat John
Causon notched his second suc
cessive ccnlury in his team's easy win
over Northern Territory at St
Joseph's College.
Causon hit 159 in 266 minutes
including 14 boundaries to follow his
earlier century in the series against
Tasmania.
Victoria scored five for 265 in reply
to the Territory's 112 and had its
opponents seven for 109.
And South Australia scrambled
home for a 30-run first innings win
over Tasmania at Drummoync Oval.
Tasmania 'was all out for 169 in
reply to South Australia's 199.
Medium pacer Stephen Rule took
the bowling honours with three for 55
and Tasmania's top scorcr was Bruce
Cruse with 37.
Partnership saves ACT
from drubbing by SA
The ACT primary schools team
yesterday was easily beaten by South
Australia at the national cricket
championships in Adelaide.
' The ACT batted first and was dis
missed for a mere 98.
Had it not been for a rccord ACT
partnership of 37 runs for the ninth
wicket between Tony Hewitt and
Cameron Granger, the defeat could
have been a lot greater.
Hewitt made 23 and Granger 11,
with Jeremy Riley scoring 13.
South Australia passed the ACT's
total tor the loss of three wickets, but
batted on to reach eight for 168.
, Riley was the chief destroyer for the
ACT with four wickets for 26, while
Sam Bcgg took three for 21.
In the other game played yesterday,
Queensland had an outright win over
the Northern Territory.
After declaring at two for 129,
Queensland dismissed the Nothern
Territory for 71 and 15.
Today, the ACT will play NSW,
South Australia meets the Northern
Territory, and Queensland has the
bye.
After two days of competition,
Queensland has 16 points, the ACT
9. South Australia 6, and the
Northern Territory and NSW one
each.
$