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Border considers batting down the list
Boon at No. 3: 'a boon
5
MANCHESTER. Wednesday
(AAP). — Australian captain Allan
Border was considering a move yes
terday which could play right into
England's hands.
After his match-saving unbeaten
146 at Old TrafTord, Border said he
might drop down to No. 5 in the
batting order for the last two Tests to
accommodatc the wishes of Kepler
Wessels and David Boon.
A move like that would hand the
initiative right over to the English
bowlers.
Border's problem is that both
Wessels and Boon want to bat at
No. 3.
The simple solution is to drop
Boon, whose ineptitude against quali
ty spin bowling has been cruelly ex
posed by John Emburey and Phil
Edmonds.
He cannot drop Wessels, who will
get the No. 3 berth for the last two
Tests with Graeme Wood once again
fit to partner Andrew Hilditch at the
top of the order.
"Wessels wants to bat at three and
I like him there." Border said.
Boon's only innings of consequcncc
in the series was in the first innings
at Old TrafTord when he made 61 —
batting at No. 3 after Wessels opened
with Hilditch.
When Border allowed Greg Mat
thews to open in the second innings
and Boon was forced back to No. 5,
the chunky Tasmanian failed again,
as he had done in his first live innings
of the scries.
"I'm going to have to have a talk
with Boonie and see where he wants
to play." Border said. "1 want to stick
with him because I think he'll be a
good l est player. I may case myself
ilntt n and bring him up in the order."
No doubt England's captain David
(io•• r and his men would be de
lighted to see Border, easily the best
batsman on either side, coming in as
lou as No. 5.
They would also be pleased to see
Boon picked for the last two Tests —
particularly after his two crucial
Australian captain Allan Border turns a ball from England's Phil Edmonds, watchcd by Mike Gatting, left, Paul Downton and Ian Botham on the final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Help
Australian captain Allan Border turns a ball from England's Phil Edmonds, watchcd by Mike Gatting, left, Paul
Downton and Ian Botham on the final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
dropped catchcs in England's first
innings.
He missed Gowcr and Graham
Goocli on the sccond day. This con
tributed to Australia's difficulties dur
ing the remainder of the match.
Matthews seems most likely to miss
out at Edgbaston, where Australia will
go back to its four-bowlcr formula.
While Horder was perplexed about
what to do with his batting order, he
was elated that Australia had wriggled
out of the Old Trafiord Test with a
draw, although admitting that Eng
land had been the better side for most
of the match.
"We showed a lot of light and the
side is a good one to be a part of,"
he said.
He was unimpressed by Gowcr's
claim of "a moral victory".
"It's all very well to have a moral
victory," Border said. "They obvious
ly have to take the points but they
must be disappointed not to have
won.
"Fighting it out for an honourable
draw gives us a spurt for the last two
Tests. This is almost as good as a
win."
Gower said his team did not regard
the Old Trafford draw as a "blown
chance".
"If we had put all our eggs into one
basket here, wc would be feeling very
depressed now," he said.
"But we're hoping to take our ad
vantage here to Edgbaston. We've
been trying to work on the basis that
we're the better team and there's no
way I'm going to admit anything else
in public.
"There's no way I'd back them
against us over the next two Tests."
The two captains agreed that a draw
was again the most likely result in the
fifth Test beginning at Edgbaston,
Birmingham, tomorrow week.
"Edgbaston traditionally is a dif
ficult wicket to force a result on,"
Border said.
"I'm looking at The Oval as our
best chance with its extra pacc and
bounce," he said. "But if we see a
chance to win at Edgbaston, we'll be
taking it."
Border said England's weakness
was the lack of a genuine strike
bowler, which could count against it
at The Oval.
"They've got two good spinners in
a well-balanced side, but they lack a
strike bowler— Ian Botham can only
do so much," he said.
Jonathon Agncwdid nothing at Old
TrafTord to suggest he was the answer
to England's pacc problem and the
selectors may yet have to bring in
either the inexperienced but genuine
ly quick Greg Thomas (Glamorgan)
or David Lawrence (Gloucestershire).
Twelve of the Australians fly to
Northern Ireland today for a one-day
game against Ireland tomorrow at
Downpatrick, near Belfast.
Scoreboard. — Page 24.
Gilbert named
for Zimbabwe
MELBOURNE: NSW fast bowler
Dave Gilbert has been named to join
the Young Australian cricket team on
its tour of Zimbabwe next month.
Gilbert, touring England with the
Australian side, will replace Tasma
nian all-rounder Peter Faulkner, who
last week signed to go to South Africa
with the rebel players to South Africa.
Australian Crickct Board spokes
man Ian McDonald, who made the
announcement yesterday, said Gil
bert was very keen to go on the
Zimbabwe tour "to gain more ex
perience".
Gilbert was enlisted for the England
tour after it became known that sever
al players from the original team
would be going to South Africa.
Faulkner and South Australian
batsman Mike Haysman were the
most recent players to join the rebel,
tour.
McDonald said the Board was still
considering the penalties it would
impose on the latest rebels.
The ACB banned the rebels from
'Test' crickct for three years last week
but indicated penalties would be
more severe for players joining the
tour later.
McDonald also announced that the
manager of the Young Australian
team will be South Australian board
representative Dcs Rundle, who man
aged the 1983 team to Zimbabwe.
The team will assemble at the Aus
tralian Institute of Sport in Canberra
for a four-day training camp before
leaving on September 15.
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