Leading speedster of the '80s Geoff Lawson finds Australia formidable
With twice-champions West Indies and holders Pakistan in the throes oftransition and strife, the one team in the Wills World Cup that has both form and fitnessat this stage is Australia. They have beaten the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka andEngland in both Test and one-day encounters in the past 18 months.
Mark Taylor has now had 18 months as captain and he looks very comfortable and composedin his role. His one-day batting has improved dramatically and he regularly outscores hisswash-buckling junior partner Michael Slater. The opening pair often give Australia a goodstart before the veteran Waugh twins come in at three and four to consolidate. With over250 one-dayers between them and Steve a survivor of the 1987 Cup win under Allan Border,they have become masters of the genre. Both can push the score along and Mark inparticular is uncontainable on good batting wickets. They started out as medium paceall-rounders but of late Mark has taken on off-spinners with very good results.
Young Ricky Ponting has stepped into fellow Tasmanian David Boon’s boots.He’s a real livewire who plays pace well and isquick between the wickets and in thefield. He will bat at four or five, depending on the pitch and Steve Waugh’s fitness.
Stuart Law has been given an extended run in one-dayers after making his Test debutagainst Sri Lanka in December. He has been a key one-day bowler for his state and hasshown promise with his ability to bowl accurate medium pace with a well-disguised slowerball. Another useful all-rounder is left-hander Michael Bevan, who can bowl medium pacebut has now switched to left-hand wrist spin-ners. He has taken some vital wickets withhis deceptive slow bowling this season, but it’s his batting that has set alight thelower order. A great improviser, with deft placements, he can also belt the ball out ofthe park. He’s lightning between the wickets and across the outfield, with a superbarm.
Shane Lee made an impressive one-day debut this season with a brisk, economic mediumpace and a good slower ball. He has perhaps the best thro wing arm in the team. Along withBevan, he’s the ideal slog over bat. Games are never lost while they are at thecrease, whatever the run rate required.
Shane Warne will naturally be a vital cog in the green and gold machine. His bowlinghas been as difficult to get away in one-dayers as it has in Test matches. The prospect ofhaving the ball in hand in the slow turning pitches will have him watering at the mouth,and it will be a real treat to see the star leg-spinner fight to sustain his accuracy inthe limited-over format of his maiden Cup.
The fast bowling is headed by Glen McGrath whose stature as a quickie for all occasionsgrows with every match. McGrath swings both the new and the old ball and is rarelydominated by the batting. Paul Reiffel has been a steady, if unspectacular, contributor tothe Australian cause. He is the epitome of the stingy seam bowler who gives little away bylanding on a nagging line and length. Reiffel’s batting has also improvedconsiderably.
The other bowling duties will be shared by Craig McDermott, who has lost some pace, andDamian Fleming who took a hat-trick in Pakistan in 1994.
Ian Healy is keeping extremely well to both the fast and slow bowlers. His batting isvery useful at eight or nine and he is capable of quick scoring. The Australians have anumber of all-rounders which gives Taylor many options with seam and spin bowling. Taylorknows that whatever the conditions, he has a team that can adapt to them with finestrokemakers, bowling variety and outstanding fielding. The Australians are probablyentitled to start as favourites but there will not be many easy games during thistournament especially once the knockout stage begins.