The Hindu : Bond's support cast lets Fleming down

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

Bond's support cast lets Fleming down

By G. Viswanath

Wicket No. 3 for Shane Bond. Here he has Australian captain Ricky Ponting caught by his counterpart Stephen Fleming. — Photos: V.V. Krishnan

Port Elizabeth March 11. Shane Bond conquered Australia, but New Zealand did not, as the bounding Brett Lee flattened the Black Caps for 112 in 30. 1 overs to make the bowlers' day complete and lead Australia to its eighth straight win in the ICC World Cup at the St. George's Park.

It was all about Bond and his bowling. The latest fast bowling sensation from the land of Richard Hadlee routed the defending champion. Bond's remarkable performance inspired only his captain, Stephen Fleming to further take the fight to the rival camp. Fleming made a gallant 48, but eventually succumbed to pressure after the first note of resistance between him and Chris Cairns was cracked.

Bond, who had 16 Australian scalps so far, cracked the nerves of six Australian batsmen. His stupendous exhibition of fast bowling in two spells did everything to help his team bag four more points. Today's defeat makes it imperative of New Zealand to put it across India at the Centurion and then hope for the best. Fast bowlers have not allowed batsmen to steal the thunder altogether in this World Cup and they have largely succeeded in preventing the mediocre to flourish. A share for this must go to Bond. He was a trifle unfortunate against Zimbabwe. The surface did not help him, but he bowled fast and in the corridor. He bowled ten overs but without luck and went wicketless.

In the morning Stephen Fleming took a gamble. He won the toss and invited the Australians to bat. Three weeks ago, Carl Hooper did the mistake and paid a heavy price. The West Indies lost the match by 20 runs. Captains can be forgetful at times, but Fleming, who likes to do things his own way, served a challenge to the Australians.

There was quite a flutter when Bond charged in and delivered the first ball to Matthew Hayden. Not in the best of form, the lefthander saw the ball gain vertical lift and leave him, after pitching around the leg stump. Hayden faced three more balls in the next eleven minutes, did not trouble the scorers, offered a regulation catch to Brendon McCullum and left embarrassed.

Bond drew first blood in the second ball his second over. Evident in his first over was pace, bounce and seam movement. He beat Hayden hollow and had Ponting shaking in his knees. Within minutes Bond packed the Australian captain to the dressing room.

Nobody had bowled better in this competition, not even Glenn McGrath and Andy Bichel at this venue. The Kiwis were all over Bond as he trapped Gilchrist leg before, had Damien Martyn caught at the wicket. Support came from Andre Adams and Jacob Oram who sustained the pressure. Fleming might have been tempted to bowl him for ten overs straight, but he sent him for a well-deserved rest.

Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel, who like Ramnaresh Sarwan took a Adams beamer on the back of his helmet, began the rescue operations at 84 for seven and midway through the 27th over. The same pair had done the trick against England and taken their team to victory with a 74-run stand.

Bevan who had faced 42 balls and made 29 when Bichel joined him in the middle, was prepared to play the dogged defensive role and let the bowler take charge. Fleming's tactics to use up Bond's quota of ten overs rewarded him to the extent of taking seven wickets inside the 30th over. Chris Harris completed his ten overs by the 40th. Even Daniel Vettori who was so useful when Adams was bowling short and walloped by Gilchrist, completed his ten overs by the 35th. Fleming, perforce, had to call upon Jacom Oram and Scott Styris through the last ten overs.

This was the time, Australia recovered with the eighth wicket pair adding a substantial 97 runs in 21.2 overs.

Bevan was the key because he was the last specialist batsman not dismissed and Australia staged a great escape with Bevan guarding his wicket and Bichel once again revealing his batting potential at No.9. Brett Lee's two sixes — the first one his straight over the bowler and the second one square driven over point — took Australia beyond the 200 run mark.

Perhaps Fleming expected things to happen swiftly and restrict Australia to under 125. There appeared to be demon in the pitch during Bond's first spell, but it became considerably slower with the sun blazing down.

Australia had at least one batsman in Bevan to keep the psychological pressure on the bowling side, but Fleming had to do it all by himself. Cairns and Lou Vincent, who replaced, Craig McMillan, played poor shots that made the approach to the target of 209 difficult.

It was the anxiety to get to the target that resulted in New Zealand's decline that was so wholesomely caused by Lee's second spell, which read an impressive 4.1-1-11-5. In the end Shane Bond walked away with the `Man of the Match' award, and Lee the match for Australia.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA

A. Gilchrist lbw b Bond 18

(20b, 2x4)

M. Hayden c McCullum
b Bond
1

(4b)

R. Ponting c Fleming
b Bond
6

(20b)

D. Martyn b Bond 31

(53b, 3x4)

D. Lehmann c Astle
b Adams
4

(9b)

M. Bevan c Vincent b Oram 56

(94b, 4x4, 1x6)

B. Hogg lbw b Bond 0

(1b)

I. Harvey b Bond 2

(11b)

A. Bichel c Cairns b Oram 64

(83b, 7x4, 1x6)

B. Lee (not out) 15

(6b, 2x6)

G. McGrath (not out) 3

(2b)

Extras (lb-1, w-4, nb-3) 8

— —

Total (for nine wkts.
in 50 overs)
208

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Hayden), 2-24 (Gilchrist), 3-31 (Ponting), 4-47 (Lehmann), 5-80 (Martyn), 6-80 (Hogg), 7-84 (Harvey), 8-181 (Bevan), 9-192 (Bichel).

NEW ZEALAND BOWLING

O M R W

Bond 10 2 23 6

Adams 9 2 46 1

Vettori 10 1 40 0

Oram 7 0 48 2

Harris 10 1 24 0

Styris 3 0 18 0

Astle 1 0 8 0

NEW ZEALAND

D. Vettori c Gilchrist
b McGrath
10

(9b, 1x4)

S. Fleming c Gilchrist
b Lee
48

(70b, 7x4)

N. Astle c Ponting
b McGrath
0

(3b)

S. Styris lbw b McGrath 3

(6b)

C. Cairns c Lee b Bichel 16

(25b, 2x4, 1x6)

L. Vincent c Martyn
b Harvey
7

(20b, 1x4)

C. Harris (not out) 15

(24b)

B. McCullum lbw b Lee 1

(7b)

J. Oram b Lee 0

(1b)

A. Adams b Lee 0

(6b)

S. Bond c & b Lee 3

(10b)

Extras (lb-4, w-5) 9

— —

Total (in 30.1 overs) 112

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Vettori), 2-14 (Astle), 3-33 (Styris), 4-66 (Cairns), 5-84 (Vincent), 6-102 (Fleming), 7-104 (McCullum), 8-104 (Oram), 9-108 (Adams).