The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Massacre of the innocents

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Tuesday, Sep 14, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Massacre of the innocents

By Vijay Lokapally

SOUTHAMPTON, SEPT.13. That the U.S. has a long way to go was pretty obvious at the Rose Bowl. The audience went home for lunch. The spectators, scattered all over, must have rued their decision to be present at the venue and suffer the farce that was enacted in the middle. The contest, won by Australia by nine wickets, was worth 31.5 overs.

This was Champions Trophy at its worst as Australia, the superpower of world cricket, toyed with the Americans in one of the most lop-sided international encounters that one could have conjured.

Mercifully, the weather did not play the spoilsport and overnight rain left enough moisture in the pitch for the Aussie speedsters to mop up the opposition. Not that they would have needed any help from the pitch because the Americans, put in, had no clue about what was happening in the middle.

The bowlers did not celebrate the dismissals, neither did the fielders run around in circles to signal the fall of a wicket. If the idea was to encourage the Americans, it would have fallen flat because nothing would be more demoralising than the pasting they got from Australia.

Massiah stands out

For U.S., which played without its most experienced and former West Indies international Clayton Lambert, the Guyana-born Steve Massiah stood out with a cameo that highlighted his cricket grooming. His innings contained three of the four boundaries that U.S. could `pride' itself on. Now living in New York, Massiah warmed up the U.S. camp with a sterling pull off Glenn McGrath. To prove it was no flash in the pan, he sliced Brett Lee past point and then on-drove the fast bowler in the same over. But this aggression was too good to last and he perished in trying another forceful stroke. The fourth boundary came from Richard Staple from a thick edge over slips.

Four blows

Michael Kasprowicz, the `Man of the Match,' dented the U.S. innings with four strikes in a mere 15 balls. He obviously relished his spell that indicated the ominous rhythm that he commands early in the tournament. Of the four Aussie bowlers on view, only McGrath went without a wicket.

The U.S. innings folded up in 24 overs after it lost left-handed opener Mark Johnson to the second ball, bowled round the legs. The procession had begun. Wickets came Australia's way without the bowlers really taxing themselves even though skipper Ricky Ponting may not approve the number of extra deliveries his bowlers conceded by way of no-balls and wides.

The U.S. score was the lowest in the competition after Bangladesh held the dubious record for being skittled out for 77 in 19.3 overs by New Zealand at Colombo two years ago.

The mission was accomplished with a flourish as Australia took just 7.5 overs to finish off the game, Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden and Ricky Ponting making an appearance in the middle with the bat. The curtains came down on the contest when Gilchrist swung Rashid Zia over midwicket for the only six of the match.

Australia need not gloat over its thumping win but there was enough to confirm that it was a lethal combination just waiting to explode in its key match against New Zealand three days from now.

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