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Thursday, Dec 14, 2006
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Can England bounce back?

Ted Corbett

All eyes on Warne and the magical 700-mark

PERTH: Shane Warne holds so many records that he treats them lightly and on Tuesday he was unwilling to talk about the possibility of taking his 700th wicket in the third Ashes Test. Warne needs another six victims to reach this unique mark; England, in its bid to achieve another unique feat by winning the last three Tests from 2-0 down, would give anything to have a bowler half as accomplished.

"He has a spring in his step at the moment, he's very vocal and full of energy," said the Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. At 37, Warne still has a driving impulse for success, although he is now as much a show business personality as a sportsman.

He carries his sense of drama on to the pitch, stalks his way to the bowling crease, slows the ball down, tosses it higher, wider and fuller to those he thinks will attack him and wishes he were captain, wants to make a Test century, even as he takes astonishing catches at first slip.

Striving for more

Despite 694 wickets, the huge salary, all those past records, Warne still strives for more glory, more applause, more adoration. This festive season, according to a magazine, Warne will spend Christmas Day with his ex-wife Simone and their three daughters. "We will be a family right until he goes off to the MCG to play in the Boxing Day Test. We are adult enough to handle it," says Simone.

Is England adult enough to combat Warne this week? Probably not. For all of coach Duncan Fletcher's ill-timed boasting, his batsmen still treat Warne as if he were throwing hand grenades. He is clearly slowing down — his last 100 wickets will take at least 35 Tests compared with 19 between 100 and 200 — but the magic is still there.

Retirement is a dirty word among the Australians and in the wake of Damien Martyn's decision to quit none of the five men of pensionable age want to discuss the subject. Gilchrist, 35 like Matthew Hayden, and Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer, both 36; all have natural concerns that they will have their contract money docked like Martyn if they volunteer to step aside.

Contrasting styles

England might try to counter Warne by playing two left-arm spinners. Monty Panesar and Ashley Giles are as contrasting in style as cheese and paneer but there are mutterings that "two finger spinners cannot bowl in tandem in modern cricket. It is so not 21st century."

One old-timer explained: "Off-spinners and slow left-arm bowlers used to find grip because the pitches were uncovered. Now, with all Test wickets covered, it needs a wrist spinner to get wickets."

That is why Muttiah Muralitharan (664) and Anil Kumble (533) are the bowlers chasing Warne. The only other is McGrath with 551. If Australia needs extra spin it can come from Andrew Symonds who plays instead of Martyn.

`Greatest bowler'

Kevin Pietersen, another right-hander, called Warne, his mentor and his tormentor, "the greatest bowler who has ever lived" and their battle will be worth the admission money to the WACA ground. Of course, Warne, the showman, might just think it worthwhile to keep wicket No. 700 for his home Test in Melbourne, if only because his children will be in the stands.

That is style, and Warne is one of the few cricketers who can attempt such a finale to a long career.

The teams:

Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt.), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath and Shaun Tait.

England (from): Andrew Flintoff (capt.), Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles, Monty Panesar, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and James Anderson.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan); Third umpire: Peter Parker; Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).

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