Sport

Game slips away as Hick is kept at bay

Australia Day should have been England's night. The prolific Graeme Hick deserved as much.

Wed Jan 27 1999 - 00:00

Australia Day should have been England's night. The prolific Graeme Hick deserved as much.

Hick's back-to-back centuries at the Adelaide Oval have both been made in lost causes, and England will be regretting the fact that they could not beat Australia from a sound position of 162 for two after 35 overs, in pursuit of a 240-run target.

The game slipped away while Hick was stranded for long periods at the non-striker's end, the too-familiar middle and late order collapse set in motion and Australia won by 16 runs, dismissing England for 223 in 48.3 overs.

Due credit must be given to imaginative and attacking captaincy from Shane Warne who simply never let England settle in the later stages, and skilfully squeezed Hick out of the game, giving him the single and taking wickets while the centurion watched from the end where it was impossible to pose Australia any danger.

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Warne's timing of bringing back his match-winner Glenn McGrath was inspired. Australia simply had to get wickets, and McGrath responded to his captain's demand.

McGrath immediately pinned Nasser Hussain lbw for 21, and 14 runs later he moved a beauty off the seam to clip Neil Fairbrother's off stump.

John Crawley fell to a fine return catch by Brendon Julian, one of four taken by the bowlers to suggest that the ball may have been "stopping" a little on a pitch which had been used for the three one-day games in Adelaide.

England wanted 30 off four overs, but Hick could still not employ himself for long enough at the business end.

Man-of-the-match Hick moved into the 90s at 188 for four with England cruising, but reached his century 13 balls and eight overs later at 213 for eight.

Australia had handcuffed their main dangerman. England captain Alec Stewart said: "I thought 239 by Australia was a fair effort. We were ahead in the second, Graeme played well, but the middle and late order did not quite stay with him.

"But saying that, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Brendon Julian bowled exceptionally well, backed up by a tremendous caught and bowled, and other fine pieces of fielding."