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| November 21, 2002 | Thursday | Ramazan 15, 1423 |
Australia and England delay naming teams
ADELAIDE, Nov 20: Injuries forced England and Australia to delay naming their teams for the second Ashes Test starting here Thursday.
Australia are sweating on the fitness of fast bowler Jason Gillespie while the English are giving middle-order batsman John Crawley until match day to prove he is ready.
The tourists, 1-0 down in the series after losing the opening Test by 384 runs, have already lost left-arm spinner Ashley Giles to a broken wrist and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to a recurring groin injury.
The loss of Crawley, who made 69 not out in the first of the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane and another unbeaten half-century against Australia ‘A’, would be another series blow to the tourists.
Fletcher said off-spinner Richard Dawson is almost certain to come into the side for Giles on an Adelaide wicket sure to take turn while Robert Key is on standby for Crawley after he pushed his selection claims with an unbeaten 174 against Australia ‘A’.
Australian captain Steve Waugh said he still expected Gillespie, troubled by a calf problem, to play but the selectors first wanted to make sure he was 100 per cent.
“They are being a bit more cautious but my gut feeling is that he’ll play,” Waugh said.
If Gillespie is chosen as expected, Andy Bichel and Brett Lee will be left to fight out the last fast bowler’s spot in the starting 11 after both were chosen in a 12-man squad.
But if Gillespie is ruled out, both Bichel and Lee will play.
The second Test is shaping up as possibly one of the biggest mis-matches in the long history of cricket’s greatest rivalry.
Despite the mounting problems stacked again his side, Fletcher has maintained a philosophical approach.
The mood in the home camp could not be any different.
The Adelaide Oval wicket is a favourite of the Australian players because it is perfect for batting for the first three days, then turns on the final two, assisting leg-spinner Shane Warne.
Not surprisingly, Waugh said his team were brimming with confidence going into the match.
“I think we’ve played pretty good cricket recently. For us it’s all about maintaining our standards and playing the style of cricket we want to play,” Waugh said.
“We want to play aggressively and positively and put the opposition under pressure and hopefully disorientate them sometimes by the way we play the game, at the pace we play.
As the only survivor from the last Ashes series Australia lost 16 years ago, Waugh also reminded his players about the dangers of complacency or underestimating England after his team’s huge victory in the first Test.
“It’s only one game, I think people are getting a bit carried away, there’s four Test matches to go,” said Waugh.
“A lot can happen, a lot can change. And that’s why sport is such a good thing because people can turn things around.
“They’ve got the ability to do that, they’ve got good players, they’ve got passion in playing for that country, so there’s no reason England can’t turn it around.
“We’ve got to be wary that they can do that. At the same time we want to make sure we play good cricket and enjoy ourselves and express ourselves on the field.”
Teams (from):
Australia: Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Steve Waugh (captain), Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Andy Bichel, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee.
England: Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain (captain), John Crawley, Robert Key, Alec Stewart, Craig White, Richard Dawson, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard, Alex Tudor.
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa).
Match referee: Wasim Raja (Pakistan).—Reuters
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