Knight heroics not enough

CRICKET: England lost to Australia again yesterday, but for a change it represents progress. The single point they gained in Sydney for preventing Australia from taking a bonus point themselves - part of a complicated procedure to ensure that the home side never again fail to make their own finals as happened last year, and so preserve television ratings - means they have left Sri Lanka languishing at the foot of the table in this Tri-Nation series.

The fact that the Sri Lankans have yet to play is immaterial: rejoice while it is still possible.

By Mike Selvey

In the end, Australia won at a stroll as befits the best side in the business. There were five overs and seven wickets in hand when Damien Martyn struck the winning boundary, and he and Darren Lehmann had several other gears to call on should the situation have demanded.

But in making 251 for eight, on a pitch that had been used last weekend for the low-scoring warm-up match against Australia A, England had posted a competitive target that had been exceeded successfully in a chase only twice at the Sydney Cricket Ground: each time by Australia against Sri Lanka.

England were bolstered by Nick Knight's fifth one-day international century - the latter stages compiled while he suffered severely from cramp to his legs, the result of dehydration - some early belligerence from Marcus Trescothick and frustrating but sensible stuff from Nasser Hussain.

However, England will need to reflect before tomorrow's match against the same opposition in Melbourne over how to best take advantage of the middle overs, in which they stagnated so much that a midway score of 140 for two was increased in the next 11 overs by only 31 singles and nothing else.

A modest bowler such as Lehmann cannot be allowed to bowl a full complement of overs and take three for 32, just as the Australians, despite their emphatic success, will ponder on a similar performance from Ian Blackwell.

Further attention must also be paid to the fact that six of the 10 England batsmen who made the crease faced just 17 balls between them and contributed only seven runs.At 205 for two, with nine overs remaining, England appeared to have their eyes on 280, and floundered.

As it transpired, England, even with a defendable total, found their lack of experience hard to overcome; hardly surprising, given the increasingly rapid turnover in personnel that the tour has brought and despite Andy Caddick passing a late fitness test.

After a typically blistering century stand at the top of the order from Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden that occupied just 14 overs, only Blackwell's honest but unexceptional left-arm slow stuff put any brake on. But then Martyn and Lehmann opted for cruise control and eased to victory rather than taking unnecessary risks in pursuit of a bonus point that they would have gained had Australia won inside 40 overs.

Blackwell's 10 overs brought him the wickets of Ricky Ponting, caught sharply at slip by Ronnie Irani, and Hayden, who was athletically caught overhead at mid-off - surprisingly so given the catcher was Trescothick - for 98. This after Irani, a duck already to his name, had broken the opening partnership of 101 by having Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket for 53.

Given the slowness of the pitch, especially once the new ball had softened, it is hard to imagine a pair batting much better than Hayden and Gilchrist did, even against England's attack.

It put England's effort into context. After an uneasy start - Trescothick edging the first ball of the day from Glenn McGrath at catchable height between first and second slips, Knight cutting the same bowler fractionally over the slips in the same over - their 101 partnership was the highest by England in 43 one-day internationals since Trescothick and Alec Stewart put on an unbroken 171 to beat the West Indies at Chester-le-Street three years ago.

Knight, carrying his bat through the full 50 overs, did much to enhance his reputation as one of the most successful batsmen England have produced in one-day cricket. Of those who have played 20 or more matches (and this was his 86th) his average, at almost 42, is the highest.

Yesterday, using the services of Owais Shah as a runner towards the end of the match, he hit six fours and a six carved high over point off Jason Gillespie, his innings lasting 133 balls.

This is a considerable player in this form of cricket, the more to highlight the difference in the two codes.