Date-stamped : 30 Nov95 - 06:34 Electronic Telegraph Thursday 30 November 1995 Cricket Border goes into bat for usual suspects Mark Nicholas talks to former Australian captain about the chances for England and hears him defend Smith and Malcolm YOU wouldn`t think it would hose down, not after 31 years. All that excitement as South Africa bubbled with the freshness of an England tour; all that ghastly, aggressive television hype as the South African Broadcasting Corporation took a leaf from Australia`s Channel 9 book of unpleasant advertising; all the de- tailed planning by the South African cricket generals, which would derail the resurgent Poms, and of course that deadly secret weapon, the jellybaby. All wasted for a wash-out. What cricket there was told its own story. England are not the pushovers they were a year ago. Ray Illingworth must take a share of the credit, along with Michael Atherton, for the players now know where the buck stops. South Africa`s pace attack is dangerous, but by no means invinci- ble, and their principal bowler, Allan Donald, is out of kilter and frustrated that he is not justifying the idea that he might seal the series on his own. In essence, the series begins again today, and with the die cast more evenly than it appeared a fortnight ago. The form of Graeme Hick and Shaun Pollock are the positive developments for each team. The form of Donald and Robin Smith the obvious question marks. After a poor game in Bloemfontein, everyone is muttering about Smith. His tiny problems are as much technical as psychological and anyway they lead to each other. His back foot is not as ex- actly in line as it used to be. He needs to rectify that detail and he needs plenty of encouragement, too. If the muttering goes on, his calm exterior may betray the gremlins that lurk inside him. I was in Australia this week as a guest of that supreme South African batsman Barry Richards, who is now chief executive of the Queensland Cricket Association. I watched Queensland, who are the Sheffield Shield holders after 69 years of trying, as they prac- tised for the second match in defence of their trophy. Nah, there`s not much wrong with your blokes. They`re a bee`s dick away from being a very good side Allan Border was in the nets, punching towards cover, and jabbing to midwicket, much as he has done since the year dot. He had plenty to say about South Africa v England and particularly Robin Smith: "I never believe the stuff about Smith. Why don`t they leave him alone? He was one batsman the Australian team really respected, and he didn`t even make the tour here last year. All this Warne stuff about him. Which of the Poms looks to have a chance against Warne anyway? Does anyone if the pitches turn like they did in England in `93? They should stick with him." Enough said, and by a bloke who knows. Border raves about Ather- ton, says he is "brilliant" to have coped with a poor team, the "destructive" British press, various changes in management and all this with opening the batting. He reckons the wheel will turn and his toughness will be rewarded. "It all goes in cycles," said Border. "We had a bad time in the Eighties, when you guys kept putting it over us. Actually I don`t believe you are as bad as people say, but there`s no continuity, no faith in certain players, like Smith and Malcolm, or Tufnell even, who can win matches. Too many journeymen are selected and not enough goers. "The best example is Hick, whom we rate highly, but who has had an Achilles` heel against the short ball. He needed to be backed and allowed to settle in the middle order. It`s a mental thing. Look at Steve Waugh: he struggles against the short ball, but he made a double hundred in Jamaica, batting at No 6, and was the outstanding player of the series against the West Indies - who`d believe that? "Nah, there`s not much wrong with your blokes. They`re a bee`s dick away from being a very good side, and it won`t be long be- fore they prove it, especially if Illingworth stays tough and Atherton stays in the job. "When the team hit their straps, Mike will realise it has all been worthwhile. "Talking of hitting straps, what are you guys doing to Devon Mal- colm? Surely you`ve got to nurse the bloke - he`s a match-winner. Not a consistent one, granted, but if he wins one Test in a series, he`s done his job. The other bowlers are OK. Obviously Cork`s on fire, but they are no more than handy. I`ve been amazed how Malcolm has been misused over the years. No-one dis- covers confidence if they`re in for one Test and out for four. I mean, I don`t know Peter Lever as a coach, but it`s a bit rich coming out of the woodwork and slagging Devon off. Which of them`s got the most Test wickets anyway?" comfortable with it fizzing past their nose` Border was the last man to captain a series against both England and South Africa. We know to our cost that he regained the Ashes and efficiently held on to them. But annoyingly, he admits, he failed to conquer South Africa, drawing consecutive three-match series at one Test apiece. "South Africa are very tough, particularly at home, where their professional, disciplined fast bowling wears you down. They start favourites at the Wanderers - where they stuffed us, by the way - because of the extra pace and bounce, which negates the need for a quality spinner. "The batting may be suspect, but somehow they find runs from no- where. I reckon Malcolm must play at the Wanderers . . . none of them are comfortable with it fizzing past their nose." So who`s to win? "South Africa to go one up in Johannesburg with Durban being the key Test to follow. They are not to be under- estimated. They have a sort of native desperation to succeed. In the end it`s about taking 20 wickets, and they`re better equipped to do that if the pitches are similar to the ones we played on." England would do well to heed his thoughts regarding their own progress. By nature Border has the pessimist in him, but the pes- simist has been overridden by the pragmatist, and his extraordi- nary strength of desire to prove the detractors of the mid- Eighties wrong. Eventually his team responded to his resilience, and his reliability, in much the way that England have started to do with the lead given by Atherton. What remains today is to knock into a cocked hat the Border view that the Wanderers will be for South Africa. There is, as they say, no time like the present, and at the present England have gained some valuable psychological ground over South Africa. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et/) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)