One last celebratory story.. 300 years of Western Australian Cricket

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300 YEARS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CELEBRATION

So, after 300 years of fine cricket in WA, players have decided to play 3 final matches in honour of the club. Players gone for so long have agreed to come back on lucrative paychecks to play 1 test, 1 ODI and 1 T20 against the finest from the rest of the country. WA coach and selector, Kiran has named his all-time squad of 15.

Peter Gunson - arguably the finest batsman WA has ever produced, Gunson comes back for a final hurrah. Excelling in his later years, he boasts 208 FC matches and 24 hundreds.

Carl Naylor - Naylor had a troubled time in WA threatening to move many a time but he stayed and thrived despite never quite breaking the international scene. Only 130 matches but 17 hundreds including 2 double centuries, he comes back 100 years later, ready to battle.

Roy Westwood - A great allrounder, primarily a one-day specialist although boasts a FC average above 40 and a handy one-day bowling record of 23, he is a brilliant servant of WA cricket.

Ian Carson - 231 FC matches and 113 tests, Carson was truly a magnificent player, boasting an average of 42.75 he definitely is one of the greatest of WA.

Harry Milne - The backbone of WA through a rebuilding phase, Milne was very consistent average 41.88 but despite this never got an international call-up.

Peter Duckett - Over 600 matches across all forms and an average of 42.24, Duckett was a great player.

John Golley - Averaging 43 and boasting a test double hundred, Golley was an amazing batsman always managing to find the gaps.

Steve Nixon - The keeper, still around, he has fashioned himself as an opener over the years and boasts a double hundred, despite never making it big on the international stage, he has been great for WA and earns his spot in the team.

David Madden - An astonishing 1037 FC wickets, Madden is the leg-spinner every team dreams of. Boasting a test 9-for, he became a FC specialist always delivering. A fair batsman too, averaging just under 30. Arguably the greatest player of all time.

Chris Harker - Forming an integral part of WA's golden years, Harker in tandem with Madden ripped through teams. The opening bowler was also an allrounder averaging 33 with the bat and 27 with the ball.

Robert Birt - The spearhead for a long time, Birt has played 100 tests, also a decent batsman averaging 22

George Granville - Opening the bowling with Birt, these two amazed. A slightly better bowler and batsman, Granville grabbed over 1500 wickets across all forms. One of the best WA has ever produced.

Paul Birtles - Another leg-spinning wizard boasting over 400 test wickets at an average of just 22. Birtles was an out and out spinner spinning the ball with gusto. Handy with the bat too averaging just under 30 in tests.

Steve Hendry - Another long-form specialist, Hendry, still around, has just played his 100th test and is another genuine allrounder averaging 26.53 in tests with both bat and ball.

Mike Gates - A quickie, Gates took his test wickets at just under 24 and snaps up the last spot in the squad.

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Rest of Australia consists of:

Tony Radford
Tim Baker
Kurt Shone
Peter London
Terry Spence
James Jacklin
Phil Nye
Kevin Lowe
Julian Peters
Jim Monks
Peter Webster
Keith Best
Tim Steed
Danny Godwin
Steve Langley

Matches to come tomorrow

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The matches have been granted international status. A timeless test was requested but declined by the ICC.
The ODI will be played followed by the test match and the T20.

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Duckett out of match with nasty flu, Westwood, Hendry, Gates doubtful

Flu has struck the historic match with 1 player out of the match and 3 doubtful. Peter Duckett, the backbone of WA for 20 years has been bed-ridden with a new virus. Westwood and Gates have also had problems and may be out. Hendry also got it but very mildly and is expected to be fit. All are expected to be fit for the test match.

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Crowds flock to the WACA to view one-dayer of greats!

Crowds flocked in their numbers to witness a historic event as 2 greats walked out onto the field for one last one-dayer. David Madden and Phil Nye walked out to spin the coin. As Madden spun, Nye called heads, as was the case. A boo went around the WACA crowds as Nye elected to bowl first on a ground where dew might play a factor later in the game. Madden announced sadly that 3 of the 4 players sick couldn't be fit in time and only Westwood would play. He also announced Naylor would be 12th man for the game, to the disappointment of the WACA crowd looking to see the controversial batsman in action. The teams were as follows.

WA
1. Steve Nixon (wk)
2. Roy Westwood
3. Peter Gunson
4. John Golley
5. Ian Carson
6. Harry Milne
7. Paul Birtles
8. Chris Harker
9. David Madden (c)
10. George Granville
11. Robert Birt

Rest of Aus

1. Kevin Best
2. Tim Steed
3. Phil Nye (c)
4. Jim Monks
5. Kevin Lowe
6. Danny Godwin (wk)
7. Peter Webster
8. Kurt Shone
9. Tim Baker
10. Tony Radford
11. Terry Spence

And so the game started and the atmosphere was amazing as Radford ran into Nixon, the WACA crowd went wild as Nixon smashed the first ball for 6 but was silent as in his next over Radford had Nixon clean bowled. Westwood hit a quickfire 10 but was undone as Shone came on early and he popped a return catch straight back to him. Golley came in next and Shone bowled an absolute beauty which rapped Golley on the pads and the umpire was quick to raise his finger. Golley was not happy and quite reasonably, as the ball pitched way outside leg. At 40-3, WA were in big trouble but on a bowlers pitch Gunson and Carson steadied the ship adding 100 over the space of 30 overs before Carson was caught hooking on the boundary for 39. The wickets tumbled after that with WA losing 4-9 as Radford came back but Granville kept Gunson company and within a short while Gunson had scored a fabulous century. In the second last over, Granville, who had been quite quiet with only 19, tried to hit Webster back over his head but watched in despair as his stumps went flying. Radford knocked over Birt in the final over to leave Gunson on 105* and WA with a score of 194.

The bowlers had to bowl very well to be in the contest and that they did with Birt and Granville bowling amazing spells to leave ROA at an amazing 56-8 after 20 overs with Granville finishing with 6-16 after his 10. Madden decided to bowl the two out so they had no overs left. The captain Nye was still there though, stuck on 30 and Radford had just come to the crease. Madden and Birtles lacked their usual starpower as Nye decided to go for the runs and had got to his 50 in no time. Finally, Madden bowled a brilliant ball to Nye and he skied it. Realising it could be the decisive wicket, Harker on the boundary ran for the catch and got to it but the catch didn't stick and the ball rolled for four. To make matters worse, Harker couldn't get up and was taken of the field. With scans revealing he could take no further part in the match, Westwood had to step up to bowl and Birtles and Madden needed to bowl better. Westwood bowled a very probing spell to Radford but Radford got behind the ball and played very well. Madden improved and bowled tightly to Nye but Birtles still was leaking runs. The run rate was climbing and Nye started to hit the ball very cleanly. With the score at 150 and his at 94, he ran down the track to Birtles and lofted him over his head to reach his hundred. The partnership was at 100 and alarm bells were ringing in Madden's mind as he brought himself back on for one final crack with the score at 160. Nye took a liking to his spin and took him for a 4 and a 6 but with the score at 170, Madden struck with the final ball of his spell bowling a beauty to clip the top of off. Nye walked back to a standing ovation with a stunning 110. Radford had to keep the strike as WA had their tail up and managed to sneak a run here and there. He managed to get it to the last over with 5 to win and Spence on strike, Westwood was to bowl. A tight spell so far meant nothing if he couldn't limit the runs. The first 3 balls were all plays and misses as he tried to get off strike. With 5 off 3 pressure was mounting and Spence went for a wild slog. The ball hit him in front of middle and WA celebrated but the umpire did not move. In the chaos, Radford grabbed a leg-bye. With 4 off 2 Westwood went back to his mark and ran in to bowl. A slow yorker outside off was too good for the tail-ender who couldn't quite reach it. With 4 required, Radford adjusted his stance to middle and off as Westwood ran in. The final ball was a beauty as Radford edged the ball to the slips but to the crowd's agony it went through 2nd and 3rd slip and all the way to the boundary. Gunson had his hands on his knees and Madden couldn't walk. A terrific game but in the end, only one team could win. WA would now have to win both the test and the T20 if they wanted the trophy. Man of the match was Radford for his all-round performance although Gunson, Granville and Nye were highly commended.

Final Analysis:
WA 194 all out (49.3)
Gunson 105*
Carson 39
Radford 6-41

ROA 195-9 (50)
Nye 110
Radford 37*
Granville 6-16

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Chris Harker out of test

Chris Harker has been ruled out of the test match. Harker fell on the boundary in the one-dayer and hasn't recovered in time. First-class specialist Steve Hendry looks the most likely to come in.

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One special test to be played

The WACA went crazy as the two captains, Madden and Nye walked out for the second time to greet each other again. As Madden spun the coin, he again lost the toss and Nye decided, on a flat wicket to bat first. Nye announced no changes to his team but Madden had to announce two changes, after Harker's unfortunate injury, test match superstar Steve Hendry comes in and Peter Duckett comes in for Roy Westwood. In an interesting move, Madden announced he would open the batting, much to the cheer of the crowd.

The teams were as follows:

WA
1. Steve Nixon (wk)
2. David Madden (c)
3. Peter Gunson
4. John Golley
5. Ian Carson
6. Peter Duckett
7. Harry Milne
8. Paul Birtles
9. Steve Hendry
10. George Granville
11. Robert Birt

Rest of Aus

1. Kevin Best
2. Tim Steed
3. Phil Nye (c)
4. Jim Monks
5. Kevin Lowe
6. Danny Godwin (wk)
7. Peter Webster
8. Kurt Shone
9. Tim Baker
10. Tony Radford
11. Terry Spence

The game started as the quick bowler Granville ran in for the first ball. The ball pitched outside off and jagged in, as Best left the ball precariously close to the stumps. Best and Steed managed to stay together for a while before a typical nagging Hendry full ball got the edge of Steed to Gunson at slip. Madden decided to bring back Granville and it worked grabbing both Best, to a high catch in the deep, and Nye in successive balls. As Granville came in for the hattrick to Lowe, Granville decided to bang it in short and Lowe got a glove on it but Duckett at short leg dropped the catch. More came and went but the score kept dragging on but when Godwin and Shone got together at 213-6, no-one could predict what would happen, Madden was on the attack and Granville and Birtles had their tails up but more and more bowlers came on and more and more runs were scored. Both players brought up centuries before eventually Godwin brought up a double. Desparately, Madden through the ball to Nixon and much to his surprise, Nixon knocked out Shone's stumps with his first ball to end a 307 run partnership. The tail didn't put up much resistance but the damage had been done with eventually ROA being bowled out for 543 with Godwin on 229*.

Then disaster struck as Spence took 3 quickly to leave WA reeling and Radford took another to leave WA reeling at 23-4. Nye brought Shone on and with his first 3 balls he took at hattrick. Milne and Hendry were still at the crease though and the managed to rebuild somewhat with a decent 100 run stand with both players scoring 50s. When they got out though, it was pretty much the end as WA folded for 174.

Nye had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on and as WA batted again Madden and Gunson went early and Golley soon followed and a familiar collapse occurred with the team 199-9, still 170 short of making WA bat again. Nixon had carried his bat and was on 154 and Birt had just come to the crease. Amazingly, they took the aggressive route and it payed off because at the end of the day, Birt was on 91 and Nixon was on 293, 70 ahead. Both wanted to reach their milestones and after smacking a 6 and a 4 Birt got his hundred and jumped for joy. Nixon spent 46 minutes stuck in the 290s as Radford tied him down but eventually got it with an edge of Webster through the slips. Eventually Birt was caught trying to slog Shone for 107 but the lead was only 98 and they had a lot of work to do if they were to defend it and stay in the superseries. Steed and Best smashed a very tired Birt and Granville and were 57-0 after 20 overs, when Madden decided to bring himself back on. In a spell of genius, the best spinner of all-time knocked over Best and the wickets kept tumbling eventually taking 9-10 with ROA needing 8 to win as Madden searched for his tenth. Steed was still there and was looking like he would run away with it but Madden bowled a gem that hit the rough and spun the other way cannoning into leg-stump. ROA could only stand in disbelief as WA completed a remarkable win. Man of the match was shared between Nixon and Madden as they were too hard to split.

Final analysis:

ROA: 543 all out
Godwin 229*
Shone 103
Granville 5-134

WA: 174 all out
Milne 67
Hendry 50
Spence 6-56

WA: 467 all out
Nixon 311
Birt 107
Webster 4-87

ROA: 91 all out
Steed 61
Best 20
Madden 10-10

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With the superseries all square, the captain walked out to the long-awaited finale. The WACA went wild as Madden spun the coin, Nye called wrong and the WACA cheered as Madden elected to bat. Nye went with an unchanged team with an unchanged team while Madden welcomed back Harker and Westwood for Golley and Hendry. The teams were as follows:

WA
1. Steve Nixon (wk)
2. Chris Harker
3. Peter Gunson
4. Roy Westwood
5. Ian Carson
6. Peter Duckett
7. Harry Milne
8. Paul Birtles
9. David Madden (c)
10. George Granville
11. Robert Birt

Rest of Aus

1. Kevin Best
2. Tim Steed
3. Phil Nye (c)
4. Jim Monks
5. Kevin Lowe
6. Danny Godwin (wk)
7. Peter Webster
8. Kurt Shone
9. Tim Baker
10. Tony Radford
11. Terry Spence

The game started off with a bang with Harker hitting a great cameo of 34 off 13 balls, while he and Nixon fell in quick succession, the runs kept coming as Gunson and Westwood both scored pretty quickly. Then, a few wickets fell and Milne and Madden at the crease with still another 8 overs to go and the score on 120/6, they upped the scoring rate with Milne scoring a record 50 off 13 balls, they kept going and going and eventually finished on 238/6 with an unbeaten 118 run stand in 8 overs.

WA were favourites to take home the trophy but ROA wouldn't go down with out a fight. Harker had them in trouble though and at 37/5 after 3 overs with Harker grabbing 4 they looked down and out but Peter Webster had other ideas combining with Monks they put on 151 with Webster hitting a century in only 31 balls. Monks fell but Webster kept going reaching his 150 soon after. The wickets kept on falling at the other end and in the end it came down to 2 runs of the last ball with 1 wicket in hand and Spence to face. As Granville came into bowl, the whole crowd was on their feet, it was a beautiful yorker outside off and Spence couldn't get bat on it but Webster called him through. Nixon had a chance to run out Webster but missed the stumps and a super over was to be played. ROA batted first and they nominated Webster, Monks and Nye to bat, Madden nominated Granville to bowl. WA nominated Milne, Madden and Harker to bat and ROA nominated Radford to bowl.

Ball 1: Granville to Webster, SIX, Granville banged it in short and Webster took full advantage, smashing it back over his head for a maximum.
Ball 2: Granville to Webster, SIX This is massive, he does it again, Granville bowled it a bit fuller but Webster was onto smashing over square leg for a huge maximum of 143m
Ball 3: Granville to Webster, one, Webster just chips this one down to 3rd man
Ball 4: Granville to Monks, OUT, no luck for Monks, going for the big heave and Granville calmly knocked his stumps
Ball 5: Granville to Nye, no run, swing and a miss, wide yorker, Webster wanted the run but there was no run there.
Ball 6: Granville to Nye, FOUR, hits a lovely cover drive to end the over with 17.

Ball 1: Radford to Milne: no run, swing and a miss, ever so close to the stumps
Ball 2: Radford to Milne: OUT, this time he hits, full, straight, gone
Ball 3: Radford to Harker: SIX, this was needed, a huge heave and it goes flying away over the boundary.
Ball 4: Radford to Harker: SIX, this was lucky, banged in short and Harker got a top edge but it went quickly and over the fence.
Ball 5: Radford to Harker: 1 bye, ooh, so close to the end, swing and a miss but Madden called him through and was so close to being run out but just made it home. 5 off 1, if it is a tie ROA win because of more boundaries
Ball 6: Radford to Madden, SIX, HE FINISHES IT OFF IN STYLE, straight back over his head, the captain finishes it off in the super over. The team run out onto the field and celebrate with joy.

The presentation party gave the man of the match award to Webster for his brilliant 174* but WA screamed with delight as they lifted up the trophy for the final time.

Final Analysis:

WA 238-6 20 overs
Milne: 71*
Madden: 51*
Radford 2-31

ROA 238-9 20 overs
Webster 174*
Monks 43
Granville 2-54

WA won in the super-over and won the superseries 2-1.