Date-stamped : 01 Mar97 - 06:14
Match Report: Australia v Transvaal Invitation XI

By Guy Hawthorne

They were never going to be extended by the Transvaal  Invitation
XI,  but  the  clinical method in which Australia disposed of the
combination side at the Soweto Cricket Oval yesterday   indicated
just how confident they are.  They omitted Test certainties Steve
Waugh, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath from their lineup and  opted
for  the  half-fit  Paul Reiffel, who was not required to bowl as
the Transvaal side capitulated meekly in managing  just  182  all
out   in  reply  to Australia`s 261/7 in their allotted 45 overs.
Australia, in a convincing 79-run victory, batted  with  expected
authority   on a pitch with plenty of bounce from the one end and
very little from the other, their ability to adapt to  the  vari-
able  conditions  one  of  the outstanding features of a fine in-
nings.

After a slow start, they quickly shifted into top gear with  Jus-
tin  Langer  and Matthew Elliott, two of five left-handed batsmen
in the lineup, adding 117 for the second wicket.

The pair was particularly severe on anything short  or  wide  and
negated   the  slow  outfield by hitting the ball in the air.  It
was such a shot that  terminated  the   partnership,  man-of-the-
match  Langer   being  superbly  caught  by a running Goolam Bodi
at deep square leg off Clive Eksteen for 63 (82 balls, 4x4, 1x6).

Elliott departed soon afterwards, caught behind  chasing  a  wide
Johnson  Mafa  delivery.  His 69, off 91 balls, was punctuated by
some savage blows and he finished with five fours and two sixes.

Michael Bevan and Matthew Hayden then added a  quickfire  98  for
the  fourth wicket, the former smashing 49 off 42 balls (5x4) and
the latter a scintillating 47 off only 24 deliveries (4x4, 1x6).

Transvaal`s Andrew Hall finished with 4/49 in his nine overs  and
captain  Eksteen  took  1/22  in  his  eight, but the rest of the
bowlers struggled in a fielding display marred  by  a string   of
dropped catches.

Transvaal`s reply, after a lunch  of  whole  baby  chickens,  was
nothing  to  crow about and they slumped to 29/5 in the 10th over
as Jason Gillespie and Andrew Bichel tore  through  the top   and
middle order.

The impressive Parktown student, Solomon Ndima, scored 35 to fol-
low  an  impressive display in the field, but his 53 run partner-
ship with Andrew Hall merely delayed the  inevitable against   an
Australian bowling attack that was never going to struggle to de-
fend their mammoth total.

Eksteen and Wayne Kidwell put on 54 for the  ninth  wicket  in  a
partnership  interspersed  with  attacking  strokes  but one that
served merely to frustrate the couple of thousand  schoolchildren
that made up the majority of the crowd.

The Transvaal left-arm spinner was eventually caught off the  top
edge  for  47  and  although  Wayne Kidwell, better known for his
bowling than his ability with the willow,  finished unbeaten   on
30,  last  man  Johnson Mafa was never going to last long and did
well to face five balls for his 3.

Gillespie finished with 2/21 in five overs, Bichel took  3/21  in
his nine and Elliott captured 2/11 in three.  ends nnnn

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