Date-stamped : 01 Jul97 - 10:16 Elliott adds life after Hampshire collapse Scyld Berry sees the Australians adopt a hard-nosed approach in the build-up to this week`s third Test Hampshire v Australia THE Australians cranked up their game by a notch or two at Southampton, where the sun gave only the briefest of smiles and the tourists hardly more. It was with a resumption of their nor- mal efficiency that they bowled Hampshire out for 156, and them- selves replied with an opening stand made lively by Matthew Elliott. Without sentiment the Australians left out all their reserve batsmen who had been due a midweek game at Oxford and been de- nied by rain. Without sentiment they brushed aside their own compatriot Matthew Hayden, and their old adversary Robin Smith, who will never play in an England team that defeats Aus- tralia, unless cricket moves in one of its most mysterious ways this summer. The conditions were not conspicuously helpful for the Aus- tralian bowlers, as Hampshire did prefer to bat first on a pitch to- wards the pavilion side without much carry. But this is a low-scoring season to date, and the tourists were intent on a full dress rehearsal for everyone except Glenn McGrath, who has starred already. This match is a shoot-out for the last place at Old Trafford between Mick Kasprowicz, guaranteed game and as whole-hearted as Merv Hughes, and Jason Gillespie, returning from a torn left hamstring but a cut above. And not only did Hampshire have to contend with this pair`s rivalry but also Paul Reiffel, that nodding donkey of a medi- um-pacer, persistently steady, and Shane Warne returning to normal rhythms. Hayden was scooped up by short leg`s right hand - not some- thing that often happens at Southampton - to put Kasprowicz one- nil up. Hayden needs 95 runs in his second innings to be- come the first to 1,000 first-class runs this season, and the Australians might be tempted to let him have them out of sympathy. It was not until their last-wicket pair came together that Hampshire began to compete in this match. A six was just helped over fine leg by Matthew Keech, and his straight drive was well timed before it was caught by Reiffel around his ankles: other ripostes were few until Adrian Aymes was joined by Stuart Milburn. Kasprowicz went two-up when he squared up Ja- son Laney, and he finished 3-2 up on the first leg in bowling terms, but might have fallen behind when he made a couple of misfields to add to a growing swag. Chris Smith was over from Perth to watch his younger brother, but his presence could not break the hold of wrist-spin. Robin Smith heaved a huge breath when Warne came on and delivered for his first ball a legs-pinning half-volley. Smith reacted as if he was prepared to join Princess Diana immediately in her campaign against lethal weapons. For an hour Smith and extras did all Hampshire`s scoring and they were none too busy. Will Kendall went six overs without hitting a run, though he himself was hit amidships as he plunged gamely for- wards: this was one of the few he could be said to have middled. John Stephenson went eight overs without scoring, or much trying to, before he fished at Gillespie`s first ball back. For Warne, such an approach was manna from the Gold Coast. One of his best pieces of propaganda has been to assert that he loves batsmen who attack him, which is surpassed only by his claim to love left- handers. He looped his leg-breaks without any punish- ment - save for a mid-off fumble by Kasprowicz which cost four - and his first two flip- pers, though well wide of off stump, caught the outside edges of Smith and Shaun Udal trying to break out. It was all so difficult when Aymes began to bat gutsily and Milburn`s approach was more like Colin`s, if not his execution. Milburn pulled a rank long-hop of a Warne flipper for four and drove Gillespie for 10 runs off an over. When Milburn missed his swing, the invincibility returned in the form of Elliott, if not of Mark Taylor. Elliott`s off drive was drilled through mid-off; Taylor`s squirted behind square leg. Elliott shares the same physique as Hayden, and the same left- handedness and position, but is much the more fluent and flexi- ble. He hooked a six and cut and drove, and when he reached his 50, Taylor had made 15 and was still far from form. Scottish cricket administrators will consider some poten- tially ground-breaking proposals at the Scottish Cricket Union`s main committee meeting on Wednesday when the future of the Area Championship, played on Sundays, will be considered. Also be- ing discussed are ways to further create a truly national league structure, amid hopes that the Western Union can be encouraged to assimilate their league into a national one. Opener Matthew Walker hit a rapid half-century as Kent en- joyed a productive morning against Cambridge University at Can- terbury before subsiding to 246 all out. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Tourists end Hayden debate By Charles Randall at Southampton Second day of three: Hampshire (156 & 71-2) trail Aus- tralians (465-8) by 238 runs WITHERING fast-bowling by Jason Gillespie and a lovely 173 by Mark Waugh ensured the Australians squeezed as much as they could have hoped for out of this rain-free match at the County Ground. The tricky question - which bowler to omit for the third Test in Manchester on Thursday - will remain unresolved at least until today, when Gillespie, returning from a hamstring in- jury, Mike Kasprowicz and Paul Reiffel continue to compete for two places in the seam attack. Hampshire, the losers in all this, had a fight on their hands to avoid complete burial after being shot out for 156 in their first innings on Saturday. Gillespie, tall and rangy, sent down 16 overs on Satur- day with- out problem, apart from a few blisters, though Hampshire did not feel the full force of his undoubted pace until yesterday. It would have given the Australians grim satisfaction that Matthew Hayden, overlooked for this tour, perhaps controversial- ly, failed twice in his attempt to show his compatriots a thing or two. He was snapped up for a trifle at short-leg on Satur- day, a good sharp catch by Greg Blewett, but yesterday the Queens- lan- der was humiliated by Gillespie. Hayden was awarded his county cap by Hampshire in the morning, and, needing 95 runs to become the first to 1,000 runs in Eng- land, he was clean-bowled by Gillespie second ball raising his bat aloft and watching his off-stump go cartwheel- ing backwards. If the Australians thought they had ended the Hayden debate, they were probably right, and a few muttered oaths heard while the left-hander climbed the balcony steps made a po- liceman shift uneasily. The Australians, having had all three days of the British Universities game at Oxford rained off last week, were left with very few team-juggling opportunities, effectively none in the batting. The absence of Justin Langer, the main contender for a batting place, meant only one short visit to the crease for him in the last six games, and Adam Gilchrist, a superb player in most books, had enjoyed only one first-class innings, 14 minutes at the crease, in the whole tour. Waugh, the upper order batsman with fewer crease hours behind him than his Test colleagues, spent nearly five hours creaming Hampshire`s toiling bowlers around the ground, picking Simon Renshaw up for a midwicket six and swinging Shaun Udal away for two more. He stroked 23 fours. Waugh needed only 199 balls for his 173, compared with Mark Tay- lor`s 239 balls for a more artisan 109, accumulated mostly with the usual flicks off his pads and deflections. Shane Warne, whose wife, Simone, gave birth to their first child in Australia on Friday - a daughter called Brooke - seemed to enjoy his 27-ball innings of 38. The Southampton pitch had eased when Hampshire batted again, 309 behind, and the sun even shone for a while. That would have made umpire Dickie Bird look back with chagrin on his first trip to Wimbledon on Thursday. Royal box or not, rain fell all day. Hampshire, apart from Hayden, had been short of runs this sum- mer and their worst fears were realised on Saturday when they were tied down. Robin Smith batted well before edging a fast ball from Warne, probably his flipper, and yesterday evening the batsman tucked into the Australian seamers with precision and confi- dence. He said before this match that he had not given up hope of re- turning to the England side, and yesterday his words were sup- ported by his bat. Four years ago Smith cracked 191 against Allan Border`s touring Australians - though Warne was not playing on that oc- casion - and he would dearly love to evoke memories of that in- nings to- day. After Hayden`s spectacular dismissal Matthew Keech was well caught hooking to long-leg, but Jason Laney (27) and Smith (31) saw Hampshire through to the close. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Gillespie weathers test By Charles Randall at Southampton Third day of three: Australians (465-8 dec) bt Hants (156 & 176) by an innings & 133 runs THE Australians did not meet much opposition from Hamp- shire but Jason Gillespie did enough yesterday to secure his place, almost certainly, in this week`s third Test at Manch- ester. The South Australia fast-bowler worked up an impressive momentum on a slow pitch to finish with five for 33. His one eight- over spell yesterday produced the impressive analysis of three wickets for seven runs, and he included Robin Smith among his victims. By lunch Gillespie had collected five of the six wick- ets to fall, with a clear chance of overtaking his career-best seven for 34 during the South Africa tour, against Border at East London in March. There was no better way of showing he was ready for Eng- land. As events turned out, he was not handed the ball again. Mike Kasprowicz, the most likely seam bowler to be omitted from the Test, took over to knock over Hampshire`s tail. Hampshire were hoping to benefit England indirectly by denying the Australians batting time in what might easily have been a shortened match. Unfortunately for them, the rain stayed away until af- ter the game was over, and John Stephenson`s side failed to rise above gritty mediocrity as the tourists secured their second first-class win of the tour. Mark Taylor, Australia`s captain, said afterwards he could not have asked for better preparation. To add spice to the occasion yesterday he decided to give Shane Warne a long bowl against Smith rather than rotate his competing seam bowlers. The result of the personal battle was stalemate as Smith struggled for 95 minutes while adding 13 to his overnight score, with Warne and the seamers giving little away. It was Gillespie who made the decisive cuts into Hamp- shire`s resistance, removing Will Kendall, leg before, and the luckless Stephenson, clean bowled for his second duck of the match, in successive balls. Later he had Smith caught at third slip at- tempting to force. The best aspect was three full rain-free days on the overcast south coast. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)