No Joy In Perth For The English

The Age

Thursday December 14, 2006

CHARLES DAVIS

IS THE Ashes die cast? In light of the team's record at the WACA Ground, England faces a Himalayan challenge to come back in this series. England has not won in Perth since beating the World Series-ravaged Australians in 1978-79, and its record of only one win there, in 10 attempts, makes Perth the worst (major) venue in the world for the England team. By contrast, the WACA is a favourite ground for Australia, with 58 per cent of Tests won. Only Brisbane (59 per cent wins) and Cape Town (90 per cent) have been more productive for Australia. Among other teams, only South Africa, with 72 per cent wins at Centurion, has a better win record at a particular ground.

THERE might be some hope for England in recent changes to the Perth wicket that have softened its reputation as a paceman's paradise. From 1995 to 2000, six Perth Tests in a row failed to make it into the fifth day, and all six were won by the team batting second. No team managed to bat right through the first day. Oddly enough, in spite of its record of early results, Perth has not had a 40-wicket Test since Australia beat England in 1979-80.

LAST year, in a display of fine defensive batting rarely seen nowadays (certainly not in Adelaide), South Africa forced a draw at Perth, the most positive result for it in a difficult summer. Draws are hard to come by at the ground, partly because Perth has one of the best climates for cricket in the world. Only two major grounds have never lost a complete day's play to bad weather: the WACA Ground and Bridgetown, Barbados.

IN SPITE of good records, Australia's remaining batting stalwarts, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, have suffered a bit of a "century drought" in Perth in recent years. Langer, against Pakistan in 2004, is the only one to pass 100 there against serious opposition in the 21st century. Ponting does not have a ton at the ground to his credit since 1999; so don't be surprised if this lean run ends soon.

UNFORTUNATELY the Ashes tour is so compressed that there is almost no time for a player, or team, to work back into form. Not one first-class match has been scheduled to interrupt this five-Test series. The 44-day schedule for the Test series is the shortest in Ashes history, shorter even than the four-Test series in 1975 that had to be fitted around the World Cup. This sort of compression is not so unusual recently, but doesn't the "most anticipated series ever" deserve better?

UNLIKE several teammates, Damien Martyn was not often a headliner, but he had a quiet and elegant way of making a difference. Most of Martyn's Test centuries - nine of 13 - were made away from home, but none of them in the West Indies. In a 67-Test career, Martyn never played a Test in the Caribbean, a curious record in itself.