AGB Cricket

TAMPER TANTRUM

Apart from the occasional juicy first-day pitch, The Gabba strip would consistently have to be one of the best five in world cricket. In fact, Aussie pitches would make up at least half the best Top 10.

John Bracewell is a goose.

Bracewell flays Gabba pitch

New Zealand coach John Bracewell has accused Gabba curators of preparing a pitch that will benefit Australia in tonight's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy decider and says Channel Nine manipulated its "hawkeye" technology in Wednesday night's game to support umpiring decisions that favoured the home side.

An agitated Bracewell claimed the Gabba wicket had been altered more than once. "We're not sure what the wicket is like because it's been changed two or three times depending on the results of the last two games," he said. He also suggested bowler Daniel Vettori's impact could be limited by the recent heavy rain and "the change of pitch".

But Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell said the change of pitch was necessary due to the recent inclement weather in Brisbane.

"I've made a couple of comments before about that joker and he's not the type of person you should take seriously," Mitchell said of Bracewell.

New Zealand, along with most of the cricket world, consider Australia's ability against off-spin to be it's main weakness. So do I, for that matter.

However, I get fired up when other countries come here and complain about our pitches. Pitches that are invariably well presented when compared with pitches in other countries.

Or even more bizarre, they complain that OUR pitches don't suit THEIR bowlers.

The simple fact is, we serve up good pitches.

On the other hand, Australia go to New Z'lund next year and just like in India, the Kiwi's are going to make sure there are no super batting tracks for Australia to mount huge platforms.

They are going to serve up pitches as unsuited to Australia as they possibly can.

And if you go on the results from New Z'lund in 2000, where rugged pitches meant there was only one score over 300 and each match was reduced to a tight scrap, Australia's tour of New Zealand next year is a long way from a foregone conclusion.

SQUAWK THE TALK

Against India, Spanky Roebuck was critical of Adam Gilchrist after Gilly had chipped Mohammed Kaif for not walking. Now today, other pundits are again critical of Gilchrist for potting Craig McMillan after the Kiwi didn't walk.

They TOTALLY miss the point, of course.

It's all very well for the soft-headed luvvies and addled experts in the commentary and press boxes to start squealing about the rights and wrongs of walking, but out in the middle it's not an issue for debate. Excluding racist taunts and abuse, out in the middle Gilchrist wouldn't have given one tiny toss about debating decorum. Out in the middle Gilchrist was trying to get inside McMillan's head. Put. Him. Off.

In Kaif's case it didn't work.

However, in McMillan's case, it did. The Kiwi scrapper was sucked in big time, bit on Gilchrist's comments and was out LBW next ball. Top work, Gilly.

Tell it walking, Macca. Hit the bricks.

Gilly walks into wall of resistance

NEW ZEALAND have urged Adam Gilchrist to stop forcing his moral crusades upon them after a magnificent Australia victory was followed by a dispute over the spirit of cricket yesterday.

Australia reinforced their status as the super force of world cricket by storming to a brilliant innings and 156-run win at the Gabba to retain the Trans-Tasman trophy as emotions ran high under the strain of a stream of poor decisions by umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Bucknor.

The tourists fell for 76, their lowest total against Australia apart from the 42 and 54 they managed in the first Test between the two nations in 1945-46.

But bad blood simmered when Gilchrist, a renowned walker, and Craig McMillan when the New Zealand batsman, who was playing for his career yesterday, stood his ground after clearly inside-edging a ball to the wicketkeeper off Jason Gillespie.