The 'Iceman' does it for Australia

Daniel Laidlaw

In his younger days, Steve Waugh was known as the 'Iceman' for his ability to bowl under pressure at the end of one-day internationals. Against England in the third NatWest game on Sunday, the veteran Waugh demonstrated his ice cool temperament with the bat to shepherd Australia to a victory in a pulsating finish.

Where younger heads may have panicked, Waugh showed the value of his 312-game experience and expert ability to assess a situation under pressure to calmly guide his side to a target of 269 with 5 wickets in hand and three balls to spare.

Pressured by loss of wickets and an escalating run rate required, Waugh nervelessly analysed the requirements and after another display of quality one-day batting by his charges, expertly bided his time until non-specialists Adam Hollioake and Mark Ealham were forced to bowl the final two overs and were picked off by sidekick Ian Harvey.

Before the match Australia rotated out Michael Bevan, to the bemusement of some English commentators unfamiliar with Australia's rotation policy, to clear a middle order place for Matt Hayden, while England selected debutant Owais Shah in place of an injured Michael Vaughan, the latest addition to the lengthening England casualty list.

In the initial overs it appeared England would struggle to reach a total around 200. On a relatively slow pitch that made timing difficult for new batsmen, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee had openers Marcus Trescothick and Ally Brown fighting for their runs. Brown succumbed to McGrath for 12, essaying a slash outside off stump with feet planted, the short of a length delivery taking the edge for a regulation catch behind.

Lee's first spell was a stark contrast to his record figures of 1/85 the previous day. He maintained control in conceding just 6 runs from 3 overs, as England reached 1/25 after 10 before Trescothick and Nick Knight changed the shape of the game. After calculating the relative threat of the bowling and the pace of the pitch, Trescothick and Knight moved into overdrive with a succession of boundaries that saw the run rate burgeon.

Adopted Bristol local Ian Harvey was dispatched over the top and Knight smashed Lee for a tremendous six over the sightscreen in a second spell that was more like the previous day, with 29 runs conceded off three overs, as a positive Knight hammered all bad balls available while creating a few as well.

The Australians found containment difficult against the constant bustle and urgency demonstrated by Trescothick and Knight in a partnership that featured alert backing up and sharp running between the wickets. Knight reached his half-century first by pulling Symonds over mid wicket; the fact the very occasional off-spinner had to be used in such circumstances again proving the folly of employing part-timers to make up the fifth bowling option. There was little choice today, however, with no fit bowlers available, emphasised by the Australian party having to call up Andy Bichel to the squad.

With a sparse off-side field Steve Waugh demanded the highest standards from his bowlers and, save the unerring McGrath and later the surprisingly restrictive Mark Waugh, they could not oblige in the face of a determinedly positive and industrious union between left-handers Trescothick and Knight.

From a slow start, the pair authoritatively dictated the tempo of the innings as Waugh was forced to readjust his bowling attack. Shane Warne was largely ineffective and Harvey too inaccurate, while Symonds three overs cost 24. With hard running a feature amid taking advantage of the short 65-yard boundaries, particularly on the leg side, England lashed 75 runs between overs 10-20 to be well positioned at 1/100 after 20 overs.

In the middle of a thriving partnership of 124, England handed Australia a bonus wicket when Trescothick was run out for an accomplished 69. Knight turned Waugh to mid wicket and Trescothick hesitated far too long at the bowler's before setting off and had no chance, as Warne's throw to Gilchrist saw him out by several yards.

The bowling of Mark Waugh was a minor revelation, as a consistent length prevented the batsmen from scoring any more than singles. When others went for in excess of five per over, Waugh's 8 overs for a mere 27 were a relief for the Aussies, with Waugh doing such a serviceable job that he received an extra over even after the mandatory quota for the fifth bowler had been completed.

With Waugh proving so economical in the middle overs England's rate of scoring began to slow when they it should have been accelerating. Knight, England's version of Michael Bevan, was denied a deserved hundred when Warne held a superb diving catch at mid wicket.

At the beginning of Lee's third spell, Knight whipped the ball away firmly only for Warne to intercept by flinging himself to his left. Amazingly, it continued a spate of dismissals off no-balls as replays showed Lee's front foot was clearly over the popping crease after Gilchrist had been bowled off a Shoaib no-ball the day before.

Shah joined Alec Stewart, who soon became Lee's second wicket. Although his economy rate won't show it, Lee was much improved in his final four overs and the 20 runs he conceded were mainly a by-product of edges and fine deflections as he strived for wickets. Lee suddenly began generating prodigious reverse swing in the 43rd over, accounting for Stewart with a fast inswinging full toss that beat him for pace. It looked a harsh call for although "Sky Scope" projected a hit on leg stump, the ball was clearly missing leg.

With England having lost all its momentum, Hollioake and Shah were reduced to a push-and-nudge mode when the state of the innings called for high scoring. Lacking the necessary intent, it seemed England would not reach the 250 that had earlier appeared the absolute minimum until Hollioake lifted his sights. Hollioake and Shah slammed 61 runs from the last 6 overs to compensate for the earlier apathy and propel England to a competitive total of 268 on the small Bristol ground.

Australia suffered a similar tardy start to England as openers Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist took time to adjust to the slow nature of the pitch against the accurate seam of Darren Gough and Allan Mullally. Gilchrist was still playing himself in when he recorded his second failure in two matches as an opener in England, bunting a catch to Shah at mid wicket from a short Gough delivery that cramped him for room from around the wicket. It is no secret that Gilchrist has been susceptible to the ball moving into him and Gough found the right line with Gilchrist forced to check his shot. Seaming pitches continue to expose Gilchrist at the top of the order.

By the 10th over, Australia had begun to raise the tempo as Ricky Ponting, at first resolute while he assessed the slower and slightly lower pitch, began to flourish by driving Mullally over the stand at long on. With Mark Waugh in tow, Ponting was careful to wait for the ball before driving as he replicated his supreme array of strokes from the previous day against the pacemen - and also against Cork and Ealham. After 15 overs, Australia had reached 66, and by the 23rd the hundred was raised. The run rate required remained above six but the batsmen were accumulating comfortably with the odd boundary to stay in touch.

For the second time in two days, Mark Waugh perished in the 40s for no apparent reason other than a loss of concentration. With the score at 101 and Stewart up at the stumps, Waugh played across a full, straight delivery from Dominic Cork and was clean bowled for 46, to Cork's unrestrained jubilation.

That brought Damien Martyn to the crease, in Bevan's No. 4 spot, and he joined Ponting in effortlessly forcing singles around with the occasional boundary to relieve the pressure. Cork bowled a good length on off stump, drawing the batsmen into drives, but off-spinner Robert Croft was barely turning it off the straight and after a series this year against Harbhajan Singh, was relative cannon fodder for Ponting and Martyn, deposited into the stands by both batsmen.

Mark Ealham, the quintessential English trundler, was able to be forced off the back foot for singles while a benign Croft was swept at will. As the match built towards a conclusion with Australia's rate of progress similar to that of England's, England captain Alec Stewart needed wickets to get his team back in the game. Ponting and Martyn knew it and batted accordingly, forcing the ball around for pressure-free singles while still dispatching the bad ball to the fence, just as the situation required.

Unable to exert pressure and with formidable batsmen still to come, Stewart had to call upon his trump card, Darren Gough, but did so a couple of overs too late. Every time a lull threatened, the pressure was relieved with a boundary, which was never better demonstrated than in the 35th over, by Mullally. With only six runs from the past two overs, Ponting used his feet to play two shots of the highest quality, driving through extra cover and then mid off for fours from consecutive balls. Ponting's innings was much better than the previous day's 70 in that the pitch demanded a degree of patience and fractionally holding back on his shots, which he did with maturity.

Gough couldn't break through and Hollioake was tried to no avail, so it was left to Mullally to deliver the badly needed wicket. He returned with 10 overs remaining and the score 198/2 - 71 required from 60 balls.

Advancing down the pitch, Martyn received a delivery that seamed back and kept fractionally low, making a late decision to try to steer it to third man rather than defend to be bowled between bat and pad for 46. England had an opening; Waugh answered by promoting the big-hitting Andy Symonds ahead of himself. Meanwhile, Ponting reached his century, his 8th in ODIs and first against England (113 balls, 9 x 4, 2 x 6).

The tension intensifying as the run rate required rose above eight, Symonds took the long handle to Hollioake with a towering six before abetting the suicidal run out of his partner Ponting. Ponting turned to complete a second run to long on but Symonds failed to respond from the bowler's end and Ponting, forced to sprint back, was run out by an excellent throw from bowler to Stewart for 102.

Australia were four down with two new batsmen at the crease in Symonds and Steve Waugh, on a pitch that required time to adjust, with a comfortable win suddenly turning into an even contest. Darren Gough, in operation with Cork as England used their best available bowlers, struck a blow for his side by clean bowling Symonds for a belligerent 23 as the stepped away to hit over cover in the 45th over - 5/230.

The salient statistic at the end of all close ODIs is the runs required-balls remaining differential, which stood at 8 in England's favour. Cork finished a top display of ODI bowling with 1/39, demonstrating how difficult it is for the batsmen to hit you if you keep the ball on a full length.

With 32 off 24 remaining and Cork having finished his overs, this is where Waugh displayed a cool head in conjunction with Harvey. To get back into the game, England had to use its best bowlers, and with four overs remaining just one each were left for Gough and Mullally. With a differential of 8 it would have been tempting for most batsmen to attempt to reduce it immediately regardless of the bowler, but Waugh and Harvey delayed, edging closer with singles and twos and awaiting the non-specialists. 32 off 24 became 24 off 18, which became 15 off 12 with Stewart in heartfelt discussion with his next option, Ben Hollioake.

For five balls, it seemed Ben had delivered, with Waugh perhaps having left it too late. But with 11 required and Hollioake bowling his last ball, Ian Harvey struck the most telling shot of the match, a tremendous six over extra cover to a full ball on off stump that effectively ended the game, which Waugh officially did with two boundaries in the final over.

Experience and calmness prevailed. The Iceman had done it again.