Australia gears up for third test

By Vic Mills

MANCHESTER, England (JP): Australia goes into the third cricket Test against England at Old Trafford today in good heart following an emphatic victory over Hampshire by an innings and 133 runs.

The mood in the Australian dressing room was summed by its captain, Mark Taylor, "that was by far our best performance. It finally feels like we are into this tour."

The captain's words reflect the difficulties the Australians have encountered over the past six weeks. An abbreviated preparation left them short of practice for the one-day series and lacking cohesion for the first Test. The weather has since played havoc with their quest for form and fitness.

Only in the three-day match against Hampshire did the pieces fall into place. "We couldn't really have asked for more out of it," said Taylor.

"This is the type of thing we did regularly on the last two tours, coming out and dominating teams from the start. It has been very encouraging."

With Glenn McGrath rested, the Australians fielded an otherwise full-strength Test team against Hampshire. The contest- within-a-contest was that of a fit-again Jason Gillespie going head-to-head with Michael Kasprowicz for the one remaining bowling place.

The exercise posed more questions than it answered, however, as Gillespie ended the match with seven wickets and Kasprowicz six. Performances that suggest the pressure has now shifted to Paul Reiffel.

While conscious of the permutations, Taylor is not troubled by them. "All the bowlers came through superbly and we are going to Manchester with 17 fit men," he said.

"The hardest thing is narrowing it down to 11, but that is a good problem to have."

Gillespie made his intentions clear with figures of 5-33 from 13 overs in the Hampshire second innings. A performance that surprised even his captain.

"I had though he might try to ease himself back," said Taylor. "But when you're 22 and on your first Ashes tour, you don't ease into anything."

The Australian selectors will wait until today before naming their final 11. A decision influenced by the worst June weather in 40 years. With the pitch preparation severely disrupted, chief groundsman, Peter Marron, has hinted at a slow, green wicket that should suit the seam bowlers.

In the corresponding game four years ago, similarly unseasonal weather resulted in a damp Old Trafford pitch. However, instead of supporting the quick bowlers, it spun violently on the first morning.

Spinners

Should the wicket again assist the spinners, then Australia will turn to its premier slow bowler, Shane Warne. Short of form early in the tour, the blond-haired Victorian is another for whom the Lord's Test proved, quite literally, a turning point.

Growing in confidence with each over, he fully deserved the wickets of Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain. With five wickets in the first innings against Hampshire, it was evident, too, that his control had returned. All of which should start the alarm bells ringing in the England camp.

With Taylor, Matthew Elliot and Mark Waugh all scoring runs at Southampton, it is unlikely that Australia will change its batting line-up. There remains a slight worry over the form of Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan, neither seeming yet to have fully adjusted to English wickets.

As at Edgbaston and Lord's, the toss, with the damp pitch likely to assist the bowlers, will be vital. Should Taylor call correctly today, and the weather hold fair, then Australia will have leveled the series by Monday evening.