Fresh approach Australian selectors leave nothing to chance Click here for more on this story Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 10:45 PM   Although he has failed to shine in his limited test appearances, Michael Bevan has shone on the one-day stage where bouncers are effectively banned. Hamish Blair/Allsport SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Australia's build-up to next month's World Cup began almost immediately after their loss to Sri Lanka in the final of the 1996 tournament. It was only then that Australia's cricket selectors finally decided to embark on a fresh approach to the one-day game. Australia's philosophy before that had been to rely upon the same players who had proven themselves in the test arena with the addition of the odd all-rounder. Australia worked on the theory of building its innings by keeping its wickets intact for a late flourish then pressuring the opposition with tight bowling. Australia's strategy had been good enough to enable them to win the 1987 World Cup but their defeat by Sri Lanka at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore nine years later exposed the shortcomings of the game plan. Sri Lanka's innovative use of pinch-hitters at the top of the order and its policy of chipping over the in-field from the start of the innings changed forever the way one-day cricket would be played. It signaled to the rest of the world that limited-overs cricket had finally evolved from the longer version of the game and needed to be treated as a different entity. Australia, to its credit, was one of the first nations in the world to take heed of the Sri Lankan message, even though its was already recognized as the best test-playing country on earth. They did not, however, follow Sri Lanka's attack-at-all costs approach but instead restructured its selection policy by choosing separate teams for tests and limited-overs matches. A number of players were chosen in both sides but some of the biggest names in Australian cricket, including former captain Mark Taylor and veteran wicketkeeper Ian Healy, suddenly found themselves out of favor for one-day selection. The policy, which was implemented for the sole purpose of winning the World Cup, ruffled more than a few feathers when it was first introduced but has since been seen as a masterstroke following the emergence of a new breed of one-day specialists, particularly Adam Gilchrist and Michael Bevan. Gilchrist, who singlehandedly replaced both Taylor and Healy, has proved a revelation. A dashing left-handed batsman, Gilchrist has been appointed to open the Australian innings along with Mark Waugh, who normally bats at number four in the test team. Together they have formed a formidable partnership with Gilchrist, in particular, relishing his role. He has already scored five centuries including the highest ever score (154) by an Australian in a one-day match which he made against Sri Lanka earlier this year and helped the team off to a flying start. He also keeps wicket and while he is perhaps not as nimble behind the stumps as Healy he has been more than adequate for the abbreviated version of the game. Bevan, too, has also been a revelation, propping up the Australian middle-order with an endless stream of runs. Although he has failed to shine in his limited test appearances for Australia, partly because of his problems against short-pitched bowling, Bevan has shone on the one-day stage where bouncers are effectively banned. His almost unbelievable average of 62 is a tribute to the number of times he remains not out although his real genius is in the manner in which he calmly goes about shepherding the tail-enders from the strike at the close of innings as he carefully builds his own score. But Australia's strengths do not lie entirely with its one-day specialists. They also boast a number of highly experienced, and equally shrewd, campaigners. Its captain, Steve Waugh, is possibly the fiercest competitor in the game and leg-spinner Shane Warne and paceman Glenn McGrath remain as two of the world's premier strike bowlers. Australia's fresh approach to the game has already met with a degree of success. It beat South Africa last season to win a triangular World Series tournament at home then hammered England to retain its title this year. But they also crashed to an early defeat at last year's mini World Cup tournament in Bangladesh and were beaten by South Africa in the Commonwealth Games final in Kuala Lumpur. Australia's biggest problems in recent years have been at the hands of two individual players, India's Sachin Tendulkar and West Indian skipper Brian Lara. The two batsmen possess the uncanny knack of producing their best efforts against Australia. Although the Australian players concede that is probably the one variable they have little power over, they remain supremely confident that if they can keep the pair in check they can go all the way and win in England.   Related information Stories Gilchrist follows explosive opening trend Warne weaves his magic again Moody aims to make his comeback count Multimedia Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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