Well, it has been a while that I am away from cricket and
soccer. The current time is not so easy to focus on sports. But also, it is
quite tough to stay away from my passion.
Thus, I have decided to dish out some of the unforgettable
and underrated displays of the late 80s and 90s - some of them I watched on TV
as a highlight package, while most of them I watched live when cable connection
took over in Dhaka.
Today, I would focus on a tall Australian left-arm pacer,
who could have been one of the finest in the history of Australian cricket if
injuries did not cut short his career.
It was the much-hyped Ashes series in the 1990-91 season
alongside the unofficial-best-in-Test-cricket series: Pakistan vs West Indies.
Graham Gooch took over the captaincy of England and enjoyed
a magnificent summer where his boys relished a great time against the touring
Kiwis and Indians. The hopes were high when England landed on Australian soil -
many critics thought, the Poms would bring the Ashes back home and take revenge
of the drubbing in 1989.
But it was not to be.
The English were handed a 10-wicket thrashing in Brisbane in
the first Test, but in the second Test, they tested the Australians until Reid showed
up.
England take the upper-hand
A century from David Gower helped England amass 352 in the
first innings with Reid delivering 39 overs to pick up 6 for 97.
Australia’s top order all got starts but no one could post a
big score as Allan Border (62) and Mark Taylor (61) top-scored.
English paceman Angus Fraser ripped through the tail with 6
for 82 as England went into their second innings with a 46-run lead.
That lead would stretch to 193 when the tourists were 4for 147
at the tea break on the fourth day before the 50 minutes of madness.
Madness at the MCG
Border tried with the Reid and Tim May combination that
precipitated a collapse - 6 wickets fell for 3 runs in 12 overs as England
folded for 150 from 103 for 2.
Reid's 6-feet-and-8-inch lanky figure looked like a demon on
a sun-kissed day at Melbourne. The demon ran modestly at the popping-crease,
rolled his arm and pitched the ball consistently on a back-of-a-length with an
amalgamation of accuracy and sharp pace - The English batsmen were taken a back
by the length and deceptiveness as the gentle demon devoured each of his scalp
to satisfy his appetite.
Two early wickets gave England hope before Geoff Marsh and
David Boon shared in a 187-run unbroken stand to lead Australia to a win in the
final session off the match.
Reid would repeat the same against India in 1991-92 at the
same venue.
We loved watching Reid in action.
Video Courtesy: Cricket Australia
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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