Monday Milestone: The ‘A’ Team

This Week in History:
1995,January 16
Cricket Australia introduce Australia A to the limited overs Benson and Hedges World Series with mixed results

“That little bastard will do it too”

My mate’s father was incredulous. We were sitting in their living room on one of those hot summer nights in the mid-1990s, like so many Australians watching the cricket. It’d come down to the final ball of the first final. Green versus gold; with Greg Rowell steaming in to “that little bastard” Ian Healy and scores were tied. One ball remained…

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember that one summer of Australia v Australia A in the mid 1990s. They were the halcyon days of ODI cricket, when four or five runs per over was considered exciting. But still, they wanted more and Australia A was it.

The idea was simple. Introduce a second Australian side, comprised of the next best eleven players in the country. Granted, matches involving Australia A would not be counted as official ODIs, but still what an innovation.

And to be fair, for the most part, it worked. The two touring sides that summer were perennial battlers Zimbabwe, and a particularly hapless English side, who’d already surrendered the Ashes 3-1 to Australia. So introducing Australia A seemed to provide an opportunity for a second Australian side to challenge the old foe.

However, there was one aspect that hadn’t been considered fully: what about when Australia played Australia A?

At best it was going to divide Australian cricketing fans. But worse than that, in a country who loves the underdog, there’s little wonder the public support naturally deferred to the A’s. Booing the national side however when they ran out against their understudies, was perhaps, in hindsight, a little excessive.

And what wasn’t there to like about the A’s? Ponting, Martyn, Lehman Langer and Hayden would all go on to have glittering international careers, (as would Reiffel and Bevan to a lesser extent). Combining with fringe Australian players, Angel, McIntyre, Emery and the wily veteran Hughes and trivia questions Shane George, Greg Rowell and Gavin Robertson rounded out the squad.

They’d been surprisingly successful. The young upstarts had beaten Zimbabwe, then two nights before, they’d not just shocked England, but also restricted the run rate enough to qualify for the final of the World Series Cup. Bringing us to this moment.

The match had already been full of tension. Future teammates, Australian A opener Matthew Hayden and Australian quick Glenn McGrath had a heated exchange. Bevan had made 73, but McDermott had snared 4/25 and Slater compiled 92 in response.

In that living room, that hot night, we’d cheered each Australian wicket as the A’s had fought back. Now on the last ball, scores were tied. My mate’s father swore again. For the first time, in my life I was willing Australia to lose.

And when Healy cut Rowell’s last ball to the fence and Australia were victorious, I, along with a lot of the Australian public was disappointed. I’m sure it was never the intention of administrators that the Australian public would turn against its national team, or be cheering against them.  

Probably why, after that summer, the Australia A experiment was never attempted again.

 

Milestone Five: Interesting aspects of the Australia A experiment

1. Paul Reiffel suffered the ignominy of being“promoted” from the As to the Australian side, only to carry the drinks as twelfth man.

2. After failing to beat Australia A, tailender Joey Benjamin fails to hit enough runs for England to qualify for the finals of the Benson and Hedges World Series, falling just two runs short.

3. After copping an elbow in the ribs in the final from Australian fast bowler, Glenn McGrath, Australian A opener Matthew Hayden takes exception, giving McGrath a piece of his mind, before McGrath shoved Hayden away. Both players would be charged.

4. Greg Blewett and Michael Bevan both hit centuries and combine for a 161 run stand which would ultimately prove too much for England to chase to qualify for the WSC Finals.

5. Australia A announce themselves in the World Series Cup with a big five wicket win against Zimbabwe led by a run-a-ball 85 from Darren Lehmann.