Cricket: New Zealand's display exposes Fab Four flaws

By RICHARD BOOCK

PERTH - New Zealand's spectacular performance in the third test has raised questions about the future of Australia's most senior quartet.

Whatever happens in the next two days at the Waca ground, the below-par efforts of the Waugh twins - Mark and Steve - and bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have prompted Australians to query whether their world championship side is starting to become too long in the tooth.

Not only have the Fab Four struggled to make an impression at Perth but they have disappointed throughout the entire three-test series, after being cancelled out by New Zealand's intelligent and well-executed game plans.

Warne, aged 32, had taken 411 wickets at 26.30 before the Kiwis arrived, but has managed to take only four wickets at 55.00 in the series so far, and has appeared much less of a threat without a wrong'un in his repertoire.

The man who has been tipped to challenge Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 test wickets was only a shadow of himself at the Waca, where he was treated with scant respect by the New Zealand top order, especially wicket-keeper Adam Parore.

His fast-bowling team-mate McGrath is also under the microscope, having added only three wickets at 64.00 to his pre-series record of 361 at 21.63, and at one stage being demoted to the role of third seamer.

Although he seems to have retained most of his pace, the 31-year-old's ruse of bowling wide of off-stump has proved singularly unsuccessful against the New Zealand batsmen, who have been content to shoulder arms and wait for him to make a change.

As for captain Steve Waugh, 36, his hopes of playing until he is 40 may prove a touch premature if his innings of 3, 0 and 8 in his three test innings so far are anything to go by.

Widely regarded as the person most cricket fans would nominate to bat for their lives, Waugh seems to have slowed up noticeably in terms of his reaction speed, and his ability against the short ball - once viewed as his great strength - now appears a genuine weakness.

His twin brother, Mark, found himself in just as much of a muddle after missing an arrow-straight ball from Nathan Astle at Brisbane, and then running past a looping delivery from Daniel Vettori at Hobart.

He seemed to be making amends at Perth yesterday until he fell to a reckless shot off Vettori and, like his brother, is starting to look a bit gun-shy against the short ball.

The foursome will almost certainly stay for the upcoming series against South Africa, but another modest performance is likely to result in a full-scale inquisition.