PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
AT THE ASHES DINNER
MELBOURNE, 27 SEPTEMBER 1989
I am delighted to have been asked to join with members of
the Australian Cricket Board and other distinguished guests
who have gathered here this evening to pay tribute to one of
Australia's most successful cricket teams ever to tour
England. I
Your magnificent performances in England brought an extra
inner warmth to the hearts of your fellow Australians during
the winter which has just passed and made us all very proud
of you. At the outset I want to express my congratulations
to the Australian Cricket Board, to Malcolm Gray and David
Richards, for giving us the opportunity tonight in Melbourne
to pay tribute to you. Sydney will honour you tomorrow.
But before I pay my own tribute, I want to pick a couple of
political bones with the team. I've been asked by Paul
Keating to point out to you blokes that your efforts in
England have probably ruined the Government's economic
policy for good and all.
Here we are, doing our best to raise productivity and
develop an export culture in the consciousness of
Australians. How could we possibly succeed when, to judge from the slack,
sports-mad mob who work in my office, for three months the
work-force shambled into work late, pale, drawn and red-eyed
and then, instead of taking an aspirin and getting on with
it, spent the rest of the day rabbiting on about Boonie's
catch at short-leg off Alan Lamb, or Deano's six over
long-on, or the one Merv ripped through Robin Smith?
The other thing we are trying to do is to cool the economy
so we can lower interest rates. And what are you fellows
doing about that? I am reliably informed that your
performances have got sales of cricket gear booming again.
Kids are rushing out all ' over the country to buy bats, to
emulate Mark Taylor's cover drive, and six-stitchers that
will move away in the air and nip back like Terry
Alderman's. You've got the economic planners in despair. 2049
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I had the great pleasure of seeing the team play at Lord's
on the second day of the Second Test and, later that day,
attended Doug McClelland's memorable reception at Australia
House, where the Australians and a good number of English
players were also present.
I recall that Allan was a little worried that evening.
Chasing about 280 by the Pains, Australia had faltered a
little after a good start and was 6 for 270. A great deal
would depend on how Steve Waugh and the tail batted the next
day. On that day, our RAAF plane flew out of London for
Washington at 11, just as play was beginning. Over the last
few weeks, the RAAF has given thousands of Australians
reason to be grateful for their dedication and skill. I can
tell you that on that Saturday in June they made about
Australians the Prime Minister, his staff, his officials,
and a group of journalists truly thankful for the
regularity, and the content, of their mid-Atlantic sports
results service from the cockpit.
The mood on board charged from anxiety, to hope, to
disbelief and, finally to sheer delight as we learned that
Merv Hughes had got 30 against the new ball disbelief
indeedi that Trevor Hohns had chipped in with a useful
that Geoff Lawson had played the innings of his life for
and, finally, that Steve Waugh was unbeaten for another
Bradman-like 150-plus.
My other great memory of that Test comes from Washington on
the last day. The critical final couple of hours play were
taking place in London as I was preparing for my formal
talks with the President and his Administration.
I hope nobody tells George Bush but one of the more
ingenious members of my staff had worked out that you could
ring the Telecom cricket score service in Sydney from the
telephones in the limousines provided to us by the US
Government. I went into the Oval office to meet the
President, privy to the very disturbing information that we
were 4 for 67, chasing about 120 to win.
I would not of course wish to suggest that either I or my
delegation would let our minds be distracted from important
talks with our American friends by concerns over the fate of
a mere cricket match. But Secretary of State Baker and his
officials are probably still puzzled why at a particular
point of the discussion about the US Farm Bill, the
Australian delegates grinned, punched the air and muttered
things like " You little beauty!" I can tell them now that
word had come through that Boon and Waugh had just got the
runs.
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The team never looked back from that wonderful start, went
on to win the series 4-0, and, but for the weather, would
almost certainly have won 6-0. In doing so, they achieved a
feat last performed by Bill Woodfull's team in 1934, and
only on one other occasion again by Woodfull in 1930, and
on behalf of everyone here, may I say how marvellous it is
to see members of the 1934 team among us tonight.
A measure of the 1989 team's success can be gauged by the
fact that the commentators continually reached for their
history books to determine which record had just been broken
and what the next one could be. Allan and his players did so
well that Jack Pollard has put back the launch of the final
volume of his definitive " History of Australian Cricket" so
that their remarkable feats can be included.
Their individual performances will stand comparison with
anyone's well, nearly anyone's. Don Bradman put England to
the sword in 1930 to the tune of 974 runs at an average of
139. It would of course be sacrilege for any subsequent
Australian player to aspiri to surpass this record but, for
a while, mark Taylor gave the aggregate a shake and Steve
Waugh fell just short of the Don's average. As Phil Derriman
has pointed out in today's press, Waugh got his runs a shade
faster than Bradman in 1930.
The top six Mark Taylor, Geoff Marsh, David Boon, Allan
Border, Dean Jones and Steve Waugh performed with superb
consistency and, equally importantly, provided bright and
aggressive batting throughout the series.
We saw the astonishing effort of Taylor and Marsh breaking
the opening partnership record for Australia-England Tests
of the legendary Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes, which had
stood since 1912.
The bowlers were also superb. Terry Alderman's second haul
of over 40 wickets in an Ashes series was a truly wonderful
effort. It had to be, to win the Man of the Series award
against all those high-scoring batsmen.
It was very good to see Geoff Lawson back in top form,
bowling with fire and cunning. Merv Hughes took important
wickets when they were needed. I got a lot of pleasure in
seeing Trevor Hohns show that there is a role for good
leg-spin bowling even in England.
Ian Healy played his part by hanging on to every chance
which came his way and, most importantly, the fielding and
catching of Border's team were in the best tradition of
Australian cricket.
It was obviously important that the other touring players-
Greg Campbell, Tim May, Tom Moody, Carl Rackeman, Mike
Veletta and Tim Zoehrer performed well throughout and,
however frustrating it must have been to watch the Tests
from the rooms, still contributed by their support and
competitiveness to the outstanding success of the tour. 20,51
I also want to pay tribute to Bob Simpson and Lawrie Sawle
for their work in preparing the team for performance on the
field and keeping them such a happy and united bunch off it.
Which brings me to Allan Border.
Over the past decade, Allan has established himself as one
of our greatest ever Test batsmen, whose best performances
have been put in when the going was tough.
The Australian captaincy came to him when the team was in
crisis. Times have often been difficult since.
But, whether the team was on top or struggling, Allan has
consistently performed with outstanding dedication and
professionalism as a player, and his demeanour has at all
times been one of courage, honesty and good sportsmanship.
These qualities have won him respect around the world.
The delight that all Australians felt when the Ashes were
won was enhanced by the knowledge that, of all the
Australian cricketers to whom this supreme honour could have
fallen, none has more richly deserved it than Allan Border.
Allan's leadership on this tour was outstanding, whether in
the aggressive innings he played on the first day at
Headingley, which set the tone for the series, the assured
and purposeful manner in which he handled his bowlers and
set his fields, or in the delighted but modest way he
accepted victory, remembering to say a kind word for that
fine cricketer, David Gower.
we wish you all the best, Allan, as you take this great side
on to new challenges Pakistan in Australia this summer, in
what should be an exciting series and, before too long, the
West Indies I know from a recent discussion with Michael
Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica, that the team's
performances have made a profound impression in the
Caribbean. And, at a personal level there is the target of
Sunil Gavaskar's 10,000 Test runs.
But whatever the future may bring, I am sure that you will
treasure 1989 as the climax of a great career.
And I am delighted to inform those present that the
Governor-General is announcing to ' night that Her Majesty the
Queen has awarded Allan the Order of Australia. I am sure
that all Australians will congratulate you on this richly
deserved recognition of your services to Australian cricket.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to propose a
toast to Allan Border and his great 1989 Ashes team.
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