Shattered: An English batsman has his stumps spreadeagled in his side’s loss to a rampant Australia in the first match of the Desert Ashes series. Photo by Cpl Jamie Osborne

By Capt Keith Wilkinson

DIGGERS in Al Muthanna have been dubbed “the Thunder From Down Under” after they defeated their British counterparts in the first match of the Desert Ashes series.

The Australians scored 221 for the loss of only six wickets while the Brits were all out for 102.

After the toss off the coin – which was synchronised with the toss at Lords for the real Test – the AMTG cricket team strode on to the specially constructed pitch proudly wearing the green and gold Australian one-day uniforms.

The significance of the encounter was highlighted by the fact the uniforms were donated by the Australia Cricket Board for this historic match amid the desert sands of Camp Smitty. As well, Prime Minister John Howard – a self-confessed “cricket tragic” – sent a letter of support to the team before the match.

Under the leadership of Capt David Carew, the Australians won the toss and – well aware of the 50+ degree Celsius heat – chose to bat.

They immediately took to the British bowling with great delight with 12 runs coming from the first over.

Revelling in the conditions, Maj Steve Mott hammered the British bowling and top scored with 103 runs.

Maj Mott brought up his record score in quick time with four towering sixes and 12 fours.

The best performed English bowler was Lt Scot Wiseman, who took 1-37 off five overs.

After giving the Brits a lesson in batting – and amassing a very respectable 221 – the Aussies sent the embattled Brits in to bat and it wasn’t too long before they succumbed to the Aussies barrage of fast pace bowling.

The Brits all out for 102 runs after just 20 overs.

Capt Nathan Schurmann punished the British batsman, taking 4-17 off four overs.

A shining light for the British side was civilian policy adviser Harry Fitzgerald, who kept the British hopes alive by top scoring with 33 runs.

With one match under their belts, the Aussies know they can’t become complacent.

They know they’ve still got a fight on their hands to win the next two matches to secure the coveted Desert Ashes series.

The desert series is being played under one-day rules with 25 overs a side and a slight modification that allows for “a drink” substitution because of the heat.

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