England's Derek Randall's 174 wins 'Man of Match' award but...:

Australia win historic Centenary Test over England by 45 runs

FLASHBACK: The day the historic Test match to commemorate a hundred years of stirring battles between the two principal contestants of the game, England and Australia, was to begin at Melbourne. The day was March 12 in 1977.

Melbourne, the venue of the first ever Test between Australia and England on March 15, 1877, wore a festive look akin to the activity that could be witnessed in the site of an Olympic Games. It was a day to remember. Two hundred and seventy former England and Australia players were attending the match as special invitees and the Queen of England was to come on the last day of the match, one of the most publicised encounters in cricket history.

And the cricket that was winessed over the five days was deserving of all this and more. By a rare and historic coincidence, Australia won the Centenary Test by exactly the same margin - 45 runs - as in the first ever contest a 100 years earlier. But victory this time had not come as comfortably as in the first match.

Set to score 465 to win the Test in the fourth innings, the gallant Englishmen gave the Australians a fright on the last day when the game swung back and forth before falling 45 runs from the target. The man who led the magnificent England fightback was Derek Randall who scored a splendid 174 and became the deserving winner of the "Man of the Match" award.

The drama started even before a ball was bowled in the match. Anthony Greg, the South African born England skipper surprised everyone when he took a cheeky decision by putting Australia in to bat on a perfect wicket after winning the toss. But in no time the Australians were in dire trouble and by tea on the first day round one had gone to Greg. England bowlers Lever, Willis, Old and Underwood bundled out Australia for 138.

The English captain's gamble had paid off, giving his side an enormous psychological advantage early in the game. But, for Greig's counterpart in the Australian team, Greg Chappell, things could have hardly got any worse. On top of the poor Australian total, there were doubts about Dennis Lillee's ability to bowl at his best due to a back injury.

"Lillee ee, Lillee ee, kill 'em Lillee", chanted several thousand of his fans from the stands as the mustached Western Australian speedster lazily walked up to his bowling mark on that Sunday morning - the second day of the Test. England was then one down for 29. And "Dennis the Menace" as some sports scribes prefer to call him, did not disappoint them.

He responded to the urgings of the crowd as he alone can. Like an angry child shattering with one harsh blow a house of cards, Lillee in a fearsome burst of accurate fast bowling, mercilessly annihilated the opponent, and England was dismissed five runs under 100, thirty minutes after lunch. Lillee's analysis read an incredible 13-2-26-6. The never-say-die Walker supported him ably and bagged four wickets.

Australia - a massive lead

Batting through three days - from a little after lunch on the second day to about an hour into the fourth-Australia built up a massive lead.

Wicket-keeper Rodney Marsh, scored his maiden Test hundred (110 n.o.) Opener Davies, Walters and the young debutant David Hookes scored over 50 runs each and Greg Chappell as a happy man when he closed the innings at 419 for nine, a lead of 462.

Will the match go into the last day when the Queen of England was to grace the occasion? Few thought it would. But a quick-witted 26-year-old Englishman, who were a perpetual smile on his boyish face and who impressed with his brilliant fielding in the covers when Australia was batting, had plans of his own.

Coming in at the fall of the first England wicket, with the total at 28 and the 463 run target appearing a distant mirage, Derek Randall, the fun-loving man from a tiny village in Nettinghamshire set about the task of taming the Lion (Lillee) in its own den with a single-mindedness of purpose. Lending a hand to Randall in his crusade were Brearley and Amiss. At close on the fourth evening, England was two down for 191, Randall on 87 with Amiss on 34.

Randall in complete control

Randall was in complete control from the beginning, hitting the ball to all parts of the ground and his confidence seemed to unsettle Lillee's rhythm as the bowler went astray in both length and direction. Lillee, hurled fierce bouncers in an effort to unsettle Randall early in the innings. But Randall was equal to the task and each time took runs with his fine drives through the covers and his sweetly timed square cuts.

So, the stage was set for a fitting finale to the Centenary Test on the last day. Randall and Amiss batted throughout the morning session seeing off the second new ball and laying the basis for a victory charge by England in the final phase of the game. The pair added 166 valuable runs before Amiss was out for 64.

Then Randall who had dominated the six Australian bowlers used in effortst dismiss him, found an ideal partner in skipper Greig. They hit the Australian bowling to all over the ground and an England win seemed certain as the score moved along at better rate than required.

However, 10 minutes after Queen Elizabeth arrived at the ground, disaster struck when Randall was caught off by leg-spinner Kerry O'Keeffe. England still seemed to have a chance, but with Randall gone, the man who had wrecked England was back again. Bowling at his fastest Lillee cleaned up the England innings as wickets tumbled. Knott (42) was the only batsman to offer any resistance in the final session. It was a brave fight by England whose total of 417 became the highest score by an England side in the fourth innings of a Test against Australia.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to the "Centenary show" was paid by Jack Fingleton when he wrote: "This is a fantastic show. It would need a Neville Cardus to do it justice." May be it wasn't quite the match of the century. But it was an memorable a contest as was ever played.

Australia: 138 (Greg Chappell 40, R. Marsh 28, Old 3 for 39, Underwood 3 for 16) and 419 for 9 wkts dec (I. Davies 68, K.D. Walters 66, D. Hookes 56, R. Marsh 110 not out, D. Lillee 25, Old 4 for 100) beat England 95 (D.Lillee 6 for 26, R. Walker 4 for 54) and 417 (J.M. Brearley 43, D.W. Randall 174, D.L. Amiss 64, A.W. Greig 41, A.P.E. Knott 42, D. Lillee 5 for 139, O. 'Keeffe 3 for 108).

The teams

England: A.W. Greig (captain), A.P.E. Knott (wicket-keeper), R. Woolmer, J.M. Brearley, D.L. Amiss, D. Randall, K.W.R. Fletcher, C.M. Old, J.K. Lever, D.L. Underwood and R.G.D. Willis.

Australia: Greg Chappell (captain), Rodney Marsh (wicket-keeper), I.C. Davies, R. McCosker, G.J. Cosier, K.D. Walters, D. Hookes, G.J. Gilmour, D.K. Lillee, K.J. O'Keefe and M.H.N. Walken.

AC de S