Ugly batting pays handsomely
By MARTIN BLAKE

Justin Langer has had plenty of coaching in the art of ugly batting.

His mentor these days, or at least his inspiration, is Steve Waugh, the master of scratching his way through a difficult period or a tough day. Waugh has never seen the need to become embarrassed at the odd french cut or nick to the boundary. He never saw the need to be pretty, and nor does Langer.

Langer's first 50 against India yesterday could scarcely have been uglier. The pitch was seaming, and India's quick bowlers hit the right line and length, especially Javagal Srinath.

Langer played and missed numerous times, was close to lbw at seven, and bowled by a Srinath no-ball at 45.

Yet it was an innings of two distinct parts. Once he reached 50, the Western Australian went into overdrive, as though it was a matter of merely flicking a switch. He was helped in this by India's profligacy, and especially by Ajit Agarkar's tendency to stray to leg and to drop short.

Raised on the bouncy strips of Perth, Langer is a square-of-the-wicket man and to bowl short and wide to him is to feed his strength. He skipped from 50 to 98 at near run-a-ball pace and then bogged down again, taking another 24balls before he cover-drove a boundary to reach his century.

When he french cut Srinath to the fine-leg boundary late in the day, the Indian held up his hand as though to say, "That's five times". Langer smiled, for the scoreboard told the only story he needed to tell.