West eager to raise bar

TOWNSVILLE p e nt a t hl e t e Tori West hasn’t completely given up hope of qualifying for her maiden Commonwealth Games, with her fate at the discretion of selectors after finishing fourth in last week’s trials on the Gold Coast.

With only the winner, Vic- STEVE Smith’s declaration that Australia will subject South Africa’s tail to a bouncer barrage should ensure one of the most intense Test duels in years.

That’s because South Africa, unlike England this summer, have the artillery to fight back.

Whatever Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood dish out to the South African tail they can expect back with interest from the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel who can both hit 150km/ h.

Former Australian tailenders such as Ryan Harris, who was handy with the bat, still says Morkel was the most awkward bowler to face with his unnerving, rib- rattling bounce.

The Australians arrived in South Africa yesterday for the four Test series which starts in Durban on March 1. AN aggressive Colin Munro belted New Zealand into the Twenty20 tri- series final against Australia despite England claiming their final round- robin match by two runs yesterday in Hamilton.

Munro ( pictured) plundered the England attack at the top of the New Zealand innings, equalling the sixth- fastest halfcentury of all time in cricket’s shortest form as he raced past 50 in just 18 deliveries.

England, on the back of an unbeaten 80 by captain Eoin Morgan, posted 194 for seven after being sent in to bat. torian Celeste Mucci, guaranteed a place on the team, the 22- year- old is expected to find out today whether she makes the final cut.

If it doesn’t happen West was still satisfied with her performance, with a poor high jump result the only hiccup.

A former javelin thrower, West ( right) declared before the event she wanted to “do something special” in her pet event to honour fellow Townsville thrower Jarrod Bannister, who died suddenly in Holland recently.

She did just that with a personal best of 49.47m to easily win the penultimate event of the heptathlon competition.

But she could only manage fifth in the event- closing 800m to settle for fourth. West’s campaign wasn’t helped when she left her high jump shoes back in Townsville, and she said she’d benefit from the pressure of her biggest meet to date. She will still return home with a B- qualifier points total of 5669 points, the second time she’s achieved the milestone.

“I needed to win ( to be guaranteed) but there’s still potential I might be picked at ( the) selectors’ discretion,” West said.

“In the high jump, I let myself down. I pulled out a really good PB in the javelin, and a PB in the 100 and 800.

“Overall it was good, I’m not overly disappointed but high jump was an anomaly performance and that may be taken into account; I haven’t given up hope.”

West has only been training for heptathlon full time since quitting javelin in April last year.

Should she fail to win selection for the Commonwealth Games, she will shift focus to next year’s world championships and the 2020 Olympics.

“What I’ve achieved the last 10 months has been phenomenal with PBs in every single event. I don’t see any reason why I can’t lift again,” she said.

“The Gold Coast was the most difficult pentathlon I’ve ever done. I left my high jump shoes in Townsville and in shot put I forgot my bib numbers.

“My inexperience did show, but you learn lessons that way. I’ll come back, I have no doubt about that.

“I didn’t go and have a cry. I was very proud of myself because I didn’t give up.”