Date-stamped : 20 Feb95 - 10:45 NZ Centenary ODI Tournament: Match #4 New Zealand v Australia Eden Park, Auckland, 19 February 1995 New Zealanders referred to their cricket centenary as ``the birthday bash from hell``, and Australia`s 27-run win at Eden Park exemplified their parlous state of health yesterday. New Zealand ogled the apparition of victory as opener Mark Great- batch (74) and exciting No 4 Stephen Fleming (53) flew a defiant flag in a red-blooded 82-run partnership before Fleming`s head- strong dismissal sacrificed a win that would have stirred a na- tion. Australia seized the advantage and advanced to Sunday`s fi- nal. Seeking 255 on a placid pitch, Greatbatch and Fleming sailed along to 2-124 by the 27th over, leaving a challenging but not insurmountable target of less than six runs an over to transport New Zealand into the final of their quadrangular tournament. When Greatbatch curbed his ways - he struck two sixes in the first eight overs - Fleming skied off-spinner Tim May to Shane Warne at long-on and New Zealand`s challenge gradually withered and perished at 9-227. Australia fly to Dunedin tomorrow to meet a strangely out of sorts, if not out of season, Indian team at Carisbrook on Wednes- day. New Zealand play South Africa in Christchurch on Thursday to establish Australia`s rivals for the final back in Auckland. Man-of-the-match Mark Taylor (97) has yet to register a century in 72 limited-over internationals, but his day will surely dawn soon. With the passing of the long-standing Geoff Marsh-David Boon opening partnership, he has discarded his cloak of obscuri- ty. After Australia`s defeat of South Africa in Wellington and New Zealand`s unexpected win against India in Napier, a robust crowd of 25,000 watched yesterday`s match in conditions that could not have been surpassed, and with a pitch dry, slow and subdued. There are often first-hour gremlins at Eden Park. Not yesterday. Taylor won the toss, ran some risk and Australia reaped the har- vest of his second-wicket partnership of 147 from 188 balls in just over two hours with Mark Waugh. There are some days when Waugh bats as though wishing he were back home in bed. Other days he is as eagle-eyed as though at the Bankstown trots. Waugh struck only four boundaries but he weaved the ball through midwicket as if by electronic impulses, and two down-the-ground drives from over-pitched Chris Pringle deliveries were shafts of light. The admirable feature of Taylor`s 128-ball innings was his wil- lingness to attack. He square-drove and pulled eight boundaries, even charging along the wicket to attack Pringle. The big Auck- land paceman, considered New Zealand`s best limited-overs bowler, was reinstated after a week`s suspension for unspeci- fied mis- demeanours on the tour of South Africa. Just as Taylor and Waugh were about to eclipse Australia`s second-wicket record of 151 by John Dyson and Greg Chappell against New Zealand in 1980-81, Waugh drove a gentle return catch to medium-pace Justin Vaughan and Taylor gave Pringle a low lead- ing edge. ``A bit of a bummer, that,`` Taylor said last night. ``I was feeling all right. I would have had my house on getting a hun- dred. Maybe in the final.`` Mark Waugh left the scene to Taylor and Boon (44 from 42 balls), who crisply leg-glanced a boundary to extricate himself from a deep little canyon of diminishing confidence. With his cap- tain, the Tasmanian added 64 runs from 68 balls. New Zealand started without their outstanding batsman Martin Crowe, who slightly tore a thigh muscle against India, leaving Bryan Young to open with Greatbatch, a short-lived partnership before Paul Reiffel dismantled Young`s wicket. Reiffel is clearly Australia`s finest limited-over bowler. In his second spell he produced figures of 3-3-0-2, taking the wickets of Greatbatch and Vaughan, deceiving the left-handed Greatbatch with a slight away-cut for the catch to Ian Healy. ``Reiffel has done very well. His one-day bowling has been very good over the last two years so he has done himself no disservice with the West Indies side being chosen tonight,`` Taylor said. Taylor emphasised the four Tests of the West Indies tour were all-important and that Reiffel`s limited-over skill would not be any granite block of weight in the selectors` considerations. Nevertheless, the Victorian will be luckless if Brendon Julian or Jo Angel is preferred for the 15-man team to be announced today. Taylor was in no doubt Australia deserved their win, saying: ``You always have to take some risks when you are chasing 250. I don`t think they squandered it. We kept the pressure on all day and we took our opportunities.`` Australia`s catching was ordinary, and sustaining the ``pres- sure`` on New Zealand meant swinging Boon into the breach, left vacant by Steve Waugh, for four overs of little tweakers before Mark Waugh padded out the vulnerable area with his medium-pacers. New Zealand`s dream lingered while Greatbatch and Chris Cairns added 45 runs from 50 balls before cairns played poorly across the line to Glenn McGrath (2-40). Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.usyd.edu.au) ====> more WIN OVER NZ PUTS AUSTRALIA INTO FINAL - Sri Krishnamurthi Captain Mark Taylor hit a superb 97 to help Australia set New Zealand a formidable target of 255 runs for victory in their one-day international in the New Zealand Centenary Series here on Sunday. Taylor and Mark Waugh shared a second-wicket partnership of 147 after Australia suffered an early setback when Greg Blewett was dismissed for three with only three runs on the board. It was the home side's only real breakthrough of the innings as Taylor and Waugh comfortably piled on the runs, nudging ones and twos around the ground on a flat pitch which justified Taylor's decision to bat after winning the toss. Waugh finally departed for 74 but Taylor pressed on and was un- lucky not to register his maiden one-day international century when he was caught and bowled by Chris Pringle for 97 with the total on 214. It was the Australian captain's highest score in a one-day game beating his previous highest of 94 made against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992. With wickets to spare, David Boon hit his way back into form with a lusty 44 to help Australia finish on 254 for five wickets. For New Zealand the pick of the bowlers was recalled internation- al Chris Pringle who took two for 54. However, none of the New Zealand bowlers escaped punishment on a track which offered them little assistance. Australia and New Zealand both won their first matches in the quadrangular series which also includes South Africa and India. ====> more Captain Mark Taylor, notching his highest score in one-day inter- nationals, led Australia to a 27-run victory over New Zealand here on Sunday and into the final of the New Zealand Centenary quadrangular series. The left-handed opener top scored for Australia with an inspired 97 and combined with Mark Waugh to produce a match- winning partnership of 147 for the second wicket. Waugh, who hit 74, and Taylor helped Australia to a formidable 254 for five, a target which New Zealand closely chased for much of their innings but fell off the pace towards the end to fall short at 227 for nine. Taylor won the toss and chose to make first use of a batting track which lived up to his expectations. Australia suffered an early setback when they lost opener Greg Blewett for three with just three runs on the board. But then Taylor and Waugh comfortably steadied the innings, accu- mulating runs quickly with singles and twos on a benign batting strip. Waugh was first to bring up his 50 in the 25th over off 76 balls, while Taylor recorded his 50 in the next over off 73 balls. New Zealand finally removed Waugh, caught and bowled by Justin Vaughan, when the total was 150 but Taylor, joined by David Boon, pressed on to keep his side firmly on course for their big total. The Australian captain was unlucky to be dismissed, caught and bowled off bat and pad by Chris Pringle, when a maiden one-day international hundred beckoned. Taylor's previous highest one-day score was 94 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992. Boon hit his way back to form with a lusty 44 which kept Australia's innings together towards the end. In reply, New Zealand stayed in the hunt thanks to a third wicket stand of 82 between the two lefthanders Mark Greatbatch and Stephen Fleming. But the home side, who had beaten Indian in their first match of the series, lost Fleming for 53 and then Greatbatch for 74. The New Zealand innings lost its momentum and the home team had to be satisfied with batting out their overs unable to get close enough to the Australian target. The win assures Australia of a place in the final and guarantees that India will finish last in the four-nation tournament. Australia and India play in Dunedin on Wednesday in a match which now has no relevance for the finals. New Zealand and South Africa will battle it out for the other final berth next Thursday in Christchurch. Thanks :: Reuter Contributed by vicky (vigneswa@risky.ecs.umass.edu)