Welcome to the WestpacTrust Stadium in Wellington, for this the
second attempt at getting the National Bank One-Day International
Series underway, with New Zealand taking on Australia
the news is considerably better today, with relatively fine and
quite warm conditions at present, though there were just a few
spits of rain about 10 minutes ago, but nothing to concern anyone,
for now
in fact, since almost immediately after the abandonment yesterday,
the weather has been lovely, with just a short shower around
midnight, otherwise perfectly good for cricket
the stadium has about 5000 people in at the moment, but it should
grow, as long as the weather holds into the evening
the pitch looks pretty decent for batting, with a good consistent
light brown colour, having been used two days prior for the ODI
between the New Zealand and English women
however New Zealand have won the toss and inserted Australia in to
bat, no doubt gambling on the hope the moisture kept under the
covers overnight will assist their bowlers early on to chip out
quick wickets
the outfield may be a touch on the slow side, but the ground does
have very good drainage facilities, so it should get better as the
match progresses
New Zealand are debuting 30-year-old Warren Wisneski today, with
Simon Doull being left out as 12th man, while Damien Fleming takes
that role for Australia, and Ian Harvey the 13th man left out
altogether
bad news through by phone, that it is in fact raining very hard in
the centre of town, which is just a few minutes away from the
ground
the umpires come out, now the New Zealanders to a huge cheer, an
excellent atmosphere here considering the ground is nowhere near
full at the moment
a mixture of claps and jeers welcome the Australian openers Mark
Waugh and Adam Gilchrist
dear oh dear, the rain has hit, as expected from the inside word in
town, and just as the players have made the middle, they have to
sprint off again, coming down quite hard
naturally the crowd boo again, the groundstaff are hurriedly
yanking on the major blue covers while the lighter cloth goes on
the pitch surface itself
the rain is getting harder and harder, this is a real downpour, I
suspect they have psychic clouds in here for Wellington, ones that
dislike the idea of One-Day International cricket being staged in
this city
this is the fourth straight ODI in Wellington dramatically weather-
affected - last year both Indian and South African ODIs at the
Basin Reserve were stopped in the middle of the first day, and
there was no chance of a resumption on the reserve day
while the West Indies ODI at this stadium in January was stopped
very early on, but luckily managed to complete on the reserve day,
it's anyone's guess as to what will happen today
the lower seating rows empty dramatically as they head for the
proverbial hills, or in real terms, to higerh up in the stands
where the seats are sheltered by the the stadium roof overhang
it just gets harder and harder, we're looking at an indefinite
delay, despite it being unlikely to last long given the strength
of it, the clouds in the distance are a puffy white, and further
around it's lovely clear blue skies
now another cover to cover the entire pitch block is being dragged
over, that's about all we can update you with for now, more news
as it comes to hand
Match State: Rain delays the start of play
the rain has eased away, though it is still coming down enough to
prevent any progress in ground preparation, in the meantime Chris
Harris and Chris Cairns come out on to the outfield to have a
fruitless look around, only succeeding in soaking themselves
those of you punters waiting online might like to enter CricInfo's
own fantasy cricket competition for this series, linked in the top
frame of this coverage, if you weren't one of the many to take the
opportunity same time yesterday
the sun has reappeared and now the bowlers' run-up covers for one
end are being slowly dragged away, taking a team of 8 people to
heave it off, bit by bit, as it's loaded with water and
considerably heavier than when it was first raced on
the New Zealand captain and coach have had a wee wander out to the
middle and back and stand near the entrance tunnel waiting for
things to happen
now Steve Waugh has a walk out to the middle, inspecting the
bowlers' landing area and chatting with coach John Buchanan, who
approach umpire Steve Dunne, standing out at square leg, and now
the other umpire Evan Watkin comes over to join them
there seems to be a little concern possibly over a patch near where
a bowler's foot will land at one end
the pitch is now uncovered, though the covers aren't off the field
completely, just laying to one side for now, the ground continues
to be bathed in sunshine
another inspection has been made and the umpires are happy that
play can commence at 3:30pm (in just over 15 minutes time), with
the match reduced to 43 overs per side
a huge cheer as the New Zealand players return to the field
Chris Cairns to open the bowling, with Adam Gilchrist on strike,
two slips in place
the atmosphere is building up nicely, the crowd must be approaching
15,000 now
just a slight hold up as the sightscreen is slightly moved across
0.1 Cairns to Gilchrist, no run, beaten! what a start! the crowd gut
wild, and it's not even a wicket, but Cairns delivered that one
with some fire, it swung away wonderfully and Gilchrist was left
groping
0.2 Cairns to Gilchrist, no run, bat on ball this time, stroked up to
Twose at mid on
0.3 Cairns to Gilchrist, (noball) no run, short, too short in fact,
rockets well over shoulder height, virtually over the helmet,
Australia off the mark
0.3 Cairns to Gilchrist, OUT: gottim! the crowd are on their feet,
Gilchrist gets an edge, Fleming takes a sharp catch back behind
him to his left and Gilchrist departs for a duck
Australia 1/1, Partnership of 1
AC Gilchrist c Fleming b Cairns 0 (4b 0x4 0x6)
ME Waugh 0* (0b) CL Cairns 0.3-0-1-1 (1nb)
Cairns is pumped, leaping in the air with delight, good straight
ball outside off, came back a shade and Gilchrist good a good
thick edge on it
Matthew Hayden the new batsman, making his first One-Day
International appearance in 6 years
0.4 Cairns to Hayden, wide: no run, late call from umpire Dunne, but
signals wide down the leg side, it was well wide too, Parore takes
well low to his right
fit a few more in here and you'd have almost have a true re-
creation of Sydney, the atmosphere is super
0.4 Cairns to Hayden, no run, beaten! Cairns rips one up from a back of
a length, slides *just* past teh outside edge of Hayden's bat
jumping on the crease line, Cairns follows it up with a few words
coming rigth down teh pitch
0.5 Cairns to Hayden, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
0.6 Cairns to Hayden, one run, angling down leg, turned away backward
of Spearman at square leg for an easy run, first off the bat for
the visitors
End of over 1 (3 runs) Australia 3/1 (RR: 3.00)
CL Cairns 1-0-3-1 (1w 1nb)
ML Hayden 1* (3b) ME Waugh 0* (0b)
Warren Wisneski to bowl from the Scoreboard End, making his debut
today at the ripe old age of 30 (and nearly 31)
1.1 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, straight ball that swings late to leg,
turned to square leg
1.2 Wisneski to Hayden, legbye: one run, down the leg side, turns it
away off the pad towards Cairns at third man, racing up to field
just outside the circle
1.3 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, jumping on the crease, drops it at
his feet and it rolls away just backward of point, Waugh looking
for a run but it isn't there
1.4 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
1.5 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, turned down towards fine leg
a bit of a jitter as Wisneski completely loses the ball nearing the
end of his run-up, it rolls down the pitch and is dead-balled
1.6 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, turned away to square leg, a solid
opening over in international cricket for Wisneski and is
applauded for it
End of over 2 (2 runs) Australia 5/1 (RR: 2.50)
WA Wisneski 1-0-1-0
ME Waugh 1* (3b) ML Hayden 1* (6b)
2.1 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
2.2 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, shoulders arms again
2.3 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, shortish ball, shrugged away to
backward square leg
2.4 Cairns to ME Waugh, wide: no run, wide down the leg side, Waugh
fails to glance it away, typical boo for the signal
2.4 Cairns to ME Waugh, wide: no run, and another, a louder boo this
time
2.4 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, forward, angles it away to McMillan at
gully
Cairns and umpire Dunne inspect the front food landing mark again,
just the odd concern in teh area of the bowlers' run-ups, that was
what caused the abandonment yesterday
2.5 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, crisply driven straight up to Vettori
at mid on, fine piece of fielding sliding in to his left, and even
throws down the stumps from close range for added effect, Hayden
isn't worried, back in his crease all the time
2.6 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, cracking back foot drive but straight
to McMillan at gully, fires back a throw that misses as Waugh
hovered out of his crease
End of over 3 (2 runs) Australia 7/1 (RR: 2.33)
CL Cairns 2-0-5-1 (3w 1nb)
ML Hayden 1* (6b) ME Waugh 1* (9b)
more discussions taking place near the spot where Parore stands,
some sand put down to help grip
3.1 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, pushed back up to Vettori at straight
mid off
3.2 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
3.3 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, firmly stroked into the pitch, Wisneski
fields sharply above his head on the follow through
3.4 Wisneski to Hayden, FOUR, too short and sits up nicely for Hayden,
back foot slap in the air through vacant cover, rockets to the
boundary
3.5 Wisneski to Hayden, FOUR, overcompensates for the length of the
previous delivery and pitches it up too full this time, half
volley stroked in almost exactly the same place, Hayden breaking
the brief early shackles imposed by New Zealand
3.6 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, gets it on a better length this time,
forward defensive up to mid off
End of over 4 (8 runs) Australia 15/1 (RR: 3.75)
WA Wisneski 2-0-9-0
ME Waugh 1* (9b) ML Hayden 9* (12b 2x4)
4.1 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, jumping on his crease, drops it at his
toes, has to watch it doesn't roll back on to his stumps, Cairns
comes charging through to field himself and gestures to take off
the bails
4.2 Cairns to ME Waugh, FOUR, short and wide, easy stuff from Waugh,
cut in the air perfectly through the gap between gully and point,
flies to the rope
4.3 Cairns to ME Waugh, legbye: one run, turned off the pad to vacant
short fine leg, easy run
4.4 Cairns to Hayden, no run, full ball, dug back out down the track,
Vettori in from mid off to field
4.5 Cairns to Hayden, no run, shoulders arms outside off stump
4.6 Cairns to Hayden, no run, defends back to the bowler
End of over 5 (5 runs) Australia 20/1 (RR: 4.00)
CL Cairns 3-0-9-1 (3w 1nb)
ME Waugh 5* (12b 1x4) ML Hayden 9* (15b 2x4)
5.1 Wisneski to ME Waugh, (noball) no run, oversteps, defends away to
Harris at backward point
5.1 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, angling down leg, turned down to
Twose at long leg
5.2 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, strongly stroked wide of Vettori at mid
off, but a good diving stop to his right keeps the batsmen where
they are, fires in a throw just wide of the stumps to Parore to
cap it off
5.3 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
5.4 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
5.5 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, shortish ball, shoulders arms outside
off
5.6 Wisneski to Hayden, FOUR, just overpitches a tad and Hayden's
quickly on to it, neatly clipped off the pads through vacant
midwicket, just evades the two chasers into the rope
End of over 6 (6 runs) Australia 26/1 (RR: 4.33)
WA Wisneski 3-0-15-0 (1nb)
ME Waugh 6* (14b 1x4) ML Hayden 13* (20b 3x4)
6.1 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, back, tries to carve it through teh
covers but it's too straight for him, hit into the deck and tamely
rolls back to Cairns
6.2 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, shoulders arms outside off stump
6.3 Cairns to ME Waugh, FOUR, full down leg, meat and drink for Waugh,
pick up shot over square leg, crowd 'ooh' as they think Spearman's
close to it, but it's safely over his head
6.4 Cairns to ME Waugh, one run, shortish ball, waits on it and dabs it
down just past gully to third man
6.5 Cairns to Hayden, FOUR, lovely stuff, too full and it's cracked
down the ground straight past the bowler, Vettori gives it his all
in the chase, slides into the hoardings as he tries to push it
back inside the rope, but the replay shows he was touching both at
the same time
6.6 Cairns to Hayden, no run, makes a late decision to leave outside
off stump
End of over 7 (9 runs) Australia 35/1 (RR: 5.00)
CL Cairns 4-0-18-1 (3w 1nb)
ME Waugh 11* (18b 2x4) ML Hayden 17* (22b 4x4)
the run rate has been injected with a dose of caffeine in the last
four overs, 6 boundaries amongst 28 runs scored in that period
7.1 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, forward defensive up to Vettori at
mid on
7.2 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, neatly clipped hard backward of
point, Twose makes a fine effort to get around in teh outfield,
they looked for the second but decided to wait, then Waugh comes
charging down as Twose slightly slips over, but Hayden doesn't
he manages to scramble back in time as Twose's throw to the
bowler's end goes well wide of the mark
a few heart-in-mouth moments for everyone in the ground too
7.3 Wisneski to Hayden, one run, stroked off the back foot wide of mid
off, runs with teh shot
7.4 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, forward defensive into teh pitch,
Wisneski strolls forward to field himself
7.5 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, beaten a little for pace as Waugh
tries to tap it away but it goes into the top of the pads, looks
briefly for a single but it's not there
7.6 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, advances down the track early, then
stops, inside edged dab away towards short fine leg
End of over 8 (3 runs) Australia 38/1 (RR: 4.75)
WA Wisneski 4-0-18-0 (1nb)
ME Waugh 13* (23b 2x4) ML Hayden 18* (23b 4x4)
8.1 Cairns to ME Waugh, one run, angled down to Twose at third man
8.2 Cairns to Hayden, no run, raises the bat well above the body as he
leaves it alone outside off
8.3 Cairns to Hayden, one run, nudged away towards vacant extra cover
leaning back into it, Vettori across to field, easy run
8.4 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, stroked into the pitch and back up to
Cairns who cannons back a throw right at teh stumps, he's really
aggressive today, luckily it misses or there'd have been a chance
of a few runs off the ricochet
8.5 Cairns to ME Waugh, no run, leaves alone outside off stump
8.6 Cairns to ME Waugh, one run, cuts hard but a bottom edge results,
away to short fine leg, Styris overruns the ball charging in, they
looked to sneak a second but wisely didn't as Styris recovers
sufficiently
End of over 9 (3 runs) Australia 41/1 (RR: 4.56)
CL Cairns 5-0-21-1 (3w 1nb)
ME Waugh 15* (27b 2x4) ML Hayden 19* (25b 4x4)
9.1 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, cut hard into the ground but straight
to Harris, who gets a solid round of applause for it, but that's
easy peasy
9.2 Wisneski to ME Waugh, no run, stroked back on the off side of the
pitch, Wisneski fields himself on the follow through
9.3 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, shortish ball doesn't quite come on
as Waugh mistimes a back cut, Harris skirts around to backward
point and flings a throw back towards teh stumps, teh crowd get
midly excited but that was a really easy quickly single, no
worries for Hayden
9.4 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, quickish ball hurries ont o Hayden
tries to glance it away, inside edge into the pad towards Spearman
at square leg, loud call of 'no!' sent back to Waugh
9.5 Wisneski to Hayden, FOUR, thwack! short ball and sits up for Hayden
to rock back on the back foot and hammer it in the air wide of
Styris at mid on, positively crashes into the boundary at wide
long on
9.6 Wisneski to Hayden, one run, back, works it through vacant
midwicket for the easiest of singles
End of over 10 (6 runs) Australia 47/1 (RR: 4.70)
WA Wisneski 5-0-24-0 (1nb)
ML Hayden 24* (28b 5x4) ME Waugh 16* (30b 2x4)
Scott Styris replaces Cairns after a spell of 1-21 from 5 overs
one suspects a double change will take place, with probably Harris
or Astle brought on at the Scoreboard End for Wisneski also
just two overs left until the fielding restrictions come off
one slip in place, third man, guloly, point, cover, mid off, mid
on, square leg and long leg in place
10.1 Styris to Hayden, no run, cracked off the back foot leaning into
it, but straight up to Vettori at mid off
10.2 Styris to Hayden, no run, shortish outside off, Hayden plays race
loose shot, trying to heave it over midwicket, plays all over it
10.3 Styris to Hayden, one run, nicely nudged up towards Twose at mid
on, but keeps the strength off it so they can sneak a quick
single, easily beating home the wide back flick towards the stumps
as Twose dives into it
10.4 Styris to ME Waugh, no run, forward defensive, slightly fending it
away towards backward point as it seemed to do a little off the
deck
10.5 Styris to ME Waugh, no run, driven up to Vettori at straight mid on
10.6 Styris to ME Waugh, one run, tucked off the thigh through backward
square, Cairns races around from square to fire in a return and
calm thoughts of a sharp second being taken
End of over 11 (2 runs) Australia 49/1 (RR: 4.45)
SB Styris 1-0-2-0
ME Waugh 17* (33b 2x4) ML Hayden 25* (31b 5x4)
the predictoin is wrong, Wisneski's being given a chance to
continue into a sixth over from the Scoreboard End, but given a
few encouraging words from Cairns and Fleming first
11.1 Wisneski to ME Waugh, one run, tucked away backward of square leg,
Harris slides across to field, posting the Australian 50 in 11.1
overs
11.2 Wisneski to Hayden, FOUR, a bit short down the leg side and Hayden
strongly pulls it through backward square leg, too much for Styris
to get around from long leg to stop, that brings up the 50
partnership
11.3 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, full, dug out to Fleming who stops
sharply at short midwicket
11.4 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, driven firmly up to Vettori at mid off,
who's starting to have the odd loose bowling action practice,
maybe the replacement for Wisneski shortly instead
11.5 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, cracked backward of point to Harris who
makes a great save then fires back a throw to the bowler's end,
Waugh was struggling a bit to get back and the replays show he
could've been in a little trouble had it not missed
11.6 Wisneski to Hayden, wide: no run, poor slower ball down the leg
side, too wide
11.6 Wisneski to Hayden, no run, driving, outside edge quickly guided
away to Harris diving at backward point, Hayden wisely yells 'no!'
to Waugh
End of over 12 (6 runs) Australia 55/1 (RR: 4.58)
WA Wisneski 6-0-30-0 (1w 1nb)
ME Waugh 18* (34b 2x4) ML Hayden 29* (36b 6x4)
the sun has temporarily disappeared, and it has cooled down a bit,
with some light greyish cloud about, moving fast across the ground
aided by a fair Wellington wind
12.1 Styris to ME Waugh, one run, dropped in close backward of square on
the off side, smart quick single taken as it's well short of any
fielders
12.2 Styris to Hayden, no run, back then forward in defence up on the
off side of the pitch
12.3 Styris to Hayden, FOUR, smacked off the back foot, teasingly in the
air just short and wide of Vettori who makes a valiant but
unsuccessful dive to his right to try and cut it off at mid off
12.4 Styris to Hayden, no run, forward, pushed up to mid off
12.5 Styris to Hayden, FOUR, classy stuff, too full and that's a
pleasantly driven shot well wide of mid on, pulls up late but has
enough juice on it to get over the rope
12.6 Styris to Hayden, one run, nudged away to Twose at deep midwicket,
McMillan slides over at midwicket trying to cut it off
End of over 13 (10 runs) Australia 65/1 (RR: 5.00)
SB Styris 2-0-12-0
ML Hayden 38* (41b 8x4) ME Waugh 19* (35b 2x4)
and it's time for drinks, and Australia wrest control firmly out of
New Zealand's early grasp with a decent barrage of strong boundary
shots
Daniel Vettori makes an appearance at the bowling crease, replacing
Wisneski after a spell of 0-30 from 6 overs at the Scoreboard End
13.1 Vettori to Hayden, bye: two runs, has a big swing to a full ball
outside off, misses completely as it flies past Parore and they
get a couple as it goes quite fine
13.2 Vettori to Hayden, one run, swept away to short fine leg, quick run
taken as the throw goes high to the bowler's end
13.3 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, forward, turns back into the pad, big
appeal for lbw turned down by umpire Watkin, huge boos as they see
a couple of replays in the giant screen, looked pretty useful, but
there was a fair bit a bounce to that as it angled to middle and
leg
13.4 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, leaves alone a flat ball outside off
stump
13.5 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, forward defensive at his feet, Parore
around to collect himself
13.6 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, forward defensive back on the off side
of the pitch
End of over 14 (3 runs) Australia 68/1 (RR: 4.86)
DL Vettori 1-0-1-0
ML Hayden 39* (43b 8x4) ME Waugh 19* (39b 2x4)
Chris Harris replaces Styris after a spell of 2 overs for 12 runs
14.1 Harris to Hayden, FOUR, floated up too full outside off, cracked
through the covers and a poor start for the crowd favourite Harry
14.2 Harris to Hayden, no run, back to a fullish ball, driven to
McMillan at shortish midwicket
14.3 Harris to Hayden, no run, cracked in the air part way towards
Vettori at mid off
14.4 Harris to Hayden, no run, driven back into the pitch back to Harris
who fields neatly off his own bowling
14.5 Harris to Hayden, no run, driven straight to Styris at extra cover
14.6 Harris to Hayden, one run, reaches for a straight ball, uppishly
played through vacant mid on, up to Astle at long on
End of over 15 (5 runs) Australia 73/1 (RR: 4.87)
CZ Harris 1-0-5-0
ML Hayden 44* (49b 9x4) ME Waugh 19* (39b 2x4)
15.1 Vettori to Hayden, no run, turned away to Fleming at short fine leg
15.2 Vettori to Hayden, one run, reaches well forward down the pitch to
strongly sweep it away to deep backward square leg, Styris fields
15.3 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, comes down the track and firmly
strokes it towards extra cover, a mercurial leap to it from Harris
plucks it cleanly on the bounce and they can't make anything from
it
15.4 Vettori to ME Waugh, one run, driven down to long off
15.5 Vettori to Hayden, one run, forward, drops it tamely away towards
forward square leg and they amble a single
the stadium lights are switched on as it's a fairly murky evening
even at 4:50pm
15.6 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, driven back firmly on the leg side,
Vettori dives across to stop it well and flings it back to the
keeper
End of over 16 (3 runs) Australia 76/1 (RR: 4.75)
DL Vettori 2-0-4-0
ML Hayden 46* (52b 9x4) ME Waugh 20* (42b 2x4)
16.1 Harris to Hayden, no run, big swing down the leg side trying to
hoist it over deep square leg, just past the leg stump and Parore
can't glove it cleanly either
16.2 Harris to Hayden, two runs, driven down towards Astle at long on,
not played too strongly and they get back for a well taken second
as Astle's just a tad slow to it
16.3 Harris to Hayden, one run, driven straighter down to Astle at long
on, no chance of a second this time
a hold up in play as there's another sightscreen problem, this time
they're lacking another person to help shunt the big thing across
16.4 Harris to ME Waugh, no run, driven straight back to the bowler
16.5 Harris to ME Waugh, no run, pushed to McMillan at extra cover
16.6 Harris to ME Waugh, one run, tapped back down the wicket just wide
of Harris on the leg side, up to Fleming at deep mid on
End of over 17 (4 runs) Australia 80/1 (RR: 4.71)
CZ Harris 2-0-9-0
ME Waugh 21* (45b 2x4) ML Hayden 49* (55b 9x4)
17.1 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, watchfully driven straight back to
Vettori
17.2 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, full ball outside off, tries to square
drive it away to deep cover but gets a bottom edge into the pitch
on the off side
17.3 Vettori to ME Waugh, one run, comes down the track then waits a bit
on it, driven up to Wisneski at wide long on who's up quickly to
it and sends back a strong throw
Vettori to come over the wicket to Hayden
17.4 Vettori to Hayden, no run, flat ball, leans forward in defence back
on the off side, Vettori across to field himself
17.5 Vettori to Hayden, no run, dances down the crease but Vettori
senses it and keeps it even shorter, Hayden has to reach well
forward to defend it safely to Harris at wide midwicket
17.6 Vettori to Hayden, FOUR, powerful shot! swung away through
midwicket and it smashes into the hoardings just a few feet wide
of the fielder placed out there, it was hit that well, a great way
to bring up his 50
End of over 18 (5 runs) Australia 85/1 (RR: 4.72)
DL Vettori 3-0-9-0
ME Waugh 22* (48b 2x4) ML Hayden 53* (58b 10x4)
18.1 Harris to ME Waugh, no run, driven straigh to McMillan at extra
cover
18.2 Harris to ME Waugh, no run, similar again, this time a bit more
work for McMillan as he slides in to it on his right
18.3 Harris to ME Waugh, two runs, lifts it just wide of the leaping
McMillan, he played that rather uppishly as Harris puts it on a
good length, out to the deep extra cover sweeper
18.4 Harris to ME Waugh, no run, defends to short mid on
18.5 Harris to ME Waugh, FOUR, this time a more committed stroke over
the leaping McMillan, races away to the extra cover boundary
18.6 Harris to ME Waugh, one run, full ball turned away through backward
square leg, chance of a quick second but Hayden drops his bat as
he turns
End of over 19 (7 runs) Australia 92/1 (RR: 4.84)
CZ Harris 3-0-16-0
ME Waugh 29* (54b 3x4) ML Hayden 53* (58b 10x4)
19.1 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, fast, flat ball, traps Waugh on the
crease as he overbalances, into the pad
19.2 Vettori to ME Waugh, two runs, well cut away through backward
point, a bit of work for Spearman around from deep cover to pick
it up just inside the rope
19.3 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, pushed up to mid off
19.4 Vettori to ME Waugh, two runs, driven up towards wide long off,
enables the second run as Wisneski has to run some distance in to
field it
19.5 Vettori to ME Waugh, one run, oodles of space on the leg side,
Waugh uses it to his full advantage, just taps it away in close
square on the leg side, nobody at square leg, they jog the run
19.6 Vettori to Hayden, one run, nudged around the corner away to Styris
at deep backward square leg
End of over 20 (6 runs) Australia 98/1 (RR: 4.90)
DL Vettori 4-0-15-0
ML Hayden 54* (59b 10x4) ME Waugh 34* (59b 3x4)
Nathan Astle replaces Harris after a spell of 0-16 from 3 overs
20.1 Astle to Hayden, FOUR, cracked through extra cover, Spearman runs a
long way around the boundary and slides into the ball, but pushes
it over the rope, brings up the Australian 100
20.2 Astle to Hayden, no run, driven firmly to extra cover
20.3 Astle to Hayden, one run, driven up to Fleming at mid off, quick
run with the shot
20.4 Astle to ME Waugh, SIX, dances down the track and launches it high
over mid off, New Zealand's gamble of bring both long off and long
on up fails immediately, just pitches inches over the rope
some delay as they check out the replays, a tight one, finally
signalled six
20.5 Astle to ME Waugh, no run, defends back to the bowler
20.6 Astle to ME Waugh, one run, drops it in close on the off side,
quick single taken, looked tight but safely home as McMillan's
lobbed diving throw goes well over Parore's head
End of over 21 (12 runs) Australia 110/1 (RR: 5.24)
NJ Astle 1-0-12-0
ME Waugh 41* (62b 3x4 1x6) ML Hayden 59* (62b 11x4)
the Waugh/Hayden Express keeps chugging along at a great rate of
knots, 12 off Astle's opening over
21.1 Vettori to ME Waugh, one run, driven down to Cairns at long off
21.2 Vettori to Hayden, one run, charges down the wicket, mistimed shot
just past Harris at wide mid on, down to Cairns at long on
21.3 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, lovely back cut but straight to Styris
at backward point
21.4 Vettori to ME Waugh, no run, comes forward, Vettori rushes it in
full and flat, defends it away to Harris at extra cover
21.5 Vettori to ME Waugh, one run, shortish ball sits up outside off,
cracked away to Spearman at deep cover
21.6 Vettori to Hayden, one run, swung away along the ground to Spearman
at deep midwicket
End of over 22 (4 runs) Australia 114/1 (RR: 5.18)
DL Vettori 5-0-19-0
ML Hayden 61* (64b 11x4) ME Waugh 43* (66b 3x4 1x6)
Fleming gives Astle another chance after he was taken to
immediately in his first over
22.1 Astle to Hayden, one run, and it almost came off, Hayden has a go
at a fullish ball outside off, scoops it up top edgily towards
deep point, but it bounces just short of Spearman coming around
from deep cover
22.2 Astle to ME Waugh, one run, turned down to Cairns at long leg
22.3 Astle to Hayden, no run, firmly stroked into the deck and up to
Astle, many uninformed members of the crowd go up for the caught
and bowled when it was clearly a bump ball, then murmur when
nobody moves
22.4 Astle to Hayden, one run, turned away to deep midwicket
22.5 Astle to ME Waugh, one run, driven down to long on as the rain
starts sweeping across the ground again
22.6 Astle to Hayden, one run, driving, Astle does him a bit and the
shot streakily runs away through backward square leg from the
inside edge, Astle looks away in disgust
End of over 23 (5 runs) Australia 119/1 (RR: 5.17)
NJ Astle 2-0-17-0
ML Hayden 64* (68b 11x4) ME Waugh 45* (68b 3x4 1x6)
a bit of a discussion about the rain, but they are staying on for
now, hoping it is a passing shower
but no, it persists and gets stronger, and they are off, to yet
more boos from this rather strong looking crowd now
it must be numbering up towards the 22,000 mark now, has really
grown since the start, but this is yet another disappointment for
what is the largest crowd for a One-Day International in
Wellington
the rain was coming in side-on initially, but it's now pretty much
coming straight down, the main cover is now hauled on
we're in for an interesting evening's entertainment, one suspects,
now that Duckworth/Lewis is also set to take a part in proceedings
Australia's strong position built up by this pair sets them in good
stead after whatever calculation is made (presuming we do get
underway again in good time)
Match State: Play delayed due to rain
the rain is now driving down harder, and the entire ground is
surrounded by an even layer of misty grey cloud, the blue skies
are a figment of the past now as the stadium lights kick in to
compensate for the gloom
sadly it's coming down a fair bit harder, and prospects of a return
to play any time soon are looking slim to none
the customary trek from the lower sections of the stands to the
covered upper ones has been completed, it's looking a good crowd
squeezed up top while empty down below
it's not looking good here folks, the ran continues to drive down
at an annoying pace, in the meantime we've had a field invader, in
good old Kiwi singlet and gummies, and manages to evade one
security man and run all the way down a bowlers' run-up cover
unfortunately he botches the delivery as he lined up the big swan
dive slide, stumbling over mid-pitch, as he regains his feet he's
crashed tackled back to the ground again, and hauled off the
ground, the crowd in the corner he's walking off to give him
a standing ovation
and now we have a full-on streaker wearing nothing but his white
socks, fairly rare in New Zealand, but he too makes a terrible
attempt, not even making it over the boundary rope as he slips
over and is quickly covered up and his shorts yanked back on
security take him over to teh same place, where they're greeted by
two police officers and the gentleman is arrested on the spot in
the outfield, to much booing from all round the crowd
he'll be facing a hefty fine and a possible ban from the stadium
for a period
a whole ring of security staff now dot the outfield, eyeing every
sector of teh crowd closely for troublemakers
relatively good news in the fact that the rain has died down
somewhat, but not completely, just drizzling across the ground now
in the interim, the 5th replaying of an S Club 7 video on the giant
video screen is underway, don't the crowd just love hearing this
one over and over again, getting down with Jo and the gang
the weather gods show their appreciation of this video by making it
come down a bit harder again, just to make sure it's shown in
full, and maybe again
official word is that the latest time they can restart is at 7:30pm
(in an hour and 45 minutes time), for a required minimum of a 25
over per side match
another semi-streaker tries to make an attempt for the middle, but
only gets a third of the way there, clad in just his boxer briefs,
the same treatment is dealt to him, tackled, escorted off, met by
the police and taken away
the rain has finally abated, and there's a slight chance we can
sneak a game in, but don't hold your collective breaths, one more
shower and it's likely to kill off the game altogether
despite the rain stopping, there's little activity out in the
middle, just a couple of groundsmen having a casual sweep of the
water away from the edges of the covers
out of interest, if we squeeze in a minimum 25 over per side match,
and Australia advance their score to a nominal 130 (ie. 11 off
their last 2 overs), New Zealand's target will be a tough 198
the crowd are 'entertained' by two young kids having a race on a
Playstation camped out in the outfield, and being beamed up on to
the big replay screen (complete with sounds effects) for teh crowd
to 'enjoy'
about the only time the crowd get excited is when either one of
them crashes
and official word comes through, sadly for the very last time, it's
too wet to continue and the match has been abandoned at 6:15pm
no surprises that this announcement over the public address system
is met with one last long boo, but you can't blame the officials,
the outfield is a little soggy, despite having good drainage
facilities
so Australia's promising start proves pointless, but at least it
will have injected confidence into their camp on the start of
another series this season (as if they needed any more after their
recent record, mind you)
particularly for late replacement Hayden, making a sparkling return
to ODI, and indeed international, cricket with a well-spanked 64
from just 68 deliveries
the crowd will feel rather short-changed from this affair, with
refunds only being given if the match doesn't last 15 overs -
we've gone just 8 overs past that cutoff point
from here it's on to Auckland for the second match, starting at
2:30pm local time (0130 GMT) on Saturday the 19th of February
effectively it's now the first match of a 5-ODI contest, it's as if
New Zealand Cricket know in advance that the Wellington weather is
going to be terrible, so schedule an even number of matches
bearing this in mind
this is the fourth straight ODI in Wellington in the last 2 years
(both last year at the Basin Reserve, both this year at the new
WestpacTrust Stadium) that play has looked to go in the second day
on the first two occasions, it simply wasn't possible, on the third
they at least struck it lucky, but here in the fourth, a good
looking start quickly turned into another damp squib
that's all we have to report from a damp and dark Wellington today,
join us for live coverage of the second match in the series in
Auckland on Saturday, good evening until then
any comments you may have on the, albeit brief, commentary today,
fire them off to comms@cricinfo.com, we're more than happy to hear
what you have to say about the commentary, the game or the rules
surrounding it