Tour Match: North West v New Zealanders at Potchefstroom, 11-13 Nov 2000 CricInfo Live Report

Tour Match: North West v New Zealanders at Potchefstroom, 11-13 Nov 2000
Peter Robinson

New Zealanders 1st innings: New Zealand bat first, New Zealand reach 109 for two, Spearman hits century,
North West 1st innings: North West 0 for two at close,

KIWIS MAKE THE MOST OF A GLOOMY AFTERNOON

Making the most of what good light was available, New Zealand had a purposeful final session on the first day of their three-day match against North West at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

Despite a tea break which stretched to 54 minutes because of the light and another interruption which lasted 15 minutes, New Zealand were able to declare their first innings closed at 280 for six and then found time to grab two wickets in the early overs with North West still to score a run in their first innings.

Amid the comings and goings in mid-afternoon as the players shuttled on and off the field, New Zealand took their tea score of 219 for four to a declaration which gave them 10 overs at the home team.

Nathan Astle, not out on 47 at tea, duly moved to his 50 shortly after the resumption when he cut Morne Strydom away for three. Astle had looked in no particular trouble at any stage of his innings, but on 63 he completely misjudged one from Francois van der Mere which nipped back at him and took middle and off as the batsman shouldered arms.

Scott Styris, bidding to secure the all-rounder’s berth in the Test side, struck two handsome boundaries before he was wonderfully well caught by Arno Jacobs at second slip, plunging away to his right for a two-handed take. Styris went for 9 with New Zealand on 267 for seven and only 13 more added before Stephen Fleming called his batsmen off the field. Adam Parore, sent in at six, was unbeaten on 32 at the declaration.

North West were quickly in trouble when Shayne O’Connor had Andrew Lawson caught by Fleming at slip off the fourth balls of the innings and before a run had been scored.

The O’Connor-Fleming combination also accounted for the wicket of Arno Jacob’s, North West’s star batsman, in the fifth over and nightwatchman Alfonso Thomas somehow managed to survive two deliveries before bad light stopped play for the last time.

SPEARMAN CENTURY GIVES NEW ZEALAND A LIFT

Craig Spearman scored his seventh first-class hundred as New Zealand moved to 219 for four at tea on the first day of the three-day match against North West at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

Spearman was out for exactly 100 shortly before bad light and the threat of lightning forced the players off the field seven minutes before the scheduled tea break.

At the interval, Nathan Astle was on 47 with Adam Parore yet to score as New Zealand made the most of a placid pitch and a friendly attack. With storm clouds gathering, it seemed unlikely that a full day’s play would be completed.

Spearman went to lunch on 49 and moved to his 50 with a single off Francois van der Merwe as the afternoon session got underway. He had taken 19 balls to get off the mark and occasionally went into his shell, but in the sixth over after lunch he got stuck in to Jannie Dreyer, hitting three fours off the fast bowler as 14 came off the over.

Stephen Fleming, meanwhile, went along quietly to 16 before he lifted a drive off Dreyer and was caught in the covers at 124 for three.

Spearman had another of his quiet moments on 88 when he faced 27 deliveries without scoring, but he got going again to move through the 90s and reached three figures with a single tapped to mid-on off Craig Light.

He did not, however, push on any further. In Light’s next over he tried to cut a shorter one and was caught at the wicket. Spearman and Astle had put on 90 in 98 minutes for the fourth wicket.

Parore joined Astle, but the threat of lightning sent the players off for an early tea at 2.53pm.

SPEARMAN, SINCLAIR PARTNERSHIP DOMINATES MORNING

New Zealand continued to ease themselves towards the first Test match in Bloemfontein next Friday as they opened their three-day game against North West at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

Despite losing two wickets during the session, the tourists had a relatively satisfactory morning, reaching lunch at 109 for two. At the crease were Craig Spearman on 49 and Stephen Fleming on 6.

New Zealand fielded a near Test-strength lineup for their last pre-Test warmup, Fleming, Nathan Astle and Shayne O’Connor coming into the side, and seldom seemed in any trouble against a generally friendly North West attack.

Almost half the session was taken up by a 73-run second-wicket partnership between Spearman and Mathew Sinclair, the runs coming in 68 minutes. Sinclair had come to the crease at the fall of the first wicket, when Mark Richardson nicked Francois van der Merwe to Glen Hewitt at slip.

Richardson took 525 minutes to make an unbeaten 173 against Boland in Paarl in midwicket, but on Saturday he stayed for just 23 minutes for his 11.

Sinclair again looked in good touch, driving easily off both the front and back foot, ut after hitting five boundaries in his 37 he mistimed a drive off Arno Jacobs and was taken at cover.

Spearman played the anchor role throughout the morning, but with lunch in sight he pulled Jannie Dreyer for six. He had a slice of good fortune in the penultimate over before lunch when a delivery from Van der Merwe rolled down off his pads and onto the stumps without dislodging a bail.

NEW ZEALAND BATTING IN POTCHEFSTROOM

New Zealand fielded a near-strength Test team as they won the toss and elected to bat in the three-day match against North West at the North West Oval in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

Craig McMillan, Kerry Walmsley and Hamish Marshall were all rested from the teat that drew with Boland on Thursday, with Stephen Fleming taking over the captaincy again and Nathan Astle and Shayne O’Connor also returning to the side.

Teams

North West: Andrew Lawson, Hendrik de Vos, Arno Jacobs, Glen Hewitt, Martin Venter (capt), Craig Light, Morne Strydom, Ezra Poole, Alfonso Thomas, Francois van der Merwe.

New Zealand: Mark Richardson, Craig Spearman, Mathew Sinclair, Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Adam Parore, Scott Styris, Brooke Walker, Daryl Tuffey, Shayne O’Connor, Chris Martin.