Lynn McConnell
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1st ODI: New Zealand v Pakistan at Auckland, 17 Feb 2001 Lynn McConnell |
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Pakistan innings:
Pre-game: New Zealand innings: |
New Zealand were earlier dismissed for 149 in 35.3 overs and Pakistan achieved their six wicket win in the 45th over.
Pakistan took full advantage of its decision to put New Zealand in after winning the toss. Shoaib Akhtar celebrated his return to international play with career best ODI figures with five for 19, the five wickets being taken in the space of 11 balls.
Pakistan started slowly as Saeed Anwar and No 3 batsman Abdur Razzaq battled their way through some tight fielding and restrictive bowling from the New Zealanders.
The arrival of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana resulted in a suitable lifting in the tempo of the scoring after Saeed Anwar and Abdur Razzaq were tied down.
At one stage between the 15th and 23rd overs, they scored only 12 runs.
Danield Vettori, bowling his best spell since returning from stress fractures in his back, removed both of them and conceded only 21 runs for their wickets in his 10 overs.
But the use of clever singles running kept the momentum going and did not allow the New Zealanders to tie them down.
Then as the occasion permitted they opened their shoulders and registered the boundaries.
Inzamam clubbed a six to long on from the last ball of Franklin's bowling stint, his 10 overs costing 36 runs.
It became an easy trip home for the visitors, although it probably took longer than they would have intended.
Inzamam was bowled by Chris Harris for 32 in the 44th over, a wicket which equalled Sir Richard Hadlee's New Zealand record of 158 wickets in ODIs. Harris already holds the record of most ODIs played for New Zealand.
Youhana was 30 not out and Shahid Afridi four not out.
Some superb fielding, and tight bowling, kept the Pakistanis to barely three runs an over during the first 30 overs.
Saeed Anwar was the rock for his side, scoring 48 before he was beaten and bowled by New Zealand's left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori who was positively thriving in the conditions. Anwar faced 85 balls.
Incoming batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq survived an arm ball from Vettori first up which looked to have hit him on the back foot and in line while the ball just missed dropping on to the wickets.
But umpire Brent Bowden, who denied Pakistan several close calls during the New Zealand innings, remained in that frame of mind and did not give the appeal to the home side.
Then from the first ball of the 30 over, Anwar's partner in their 62-run second wicket stand, Abdur Razzaq attempted to hit Vettori out of the ground. His shot was well short of the short cover boundary and Jacob Oram was able to race in and take a comfortable catch.
Razzaq had taken 77 balls to score his 19.
At the end of 30 overs Pakistan was 86-3. Vettori had bowled nine overs and had two wickets for 15 runs.
New Zealand was dismissed in its 36th over when paceman Shoaib Akhtar ripped through the middle and lower order to take his best ODI haul with five for 19.
Pakistan came out and batted for six overs before the lunch break was taken and in that time lost opener Imran Farhat, making his international debut, for five runs. At the break the score was 17/1.
So carefully were Saeed Anwar and Abdur Razzaq batting that it was the 13th over before the first boundary was conceded by the New Zealand bowlers.
Farhat was out when trying to blast a ball from Darryl Tuffey over the inner ring of fieldsmen.
However, the ball didn't arrive as quickly as he expected and he simply lobbed the ball to mid-off fielder Craig McMillan.
James Franklin, the tall left-armer, bowled tidily and his first six overs cost only 12 runs. Tuffey also bowled effectively, conceding 21 runs from his seven overs and for one wicket.
Chris Harris was introduced for the 15th over and at the end of it Pakistan were 46/1.
At the same stage New Zealand was 68/3.
New Zealand found that today when the Rawalpindi paceman celebrated his return to international cricket with a stunning second spell to achieve his career best One-Day International bowling figures of five for 19 in the steamy Auckland heat at Eden Park.
New Zealand rocked initially by the long-time pace duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis to be 26/3 almost before the game had started, struggled to get back into the game.
A 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan and a 53-run stand for the sixth wicket between rookies Jacob Oram and Lou Vincent helped New Zealand through some hard times.
But Akhtar's return undid all the good work. Bowling around the wicket to the middle and lower order left-handers he proved lethal, as in his second spell he took five wickets for four runs in 2.3 overs.
The list read, Oram b Shoaib 15, Vincent b Shoaib 31, Vettori b Shoaib 0, Franklin b Shoaib 0, Tuffey lbw b Shoaib 0.
New Zealand was all out in the 36th over for 149.
His speed was centred around the mid-140km/hs and there were few of the New Zealanders who looked at all comfortable.
Craig McMillan did play some forcing drives during this first spell but also copped a hard blow on his upper arm when unable to get out of the way of a very fast ball.
Because of the early end to the innings, which was just as well given the slow Pakistani over rate, there was only a 10-minute break before the Pakistan innings started.
As New Zealand struggled to stay in the game after losing its first three wickets for 26 runs, Pakistan had several close calls go against them.
Most were from umpire Brent Bowden's end of Eden Park.
New Zealand had a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket between captain Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan. But Fleming on 18 played at off-spinner Saqlain's other ball, only to chop it onto his wickets.
McMillan had his moments attempting to deal with Shoaib Akhtar's pace as he consistently got the ball through at around the mid-140s. Some superb McMillan off drives were peppered through his innings, but then when on 35 he attempted a second run when it was never really on.
Abdur Razzaq picked the ball up on the run and had it back in to wicket-keeper Moin Khan who was able to sweep the bails off with McMillan well short of his ground.
It was then up to the two rookies, Jacob Oram and Lou Vincent to hold out the Pakistanis while also attempting to keep the score moving. They added 50 off 65 deliveries.
Vincent, playing some deftly-placed shots, and Oram, giving the ball more of a thump, had added 28 and 15 respectively.
New Zealand after 30 overs were 138/5 and New Zealand had the extra incentive in knowing the Pakistanis were likely to lose some overs because of their slow over rate, if they were able to bat right through the 50 overs.
The loss of three early wickets for 26 runs left Fleming and McMillan to attempt to resurrect the innings.
After 15 overs, Fleming had worked his way through to 15 while McMillan, after surviving a searching opening over as fast man Shoaib Akhtar marked his return to international play with some typically scorching deliveries, was on 20.
Earlier, Adam Parore made it two ducks out of three in the opening berth when playing the first ball of the innings, bowled by Wasim Akram, onto his wickets as he attempted an ambitious cut shot.
Nathan Astle relished the challenge provided by the quality Pakistani bowlers Akram and Waqar Younis. But after one memorable shot through square leg from a Waqar slower ball and a trademark extra cover drive for four, also from Waqar, the prospect that Astle might be on the road to an overdue big innings was undone when a ball from Waqar swung enough to catch the edge of his bat and have him caught by wicket-keeper Moin Khan for 20.
Six balls later Roger Twose was picked up by Shahid Afridi at second slip for a duck.
Wickets may have been falling, but the home side were keeping the runs ticking over, several times taking quick singles against Pakistani fielding that was not as sharp as could have been expected.
Akram bowled his first six overs at a cost of 20 runs while picking up two wickets and Waqar Younis had one for 24 from his first six overs.
Pakstan left-arm maestro Wasim Akram had New Zealand opener Adam Parore attempting a cut from the first ball and only succeeding in playing the ball onto his stumps.
The day dawned brilliantly fine after rain yesterday caused the game to be transferred to today's reserve day.
Pakistan won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat and selected 18-year-old opening batsman Imran Farhat to make his One-Day International debut.
Playing his 200th ODI will be fast bowler Waqar Younis.
New Zealand named the original XI picked to play the last ODI against Sri Lanka last Sunday in Christchurch with Nathan Astle, who was unable to play due to a stomach complaint and was replaced by Craig Spearman, back in the side.
Chris Martin will again do the 12th man duties.
The teams are:
New Zealand - Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Adam Parore, Roger Twose, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Chris Harris, Lou Vincent, Daniel Vettori, Darryl Tuffey, James Franklin (12th man Chris Martin).
Pakistan - Moin Khan (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Imran Farhat, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar. (12th man Imran Nazir).
The umpires are: Brent Bowden and Tony Hill (Third umpire Doug Cowie).
The match referee is Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
Heavy rain rolled in after an earlier clearance, and match officials decided there was no prospect of a match, even in a reduced overs format, and decided to utilise the reserve day for tomorrow.
Conditions were very humid but there was no breeze to blow the rain clouds away.
Ground staff did try to start work on the outfield and made several laps of the ground to mop up water however their efforts proved futile with the rain rolling in again.
Tomorrow's game, starting at 10.30am, will be a day game only as the Eden Park ground authorities do not have permission to play day-night matches on Sundays.
New Zealand Cricket media manager on the tour, John Knowles said no official announcement had been made and unless there was a significant downpour to obliterate all chances of play, no decision on play would be made until 6pm.
The game is a day-night encounter and has a reserve day tomorrow which, if needed, would be a day game.
Rain started falling in Auckland over night after several days of very hot conditions. Humidity was high around lunchtime and light rain was continuing.
Ground staff were busy taking surface water from the turf and the covers had a lot of water lying over them.
© CricInfo
AUCKLAND WET BUT STILL NO DECISION ON CALLING GAME OFF
An Auckland radio station jumped the gun and called off today's opening National Bank series One-Day International between New Zealand and Pakistan at Auckland's Eden Park today.
Date-stamped : 18 Feb2001 - 18:23