Lynn McConnell
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4th ODI: New Zealand v Pakistan at Christchurch, 25 Feb 2001 Lynn McConnell |
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Pakistan innings:
Pre-game: New Zealand innings: |
Chasing New Zealand's 284/5, one short of equalling their best record against Pakistan, Pakistan was all out for 146.
New Zealand has had its problems in ODIs this year, but its top order batting was never as bad as that suffered by Pakistan today.
Wickets fell at: 2, 2, 5, 15, 36 and 71, 144, 144, 144, 146.
The game was as good as over by the 15-over mark when Pakistan was 40/5. Pakistan indicated as much when sending the injured Inzamam-ul-Haq into bat with a runner, instead of a big hitter like Wasim Akram.
Inzamam spent 101 balls scoring 37 before chipping a ball from Nathan Astle to Lou Vincent in the covers.
Two balls later Wasim chipped a ball behind point and Roger Twose took the catch.
A piece of brilliance from Chris Harris on the long on boundary accounted for Moin Khan. He hit a ball which caught by Harris on the boundary who, was in danger of losing his balance. Before he crossed the line he threw the ball back infield, stepped outside the line, and then raced back into catch the ball.
Moin, who had hit 50 off 60 balls, produced the best batting of his side but the horse had already bolted.
Astle ended up with three for seven from his three overs while Tuffey took three for 30.
Chasing 285 to beat New Zealand and wrap up the series for an unbeatable 3-1 lead with one game to play, Pakistan was in trouble from the outset of their innings.
After being 40/5 after 15 overs, Pakistan's plight was all the worse because experienced batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, playing his 238th ODI, was struggling with a leg injury and using a runner.
Any hopes that Pakistan had of even getting close to New Zealand were hamstrung when Abdur Razzaq was out, caught at long on by Darryl Tuffey from Chris Harris' bowling for 31 runs, easily the best of the Pakistan scores on the day.
Jacob Oram marked his return from injury with a fine opening spell of bowling with one for five from four overs.
Daniel Vettori's bowling continued to trouble the visitors and his eight overs had cost 26 runs.
Inzamam was 18 not out and Moin Khan was 12 not out.
After 15 overs, Pakistan was 40/5. Darryl Tuffey had two wickets for 20, James Franklin one for 14 and Jacob Oram one for one.
Pakistan's start was abysmal, and it got worse.
Needing 285 to win the game, they lost ace opener Saeed Anwar to the last ball of the first over when he edged Daryl Tuffey to Nathan Astle at second slip.
Then off the next ball, the first bowled by James Franklin to Imran Nazir was skied high fine leg where Tuffey held the ball on his finger tips to have Pakistan 2/2.
In the third over Azhar Mahmood played a cross-batted shot which caught the edge and flew straight to New Zealand wicket-keeper Adam Parore. Pakistan was 3/5.
Then New Zealand made a vital breakthrough when Yousuf Youhana's wicket was taken, courtesy of Lou Vincent's direct hit fielding the ball from square leg.
A minor recovery occurred but on 36, the introduction of Jacob Oram to the bowling crease resulted in Saleem Elahi attempting to cut the ball behind point only to fail to get it past Chris Harris who held the chance.
Pakistan was 36/5. Abdur Razzaq was 15 not out and Inzamam-ul-Haq was still to score but batting with a runner.
McMilla hit the first two balls of the last over, bowled by Saqlain Mushtaq, for six, but then ran a single and lost the strike. However, two no balls which were hit for singles allowed him the chance to get his century off the last ball of the innings.
He needed two but settled the issue with a six to reach his century. Twenty-four runs came off the last over and he hit six fours and five sixes to reach the target and in doing so he equalled Chris Cairns' record of a century off 75 balls.
McMillan and Chris Harris added 112 runs off 97 balls for their unbroken sixth wicket stand. Harris was 39 not out off 56 balls.
Earlier, New Zealand seemed to have lost its way when losing quick wickets early in the 30s.
Nathan Astle was out to the second ball of the 31st over when he was caught by Moin Khan from Abdur Razzaq's .bowling. He was out for 71 scored from 88 balls and New Zealand was 166/4.
Lou Vincent found the going tougher and was leg before wicket to Azhar Mahmood for four runs off 20 balls.
Chris Harris was in for the 35th over, traditionally about the time he feels most comfortable and he and McMillan set about attempting to regain the momentum.
McMillan was without the strike for a long period and New Zealand went 69 balls without scoring a boundary.
But once he regained a greater amount of the strike he was quickly into stride and he hit a glorious six from Wasim Akram over extra cover to bring up his 50 from 50 balls, he hit three fours and a six.
They added 50 runs in 63 balls.
Wasim Akram was severely punished by the pair when he bowled the 47th over and went for 16 runs. Harris cover drove the first ball for four and took a single. McMillan took two of the third ball and then successive fours, one cover driven and one lobbed over mid wicket, the latter when Akram changed to bowling around the wicket.
Then when Saqlain Mushtaq bowled the next over, McMillan hit him out of the ground to move to 80 off 66 balls. Saqlain took none for 63, Wasim Akram none for 62 and Waqar one for 59 while Abdur Razzaq was the most effective of the bowlers with three for 41.
New Zealand was 165/3 with Astle 71 not out and Craig McMillan 31 not out.
Astle had gone nine games without a half century but made the most of his chance on a good Jade Stadium pitch to recover some of his better touches.
However, he survived a moment of controversy when looking to have a ball from off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq graze the edge of his bat and be caught by wicket-keeper Moin Khan when he was on 67. Umpire Tony Hill did not give Astle out and the Pakistan players reacted in disbelief at his call.
The pair kept the score rattling along with the 100 up in the 18th over from 106 balls.
Then Astle hit his first 50 in nine innings, the last occasion being in Wellington against Zimbabwe. It came off 58 balls. Straight after that the 100 partnership came up off 111 balls. But next ball Twose was gone, launching into a big drive, missing the ball and losing his off stump.
He scored 42 from 58 balls and hit four fours and one six.
Jacob Oram, back from an ankle injury, came in, scored a single and departed, caught behind for one from Abdur Razzaq's bowling. New Zealand was 113/3.
A period of consolidation followed as McMillan attempted to help Astle steer New Zealand back into a favourable position.
Nathan Astle was 44 not out from 45 balls while Roger Twose was 25 not out from 41 balls. At one stage the pair put on 41 runs in a four-over burst.
New Zealand was given a dream start to the innings when 10 runs came from the first over, none of them from the bat, and eight of them wides by Wasim Akram.
However, Waqar Younis provided payback for his side by having New Zealand captain and makeshift opener Stephen Fleming playing onto his wickets for a duck.
Wasim Akram ran into direction problems during his first spell conceding 13 wides.
There was a looseness to the Pakistani attack that has not been so obvious in earlier games.
That helped Roger Twose get over the nerves associated with his recent string of failures. He was dropped by Azhar Mahmood, at second slip, before he had scored.
After getting an over or two behind him, Twose then launched into Waqar Younis pulling a six and a four off successive balls. That brought up New Zealand's 50 from 60 balls.
Nathan Astle followed up by hitting the first ball of Akram's next over for four in front of point.
The changeover of bowlers brought a wholesale assault. Azhar Mahmood went for 11 off his first over and Abdur Razzaq went for 13 off his.
The 50 partnership for the second wicket was scored off 61 balls.
Astle welcomed Abdur Razzaq to the bowling crease by hooking his first ball for six, and repeating the shot, a little less efficiently, for four off the next ball.
Conditions were perfect, no wind, warm temperatures and slightly overcast.
New Zealand, who were asked to bat first by Pakistan, made only one change to the side which was beaten in Wellington on Thursday. Jacob Oram, recovered from the ankle injury he suffered when warming up before the second game of the series in Napier, comes into the XI in place of Chris Martin while Andre Adams continues as twelth man.
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 Andre Adams).
Pakistan - Moin Khan (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saleem Elahi. (12th man Shahid Afridi).
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 26 Feb2001 - 06:23