Lynn McConnell
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1st ODI: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Taupo, 2 Jan 2001 Lynn McConnell |
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Pre-game:
New Zealand innings: Zimbabwe innings: |
Twice previously Zimbabwe has beaten New Zealand by 21 runs, but this was a rout.
New Zealand's effort was shambolic, lacking accuracy in its bowling, a fact reflected in Zimbabwe scoring 300/7 and matched by an absence of application by anyone other than skipper Stephen Fleming, who scored 64 in the one show of defiance mustered by the side, and new all-rounder James Franklin who showed his placement at No 10 was too low as he picked up 25 unbeaten runs with ease.
His selection, on tonight's form, was one that the selectors got right.
A team further removed in any way, shape or form from that which won the ICC KnockOut last year, could not be imagined.
Zimbabwe clearly sensed a degree of cockiness in New Zealand which felt it had the better of the drawn Test match in Wellington last week, and it went in for the kill with an organised plan.
Andy Flower produced a fine innings of 80, and shared a record-breaking partnership of 154 runs, the best for all wickets by Zimbabwe against New Zealand, with Stuart Carlisle, who was out for 75.
Heath Streak took the first two New Zealand wickets to fall, removing both openers and was only required to bowl five overs and took 2-21. That was probably the most graphic example of how the New Zealanders under-rated the Zimbabwe attack.
Guy Whittall took two for 27 from seven overs while Brian Murphy finished the game with 2-32 off nine overs. Douglas Marillier took 3-23 from his four overs, his first ODI wickets.
New Zealand paid the price for an indifferent fielding display which allowed the Zimbabweans to score 300/7 in its full 50 overs. Rain during the tea break caused a delay in the resumption of play and seven overs were taken off the New Zealand innings.
Unfortunately, for the home side which asked Zimbabwe to bat first, its ability to chase was hampered by the early loss of new opener Mathew Sinclair and the departure of Nathan Astle when there were only 24 runs on the board.
As Fleming started out looking in as good touch as he has for some time in a one-day game, he wasn't able to have anyone stay with him.
Roger Twose (27) helped him add 48, Chris Cairns (5) added 16 and Craig McMillan (18) added 30. Twose holed out at deep fine leg when he miscued a hook, Cairns was bowled comprehensively and McMillan tried to blast Guy Whittall out of the ground only to offer a chance to long off where the catch was held.
Fleming, meanwhile, reached his 23rd one-day 50 from 53 balls, including seven fours.
He was batting with Chris Harris, something of a patron saint of lost causes and after 28 overs New Zealand was facing a run rate required of 8.67 with 130 off 90 balls. Fleming was 64 and Harris 21.
But from the first ball of the 29th he was caught at deep long on leaving New Zealand an almost impossible task.
Frustration played some part in his dismissal as he scored 49 off 49 balls but his next 15 runs took 30 balls.
Streak, who larruped the New Zealand bowling toward the end of Zimbabwe's innings, including 20 off the last over, had Mathew Sinclair out when attempting to cut a ball too close to his body offering Alistair Campbell the chance, which was accepted, at first slip.
Then he had Nathan Astle leg before wicket for 10 to have New Zealand 24/2. After 14 overs New Zealand were 79/3 with Stephen Fleming 35 off 37 balls and Chris four off six balls.
A scoring change to Zimbabwe's innings was made during the lunch break. A one short resulted in Stuart Carlisle's score being reduced to 74, the partnership with Andy Flower reduced to 154 and Zimbabwe's total finishing on 300.
Rain during the innings break resulted in seven overs being lost. New Zealand's target was scaled to 281 from 43 overs. Fielding restrictions were to last for the first 12 overs.
Fleming, as if to make up for a lacklustre day in the field, almost immediately unwound into some trademark drives while also playing square of the wicket with good effect.
He was joined by Roger Twose, who had been going through a lean run of scores in the domestic Shell Cup competition. It took him a few balls to get a sighter but he was soon putting the ball over the infield with his usual effect, especially over cover and long on.
However, he attempted to hook a ball from Travis Friend but hit it too high on his bat and it ballooned to deep fine leg where a diving Bryan Strang held a superb diving catch. New Zealand were 72/3.
New Zealand was maintaining a run rate of 5.71, needing 6.93 to claim the win.
Zimbabwe, asked to bat, scored 20 off the last over, all hit by captain Heath Streak, to finish on 300/7, the highest score by Zimbabwe against New Zealand, and the fifth time Zimbabwe has reached 300 in ODIs.
Seldom in recent history has a CLEAR Black Caps side looked so ragged in the field. Throws were often wild, fielders looked lethargic and even one of the sharper fielders in the side, captain Stephen Fleming struggled for his customary vigour.
Alistair Campbell led a superb assault from the outset, making Chris Cairns wish he had spent another game or two in recuperation before attempting to bowl. His first three overs since the end of the South African One-Day series were worth 24 runs. He left the crease and didn't bowl again in the innings.
Newcomer Chris Martin had a horror introduction, his first five overs costing 44 runs. But with the lower order facing his last two, he conceded only nine runs to give a final analysis of 53 runs from seven overs.
It took some steady bowling from part-timers Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle, the Test match century twins, to peg a 300-plus total back. McMillan had Stuart Carlisle caught at mid-off by Fleming, and in his next over trapped Guy Whittall leg before wicket, and finished his 10 overs with 2-41.
Astle went wicketless but had 0-39 from his 10 overs. Scott Styris had started well but at the end as Streak hit 30 not out from 18 balls, he finished with 0-60 from his 10 overs.
The outstanding display for Zimbabwe came from Andy Flower who gave a demonstration of why he now has such a high ranking on the world stage.
It was a fine innings by Flower, even if he scored 24 more than he should have, courtesy of the failure of the third umpire Tony Hill to find sufficient evidence to give Flower out after a Stuart Carlisle drive was deflected onto the stumps at the bowler's end by Craig McMillan.
McMillan was in no doubt that Flower was out but umpire Dave Quested sought clarification from the third umpire who took an age to make a decision which eventually had to go to the batsman.
Flower, who had already achieved his 40th half century, then took the chance to play three successive reverse sweeps from Chris Harris' bowling, all of them ending in four runs.
But with the prospect of more than 300 runs starting to look more of a reality, new cap Martin demonstrated another skill, his throwing from the outfield. He had earlier shown a big arm, but this time with Flower taking him on when running to the bowler's end, the rangy Martin unleashed a fine throw which had wicket-keeper Adam Parore running from the wicket and celebrating well before the ball hit with Flower well out of his ground.
His 80 was scored from 88 balls and in the process he and Stuart Carlisle achieved the best partnership, for all Zimbabwe wickets, against New Zealand. The previous highest was 124 for the first wicket by Andy and Grant Flower at Harare in 1992/93.
Flower and Carlisle scored 154 before the partnership was broken with Flower's dismissal.
Gavin Rennie and Douglas Marillier scored 23 and 24 respectively down the order but their dismissals, both achieved by debut player James Franklin, slowed the scoring in the late overs. As Rennie defended the ball and attempted to run with it, he failed to see where the ball had gone.
But Franklin on his follow through swooped through to pick up the ball and underhand it into the stumps. Four balls later he had Marillier caught at deep mid-wicket by Martin.
He was taken off then as Fleming entrusted the ball to Scott Styris for the last two overs from the Rotorua end of the ground. That allowed Streak to deliver the coup de grace in fantastic style with two huge sixes and four twos.
Flower, who was on 56, his 40th ODI half century, was at the non-striker's end when partner Stuart Carlisle blasted a drive back at bowler Craig McMillan. Zimbabwe was 146/2 in the 28th over when McMillan deflected the ball onto the wicket with Flower out of his ground.
Umpire Dave Quested called for the third umpire Hill, who seemed to take an eternity to make what was a pretty clear decision, in real play. However, the longer Hill took, the clearer it was that he was unable to say whether McMillan had touched the ball.
New Zealand was convinced he was out but he was given the green light to stay and immediately rubbed salt in the wounds by reverse-sweeping Chris Harris for three successive fours in the next over.
New Zealand's Scott Styris, Nathan Astle and Harris did slow the run rate down, but it still seemed after 30 overs that a score of 300 was possible for Zimbabwe, especially if Andy Flower was able to capitalise on his good fortune.
The run rate was dragged down by Styris, Nathan Astle and Harris but Harris was replaced by Styris when his fifth over went for 14 runs.
After 30 overs, Zimbabwe was superbly placed at 172/2 with Flower on 72 and Carlisle looking for fifth one-day half century on 47. Flower's 50 was scored off 65 balls with six fours.
Cairns, returned to New Zealand from the tour of South Africa at the end of the One-Day series in which New Zealand was beaten 5-0.
His troublesome knee injury requires surgery but through careful management it is hoped he will be available for the remainder of the international season. However, bowling off a scaled down run-up he was on the end of an exciting assault by Zimbabwe's Alistair Campbell from the outset of the National Bank One-Day series match.
Four leg byes were taken from the first ball, a four was off-driven, two wides were bowled and then a six was blasted over extra cover.
Newcomer Chris Martin conceded six off his first over and 12 off his second before being replaced by Scott Styris, also coming back from injury.
Styris immediately applied the brakes and then gained the wicket of Trevor Madondo, well caught in the deep mid-wicket area by a diving Roger Twose.
James Franklin replaced Cairns at the lakeside end of the ground, Cairn's three overs costing 24 runs. He struck almost immediately by having the rampant Campbell caught by a diving Mathew Sinclair at wide mid-off for 28 scored from 27 balls.
There was a lessening in the run rate as new batsmen Stuart Carlisle and Andy Flower played themselves in, but they were soon into the spirit of the occasion with Flower quick to latch into anything loose on the on-side. When Martin replaced Franklin whose three overs resulted in 1-15, his first over cost 11 runs.
After 15 overs, Zimbabwe was 92/2 with Andy Flower on 22 and Stuart Carlisle 20. Martin's figures after four overs were 0-32.
Fast-medium bowler Chris Martin, who has made such a big impression in Test cricket since being sent to South Africa as a replacement player for the Test series there in November-December, is being joined by left-arm all-rounder James Franklin, the player who was named 12th man for the one-off Test at the Basin Reserve.
Franklin, a tall, fast-medium bowler who is also a handy batsman, was the captain of the New Zealand Youth team at the Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka last year. He was a member of the team two years earlier which played in the final of the Youth World Cup against England in South Africa.
Zimbabwe has made one change to its side which drew the Test with New Zealand three days ago. Henry Olonga makes way for Travis Friend.
New Zealand won the toss and, surprisingly, decided to bowl first on a pitch looking tailor-made for batting. Taupo's ground has a reputation for getting lower and slower.
Conditions are fine with a breeze off Lake Taupo cooling the effects of the sun.
The teams are:
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Roger Twose, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Adam Parore, Chris Harris, James Franklin, Chris Martin, Scott Styris, Brook Walker (12th man).
Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (captain), Douglas Marillier, Stuart Carlisle, Andy Flower, Gavin Rennie, Guy Whittall, Trevor Madondo, Heath Streak, Bryan Strang, Brian Murphy, Travis Friend, Angus McKay (12th man).
The umpires are: Evan Watkin and David Quested. (Tony Hill 3rd).
© CricInfo
ZIMBABWE MAKES FLYING START AT PICTURESQUE TAUPO
Chris Cairns' awaited return to the New Zealand One-Day team proved an anti-climax when his first over, the first of the Zimbabwe innings, went for 16 runs at Owen Delany Park in Taupo today.
MARTIN AND FRANKLIN TO MAKE ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL DEBUTS FOR NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand has decided to start two players new to international One-Day cricket in the opening game of the National Bank series with Zimbabwe at Owen Delany Park at Taupo today.
Date-stamped : 02 Jan2001 - 18:39