Lynn McConnell
|
3rd ODI: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Auckland, 7 Jan 2001 Lynn McConnell |
|
|
Pre-game:
Zimbabwe innings: New Zealand innings: |
Captain Heath Streak played a superb innings of 79, his highest score in One-Day Internationals, from 67 balls, to carry his side to its first series win away from home against a test-playing national.
It was a magnificent innings built on a foundation provided by the side's other trump card Andy Flower, who scored 81.
But four fours and five sixes tell the story of Streak's hitting to which New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming could find no relief as he switched bowlers looking to kill off the Zimbabwe effort.
At 249/8 and 255/9 it looked all over to the crowd of 14,871 which enjoyed the prospect of a close-run Kiwi victory only to see Streak steal the win away.
New Zealand earlier had recovered from its own top and middle-order collapse courtesy of Craig McMillan's thrilling 75 not out, which carried him beyond 1500 One-Day International runs, to reach 273/9. It should have scored more, and in fact the final result showed it needed more.
Zimbabwe made heavy work of the victory however but its effort was an example to the younger members of this side about never giving up.
Trevor Madondo was run out off the first ball of the Zimbabwe chase and it was all downhill from there.
Only an 86-ball innings for 81 by Andy Flower stood out in a disappointing Zimbabwe effort. He was superb in his control, rarely lashing out and sensibly accumulating runs with some deft placements especially with his favoured sweep shots, although he kept his reverse sweep out of his repertoire today.
Dirk Viljoen, playing his first game in the international series in New Zealand, provided 82 runs of valuable support during an 82-run sixth wicket stand which broke the record of 66 for Zimbabwe games against New Zealand.
But he was out, stumped by Adam Parore from Chris Harris's bowling for 39 from 49 balls off the last ball of the 30th over.
While working with Streak to try and resurrect things, the run rate started to go over seven an over and Flower succumbed. He attempted to loft Nathan Astle to long off but found James Franklin moving in at mid-off to secure the catch. He hit 10 fours in his innings.
Captain Heath Streak and Travis Friend mounted a late bid to steal victory from New Zealand. They added 50 off 42 balls while Streak hit a six over cover point from a James Franklin full toss and then in the next over got six over extra cover from McMillan's bowling, just avoiding a leaping Brooke Walker.
That brought his 50 up from 51 balls, including one four and four sixes. Friend, who had a highest score of 12 not out, was finally out for 19 having helped add 69 from 56 balls.
Nathan Astle bowled 10 overs to finish with 1/47. Chris Harris took 1/36 from seven overs. Franklin finished with 1/52 from nine overs while Paul Wiseman's two overs went for 21.
It was ironic that after he turned New Zealand's innings around, McMillan bowled the final over and ended with 2/49 from 6.3 overs.
Just as Zimbabwe began to think it still might have a chance, Chris Harris produced Viljoen's wicket, out-stumped. That left Zimbabwe 146/6 after 30 overs.
Flower was forced to show more restraint than has usually been the case after he was required to shore up the innings but such was the way he worked the ball around with Viljoen he still managed to score his 50 off 52 balls. By the 30-over mark Flower was on 67 off 68 balls.
Viljoen, playing his first game of the series after coming back from injury was out for 39 after sharing a 82-run record stand for the sixth wicket with Flower.
The pair broke the Zimbabwe sixth wicket partnership record of 66 against New Zealand and maintained a scoring rate similar to what New Zealand achieved at a similar stage of its innings, but with more wickets down.
They were especially severe on New Zealand off-spinner Paul Wiseman as they continually swept him fine and he was taken off after yielding 21 runs from two overs.
New Zealand were obviously concerned about the recent lack of form of Chris Harris and he wasn't bowled until the 28th over.
Scott Styris was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers and his first eight overs saw him take 3-29.
After 10 overs, Zimbabwe was 50/4 with only Andy Flower and Guy Whittall surviving among the recognised batsmen. By 15 overs they had carried the score to 64/4 with Flower on 26 and Whittall on 14.
Things didn't start well for Zimbabwe, and they didn't get much better.
From the first ball bowled, left-hander Alistair Campbell hit the ball behind square and Mathew Sinclair fielded. Campbell was watching the ball while partner Trevor Madondo was racing down the pitch calling the single, only to be sent back by Campbell.
With Sinclair having thrown back to Franklin, standing by the wickets, it was always going to be tough for Madondo and umpire Brent Bowden did not need the television eye to give him out.
In his second over, the fourth of the innings, Scott Styris bowled the dangerous Campbell who, in Franklin's previous over, had blasted a sharp return catch back at the bowler only to survive.
Zimbabwe were 14/2.
Andy Flower soon switched into the action and took three successive fours from Franklin.
While he was suffering some treatment from the batsmen, Franklin was also creating chances. One spectacular leap to a ball hit over second slip Nathan Astle almost resulted in a sensational catch from Stuart Carlisle.
However Astle, who parried the catch was unable to gather it when falling and the chance was lost with Carlisle on four.
In his next over however, Franklin had his reward as Carlisle played at one moving across towards slips and played the ball on to his wicket.
No sooner was he back in the pavilion than Gavin Rennie was back with him, having been bowled for a duck by Styris.
Zimbabwe was 50/4 and in deep strife.
New Zealand looked to be headed for a score of 280 or more when maintaining a run rate of five per over during the first 20 overs but the loss of five top and middle-order wickets between overs 19 and 39 saw the impetus lost.
It ended the innings on 273/9 having scored 70 off the last seven overs.
It wasn't until McMillan took the innings apart that New Zealand got anything like sufficient return to ensure itself a competitive score.
He scored 75 runs off 53 balls and last batsman Paul Wiseman faced only the last three balls of the innings but picked up seven runs.
McMillan scored his 50 off 41 balls with four fours and two sixes and pulled off some lovely reverse sweeps to frustrate the Zimbabwe field.
Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak looked to suffer an injury when coming back to bowl the 44th over. It was left to Bryan Strang, who had conceded 28 off his first four overs, and Guy Whittall, who had 1/33 from eight to bowl out.
Strang had six runs conceded from his fifth, and while taking the wicket of Scott Styris for 9 in his sixth, he was hit for 15 runs, 14 of them from a huge six over long on and two fours. Their 50-run partnership was scored off 33 balls.
Streak came back to bowl the last over.
New Zealand had failed to put the pressure on Zimbabwe as well as it might have expected when getting to 76/1 after 15 overs.
Nathan Astle looked to be in another of the run scoring grooves that has become his own special area on Eden Park.
He was especially severe square of the wicket on the off-side but eventually Zimbabwe packed that area and made getting runs tougher for him. He had just added 50 runs off 52 balls with skipper Stephen Fleming when was bowled through the open gate he left to leg spinner Brian Murphy.
His 48 was scored off 60 balls and he added 58 runs with Fleming.
Roger Twose and Fleming started by rotating the scoring well before Twose launched into successive sixes from Dirk Viljoen's bowling. Sixteen runs were taken off the over which saw Viljoen, predictably, taken out of the attack.
That proved the worse that could happen for Twose as Viljoen's replacement at the bowling crease, Guy Whittall, bowled at just the right clip for the ball to catch an edge and be nicely held by wicket-keeper Andy Flower standing up on 30.
Jacob Oram, playing only his second ODI and batting for the first time, soon put his prodigious reach to use in sweeping Murphy's bowling with aplomb. The runs kept ticking over but after he had scored 21 from 19 balls, Oram was gone, just failing to get onto a Murphy delivery and skying a chance to Streak at mid-on.
The onus then went on Fleming to bat well into the later overs but two overs later, in the 35th, he was gone when caught and bowled by Murphy for 44.
Strang's six overs cost 1/50, Whittall's 10 produced 1/51 and Viljoen conceded 57 from his 10 without success. Murphy took 3/43 from 10 while Streak took 2/34 from eight overs.
At the 31-over mark, New Zealand was 149/3 with Stephen Fleming on 41 and new player Jacob Oram on nine in his first international innings.
Astle got too loose in his shot selection and paid the price in playing for some non-existent leg-spin to a ball from Brian Murphy. The ball made it through the slightest of gaps and he was bowled with New Zealand 88/2.
Twose joined captain Stephen Fleming and until getting the pace of the pitch, Twose kept the score ticking over with sound placement for singles. The run rate dropped off a little especially after left-arm slow bowler Dirk Viljoen came on for his first overs of the series after injury. His first four overs only cost 12 runs, but from the first two balls of his fifth, Twose clubbed over the short mid-wicket boundary on Eden Park's northern boundary.
Sixteen runs came from the over and Viljoen departed the attack. But that change forced by Twose's assault became his undoing as Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak called Guy Whittall into the attack for the first time.
And with the last ball of the over he had Twose caught at the wicket by wicket-keeper Andy Flower, standing up, for 30 from 35 balls by which New Zealand had reached 135/3 in the 28th over.
Fleming was looking in assured touch, although his freer flowing stroke play had to be curtailed as he took on the senior batsman's role as New Zealand looked to keep wickets intact as it headed toward the 40-over mark.
After 15 overs, New Zealand was 76/1 with Astle 40 not out and captain Stephen Fleming on 18.
New Zealand was asked to bat first on a new pitch but it didn't hold any terrors for the country's best one day batsman Astle. Two fours in the first over he faced from Travis Friend set the tone for his day.
Traditionally strong square of the wicket on the off side, Astle scored eight fours in his 40, from 49 balls during the first 15 overs.
Mathew Sinclair had looked keen to pick up where he left off in his innings of 85 but was tied up, especially by Streak, who immediately fell into the tight line that is the characteristic of his bowling.
After surviving an appeal to a ball that looked to be heading down the leg-side, and then just making his ground as point fieldsman Brian Murphy attempted to run him out, Sinclair looked to lose his concentration and cracked the ball straight to Murphy.
Diving forward, Murphy cupped the ball nicely to complete the catch and send Sinclair on his way for seven with New Zealand 30/1 after seven overs.
Fleming soon settled into his innings and was especially severe on Zimbabwe left-arm medium-fast bowler Bryan Strang, playing him with effect off his legs. Successive fours to long on and wide long on to take him to 16 were an indication that the big innings he has been hinting at in the series could be today.
Conditions for the match are glorious, warm and sunny with the outfield of the ground looking a picture.
The pressure is on New Zealand to show its second match win in Wellington on Thursday was not a oncer and that the controversial selection policy, aimed at building towards the World Cup in 2003 is worth continuing.
Zimbabwe batted first in the first two matches and has strengthened its bowling resources by omitting Angus Mackay who was very expensive in Wellington, bringing in Dirk Viljoen for the first game of the series after he recovered from an injury and recalling Travis Friend who didn't play in Wellington.
New Zealand has included off-spinner Paul Wiseman, who wasn't included in the original CLEAR Black Caps squad, in place of leg-spinner Brooke Walker. That is the only change in the New Zealand line-up.
The pitch being used for the game is only nine weeks old and is expected to provide some pace and bounce, more than is usually the case for Eden Park pitches in recent times.
The umpires for the game are: Doug Cowie and Brent Bowden with Tony Hill (third).
The teams are:
New Zealand - Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Roger Twose, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Chris Harris, Scott Styris, Adam Parore, James Franklin, Paul Wiseman.
Zimbabwe - Heath Streak (captain), Alistair Campbell, Trevor Madondo, Stu Carlisle, Andy Flower, Gavin Rennie, Guy Whittall, Bryan Strang, Brian Murphy, Travis Friend, Dirk Viljoen.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 07 Jan2001 - 10:23