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Kiwis upset England by 11 runs in World Cup Opener

Ahmedabad, India, Wednesday - Nathan Astle gave the crisis-ridden World Cup an electric start on Wednesday with a superb century that helped New Zealand defeat England by 11 runs in a group B match here.

The pugnacious opener plundered two sixes and eight boundaries in a swashbuckling 101 as New Zealand scored 239 for six in their 50 overs and then restricted error-prone England to 228 for nine.

It was a match in which nothing went right for England captain Mike Atherton, from the moment he won the toss and elected to field on a damp wicket at the Sardar Patel stadium.

The gamble backfired as Astle, backed by Stephen Fleming during a 96-run second wicket partnership and a typically belligerent 36 off 29 balls by all-rounder Chris Cairns, gave New Zealand a useful score to defend.

Atherton then fell for one in the second over as England began their chase, and added insult to injury by running out top- scorer Graeme Hick (85) after coming on as his runner. Hick had pulled a thigh muscle.

Alec Stewart made 34 and one-day specialist Neil Fairbrother a defiant 36, but none of the other England batsmen made an impression against the tight Kiwi bowling backed by outstanding fielding.

All-rounder Dominic Cork revived England's slim hopes with a quickfire 19 off 11 balls at the end, but New Zealand pressed home the advantage with wickets at regular intervals.

England-born Roger Twose, playing for the first time against his former countrymen, threw out Hick with a brilliant piece of fielding at short mid-wicket when Atherton hesitated.

Cairns took two catches in the deep and seamer Dion Nash lived up to his reputation as the man with the golden arm with three vital wickets for just 26 runs.

England now fly to Pakistan for their remaining league matches, while the fired-up Kiwis drive to nearby Baroda for their next match against minnows Holland on Saturday.

England, the three-time finalists, dropped three vital catches.

Astle was put down in the third over by Graham Thorpe in the slips, who then bungled again as he put dropped Craig Spearman three balls later.

Atherton himself was not spared the embarrassment, messing up a simple catch at midwicket when Fleming on-drove left-arm spinner Richard Illingworth.

The usually safe Thorpe made amends by pouching sweeps from Fleming and Twose near the square-leg boundary to give off- spinner Hick two well-earned wickets.

Illingworth took one for 31 and, combined with Hick's effort of 2-45, provided the first indication that this World Cup could belong to the spinners on the slow wickets of the Indian sub- continent.

New Zealand, who appeared headed for a bigger score at 196 for three after 40 overs, lost their way in the final slog, scoring just 43 off the final 10 overs.