Twenty-five-ducks Danny really does cultivate his 'can't bat' image, and his marketing ploy during this, his testimonial year, is that almost everyone at the ground has a duck-caller whistle sounding away when he comes into bat.
This is the same Danny Morrison, though, that loves a rearguard action and had already saved a game out in no less a place than Pakistan when he blocked away for 4.5 hours. Astle shepherded him through the early period of the partnership by quietly talking to him between overs.
For England's part we carried on our business in the same way as in the morning session when we took five wickets to add to the three from the previous evening.
Everyone knew that the life and venom had gone out of the pitch, and our strategy on that last morning was not to over-attack, cut off the run flow and put the ball in the right areas to put pressure on the New Zealand batsmen who, we feel, are always looking to play shots whatever the situation.
Some resistance had come from Simon Doull before Darren Gough bowled him with a quick, in-swinging yorker. From then on in we tried everything to take that last wicket. Over the wicket, round the wicket, change of ends, funny field placings, slow balls, bouncers - everything.
The bowlers did as much as they could - they gave it their all. For whatever reason we did not produce that little 'spark of magic' in that final two hours.
The match was drawn, and it is only cricket that can throw up so many emotions in so little time. At the end of the game I shook hands with my opposite number Steve Rixon and congratulated him on his team's last stand.
Astle and I did a television interview together for TVNZ. In it he said that England gave it everything and never flagged or lost focus. That pleased me and was some consolation. Our dressing was so quiet, John Emburey, myself and the rest of our management team spoke quietly to individual players and reminded them of the positive things to be gained from the game.
Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe scored wonderful centuries, Dominic Cork played with great surety down the order and Michael Atherton found his touch, as we knew he would.
We did brilliantly to score over 500 to secure a lead of 131, and we turned the screw with a much better bowling performance second time around. I get disappointed and so do our spectators, but nobody feels it as much as the players.
When it was put to me after the game, at one of about 20 interviews, that England lacked effort and commitment I felt so sad for the interviewer. Perhaps I should have invited him into our dressing room.
Of course we are striving to win Test matches and, after our frustrations in Zimbabwe and now in Auckland, we move on to Wellington, knowing that we were the team that was looking for victory and not fighting a rearguard action.
One of our lads sat in his corner of the dressing room as many before him will have done and said: ``This can be such a cruel game.'' You are right, son, it can.
After the Test match our next stop was Wanganui for a four-day game against New Zealand A. We had a day's travel by air and road and were into the game 36 hours after the Test match. In my view there was no time to rest, reflect, and review our efforts at Auckland.
The defeat had no bearing on the Test series. Nevertheless a loss will always bring negative comment. My theme at now increasing media interviews has been that the game was far too soon after the Test, asking the question: ``Where have New Zealand players been since Auckland?'' Answer: ``Resting in preparation for the Test match.''
One has to look at the positives from a game such as this, and we had a preview of Geoff Allott, who replaces 'Barnacle' Morrison in the Test squad. He is a left-arm over bowler with genuine pace, who proved a handful on the Wanganui park pitch.
Our preparation and planning will be sharp and focused and ever mindful of our need to start winning Tests. We are constantly asked about criticism. The only way to stop that is to win.