Lynn McConnell
|
2nd Shell Cup Final: Canterbury v Central Districts at Christchurch, 27 Jan 2001 Lynn McConnell |
|
|
Central Districts innings:
Canterbury innings: Pre-game: |
The third final in the best of three series, will be played tomorrow in Christchurch starting at 12noon.
Canterbury was all out for 128 in reply to CD's 173.
Sulzberger claimed 3/18 from his 10 overs, to better his previous best of 2/1. He made an immediate impact when picking up Canterbury's best batsman, Brad Doody, with the first ball of his spell. Then in his second over he caught and bowled Aaron Redmond which left Canterbury reeling at 84/6.
Earlier, Sulzberger had provided the impetus for the latter stages of the CD innings when sharing a 49-run stand for the last wicket with Brent Hefford. Sulzberger was the last man out for 43.
Just to cap off his big day out, he took the final catch, a fine effort low down in the covers, to dismiss Chris Martin and end the Canterbury innings.
Carl Anderson didn't help the Canterbury cause when run out by a margin sufficiently far enough for a television consultation not to be required, a cause for celebration in itself.
That brought Ryan Burson in needing to stay with Chris Harris for 18 overs in an effort to engineer the win.
It took 18 balls for Burson to score his first run, but he was soon into stride while Harris proved the value in getting set before launching an assault in the later overs.
Harris' great effort came to an end when Sulzberger, bowling his last over, enticed Harris to hit out, only to find Mathew Sinclair waiting at mid-on where the catch was gratefully accepted.
Harris hit 26 from 68 balls, including three fours.
Hefford, Sulzberger's partner with the bat, also chimed in with the ball and took 3/13 from his seven overs, claiming an international trifecta with Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan out for ducks and Gary Stead out for two.
It was an impressive haul for a player who has had an impressive first season.
Introduced for the 23rd over when Canterbury were 80/4, he made an immediate impact when capturing the wicket of Canterbury's best performer with the bat Brad Doody with his first ball.
Doody had batted with seeming indifference to the problems experienced by those regarded as his superiors in performance. But on 40 he played at Sulzberger's opening delivery and was taken by wicket-keeper Bevan Griggs standing up.
Then nine balls later he struck again.
Having just missed a sharp return catch from Aaron Redmond, Sulzberger made no mistake with a much easier opportunity and had Redmond on his way for three.
Three overs later, umpire Bill Bowden had everyone wondering. Andrew Schwass got a ball past Gareth Hopkins' bat. Schwass appealed and then wicket-keeper Griggs appealed.
After firstly shaking his head as if dismissing the appeal, Bowden fooled everyone by then raising his finger. Television replays suggested Hopkins had missed the ball.
But at 91/7 Canterbury was further in the mire, although Chris Harris was still there. He was struggling to score, having scored only three off 32 balls at one stage.
At the 30 over stage he was 14 not out with Carl Anderson 0 not out and Canterbury sitting on 97/7.
After 15 overs, CD was 60/4 with Brad Doody on 23 not out and Chris Harris on one not out.
Losing CLEAR Black Cap Nathan Astle with the score on eight, CD had the start it wanted to keep its hopes alive.
But the arrival of pinch-hitter Stephen Cunis, who usually bats in the lower order, gave Canterbury an impetus that should have been a boost in its chase. He chanced his arm, several times sending miscued hits high in the air only to fall clear of fieldsmen.
On 24 however, he tried once too often and cover fieldsman Glen Sulzberger was able to take the catch.
At 48/2 the Canterbury situation was nowhere near lost, but it took a decidedly unhealthy turn from the first ball of the 13th over when Brent Hefford changed ends. With his first ball of his second spell, he trapped another New Zealand player Craig McMillan leg before wicket from the first ball he faced.
Alarmingly, from New Zealand's point of view with the Sri Lankan series starting on Wednesday in Napier, both Astle and McMillan were out for ducks.
Holding the Canterbury innings together was Brad Doody, one of the side's better performers during the round robin stage of the tournament.
His role became increasingly important when Hefford went on to claim captain Gary Stead's wicket for two in the 15th over. That left Canterbury 59/4 and in big trouble.
With CD on 124/9 Canterbury had almost assured themselves of a third successive win in the Cup.
But Sulzberger and Hefford ensured some respectability at least in their stand which ended in the 49th over when Nathan Astle had Sulzberger caught at extra cover for 43. Hefford was not out on 16.
CD's top order folded abysmally under the pressure and until the 10th wicket stand was never a threat to Canterbury in its innings.
The only batsman who looked like getting on top of the bowling was Leicestershire professional Ben Smith. He scored 35 off 59 balls and played some fine straight and cover drives.
But at the stage he should have been set to cash in, he had a break in his concentration when charging Stephen Cunis and failing completely to get anything but an edge on the ball which when it carried to wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins was accepted with ease.
It was a disappointing end to a promising innings, but merely reflective of the CD batting overall.
If it was cool out in the middle due to the south-easter that blew over the ground, the reception in the dressing room must have been frosty to say the least about the steady flow of batsmen to and from the wicket during the first 37 overs.
Canterbury bowled tightly but hardly as menacingly as the score would suggest.
Ryan Burson got some reward for the work he has been doing in the last few games since returning from injury while Stephen Cunis continued the advance in his bowling by taking 3/18 off eight overs. Burson had 2/31 from his 10 overs.
McMillan took some stick, especially from lower order batsman Andrew Schwass who was eventually out for 24. But Astle finished with 2/20 from 7.2 overs.
CD batting first was in early strife when losing David Kelly and Craig Spearman within five balls in the fourth and fifth overs while the score was only 16.
Then just as it seemed international Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith were resurrecting the innings, Stephen Cunis struck and had Sinclair caught behind for 19.
The same thing happened as Smith and Mark Douglas, playing his final Shell Cup game, his 100th match, took the score from 40 through to 81.
At that stage Smith was out when playing a dreadful shot. Having made it through to 35 with some fine shots, he charged down the wicket to Cunis and edged the ball for an easy catch to wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the 80s became a graveyard for CD as they lost Mark Douglas for 15, Jacob Oram for one and Bevan Griggs for three. CD was 84/7.
Controversy surrounded Oram's dismissal and he may well be the first batsman at this level to have been given out by the third umpire on the basis of sound.
He played a ball from Cunis off the splice of his bat straight into Hopkin's gloves. But the deviation behind was not enough for umpire Brent Bowden and after Hopkins' appealed, he called for assistance from the third umpire, Tony Hill, to see if there was any sound.
As the ball was sent behind off the full face of the bat there was plenty of sound and Oram was sent on his way.
By the end of 30 overs, CD was 92/7 with Glen Sulzberger four not out and Andrew Schwass one not out.
In conditions better suited to rugby, with a cool south-easterly blowing across the ground, Canterbury won the toss and asked CD to bat first.
Ryan Burson, who bowled superbly for little reward in the first final in Napier, had the first wicket today when David Kelly wiped at a wide ball from Burson only to see it soar to Stephen Cunis fielding at third man. It was an exact copy of the same dismissal for Nathan Astle in the first final.
He had scored six with CD having scored 15 runs in the fourth over.
Former international opener Craig Spearman only lasted three balls, playing a ball from Chris Martin onto his wickets before he had scored.
Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith looked as if they were set to turn things around. Sinclair hooked Martin for six while Smith cut Burson for four. But just when CD looked set to cash in, Sinclair got out when playing at a wide ball which he only succeeded in edging behind to wicket-keeper Gareth Hopkins.
CD was 40/3 and battling to get into the game in the 12th over.
However, Smith who has produced little with the bat in the semi-final and first final, was looking to start playing his shots and hit one superb straight drive from Cunis' bowling.
In the 15th over however, he was lucky to get away when edging a ball just short of Nathan Astle at first slip when Martin was reintroduced . He was on 21 at the time.
Canterbury won the first game in Napier on Wednesday and only needs to win today's game to wrap up the series.
Both teams are the same as for the first match.
Canterbury won the toss and asked Central Districts to bat on a pitch that looked to have a higher moisture content than usual for the ground. The pitch was covered after two days of rain in Christchurch.
The teams are:
Canterbury: Gary Stead (captain), Nathan Astle, Brad Doody, Aaron Redmond, Craig McMillan, Gareth Hopkins, Carl Anderson, Chris Harris, Stephen Cunis, Ryan Burson, Chris Martin, Marcel McKenzie (12th man).
Central Districts: Jacob Oram (captain), David Kelly, Mathew Sinclair, Craig Spearman, Ben Smith, Mark Douglas, Glen Sulzberger, Bevan Griggs, Ewen Thompson, Andrew Schwass, Brent Hefford.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 27 Jan2001 - 18:23