Matthew Appleby
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29th Match: Canterbury v Wellington at Christchurch, 18 Jan 2001 Matthew Appleby |
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Wellington innings:
Canterbury innings: Pre-game: |
Wellington had scored 104/1 after 26 overs needing just one hundred to beat Canterbury and go through to the final stages of the Shell Cup. They then lost their last nine wickets for 89 runs in less than 24 overs.
Roger Twose, the key man for Wellington going into the last ten overs, had been waiting patiently for the bad ball. He hit Nathan Astle for a six in the 41st over, but was crucially caught by diving Canterbury hero Chris Harris at point in the same over. This brought Andrew Penn to the crease and the the 2000 plus crowd to their feet. He smashed 20 off 15 balls before being sent back by Jason Wells, who had hit a Nathan Astle delivery straight to Gary Stead at midwicket.
Franklin, panicking, was also run out, going for a quick one to Astle at extra cover in the following over to make the score 174/7 in 45 overs and three balls. This left Wellington needing 33 runs off 24 balls, with Wells and Jefferson in. Wells (18 off 38 balls) was the third run out in three overs, as the brilliant Harris threw and hit one stump from point.
176/8 after 46.3 became 190/9 after 48.3 overs, when Shane Bond bowled a slogging Mark Jefferson for three. It was only at the end of this over, with 16 needed for victory that Canterbury looked favourites. Chris Martin bowled Paul Hitchcock from the second last ball of the innings to finish Wellington off 14 short.
Under the floodlights the game reached a climax that few had expected when Canterbury were crawling their way to 106/6 in the 30th over.
The slow wicket block stopped shot making from the medium pacers. Wellington's Penn, Franklin, Mather and Walker were especially effective. It was up to Canterbury's Astle, Harris and slow left armer Anderson to be as accurate.
Anderson took 2/24 from his ten overs, Astle went for 47 and Harris took 1/37. But it was Canterbury's amazing fielding display, with three run outs in 14 balls that left inexperienced batsmen to try and score 26 in the last 18 balls.
They failed as Canterbury's team display proved too much for the top heavy Wellington batting order.
Wellington are 137/4 off 40 overs, chasing 208 for victory. Chris Nevin, with 64 and returning ex-Canterbury hero, Stephen Fleming (37 off 62 balls) added 81 for the second wicket in 128 balls, as the Wellington side cruised to victory. Fleming, who was booed by a large,sunbathed, Christchurch crowd on his way to the wicket, reminded his old fans of his class during his 73 minute stay.
Fleming continued a run of good scores, following his 120 and 52, both unbeaten, in the last two rounds. He finally fell for 37 with the score at 104 to receive a mixed reception from the one-eyed Cantabs. Almost inevitably, it was Chris Harris, Canterbury's top scorer with 60 in their 207/7, who forced Fleming to sky an attempted hit to leg.
Unfortunately for Canterbury, red hot Roger Twose replaced Fleming, but a hint of a miracle was there. Nevin, having failed to kick on from 50 in 66 balls, pulled a short one to Craig McMillan, who caught the opener on the second attempt after a 97 ball stay. The score was then 111/3 after 29 overs and one ball. Mather went, stumped by Gareth Hopkins for Anderson's second wicket, four overs later. The slower Canterbury bowlers had pushed the required run rate above six an over by 35 overs. In the ten overs after Fleming's dismissal Wellington added just 18.
Wellington have gone from bottom to top of the table in the last week, as their returning Black Caps, Fleming, Twose and James Franklin (2-34 ) hit form. This must have pleased Sir Richard Hadlee, convener of selectors, who was in close conversation with Wellington coach, Vaughn Johnson earlier today.
In the remaining ten overs a lot will depend on the left handed one-day specialist Twose, and Jason Wells (who was dropped by Hopkins off Astle on one), his last specialist batting partner.
Chris Nevin, Black Cap opening batsman/wicketkeeper a year ago, began strongly to be 50 not out with the score 79/1 at 18 overs. Canterbury needed wickets to stay in the competition with such a modest total to defend. They took just one before the drinks break.
Matt Bell, the Firebird's captain, was the man out, mishitting a pull off Chris Martin. The Black Cap strike bowler had earlier been cut and driven for three fours by Nevin, as he failed to find a good length. His opening spell was of five overs, one for 24.
Stephen Fleming, on his return to Christchurch, was booed by the crowd, which had swelled to over 2000 in the evening sunshine that bathed this day/night fixture. He broke his bat early on, but continued calmly to by drinks.
The score was 46/1 after ten overs, with Nevin (30) hitting seven fours, specialising in cutting and pulling short ball through the infield.
Fifty came up in 38 minutes and 62 balls as Nevin drove an overpitched one from Shane Bond to the ropes. Nevin passed 50 in 66 balls and he and Fleming reached 50 together in 76 balls.
It was all a contrast to Wellington's economical opening attack. James Franklin and Andrew Penn moved the ball around under heavy cloud to restrict Canterbury to 106/6 in the 30th over. It was only thanks to Chris Harris (60*), who shared late partnerships with Carl Anderson (19) and Shane Bond (30*), that Canterbury passed 200.
Both teams have to win to progress further in the competition, with Central Districts and Auckland winning their matches today.
Batting first at Jade Stadium, the red and blacks made a disappointing 207/7, exactly the same as Otago made against them in the last round.
It took all the international experience of Chris Harris, with 60, to give Canterbury a respectable total after being 106/6 in the 30th over, having lost Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan for just 14 runs between them.
If Canterbury lose they are gone. If they win they go straight to the finals as top team after ten rounds. It is not a bad incentive for the seven-in-the-last-nine-seasons Cup winners to bowl and field as they have never had to do before to stay in the competition.
It was Wellington's bowlers who took advantage of overcast cool conditions to stifle, and then dismiss Canterbury's top order. James Franklin impressed with 2/34, despite Harris pulling him for six over midwicket. Matthew Walker (0/33) and Andrew Penn (1/34) were accurate and used the way the ball did not come onto the bat to frustrate the Canterbury top order.
Stephen Mather (3/45) came back well with a double wicket maiden after going for 15 in his second over. He removed Gary Stead with the first ball of his second spell. The first ball of his third spell also took a wicket, as Carl Anderson (19 in 49 balls) edged a cut to Chris Nevin behind the stumps. This was just after the 150 had come up, in 258 balls. Anderson's career best Cup score helped Harris add 46 off 77 balls for the seventh wicket.
Shane Bond, with 30 not out off 27 balls (also a career best), assisted Harry in an eighth wicket stand of 55 off 48 balls to see Canterbury beyond an unlikely 200 off 303 balls. He hit Walker over extra cover into the lake where the embankment used to be in the 49th over.
Brad Doody (37) and Stead (26) made the only partnership of note in the first thirty overs, adding 60 off 96 balls for the third wicket.
When Hopkins fell after 29 overs and three balls, playing on, Canterbury reached their nadir. With just three bowlers who had top scored with 22*, 4 and 3* in the Cup to come, Anderson had to stick around. He and Harris added just 30 in the ten overs after Hopkins went. With ten overs left the score was an unpromising 141/6. But Harris had started to move into his rescue mode, as befits a man with an average of almost 45 in the Cup. He brought up his twelfth Cup fifty in 69 balls and 95 minutes with five fours plus the six. Bond played a large part in making 25 off the last two overs to give Canterbury a chance.
A popular view is that whoever wins this game will win the whole competition. But, at Jade, a stunned crowd of well over 1000 were silenced as Canterbury's Cup momentum stuttered after three wins in a week.
The crucial Round Ten match became an increasingly key affair as other results came in.
Canterbury were 109/6 at second drinks (32 overs) as Andrew Penn, James Franklin, Matthew Walker and Stephen Mather moved the ball around accurately to make batting difficult for the home team.
Captain Gary Stead brought up the hundred in 162 balls, partnered by Chris Harris (15 not out), but 200 looks unlikely with 18 overs left of the innings.
Key man, Craig McMillan, when on four, was out to an aerial slash to third man, where Paul Hitchcock took a good catch off Franklin's bowling. Stead stuttered to 26 off 57 balls, before edging a dab to Chris Nevin. Gareth Hopkins played on two balls later in the same Stephen Mather over.
Earlier, opener Brad Doody, after a life on ten, and a lot of playing and missing, was showing the form that has brought him 312 Cup runs this season. He brought up a 50 partnership in 90 balls with Stead by hitting Stephen Mather, the fielder who had dropped him, just over Andrew Penn at long on. Penn spilled the ball over his shoulder to trickle to the ropes. He had gone over the top earlier, then helped by a glance and a no ball took 15 from the over.
But, in the next over, Doody (37 off 62 balls) set off for a quick single, Stead sent him back, and Hitchcock had ample time to run out the flat-footed left handed at the end of his follow through.
Sir Richard Hadlee, convener of selectors, has been sitting with Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson. The fringe Black Caps, Matthew Bell, Penn and wicketkeeper Nevin are likely topics of discussion. Hadlee protegee, Franklin had earlier moved the new ball around to impress the great man. His dismissal of McMillan was more through a risky shot than great bowling. He finished with 2/34 from his ten overs.
Central Districts' seven wicket win over Otago today leaves them leaders on 12 points. Auckland's huge 318/5 against Northern Districts leaves them none the wiser, as their net rate rate is inferior to the other contenders. A win would leave Auckland on ten points, where Canterbury sit.
Whatever happens, the winner of this game will qualify, the loser will not.
Jade Stadium is filling with spectators on a cool, overcast day, which should be full of runs on the evenly paced portable wicket.
But Canterbury have failed to take advantage of the seven fielders in the ring, as the ball swung and seamed a little in the close conditions.
Internationals Andrew Penn and James Franklin opened the bowling with an important breakthrough. Tuesday's centurion, Nathan Astle, survived an lbw shout by Penn in the first over to hit Franklin for pulled and driven fours in successive balls in the second. He was dropped from a straightforward edge by Matthew Walker at second slip from the opening ball of Franklin's next one, when on ten. But just two balls later he edged fatally to international team mate Stephen Fleming at first slip.
Aaron Redmond did not last long, wafting at a wide one from Penn, to leave the score 19/2 after five overs. Brad Doody (22 at drinks), when on seven, was dropped by Stephen Mather at mid off, getting a leading edge to the probing Penn. He had an opening spell of six overs, taking 1/15, before changing to the Hadlee Stand end.
Just before the drinks break Gary Stead (13 at drinks), after 32 balls, at last hit his first boundary, square driving Penn to bring up a hard fought Canterbury fifty, off 95 balls.
In today's other games, Otago's 67 all out against Central Districts leaves the Stags likely to go to 12 points, and to temporarily lead the table. Otago will be wooden-spoonists, while the remaining teams, including the pairing here at Jade, are fighting for two spots.
Auckland Aces' 318/5 should be enough to beat Northern Knights, though may still not be enough to make their projected ten points be accompanied by a high enough net run rate to go to the final stages. This is largely explained by their catastophic 73 all out against CD on Tuesday.
The table is so close that if Canterbury win they could go straight to the final, but if they lose they will be out of the Shell Cup altogether.
The home side lost the toss, but have been put in on a wicket that should be full of runs. The weather is overcast, but no rain is forecast.
For Canterbury, Shane Bond's pace is preferred to Stephen Cunis' medium fast bowling. Wellington leave out Maya Pasupatu, who is replaced by Paul Hitchcock.
Both teams are on a roll, rising from being the bottom two just last week to serious Cup contenders by today. Because today's teams' runrates are almost identical (Canterbury 0.235, Wellington 0.206), whichever team wins will probably go to the semi-finals.
The only things decided in a fascinatingly close competition are that Otago are out and Northern Districts will go on. Auckland need to beat the Knights and for the other results to go their way to qualify for the semis. Those results are for Central Districts to lose to Otago and Canterbury to beat Wellington. However, Otago's 67 all out does not look like a winning total.
The Firebirds feature record breaking pair Roger Twose and Stephen Fleming, who returns to the province he left after nine successful seasons, which included seven Cup triumphs. Fleming has 120 and 52 not out in his last two innings. Twose has 124 not out and 40. The pair added a Cup all wicket record of 244 in Round Eight.
The stadium is transformed from when Fleming last played here when Canterbury beat Auckland by seven wickets in the Cup final in February 2000. Fleming's 57 not out, and 351 runs in that season, were crucial in Canterbury's cup run.
In this game Canterbury may miss Fleming, and the injured Chris Cairns, but have settled on a matchwinning mixture of returned Black Caps and promising youngsters.
One player who is both promising and an international, strike bowler Chris Martin, told CricInfo that "with the Black Cap boys back, I think most sides fear Canterbury." Good natured banter between Fleming and Nathan Astle at a publisher's breakfast this morning suggest that at least these two are not too worried about each other's reputations.
Another promising youngsters is Ryan Burson, who has impressed enough after a knee injury that kept him out of the team until last week to keep his place ahead of former international opening bowler, Warren Wisneski. The workhorse Taranaki man, who played three ODIs against Australia as recently as last February, was on the brink of a Black Cap recall before Christmas.
Aaron Redmond effectively replaces Fleming at No.3, with Shane Bond and Chris Martin the other men who have not played for Canterbury in the final stages of the Cup.
Wellington had four wins last season, to finish fourth and miss the semis by one win. If they lose today they will have a matching record for the 2000/1 campaign.
The teams are: Canterbury: Gary Stead (cpt), Brad Doody, Nathan Astle, Aaron Redmond, Craig McMillan, Chris Harris, Gareth Hopkins (wkt), Carl Anderson, Ryan Burson, Chris Martin. Marcel McKenzie and Stephen Cunis are left out of the final eleven.
Wellington: Matthew Bell (cpt), Chris Nevin, Stephen Fleming, Roger Twose, Stephen Mather, Jason Wells, James Franklin, Matthew Walker, Mark Jefferson, Paul Hitchcock, Andrew Penn. Mayu Pasupati is twelfth man.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 18 Jan2001 - 22:23