Steve McMorran
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24th Match: Wellington v Otago at Wellington, 14 Jan 2001 Steve McMorran |
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Otago innings:
Wellington innings: Pre-game: |
Wellington expected to have to win the last four matches of the Cup round-robin to lift themselves sufficiently from the bottom of the table to reach a place of contention for the competition semifinals.
Their wins by five wickets over Auckland and Friday on by an emphatic margin over Otago today have been mammoth filips to that purpose and have helped repair the public recognition of Wellington's ability which had been tarnished by earlier failiures.
There was nothing equivocal about Wellington's form today and certainly nothing in the least tainted or ambiguous in the form of Twose and Fleming. Their centuries were twin masterpieces of authorative and improvised strokeplay, of decisive running between the wickets and their unbeaten partnership of 244 was a record for Wellington against all Cup opposition. It entirely surpassed the 216-run partnership between Jason Wells and Chris Nevin compiled three years ago.
Wellington were 30-2 in the seventh over when Fleming and Twose came together. They had lost their captain, Matthew Bell, to the first ball of the second over when they were three and his fellow opener Chris Nevin for 13 in the seventh over when they were 30.
The Black Caps pair batted through the next 43 overs, scoring at an almost identical pace - reaching their 50s within a few balls and their hundreds within a couple of overs of each other. When the innings ended, Twose was 124 not out, Fleming was 120 and Wellington were 274-2.
Otago were all out for 172 in the 37th over with only Mark Richardson - another Black Cap in encouraging form - standing against the tide which flooded so strongly in Wellington's favour. He was 88 not out at the close, the leading scorer by a margin in Otago's meek reply. Chris Gaffeney made 25, Paul Wiseman 18 and Matt Horne 12.
Nothing loomed larger, however, than Twose and Fleming whose form deserved to be called imperious. Fleming batted for more than 48 overs, 195 minutes, for his 120, Twose 169 minutes for 124.
They reached their half centuries in the 31st over, Twose first in 94 minutes from 83 balls and Fleming four balls later in 121 minutes from 79 balls. Their hundreds were also close together, Fleming reaching his in the 45th over, from 117 balls and Twose in the 46th over, from 136 balls.
Fleming's innings was punctuated by seven boundaries and Twose, an amalgam of delightful strokeplay, with 11 but both hit two sixes and both hit one of those sixes out of the ground, over the Basin's northern gates.
As much as their innings were memorable for that kind of strokeplay and for the innovations both introduced late in their innings, the reverse sweeps and cunning glances, they were memorable for the intuitive nature of their running. The boundaries were the filigree of the innings but their substance were the ones and twos they took so easily and well.
They kept Wellington's scoring moving at a carefiully measured pace. Wellington were only 120-2 after 30 overs (Otago were 126-8) abut they took a further 154 runs from the last 20 overs.
They were 75-3 when drinks arrived after 15 overs with Mark Richardson not out 31 and Matt Horne not out 11.
Otago's first wicket fell, as Wellington's had done, to the first ball of the second over when Andrew Hore was caught by wicketkeeper Chris Nevin from the bowling of James Franklin. They were 9 and Hore had made 1.
Chris Gaffeney made 25 in a 40-run partnership with Mark Richardson for the second wickedt before he was caught at short cover by Stephen Fleming from the bowling of Andrew Penn and Craig Cumming was run out for 2 when Otago were 56.
Their position might have been even more difficult if Wellington had fielded with anything like the efficiency they showed against Auckland two days ago. Then their groundfielding was superb, their throwing accurate and their catching all but faultless. Today, Wellington put down three chances to allow Otago breathing space as they chased Wellington's total of 274-2.
Gaffeney was dropped by Nevin off Franklin one ball after Hore was dismissed, before he had scored and while Otago was 9-1. Horne had a life when he popped a delivery from Mayu Pasupati high into the offside field and saw Matthew Bell and Jason Wells collide when converging on the ball from cover and mid-off.
And Richardson was dropped by Wells off Pasupati in the 14th over when he was 29 and Otago were 73-3.
Selector Brian McKechnie might have dashed to a telephone to communicate the glad tidings to his fellows on the national panel as he saw Fleming reach 120 not out, Twose 124 not out in a partnership which lasted more than 43 overs.
Wellington were 30-2 in the seventh over when the Black Caps pair were brought together by the dismissal of Chris Nevin. They had reached their century partnership by the 32nd over, scoring at an almost identical pace, and when their stand had added 217 by the last ball of the 48th over, they had a new partnership record for Wellington. The best had been 216 by Jason Wells and Chris Nevin against Central Districts three years ago.
Fleming had been at the wicket five overs longer than Twose, called on to face only the ninth ball of the innings after the dismissal of Matthew Bell from the first ball of the second. Bell had made a first ball duck and Wellington were 3-0.
Fleming's innings began slowly and he talk more than two overs to get off the mark, before offering a much clearer statement of his intentions with a huge six over long on in the sixth over, which left the ground over the long-on fence.
Fleming flourished when Twose came to the wicket to replace Nevin who was 13 when he cut a ball from Warren McSkimming's niggardly first spell directly to C umming at backward point. The deep understanding between the Black Caps pair was obvious from the start and, far from being based on big hitting, their runs accumulated from frequent well-judged singles.
Twose was first to his 50, reaching the mark in the 31st over, in 94 minutes from 83 balls. Fleming reached it four balls later, in the same over, in 121 minutes and from 79 balls.
No amount of rotation of the Otago bowlers could impede their scoring. They went on to their centuries in the 45th and 47th overs, Fleming first in 174 minutes and Twose only slightly in his wake in 158 minutes.
Their partnership lasted 169 minutes, the duration of Twose's innings, and was completed with suitable flourish when Twose took 17 runs from the last over, including two successive sixes. The first left the ground, as Fleming's had done, over long-on.
McSkimming escaped the damage done to some of the bowling figures, taking 1-27 from 10 overs.
The Black Caps pair had put on 120 in an unbeaten stand for Wellington's third wicket, taking them to 150-2 when drinks were taken after 35 overs. Fleming was 57 not out and Twose 65.
Fleming came to the wicket first, after only seven balls had been bowled in the innings and after Wellington had lost the wicket of their captain Matthew Bell for 0 when they were only three. Twose joined him in the seventh over on the fall of Chris Nevin's wicket and when Wellington was 30-2.
Their partnership has been more steady than spectacular. There was some big hitting from Fleming early on - he hit Simon Forde out of the ground for six in the sixth over and pulled Craig Pryor for six two overs later - but they were scoring more through singles and two as the innings progressed.
Twose was first to his 50, reaching the mark with a single from the first ball of the 31st over while Fleming reached the mark with a single four balls later.
The Black Caps teammates came together when Wellington was 30-2 in the seventh over, after the dismissal of Chris Nevin for 13. They had taken Wellington on to 66-2 by drinks, both reaching 23.
Wellington had made a shaky start after winning the toss, losing their captain Matthew Bell for 0 to the first ball of the second over, the first ball Bell had faced. He went back to a turning delivery from the spinner Simon Forde which beat the bat and took out his middle stump. Wellington were 3-0.
Nevin went on to 13 before he late cut a short delivery from Warren McSkimming directly to Cumming at backward point. Wellington were 30-2.
Fleming made a watchful start, taking more than two overs to score his first run, but his innings blossomed from that point and included some superb boundary shots. He effortlessly hoisted a ball from Forde in the sixth over over long on and into the street beyond the Basin Reserve and he pulled Craig Pryor for six two overs later.
Twose, similarly, exercised his flair for boundary play, playing some superb forcing shots for fours.
Warren McSkimming bowled a superb first spell of eight overs, taking the wicket of Nevin at a cost of only 14 runs. Forde took Bell's wicket but his three early overs cost 20 runs.
No-one would have been more concerned than Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson to throw apart the bedroom curtains this morning and see a cold and pitiless rain falling from a sky full of huddled and threatening clouds. Wellington has to win today's match, their next against Northern Districts on Tuesday and their last against Canterbury on Thursday to have any chance of taking part in the Cup playoffs. The loss of this match to rain would have deprived Wellington of even a faint mathematical chance of making those semifinals.
But the rain has stopped, the sky as cleared and the day in Wellington is fine, albeit still cold because of blustery and arctic southerly, and play will begin on schedule at noon.
There is a also a novel new appearance about the Basin Reserve pitch set aside for this match. A great deal of criticism has been expressed this season about the pace of pitches prepared for major matches at the Basin, notably in the Boxing Day test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
Very little grass has been left on any of the pitches on which Wellington have recently played and Johnson has been among those who has questioned whether the wicket block is not becoming a little tired.
But the pitch prepared for today's match has a much greener tinge than any of its neighbours and it may be there is more pace in the pitch today than there has been in recent games.
Surprisingly, Wellington won the toss and decided to bat and teams omitted a fast bowler because of injury concerns - Otago leaving out Kerry Walmsley and Wellington omitting Carl Bulfin who strained a groin muscle during this morning's warmup.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming returns to the Wellington team today after missing Friday's match against Auckland with a groin strain. Richard Jones, who scored 62 against Auckland, was named 12th man.
Wellington: Chris Nevin, Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming, Roger Twose, Stephen Mather, Jason Wells, James Franklin, Matthew Walker, Mark Jefferson, Andrew Penn, Mayu Pasupati.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 14 Jan2001 - 22:23