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Caddick joins 200 Club on helter-skelter Auckland morning
Lynn McConnell - 30 March 2002

Going into the third and final National Bank Series Test, England fast-medium bowler Andy Caddick could hardly have dreamt that his four wickets to reach 200 Test wickets would come so quickly.

But he went to lunch having just trapped New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan leg before wicket to secure his fourth and to become the ninth English bowler to take 200 Test wickets.

He is in esteemed company. The list reads: Ian Botham (383), Bob Willis (325), Fred Trueman (307), Derek Underwood (297), Brian Statham (252), Alec Bedser (236), Darren Gough (228) and John Snow (202).

Caddick thought he may have picked up one or two on the first morning.

When he came back for the last over before lunch he felt it was because England captain Nasser Hussain felt he needed a change of variation. It worked and also got his 200th out of the way so he could get on with the business England were here for.

Caddick said it had been a highlight in his career but not the most satisfying moment. There were games he had played in that had been more satisfying.

He said there had been times when he felt he could have been playing, which would have allowed him to achieve the goal earlier, none moreso than when he was not selected for the last Ashes tour.

Despite having been told by the selectors that all he had to do to be selected was keep taking wickets obviously the 105 he took during the English summer had not been enough to convince them.

Injuries and different selectors did come along and all players went through bad patches but he had been fit for the last five years and felt there was more left to chase other milestones along the way.

"The body is getting tired and weary but I will keep going as long as I enjoy it," he said.

Having Hussain as his captain was an advantage as he was a captain who backed his bowlers, and who understood what they were trying to do.

"There are a few dos and don'ts as far as bowling is concerned but I have a good relationship with Nasser and with Duncan [Fletcher] as well," he said.

Caddick said the absence of Gough had placed him in a position he enjoyed of having to shoulder more responsibility.

Achieving the feat against New Zealand had not made the occasion any more special as he treats every opponent in every Test as just another Test.

The pitch was one where players didn't hang around in going for their shots, he said, and they had to play their shots as there was no guarantee how long they would last if they pottered around.

Chris Harris had shown that in his innings "for the second time today," he said, a reference to a let-off Harris was given after being caught off his gloves from Matthew Hoggard's bowling by short leg fieldsman Mark Ramprakash.

But Harris and Adam Parore had established a good partnership and there was a lot of work to be done by England tomorrow, Caddick said.

© CricInfo


Teams England, New Zealand.
Players/Umpires Andy Caddick, Craig McMillan, Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Brian Statham, Alec Bedser, Darren Gough, John Snow, Nasser Hussain, Duncan Fletcher, Chris Harris, Matthew Hoggard, Mark Ramprakash, Adam Parore.
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