Close England 28 for 0 trail Canterbury 212 for 8 dec (Harris 82, Frew 44, Caddick 5-69) by 184 runs
scorecard

If Andy Caddick doesn't take any wickets in the first Test at Christchurch starting on Wednesday, England could be in trouble. Caddick accounted for seven of the 12 they took against Otago at Queenstown, and today, oozing venom just 100 yards from the Riccarton Cricket Club Pavilion he once called home, he took five more against Canterbury to tip the first-class balance-sheet on this tour even further in his favour: Caddick 12, Other Bowlers 7, Run-Outs 1.

It would have been even more lopsided if Caddick had won a convincing shout for leg-before against Chris Harris, who padded up to his first ball and was hit in front of off below the knee roll. But Harris went on to make a stroke-filled 82 as Canterbury set about recovering from 39 to 4. And they were even able to stick England in for nine overs at the end, which at least allowed Michael Vaughan, who was still throwing underarm today to spare his sore shoulder, and Mark Butcher to reduce the lead by 28.

Caddick won't find better conditions than this at the start of a game. The wicket was green (possibly envious of the fact that it wouldn't be able to bowl on itself), and Caddick settled into the groove he had dug at Queenstown. Shannan Stewart went in the fifth over for 0, caught by Nasser Hussain at first slip via Mark Butcher's juggle at second (5 for 1). And Matthew Hoggard added the wicket of Michael Papps for 7, caught low down by Hussain three overs later (18 for 2).

But Caddick, all bounce and movement, was the more dangerous of the opening bowlers, and he soon had Gary Stead, Canterbury's captain, smartly taken by James Foster as he dived low to his right to cling on to an outside edge. Stead was out for 12 (33 for 3). And it was 39 for 4 when Nathan Astle, on 6, top-edged Caddick to long leg where Usman Afzaal circled, prayed, tumbled – and held on.

If Harris had been given out lbw it would have been 47 for 5, but instead Harris counterattacked in style, and was kept dogged company by Robbie Frew, who had made 15 off 28 overs by lunch. Harris had three main scoring strokes – the pull, the back-foot drive through mid-off, and the cover-drive – and while he was showing them off after the interval on a wicket that was starting to play more easily, England looked like the side that hasn't taken 20 wickets in a Test since the beginning of June. Even Frew was invigorated, striking Hoggard for consecutive fours, through square and straight down the ground.

Harris flicked Craig White over midwicket with a Caribbean flourish and moved to fifty soon after with a nudge to leg off Ashley Giles, who wasn't introduced into the attack until the 47th over. Harris then brought up the century stand with a cover-drive for three, and Canterbury had survived the session without losing a wicket. At tea, Frew was on 43 from 166 balls, a monument to martyrdom.

But his vigil came to an end in the fourth over after the break when Caddick got him to edge a seaming delivery to Andrew Flintoff at third slip (145 for 5). Frew's 44 had taken 260 minutes and 179 balls (three of which he hit for four), and Caddick greeted his demise as if he had finally rid himself of an ingrowing hair.

In his next over Caddick completed his five-for when Gareth Hopkins poked at a lifting delivery outside off, and Mark Ramprakash did the rest at gully (149 for 6). Hopkins made 3.

Harris pulled and drove Caddick to the boundary, but Flintoff returned to have him caught at second slip and end a clean-hitting innings of 82 (186 for 7). Paul Wiseman, dropped early on by Foster off Giles, hastened the declaration with some big blows, including a six over point off Flintoff, and when Warren Wisneski was run out for 8 by Hoggard's throw from deep backward square, Canterbury called it a day.

It was just a shame that most of the spectators had already done the same. The idea of starting the game at noon so that it could run on until 7pm was based on the hope that people would drop by after work. Instead, they left in dribs and drabs as the day wore on, and the 2000 people who reportedly paid money to get in were reduced to a handful by the close.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com. You can read his reports here throughout the tour.

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