8.2.2008
by - David Leggat
 Dimitri
Mascarenhas appeals during last night's Twenty20 match in
Christchurch.
Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand will go into tomorrow's opening ODI against
England unchallenged as the second-best side so far in this
contest.
This was not the way the script had it, wherein New Zealand
were expected to be the superior limited-overs outfit; England
the better bet for the test series to follow.
Having been well beaten at Eden Park on Tuesday in the opening
Twenty20 contest, New Zealand were given a thorough duffing
by 50 runs in Christchurch last night.
On a bleak night when a chilling easterly whistled round
the ground, 18,000 watched England turn in a professional
operation against opponents sorely in need of a tune-up.
Chasing a demanding 194, they were soon 19 for two - identical
to Eden Park - before Ross Taylor banged a couple over the
boundary only to play a dopey flat-bat lob to cover and
it was downhill from there.
Four wickets fell in 21 balls, much of the innings matching
the rubble which lies at the eastern side of the ground
at present.
New Zealand trailed throughout, with no one able to do what
man of the match Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah did so
well in their match-winning partnership earlier in the night:
improvise and back themselves with clean, thoughtful hitting.
England's successful innings was based around two significant
partnerships, helped along by a generous helping of tripe
from the New Zealand bowlers.
If the Kiwi attack learnt anything from watching England's
bowlers doing the business at Eden Park on Wednesday it
didn't show, save Tim Southee, who on last night's effort
should be persuaded out of this month's world under-19 youth
cup in Malaysia in favour of joining the full ODI squad.
He delivered three fine overs and one average one and generally
bowled a good full length. Otherwise too often the batsmen
were given the ideal length to get under the ball, and room
to free the arms.
Phil Mustard and Luke Wright leapt into the New Zealand
bowling like hungry kids seated in front of a table of hamburgers.
Mustard in particular has a sharp eye and both gave the
ball a bruising. Mustard got a six over third man from a
leading edge but struck some classy blows.
The pair flew past 50 in 4.4 overs, the introduction of
the luckless Paul Hitchcock further raising the tempo, his
first over going for 22.
But then New Zealand got smart, and a bit lucky.
Martin, well off his best, yorked Wright with a good one;
Kevin Pietersen missed a full toss shaping to hit to the
onside and was rightly judged lbw; Ian Bell ran himself
out in one of those "yes, no, oh, oh" moments;
and Mustard was caught at long-on off a skier.
Four wickets in 16 balls and New Zealand were back in the
frame.
But Collingwood and Shah provided the second surge from
the England batsmen with a fine 102-run stand off 62 balls.
They winged it at times, worked the gaps cleverly - Collingwood
especially - and got some assistance from a pile of half
trackers and other assorted nonsense just at a time New
Zealand had the chance to tighten the screws.
Hitchcock was within a few metres of one of cricket's oddest
hat tricks - Shah caught on the long-off fence; Collingwood
- a quality 54 off 28 balls - caught at long-on, and Dimitri
Mascarenhas would have been caught at third man had it not
cleared the boundary by about six rows.
A night to swiftly forget, unless you're English.
Courtesy - SNNI |