Abysmal pitch mars end to popular series

Hamilton's status as an international cricket venue will be put under the microscope in coming weeks after another sub-standard pitch ended the World 11 series on a flat note yesterday.
New Zealand wrapped up the series 2-1 with a four-wicket win, when just 164 runs were scored and 16 wickets fell in three hours of playing time before a full house of 11,500.
On a pitch providing variable bounce and excessive seam movement throughout, Chris Cairns took six for 12 off 5.5 overs as the World 11 were shot out for 81 in the 21st over.
The Black Caps then staggered home in the 16th over after Australian allrounder Ian Harvey took four for 17.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden, who organised a 10-overs-a-side match afterwards to appease the crowd, was a concerned onlooker, admitting the pitch took some gloss off a popular series which raised nearly $1 million for tsunami relief in Sri Lanka.
"I don't think players were in danger but it didn't look to be an ideal playing surface," Snedden said.
"Until you talk to the people involved in the game... you can have thoughts but I'd like to test them a bit on their thinking.
"There's a feeling of disappointment about this match not panning out how you'd want it to pan out, and that's taken a bit of an edge off."
Westpac Park won't host a test this season but is due to host a one-day international against Australia on March 2.
Asked whether the ground's international status was under threat, Snedden said: "I don't think you can go anywhere near speculating on that. It's only five minutes after the match and I haven't had an opportunity to talk to any of the participants."
The ground has a chequered recent history, with the South Africa test last March almost abandoned on safety grounds when a crater developed at one end of the pitch.
The previous one-day international here in January 2003 against India was also played on a dodgy pitch, and India were rolled for 122 as New Zealand cruised to victory.
Earlier in that tour, India and New Zealand were both dismissed for less than 100 in their first innings, the first time that had happened in test history.
Snedden said the ground was on its final warning after the South Africa test last year.
"At the conclusion of last season I indicated to them unless they did certain things they wouldn't be considered for international cricket."
That was to re-lay the pitch, which was done with Waikari soil from Canterbury, to install proper quality drainage, and to install an international class practice facility.
All that had been done, Snedden said, and he had expected the new pitch to take some time to settle down.
Yesterday, World 11 captain Shane Warne made the surprising decision to bat first and there was no hint of the carnage to follow when the World 11 reached 59 for one in the 11th over against some loose offerings from Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills.
Cairns then sparked a collapse of nine for 22 in 10.1 overs, while Jeff Wilson took three for six off four overs, dismissing Graeme Hick and Kumar Sangakkara in consecutive balls and then being denied a hat-trick by Andy Bichel.
If the match had been granted official one-day international status, Cairns' figures would have been a New Zealand record, beating Shane Bond's six for 23 against Australia in Port Elizabeth at the 2003 World Cup.
Former England opener Nick Knight was the only batsman to top 20, hitting six fours in his 43 off 45 balls.
It was more of the same when New Zealand batted, with Nathan Astle topscoring with 23 before he was one of three to be bowled by Harvey.
There was some angst when Cairns was caught second ball to make it 65 for six, but McCullum and Hamish Marshall saw it home.
In the 10-over match with all players bowling one over each, the boundary was peppered regularly as the match ended in a tie.
New Zealand posted 178 for three with Craig McMillan smashing nine sixes in his 63 off 18 balls, then the World 11 levelled the scores with two balls remaining before Astle ran out Sangakkara off the last ball.