Cricket: Bichel haunts NZ to win match for World XI

Australian Andy Bichel came from nowhere to haunt New Zealand's cricket team again tonight and send the World XI series into a decider in Hamilton on Wednesday.

Not wanted for Australia's test or one-day sides, Bichel made his first appearance of the series and took three for 56 with the ball before cracking an unbeaten 37 off 38 balls as the World XI won a close one by three wickets.

That was despite Nathan Astle's starring role for New Zealand, topscoring with 109 off 123 balls in their innings of 256 which was short of a par score on a friendly pitch.

He also took the key wicket of opener Matthew Elliott for 57, after New Zealand's pacemen were expensive early on, and ran out Jonty Rhodes from the boundary for 16.

Having been hammered by nine wickets in the series opener in Christchurch, the World XI reached their target with 13 balls to spare when Chaminda Vaas cracked Daryl Tuffey for four.

It wasn't the first time Bichel has ruined New Zealand's party, having hit 64 off 83 balls at the World Cup in Port Elizabeth in 2003 to save Australia from 84 for seven on the way to a 96-run win.

Another unwanted Australian international, Elliott, hit three fours and three sixes, two of them off paceman Kyle Mills, in his 67-ball knock before Astle looked to have turned a seesawing match with his wicket.

Kumar Sangakkara made amends for his first ball duck in Christchurch with 52 off 60 balls in the middle stages, and when he was caught well by Hamish Marshall off Tuffey the World XI needed 35 off six overs.

Even a Goldie special from Jeff Wilson wasn't enough, snaring the big wicket of Lance Klusener to a diving caught and bowled in an impressive eight-over spell of one for 27.

Earlier, Astle hit 109 off 123 balls to anchor an otherwise stuttering New Zealand innings after they were sent in by World XI captain Shane Warne.

He had little support, with recalled Craig McMillan's 33 the next highest score.

Going into the series, which doesn't carry official one-day international status, Astle had 14 centuries from 188 one-day matches -- a New Zealand record.

Having largely watched from the other end in Christchurch on Saturday for 36 not out as captain Stephen Fleming blazed 106 in their nine-wicket win, Astle took charge today after Fleming was caught and bowled for 14 by Chaminda Vaas.

Astle hit a flurry of aerial boundaries through the off side to reach 50 off 43 balls, and his century came off 113 balls including nine fours and a six.

He departed in the 45th over to give Bichel the second of his three wickets.

New Zealand were cruising at 107 for one in the 20th over, with Astle and Mathew Sinclair adding 93 off 100 balls, but the innings stalled once Sinclair was smartly caught behind by Sangakkara off South African Lance Klusener for 30.

The big wicket was Chris Cairns, promoted to No 4 in the order, who hit Klusener to Warne at cover on nine.

The World XI spinners applied the brakes in the middle stages, with Sanath Jayasuriya the pick with one for 38 off 10 overs.

Warne went wicketless for 44 runs off 10 overs while Muttiah Muralitharan, after his 57-run hammering off 3.1 overs in Christchurch, took Marshall's wicket for six to end with one for 46 off eight.

He still suffered some punishment, with McMillan hitting him into the stands three times.

Astle was happy about his return to form but bemoaned a lack of help from his batting cohorts.

"Every time we got a partnership going we lost a wicket, that stagnated the whole innings and that's why we only got to 256 instead of 280-300. That cost us in the end," Astle said.

"The century doesn't count (in official records) but it's always nice to get hundreds for New Zealand. It was a big game out there even though we didn't do as well as we wanted to."

Bichel, who was edged out by Astle for the man of the match award, gave the World XI a new dimension after their struggles in Christchurch.

"You like to think you made a difference. We played pretty well, got off to a good start and managed to pin them back to a reasonable total," the Queenslander said.

"We were no doubt a lot better today."

NZ V World XI Scoreboard

* New Zealand

S Fleming c and b Vaas 14
N Astle c Rhodes b Bichel 109
M Sinclair c Sangakkara b Klusener 30
C Cairns c Warne b Klusener 9
H Marshall c Vaas b Muralitharan 6
C McMillan c and b Jayasuriya 33
B McCullum c Sangakkara b Bichel 0
D Vettori not out 26
J Wilson c Klusener b Bichel 11
K Mills run out 8
D Tuffey not out 0
Extras (2lb, 7w, 1nb) 10
Total (for 9 wkts, 50 overs) 256

Fall: 14 (Fleming), 107 (Sinclair), 135 (Cairns), 148 (Marshall), 202 (McCullum), 205 (McCullum), 214 (Astle), 233 (Wilson), 252 (Mills).

Bowling: A Bichel 10-1-56-3, C Vaas 5-0-35-1, L Klusener 7-1-35-2 (2w, 1nb), S Jayasuriya 10-0-38-1 (2w), S Warne 10-0-44-0 (3w), M Muralitharan 8-0-46-1.

* World XI

M Elliott c Sinclair b Astle 57
N Knight c McCullum b Cairns 29
S Jayasuriya c Marshall b Mills 4
G Hick lbw b Vettori 24
K Sangakkara c Marshall b Tuffey 52
J Rhodes run out 16
L Klusener c and b Wilson 4
A Bichel not out 37
C Vaas not out 22
Extras (8lb, 3w, 1nb) 12
Total (for 7 wkts, 47.5 overs) 257

Fall: 65 (Knight), 74 (Jayasuriya), 111 (Elliott), 122 (Hick), 167 (Rhodes), 172 (Klusener), 222 (Sangakkara).

Bowling: D Tuffey 8.5-0-65-1 (2w), K Mills 8-1-47-1, C Cairns 7-0-31-1 (1nb), N Astle 10-0-45-1 (1w), D Vettori 5-0-24-1, J Wilson 8-0-27-1, C McMillan 1-0-10-0.

Result: World XI won by three wickets.
Three-match series level 1-1.

- NZPA