Cricket: Fleming's double-century can't hide lean top order

Stephen Fleming

JOHANNESBURG - Stephen Fleming was left with as many questions as answers this week after New Zealand ended their tour of South Africa empty-handed, having lost the test series 2-0.

The man who provided the main individual highlight of the tour with a marvellous double-century at Newlands, was yesterday left reflecting on another series in which not only his top-order batsmen but also his pace attack were found wanting.

New Zealand were beaten by 128 runs in the first test at Centurion; they forced a draw on a benign pitch at Newlands and were then comprehensively outplayed on a juiced-up wicket at the Wanderers, eventually losing by four wickets yesterday morning.

Easily the biggest concern to come out of the tour was the feeble effort from the top-order batsmen, and in particular an opening combination that was altered for each of the three tests, without ever suggesting a solution had been found.

The only moderate success was at Newlands, where the recalled Michael Papps and Peter Fulton managed to bring up a 50 partnership in the first innings, a feat that paved the way for Fleming's trail-blazing innings of 262.

Apart from that effort, however, the pickings at the top of the order were spectacularly lean.

Hamish Marshall and Fulton struggled in the first test at Centurion as New Zealand slumped to 45 for five and 28 for six, and Jamie How and Papps were made to look ordinary at the Wanderers, where the tourists lost their first three wickets without scoring a run off the bat.

"It's a problem that's been around for a long time now," conceded Fleming. "I know the team's working hard at it, and the individuals concerned are working hard at it, but we need to show patience - we were up against some very good bowling."

He said the main difference between the sides was the extra edge of the South African pace attack, and especially the impact of their two opening bowlers, Makhaya Ntini and 22-year-old Dale Steyn.

The pair virtually terrorised the New Zealand batting line-up in all three tests; Steyn cementing his place in the side with consistently impressive efforts, and Ntini being named the man of the series following an outstanding summer.

"The extra 10km/h that they had in their pace attack was a big difference between the sides," Fleming said. "I thought Ntini and Steyn were superb. They made us work very hard from ball one.

"On the quicker pitches over here, they made a big difference. Our guys tried hard but the lack of genuine pace in our attack meant we didn't have the same firepower and I think that contributed to our downfall."

Having lost fast-bowler Shane Bond to a knee complaint at the start of the tour, New Zealand struggled for penetration throughout the series, and made a hash of their best opportunity on a sporting Wanderers pitch at the weekend.

At a time when the third test surface was making batting a nightmare, the New Zealand pacemen let their opponents off the hook in the first innings and then repeated the dose in the second, as South Africa stuttered to the win.

"Maybe it was the pressure, or the thought of the consequences with the game on the line; it just didn't work for us and that's happened a few times in this series with both bat and ball," Fleming said. "At the key moments we've just been below par.

"We had our chances. We pulled the game back and gave ourselves an opportunity but I think the way we started with the ball [on the third day], it probably wouldn't have mattered if we'd scored another 30 or 40 runs.

"We fought back but, once again, we just ran out of time and runs."