Cricket: Tricky evening light makes it tough to bat second

By MARK GEENTY in Northampton

New Zealand's cricket team negotiated their first dress rehearsal under England floodlights in style, but coach John Bracewell remains convinced batting second in day-nighters is a big disadvantage in the tri-series starting this week.

Not for the first time in the past year, the coin toss should play a significant part in New Zealand's one-day fortunes in their first two matches against England, both day-nighters in Manchester on Thursday and Durham the following Tuesday.

Yesterday, New Zealand chased down 244 with 11 overs to spare under the Chelmsford lights thanks to a scintillating 111 off 97 balls by Hamish Marshall and some dross from the Essex pacemen.

Bracewell, having coached Gloucestershire to five one-day titles and guided New Zealand to win nine of their past 11 one-dayers, was clear on the approach.

"We deliberately wanted to chase to put ourselves under pressure with the twilight. This time of year, very few games are won chasing because of the long twilight and the difficulty of that light taking over," he said.

"The Old Trafford lighting will be poor. Basically the whole second innings will be played in poor light so we needed to experience that.

"We did it in a good and professional manner, some quite sensible batting on an extremely good wicket."

The tricky twilight situation at Chester-le-Street, the venue just out of Durham in the far England north, will be even more pronounced with darkness not falling until around 10pm.

New Zealand have experienced the good and bad of lopsided one-day matches in recent months, where the toss has made a big difference.

In India late last year, incensed New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming slammed the tri-series format after they twice played Australia under early morning dew, lost the toss both times and were rolled for 97 in Faridabad.

Then in New Zealand this year, eight of 11 matches against Pakistan and South Africa were won by the side batting second as the pitches assisted the pacemen early on.

History though doesn't completely back up Bracewell's assertion about Old Trafford, which has hosted four day-night internationals.

Three of them have been won by the side batting second, with the other match a hiding when Australia dismissed England for 86 and won by 125 runs in 2001.

New Zealand were to have one more warmup match against Northamptonshire overnight, with Fleming and Scott Styris given a rest.

- NZPA