Cricket: Mediocre display in one-dayer

By RICHARD BOOCK

As far as experiments go, this one proved about as successful as the inflatable dart board.

The idea was to find a bowling attack which would carry New Zealand cricket through to the 2003 World Cup, but on last night's evidence, when Zimbabwe scored a convincing 71-run win in the opening one-day international at Taupo, the selectors might be forced to head back to the drawing-board.

Even allowing for the fact that Chris Cairns has a new knee complaint and Craig McMillan was also struggling with his fitness, New Zealand were well off the pace in this rain-affected match.

They conceded a record 300 against the tourists before being bowled out for 210 in 40 overs.

The home side were given some hope by a splendid innings of 64 from captain Stephen Fleming, but the revised target of 281 off 43 overs was never seriously threatened, and New Zealand now face a difficult assignment to come back from 0-1 down.

The experimental attack, the one which convener of selectors Sir Richard Hadlee hoped would carry New Zealand through to the next World Cup, was not exactly an unqualified triumph. Rookies Chris Martin and James Franklin, and veteran Chris Harris, all proved expensive.

Franklin, who seemed a last-second inclusion at the expense of Brooke Walker, took a wicket with his fifth ball in international cricket, but ended up conceding 28 off five overs. Martin bowled his seven for 53, and Harris gave up 41 off five.

Sent in after Fleming won the toss, Zimbabwe's challenging total was founded on a third-wicket partnership of 154 between Andy Flower and Stuart Carlisle, the stand rating as the highest for any wicket against this country.

Not long after raising eyebrows with a courageous performance against India, Zimbabwe showed scant respect for the new-look New Zealand attack and romped along at six an over throughout - thanks to a flying start from their openers, some marvellous batting through the middle of the innings from Flower and Carlisle, and some fireworks at the end courtesy of Heath Streak and Doug Marillier.

The eventual total ranked as Zimbabwe's fifth-highest, and their first score of 300 or more against New Zealand, who turned out in their new black uniform.

None of the New Zealand bowlers was allowed to settle early on. Cairns and Martin in particular proved expensive during the opening stanzas, conceding a total of 46 from the first five overs.

Flower was a class act from the moment he came to the crease, raising his 40th ODI half-century off 65 balls, and creating the base from which the Zimbabwe late order attacked. His eventual total of 80 off 88 balls included 10 boundaries.

He might have been lucky to have survived a run-out at the bowler's end when he was on 56, but he revelled in his fortune, reverse-sweeping Harris out of the attack with three consecutive fours, and looked on track to score his fourth ODI century before he was run out by a direct hit from Martin.

Hadlee had said when the squad was picked that bowling at the death had been one of the reasons for Shayne O'Connor's axing, but things were hardly any better in this match, with Zimbabwe smashing 80 off the last 10 overs, and Streak hammering 20 (including two sixes) off the 50th, bowled by Styris.