Cricket: O'Connor and Cairns set up Kiwi win

HARARE - It took until their fifth new ball, but somehow Chris Cairns and Shayne O'Connor found the energy to spur the New Zealand cricket team to a 2-0 series sweep over Zimbabwe in Harare yesterday.

The pair took four wickets within seven overs to reduce Zimbabwe from 330 for five to 349 for nine and make the second test theirs.

New Zealand achieved their winning target of 72 with 16 balls to spare and just two wickets down, with Mathew Sinclair and Cairns coolly guiding them home.

The win was captain Stephen Fleming's 12th in just his 29th test in charge, surpassing Geoff Howarth's national record of 11 wins. But it nearly did not happen thanks to a five-hour stand between Guy Whittall and Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak which almost had Fleming pressing the panic button.

Following on after replying to New Zealand's 465 with a meek 166, the pair took Zimbabwe from 177 for five almost to safety.

They added 153, with Whittall nearly achieving his second test double-century against New Zealand before being left stranded on 188 not out in 472 minutes.

New Zealand's bowlers had reason to be weary, having sent down more than 250 overs in 17 1/2 hours after enforcing the follow-on late on day two.

Fleming admitted there were a few exasperated looks around the dressing-room at the tea break.

"A couple of overs before tea I was a bit frazzled and there were a few mistakes," Fleming said. "We were running on empty and our bowlers were sore. It was a tough situation. We really were clutching on to that new ball and the last chance of winning the match."

Cairns, bowling almost on one leg, struck in the first over with the second new ball, removing Streak for his highest test innings, 54, which was probably half-an-hour too short.

Three more wickets fell, then came an annoying 40-minute stand between Whittall and No 11 Mpumelelo Mbangwa before Dion Nash threw the stumps down.

It left New Zealand 18 overs to score 72 and, apart from some minor hiccups, they did it in style.

Craig Spearman and promoted opener Adam Parore departed before Cairns strode in with just 30 required.

He picked Mbangwa up over the square leg boundary with a one-handed shot reminiscent of his father, Lance, during his six huge sixes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1983, and added a further big swipe off Streak.

Sinclair assisted with an unbeaten 35, repeating his not out from the run chase in the first test in Bulawayo.

While Cairns was a deserved man of the match after his first innings of 124, O'Connor was New Zealand's man of the day.

He never stopping charging in and stepping up, with injured frontliners Cairns and Nash not 100 per cent. After sending down 28 overs and taking three for 43 in the first innings, he bowled another 45 in the second innings, including three lively stints with the new ball. He ended with four for 73. Several unlucky moments saw him deserving of a five-bag.

"It wasn't lost on the side. He's a key member and he did a magnificent job over the five days," Fleming said.

The New Zealanders knew they would have to do it tough on a good batting pitch in warm weather if they were to win the test.

"We'd almost bowled 300 overs in a row and that takes it out of you. Our only chance to win it was to do three straight days," Fleming said.

For Streak, it was almost a memorable and unlikely ending to his second test as captain. He saw his team come from the brink of an embarrassing defeat and admitted to a hollow feeling at not seeing it through.

"I'm obviously disappointed. The guys fought back extremely well and nearly saw it through. We were five to 10 overs short of saving the test match," Streak said. "Two days ago we thought it would be difficult to salvage anything out of this game, so the guys showed a bit of pride and gritted it out."

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Parore escaped with just a reprimand from match referee Cammie Smith, of the West Indies, after an incident with Whittall on Saturday. Parore pushed Whittall when trying to catch a return from a fielder during a tense final session.

The teams now contest a three-match one-day series, starting in Harare on Wednesday. Cairns will miss the series so he can have treatment on his injured leg.

NEW ZEALAND

First innings 465

Second innings

C. Spearman c Rennie b Streak 2

A. Parore c Carlisle b Streak 13

M. Sinclair not out 35

C. Cairns not out 19

Extras (2lb, 2nb, 1w) 5

Total for 2 wkts (15.2 overs) 74

Fall: 1/4 (Spearman), 2/42 (Parore).

Bowling: H. Streak 8-2-33-2 (1w), M. Nkala 3-0-17-0 (1nb), M. Mbangwa 4.2-0-22-0 (1nb).

ZIMBABWE

First innings 166

Second innings

G. Flower run out 10

G. Rennie c Spearman b O'Connor 1

S. Carlisle c Fleming b Astle 20

A. Campbell run out 10

A. Flower c Sinclair b O'Connor 65

G. Whittall not out 188

H. Streak lbw b Cairns 54

M. Nkala lbw O'Connor 0

P. Strang b Cairns 8

H. Olonga lbw b O'Connor 0

M. Mbangwa run out 5

Extras (4b, 4lb, 1nb) 9

Total (178.3 overs) 370

Fall: 1/1 (Rennie), 2/27 (G Flower), 3/39 (Campbell), 4/48 (Carlisle), 5/177 (A Flower), 6/330 (Streak), 7/335 (Nkala), 8/348 (Strang), 9/349 (Olonga), 10/370 (Mbangwa).

Bowling: S. O'Connor 45-17-73-4, D. Nash 17.3-8-28-0, C. McMillan 20-4-53-0, N. Astle 36-16-73-1, C. Cairns 33-7-80-2 (1nb), P. Wiseman 27-11-55-0.

- NZPA