Cricket: Solid Parore knock gives some hope of a revival

The New Zealand cricket team's pre-test strategy of concentration goes horribly awry as England's bowlers profit.


BIRMINGHAM - New Zealand batting hero on the first day of the first cricket test against England, Adam Parore, believes the Edgbaston pitch will be difficult to bat on throughout the five-day match.

Parore top-scored with a solid 73 off 140 balls in New Zealand's disappointing tally of 226.

But Parore said he believed New Zealand had done enough to hold hopes of putting pressure on England for the remainder of the match.

"I think the wicket will do a bit right throughout the game to be honest. If we bowl well tomorrow, 226 could prove to be a fairly good score," he said.

"When they took the new ball tonight, I had been batting for nearly four hours and I still thought I was going to get out every ball. It was absurdly difficult.

"We'll see how they get on in the morning. This will be a game dominated by the bowlers."

Parore said he was delighted to get his highest score against England in his 50th test.

He felt his technique was adequate to survive in the conditions.

"As long as you play straight on that track and get away with a few past the outside edge you might be OK," he said.

"But I never ever felt like I was 'in' during those 205 minutes. It was really hard work. [Andrew] Caddick and [Alan] Mullally bowled some good spells to me and I still had to battle despite being there that long

"I thought there was not much future in watching. I just tried to be as positive as I could. You had to be patient, but you had to go after them at the right time to upset their line," Parore said.

It was an innings of consummate patience that prevented New Zealand from being embarrassed. The Black Caps were finally dismissed for 226 in the 89th over of the day, a disappointing return considering they won the toss and elected to bat.

Parore's knock lifted New Zealand from a precarious 104 for six. His 205-minute vigil came at a time when the Black Caps looked like confirming the opinion of English critics that the tourists are the world's lowest-ranking test nation.

New Zealand's batsmen, save Parore and Dion Nash, who added 85 for the seventh wicket, failed to instigate the pre-test plan of occupying the crease and batting the English into submission.

Instead, in the first three hours the top order were made to look mediocre by an attack that fully exploited a juicy pitch and humid overhead conditions.

Skipper Stephen Fleming chose to get runs on the board, fearing the pitch would not suit the team chasing a total in the last innings.

But the plan appeared to have backfired immediately when World Cup batting hero Roger Twose, back on his former home ground, lasted just three deliveries.

Matthew Horne, the scorer of 268 runs in the two warm-up games, followed soon after and by lunch New Zealand were in disarray at 75 for four.

Horne (12), Fleming (27), Nathan Astle (26), Craig McMillan (18) and Chris Cairns (17) all managed starts but failed to kick on and build significant scores.

The tourists' meek surrender before lunch was criticised by former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, who is in Birmingham to commentate and judge the man-of-the-match award.

He said the top and middle order had let themselves down and the batsmen had made virtually no progress at test level over the last nine months.

Astle took 53 balls to get to 26 and McMillan was at the crease for 77 minutes and 53 balls for his 18.

Astle departed in the penultimate over before lunch, edging to wicketkeeper Chris Read. Worse was to come after the resumption.

No sooner had New Zealand brought up the 100 in the 36th over when Cairns and McMillan were back in the pavilion in the space of 10 balls.

Christchurch-born fast bowler Andrew Caddick did the damage with his second spell, taking two wickets for 19 in 10 accurate and hostile overs.

New England captain Nasser Hussain relied on his pace attack until more than halfway through the day. But once he introduced wily spin veteran Phil Tufnell, the slow bowler responded by taking three for 22 from 17
overs. - NZPA