Hamish Marshall (L) and Stephen Fleming shake hands after beating Bangladesh. Photo / Reuters
Stephen Fleming took the accolades from the world's press this morning after his century guided New Zealand to an easy win over Bangladesh.
Australia's Fox Sports focussed on his performance with the headline "Black Caps doffed to Fleming" under a picture of the skipper looking casual
with his bat slung over his shoulder.
The Times of India also highlighted the quality of his innings, saying Fleming "stroked" his way to his ninth one-day ton. The paper noted that New Zealand "romped" to victory.
Similarly, news agency Bloomberg said the win was a "rout".
The BBC described his show of hitting sixes as "huge" and added: "With 10 other boundaries to his name, his 92-ball knock was a welcome return to form the day after his birthday."
The role played by Hamish Marshall, who scored 50 off 54 balls, was also worth a mention, particularly as he arrived late to the tournament with questions over his abilities at the top level.
The downside of the day was more injury and illness news for the Black Caps whose "injury problems continued to mount, with Michael Mason limping off the field in just the third over with a calf strain".
The BBC report added: "James Franklin also sat out most of the innings with a migraine, but it mattered little as the Black Caps rattled through the Tigers line-up."
For the London Guardian's live-scorer, there was little to worry about, however.
The blogger wrapped up by saying: "Well, that was all fairly easy. New Zealand will be happy. Shane Bond was typically thrifty and it was a nice boost for their net run-rate and Fleming and Marshall's confidence. Very professional all round."
- NZHERALD STAFF
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