Promising start for N.Z. team

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 48

Promising start for N.Z. team

NZPA staff correspondent Taunton The New Zealand cricket team made an encouraging start to transforming itself, from a one-day specialist unit to a test match combination in its first threeday tour game against Somerset which ended in a draw yesterday. The need for the conversion from one-day thinking is urgent because the first test against England starts at the Oval in just nine days time. Between now and then there are only two more three-day games — against Gloucestershire and Middlesex The aSer-effects of the multitude of recent one-day

fixtures, interrupted only by two tests against Sri Lanka, were apparent in both the batting and bowling against Somerset. But there were far more pluses than minuses in this direction in a game where the New Zealanders were S denied victory by a born last-wicket stand. New Zealand’s performance in amassing 544 for nine declared in its first innings meant that almost all the batsmen enjoyed a long spell at the crease. John Wright and Richard Hadlee, who both batted with little success in the World Cup, both got scores in the 80s as did the captain, Geoff Howarth. “ The one-day syndrome

was perhaps reflected in the fact that none of the trio progressed to a century, a fact which Howarth said yesterday had disappointed him: “Test matches are all about scoring centuries and we’ll be working on this in the run-up to the first test,” he said. The good news in the fast bowling department was that Martin Snedden performed somewhere near his best for the first time since the team reached England. The World Cup became a nightmare for the Aucklander when he strayed in line and length and was hammered. The Somerset game, however, provided the opportunity for a long bowl and Snedden responded by tak-

ing three quick wickets and halting the chase for victory during the county’s second innings. One of the surprising features of the match was, that the New Zealand spearhead Richard Hadlee failed to take a wicket while bowling 26 overs and conceding 89 runs. NEW ZEALAND First innings 544/9 dec. Second innings T. Franklin not out ... . 34 B. A. Edgar not out. . . . 11 Extras (Ibl) 1 Total (for no wkt dec.) 46 Bowling.—Garner 6,1, 17, 0; Wilson 6,2, 11, 0; Davis 2,1, 4, 0; Marks 2.5,0,7,0; Rose 1,0, 6, 0. SOMERSET v First innings J. W. Lloyds c Lees b Bracewell 84

B. C. Rose b Cairns. ... 34 P. W. Denning c Bracewell b Cairns 0 P. A. Slocombe b Bracewell 66 T. Gard c Wright b Brace- . well 5 M. R. Davis b Gray. ... 0 N. F. M. Popplewell c Edgar b Gray 7 J. Wyatt c Howarth b Bracewell 0 V. J. Marks not out... . 26 J. Garner c Franklin b Gray 16 P. H. L. Wilson c Wright b Gray 12 Extras (b 7 lb 7, wl, nb2). 17 Total 267 Fall- 57, 67, 193, 196, 205, 209, 210, 230, 252. Bowling.-Hadlee 16, 3, 49, 0; Snedden 14, 5, 50, 0; Cairns 19, 9, 36, 2; Bracewell 28, 9, 91, 4; Gray 13, 8, 24, 4. Second innings > P. W. Denning b Gray . . 99

B. C. Rose c Cairns b Snedden 12 M. F. Popplewell c Bracewell b Snedden .... 0 V. J. Marks c Lee b Snedden 0 P. A. Slocombe b Bracewell 13 J. W. Lloyds c Lees b Bracewell 14 J. Wyatt c Gray b Bracewell 14 T. Gard c Crowe b Bracewell 12 M. R. Davis not out. .. . 20 J. Gamer c Wright b Bracewell 26 P. H. Wilson not out . . . 3 Extras (b 4 lb2, wl, nbl). 8 Total (for nine wkts) 221 Fall: 38, 52, 52, 81, 133, 157, 161, 176, 215. Bowling.—Hadlee 10, 1, 40, 0; Snedden 3,3, 29, 3; Cairns 7,2, 19, 0; Bracewell 23, 9, 73, 5; Gray 20, 6, 48, 1; Howarth 3,2, 4. 0.