Date-stamped : 13 Jan97 - 18:17 Pre-match- Christchurch Press 10 January 1996 NZ Contenders Get Opportunity Academy XI play England today WELLINGTON -- New Zealand's brightest cricket prospects get a chance to test themselves against international opposition when England begin their tour against the Academy XI at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth today. The academy began last year at Lincoln College outside Christchurch and the team to face England represents the first intake. Unlike its Australian counterpart, the New Zealand version contains players with test experience. The 12 named for tomorrow's 50-over match includes three players who have played test cricket. Central Districts legspinner Greg Loveridge had an ill-fated introduction to test cricket last summer when he had to retire hurt in New Zealand's first innings against Zimbabwe in Hamilton. Left arm spinner Mark Haslam has played four tests, between 1992 and November 1995 in India. His Auckland team-mate, fast-medium Kerry Walmsley, played two tests against Sri Lanka early in 1995. Seven of the 12 played in the Academy XI's drawn match against Zimbabwe last summer in Whangarei. Openers Robert Lawson and Matthew Bell scored 103 not out and 83 respectively in a first-wicket stand of 213. Two of that academy team's fast-medium bowlers, Robert Kennedy and Geoff Allott, were called up for the first test against the Zimbabweans immediately after the Whangarei match. The idea of the academy is to produce international players, but several are still well short of reaching that standard. However, Canterbury batsman Craig McMillan and Central Districts bowler Andrew Penn have both shown they are on track for a future call-up. McMillan is regarded as a test batsman in the making and in the two pre-Christmas Shell Trophy matches scored 236 runs from three innings, for once out. Penn took 18 wickets in 3 1/2 innings in those two rounds, twice taking six wickets in an innings. After Danny Morrison, Chris Cairns, and Simon Doull, Penn is among the leading contenders for test selection. In other times, a match against a young side of up-and-coming players would have been little more than a gentle workout for an England team. Not so for Mike Atherton's side, which will seek a solid and convincing win as they attempt to put the miseries of the Zimbabwean leg of their southern hemisphere tour behind them. England go into the match after drawing their two tests, but losing the three one-day internationals. Team management have 15 of their 16-strong squad from which to select their line-up. Yorkshire all-rounder Craig White joined the tour in Zimbabwe as cover for Ronnie Irani, who had a back injury. Irani is fit again and in New Zealand, but White was allowed to stop briefly in Australia on the way here. Teams: England (from): Mike Atherton (captain), Alec Stewart, Nick Knight, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, John Crawley, Jack Russell, Ronnie Irani, Robert Croft, Alan Mullally, Dominic Cork, Darren Gough, Phil Tufnell, Chris Silverwood, Andrew Caddick. Academy XI (one to be omitted): Llorne Howell (captain), Matthew Bell, Robert Lawson, Stephen Lynch, Craig McMillan, Robbie Hart, Greg Loveridge, Andrew Penn, Mark Haslam, Kerry Walmsley, David Sewell, Shayne O'Connor. Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz) 10th Jan 1997 England bowlers find their range Christopher Martin-Jenkins. BOTH sides drew some satisfaction from the first match of England's tour of New Zealand yesterday which had to be abandoned as a draw halfway through its planned course, much like the opening game in Zimbabwe. There, it must be hoped, the parallels will end, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. With Cyclone Drena on the verge of the North Island it was, in fact, a bonus to get any cricket at all, but the fare for a crowd of about 3,000 was limited to 41 overs. Heavy rain and the early gusts of what later became a violent wind, bearing down on New Zealand from the north-west, rapidly caused an abandonment. The end came just as Mike Atherton and Nick Knight were buckling on their pads with eager eyes on the steep banks which look down on the square at Pukukera Park from three sides. Given 60-yard square boundaries and 70-yard straight ones, it was evident that England had already done the harder part of their job on a slow, true pitch. Having put their youthful opponents into bat, five of the seven fast-medium bowlers now available to the tour selectors managed, despite some imperfections and too slow an over-rate, to bowl out the fledgling New Zealand Cricket Academy for 201 in their first match against international opposition. It was a total equating to perhaps 120 in normal scoring conditions. All the bowlers had their reward for keeping their line reasonably straight and for getting some swing with the Kookaburra ball and Jack Russell picked up four catches as if he had never been away. This was, in fact, his first game since Dec 8. Andrew Caddick, who was cast into outer darkness one match later, looked a little rustier, but warmed to his work and Dominic Cork, after his first decent break from cricket for six years, looked like a foal put out to paddock in spring. Chris Silverwood was, however, the pick of the attack. To his credit there seems to be a spring to his step whatever the time or place. The opposition, of course, were very inexperienced. This is the first season for the New Zealand version of the elite school in Adelaide which has put a finishing buff on several of Australia's shining talents in recent years and, aware that only a week ago Central Districts had scored 376 to win a 50- overs game on this delightful little ground, the batsmen tried just a little too hard to force the pace. Their innings was largely biff-bang stuff and they not only failed to utilise five of the available overs - the match had been reduced to 46 a side after a delay to the already late scheduled starting time of noon - but to some extent ran counter to the advice of their coach, Dayle Hadlee, that they should be "attacking and positive but not reckless". There were some fine strokes played, however, notably by Llorne Howell, Craig McMillan, the captain of the successful under-19 side in England last season, and Greg Loveridge, who confirmed himself to be a cricketer and personality of unusual quality. McMillan and Loveridge faced 56 and 58 balls respectively. Both hit a six and if McMillan, 22 next week and a Test player of the future, showed a wider range of stroke, Loveridge, who has one cap already in his bag, smacked some rousing straight drives. He is a cricketer to watch, which makes it all the more interesting that his burning ambition at present is to get a first-class degree in history at Oxford or Cambridge. He has not yet applied to either but since he is unusually modest about being picked for his country as a leg-spinner and inordinately proud of his BA at Canterbury University he is exactly the sort of scholar-sportsman in whose all-round abilities enlightened dons should delight. The announcement of the team to oppose England in the four-day game which starts on Monday in Palmerston North, which the New Zealand selectors are intending to use as a Test trial, was delayed until the completion of today's semi-finals of the Shell Cup, but Loveridge already knows that he is not chosen and that he is unlikely to regain his Test place this season; hence his desire to study in England from April if possible. England have some ticklish selection problems of their own for Palmerston and the other four-day match which precedes the first Test. Only Cork and Graham Thorpe seemed absolutely certain to play before Atherton, Hussain, Lloyd and Emburey put their heads together in Palmerston this evening, but it is hard to make preparation for the Test team your priority if you are not decided what the side is going to be. Assuming Gough and Cork as certain members of the attack, and the probability of both Tufnell and Croft remaining in harness, the right approach, I believe, is to eliminate White and Irani now and to pick between Caddick, Mullally and Silverwood on form. At least the truncated day gave Cork plenty to smile about. He said: "This is the longest break I've had from cricket for several years. I'd like to play as much as possible now to put myself in contention for the first Test." Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Report- The Press 11 January 1997 Rains Ruins England's First Tour Cricket Game NEW PLYMOUTH -- Rain plagued England during its recent cricket tour of Zimbabwe, and it followed it to Pukekura Park yesterday, ruining what promised to be a fascinating contest against the New Zealand Academy XI. After being sent in to bat, in a match reduced by light mid-morning rain to 46 overs a side, the Academy XI did well to reach 201 before being bowled out in the 41st over. England did not get a chance to start its chase as the rain returned with a vengeance during the break between innings, forcing the game to be abandoned. The beneficiaries of the day's play were Academy XI batsmen Craig McMillan and Greg Loveridge and England's fast-medium quintet. Both McMillan and Loveridge hit breezy half centuries to make sure the Academy XI -- in trouble at 99 for five -- achieved respectability. But for England coach David Lloyd, the 3 1/2 hours' play gave his bowlers some much-needed work. When play began 75min late, Academy XI openers Matthew Bell and Robert Lawson gave fast-medium Andrew Caddick an encouraging start. Bell played on in the fourth over of the day, then Lawson gave wicketkeeper Jack Russell the first of his five catches two overs later. McMillan has been out of sorts in the Shell Cup for Canterbury, but with captain Llorne Howell he kept up the run rate with a steady stream of bold strokes. By that stage the Academy XI was averaging six runs an over, but the loss in quick succession of Stephen Lynch and Robbie Hart opened the door for England. However, leg-spinner Loveridge again demonstrated his ability with the bat with a cultured 54. Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)