Lynn McConnell
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9th Match: Canterbury v Otago at Christchurch, 7 Jan 2002 Lynn McConnell |
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Otago innings:
Canterbury innings: Pre-game: |
After 30 overs Canterbury were 118/5 with Paul Wiseman on 12 and Darron Reekers on three.
Good bowling by Otago in defence of their 251/7 kept the pressure on the home team who suffered a significant blow when debut player Shanan Stewart was out for 25. He had batted with growing confidence in a 58-run partnership with skipper Gary Stead for the fourth wicket.
They posted their 50 off 84 balls and the young Stewart, a graduate of New Zealand's Cricket Academy this year was starting to go for his strokes. He attempted to hit over mid-off, but got too much beneath the ball and Rob Smith, running back towards the boundary took a nice catch over his shoulder to leave Canterbury 95/4.
Stead, the century maker in the last match, was fighting another significant battle for his side to keep it in the hunt.
Otago slipped into some untiday bowling as they approached the 30-over mark and both James McMillan and Kerry Walmsley contributed to four wides delivered in two overs.
After 28 overs the run rate for Canterbury was 6.73.
Walmsley was brought back in and despite his problems with wides, he gained the breakthrough Otago were looking for when having Stead cutting a ball, but straight to Chris Gaffaney in the gully. He scored35 off 53 balls. Canterbury were 105/5.
Paul Wiseman came in and immediately took successive fours through the covers region from Craig Pryor and then from the next ball pulled to the wide long on boundary for another four.
The century-maker from Canterbury's last match found himself at the crease with his side in trouble at 40/3.
Otago pulled the old trick of opening their defence of their 251/7 by using off spinner Nathan McCullum, and it worked.
His first ball of the second over saw Brad Doody attempt to clip the ball over mid-wicket but he didn't elevate the ball enough and Otago captain Craig Cumming took the catch.
Kerry Walmsley bowled at speed for Otago and Canterbury struggled to get him away and when Jarrod Englefield tried to get four runs down through the third man area, he got plenty of weight beneath the ball. But it wasn't enough as Jordan Sheed was able to stand perfectly still and catch the ball at chest height.
When Michael Papps attempted to hit McCullum over square leg but he too, found Walmsley perfectly positioned to accept the catch.
At that stage Canterbury were 40/3. After 15 overs Canterbury had progressed to 43/3 with McCullum having completed seven overs and taken two for 15.
Conditions in the later afternoon were perfect with sunny clear skies and little wind.
A good-sized crowd of around 2000 were taking in the action as a close contest was in prospect as Otago tried to break an eight-game losing streak.
Otago, 251/7 after their 50 overs, scored only 54 runs in the last 10 overs, a poor return after a 94-run fourth wicket partnership between Robbie Lawson and Craig Pryor had Otago 194/4 in the 36th over.
Lawson looked set for his first one-day century after playing a workman-like innings and as he got closer to the mark it would have been deserved reward for him. His highest score in one-day games was 83 and when three short of it, he played an inconclusive shot to off-spinner Paul Wiseman and looked to be bowled off an inside edge.
There could be no doubting the quality of his effort however, as when he departed the Otago score had recovered to the point where after 36 overs, they were 194/4.
His 80 was scored off 112 balls and he hit one six and eight fours.
Providing him with excellent support was Craig Pryor, who had been elevated in the batting order, to No 5. Pryor looked unsteady to start with as he came to grips with the increased responsibility but once he got into working the singles with Lawson he seemed to relax and he proved an ideal foil for Lawson who went on the attack.
Once Lawson departed, Pryor upped his scoring and hit one fine six to long on from Carl Anderson's bowling.
Newcomer Jordan Sheed found it difficult to get off the mark and the scoring rate slowed considerably. He took 26 balls to get off the mark and his predicament was directly responsible for the loss of Pryor's wicket.
Sheed played a ball from Wiseman into the covers and headed off for the run, but Carl Anderson's pick-up and return to wicket-keeper Michael Papps was fast and accurate and Pryor was run out on 45. At that stage Sheed had faced 19 balls without scoring.
Pryor faced 48 balls and hit three fours and one six and with his departure went the chance to Otago to mount a high score.
Sheed did attempt to hit out but was never able to get the sort of momentum going that Otago needed over the last few overs.
The run out of Sheed in the last over summed up Otago's frustrations. Martyn Croy hit a ball to the deep but in turning for his second fell over at the bowler's crease. Sheed didn't notice and kept running and with the throw back at the batsman's end, he kept on toward the pavilion having scored 13 off 42 balls.
Croy was 29 not out at the end, off 30 balls, with Kerry Walmsley on three not out.
Canterbury's bowlers had mixed fortunes. Left-arm slow bowler Carl Anderson had none for 40 from his 10 overs, but Chris Martin had one for 47 from seven, Darron Reekers none for 31 off six and Paul Wiseman one for 36 from eight.
Warren Wisneski helped keep the pressure on during the last few overs and ended with none for 39. Ryan Burson took three for 46.
After 30 overs the State Shield tailenders were 161/3 with Lawson 68 not out and Craig Pryor 17 not out.
It was a fine recovery, admittedly in good batting conditions, as Otago looked for runs to try and get their winning act together.
Lawson was the silent partner in the opening stand of 84 as Andrew Hore hit a 38-ball half century.
Craig Cumming departed for a duck when bowled by Martin while Chris Gaffaney looked out of sorts and hit only seven runs before offering a simple chance to Warren Wisneski at slip when the score was 100.
Craig Pryor was promoted in the order and took time to settle to his role as Canterbury captain Gary Stead moved his bowlers around in short bowling spells. But by the 30-over mark he had scored
Lawson brought up the 12th half century of his representative one-day career off 77 balls, and it included six fours.
Lawson built up his score quietly to start with. He tried to pull the ball, but it wasn't his most comfortable shot, then as he neared his half century he began to loft the ball, especially straight.
Once past the mark he batted more freely and hit a nice six off his legs from Chris Martin's bowling to the shortest boundary on the ground, the ball passing just over the fieldsman on the boundary Brad Doody.
Martin, the international was having a tough time getting his line right, and his first seven overs cost 47 runs for the one wicket.
Andrew Hore hit a rapid fire 55 to give Otago the start it has been lacking so far in the series.
But just when it seemed the pressure might be on Canterbury, the bowlers broke through and after 15 overs, Otago were in no-man's land at 92/2.
When the drinks break was taken after 16 overs, Robbie Lawson was 23 not out and Chris Gaffaney was four.
Otago made a bold start after being asked to bat first Lawson joined Hore in the opening role in the absence of Brendon McCullum.
They batted as if they were a regular pairing with Hore pacing himself well to start with but launching himself into a full-blooded assault around the 10-over mark. By that stage, Otago were 70 without loss.
Hore had the distinction of clubbing the first six into the new west stand at the ground, a huge hit that scattered the construction workers enjoying their lunch break 10 rows back on the second deck of the stand.
But when on 46 in the 11th over he miscued a shot which flew high above the gully area. Carl Anderson had to endure the long wait beneath the ball and then had the mortification to drop it.
Anderson then had to face up to Hore as he bowled his second over and Hore celebrated by putting the first ball over the mid-wicket boundary for six. That brought up his 50, his third in domestic one-day cricket, off 38 balls. He hit two sixes and four fours.
Once they were under way Lawson was content to keep feeding the strike to Hore by taking quick singles.
Ryan Burson made the breakthrough in his second over when with his first ball, he bowled around the wicket and knocked the off stump out of the ground. Hore was out for 55 and Otago were 84/1 in the 13th over.
But the splendid start was further undone when Chris Martin replaced Carl Anderson for the 14th over and bowled captain Craig Cumming for a duck.
The first and most obvious feature of the preparation involves getting used to the monolithic new stand on the western side of the ground. It has changed the face of the ground forever and has given it a much smaller look.
Batsmen will have eyed the short boundary that has been created on the south western corner of the ground, especially when the pitch is located on the western side of the block as it is today.
Otago come into today's game desperately in need of a win if they are to have a serious chance of making the top three by the end of the season.
Their cause has not been helped by the loss of Brendon McCullum to the New Zealand team in Australia.
Jordan Sheed and James McMillan have come into the Otago team for McCullum and the injured Warren McSkimming who has suffered another back injury.
Canterbury have left out Gareth Hopkins who has a knee injury while Stephen Cunis has been named 12th man.
Michael Papps will play wicket-keeper for Canterbury.
The teams are:
Canterbury: Gary Stead (captain), Michael Papps, Brad Doody, Darron Reekers, Carl Anderson, Paul Wiseman, Ryan Burson, Chris Martin, Warren Wisneski, Shanon Stewart, Jarrod Englefield, Stephen Cunis (12th man).
Otago: Graig Cumming (captain), Andrew Hore, Chris Gaffaney, Robbie Lawson, Craig Pryor, Jordan Sheed, Martyn Croy, Nathan McCullum, Rob Smith, James McMillan, Kerry Walmsley, David Sewell (12th man).
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 07 Jan2002 - 15:01