The Wisden Bulletin
by Steven Lynch
Saturday, January 26, 2002

New Zealand (242 for 5 in 50 overs; Astle 95, Vincent 55) beat Australia (165 in 45.2 overs; Bevan 45, Bond 5-25) by 77 runs
scorecard

New Zealand did their best to dampen the celebrations of Australia's national day, clobbering them by 77 runs at Adelaide. To add insult to injury they also claimed a valuable bonus point, which all but ensures NZ's place in the finals of this VB Series.

Shane Bond was the agent of victory, taking five wickets in an innings for the first time in his short one-day career. Bond may have started late – he is 26 – but he is quick and hostile. The ball that castled Adam Gilchrist zeroed in at 151kph (94.3mph).

The trouble started as early as the first over of Australia's reply. Gilchrist carved Dion Nash away for four, but then Mark Waugh popped up a return catch (7 for 1). It was a replica of Waugh's earlier caught-and-bowled of Craig McMillan. He failed to score, and soon there was another duck quacking away on the card. Ricky Ponting flashed at his second ball, a widish one from Bond, and nicked it to Adam Parore (8 for 2).

Australia breathed easier as Gilchrist tucked in to three more boundaries, and then when Damien Martyn (2) square-drove Bond to the right of Lou Vincent, at squarish gully. Vincent dropped it, and Kiwi heads dropped a tad … but Martyn obligingly repeated the shot two balls later. This time Vincent made no mistake as the ball headed for his hooter (25 for 3).

Bond struck again next over, spearing that rapid yorker through Gilchrist, who had made 21 from 19 balls (26 for 4).

Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan staged a partial rescue act, putting on 71, but when both fell in the space of 15 balls, Australia's cause was lost. Waugh had nurdled to 30, from 58 balls, when he leant onto the front foot and tried to drive Daniel Vettori. But the ball turned, flicked the edge, and flew to Stephen Fleming at slip (97 for 5).

Bevan, relaxed while Waugh was there, tightened up after he'd gone. Suddenly he smeared Chris Harris almost vertically to that man Bond at long-on, and was gone for 45 (106 for 6). The situation proved too much for Andrew Symonds as well. He flicked uppishly at Harris, and the ball seemed to be destined to drop safely around mid-off. But suddenly Brendon McCullum streaked across from mid-on like Jonah Lomu larruping for the line at Twickenham. He ignored lights, catcalls and advancing fielders to take a fine running catch (114 for 7).

Shane Warne and Andy Bichel pottered about trying to repair the damage, but it was always a hopeless task. Eventually Bichel, who had stuttered to 7, tried to pull Bond, but was beaten for pace. The ball arced gently to Nathan Astle at mid-off (139 for 8).

It was now the battle of the bonus point – NZ needed to restrict Australia below 194 to claim it. Warne (22) swished at Chris Cairns and was caught behind (154 for 9). Finally Jason Gillespie was yorked by Bond for 15. It gave Bond, the trainee Canterbury policeman, enviable figures of 5 for 25. And it gave Fleming the extra point he craved.

Earlier New Zealand's total owed much to a stand of 128 between Astle and Vincent, who came together when McCullum fell to Glenn McGrath's third ball of the innings (0 for 1). Astle, who became NZ's leading ODI runscorer during his fine 95, tired in the heat and slowed down, before he was bowled by an inswinging yorker from McGrath (197 for 5).

But Astle's departure came at just the right moment for Cairns to unleash a characteristic clatter: 39 not out off 23 balls, with three sixes. Cairns no longer had to worry about his partner, and Harris, so full of vitality he could be packaged up and sold as a health supplement, was in his element. The Aussies missed three chances to dismiss Cairns – a drop by Symonds, a run-out chance for Bichel, and a catch that Ponting carried over the boundary for six. Sixteen came off Bichel's final over, and the Sydney Man of the Match came down to earth with 0 for 57 off six overs.

Two wickets came from an unlikely source. Mark Waugh had Vincent caught by Symonds at deep midwicket for 55, the ball after Ponting dropped him closer in (125 for 2). McMillan then stumbled to 8 before he pushed a return catch to Waugh (152 for 3). Gillespie, bowling better in his second spell, applied the screw, and Fleming also struggled. He made a laboured 13 before charging at Warne and being stumped (176 for 4).

Cairns's late flourish lifted New Zealand to 242. It looked a decent total, but hardly an unassailable one. But that was before the Men in Black unleashed Mr Bond.

Teams
Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Mark Waugh, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Michael Bevan, 7 Andrew Symonds, 8 Shane Warne, 9 Andy Bichel, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

New Zealand 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Lou Vincent, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Stephen Fleming (capt), 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Chris Harris, 8 Adam Parore (wk), 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Dion Nash, 11 Shane Bond.

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com.

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