England finally won the third Test in the seventh over after lunch this
morning despite a dramatic piece of hitting by Tim Southee, 19, who hit nine
sixes in a merry and mighty afternoon slog. He reached a maiden fifty off 29
balls, the sixth fastest in Test cricket, before Ryan Sidebottom, who was
named the man of the series, bowled Chris Martin to finish the series with
24 wickets.
Monty Panesar took six for 126 as England completed a happy comeback after the
timely shock administered to them in Hamilton. It was important that, in the
process of winning their first overseas series for three years, a callow
side should develop and Stuart Broad’s quite exceptional all-round
performance in a third Test made poignant by Stephen Fleming’s attractive
final innings confirmed that encouraging progress has been made.
Panesar enjoyed his most profitable bowl of a disappointing winter, taking the
first three wickets on a flat pitch, then breaking through again on the
fifth morning after Ross Taylor had started with a blaze of handsome strokes
against innocuous new-ball bowling, but it was Broad, especially during a
marvellously sustained spell of 11 overs either side of tea on the fourth
day, who nurtured the hope that England can build an attack to give
Australia a serious contest again next year.
True pitches call for accurate bowlers with young legs. Broad, the youngest of
England’s attack, was just the man, bowling with fire as well as the control
that so many recent England fast bowlers have lacked. He gave the necessary
support to Panesar as the sheer weight of their task gradually crushed New
Zealand.
After Taylor and Brendon McCullum had added 54 in the first nine overs
yesterday, Taylor driving powerfully for seven fours in three overs off a
tired Sidebottom, Panesar removed the overnight pair in successive overs to
claim his seventh five-wicket analysis in only his 26th Test.
Taylor was caught at the first of two slips from a ball that turned, before
McCullum was bowled, pulling. Daniel Vettori, as ever, sold his wicket
dearly and batted soundly, as did Jeetan Patel, until he swept Panesar low
from the middle of his bat, only for Broad, at square leg, to dive to his
left and complete a brilliant catch. Vettori’s dismissal, hooking at a
bouncer-happy Anderson, hastened the end, but Panesar led the side off to
lunch with six for 85.
New Zealand had started well on the long road towards what they hoped might be
the fifth draw in six Tests on this ground, but the emotional moment when
Panesar closed Fleming’s typically elegant innings with a catch at the
wicket ended any lingering speculation that New Zealand might become the
first side in history to score more than 500 to win a Test.
The distant goal was 553 after England had bustled to a declaration in the
first ten overs of the day. Andrew Strauss holed out at mid-off for 177, by
one run the highest of his 25 first-class hundreds, and Tim Ambrose
succumbed to a leading edge, but Broad’s straight bat and long levers again
supplied useful runs. They culminated in a six, driven over long-on off
Patel.
A more dominating team than England might have made faster progress after tea
on the third day to give themselves 20 minutes bowling against a tired team
at the end of the day, but a minimum of 168 overs still left ample time to
win the match and the series. If they were to do it quickly, however, they
needed wickets with the first new ball. They could not get them. There was
no swing for Sidebottom and Anderson and no movement off the seam.
New Zealand, moreover, buckled down well. Matthew Bell, whose hope of a place
on the tour to England still hangs in the balance, struck four fours in
succession off short balls outside his off stump from Anderson. Like most
stocky openers, he loves the square cut, although a fallibility close to his
off stump suggests that he might struggle should he find any juicy pitches
in the English spring. On the ground where he had made a double century for
Wellington earlier this season, Bell helped Fleming to add 99 for the second
wicket after Jamie How had been given out playing half-forward to Panesar in
the second over of the afternoon session. Only three balls after tea,
however, he top-edged Panesar to deep square leg.
Fleming’s innings was a microcosm of his career. Nonchalant of bearing,
elegantly upright, he stroked nine fours, either side of cover or through
the gap between mid-wicket and mid-on. Eight of them came in his fifty from
69 balls. Four runs later, he was assured of a final average in Test cricket
the right side of 40 after a misjudgment of length and a low edge into
Ambrose’s safe hands.
In 111 Tests, Fleming reached fifty on 55 occasions, only nine times going on
to three figures. Yet three of those were double centuries. It is the fate
of almost all batsmen who make their art look easy to give the impression
that they might have achieved more with a grittier mien, but an assiduous
professional was hidden behind Fleming’s dignified public persona.
His switch to the Indian Premier League leaves New Zealand short of batting
resources. His fall was soon followed by Broad’s removal of Mathew Sinclair
and Grant Elliott with nasty lifters — and the end was nigh.
Meanwhile, Matthew Hoggard and Stephen Harmison have been given the go-ahead
to press their claims for international recalls in county cricket. The seam
bowlers, who were dropped by England after the defeat by New Zealand in the
first Test in Hamilton, have been released to play for Yorkshire and Durham
respectively from the start of the season.
England will play two Tests instead of three on their tour to India this year,
the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced yesterday. The tour,
which also features seven one-day internationals, has been shortened because
the England squad has an agreement with the ECB to be at home at Christmas.
England will arrive in India in November, soon after their hosts end a
four-Test series against Australia.
New Zealand 2nd innings (target: 553)
JM How lbw b Panesar 11
MD Bell c Broad b Panesar 69
SP Fleming c Ambrose b Panesar 66
MS Sinclair c Ambrose b Broad 6
LRPL Taylor c Collingwood b Panesar 74
GD Elliott c Bell b Broad 4
BB McCullum b Panesar 42
DL Vettori c Ambrose b Anderson 43
JS Patel c Broad b Panesar 18
TG Southee not out 77
CS Martin b Sidebottom 5
Extras 16 (b 5, lb 5, w 3, nb 1)
Total (all out; 118.5 overs) 431
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-147, 3-156, 4-160, 5-172, 6-276, 7-281, 8-329,
9-347, 10-431.
Bowling: Sidebottom 19.5-3-83-1; Anderson 17-2-99-1; Broad 32-10-78-2;
Panesar 46-17-126-6; Collingwood 2-0-20-0; Pietersen 2-0-14-0.
Remainder of the scorecard from Napier
England: First Innings 253 (K P Pietersen 129; T G Southee 5 for 55).
New Zealand: First Innings 168 (S P Fleming 59; R J Sidebottom 7 for
47).
England: Second Innings
A N Cook c McCullum b Patel 37 (97min, 69 balls, 7 fours)
*M P Vaughan c McCullum b Martin 4 (3min, 4 balls, 1 four)
A J Strauss c Bell b Patel 177 (481min, 343 balls, 25 fours)
K P Pietersen c Taylor b Vettori 34 (93min, 86 balls, 1 six, 4 fours)
I R Bell c Sinclair b Vettori 110 (186min, 167 balls, 2 sixes, 17 fours)
P D Collingwood c and b Vettori 22 (29min, 19 balls, 1 six, 2 fours)
†T R Ambrose c and b Vettori 31 (79min, 62 balls, 4 fours)
S C J Broad not out 31 (27min, 26 balls, 1 six, 3 fours)
R J Sidebottom not out 12 (24min, 20 balls)
Extras (lb 3, w 1, nb 5)9
Total (7 wkts dec, 131.5 overs, 513min) 467
M S Panesar and J M Anderson did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (0.5; Cook 1); 2-77 (25.1; Strauss 35); 3-140
(48.3; Strauss 62); 4-327 (98.3; Strauss 134); 5-361 (106.1; Strauss 146);
6-424 (123.5; Ambrose 31); 7-425 (124.2; Broad 1).
Bowling: Martin 18-2-60-1 (w 1; 1 six, 9 fours; 6-2-23-1, 6-0-16-0,
6-0-21-0); Southee 24-5-84-0 (16 fours; 5-3-9-0, 1-0-9-0, 8-1-25-0,
4-1-23-0, 6-0-18-0); Elliott 14-1-58-0 (11 fours; 4-0-19-0, 2-1-1-0,
3-0-20-0, 2-0-8-0, 3-0-10-0); Patel 30.5-4-104-2 (nb 1; 2 sixes, 12 fours;
2-0-5-0, 7-1-9-1, 5-1-12-0, 4-2-16-0, 2-0-6-0, 6-0-28-0, 4.5-0-28-1);
Vettori 45-6-158-4 (nb 4; 2 sixes, 15 fours; 7-0-16-0,
9-3-22-1/lunch/9-1-35-0, 1-0-4-0/tea/14-2-58-2/stumps/5-0-23-1).
Scoring notes: Fourth day: Declaration at 11.04am, setting New Zealand
553 to win off a minimum of 168 overs (3.38 per over).
New Zealand: Second Innings
J M How lbw b Panesar 11 (81min, 57 balls)
M D Bell c Broad b Panesar 69 (198min, 156 balls, 12 fours)
S P Fleming c Ambrose b Panesar 66 (131min, 103 balls, 9 fours)
M S Sinclair c Ambrose b Broad 6 (40min, 36 balls, 1 four)
L R P L Taylor not out 34 (103min, 75 balls, 6 fours)
G D Elliott c Bell b Broad 4 (29min, 28 balls)
†B B McCullum not out 24 (47min, 38 balls, 4 fours)
Extras (lb 4, w 3, nb 1)8
Total (5 wkts, 82 overs, 317 min) 222
Fall of wickets: 1-48 (20.3; Bell 35); 2-147 (50.3; Fleming 61); 3-156
(54.3; Sinclair 4); 4-160 (62.0; Taylor 2); 5-172 (69.2; Taylor 10).
Bowling: Sidebottom 14-3-41-0 (w 1; 4 fours; 6-2-9-0, 2-0-6-0,
3-1-17-0, 2-0-6-0, 1-0-3-0); Anderson 10-2-54-0 (12 fours; 5-1-30-0,
4-1-14-0, 1-0-10-0); Broad 23-9-40-2 (nb 1, w 2; 4 fours;
4-2-2-0/lunch/5-2-10-0, 3-2-2-0/11-3-26-2); Panesar 31-15-49-3 (6 fours;
4-2-5- 0/lunch/7-4-1-1, 5-2-12-0/tea/15-7-17-2); Collingwood 2-0-20-0 (3
fours; one spell); Pietersen 2-0-14-0 (3 fours; one spell).
Scoring notes: Fourth day: Lunch 48-0 (19 overs, 76min; How 11,
Bell 35). Tea 146-1 (50 overs, 197min; Bell 69, Fleming 60). Second
new ball taken at 5.22pm — 209-5 (80.0 overs). Close 222-5
(82 overs, 317min; Taylor 34, McCullum 24).
Umpires: D J Harper (Australia, 71st Test) and R E Koertzen (South
Africa, 89th).
Replay umpire: G A V Baxter.
Fourth umpire: G C Holdem.
Match referee: J Srinath (India, ninth).
Series details: First Test (Hamilton) New Zealand won by 189 runs.
Second (Wellington) England won by 126 runs.
Compiled by Bill Frindall
There is a conspicuous lack of comment on Vaughan's poor form for the series, which was characterised by some poor fielding decisions and lacklustre batting.
How long should a young and thrusting team be captained by a man who has been out of form for so long?
Harmison has gone - and Vaughan should follow.
Hilary Croft, London,
Vaughan is starting to look like England's weak link. He doesn't stay fit long enough to find any decent form.
I don't think split captains works either and the selectors need to be brave and pass the baton onto Collingwood.
Sean Lynch, Solihull, England
is Vaughan a freemason
fred, Tunbridge wells, uk
New Zealand with their limited resources and current injuries still make a very good one day side but they seemed to insist on batting like it was a one dayer in the tests and threw some vital wickets away. When questioned on their aggressive tactics Vettori defended them and while he is a good one day captain his (along with Bracewell) tactics as Captain of the test side should be questioned.
The last 2 tests were played on excellent batting pitches and having won the first test N.Z should have dug in and at the very least etched out a draw in one of the following tests.
Gareth Williams, Powys,
now the selectors have a dilemma ... Pieterson, Straus, and Bell all had appalling figures throughout the series .. then the last test and hey presto ! .. the only one who didn't reprieve his batting position was Vaughan.. he surely can no longer justify his place in the squad and should join Harmison and Hogg on the county circuit to try and relearn his craft
andy , Lardieres, France