Chelmsford

(Final day of four)

New Zealanders (355 and 195) beat Essex (258 and 200) by 92 runs

Lunch

A healthy Bank Holiday crowd came to Chelmsford today hoping to see a thrilling run-chase, with Essex needing 248 more runs to beat the touring side and with nine wickets in hand. However, it appears that all that now remains in the game for the Essex faithful is to see how many runs Alastair Cook can make after the Kiwis tore through the Essex top order.

Essex began terribly slowly, with only 22 runs coming in the first 15 overs before Tom Westley drove tentatively at a ball from Kyle Mills and was caught by Peter Fulton, on as substitute for Daniel Vettori, at extra cover. The hoped-for lengthy partnership between Ravi Bopara and Cook never materialised and after each survived a run-out attempt from direct hits, Bopara was eventually caught down the leg side for nine off Jacob Oram.

Mark Pettini came and went very quickly, his off and middle stumps splayed by the first ball he faced from Michael Mason, to leave Essex in deep trouble, but with Cook reaching his 50 off 114 balls in the over before lunch there is still something to relish this afternoon.

Close

Essex collapsed after lunch to end the match a session early and send the New Zealanders on towards their final warm-up game, on Thursday against the England Lions, in good heart. Any slender chances Essex had of chasing a target of almost 300 went shortly after the resumption when Alastair Cook drove Michael Mason hard but straight to the hands of Kyle Mills at mid-off for 57. It was an unsatisfying innings, albeit his highest in five attempts for Essex this season, filled with second and third chances from the umpires and the fielding side.

James Foster followed Cook back to the pavilion almost immediately, edging his second ball to slip, and though there was a solid seventh-wicket partnership of 59 between Ryan Ten Doeschate and James Middlebrook, the dismissal of the latter, his stumps splayed by Iain O’Brien, heralded another collapse.

Ten Doeschate hit two consective balls from the part-time leg spin of Aaron Redmond for four and six, but was caught by the wicketkeeper, running across to square leg, as he tried to hit the leather off the next ball and Tony Palladino then edged Redmond to slip for three. Tea was delayed as New Zealand tried to take the final wicket and in the end Alex Tudor, after 18 runs in 23 balls, obliged by missing a straight one from O’Brien.

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