Cricket: Bracewell savours overdue taste of success

By MARK GEENTY

DURHAM - New Zealand cricket coach John Bracewell was celebrating a rare day when all the cards fell the tourists' way as they posted their first tour victory over England today, eight weeks since their arrival.

Bracewell's hot run with the one-day side continued with a ridiculously easy seven-wicket win before a packed Riverside ground, their sixth successive one-day victory and the 10th out of 12 games during his coaching reign.

Led by James Franklin's five-wicket bag and backed up by Jacob Oram and Chris Cairns on a damp seaming pitch, New Zealand dismissed England for 101 in 32.5 overs then reached 103 for three in just 17.2 overs.

Bracewell said the win was needed to reinforce their confidence which had slowly returned after the tourists lost the test series 0-3.

"The morale was pretty high anyway, so to the team it probably confirms that morale," Bracewell said, refusing to accept the credit himself for today's performance.

"There was a reason for feeling quite good about themselves again.

"It's always nice to put a win under your belt to nail it. I think they've worked extremely well and hard over the last couple of practices ... a lot of talk, and they put it together on the park."

Most of the post-match talk surrounded the performance of England, who, apart from dangerous fast bowler Stephen Harmison, looked an ordinary one-day side befitting their world ranking of seventh.

It was their second loss in three days and left New Zealand and the West Indies as favourites for the tri-series final at Lord's on July 10.

"Some of that may have been dictated by how the opposition actually played. We bowled all right but I think they got themselves out, which can happen," Bracewell said.

"It always surprises you when you knock a side over like that, but it's always a pleasant surprise. It's what you plan but those plans don't necessarily always go into practice."

England captain Michael Vaughan apologised to the crowd of 14,000 afterwards for his team's poorly disciplined batting effort.

"I do feel sorry for them. It's terrible, the game of cricket's basically finished at halfway," Vaughan said.

"They're always a very passionate crowd, it's a fantastic ground and we haven't given them a good game."

- NZPA