Cricket: Elite batsmen find runs still hard to score

Northern Districts' James Marshall was unbeaten on 13 after surviving 17 overs before rain started in Auckland. Picture / Dean Purcell

Just when you thought the great New Zealand batting drought could not get any worse, along came the third round of the domestic State Championship.

Far from providing any relief for a cluster of the Black Caps most besieged batsmen, yesterday's resumption of the provincial competition brought more soul-searching at Dunedin and Wellington, preceded by a washout at Eden Park's Outer Oval.

The day would have provided little comfort for New Zealand coach John Bracewell, who had been hoping to hear of his under-fire top-order boosting their confidence ahead of the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Instead, he must have felt like a World War I general, sitting philosophically over a cup of tea as the details of the latest body-count filtered through: Nathan Astle 1, Stephen Fleming 6, Craig McMillan 1, Chris Harris 15.

The only slight consolation came at Auckland, where Northern Districts' Hamish Marshall was yet to bat, and twin brother James was unbeaten on 13 after surviving 17 overs before the deluge.

Northern were 47-1 when rain stopped play, having lost Nick Horsely to a dubious leg before decision when the total was 34.

But the story was more dire for the batsmen at Dunedin and Wellington where seam bowlers dominated proceedings almost completely - to the extent that none of the top-order batsmen in any team could muster more than 35.

At Carisbrook, Otago were shot out for 146 after Shane Bond cut loose with a four-wicket bag, ending with 4-13 off 12.4 overs and raising hopes of a successful comeback against Sri Lanka.

However, the Canterbury top-order struggled just as badly, Astle trapped in front for one, and McMillan and Harris - to their reported horror - falling to similar decisions soon after.

Canterbury were later bailed out by men of the moment Brendon McCullum and Chris Cairns, who struck unbeaten innings of 53 and 22 respectively to lead their side through to 147-5 at stumps.

The pair continued the hard-hitting form they showed against Australia last week, McCullum striking five fours and three sixes in a 41-ball onslaught, and Cairns hitting three fours and a six in his 28-ball cameo.

For a while it was eerily similar at Wellington after Central Districts were bundled out for 181 in 53.3 overs after a career-best seven-wicket bag from New Zealand left-arm paceman James Franklin.

Dropped for the final Chappell-Hadlee one-dayer at Christchurch last week, Franklin ended the innings with 7-30, was at one stage on a hat-trick, and later played a critical hand with the bat.

The only resistance for Central came initially from Mathew Sinclair with 31, and later from Jacob Oram (41) and Ewen Thompson (47).

However, any thoughts that Wellington would cash in on Franklin's effort were to prove optimistic after Lance Hamilton, Michael Mason and Oram reduced the hosts to 107-7 at stumps.

Fleming, who returned to international cricket last week after recovering from facial surgery, struck just one scoring shot - a six off Oram - before being caught at the wicket off the same bowler shortly afterwards.

Wellington's main hope now lies with Franklin, who is unbeaten on 27, and Mark Gillespie (1no).