Cricket: More pain for Papps after career best

By MARK GEENTY

LEEDS - Michael Papps now knows what it's like to traverse the full circle of test cricketing fortunes in less than a week.

He began it with a cloud over his test cricket future, ended it with a career-best innings of 86 at Headingley and topped it off with his left arm in a sling and a potential series-ending injury.

The little Canterbury opener, 24, shook off a series of low scores to defy the England pacemen for 5-1/2 hours, a fair chunk of it knowing he'd more than likely broken the little finger on his left hand.

If that sounded familiar, it was the exact same digit Craig McMillan had cracked last weekend which handed Papps a test recall.

Sure, Papps was dropped three times in the slips cordon and was beaten by England outswingers numerous other occasions but, as the locals in their thick Yorkshire accents observed: "'ee's still 'ere".

Captain Stephen Fleming watched from the other end and had to admire afterwards as Papps was elsewhere in Leeds being x-rayed, having taken several other body blows in a torrid exam.

"He rode his luck but in between that was some pretty gutsy stuff," said Fleming who helped him add 169 for the second wicket.

"His finger probably is broken, and it's testament to how gutsy he can be. We're hoping it's an important partnership that'll get us back in the series.

"He was pretty sore. The way our bones are at the moment it's probably going to be a crack."

Papps marched boldly onto the international scene this year, belying his quiet, unassuming character by scoring 59 on test debut against South Africa in Hamilton after a matchwinning 92 in a one-dayer against the Proteas at Napier.

A consistent opening partner for Mark Richardson had apparently been found but in his next five test innings the scores went 12, nought, eight not out, seven and nought as he looked a vulnerable leg before wicket target early on.

Fleming moved up to partner Richardson in the first test at Lord's and despite 126 against Kent, Papps was struggling for another look-in.

But when McMillan was ruled out on the eve of the second test, coach John Bracewell went for Papps instead of a readymade middle order replacement Mathew Sinclair.

It was another selection with instant payoff in the Bracewell era, after Hamish Marshall's one-day heroics, Chris Martin's 11-wicket recall for the Eden Park test against South Africa and Sinclair's 74 in the Wellington test for an ill McMillan.

The pressure was on Papps but Fleming said that only spurred on the youngster in just his fifth test.

"Often it can be a positive. There was certainly pressure on him and he's had a pretty poor tour," Fleming said.

"Often it can work in your favour, you've got a sniff and have a crack at it, and he certainly did that very well."

- NZPA