Cricket: Test frontiers keep on shrinking

By RICHARD BOOCK


New Zealand completed a royal flush of test wins on home soil after dispatching South Africa at Eden Park yesterday.

The nine-wicket win against South Africa was the missing link in terms of success at home, and was another important step for a test nation that took 26 years to win their first test, and were once bowled out for 26.

There are only a couple of unconquered frontiers remaining for the men in white: a test series win over South Africa at home or away, and a test series win in India.

New Zealand's first win on home soil came in 1956 against the West Indies when, after losing the first and second tests by an innings, and the third by nine wickets, they startled the world with a 190-run victory at Eden Park.

After a small matter of 16 home tests they were at it again in 1968, when Graham Dowling and Gary Bartlett combined to destroy an Indian side that included spin twins Bishen Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna.

The next test nation to fall on home soil were Australia, who in 1974 ran headlong into the Hadlee and Turner show at Christchurch and, despite containing stars such as the Chappell brothers, Dougie Walters and Rod Marsh, perished by five wickets.

Four years later it was England, a side led by Geoff Boycott and including Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Chris Old and Mike Hendrick, who succumbed at Wellington. That was the game in which England, needing just 137 to win the first test, were sliced apart by Richard Hadlee and Richard Collinge and bowled out for 74 on the final morning.

Sri Lanka were outclassed on their maiden tour of New Zealand in 1983, and two years later Pakistan were taken at Eden Park with John F. Reid paving the way for an innings win with an unbeaten 158.

The next two milestones at home were not unexpected. Zimbabwe lost by 10 wickets at Wellington in 1998, and Bangladesh fell by an innings at Hamilton three years ago.

Yesterday's triumph, New Zealand's 54th test win overall and their 34th at home, was their fourth against South Africa, following the results at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in 1962 and at Johannesburg in 1994.

HOME WINS

* 1956: West Indies, by a 190 runs, Auckland.

* 1968: India, by six wickets, Christchurch.

* 1974: Australia, by five wickets, Christchurch.

* 1978: England, by 72 runs, Wellington.

* 1983: Sri Lanka, by an innings and 25 runs, Christchurch.

* 1985: Pakistan, by an innings and 99 runs, Auckland.

* 1998: Zimbabwe, by 10 wickets, Wellington.

* 2001: Bangladesh, by an innings and 52 runs, Hamilton.

* 2004: South Africa, by 9 wickets, Auckland.