Cricket: Twins rewrite record book

Among the 29,837 spectators at Eden Park yesterday were two who took a closer interest than most.

In many ways the result was immaterial for them. Although they're staunch New Zealand supporters, they were more interested in the performances of a couple of mop-topped players who go by the name Marshall.

Hamish and James Marshall became not only the first set of twins to play for New Zealand since Martin and Jeff Crowe in the late 1980s, but also the first identical twins to play international cricket.

As well as the Crowes, Richard and Dayle Hadlee played together for New Zealand at the same time, as did Matthew and Robbie Hart, Matt and Phil Horne, Geoff and Hedley Howarth and John and Murray Parker.

Watching proudly in the stands yesterday were parents Drew and Kate Marshall.

The Marshalls are avid followers of their sons' cricketing careers and it's not uncommon for one parent to watch one, while the other might be at a different ground to watch the other to ensure they support both twins.

Apart from different numbers on their backs - James 33 and Hamish 34 - and different coloured sunglasses, telling the identical twins apart yesterday was a spectator's nightmare.

They both have the distinctive, tight, shoulder-length curly hair hidden under a black cap. They also stand at about 170cm and dart around the field.

Even their batting records are almost identical. Hamish averages 27.51 in first-class cricket to James' 27.72, while Hamish averages 28.79 in one-day cricket to James' 28.19.

Kate can discern the difference through instinct, hair length and their gait but Drew admits he struggles when the pair are in traditional cricket whites.

As one story goes, an old girlfriend struggled as well after she stormed into a bar and slapped a stunned twin, only for him to point across the room to his brother.

The pair, who still share a bedroom at home, are renowned for getting up to mischief and admit that they sometimes use their mistaken identities to wreak havoc on unsuspecting bystanders.

"We do have fun with it, I suppose we do enjoy it," James said. "It comes with the territory. We've had our fun but we won't go into stories about it - it's not for printing."

The pair were livewires in the field yesterday, throwing themselves around with a number of diving stops in Australia's total of 264-5 in their 50 overs.

Hamish was called into action early in the Black Caps' innings after the dismissal of skipper Stephen Fleming for one, and when Michael Papps took a blow to the head from Brett Lee and retired hurt on three.

Hamish was joined by his brother James following the dismissal of Craig McMillan but the partnership didn't last long with James run out for 14. Hamish followed him soon after, also run out, for a well compiled 55 off 87 balls.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY (additional reporting NZPA)