Cricket: Vincent full of runs in record breaker

Lou Vincent had barely left the field of his dream innings against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo when he was sprouting potted philosophy.

"If the ball's there, you hit it," he said after yesterday's win (Thursday morning NZT), laying on the understatement a touch thick considering he was talking about an innings of 172 blazed off 120 balls with 16 fours and nine sixes.

"See these," he said, pointing to a bicep after a reporter suggested he was a touch greedy to help himself to all those boundaries at the expense of Zimbabwe's hapless bowling, "I've been working on them all winter."

Would he be given a rest from fielding duties during Zimbabwe's innings, Vincent was asked during the lunch interval.

"No, mate -- I'm in the field all day today, trying to get a couple of runouts for the team."

There was no stopping Vincent's chatter, just as there had been no stopping the runs as they poured off his bat to register his maiden one-day century.

"I'm pretty happy to get there after 63 games," he said.

"With the delayed start I wasn't quite sure how the wicket was going to play, but I got in after a while.

"It was a case of hanging in there and picking the right ones to hit. One or two balls an over they gave us a chance to score runs.

"I was excited to get given a chance to show off at the top, and it was my day.

"I was given the confidence by the team and by the management to play the way I want to play.

"I'm pretty happy -- knocking off one of the legends of our history is exciting. I'm happy to have the skills to be able to do it."

Vincent's innings surpassed Glenn Turner's 171 not out against East Africa at Edgbaston at the 1975 World Cup as the highest one-day international score by a New Zealander.

The 204-run opening stand Vincent shared with Stephen Fleming was also a New Zealand record for any wicket.

The 397 for five the Black Caps amassed was a solitary run short of the world record total, which Sri Lanka made against Kenya at Kandy in 1995-96.

For Vincent, it was a triumphant return to the Black Caps' one-day outfit after almost two years out of the side.

He played his last one-dayer against India at Hyderabad in 2003.

Fleming's 93 was a fine innings in its own right but it paled into a sideshow next to Vincent's effort.

"To score that many runs in that amount of overs was pretty special," Fleming said.

"There was some great hitting, and a fine innings from Lou.

"He was fantastic."

A resounding victory, despite the mournful standards of the outclassed Zimbabweans, was the best preparation New Zealand could have wanted ahead of their match against India in Bulawayo on Friday.

The Indians were in something close to disarray before they embarked for Zimbabwe, and they have yet to arrive here after electing to spend the night in Harare.

It is not the ideal preparation for a match against a settled, buoyant Black Caps side who are now completely at home in the Zimbabwe conditions.

- NZPA