Cricket: Boock loses top place in bowling's hall of shame

Stephen Boock. Photo / Christchurch Star

Stephen Boock will not be sending Jason Donnelly a message of congratulations for taking a record off him yesterday - a record that he never wanted in the first place - but he did offer one wry observation.

"Another left-armer though, that's outstanding," said Boock of Donnelly usurping him as owner of the most expensive bowling analysis in New Zealand first-class history. "At least it's kept in the family."

Yesterday Donnelly was put to the sword, conceding 257 runs as Northern Districts racked up 726, just the second time a New Zealand first-class side has eclipsed 700 (Canterbury scored 777 in the championship final against Otago in 1997).

Boock knows how Donnelly feels, having toiled for 70 near-fruitless overs against a Javed Miandad-Shoaib Mohammad masterclass on an Eden Park pitch that had been glued together, preventing any deterioration.

Just to make matters worse, the four-strong bowling attack, who were all well north of 30, became two when Sir Richard Hadlee and John Bracewell broke down after bowling 28 and 37 overs respectively.

"Often left-armers bowl a lot of overs," Boock said. "When you're bowling 70 overs it's an endurance issue. There's only so many overs you can bowl before just wishing the opposition would declare."

Boock famously got to his knees and kissed the pitch when he ticked over 200, later saying he was trying to put some moisture into the wicket for him to exploit.

The test started so much more promisingly for Boock. He dismissed Rizwan-uz-Zaman early and nearly had Miandad caught before he had scored.

"I thought I was in for a good day. Unfortunately that thought quietly left me as the day wore on," he said.

The magnitude of what occurred during that gruelling, drawn test - Boock described the last 20 overs as being similar to the last 10km of a marathon in that "I really just wanted not to be there" - hit him when New Zealand Cricket launched a baseball card-type promotion.

The only thing mentioned on the back of Boock's card, despite his 74 test wickets and 640 first-class scalps, was his less-than-flattering return.

"You would like to think that memories are made of more positive stuff," he joked. "Mine, card No 24 I think, was the only one with a negative write-up, leading me to wonder about the intentions of the person who wrote it."

Donnelly, too, will be hoping yesterday's figures are not the only calling card he leaves on New Zealand's cricket scene.

"He did get four wickets," Boock said. "Which is a far better return than I managed."