Cricket: England show urgency to exact revenge

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Subscribing to the theory that catches can win matches, Northern Districts did their best to make it two-from-two in their second one-day game against England in Hamilton yesterday.

But the chances dried up, the bowling became ragged and the visitors coasted to a five-wicket win with more than 16 overs to spare, reaching 163 for five in just 166 minutes.



It was, in the end, another good one-day contest played in front of a crowd of more than 3000 on an immaculate WestpacTrust Park pitch which produced 581 runs on Friday and 323 yesterday.

Obviously keen for more of what they had produced in Friday's opener, Northern looked to Simon Doull and James Marshall for another firecracker start.

But Doull, who scored 80 on Friday, lasted just 19 minutes for 11.

Marshall and Michael Parlane then added 37 for the second wicket before Marshall fell to Andrew Flintoff.

This was a better effort from the visitors.

They bowled with more conviction and showed more urgency in their fielding - even allowing for a missed stumping, a dropped catch or two and a couple of overthrows.



With a dramatically slowed run rate, Marshall, Parlane, Scott Styris (who had arrived back in New Zealand at 2 am on match day), Matthew Hart and Hamish Marshall were enticed into false shots.

They offered little as the innings slumped to 71 for six inside 25 overs.

There was some resistance from experienced campaigners Grant Bradburn and captain Robbie Hart before Michael Vaughan ended Hart's 53-minute stay at 22.

Bradburn battled through to the end for 46 not out to complete an unbeaten double against the English, after scoring 43 on Friday.



The impressive Ian Butler claimed the first English wicket. Regarded as perhaps second only to Shane Bond among New Zealand bowlers for speed, Butler had Vaughan taken at the wicket by Robbie Hart.

Stung by that, Nick Knight and captain Nasser Hussain attacked their way back, racing to 55 at better than a run-a-minute before Joseph Yovich enticed Knight into a hook shot which gave Hamish Marshall the chance to grab a catch on the run.

Graham Thorpe offered little before being expertly taken in a juggling catch on the boundary by Parlane. The slump continued when Hussain, who many believed had been caught by Hart off Daryl Tuffey before scoring, went to a superb diving Hart catch off Yovich for 39.

While Doull failed to produce with the bat, his first eight overs conceded just 21 runs and he had Craig White taken with a stunning catch at backward point by Hamish Marshall.

At 96 for four after 25 overs, the game was nicely poised. Hart's decision to then replace Doull with Styris loosened the shackles. Flintoff helped himself to a couple of sixes and the odd boundary as Styris went for 10 and then 15 in his first two overs.

Yovich had his figures destroyed as Flintoff smashed 45 from 25 balls with nine boundaries and a six, bringing the innings to an abrupt end.

The games were invaluable match practice for the visitors.

The worry, however, is they have helped play England into the form which could make them a difficult opponent for a New Zealand team who, in just three days, must turn around the disappointment of the last week of an otherwise successful Australian campaign.

* Doull is poised to play his first game of the State Championship four-day competition this week.

One of the stronger performers in Northern's one-day games against England, Doull, who has got only as far as being 12th man in championship matches thus far this season, has been included in the 12-strong squad for the match against Wellington which starts in Hamilton tomorrow.

In the only change from the team who played England, left-arm spinner Bruce Martin returns from his rib injury to replace Tuffey, who will be on international duty.

Northern Districts: Robbie Hart (capt), James Marshall, Simon Doull, Michael Parlane, Matthew Hart, Scott Styris, Hamish Marshall, Grant Bradburn, Joseph Yovich, Bruce Martin, Graeme Aldridge, Ian Butler.