Cricket: Wiseman in fine form but North in box seat

Career-best match figures by South Island offspinner Paul Wiseman could not prevent the North Island from gaining the high ground in their cricket match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday.

South need another 277 runs, with seven wickets in hand, to win the match on the fourth and final day today.

Mark Richardson and Jarrod Englefield, their fourth-wicket stand already worth 37 runs, must fashion a substantial partnership if South are to get back on even terms.

Wiseman finished with the splendid analysis of seven for 113 in North's second innings yesterday to give him 12 for 148 in the match.

His previous best had been a haul of 10 against Wellington at the Basin Reserve, eight of them in one innings.

But Wiseman had to be content with chipping away at the North Island batting, in contrast to his quick and deep incisions on Monday.

Every one of the 10 northerners who batted recorded scores between those of openers Blair Pocock's 21 and Matthew Bell's 57.

North, with a 12-run first-innings lead, resumed their second innings on 194 for four and built a big total at a measured pace.

As the tea break and declaration neared, attempts were made to lift the run rate, but only No 10 Michael Mason, whose unbeaten 25 came from 27 balls, succeeded.

Wiseman alone seriously threatened to halt North's advance. He took all five wickets to fall yesterday as the seamers toiled away at the other end.

Requiring 368 runs to win in four sessions, South began shakily when Lou Vincent held a fine catch at second slip to remove Robbie Lawson, and Michael Mason switched ends to remove Chris Gaffaney and Craig Cumming in consecutive overs.

Richardson and Englefield provided some stability until rain stopped play with 8.3 overs left unbowled.

Meanwhile, England A, the third team in the tri-series, kicked off their New Zealand tour with a comfortable six-wicket win over the New Zealand Academy at Lincoln Oval near Christchurch yesterday.

The Academy XI were in early trouble at 40 for three but scraped their way to 183 for nine in their 50 overs, thanks in large part to 51 extras. Only two players reached double figures.

Captain Mark Alleyne and test reject Aftab Habib steered England A to 184 for four with 11 overs to spare.

Alleyne hit 53 while Habib, who was discarded after two dreadful test appearances against New Zealand earlier this year, was 46 not out.

England A will play the Academy again today before their opening tri-series game against the North Island, starting in Christchurch on Monday.

- NZPA