Date-stamped : 26 Jan97 - 14:51 24-28 Jan 1996 New Zeland v England- Test 1 Reports Pre-match -Electronic Telegraph England gain strength from fully fit squad DOMINIC CORK duly bowled without pain in his lower back during two half-hour stints in the Eden Park nets yesterday and reported himself fit to play in the first Test against New Zealand, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Barring an unexpected reaction to his first serious exercise since leaving the field at Hamilton last Sunday, England were therefore choosing from a fully fit party of 16, a rare enough blessing which pointed in itself, perhaps, to a much needed change of fortune. Cricket followers at home have so far had little solace to counteract the winter. The hope for this series is not simply that England might win their first overseas series for five years, but also that the play should be vigorous and interesting, as often in the past on the slow pitches of New Zealand it has failed to be. That has been as much the fault of groundsmen, and the soil with which they have to work, as that of the players, but traditionally New Zealand cricket sides tended to have a bit of an inferiority complex which led to safety-first tactics. The advent of Richard Hadlee changed that up to a point and Steve Rixon, the Australian coach hired last year, has made it his business, as he puts it, "to make sure that hardness comes into their game". It is strange that such an attitude should need to be instilled into the country which year after year produces rugby teams considerably harder than the average mahogany tree, but Rixon believes it is a weak mental timbre as much as any lack of ability which has kept New Zealand in the lower reaches of international cricket since Hadlee's retirement in 1990. With a former All Black, John Graham, also attached to the side as manager, this team are unlikely to lack either motivation or moral fibre. It remains to be seen whether or not they will have the quality of batting to get on top of England bowlers who seem to have hit some form together. This unusual state of affairs made selection of the final team this morning all the harder. Cork's recovery appeared to have ruled out Chris Silverwood and Andrew Caddick, along with Ronnie Irani and Jack Russell, who starts another (two-day) match for his old club, Takapuna, tomorrow. The final choice, therefore, lay between leaving out one of the spinners, Robert Croft and Phil Tufnell, or omitting Alan Mullally and entrusting the new ball to Cork and Darren Gough, with Craig White as third seamer. The expected cloudy weather, and a pitch with residual moisture, made the former option marginally more likely. There was, after all, a risk in playing Cork as they would be reduced to just two quicker bowlers if he broke down. On the other hand David Lloyd and Mike Atherton believe that they have a pair of quality spinners. This series must be won if England are to progress, but there also has to be some planning for Australia next summer. Talking of planning, yesterday's practice marked the first appearance in New Zealand of the Sky TV commentators who will keep privileged insomniacs informed over the next few weeks. Among those newly arrived from a break in Australia was Ian Botham. From a position of ignorance about the form of the team in New Zealand, he will presumably not be protesting this time that he was not consulted about the selection. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Pre-match- The Christchurch Press Troubled sides may hatch intriguing test New Zealand and England, two underachievers in test matches in recent years, will attempt to climb the world cricket ladder in the first of an intriguing three-match BNZ series at Eden Park today. Both sides have been in the lower echelons of the test tree during the past five years, battling alongside Zimbabwe to avoid bottom ranking. New Zealand's record since 1992 from 36 tests is five wins (its last series success was against Zimbabwe in 1992-93), 17 losses, and 14 draws. England's record is remarkably similar, 43 tests in the same period have produced eight wins, 20 losses and 15 draws. New Zealand has continually claimed to be rebuilding since the Hadlee-led era ended in 1990. With the seeming end to the upheavals which have beset the sport in recent years hints of upward movement have to be maintained. England, similarly, with its complex county structure has also been beset by problems and politics. The national team has rarely seemed to perform in line with its 'home-of-the-game' status. England is desperate to string together some impressive results after its poor efforts in Zimbabwe and silence the baying British press, while New Zealand is keen to enhance its credibility, which has been battered, in the longer version of the game. The prospect is of two evenly matched teams, while lacking many world-class stars, being full of able players keen to consolidate their test careers. Both sides possess capable batting and bowling line-ups, with New Zealand likely to play all-rounder Justin Vaughan in preference to left-arm slow bowler Mark Haslam. With a number of stroke-makers in its top order, Vaughan will probably be included to help provide some batting stability as well as the fourth seam bowler option. England could follow New Zealand's lead or take a different approach and attack with its accomplished slow bowlers, Phil Tufnell and Robert Croft. New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns, who plays against all the Englishmen for Nottinghamshire, believes the pair could have a vital role to play in the series. Much depends on the availability of key fast bowler Dominic Cork, who suffered a back injury during the last match against Northern Districts. Cork bowled vigorously in two separate work-outs yesterday and his inclusion depended on his recovery today. Because it has so few quality spin bowlers, New Zealand batsmen have tended to succumb to good slow bowlers. Tufnell tormented New Zealand the last time England toured here in 1991-92. Fortunately for New Zealand the wicket is unlikely to take much turn until the latter days, with the pace bowlers expected to hold sway during the early sessions. For once in recent seasons, New Zealand is able to field a first choice attack in Cairns, Danny Morrison, and Simon Doull. The newly laid wicket at the ground offers the expectation of greater bounce and carry than in the past, making for a better spectacle than some of the slow-paced pitches that have been produced previously. Source :: The Canterbury Press (http://www.press.co.nz/) Day 1 - Electronic Telegraph Wayward bowlers hand New Zealand initiative ANOTHER opportunity squandered; another unprofessional performance when the chips were down. Staunchly though New Zealand played on the first day of the series at Eden Park, the image that will live in the mind is that of Alec Stewart flinging himself hither and thither like a goalkeeper in the mud to catch the swinging new ball, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. The wicket-keeper dislocated a finger, the England bowlers mis- located the stumps and New Zealand were 193 for two before a third session in which some of the early damage was repaired. The upshot after 90 overs and 10 minutes of overtime was that a sturdy opening partnership by Blair Pocock and Bryan Young at the start of the day and an elegant 58 not out by Stephen Fleming at the end had given New Zealand the edge on a relaid pitch which looks much like the low and slow ones of old. It is the truest of all the bowling axioms that there is no substitute for line and length and until England find men who do it out of habit (they had one in Angus Fraser and found another in Peter Martin but selected neither) they will continue to waste the sort of chance with which they were presented when Mike Atherton won the toss yesterday. Whether through nerves or over-anxiety to do well, the new ball was aimed with all the accuracy of children firing off party-poppers at Christmas. The bowlers redeemed themselves up to a point, but it was impossible to guess the repercussions of a missed catch off Chris Cairns five overs from the end. New Zealand's prime all-rounder was batting with obvious confidence against the second new ball when he drove a full toss from Alan Mullally low to Darren Gough at mid-off. If Cairns had gone for five then New Zealand would have been 220 for six, but if 'ifs' and 'ands' were pots and pans, there'd be no need for tinkers. Until yesterday England had been holding all their catches in New Zealand and bowling in the right place. As in the two previous first-class games, Mike Atherton had won the toss and put his opponents in, but this time his bowlers, Mullally especially, failed to make the batsmen play when the pitch was at its freshest and the ball was swinging dangerously. New Zealand had wanted to bowl first on a brown pitch which was less damp than either side imagined - the ball did little off the seam. But Pocock, who had never made a Test fifty before, rose to the occasion, getting well forward and leaving everything that he could to Stewart. He needed one slice of early luck, when Mullally swung his sixth ball into his front pad but Steve Bucknor, perhaps startled by a straight one, gave Pocock the benefit. Young is a sound player too, with more experience than Pocock and a greater confidence in his ability to play strokes. Most of his runs were picked up just backward of square on either side as New Zealand worked their way to 72 for no wicket at lunch. Atherton had called on all five of his bowlers in the first hour and one could only imagine how he felt as the bowlers let him down, much as they had at Headingley against Pakistan last season and in Bulawayo in the first Test of the winter. Phil Tufnell, who might have been one half of a pair of attacking spinners if England had stuck with Robert Croft, was obliged to play a containing role at once. For most of his 20 overs his pace was much as Derek Underwood's used to be, but without any turn to make the batsmen think. It is easy with hindsight to say that the wrong bowlers were chosen here - Tufnell not Croft was a marginal decision once it had been decided to play four faster bowlers - but Chris Silverwood would surely have asked more early questions of the batsmen than Mullally. Gough bowled with spirit and some pace, but not with the necessary consistency and though Dominic Cork operated without the slightest trace of the back complaint that had threatened to keep him out of the game, his rhythm was fractionally awry, his outswinger veering a little too early to catch the edge. Instead it was the laconic Mullally, who bowled increasingly less waywardly, who finally brought a smile to English faces in a crowd of 6,800 when Young played round an inswinger of full length. Adam Parore batted for 10 overs without much difficulty but he is out of luck at the moment and a thin leg-glance gave Stewart some reward for the stoicism with which he had carried on wicketkeeping after dislocating the top joint of the little finger of his left hand in the 12th over of the day. Pocock battled on, hitting the ball with increasing confidence off the back foot and, encouraged by the way in which Fleming flowed easily into his front-foot strokes from the start, compiled one of the best of his 11 fifties in 23 Tests. It was not until 13 overs after tea that England gave as good as they got. Gough found a yorker which dipped in late to remove Pocock after 69 overs of graft, and six overs later Craig White, who hit the deck hard enough but too often on the wrong length, had his consolation when Nathan Astle drove at a ball well wide of his off stump and edged it to Stewart. Atherton did not hesitate about taking the second new ball, despite a temperature nearing 80 degrees, and this time Cork used it well, winning one zealous plea to Bucknor against the left-handed Jeff Vaughan and narrowly failing with another against Fleming. Not all, therefore, was lost, but everyone in England's camp knew that their situation should have been much better than it was. More on Day 1: Mark Nicholas in the Electronic Telegraph Atherton on sticky wicket once again By Mark Nicholas IT WAS, I think, Sir Leonard Hutton who, after asking Australia to bat first in the opening Test of the 1954-55 tour and watching them make 600, said: "Pitches are like wives. You never can tell how they are going to turn out." For three days before the first Test in Auckland the England team will have studied a damp, grassy surface with their eagle, anticipating eyes, thinking that the winning of the toss might well mean the winning of the game. Around the square and into the outfield the grass was lush and full of moisture and the pitch itself, severely shaven by yesterday's first morning, had a hint of the putty texture into which a Greig or Boycott key would have encouraged just a little sink. The air, too, was damp in that muggy, tropical way and the surprise overnight rain meant that moisture, condensed and exaggerated by the huge concrete stands, was all about Eden Park. The England team have played well in New Zealand, exploiting these English-type conditions with decent seam and swing bowling and intelligent strong-willed batting. Confidence, so clearly lacking in Zimbabwe, has come from two wins in uncomplicated cricket that the players have understood, for they were reared on this straightforward diet of seam-up which agrees with their limitations. For 24 hours before the game Michael Atherton knew that he had to bowl if he won the toss, aware that his team willed it and that New Zealand feared a resurgent, on-song Gough or a rested Cork in full voice. He also knew that New Zealand thought well of Phil Tufnell because he had bowled them out over here in 1992 and was at it again, against a "Select XI" 10 days ago. In short, Atherton knew his bowlers held the aces, which has not often been the case, so he might as well let them get on with it. But, as if it were a mosquito buzzing about his brain during the small hours, an old captain's tale will have niggled at Atherton, the one which insists that nine out of 10 times you bat first and on the tenth, you think about it and then bat first. He will also have been aware that preconception of a pitch is a dangerous attitude and will have known what his management and the team's elders thought. To a man they thought bowl first and pick your extra seamer so Robert Croft, England's best bowler in Zimbabwe, was left to chew his cud. After all, thought everyone who was anyone, win the toss and probably win the game. Not so. Poor Atherton, now that we know him well, let us forgive him his resistance to compromise, applaud his resolution and admire his determination that England should be proud. He is only a captain given an ordinary and inconsistent team who let him down again. His bowlers, trying so desperately hard to prove to the prying television and the unsympathetic newspapers, let alone the gloating cricketing globe, that what went wrong in Zimbabwe was nothing more than a blip on the monitor of progress, made a Horlicks of their advantage. They sprayed the new ball all over the place, giving it as little chance to hit its target as the pellets from a novice's shotgun. ALL the morning, while wicketkeeper Alec Stewart sprung left and right to save byes, Atherton stood with his arms folded and his emotion hidden, chewing on gum much as Mark Taylor, Australia's captain, would have done given the same predicament, does in fact for most of the time. Atherton knows he is watched, knows that he cannot, in public, betray his dressing room so he has studied Taylor, a captain with whom the press have empathy, and taken refuge by adopting his composed, unrevealing stance. Like Taylor, too, Atherton, at the moment, is short of runs and though his own subjective eye insists there is no link between his team's shortcomings and his own barren year, the more objective eye knows that to constantly be on the receiving end and to answer for the shortcomings of others must nibble at patience, upset balance and disturb play. If anyone deserves to give a little back to the opposition it is Michael Atherton, not because he is an immediately endearing or charming leader but because he is an enduring and committed one who has now endured and committed quite enough. For most of the first day he must have taken comfort in the knowledge that he is no longer obliged to do this fraught job, that he has given it most of his best shots and that his destiny is still his own. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 2 - Electronic Telegraph England pair in forceful reply to New Zealand By Scyld Berry FEW countries can have changed so vastly during peacetime as New Zealand did between the 1980s and 1990s. Formerly, the country was content to wear sideburns, and to take last orders at 5.30pm, and its youth voted with their feet. In the Nineties it decided to open out, become more Australian if you like, and to enjoy its life. New Zealand's cricket has followed the general suite in opening out: and, indeed, the man who has been credited with initiating the whole sea change, Sir Roger Douglas, was at Eden Park yesterday . During the 1980s, New Zealand ground out some of the dullest draws on the slowest pitches. But now they have tried at least to enliven this square by re-laying it; and on it Stephen Fleming and Chris Cairns batted with as much panache as Alec Stewart and Mike Atherton did in their turn. By drying out in Auckland's perpetual wind, the pitch acquired some pace for the stroke players by the second morning, and Fleming and Cairns added one hundred more runs in the first 110 minutes, much as England's pair did at the latter end of the day. At least it was fine batting which held England back, not so much their own failures. As New Zealand so recovered from being sent in as to reach 390, England's face became ever more reddened, not so much by sun as by the wind in this City of Sails, and by embarrassment. The running of quick singles by Fleming and Cairns was particularly well-synchronised, as it should be between such good friends, and bon viveurs. Fleming has kept his flair off his legs while learning to curb his looseness outside off-stump: the two off-drives which took him through the nineties to his maiden Test hundred were the shots of the day until Stewart strutted his stuff. Required to bowl more than he should have been, Phil Tufnell found what a difficult ground this diamond shape is for a spinner to defend on as Cairns wafted him twice for six, once without middling. Cairns enjoys being the big cheese of New Zealand cricket, while Dominic Cork strives to become England's again. Perhaps he strove a little too hard, when a patient observance of a full length would have served England better. Darren Gough earned the scraps, including Dipak Patel's wicket first ball, for his ever-cheerful toil. Having been up and down, avoiding hubris along the way, he is settling to a substantial England career. In the field, John Crawley was exemplary, giving his best display for England so far, but not everybody was. Knight at extra cover had Fleming at his mercy but strangely chose to underarm at the bowler's stumps with his left hand. Mullally missed Cairns when 20 off a caught-and-bowled, but then how often do England bowlers specifically practise catching in their follow-through? It is not just a question of luck. Saturday was kids' day at Eden Park, when children were encouraged to attend and see the sideshows on the number two ground, and some of the cricket did contain schoolboy mistakes. But the standard was altogether higher, rising from the level of bottom-of-the-table unenforced errors, when England played to their forte of batting and New Zealand to theirs of seam bowling. Simon Doull was the first to hit upon the idea of a full length and had Nick Knight over-balancing when he swung late into the left-hander. Instantly, Stewart was into his big shots, square of the wicket as New Zealand's length became as short as England's had been. He did not hit mere fours but not-bothering-to-run boundaries as he rattled to 26 from his first 18 balls. On his last visit to New Zealand Stewart set the all-conquering tone for England by shredding some moderate medium pace from the outset. Here he was more dismissive still. If it is possible, his batting confidence has increased through becoming an all-rounder, a bonus to offset the lapses of concentration he is bound to have after keeping wicket for nine hours. Atherton's batting, and perhaps his back too, clicked back into place and his footwork returned to its old grooved movements while he did what he does best, leading the fightback after his bowlers' profligacy. His 55 against Matabeleland was his only half-century on this entire tour to date. Like a man of the sea, Atherton has waited for the tide to turn, knowing that the moment would come, and the start of his recuperation means so much to England. He has backed himself into an undesirable corner by saying that he will resign if England lose this series. It is undesirable because there is no-one better qualified here and now than Atherton making runs and giving England a sturdy spine, even if he does not have one of his own. Stewart, lapsing, played three loose shots in one over just before the offer was made to come off for bad light with 11 overs remaining. New Zealand could have brought on a spinner to keep the game going; England could have batted on. By agreeing to adjourn, both sides gave declaration of their intent, or non-intent, in this match. New Zealand's transformation is not yet complete. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 2 Report - The Press Fleming fulfils promise with maiden test century New Zealand batsman Stephen Fleming completed at Eden Park on Saturday against England what he first promised nearly three years ago: his maiden test hundred. Cantabrian Fleming made a marvellous 92 on debut against India at Hamilton, in March 1994, earmarking him as a player of tremendous ability. His natural talent was fully harnessed in his innings of 129 which displayed the perfect balance of elegant attack and dutiful defence. During the intervening period he has played 38 test innings and no-one has ever doubted his talent. It was just a matter of when, not if, the celebrated three figures would come. Ten half-centuries flowed from Fleming's bat, including another 92, unbeaten, in the recent test series against Pakistan. Fleming said not having made a test hundred had gnawed away at him over the months when he knew he had the ability to go on. "To get it is really a relief, it's certainly been a while coming. After promising so much and being on a big learning curve things finally came good." Fleming said he was nervous in the 90s and the graceful drive he reached his century with from off-spinner Phil Tufnell was a predetermined shot. "I'm just happy the option was the right one." Fleming said he had not contemplated a century after ending the first day unbeaten on 58, saying that was looking too far ahead. However, batting with Canterbury team-mate Chris Cairns on Saturday helped Fleming through the potentially testing time. "It's easy batting with Chris at the other end because he scores so freely, it takes the pressure off you." Fleming and Cairns shared a 118-run stand for the sixth wicket, which was instrumental in New Zealand reaching 390 in its first innings. Fleming had an anxious moment on 96 when Craig White ruffled his composure a little with a short-pitched ball which climbed, but could not conquer him. The Englishmen grudgingly admired Fleming's stroke-play with Alec Stewart believing that Fleming had many more test hundreds to come. "He played exceptionally well, timing the ball a treat and looking very good. "He's a tall, upright player and he had looked quite good in England when we played against New Zealand in 1994," said Stewart who also was a century-maker yesterday. Fleming has been likened to the smooth-stroking former England left-hander David Gower and they share more in common than just the April Fool's Day birthdays, each capable of sublime shot-making. Fleming is also already New Zealand's best left-hander since Bert Sutcliffe. As was foreshadowed in that fledgling first innings, Fleming is New Zealand's batting successor to Martin Crowe. With the 100-run innings barrier now broken, the floodgates seem certain to open. Source :: The Canterbury Press (http://www.press.co.nz/) Day 3: Electronic Telegraph Stewart's 173 vindicates strategy for wicketkeeper NEVER was the importance of confidence in cricket better demonstrated than by the way in which Alec Stewart seized the initiative for England in the first Test at Eden Park, only for Graham Thorpe, in a moment of aberration, to hand most of it back to New Zealand, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Stewart's imperious innings of 173 had put England into what was potentially a winning position after tea on the third day, and Thorpe and John Crawley were on the point of taking control when Crawley was run out as a result of his partner's instinct for self-preservation. The opportunity to go one up in the three-match series still existed when the third day ended with England's first innings arrears only 24 and four wickets still in hand, but instead of the lead of 150 plus, which seemed probable on a pitch promising to take increasing turn, a rather more modest, and therefore less easily exploitable first innings advantage, was more likely. It was largely because of Stewart's unblinking assurance and command and Mike Atherton's return to form on a pitch which suited him well that the chance existed at all for England to win the first match of the series, an achievement from which much good might flow. They put on 182 for the second wicket, but it was Stewart who dominated at every stage, brimming over with brilliant strokes against all but the tidy off-breaks of Dipak Patel. England's generals, chastised for their shortcomings in Zimbabwe and despite taking the wrong tactical options at the outset of this match, have been handsomely vindicated by Stewart. They chose to make Jack Russell, outstanding in South Africa last winter and as worthy a professional as there is in all England, nothing better than an occasional reserve player. It was neither an easy, nor a popular decision, but it has been proved correct. Stewart's lordly 173, his fourth hundred in 15 innings against New Zealand, is the highest by an England wicketkeeper, overtaking Les Ames's 149 at Kingston in 1930 and 148 not out at the Oval five years later. When Stewart finally returned the ball off a leading edge to the persevering Simon Doull, however, he was still only fifth equal on a world list of highest scores, still led by the otherwise unexceptional Pakistani, Taslim Arif. It is part of the fun of cricket statistics that they involve the relatively obscure, as well as the great names, among whose number Stewart has thrust himself by the sheer character and quality of his all-round cricket. Number three, I suspect, has always been his best position, whether he is keeping wicket or not, and full marks to Atherton, David Lloyd, John Emburey and Nasser Hussain for spotting that. Stewart himself still says that, if the choice were his, he would open, although clearly he is more than satisfied with his all-round contribution to this tour. He believes that the discrepancy which existed for so long between his average for England as a specialist batsman and as a keeper-batsman (47 as against 25 before this tour) was due as much as anything to uncertainty about where he would be batting. By contrast, not a moment of self-doubt seems to have entered his head since he returned to the England side after Nick Knight had broken a finger at Edgbaston last June. All was straight-backed control, like a sergeant major in absolute control of the parade, when he came in after Knight had been given out leg before, three overs before tea on Saturday. Warming up by hooking Danny Morrison for six, Stewart strode off for a cuppa immediately after executing a cracking square-cut and by the time bad light stopped play he had hit nine more fours in his 67. Atherton, having worked so hard in the nets to find the touch which had eluded him since adapting his technique to deal with the short-pitched bowling last winter, was every bit as much in his element on the brown, true pitch on which Stephen Fleming had completed his graceful maiden Test hundred earlier. With hindsight he might have played both his spinners and batted first, but for now his solid 83, marked by plenty of his trademark forces square of the wicket off the back foot, will be ample consolation. Four Tests had passed since his last fifty, against Pakistan at Lord's. Atherton and Stewart had moved England to 193 for one by lunch yesterday. Stewart had passed his 10th Test century, Atherton was beginning to eye his 11th. They had been held back only by Patel, who did not come on until the 47th over of the innings but was seldom out of the attack afer that, wheeling away at first with five men on the off side with excellent control and occasional turn. He had just seen Stewart, then 106, missed from a fiendishly difficult skier over square-leg's head when Atherton, also looking to press on, dragged a drive to short mid-on where Justin Vaughan parried the ball to the deserving bowler. Patel followed up by claiming Nasser Hussain to a smart catch off pad and bat by Fleming at silly-point, but Stewart barely paused for breath. The new ball was the signal for another fusillade of boundaries. STEWART had hit 23 fours and a six and batted in all for four minutes over six hours when Doull, consistently the best of the three fast bowlers, finally bent in relief to take the return catch. Consolidation was required and Thorpe, 26 when Stewart was out, played just the right innings until he ran into fiery bowling by Chris Cairns, whose robust and attractive innings of 67 on Saturday morning had been spoiled by two earlier, poorly directed spells. Thorpe, however, ducked into a short ball and got a nasty blow as the ball jammed his helmet into the back of his ear. Perhaps he was still not thinking straight when, seven overs later, Crawley hit a stroke of high quality of the back foot past the bowler to the left of Doull at deepish mid-on. It was a long single even after Thorpe had hesitated to be sure that Vaughan, the bowler, would not cut the ball off. But as his partner called and Doull dived left, Thorpe turned his back and stood his ground. Crawley had completed the run before Doull threw to Lee Germon, whereupon Crawley dutifully and sorrowfully gave himself up. One ball later Craig White was lbw padding forward to Vaughan and the impetus had gone, leaving Thorpe and the tail with much to do this morning. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 3:- The Press Teams defiant as test heads for draw England fights back to within 24 runs of NZ by Geoff Longley in Auckland Both camps still believe they have a winning chance in the first New Zealand-England BNZ test series but with two days to play at Eden Park reality suggests a draw is most likely. England yesterday closed to within 24 runs of New Zealand's first-innings score of 390, reaching 366 for six by stumps, the innings founded upon an authoritative Alec Stewart century. According to New Zealand captain Lee Germon, the plan is to remove the England lower order quickly today, and leave England two sessions or more tomorrow to bat needing around 200 on a deteriorating wicket. England's strategy, via vice-captain Stewart, is to create a substantial lead with some handy batting left and pressure the New Zealand batsmen in their second innings on a wicket that will take more turn. The likelihood is that the pitch, while offering some gentle spin but otherwise easy pace, will prevent either outcome leaving the sides to settle for a draw. Stewart did his utmost to ensure England worked to its game plan, with his assured innings of 173 -- the highest by an England wicketkeeper (overtaking Les Ames's 149 at Jamaica in 1930) and sixth best by a wicketkeeper at test level, equalling the innings played by New Zealand's Ian Smith at Eden Park against India in early 1990. Stewart, 33, son of former England coach Mickey, appears the consummate professional with a liking for New Zealand bowling attacks. Four of his 10 centuries have been scored against Kiwi attacks and he has now scored a hundred at each of New Zealand's three main grounds having collected tons at Christchurch and Wellington on the 1991-92 tour. Stewart's performance was a remarkable feat of stamina. He only spent half an hour off the field having kept wicket (and gloved four catches) before coming in at No. 3 and occupying the crease for another six hours. "I think you find when things are going your way you tend not to get fatigued. I don't mind batting No. 3 at all," said Stewart after completing his knock, which took 277 balls and included 23 fours and a six. Stewart has been in superlative form during the last international season, scoring consistently against India and Pakistan before performing well on the Zimbabwe tour, where his last test innings was also a hundred. Stewart was a regular one-day wicketkeeper-batsman in the side, but now appears to have consolidated a test place, at Jack Russell's expense. Stewart had one heart flutter along the way when umpire Steve Dunne was on the verge of giving him out on 104 to a leg-before-wicket appeal from Justin Vaughan. Dunne's arm moved towards giving the fatal raised finger before realising that Stewart had also hit the ball. "Obviously I thought it was a great decision because I did hit it. I certainly saw the arm go, but to his credit he realised what had happened," said Stewart, who also gestured about the edge if Dunne needed a helping hand. Stewart's chief support came from Mike Atherton, with whom he shared a 182-run second-wicket stand, the England captain finding some overdue form. Left-hander Graham Thorpe flourished later with an unbeaten half century. England's momentum was slowed only by a terrible run out of John Crawley when both he and Thorpe were at the same end, following some fine fielding by Simon Doull, and the next-ball removal of Craig White. Patel's nagging off-spin provided the biggest problems, while Doull was the most demanding of the seamers. Chris Cairns struck Thorpe a nasty crack on the side of the helmet when he ducked into an attempted bouncer that never rose, giving both camps some concerns about the evenness of bounce on the last two days. Source :: The Canterbury Press (http://www.press.co.nz/) Day 4 - Electronic Telegraph Dominant England glimpsing success after Thorpe's 119 FOR the third time in three matches this winter England began the final day of a Test match with more than a little hope that they might win, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Twice in Zimbabwe they took command - at Bulawayo they were one run short of achieving their goal - and this time, despite an Eden Park pitch playing comfortably, there was a good chance that a win might happen. Nor would the first overseas win for two years be undeserved. Since tea-time on the first day, following their over-anxious start to the match, England have played good cricket. Darren Gough's relatively speedy demolition of the tail and Alec Stewart's barnstorming innings bought them valuable time, and their own tail used it well in building a first-innings lead of 131 by tea-time yesterday. Graham Thorpe pressed on to a determined and attractive third Test hundred, Dominic Cork giving him well-judged support in a seventh-wicket stand of 114. When play began this morning, New Zealand were still 75 runs behind, with a tense day's batting ahead of them and three prime wickets gone. England had taken longer than perhaps they should have done to build their bridgehead, but when any side has spent a long time in the field, a certain lassitude is often unavoidable, and on the fourth evening England's bowlers went about their business with an altogether more disciplined approach than they had on the first morning. Although New Zealand had to approach their task with caution, it was crucial that they should not be offered easy runs and neither the bowlers, nor Mike Atherton's field-placings, allowed them liberties. Curiously, it should have been harder for the new ball bowlers because of a strong cross-breeze which, while it helped the ball swing, cannot have made control easy. Cork, having made his highest Test score and, perhaps equally importantly, played his longest Test innings too, made the first breach in the ninth over when Bryan Young drove at a ball which left him and sliced a catch to the finer of two gullies. Perhaps aware that Blair Pocock felt more comfortable when he asserted himself, Atherton had reduced the close fielders to only two slips when, in the 18th over, Darren Gough produced a genuinely quick yorker, which dipped late into Pocock's front foot and trapped him in front for the second time in the match. At just the right time the captain then unveiled what he hoped might be his trump card and Philip Tufnell, with a tangy sea-breeze and a hard, brown pitch to work with, obliged with a teasing little spell. After half an hour of untroubled batting Stephen Fleming played forward to a ball which turned, glanced his inside edge and bounced off his pad to short-leg. England's coach David Lloyd had given the five remaining batsmen a target of 140 more runs when the fourth day started with six wickets down. They exceeded his demand, thanks largely to Thorpe's 119, the third hundred of the match and the third of his 35-match career. He owed it to his side, having run out John Crawley, and to himself, having played in England's previous 19 Tests without adding to his two hundreds against Australia. This has not been an easy tour for him. He was dropped a place down the batting order to No 5 and could not find his touch on the slow pitches of Zimbabwe. When he did so, in the second innings at Harare, he was promptly dropped from the one-day side. The state of his emotions had something to do with that. His wife Nicki had given birth to their first child even as the team were leaving London, and Thorpe had to say goodbye to them for 14 weeks when he joined the tour a few days late. At Christmas he heard the shattering news that his best friend in the Surrey side, Graham Kersey, had been killed in a car crash. There was mental steel, therefore, as well as some very good batting, in the innings here, which took his Test average past 40. Driving, glancing and cutting with the crisp strokes which made his method a complete contrast to Fleming, the other left-handed centurion in this game, Thorpe hurried through the eighties and nineties on a wave of half-volleys from Danny Morrison. Four overs after lunch he was out unluckily when his feet slipped as he tried to tuck away a short leg-stump ball from Chris Cairns. Cork had been under orders to play what Lloyd called "partnership cricket" and on a pitch as good as this he found no great difficulty in obeying. A fine catch in the deep by Young, from a top-edged hook which swirled high beyond midwicket, got him out, but Tufnell and Mullally embarrassed and frustrated New Zealand's bowlers with one of those irritating last-wicket stands, which England themselves have so often suffered in recent years. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 4- more Electronic Telegraph End justifies the means for England By Mark Nicholas Dominant England glimpsing success after Thorpe's 119 WE had another lovely day in Auckland yesterday but, until the final hour, there was little cricket to match the thrilling, clear blue sky. Mostly the play stood still and this was because neither side could find the gumption to grab the game and shake it about a bit. The morning's play brought 81 runs and no wickets from just 29 overs of negative stuff from New Zealand and precious little that was positive from England. The afternoon's play, which ran into tea until England were bowled out, yielded 74 runs and four wickets from further indifferent stuff from New Zealand and near numbing intent from England. There appeared to be no anxiety in the cricket, rather that an appointment had been made with the tea interval. As if to prove the point Lee Germon, a smart enough tactician, set an ultra-cautious field from the off and Dominic Cork, an entertaining batsman, took an age for his fifty. Neither side could trust themselves to break from the shackles of insecurity and risk losing the advantage in order to gain it. In Test cricket a player must make choices, must dictate the game and win it over, which is the natural inclination of both Germon and Cork. But this age of one-day cricket has tended to stifle invention and initiative because the one-day game does the dictating and by doing so asks fewer questions of the players, who become less interesting to watch. England's dull, though admittedly pragmatic tactic was at least justified by its end, which brought a healthy lead and should be redeemed by victory today. Nor will it have done Cork any harm to show he can play cricket of responsibility as well as of adventure. New Zealand's feeble tactics -sort of sit back and wait to see what England get up to -betrayed the lack of confidence in their bowlers and signalled to England the limit of their ambition. After Graham Thorpe, who played a most accomplished innings, and Cork there was only the flimsy tail but Germon could not bring himself to go and chase it, lest Thorpe or Cork got away from him while he tried. So for much of this national holiday rigor mortis set in. GERMON has a problem with his bowlers, who are ordinary at best. Danny Morrison's skidding swingers rely on the strength of a young man but Morrison is in his testimonial year. Simon Doull's wobbling medium pacers rely on an opponent's indiscretion, so stalemates like yesterday will not work for him. Chris Cairns has power but not patience - he is an enigmatic, frustrating bowler rather in the way of Chris Lewis - and Justin Vaughan is a trundler who would scarcely shine in a minor counties match. Only Dipak Patel bowled with class, which surprised New Zealand observers every bit as much as England, by drifting his off-breaks away from the right-handers and spinning them back to the off stump. His nagging length confused England, who were betwixt and between in their efforts to challenge him and who must find a way against spin if they are serious about coping with Shane Warne and Michael Bevan in the summer. The New Zealand selectors have some bowling options which they must turn to now before the series has shot by them. On Sunday night in a televised limited overs match Geoff Allott, a fast left-armer from Canterbury, hit the stumps with yorkers and thundered plenty from a good length into the retreating wicketkeeper's gloves. Allott played two Tests against Zimbabwe last year but was discarded in favour of the experienced Morrison, a conservative selection which has failed. Allott is to play for New Zealand A against England later this week and, with the unknown as a key weapon, it is thought he is most likely to upset England's comfortable-looking batsmen. Most likely of all to upset England is a wrist spinner and New Zealand have Gregg Loveridge -a chap the selectors do not entirely trust. He is a leg-spinner advised by Kerry O'Keefe and who has benefited from both the New Zealand and Australian cricket academies. Loveridge has been plagued by an absurd assortment of injuries which have restricted his experience and frustrated the selectors, who are well aware of England's Achilles heel and who are keen to include Loveridge's natural, if unharnessed, ability to exploit it. Without the diversity of these talented young bowlers New Zealand will be driven to defence in the field while, at the same time, England's batsmen will profit from the luxury of increasing confidence in preparation for the sterner examinations which await them. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 4- The Press NZ In Danger Of Losing Test by Geoff Longley in Auckland New Zealand's batting character will be severely tested as its strives to avoid defeat on the final day of the first BNZ series test at Eden Park today. New Zealand plunged to 56 for three in its second innings, losing the wickets in the last session yesterday. The Kiwis still trail by 75 runs after England secured a telling first innings lead of 131. Three of New Zealand's four primary first innings run-getters, Stephen Fleming, Blair Pocock and Bryan Young were dismissed cheaply, putting the onus on the first innings failures to steer the side to safety. That will be difficult given the early wickets to fall, a result of some spirited England bowling spearheaded by refreshed pacemen Darren Gough and Dominic Cork, who wrung some life from the placid pitch, and spinner Phil Tufnell. New Zealand coach Steve Rixon said the remaining batsmen, led off by Adam Parore and captain Lee Germon, who promoted himself to nightwatchman, needed to play positively to keep runs coming. "Just playing for time can get you into trouble." Rixon was disappointed with the New Zealand bowling attack which was unable to claim the final four England wickets yesterday until just after the scheduled tea break. "We let the opposition go really. We lacked penetration with the new ball and unfortunately Simon Doull was reduced to being a stock bowler. Having said that, I thought Dipak Patel and Simon were the pick of our attack." New Zealand made things harder for itself on several occasions when opportunities for dismissals were presented. Graham Thorpe, who became the second century-maker of the England innings, had been unsettled on 30 by Chris Cairns when receiving a blow to the side of the helmet. Predictably Cairns fired in another short delivery which Thorpe sparred at, the ball lobbing to short leg, but no fieldsman was there. Adam Parore twice seemed to have communication problems with team-mates when balls were hit in the air between himself and a boundary fielder. No calling appeared evident. Rixon said while the field placement was Germon's call, he would be talking about the fielding glitches with the team. Bryan Young, however, distinguished himself with a stunning catch to remove Dominic Cork, diving full length at deep midwicket to take the ball coming over his head. Young then made a rare blemish at second slip, grassing a chance from No.11 Phil Tufnell when England's lead had just passed 100. Tufnell and fellow tailender Alan Mullally, who have few batting claims, helped themselves to a 45-run last wicket stand, frustrating the tired New Zealand attack and necessitating the taking of the third new ball before being separated after almost an hour together. Earlier the batting honours had been provided by the accomplished Thorpe who posted his third test century pushing on this time after having previously compiled 19 50s in 34 tests. Thorpe and Cork, who made his highest test score, defied the New Zealanders throughout the first session and were only separated after adding 114 together in 177 minutes when Thorpe slipped playing a shot off the back foot and trod on his wicket. Thorpe has now scored hundreds in his first innings against Australia and New Zealand. Three of the New Zealand bowlers also reached the less celebrated century milestone, Danny Morrison at least having the consolation of prising out the tailenders. Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz) Day 5 report From The Press Astle, Morrison star in great escape by Geoff Longley in Auckland The match-saving last wicket escape act of Nathan Astle and Danny Morrison papered over some serious batting cracks in the New Zealand team as the first BNZ cricket test was almost gifted to England at Eden Park yesterday. Morrison and Astle's sterling last wicket rally, worth 106 unbeaten runs, which dragged New Zealand from seemingly certain defeat, disguised a pitiful batting performance on a wicket that was low and slow by the finish but was no minefield. New Zealand got into self-destruct mode when it had crumbled to 105 for eight by lunch. It should not have taken the tailend to save a match on a match which had previously yielded just 20 wickets for the better part of four days. New Zealand, which resumed at 56 for three, had Adam Parore and Lee Germon on target to resurrect the innings as they added 41 trouble-free runs together before Parore sacrificed his captain's wicket on a senseless single. Playing positively is admirable but this was suicide as Parore pushed the ball to point where England's best fieldsman Nasser Hussain lurked. He threw the stumps down with Germon well short. Perhaps unsettled by the incident, Parore compounded New Zealand's woes two runs later by irresponsibly charging at slow bowler Phil Tufnell, missing and being easily stumped. That was the start of a procession of New Zealand batsmen; left-hander Justin Vaughan leg before to Tufnell although the ball turned considerably, Chris Cairns chopping on and Dipak Patel collecting a pair when leg before to an Alan Mullally yorker. New Zealand coach Steve Rixon said at eight wickets down and the side still in arrears at lunch he was resigned to defeat. Simon Doull played spiritedly as is his style and England was at least made to bat again before in marched Morrison to play his unforgettable innings. No less important was Astle's superb century which he described as the most satisfying of the three of his short test career. Astle said he proved to himself he could play a long innings tempering his natural aggressive instincts, batting for 279min, facing 214 balls and hitting 13 fours. "It was mentally good for me having to bat for longer periods after getting out to some some soft dismissals, " said Astle who had succumbed to an impetuous shot in the first innings. Morrison and Astle barely gave England a half chance and soon Morrison was not just sharing the strike with Astle he was dominating it. "We just took things ball by ball. Only by tea did we think we might have a chance of saving it," Morrison said. By then New Zealand reached 207 for nine and the time left and overs remaining equation came into play with 15 overs having to be bowled in the final hour. New Zealand captain Lee Germon said the sums were being done in the dressing room but he was never completely certain about saving the match until it was called off just before 5pm. "At tea the team was feeling pretty good urging them to bat on for another ten overs or so." Morrison said he was surprised the England bowlers did not pitch the ball up more to him, preferring instead to regularly drop short. "They tried hard but I think they would have been better trying to get me to drive at the ball and get an edge rather than dig it in short. A guy like Darren Gough was getting the ball to reverse swing." England, which was poised to record its first test win in two years overseas, was left to rue squandering a golden opportunity. The draw was not dissimilar to the recent tour of Zimbabwe when England was unable to quell stubborn resistance from Zimbabwe. England captain Mike Atherton felt his side tried everything to dislodge the last New Zealand pair, ringing bowling changes, going round and over the wickets and changing field placings. Atherton said they employed some close fielders and some in the deep to Morrison because they felt he was a "block, bash" type of batsman. Coach David Lloyd rejected the suggestion that England, whose ranking hovers round New Zealand's in the lower echelons of test level, lacked a killer instinct. If anything though, the match did show that test cricket, the pure form of the sport, can still produce gripping drama, without the stage-managed hype and hysteria of the one-day game. Source :: The Canterbury Press (http://www.press.co.nz/) Day 5 Report - Electronic Telegraph England's suffering continues IT IS always very tough when a side have a match virtually won, only to be denied by that extraordinary combination of luck and camaraderie which sometimes makes heroes of a pair of cricketers. That it should happen to an England side in desperate need of encouragement, a team who for all their shortcomings had already been denied twice on the final day of their Test matches this winter, was simply cruel, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Of course, there was gallantry of the highest order by Nathan Astle and Danny Morrison in their 2.75-hour last-wicket stand of 106 to save for New Zealand a first Test which had been, it seemed, lost to England at lunchtime. Of course, too, there were mistakes on the final traumatic afternoon for England; especially, surely, the failure to crowd Morrison with more close fielders early in his epic demonstration of obdurate defence. Astle's third hundred in seven Tests was, however, a most accomplished innings by a composed, compact and talented batsman. To berate England for another failure to press home an advantage, on what remained, despite some turn for Phil Tufnell, a docile pitch, would be partially to deny that they had played some very good cricket to create their chance. As in the two previous Tests in Zimbabwe, it was as much their bad start as any failings in the later stages which prevented them from ending their famine overseas. Nine games have now gone since their last win, two years ago in Adelaide, and with every near miss the caution, and the tendency to feel that fate is conspiring against them, becomes inevitably greater. It was evident during this game in the insecurity which led Graham Thorpe to run out John Crawley, a moment which cost England valuable time in their progress towards a major first-innings lead. It was evident again in the field placings in New Zealand's second innings, when Mike Atherton applied a policy agreed with the coach and vice-captain to create pressure by starving New Zealand of the runs which would bring them level, rather than by overdoing the slips and gullies. There was a certain cricketing logic to that but it is questionable whether Australia, with their greater expectations, would have played it the same way. Dominic Cork, the most likely wicket-taker of the fast bowlers yesterday, was used less than the others and it was wrong to have no more than three close fielders, with two on the boundary, for Morrison when he was facing Philip Tufnell in the early stages of his innings. Morrison came in 10 overs and 37 minutes after lunch after Simon Doull, with some spirited and attractive driving, had sown the first seeds of doubt in English minds. Astle had already been defying England by then for nearly two hours and never did he try to keep the strike to himself. The result was that Morrison, the man who has scored more Test ducks, 24, than any other man, eventually faced exactly half of the 266 balls bowled at the last-wicket pair. The majority were bowled by Tufnell, the man who had taken three for 18 by lunch and two for six in his morning spell of 12 overs. Atherton explained the approach to Morrison by pointing out he had played "block it or slog it" tactics when batting against England in Palmerston North, but the circumstances now were totally different and I doubt if Morrison would have lasted so long if he had been completely crowded, with a mid-off and a mid-on left half-way back to the boundary. Either to a bat-pad or a skier, he would surely have succumbed before long. As it was, Morrison said that he felt remarkably relaxed. "It was enjoyable without a doubt," he said after an innings which has prolonged a Test career which might not have survived a defeat. "I was quite relaxed for a change. I just wanted to hang around for Nathan, initially to see if he could get to fifty." He got very much further as the overs ticked by inexorably before a small, tense crowd unable to believe what was happening. At tea, England still had an outside chance of winning it when Astle, with 64, and Morrison, with 13, had extended the lead to a still precarious 76. Half an hour afterwards, a fierce cut, followed by a handsome cover drive off Craig White, signalled the end for England and an over later, when Morrison's back foot unwittingly intercepted a ball from Tufnell as it spun towards the stumps off his front pad, the game was up. Astle's hundred, added to the two he scored against the West Indies in successive innings last year, was icing on the cake after that and as soon as he had reached it with his 13th four, Atherton conceded that impending triumph had turned to frustration and dismay. England accepted their disappointment gracefully this time. Atherton was one of the first to shake Astle warmly by the hand and both he and David Lloyd, a wiser man after his outbursts in Bulawayo, said the right things about the wonderfully spirited batting which had denied them. Atherton said afterwards that he was not interested in moral victories or defeats. "We couldn't take the last wicket so New Zealand deserved a draw. We missed the boat on the first morning and dropped an important catch that evening." The fact was that, despite that profligate first day - in Atherton's words "we played as poorly as a team as I can remember" - England began the last day needing to take only seven more wickets and by lunchtime they had all but two of them. In two cases, New Zealand gave them considerable assistance. Adam Parore and Lee Germon had survived a tense first 45 minutes, adding 27 in the first seven overs, when Parore called his captain for a sharp single and Nasser Hussain swooped to bring off a brilliant run-out. Parore then had a rush of blood which threatens his place in the side. Already he has been fired by his provincial team, Auckland, for failing to join them for training, leaving him without a first-class side. Now he danced down to try to hit Tufnell back over his head and was comfortably stumped as the ball turned past his blade. Justin Vaughan got the one unplayable ball all day, which turned sharply out of the rough. Chris Cairns chopped Alan Mullally on to his off-stump and when Mullally followed up with an inswinging yorker, New Zealand went to lunch still 26 behind. Darren Gough found another yorker to knock over Doull's castle 10 overs into the afternoon. The West Indies had already gone down to Australia in Adelaide early on the fourth day. England, it had seemed at lunch, were on the point of firing at least a modest little volley of grape-shot across the bows of their oldest adversaries as another Ashes series approaches. Instead of consolation for a vilified touring team, the afternoon brought only the painful reminder that a mere five of England's 41 overseas Tests in their last 10 years have been won. The bowling, once again, was just not good enough. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Day 5- more tElectronic Telegraph Solid Morrison and Astle plug Parore's gaffes By Mark Nicholas FROM the New Zealand angle, yesterday's draw was nothing short of a miracle. At lunch the game was gone, for all money, and the dressing-room was all over the place, riddled by the sort of mistrust which tears teams apart. Adam Parore had done the damage first, pressing his team's, and then his own self-destruct button. Culpable as he was for running out his captain with an absurd call, nothing could have redeemed him in the eyes of his team after his wild charge at Philip Tufnell which cost him his wicket. Until the run-out cock-up, he and Lee Germon, who were unbeaten overnight, had played intelligently. They defended with straight bat and preyed on anything loose in the typical way of the smaller, chunkier batsmen who use their low centre of gravity to cut square of the wicket and punch down the ground with solid efficiency. There was nothing to suggest that the pair would not still be together at lunch. England sensed as much and were beginning to lose their strut. Notwithstanding his rash eccentricities, one felt sympathy for Parore, who is something of a black sheep in New Zealand cricket. He is a contrary character who does not have a first-class team to represent at the moment - he has been suspended by Auckland for the rest of the season on disciplinary grounds. His technique warrants his place at No 3 and his strength of character, after being replaced by Germon as the wicketkeeper but justifying his selection by his bat alone, is just what this flimsy New Zealand team require. Not that his colleagues will have thought so when he got back to the dressing-room. More likely they will have cleared it and let him stew in his despair. At the evening press conference, Germon, an impressive diplomat and a smart cricket thinker, said that he had responded to his partner's call and that was that. Germon also said that at around two o'clock, when Danny Morrison, the No 11, was taking guard, he was wondering how to explain the crushing defeat to the world. Whatever script he came up with went in the bin because Morrison was still there three hours later when the game was saved. He was pleased with himself was Danny Boy, though he pointed out that he had once batted for four hours and 25 runs in Pakistan, so yesterday's job was a picnic. This, from a man with a world record in Test ducks, 24 in 47 matches - which is a misleading statistic highlighted by the calamitous fact that Gary Sobers made as many ducks (12) as Bob Willis - and with a testimonial year promotion based around this "duck" achievement. In fairness to England, Morrison batted bravely, with considerable nous and with an organised technique which belied his position in the order. He kept his head behind the line of the ball, ignored any temptation outside his off-stump and let anything short hit him on the strong shoulders which have carried New Zealand's bowling since the great Hadlee retired. But Morrison was only a part of the escape story. Nathan Astle, the gifted 25-year-old from Canterbury, was the main thing. Astle came to the wicket when Germon was left stranded and then watched as Parore gave his wicket to rampant England. He batted shyly at first, as if a rearguard was beyond him. Then, as he remembered how he had dominated England in Ahmedabad in the first game of the World Cup last February with a brilliant hundred, he began to take control again by pushing the England fielders deep to allow him free singles and puncturing the infield when they closed in to keep him from the strike. He had the sense to allow Morrison his head by not taking unnecessary risks to protect him. This gave Morrison confidence and confused England, who did not attack Astle in the way they would have done if he had been with a recognised batsman, concentrating instead on Morrison. The stroke which brought Astle his hundred, a thunderous drive over extra-cover off Craig White, put the seal on his faultless innings and most important of all had the players on the dressing-room balcony - Parore et al - on their feet in acclaim. In three hours of unlikely cricket, which will have wounded England more than they care to admit, Astle and Morrison recovered New Zealand's spirit and may well have saved their No 3 batsman from extinction. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) day 5 - more from the Electronic Telegraph New Zealand batsmen in famous last stand By Charles Randall THE Astle-Morrison stand will go down as one of the most glorious in Test cricket, and was New Zealand's first century partnership for the last wicket against England. Only three last-wicket stands of 100-plus had previously been inflicted on England, the most recent being in 1929, when H G Owen-Smith and A J Bell, of South Africa, delayed a home win at Headingley. Two previous stands in Australia, in 1901-2 and 1924-25, merely confirmed England defeats, so the partnership at Auckland yesterday, which turned the result, was as unusual as it must have been agonising for the England team. Last-wicket century stands in tests Australia 127 - J M Taylor & A A Mailey v England, Sydney 1924-25 120 - R A Duff & W W Armstrong v England, Melbourne 1901-02 England 130 - R E Foster & W Rhodes v Australia, Sydney 1903-04 128 - K Higgs & J A Snow v West Indies, The Oval 1966 117* - P Willey & R G D Willis v West Indies, The Oval 1980 South Africa103 - H G Owen-Smith & A J Bell v England, Headingley 1929 New Zealand 151** - B F Hastings & R O Collinge v Pakistan, Auckland 1972-73 124 - J G Bracewell & S L Boock v Australia, Sydney 1985-86 106* - N J Astle & D K Morrison v England, Auckland 1996-97 India 109 - H R Adhikari & Ghulam Ahmed v Pakistan, Delhi 1952-53 Pakistan 133 - Wasim Raja & Wasim Bari v West Indies, Barbados 1976-77 104 - Zulfigar Ahmed & Amir Elahi v India, Madras 1952-53 West Indies 106 - C L Hooper & C A Walsh v Pakistan, Antigua 1992-93 * unbroken ** record last-wicket partnership in Tests Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)