Email Us Forum Mail Article Print Article

Thorpe sees England home

Monday, June 14 2004

New Zealand 384 & 218 (Richardson 49, Giles 4 for 46)
England 319 & 284 for 6 (Thorpe 104*, Butcher 59, Giles 36*, Cairns 4 for 108)

A wonderful day's cricket saw England win the third test by four wickets to secure a 3-0 series win: their first whitewash since 1978. After the New Zealand innings collapsed, setting England an eminently gettable target of 284, Chris Cairns produced an outstanding display of inspired bowling to bring his side within an ace of an unlikely win. In the end, the Black Caps were undone by the injuries that prevented Mills and Martin from bowling and a masterful unbeaten hundred from Graham Thorpe saw England home.


Starting at 190 for 5, over 260 ahead, New Zealand must have been hoping to set a target in excess of 350 - maybe over 400, given the ability of McMillan, Oram & Cairns. Instead, they only added 28 runs in losing their last five wickets. Vaughan probably reckoned he needed to bowl out the Kiwis before lunch but, in the event, it only took 20 overs. He opened the day with Harmison and Giles. Both were extremely tight, and both were almost immediately successful. Harmison trapped McMillan lbw for 30. This was yet another close call: to the naked eye it looked as if it might be missing leg, but Hawkeye suggested the delivery would just clip the stumps. In his next over, Jacob Oram was well caught, low down, by Flintoff, as he fended at one that he might have left alone. His dismissal brought in Chris Cairns for his final test innings. Many of us remembered his onslaught in the final test of the 1999 series, which allowed the Kiwis to set a winning total, and wondered if we were in for a repeat today. It didn't happen though. After he had managed only a single, Giles clipped his off stump with an absolute beauty that turned from outside leg. And that was almost that. Flintoff ended Franklin's resistance, having him caught low down by Jones for 17 and Giles claimed his fourth wicket as Mills paddled him round the corner straight to Harmison. New Zealand had collapsed to 218 all out and England needed 284 to win.


This, of course, was close to the total they successfully chased at Lord's. This time, however, they were facing a side with only two fit full-time bowlers plus a couple of all-rounders. Given the absence of Vettori, surely this should have been easy. Cairns had other ideas, quickly removing Strauss lbw for 6 and when Franklin caught Trescothick off his own bowling, England were 16 for 2 and struggling. 30 runs later Cairns breached Vaughan's defence to win another leg before decision, and New Zealand were favourites. At this point, Thorpe joined Butcher and the two old hands forged a crucial partnership. After seeing off Cairns and Franklin, they milked Oram and Styris and comfortably took the score to 134. It was all looking too easy when Fleming brought back Cairns for a last burst before tea. Having persuaded the umpires that the ball needed changing, the old warrior produced an absolute peach of a delivery that cut back into Butcher to trap him leg before for 59 with the last ball before the break. Shortly after tea, Cairns suckered Flintoff with a slightly slower one that the all-rounder drove to Marshall at cover, and, with England 162 for 5, the Black Caps were once again firmly on top.


Jones wasn't at his most fluent, but he kept the score moving. He had a lucky escape when Styris dropped him before he had reached double figures but he and Thorpe took the score past 200 and England were beginning to look safe when Jones sliced Franklin to Oram. At 214 for 6, enter Ashley Giles. Everyone knew that if he went, New Zealand were through to the rabbits but, if he was nervous, it didn't show. Instead, he marginally outscored Thorpe as England raced victory. A couple of airy shots narrowly evaded fielders, but they only added to the impression that the game was drifting away from the tourists. The umpires duly added the eight overs allowable to see the game finished today and Thorpe was able to reach his hundred shortly before knocking the winning runs.



Posted by David