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Eng v NZ: Day 2

Saturday, June 5 2004

The morning session started with New Zealand looking extremely watchful with heavy overcast conditions greeting the teams on day 2, Fleming and Papps were happy just to tip and run for the first hour with nether batsmen’s going for any expansive shots. Martin Saggers particularly tight going for just 10 runs in his six over spell opening the bowling.

With the score progressing on nicely for the New Zealanders, England were getting keen for break through and it was Saggers that almost answered the captains calls when Papps again got his second slice of luck as a leading edge landed just short of Thorpe in the slips and to make matters worse for England it bounced over his hands and the players could only watch as the ball ran away for 4 more. England's shocking slip cordon was again exposed just a over later as a carbon copy of Papps let off was replied by Fleming who somehow managed to edge through 2nd and 3rd slip.

England's shocking morning in the field continued as yet another catch was dropped this time it was Giles who was the offender as a easy chance was missed at gully, the ball wasn't travelling at a huge rate of knots and it was at chest height but somehow Giles managed to tie his hands up and ended up on his backside, leaving Papps to breath another huge sigh of relief as he survived his third drop (15, 20 and now 36). The drop enabled the Fleming and Papps to bring up their 50 partnership from 112 balls just moments later.

After what could be described as a cautious start to the day New Zealand set about upping the rate slightly and in doing so they created a period of complete madness all round as firstly Papps wanted and took a impossible run after hitting the ball straight to gully and the hands of the fast approaching Collingwood who missed the stumps by a mere faction, had he hit Fleming would have been so far out he would have been closer to the other end than what he was to the strikers! - Easily 3/4 meters out of his ground.

The very next ball it was the England fielders who provided the calamities as a quick single provided the New Zealand with four over throws after some sloppy backing up. And in the following over Fleming took to Flintoff as he smacked three boundaries in the over to take the score into three figures and England somewhat wondering if bowling was going to be as easy as they first imagined even with the overcast conditions.

Just three runs later with the score on 103 a direct hit from a fine piece of fielding from Vaughan almost had Fleming removed but a fantastic full-length dive from the New Zealand captain just getting him home safely.

Play clamed down again as the lunch interval approached and as both batsman neared their half centuries, with the final four overs before lunch Vaughan decided to try a few tricks and bowled both Trescothick and Giles in tandem, the move was a good one just to try something different but both batsman were happy to just stick it out until lunch.

In the penultimate over before lunch Fleming capitalized on a wayward over from Trescothick, and reached a gusty half-century from 107 balls, his 35th of his career. However for England they will know that converting them isn't his strongest attribute though as he has only managed to get to three figures six times in 84 test matches, a surprising figure for such a talented individual.


Lunch Day 2:

New Zealand: 127/1 :: Fleming 51*, Papps 49*, Saggers 1/14
England: Yet To Bat


Lunch to Tea was very much a accumulative process for the batsman who were determined at all costs not to lose a wicket and that's the way the whole session went with the batsman not willing to risk anything and just pick up the easy singles and put the bad ball away and for the bowlers it was very much toiling away.

Straight after lunch Papps got the one run he required going to his own half century, in fairness he should never have got to the milestone and was very lucky that England couldn't catch… dropped three times throughout his innings.

The session moved on steadily with New Zealand happy to score around 2.15 an over and with the batting power to come the slow rate was nothing really to worry about at this early stage.

As Papps and Fleming piled on the runs the pair set about breaking records as the pair went past the 100 run partnership from 227 balls. Soon the pair had the record of the highest of any partnerships for New Zealand at Headingley with an excellent stand of 169.

Just before 20 minutes before Tea England finally made the breakthrough with the wicket of Papps for a superb 82, bowling round the wicket, Flintoff speared the ball into Papps's toes plumb in front of middle stump to trap him leg-before (202 for 2).

New Zealand: 206/2 :: Fleming 89*, Astle 1*
England: Yet To Bat


First over after tea Saggers had huge LBW turned down that appeared to have been plum however at a second look although it should have been given you could see why the umpire might have had a doubt over the decision, unfortunately for Saggers the traditional four hit come the very next ball to spoil an excellent over that really troubled a settled batsman.

Harmison however came roaring in the very next over and had Fleming caught in the mid wicket region for a splendid 97 to bring his nervous nineties dismissals to five and again failing to carry on to reach three figures. Fleming however played wonderfully well in a gusty innings that saw him take some knocks but over come them to form a record breaking partnership with Papps and lead New Zealand into a commanding position.

The wicket and the newly taken new ball sparked life into the English attack and for the next half an hour both Saggers and Harmison launched into the New Zealand batsman and made life incredibly hard bowling some fantastic balls and Justin general for the first time keeping the scoring tight as the pair reeled of six maidens in a row.

The pressure finally told on Astle as he went after a slightly wider delivery from Saggers but he got a thick outside edge that flew like a rocket to Butcher at gully to took a stunning diving catch, Butcher and his team-mates relief showed that a catch was finally held in the slip cordon.

Styris took three blows on the body in the space of a couple of overs as the bowlers unrelenting assault continued, however it couldn't last forever and the bowling change was required and the pace of the game slowed down again as the batsman tried to settle and the new bowlers found their line and length.

Late into the evening Giles was re-introduced into the attack, he was looking good for a few deliveries before Styris decided go after him and sent the ball several rows back in the stand to take him to a unconvincing 20*.

The next over Harmison was bought back into the attack the very next over and soon had the wicket of Styris as he gave a regulation edge through to Jones for the simplest of catches, Styris going for 21.

Harmison nearly had two in two as the very first ball to Carins he got a leading edge through the gully that just adverted the fully stretched Butcher. Just a couple of balls later Oram got a top edge that flew over the keeper for six that landed in the Kiwi's dressing room, well taken by Richardson who was enjoying a nice rest.

Oram and Cairns started to build a solid stand and were looking in good form until Flintoff who had bowled well all day decided to change his line and bowl around the wicket where almost straight away he got Oram to play forward at one and edge it through to Thorpe who took a comfortable catch low down to his side, again showing a sense of relief as it stuck unlike late last night.

New Zealand with about 10 overs of play remaining in the day had taken the score through to 293/6 and all that hard work at the top of the order seems to be slipping as England are starting to believe they are very much in this game again due to the slow scoring and a clump of wickets late in the day.

England back in the hunt and aiming to end the innings by the close of play, but an unbroken stand of 58 between Cairns and McCullum put pay to that as both batsmen hit five boundaries, with Cairns giving Giles some extra special treatment.

Day 3 tomorrow and England must finish the tail off quickly before Carins especially gets going and takes the game away from them. For New Zealand they will be hoping to add as many runs as possible on a pitch that while the sun is out isn't a bad track to bat on, but it certainly needs the batsman to get well in first.

Match Summary: Close Day 2

New Zealand 351/6 (124.0 ov) :: Fleming 97, Papps 82, Cairns 41*; Flintoff 2/52, Saggers 2/64 & Harmison 2/65

England: Yet To Bat

Posted by Richard