NZ win final with big chase

India’s habit of losing finals of one-day international tournaments has continued with a 6 wicket loss to New Zealand in Harare. They posted a defendable total of 276 but an explosive opening partnership by the New Zealanders and an unbeaten century by Nathan Astle guided them to a comfortable victory, one that looked very unlikely when India were 155/1 and scoring at better than a run a ball.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India made a bright start but not without some discomfort, with Saurav Ganguly in particular having great trouble dealing with Shane Bond. But a fourteen run over off a previously economical Kyle Mills and ten against the same bowler two overs later ensured that the score at the end of the first ten overs was 46/0. The fifty partnership came up next ball with a four to welcome Jacob Oram to the bowling crease, and the score had increased to 58 by the end of his first over.

The boundaries continued to come in quick succession as Virender Sehwag and Ganguly looked to be coming into some good form, something they had lacked in the tournament to this point. The score reached 72 in quick time before Ganguly played a hesitant stroke at a delivery from Oram and hit it into the hands of Hamish Marshall at gully to break the partnership.

The fall of Ganguly didn’t stop the run scoring though, as Sehwag continued to hit boundaries at regular intervals as he brought up his 50 at better than a run a ball and the team run rate went past six an over. Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif continued the quick scoring and dot balls were rare. Stephen Fleming used almost all his bowling options, including Astle, in the hope of slowing them down or taking a wicket.

Daniel Vettori had regularly threatened to take a wicket in his first three overs and eventually did so in his fourth, removing Sehwag for 75. Sehwag played an uncharacteristic shot considering the shots he had been playing today, hitting a gentle catch to Vincent in the covers. Vettori didn’t have to wait long for his second wicket, getting Rahul Dravid out LBW second ball for no score. The score had gone from 155/1 to 155/3, a much better situation for New Zealand.

Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, both centurions in the last week, played sensibly to recover from the double strike and scored their runs in comfortable singles and twos.

Mills came back and bowled much better in his second spell, bowling a maiden and a 2-run over before inviting a wild but not very controlled swing from Yuvraj, with the catch accepted by Bond at third man. This made the score 185/4 at the second drinks break, a much nicer break for the New Zealanders than the first one, at which the Indians had just the one wicket down and were scoring freely.

Kaif continued his good form, following his matchwinning century last time the teams met on Friday, with a sensible and well-paced half-century that kept India on track for a good total despite the good tight bowling from Mills and particularly Vettori.

Oram’s return to the bowling attack was met with a six from Kaif, but later in the over Venugopal Rao hit a bouncer out to the outfield where it was brilliantly caught by Craig McMillan, diving forwards to take the rapidly dropping ball. 203/5 with just over 11 overs remaining is a lot less than appeared likely after around 20 overs.

MS Dhoni was given an early reprieve when Lou Vincent, believe it or not, dropped a simple catch. This obviously surprised even the Indian batsmen as Kaif was very nearly run out taking a single. New Zealand didn’t have long to wait before getting Dhoni out though, as later in the over an appeal for LBW by Scott Styris was given out by the umpire. The decision appeared a bit doubtful though, height being an issue. But since he should have been out to a simple catch after picking out one of New Zealand’s best fielders, he can’t really feel too unlucky.

6 wickets down soon became 7 as JP Yadav, edged a ball from Oram in the next over through to McCullum who took a good catch to dismiss Yadav for no score. Ajit Agarkar had some luck to start his innings, dropped first ball by Stephen Fleming and again by a diving Bond on the boundary. But his luck ran out when he picked out Mills off the bowling of Bond, Mills returning the favour in taking an identical catch to the one Bond took off his bowling earlier in the innings.

Kaif was left with the responsibility of guiding India through to a defendable total, and that he did with some good hitting and quick running in the last few overs. As if the rapid run-scoring wasn’t bad enough, Shane Bond rolled his ankle while following through and left the field, leaving Oram to complete the over. But he did that well, getting Irfan Pathan out first ball. The ball was hit well but Vincent made up for his bad mistake earlier with a good jumping catch on the boundary. Ashish Nehra didn’t last long before being caught, again on the boundary, by Oram off Mills to complete the Indian innings, all out for a defendable but gettable 276. Kaif was left unbeaten on 93.

New Zealand began their search for 277 as if they were chasing 500. They scored 62 in the first six overs, including one over in which Stephen Fleming hit five fours off Pathan. Considering the first over of the innings was a maiden, this was an incredible start.

The 100 came up from 12.5 overs with no wickets down, with the team still scoring at very high speed despite a slight decline in the run rate following an injury to Fleming, who hit the ball powerfully into the inside of his knee. Despite having some visible difficulty in running between the wickets, he batted on and brought up a well deserved half-century from 51 balls.

He didn’t last a lot longer though before hitting a return catch to Sehwag, out for 61 with the score 121/1. Hamish Marshall’s disappointing tour didn’t get any better as he was out LBW in the same over for 3.

Astle brought up his fifty in the next over, slightly quicker than Fleming’s, from 47 balls. He and Scott Styris batted cautiously for a while following the loss of two wickets and after a while started to increase the scoring rate once again, as JP Yadav’s introduction to the attack was met with a six and a four by Styris.

Sehwag took his and the team’s third wicket when he had Styris stumped for 37 from just 41 balls. Not long afterwards Yuvraj Singh ended McMillan’s brief innings of 13 when just catching the edge on the way through to Dhoni, the score now 204/4 and more interesting than at 183/2. Sehwag had bowled brilliantly and led a strong Indian recovery after the pace bowlers had earlier been taken apart. As long as Astle (on 77 at the time of McMillan’s wicket) stayed there though, New Zealand were the favourites.

Some tight bowling from the spinners, Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, brought the required run rate above a run a ball in the last ten overs, but Astle was playing one of the matchwinning innings he has become well-known for in one-day international cricket. In matches New Zealand have won before today’s match, Astle has scored 3712 runs at an average of 53.79, with 12 of his 14 centuries being scored in a winning cause. He brought up his 15th century with a big six off Harbhajan, a richly deserved milestone for a well-paced innings that was, obviously, absolutely vital in New Zealand’s chase.

India’s fielding had been fairly poor throughout the innings, with many fours that should have been easily stopped by fielders on the boundary, and it got even worse as Vincent hit one in the air for what appeared a simple catch for substitute fielder Suresh Raina but it was put down and went for four. New Zealand probably couldn’t do as Australia did and complain about the use of substitute fielders after that.

The partnership continued to grow and the target decreased accordingly, and with 3 needed from the last 2 overs Vincent hit a ball through midwicket for four, winning the match and the tournament. A well deserved win for a team that seemed dominant throughout the tournament, with the notable exception of the Kaif-led chase of a similar total by India on Friday. From the 397 in 44 overs against Zimbabwe to reducing India to 44/8, New Zealand showed that they are in top form with both bat and ball as they now head to South Africa for the difficult task of facing the home team in an ODI series. India meanwhile prepare for a two-test series against Zimbabwe, which to be fair will more than likely result in a 2-0 victory.

Although Astle’s matchwinning innings rightly earnt him the man of the match award, Daniel Vettori’s spell of 2-35 from ten overs should not be forgotten. He was introduced to the attack with India at 155/1 and scoring at in excess of a run a ball. It was his spell that turned the match in New Zealand’s favour in that he applied pressure and took two crucial wickets, prompting the collapse that saw the last seven wickets fall for 91 runs.

Match Summary

India 276 all out
Mohammad Kaif 93 not out, Virender Sehwag 75
Jacob Oram 4-58, Daniel Vettori 2-35

New Zealand 278-4
Nathan Astle 115 not out, Stephen Fleming 61
Virender Sehwag 3-44, Yuvraj Singh 1-39

New Zealand won by 6 wickets and win the Videocon Triangular Series.

Cricket Web Player of the Match: Nathan Astle – 115 not out.