N.Z., PAKISTAN BOTH SCORE 402 ON PLACID PITCH World records set in topsyturvy final cricket test match

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33154, 19 February 1973, Page 22

N.Z., PAKISTAN BOTH SCORE 402 ON PLACID PITCH World records set in topsyturvy final cricket test match

(From R. T. BRITTENDEN)

AUCKLAND.

Records, reverses, and recoveries. It has been a topsy-turvy test at Eden Park. A protracted Pakistan defence took its first innings to half-way through Saturday, New Zealand started with a stand of 159, and R. E. Redmond made a century in his first test. I here was a fearful collapse yesterday morning, and then B. F. 1 tastings and R. O. Collinge set a world record for the tenth wicket with an incredible partnership of 151.

Hastings scored a century, Collinge set a world test mark for a No. 11 batsman with his 68 not out, and w hen all these remarkable events were over, the scores were level at 402.

In the last 75 minutes Pakistan made 73 for three wickets.

Redmond's century, scored at break-neck speed.'was sufficient by itself to give this , match special distinction. It. was a thrilling display of ag-l' gressive batting. But the Hastings-Collinge partnership was high drama. It began when the team — 180 for two overnight — had succumbed miserably to Inti-: khab’s spin and tumbled to 1 251 for nine at lunch yester-i day. Hastings and Collinge fought it out for more than two hours and a half with the, crowd of 14,000 solidly be-' hind them and cheering every I run. They were both often ini trouble, but application and I courage carried them through to a signal success. Dreary It took Pakistan three hours to add 102 for the last three wickets on Saturday, and it was a dreary performance for the crowd. The batting was a python squeezing the life: out of the game, and the New I Zealand bowlers could not | cut through the coils. Inability to evict these bat-| ting squatters was at once a reflection on the New Zealand bowling and a tribute to the groundsman and the tenacity of the batsmen. Saleem was in 218 minutes; for his 53. and he shared with! Pervez (24) the satisfaction of personal best test scores. ! They were unmoved by blandishment or violence and the' time they took destroyed New Zealand's last faint hope of victory.

It was dull for the spectator, but Pakistan has not won a test series since it beat New Zealand in 1965. and a team which has given some dazzling performances on tour could not be blamed for; locking and bolting the door on New Zealand. Hadlee ignored The tour defenders were not at fault, either. Taylor’s; fabled fortune deserted’ him: he beat the bat regularly without finding an edge. Col-, linge was tidy, Howarth persistent, and Congdon picked up the last wicket. Congdon's handling of Hadlee was hard to understand.

Hadlee had bowled very! poorly on the first afternoon, but Congdon showed little appreciation of the situation by ignoring him until half an hour after lunch. It was enough to demolish the confidence of the most ebullient I player.

Wadsworth continued toll keep wicket well, and with! his fifth catch equalled the! New Zealand record for a test innings, set by R. I. Harford against India'in 1967-68.] For sheer excitement. Red-! mond’s innings was comparable with the memorable century Taylor mad-: on this ground against the West In-; |dies. It was a quite incredible : display of fast scoring; he I had 20 boundaries and a 5, and he needed only 110 deliveries and 132 minutes to; become the third New Zea-| lander to make a century in I Ihis test debut. The other two; were also left-handers—Tay-! lor and the late J. E. Mills. Nervous | He began nervously and badly, and for the first half if his innings he displayed! dual personalities—nibbling! like a rabbit, or roaring like] a lion with beautiful, boom-1 ing shots from the middle of: the bat. Even when in early diffi- ; culties with the pace bowlers] he gave some great attacking ! [Strokes. When Intikhab! [bowled he hit fouis from the! [first two balls. When Khan came on Redmond sent the I assembly into a delirium of delight by striking the first five balls to the fence. The first one was a lofted off-drive, dangerously close to a fieldsman. The other ifour were majestic strokes land included the shot of the i innings, a classic cover drive —all grace and power. And at 97, Redmond thrashed Inti- , khab to mid-wicket and it seemed a certain four. ! Redmond chaired Asif Iqbal made a magnificent save, but it was too late to prevent the development of one of the strangest sights seen on a New Zealand ground. Although Redmond was on 99, he was besieged by some 300 boys and I youths who, with scant regard for the comfort of the i batsmen to come, ran all over the pitch, hoisted Redmond shoulder high, and held the game up for several minutes, during which one of the bails were souvenired. It was an astonishing display of enthusiasm, but it was a wonder that Redmond survived the onslaught and the emotional assault.

I But he went to his century and a tumultuous reception with a fine shot—another four —through extra-cover.

For most of Redmond’s innings there was a chant of “Rod—ney” in the style of a soccer crowd, from a large [section of the spectators, and ;he earned all the acclaim.

It was vastly entertaining if not a truly great innings because Redmond felt tentatively for balls outside his offi stump—poor shots which might have had him out, and ihis hook shot was not well I played and courted danger. Flawless innings While Redmond was the centre of attention, Turner ; played a flawless innings. It jwas scholarly without being : pedantic; efficient without being spectacular.

He was always perfectly positioned, his bat was all middle, and he drove and cut :with delightful ease. His stand of 159 for the first wicket with Redmond lasted 142 minutes, and for a long dime New Zealand was averaging about six runs an over. I Turner was out rather un- | fortunately from the second last ball of the day. Intikhab [bowled one wide of the leg stump, Turner shaped to Isweep. checked the shot, and ithe ball came from pad to bat Ito Sarfraz about four feet away at short le

Yesterday morning Congdon started confidently, moving down the pitch to take

two fours off Intikhab, but i from the moment Congdon ] was bowled in a tangle tryingi to pull, Intikhab, was a sav-1 age dictator. He bowled supremely well, but the New . Zealanders allowed him to push them back into their stumps. None of them could read his wrong’un, and he had Burgess, Jarvis and Hadlee with it, although Jarvis was an unlucky leg-before victim [first ball. When he came out [there was a red mark on his gleaming new bat. Bitter struggle Hastings could not read Intikhab from the hand, but ! played him from the pitch with extraordinary success. It was a bitter struggle for him. Wadsworth, who has batted well in this series, was in half an hour and was guilty of impatience. He made two wild swings, the second one fatally. After lunch, New Zealand still needed a couple of runs to pass the follow-on mark; not that Intikhab would have enforced it.

Hastings, with a dedication to duty which was utterly admirable, and a remarkably impassive Collinge struggled past the barrier of Intikhab and played him progressively more easily. Their main victory was in the ultimate removal of Sarfraz from his post at forward short leg, where, at a range of a few feet, he was a source of concern to all the batsmen. Two on the shin and one on the shoulder persuaded a courageous fieldsman to retreat. Hastings gave four sharp

chances in his innings. Cuts and drives were there in plenty. He showed a remarkable confidence in Collinge, and it was justified. Collinge gave one chance—at 35—but he stood shoulder to shoulder with Hastings. They saw the spin off, the new ball attack, the spin again, and it endured until Hastings, laying back to cut, played Raja on to his stumps. Hastings was only 31 when the stand began. Big six Collinge hit a tremendously high six off Mushtaq, over long-off, and he went on to his personal best score. The tenth-wicket record they broke was 130, set nearly 70 years ago by R. E. Foster and W. Rhodes for England in Australia.

The new mark was set when Collinge crashed Pervez through the covers— a blow of fearful force. And they went on to make the stand worth 151 and pleasant reflection in the years ahead. Intikhab at one stage had six for 68. He bowled exceptionally well, and imposed his will on some diffident batsmen. But the last pair took 59 from him. The pace bowlers were not dangerous, except when Sarfraz chose to bowl bouncers at Collinge, a performance which displeased a noisy crowd.

Pakistan started badly, but Sadiq and Khan put on 57 in 45 minutes, and it was magnificent batting, particularly by Khan. He drove majestically in this last New Zealand performance. Both out But both these batsmen were out before the close, Sadiq being held near the boundary at fine leg by Hadlee, who had a difficult catch looking directly into the sun, and held it after a desperate juggle about his midriff. So a morning of disaster preceded an afternoon of outstanding success for New Zealand. But Pakistan will not be shifted easily or rapidly, and whatever task New Zealand is set will require a much more positive answer to Intikhab than the top batsmen have given so far.