SPECTATORS NOW, BUT... N.Z. looks back on all the ifs and buts

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33874, 20 June 1975, Page 28

SPECTATORS NOW, BUT... N.Z. looks back on all the ifs and buts

(From ROBERT HORROCKS. N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent.)

LONDON.

Nevv Zealand’s Prudential Cup cricketers will stay on in London to watch tomorrow’s final between the West Indies and Australia at the Oval.

Although they will be wishing the West Indian side the best of luck, there was a time yesterday when the impossible dream was possible and New Zealand looked as if it might produce a surprise result and eliminate the West Indians.

In retrospect, it was all too brief a time — but the second-wicket partnership between Glenn Turner and Geoff Howarth was a matchwinning foundation.

i It took New Zealand to a I score of 92 for one from 29 lovers at lunch and produced [much activity in the book--makers’ tents as odds were I hurriedly revised. The under(dog was suddenly attracting la lot of backing. Weakness exposed Unfortunately, events after lunch exposed the worst of New Zealand’s weaknesses as the batting collapsed in rapid fashion, and the West Indies ( went on to a five-wicket victory. | Alan Kallicharran, the pocket-sized West Indian No. 3, scored 72 runs, including a six hooked off Dayle Hadlee and seven fours, and won the “man-of-the-match” award. But to some people the award might have gone to Andy Roberts, the right-arm fast bowler who came on after lunch and in three overs captured the vital wickets of Turner and Howarth. Bitter medicine This completely changed the complexion of’the match, and the rest of the New Zealand batting, perhaps intimidated, succumbed to the lesser pace bowling of Bernard Julian and Vanbum Holder.

The double blow dealt by Roberts was bitter medicine for New Zealand. After the early loss of his opening partner, John Morrison, Turner saw out the new-ball attack with the assistance of an in-form Howarth. Roberts was the man most feared bv the New Zealand-

; ers. and the decision of Cliff Lloyd to put New Zealand in to bat on a good pitch, at times slightly on the slow side, was not justified by early events.

Turners tactics In his opening spell of six overs, Roberts was hit for only nine runs — but, more importantly, he took no wickets. Turner worked hard, sometimes laboriously, to see the shine off the niew ball. After 20 overs he had scored eight, but then he flourished in the final 30mins before lunch. “My main concern was not to lose wickets early on,” the New Zealand captain said. “My game was solely built around defence at that point, i I wanted to see the new-ball i bowlers off. There was no I great urgency.” At the other end, Howarth was receiving the lion’s share of the strike, and making good use of it. At lunch, this pair had lifted the run rate to an acceptable level and prospects looked good. Gambled and won But the gamble of Lloyd to bring Roberts back into the attack straight after lunch instead of holding him until the later stages paid off. John Parker, for the third successive innings, failed to get among the runs. He faced some difficult deliveries from Roberts, but then was bowled off the inside edge by Lloyd.

There were some rash shots among the rest of the batting, and instead of a 200plus target, New Zealand had left the West Indies with what was almost the formality of bettering 158. Any elation at the early wicket of Roy Fredericks was soon lost as Kallicharran and Gordon Greenidge took control in a 125-run second-wicket partnership. The only New Zealand

bowler to come out of the match with credit was Richard Collinge, who finished with the excellent figures of three for 28 from his 12 overs. It was largely through his efforts that the West Indies were made to fight for runs towards the end of the match. There was some cloudcover building up during the closing stages, and it was under these conditions that Collinge collected his three wickets.

It left room for conjecture on what might have been if New Zealand’s batting had not developed brittleness and the West Indies had been given a higher target to chase later in the afternoon. Turner was disappointed. “I thought we had a good chance of getting a big total at one stage. We let it slip.”