Stunning N.Z. collapse ends bowlers’ day in third test

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 28

Stunning N.Z. collapse ends bowlers’ day in third test

London Fifteen wickets fell for 151 runs on the third day of the third test at Lords and although eight of them were England’s New Zealand is on the brink of another heavy defeat.

The touring team performed wonderfully well ta take the last eight of Englands wickets for 114 runs and thus win a 50-run lead on the first innings, but then New Zealand’s batting was swept aside as lan Botham and Bob Willis shared rich spoils. New Zealand was down and nearly out at the close, with the score 37 for seven wickets. Never before have so few runs been scored on a full test day in England. Theprevious lowest was 159, when Pakistan played England at Headingley in 1971. There has been variable bounce in this pitch from the start of the game, but' New Zealand’s collapse could not be attributed to a sudden and spectacular deterioration in the wicket. I Botham with pace and' swing, Willis with violent: bounce from not far short of' a length were simply too; good for the New Zealand-: ers, who were handicapped! by the illness of Geoff How-i arth, and thrown into con,; fusion by the quick loss of! early wickets. This was bowling of, white-heat intensity, and the' New Zealand batsmen sim-i ply could not counter the pace, bounce and movement of two fine bowlers. At tea, it had been New Zealand’s day. Another chapter in a family history of service to New Zealand cricket came from Richard Hadlee, who wrecked England’s batting after lunch with a new-ball spell which included three for eight in eight overs. There was a tremendous battle in the morning, which New Zealand won on points. Hadlee picked up the wicket of Clive Radley very early, to give his side a fillip to which it responded magnificently. Then there was a period of containment of David Gower, the most talented of England’s batsmen, and of Mike Brearley, who still seems to be struggling for test-match form. Gower batted nearly 70 min to 16,,

i being tied down strictly by i Hadlee and Richard Collinge, and it was nothing otheij than impatience w'hich per- ' suaded him to sweep at ’ Stephen Boock — who 1 bowled magnificently — and get caught at backward ' square leg. I During the morning, England took two hours to score > 67. There was a landslide •after lunch, when Hadlee [and Collinge took the new ( ball. In an hour and a half, i four more wickets fell for

L !25, Hadlee bowling with tremendous pace and hostility. I . It was one of the very] ; I best displays in a test career, j which has already brought! 1 him many successes. There! I;was movement and lift to go! - with the demolishing speed. i At the other end Collinge Frose nobly to the occasion, supporting Hadlee with excellently controlled and 5 lively bowling. He thoroughlilv deserved his twin suc- . cesses. tl Collinge had a terribly de-! , imanding spell of 14 overs, I 31 and Hadlee bowled only one! i fewer as the batsmen came; and went. Brearley defended i| dourly for 137 min and 33! 1 runs. f! Even Botham, the hardest! f hitter in the side, could doj I little to turn the tide. Hei •(was in lOOmin for 21. From lunch ,to tea, six .iwent down for 47, with':

Bruce Edgar taking three; catches and the fielding gen-| erally reaching a very high standard of dedicated effort. | The New Zealanders were) ' vastly encouraged by win- ; ning a quite substantial first- ‘ innings lead, but their cheerfulness could not have lasted long. Acting on a tip given him some time ago by the former England captain, Ray Illingworth, Brearley decided to open the bowling with ' Botham, who does not usually have the ball first. | Brearley wanted Willis at i the pavilion end, to bowl at | what Brearley himself describes as a ridge, and the ! thought behind having Botham start was that if the ball, was going to swing, Botham i would do more with it than ‘ Mike Hendrick. | Botham, with violent and i late swing, accounted for i three of the first four New 1 Zealand batsmen. He is a superb performer, aggressive in outlook, skilled in his profession. Then Willis, who !had accounted for Robert ! Anderson in his first spell ■ with one which flew i violently from almost a full (length, came back for an- ; other turn after a rest of ‘only two overs and he pick- , led up Bevan Congdon, (Boock and Brendon Brace- 1 (well, all with balls which , (reared very nastily. This' bowling would have stretched the abilities of the best of sides to the limit, I and New Zealand, sadly, succumbed. It was a thous.nd pities that Congdon could riot have had a better • farewell to test and firstclass cricket, after so distinguished a career. Howarth, suffering from a I stomach complaint, could not bat and two nights; I watchmen came and went. (New Zealand’s lead is only 187 and it would need a mirlacl for England’s target to (become the 160 or so which i would give this match a 'really good finish.

NEW ZEALAND First innings J. G. Wright c Edmonds b Botham 17 B. A. Edgar c Edmonds b Emburey 39 G. P. Howarth c Taylor b Botham 123 |J. M. Parker lbw b Hendrick 14 M. G. Burgess lbw b Botham 68 B. E. Congdon c Emburey b Botham .. 2 iR. W. Anderson b Botham 16 JR. J. Hadlee c Brearley b Botham 0 .R. Collinge c Emburey b Willis 19 S. L. Boock not out 4 B. Bracewell st Taylor b Emburey 4 Extras 33 Total .. .. . 339; Fall: 65, 70, 117, 247, 263, 290, 290, 331, 333.

Second innings Wright b Botham 12 Edgar b Botham 4 Anderson c Taylor b Willis 1 Parker c Taylor b Botham .. 3 Burgess not out .8 Congdon c Taylor b Willis .. 3 Boock c Radley b Willis 0 Bracewell c Hendrick b Willis 0 Extras (Ib3, nb3) .. 6 Total for 7 wickets .. 37 Fall: 10, 14, 20, 29, 33, 37, 37.

ENGLAND First innings G. A. Gooch c Boock b Hadlee . 2 G. Boycott c Hadlee b Bracewell . . 24 C. T. Radley c Congdon b Hadlee 77 I. Gower c Wright b Boock 71 J. Brearley c Edgar b Hadlee 33 I. T. Botham c Edgar b Collinge .21 R. W. Taylor lbw b Hadlee 1 P. H. Edmonds c Edgar b Hadlee .. 5 J. Emburey b Collinge 2 M. Hendrick b Bracewell .. 12 R. G. D. Willis not out 7 Extras (b 7 Ibs, b 22) .. 34 Total 289

I From R.TBrittenden jl on tour for the N.ZPA.

Bowling 0 M R W Willis . 29 9 79 1 Hendrick . . 28 14 39 1 Botham 38 13 101 6 Edmonds .. 12 3 19 0 Emburey 26.1 12 39 2 Gooch . . 10 9 29 o

Bowling: 0 M R W Willis ... 10 6 7 4 Botham . 12 2 23 3 Emburey 3 2 1 0

Fall: 2, 66, 180, 211, 249, 255, 258, 263, 274. Bowling: 0 M R W Hadlee 32 9 84 5 Collinge 30 9 58 2 Bracewell . 19.3 1 68 2 Boock 25 10 33 1 Congdon 6 1 12 0