Mushtaq’s daring move pays off as N.Z. batsmen fall to spin

Press, 8 February 1979, Page 30

Mushtaq’s daring move pays off as N.Z. batsmen fall to spin

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Mushtaq Mohammad, the Pakistan captain, confessed to having spei a restless night on Tuesday after his declaration in the first test had lei Aiw Zealand 390 min to score 305. He must have slept much more easily last night for his side won the test by 128 runs with more than two hour* to spare.

It was a thoroughly convincing victory for Pakistan and it showed” the value of wrist-spinners on a pitch which gave no other sort of bowler much encouragement. Mushtaq himself took five of the wickets and the wiry Wasim Raja four. With their sharp spin and accuracy they were able to perch fieldsmen about the batsmen and put steady pressure on them.

Mushtaq made psychological and practical use of some deep bowling rough wide of a right-hander's leg stump, turning some from there savagely. The lefthanded John Wright, shaping to cut, was bowled by one which came back from there abruptly. But wherever he pitched the ball, Mushtao was able to spin readily and he went on to take nine wickets in the match, a per-, sonal best in tests. There was some defiance 1 from the New Zealanders,: notably Jeremy Coney, John, Wright, and John Parker,] with Lance Cairns in thej late stages providing some ’ welcome belligerence. But. New Zealand's hopes of' making the runs disappeared; when its most talented bat-i sman, Geoffrey Howarth. 1 was bowled first ball.

Nothing much went right i for New Zealand in this: match. Dropping catches is I not misfortune but the in-' jury to Brendon Bracewell certainly was and yesterdav both Coney and Parker fell to decisions which caused much comment. The New Zealanders were convinced

that Coney had not got bat to ball when he was caught. Parker was out leg before to a ball from Mushtaq which [ rose very sharply and he was certainly unfortunate. There were still many; Kruns to be won from a firstclass pitch when the game restarted and John Wright, with Bruce Edgar, looked capable of giving New Zealand a sound start. But when 1" calm runs had been added ii. 25min. Edgar played a lazy looking shot at Sikander Bakht and was taken in [th? slips.

I With the seamers on only 110 overs were bowled in the first hour and the application of Wright and Coney ! was such that Mushtaq must j have had misgivings. ; At noon, Mushtaq came [on and had he not settled I straight on to a length it might have become an interlesting battle. 1 The score was 62 when : Mushtaq bowled Wright. [Then Howarth played all [over one of generous length, i an extraordinary mishap, and just before lunch Mark [ Burgess was also out. Raja turned the ball from leg [occasionally but his main : weapon was a top-spinner 'and from time to time it bounced vigorously. Burgess removed his bat | 'from one but did not take it i fully away. The hall seemed ' to chase it and go from I body or pad to Sarfraz in 'one of the close positions. So at lunch it was 84 for 'four and New Zealand’s situation was desperate. ' For most of the morning

Coney had batted with calm assurance. He occasionally caused misgivings with his sweeps at the spinners but he looked a very good player and a four he drove from Sarfraz was as handsome as the day.

But he was gone at 98 after batting with courage and skill for almost two hours. Parker, whose test place must have been in jeopardy, chose the occasion to look the best of the New Zealand batsmen. He 'countered Mushtaq by having nothing to do with anything outside his legs unle.ss iit was right up or punishlably short.

But Parker’s policy paid of' and he played some lovely strokes of perfect (timing. With Warren Lees 'also eager for runs, 38 were added in half an hour before Lees was caught behind. Richard Hadlee came and went, and then at 152 Parker was out after a fine innings of an hour and three-quar-ters.

Cairns gave the handful of spectators much pleasure when he hit Raja for one of the biggest sixes of many a day. The ball went over midwicket, far up the em bankment, and one bounce took it into the car park. There was another savage : whack for four to mid-wi-

cket, then a magnificen straight hit for four, b stroke of the finest quality in the same over. Cairns then savaged Mushtaq for two fours in an over only to see Bracewell stumped at the other end and Stephen ißoock caught first ball Cairns made his 23 from 19

[deliveries. PAKISTAN First innings 271 Second innings 323/6 dec. NEW ZEALAND I First innings 290 Second innings J. G. Wright b Mushtaq 21 B. A. Edgar c Sarfraz b Sikandar 16 iJ. V. Coney c Mohsin b Raja 36 G. P. Howarth b Mushtaq 0 iM. G. Burgess c Sarfraz b Raja 6 J. M. Parker lbw b Mushtaq 33 W. K. Lees c Bari b Raja 19 <R. J. Hadlee c Sikander b Raja 4 B. L. Cairns not out 23 B. P. Bracewell std Bari b Mushtaq 5 S. L. Boock c Mohsin b Mushtaq 0 Extras (b 4 Ib6, nb3) .. 13 Total .176 Fall: 33 (Edgar), 62 (Wright), 62 (Howarth), 77 (Burgess), 98 (Coney), 136 (Lees), 142 (Hadlee), 152 (Parker), 176 (Bracewell), 176 (Boock).

BOWLING O M R W Sarfraz 8 3 22 0 Sikander * 0 14 1 Mushtaq . 22 5 59 5 Raja . 20 3 68 4