We can’t be written off—Burgess

Press, 15 June 1979, Page 20

We can’t be written off—Burgess

NZPA Leeds The New Zealand cricket team moved a step nearer to the Prudential World Cup final at Lord’s next week with its eight-wicket victory over India at the Headingley ground in Leeds yesterday. Its win puts it into one of the semi-finals although it Still has a group match against the West Indies in Nottingham, on Saturday. “We proved we’re a side that can’t be written off,” said New Zealand’s captain, Mark Burgess, after collecting the $985 win money. He is not bold enough to predict a win over the West Indies — although the New Zealanders would dearly like it — but he believes that with the right draw New Zealand could get into the final tomorrow week.

New Zealand, assuming it finishes second to the West Indies in its group, will play the winning team of the other group in the semi-final. This seems likely to be either

England or Pakistan, and with the suspicion that Mike Brearley’s side is brittle in its batting. New Zealand would choose England if the choice was theirs.

Burgess again won the toss yesterday, and with the belief that his side is better chasing a target than setting one, he put India in to bat.

New Zealand could have had the valued prize of Sunil Gavaskar’s wicket twice in the first over — the first time off the first ball of the day. He tried to drive but could not time it properly and the ball flew just wide of the despairing right hand of Brian McKechnie in the gully. Two balls later. India's No. 1 batsman drove a ball straight back to Hadlee and he, nr his follow through, grabbed and dropped. They were two expensive lives for New Zealand. Gavaskar went on to make 55 and hold the Indian innings together, supplemented by a

lively innings from Brijesh Patel, who at No, 5 was the first Indian batsman to take the initiative.

He played some fine strokes square of the wicket and inspired Gavaskar to lift his own rate of scoring. Patel raced to 38 before Gary Troup had him caught behind and the Indians went into lunch at 107 for five and, provided a tight rein could be kept on the scoring, New Zealand looked to be comfortably placed. Bad light delayed the return from lunch by twenty minutes and then another 35 minutes was lost because of rain.

The fast bowler, Kapil Dev, took the long handle to the New Zealand attack and rattled on a quick 25 before he was caught and bowled by Lance Cairns. McKechnie, whose accurate medium pace is proving one of the most reliable elements in the New Zealand bowling, ended with three for 24 including the import- (

ant wicket of Dilip Vengsarkar, whom he had caught behind with the second ball he bowled.

Richard Hadlee worked up some fierce pace which the Indians did not like, and he was rewarded with the wickets of each of the openers. New Zealand’s target looked a relatively .easy one, even without the injured batsman, Geoff Howarth. But the openers, Bruce Edgar and John Wright, slipped back on their run rate and when Wright was out, Burgess sent in Lance Cairns to boost the scoring.

The move failed, but Glenn Turner — down the order to stiffen the line up — joined Edgar at the wicket and the combination of Edgar’s ability and Turner’s experience was equal to the task that remained. Edgar was there for the whole innings and finished with 84 not out and fittingly was chosen “Man of the Match” by the former Yorkshire and England captain, Ray Illingworth,

Turner was not out on 43, and an indication of his ability to read the game was that his first dozen runs were all singles. But as he appreciated the need to lift the run rate, so his scoring progressed. With five overs to go, he hit five fours in succession and that, effectively . gave New Zealand the match. ■ln the only other match played Pakistan made good on lost time by hitting 288 for seven in its 60 overs against Australia at Nottingham, but by scoring a brisk 17 without mishap before the . close the Australians signalled they could still make a match of it when play is resumed today. The other matches — West Indies vs Sri Lanka, in London, and England vs Canada, at Manchester — were rained off and will begin, weather permitting, today. INDIA S. M. Gavaskar c Lees b Hadlee • ■ 38 A. D. Gaekwad b Hadleef .. 10

D. B. Vengsarkar c Lees b McKechnie 1 G. R. Viswanath c Turner b Cairns .. 9 B. P. Patel h Troup ..38 M. Amarnath b Troup .. 1 Kapil Dev c and b Cairns . . 25 K. D. Ghavri c Coney b McKechnie 20 S. C. Khanna c Morrison b McKechnie F S. Venkataraghavan e Lees b Cairns .. .. 1 B. S. Bedi not out .. ~ 1 Extras 14 Total .. .. .. 182 Fall: 27, 38, 53, 104, 107, 147, 153, 180, 182, 182 Bowling: Hadlee 10, 2, 20, 2; ; Troup 10, 2. 36, 2; Cairns 11.5, 0, 36. 3: McKechnie 12, 1, 24, 3; , Coney 7, 0. 33, 0; Morrison 5, 0. ' 19, 0. NEW ZEALAND J. G. Wright e and b Amarnath 48 B. A. Edgar not out .. ..84 . B. L. Calms run out . .. 2 G. M. Turner not out .. 43 ' Extras .. 6 Total for 2 wickets .. 183 Fall: 100, 103. Bowling: Amarnath 12, 1, 39, 1; Bedi 12, 1, 32, 0; Venkat 12, 1 0. 34. 0; Kapil Dev 11, 3, 38, 0; I Ghavri 10, 1, 34, 0.