England gives nothing away

Press, 22 June 1979, Page 20

England gives nothing away

NZPA Manchester New Zealand’s World Cup I campaign ground to a halt at Old Trafford yesterday in face of the stringent economical policy of the England attack. When New Zealand was at the wicket chasing England’s 221 for nine it was like playing eleven scrooges — the England players gave nothing away, either bowling or in the field. But New Zealand had been in the match with a show. The openers, Bruce Edgar, and John Wright, had been well up with what was needed but when the middleorder wickets fell, Wright and Jeremey Coney were forced to put the shutters up. When the hitting out began again it was too late and New Zealand needed an improbable seven runs an over, and it even rose to nine.

Liy the end fourteen runs were required off the last over. England won by ni; i runs with Brian McKechnie

and Gary Troup not out at the finish and New Zealand 212 for nine.

It was a sombre scene in the New Zealand dressing room after the match as the players sat silently watching the West Indies beat Pakistan.

“It was disappointing to be so close,” said New Zealand’s captain, Mark Burgess. ‘I think we did well in the field again and did well to keep the England total down.”

“And our batting — well the run-outs were costly.” And Burgess tipped the West Indies to retain the cup they won in 1975. “I think England will struggle against them,” he said. The first undermining of the solid opening foundations came when Wright was run out. He took a single off Bob Willis and wanted another. Another was not there and Derek Randall was too quick to get the ball back. It was a costly error and compounded when Burgess

himself was run out. Glenn Turner hit the ball to midwicket and Randall and Burgess didn’t move. Randall fired the ball back to Bob Taylor and Bob Burgess and Turner were at the other end. It would have been far belter for neither to be out. Turner went to the wicket at an impossibly late time — he went in at five — to have much chance of bringing back the over rate to manageable proportions. At one stage New Zealand needed nine runs an over to win the game and against the tight bowling that would be like asking Boycott to say a nice word about the Yorkshire committee. The last ten overs were entertaining but it was only a supreme optimist who would have thought New Zealand had a chance. Richard Hadlee, Warren Lees and Lance Cairns sent the fielders out to the boundary in the race for runs but sadly it was a rush that came too late.

ENGLAND J. M. Brearley c Lees b Coney .. .. .. 53 G. Boycott c Howarth b Hadlee 2 W. Larkins c Coney b McKechnie .. 7 G. A. Gooch b McKechnie .. 71 D. I. Gower run out .. 1 1. T. Botham lbw b Cairns 21 D. W. Randall not out 42 C. M. Old c Lees b Troup 0 R. W. Tavlor run out .. 12 R. G. D. Willis not out .. 1 Extras (lbB, w3) .. .. 11 Total (for 8 wickets) 221 Fall: 13. 38, 96 98, 145, 177, 178. 219. Bowling.—Hadlee, 12, 4, 32, 1; Troup. 12, 1, 38, 1; Cairns, 12, 2, 47, 1; Coney, 12, 0, 47, 1; McKechnie. 12, 1, 46, 2. NEW ZEALAND J. G. Wright run out .. 69 B. A. Edgar lbw b Old 17 G. P. Howarth lbw b Boycott 7 J. V. Coney lbw b Hendrick 11 G. M. Turner lbw b Willis .. 30 M. G. Burgess run out .. 10 Pi. ,1. Hadlee b Botham .. 15 W. K. Lees b Hendrick .. 23 B. L. Cairns c Brearley b Hendrick 14 B. J. McKechnie not out .. 4 B. G Troup not out . . .. 3 Extras (b 5 w4) .. • ■ 9 Total (for 9 wickets) 212 Fall: 47, 58, 104, 112, 132, 162, 180, 195 209. Bowling.—Botham, 12, 3. 42, 1; Hendrick, 12. 0, 55. 3; Old. 12, 1, 33, 1; Boycott, 9. 1, 24. 1; Gooch, 3,1, 8. 0; Willis. 12, 1, 41, 1.