Innings crumbles

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 30

Innings crumbles

Then the innings crumbled. In 75 minutes seven wickets tumbled for 38.

Greenidge slashed at Gary Troup, and was caught by Stephen Boock at gully. It was a vital catch, even if it added to Boock's injuries. A finger was dislocated. After attention, Boock came back, but stopping another stinging drive was enough to send him off the field.

The West Indies calypso cricket then became rag time.

Kallicharran tried to hook from a very bad position and John Wright clawed down a catch at square leg. Deryck Murray, hitting across the line, was very well caught by Peter Webb. Clive Lloyd played a dreadful shot, so did Joel Garner, and Richard Hadlee came back with the new ball to pick up the last two.

What a day it. was for Cairns. He bowled with enthusiasm and stamina, but whenever he dropped one short, he must have begun to expect a wicket. With the old ball, he had nearly 14

overs on Saturday afternoon. When the new ball became available, he simply carried on, mastering the strong southerly admirably.

Cairns seems able to respond to the most demanding call. Had he been asked to pull the roller between innings, he would probably have said he did not need any assistant.

When one ponders on how long Cairns and his kind often have to work for a wicket down hot afternoons, it was startling to find him taking three in eight balls: Hadlee’s last two were captured in seven deliveries.

The catching was safe, the ground fielding aggressive. But there was nothing in the pitch to explain this undisciplined batting by the West Indies.

By the end of the day. New Zealand has scored 15 without loss, although Bruce Edgar had retired hurt, having taken a heavy blow on his right elbow. Yesterday John Wright was out first ball, bowled off his pads. Three runs

later Webb, trying to get his bat away from a lifting bail played on. Disaster was in the air.

The first New Zealand move. came from a 35-run stand between Edgar and Howarth. Edgar was missed in the slips off Croft at 9, but played courageously and well. It was a fearful struggle, with the lithe Roberts, then the athletic Michael Holding at one end, the vigorous Colin Croft and the towering Joel Garner at the other.

When Edgar went, Parker was greeted with three consecutive bouncers from Roberts, and might well have been caught off one of them. The West Indies used the short-pitched ball so often that umpire intervention might well have added to the day’s drama. Howarth and Parker fought nobly against this withering fire, and at lunch it was 63 for three. In the first four overs after lunch, seven runs were added. In the next 23, 113 runs were made. It was metamorphosis.