West Indies openers shine

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 44

West Indies openers shine

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

For two hours and a half. West Indian cricket assumed its best and brightest colours at Lancaster Park yesterday. Going out to meet a deficit of 232, after New Zealand had reached 460, Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge thrashed some mediocre bowling, on a somnolent pitch, so brilliantly that they made 157 from only 40 overs, and were still together at the close.

It was a superb display of powerful stroke-making, and it was a pity only about 3000 were there to see this sort of cricket, after nine days of test tantrums and idiocy. So New Zealand leads by only 75, and a spark of interest remains in the match.

The day’s scoring reflects accurately the easy pace of the pitch, its lack of devil. Two balls short of S 9 overs were bowled during the day, and from them 369 runs were scored.

New Zealand’s batting successes, rather sadly, have to be related to more than the pitch. There was some unenthusiastic bowling, and fielding of a quite appalling standard. Jeremy Coney fell at 80, only two short of his test best, and everyone — even two of the West Indians — showed appreciation when Richard Hadlee made his first test century. But it is unlikely that he will walk an easier path. The fielding was lethargic, the catching almost laughable. An exception must be made of Haynes, who fielded with speed and skill. He seemed to want to play cricket. The lapses in the air were incredible. Greenidge, during the innings, spilled four. Coney was dropped at 10, Hadlee might well have been caught and bowled at 10. he should have been caught at 25 and at 78. The one at 25 was a simple chance to Roberts at deep

mid-off, but the fieldsman seemed lost in his disi enchantment with the game, land was on his heels when he should have been on the move. Coney played some magnificent shots, few of them better than his three boundaries in an over from Michael Holding. Square cuts and hooks were beautifully timed. There were little bursts of aggressive bowling, but in the main, the West Indians seemed only to go through the motions. The situation — New Zealand well in front — was perfectly suited to Hadlee. Some of his strokes might have made the purist wince, but there were many glorious strokes, with the full swing of the bat. the feet placed pefectly. WEST INDIES First innings 228 Second innings D. L. Hayne riot out . ..78 G. C. Greenidge not out .. 68 Extras (b 4 Ib2, nbS) .. 11 Total for no wicket 157

NEW ZEALAND First innings J. G. Wright b Croft $ O. A. Edgar c Murray b Holding ..21 P. N. Webb b Roberts 1 G. P. Howarth b Holding 147 J. M.-Parker b Garner .. 42 J. V.< Coney c King b Roberts 80 W. K, Lees c Rowe b Garner 3 R. J. Hadlee b Kalllcheran 103 B. L. Cairns run out 1 G. B. Troup not out 13 S. L. Boock e and b Kalilcharan 6 Extras (bl 8, Ib6, nb!4) 38 Total 460 Fall of wickets; 15 (Wright), 18 (Webb), 53 (Edgar), 175 (Parker), 267 (Howarth), 292 (Lees), 391 (Coney), 404 (Cairns), 448 (Hadlee), 460 (Boock). Bowling

Bowling 0 M R W R. J. Hadlee 11 3 31 0 G. B. Troup 10 2 36 0 B. L. Cairns 14 5 55 0 J.’ V. Coney 1 0 4 0 S. L. Boock 4 1 20 0

0 M R W A. M. 'E. Robert! 29 i 82 2 M. A. Holding .29 4 97 2 C. E. H. Croft .. 24 3 78 1 J. Garner 28 4 75 2 C. L. King 9 0 70 0 A. 1. Kallicharan M 1 16 2 L. G. Rowe s 2 4 0