N.Z. cricketers come within touching distance of glory

Press, 31 December 1980, Page 24

N.Z. cricketers come within touching distance of glory

NZPA Melbourne So close, so tantalisingly frustratingly, agonisingly close to victory for two magical hours j — and then a bitter hour of struggle for a draw.

The New Zealand cricketers, humbled in three days in the first two tests, were within touching distance of the glory of victory over Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, but just could not reach that moment of splendour. At 4.45 p.m. (Melbourne time) on a superb summer day yesterday, New Zealand stood at 95 for one wicket. John Wright and Geoff Howarth in marvellous command, and only 98 runs between them and a victory that would have shaken the cricket world.

I The Australians were already shaken. They had i planned a declaration from i their overnight lead of 125 jwith seven wickets in hand. • Instead they were destroyed as New Zealand i smashed through those last [seven wickets for 67 runs. The chief destroyer was [Richard Hadlee who took the first wicket yesterday, three more in four balls with the second new ball and finished with six wickets for 57. So New Zealand needed 193 runs from 145 minutes and 20 overs, a hard task

against the rapacious Australian fast bowlers and the harder on a pitch which, as Hadlee showed in his last furious blast, made the ball occasionally shoot dangerously low. A slow solid start of 50 by Bruce Edgar and Wright, then the promise of Wright and Howarth moving on to attack. But the pitch betrayed

Howarth, Iwb to Greg Chappell, at 95 and at 97 Wright was caught attacking. The cries of victory still beckoned, distantly, as New Zealand needed 99 in the

Hast 20 overs with seven wickets intact. The evil pitch had the last’ word — Jeremy Coney Iwb; in the twentieth over,’ John' Parker lbw in the nine-! teenth. Ninety-three runs were needed in the last 18 overs. The New Zealanders might have attacked and attacked, even if this pitch gave the bottom half of the innings as much prospect of victory as had the light brigade at Balaclava. Instead, at the risk of provoking disappointed argu-i

I ment for weeks, the New! 'i Zealanders chose caution, ; leaving Mark Burgess, War-: ren Lees and Hadlee to fight j carefully through to the fin-! ish. Then only the post mortemsl remained, the dignity of al draw salvaged after two! humiliating defeats but even more the lingering sadness, that glory had been within: reach and the New Zealand- 1 ers, whatever the quality of. the pitch, were not quite! good enough to grasp the; prize. I