John Wright in doubt

Press, 19 February 1983, Page 60

John Wright in doubt

By R. T. BRITTENDEN Richard Hadlee was on the early morning Hight from Christchurch to Auckland yesterday and will be at Eden Park today for the first of the one-d'ay cricket internationals between England and New Zealand. But this was no lastminute and dramatic call to the colours. Hadlee had business to do in Auckland. There may, however, be another grave omission from the New Zealand team today. John Wright was not at the net and outfield practice the New Zealanders had at the grounds yesterday. He was in bed with a bad bout of influenza and he is a very doubtful starter this morning. A final decision will not be made until just before the game starts, but it seems that Bruce Edgar replacing Wright will be the only change to the team which lost to Australia a week ago. The Eden Park pitch will probably be very suitable for a one-day match. There is not much likelihood of lively bounce, the pace is not expected to be excessive and the batsmen should have a good opportunity of scoring at a brisk pace, for the outfield is very quick. Generally fine weather is forecast. England has the disadvantage of having been out of action but it will go into this first match slightly favoured to win. England has some magnificent attacking batsmen in David Gower, Allan Lamb, lan Botham, and Derek Randall and Hadlee’s absence will weaken the New Zealand bowling markedly. The teams, with one to be omitted from each side are — New Zealand: Geoff Howarth, John Wright, Bruce Edgar, Jeff Crowe, Glenn Turner, Ewan Chatfield, Lance Cairns, Warren Lees,

Richard Webb. Martin Snedden. Jeremy Coney, and John Morrison. England: Bob Willis. David Gower, Derek Randall. lan Botham. Norman Cowans. lan Gould, Allan Lamb. Vic Marks, Chris Tavare. Robin Jackman. Geoff Miller. Trevor Jesty. Those at Melbourne report a decided decline in New Zealand morale. The captain. Howarth, has said his team would love to win at Auckland as a “thank you” to the New Zealand public for its warm support while the team was in Australia. Perhaps he is capable of lifting his players sufficiently.

The team will not lack support. The crowd will be 40.000. only a little below the record gate when New Zealand played Australia a year ago.

It has been deliberately reduced this time in the interests of comfort and safety but it will be a highlyenthusiastic audience; the match was a sell-out 10 days before it began. Much will depend on the ability of Chatfield to get through his 10 overs economically. In Australia, he cost 3.7 runs an over behind Hadlee (3.15) but well ahead of Cairns (4.1). Coney (4.2), Morrison (4.7) and Snedden (4.9). Similarly, New Zealand will have to regain batting form. Turner will shoulder an even heavier burden if Wright cannot play. These were the only two to average more than 30 in Australia.

Howarth badly needs runs to restore prestige. The team needs a lift too. Yet even the defeats in the W.S.C. finals cannot obscure the fact that New Zealand did very well in Australia, showing admirable fighting qualities. A similarly spirited display today would please the multitudes immensely.