Brothers play key roles in victory

Press, 16 January 1985, Page 52

Brothers play key roles in victory

NZPA staff correspondent Hamilton The brothers Crowe, Martin and Jeff, turned in some cavalier hitting at the right moment to help New Zealand to a narrow but deserved four-wicket win over Pakistan in the second one-day cricket international yesterday.

Although neither brother remained at the wicket to see New Zealand through its victory, their contributions of 59 and 35 respectively picked up a New Zealand innings which had begun to stagnate. Chasing Pakistan’s total of 221 on a wicket which played slowly and frustrated stroke play, New Zealand had begun to slip towards defeat before the Crowes took the reins and changed the course of the innings.

With their help, New Zealand attained a 2-0 lead in the series of four one-day internationals after winning the first by 110 runs in Napier on Saturday. The home side cannot now be beaten in the series and is assured a slice of revenge for its series loss in Pakistan late last year. Through the almost single-handed efforts of its captain, Javed Miandad, Pakistan had played itself into a position after winning the toss from which it could hope to level the series. Its total of 221 for four, founded on Miandad’s defiant unbeaten 90, was competitive on a pitch whose slow pace and indifferent bounce brought the ball on to the bat too slowly to allow stroke play. Pakistan had gone about its chase for runs with a methodicism which was almost its undoing. It had' intended to accumulate

slowly but regularly through well-run singles and twos but its innings had lost purpose before Miandad arrived at the crease. The openers, Wasim Raja and Mohsin Khan, had tried to implement the tourists’ policy but had become bogged down short of the intended run rate. The tourists’ top order fell into such a trough that after 15 overs only 28 runs had been scored at a rate of less than two per over. New Zealand’s bowling star, Jeremy Coney, had the Pakistanis mesmerised, using the slowness of the wicket to his advantage when called on early to dispense his slow rightarmers. Plying an accurate and niggling line, Coney tied the Pakistan top-order down, denying them runs and breeding a frustration which brough him two crucial wickets. He hoisted the 100 with Mohsin in 114 minutes but •lost the partnership of that batsman after he had com-’ piled a patient 49. Salim - Malik joined his skipper and was at the wicket when Miandad raised his 50 after 66 minutes. When Mailk was run out, Miandad began to boost the scoring. In the final overs he went fully on to the attack, taking Pakistan to 147 with 10 overs remaining

and to 200 in 171 minutes. He took 13 runs from Richard Hadlee’s eighth over, 14 from Lance Cairns’ 10th and 11 from the final six balls, including one of two sixes hit in the innings. Geoff Howarth attempted to put early zest into New Zealand’s innings, hitting a boundary from the fourth ball but was lost in the second over chasing runs. John Wright batted doggedly as John Reid continued the chase, hitting one of the innings’ four sixes to take New Zealand to 32 after 10 overs. Reid fell when New Zealand was 36 and in deepening trouble and Martin Crowe joined Wright to raise the New Zealand 50 in the fifteenth over. Losing Wright when the opener was 39, Crowe decided with his brother, Jeff, to accelerate the scoring. Their bright but shortlived plunder of the Pakistan attack turned the tables and though both fell in quick succession, victory became a formality after their dismissals. Martin Crowe pounded three boundaries and two sixes in a commanding innings of 59, raising his personal half-century in 75 minutes. The brothers fell in similar style, hoisting sixes then falling to left-arm spinner, Iqbal Qasim next ball. Tahir Naqqash, Azeem Hafeez and Mudassar Nazar

were left to do the late bowling for the tourists and after lan Smith had made a brief appearance, Hadlee and Coney took New Zealand to victory. Always cool in a crisis, Coney slammed the winning run from the fifth ball of the 49th over, hitting Hafeez for four through long-on. Scoreboard: PAKISTAN Mohsin Khan c Smith b Chatfield 49 Wasim Raja c Reid b Coney 15 Qasim Omar b Coney. . . 15 Javed Miandad not out. . 90 Salim Malik run out . . . 14 Mudassar Nazar not out . 22 Extras (bl, IblO, w3, nb2) 16 Total (for 4 wkts) 221 Fall 32, 62, 131, 160. Bowling: B. L. Cairns 10, 2, 56, 0; R. J. Hadlee 10, 3, 43, 0; J. V. Coney 10, 1, 16, 2; J. G. Bracewell 10, 0, 51, 0; E. J. Chatfield 10, 0, 39, 1 NEW ZEALAND G. P. Howarth c Dalpat b Raja 5 J. G. Wright c Miandad b Salim 39 J. F. Reid b Raja 17 M. D. Crowe c Tahir b Qasim 59 J. J. Crowe b Hafeez ... 35 J. V. Coney not out ... . 31 I. D. Smith c Hafeez b Tahir 13 R.J. Hadlee not out ... . 13 Extras (lbs, w5) 10 Total (for 6 wkts) 222 Fall: 9, 36, 90, 154, 164, 191. Bowling: Wasim Raja 10, 0, 29, 2; Salim Malik 10, 1, 34, 1; Iqbal Qasim 10, 0, 58, 2; Azeem Hafeez 7.5, 0, 36, 0; Mudassar Nazar 7,0, 41, 0; Tahir Naqqash 4,0, 19, 1.