Crowe stars in abandoned match

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 28

Crowe stars in abandoned match

Rain, an ally of Australia in its recent drawn test series against India, had the final say in the first of the World Series Cup cricket matches, between Australia and New Zealand, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last evening. The rain first interrupted proceedings after only 16 balls had been bowled, with New Zealand, sent in to bat, having scored just one run. That stoppage lasted for 150 minutes, and New Zealand had to face 31 overs after the deductions of overs had been made.

New Zealand, led brilliantly by Martin Crowe, managed a highly respectable 161 off 29 overs—the Australians failing to bowl their alloted quota of overs—and Australia was set the difficult job of scoring at a run rate of 5.55 for 29 overs.

How Australia would have coped will never be known. Rain started falling

again at the end of New Zealand’s innings and the players did not return to the field, the umpires officially abandoning play at 11.9 p.m. (N.Z. time). If Australia had been able to bat in the last hour, it would have needed to score 84 off 15 overs, a position favouring the team batting last with all 10 wickets in hand.

So the opening contest in the three-team series, India being the other side, had an unsatisfactory finish for the more than 20,000 spectators and the two teams, both of which took one point from the abandonment. Crowe was the toast of New Zealanders with a blistering 71 off just 29 balls.

He mercilessly hammered the Australian bowlers to give New Zealand a grand chance of victory.

For 18 overs Crowe set the floodlit M.C.G. ablaze, carving the attack about in a marvellous display of oneday batting. He took only 59 balls to score his sparkling 71 and cleverly shielded his captain, Jeremy Coney, during their 77 run partnership off 66 balls. Such was Crowe’s form he was able to command most of the strike from the outset of his arrival in the fifth over.

When he was dismissed the remaining New Zealand batsmen flung the bat at most deliveries and although wickets were sacrificed, a commendable total had been obtained at the end of the innings. New Zealand had one apparent lucky escape when Coney was given not out with the total at 60. He appeared to be short of his

ground after a throw from Matthews hit the stumps. The umpire, Ray Isher-

wood, who has been the centre of several controversial incidents this year, favoured the New Zealand batsman. The next game in the W.S.C. competition will be between New Zealand and India in Brisbane tomorrow. NEW ZEALAND J. Wright run out .... . 5 B. Edgar b Davis 17 M. Crowe b Gilbert .... 71 J. Reid c Phillips b Davis . 7 J. Coney c Phillips b Waugh 24 R. Hadlee b Gilbert. ... 5 J. Bracewell c Waugh b McDermott 13 B. Blair not out 7 E. McSweeney not out . . 2 Extras (lbs, w3, nb2)lo Total (for 7 wickets) 161 Fall: 10, 30, 50,127,137,146,152. Bowling:— C. McDermott 6, 1, 20, 1; S. Davis 6,1, 30, 2; B. Reid 6,0, 36, 0; (2nb 2w); G. Matthews 4,0, 24, 0 (Iw); D. Gilbert 5,0, 33, 2; S. Waugh 2,0, 13, 1.