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Battle of nerves New Zealand edges West Indies by 20 runsPosted: Thursday February 13, 2003 8:00 AMUpdated: Thursday February 13, 2003 2:54 PM
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) -- Chris Cairns experienced a day of mixed fortunes as New Zealand held their nerve to seal a 20-run victory over West Indies in World Cup Group B on Thursday. Cairns produced a brilliant throw to run out West Indies dangerman Brian Lara and made 37 useful runs, but his long awaited return to the Kiwi bowling attack ended in embarrassment with 21 runs conceded in a solitary over. The result left both teams with a win and a loss from their first two matches but for New Zealand, who plan to boycott their game in Kenya because of security fears, it saved them from almost certain early elimination from the sport's showpiece event. "It's a huge relief," New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming Fleming told reporters. "The anxiety levels were very high and today was just a case of hanging tough. It wasn't a flashy performance, it was very workmanlike, which is probably symbolic of the way our side is." West Indies captain Carl Hooper denied claims that his team were complacent after their upset win over South Africa on Sunday. "I don't think it was a case of complacency," he said. "New Zealand are one of the better teams out there and we definitely wanted to win. "We bowled well enough, to get 240-odd on a small ground and on a good pitch, we should have got that, but we just didn't bat well enough." New Zealand all rounder Andre Adams took the man of the match award after taking three key wickets and contributing a quick-fire unbeaten 35 to push his side's total to a respectable 241 for seven. West Indies collapsed to 80 for six after Lara's run out and only a World Cup record seventh-wicket partnership of 98 between Ramnaresh Sarwan (75) and Ridley Jacobs (50) kept their hopes alive. Majestic century Lara's struck a majestic century in Sunday's opener, but there were no heroics this time from the left-hander who cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off with just two runs to his name, the victim of slick New Zealand teamwork. Lou Vincent chased the ball to the boundary and threw it back to Cairns, the all rounder turning instantly and with one stump to aim at hurling the ball unerringly at its target with Lara stranded. Wavell Hinds, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Hooper and Ricardo Powell fell quickly, but Sarwan stroked seven fours, including three off Cairns's first over in almost a year. Plagued by injuries for much of the past 12 months, Cairns was thrown the ball in the 16th over with New Zealand in control, but was immediately withdrawn from the attack after conceding three fours and a six, and bowling a no-ball and a wide. Cairns had fared much better with the bat, hitting 37 and sharing a vital 64-run stand with Nathan Astle that helped the Kiwis reach a respectable total after being sent into bat. New Zealand seemed to be heading towards a smaller score when medium-pacer Wavell Hinds captured the wickets of Astle, Cairns and Vincent in 13 balls to reduce them to 147 for six. But tail-enders Brendon McCullum (36 not out) and Adams put together an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 53, Adams smashing 16 from the final over by spinner Chris Gayle. West Indies cruised to 34 for no wicket, but Gayle's departure for 22 sparked a collapse from which they could not recover. Fleming happy as NZ relay throw catches big fishPORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) -- New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was a happy man after his team's baseball-style relay throwing tactic snared a crucial victim in their World Cup victory over West Indies on Thursday. Defending a relatively modest total of 241, New Zealand took control of the match when they ran out West Indies dangerman Brian Lara using the method. Lou Vincent fielded a ball hit by Lara inside the boundary rope but rather than hurl it back to the wicket, he flicked it low and hard to Chris Cairns, who threw down the stumps to catch the world record-breaking left-hander short of his ground. "That's our first fish with the relay throw and it's a pretty big fish to fry," Fleming said. "We've done a lot of work on it, we know when to use it and how to use it and today it won us the match. "Guys can obviously throw the ball from the boundary but we believe it's quicker and more accurate and today was an example of what it can create. It can create confusion and it narrows down how far a guy has to shy at the stumps." With his team needing to win to have any real chance of staying in the World Cup, Fleming said the run out was just the stroke of luck they needed to rebuild their confidence after their opening Group B loss to Sri Lanka. "The anxiety levels were high and today was just a case of hanging tough. It wasn't a flashy performance, it was very workmanlike, which is probably symbolic of the way our side is, with 20s and 30s all the way through," Fleming said. "We felt it was a good total but not a match-winning total and we knew we had to start well when the ball was hard, which is probably the easiest time to bat, and create some pressure. "We were after a run out and something special in the field and we got it." Fleming said the victory had eased some of the pressure on his team, but thinks their biggest test is still to come against South Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday. With the Kiwis planning to boycott their match in Kenya over security concerns, the result of that game will almost certainly decide whether they progress. "This is a huge relief. Obviously we've got to win two games. We've completed one of the wins, now we've got a big one on Sunday," Fleming said. "To get the first points on the board is a big relief for the team and what is pleasing is how much pressure we were under and how much this game meant in terms of the competition. "I think we responded to that in pretty good fashion. We know we can obviously play better but knowing it was probably our last chance it was a very good test mentally for the side." Cairns struggles in first bowl in a yearPORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) -- New Zealand's Chris Cairns made his long awaited return as a bowler in Thursday's World Cup clash with West Indies -- and conceded 21 runs in his first over. Cairns had not bowled in a one-day international for almost a year after suffering a series of injuries, but decided to turn his arm over in the must-win match for the Kiwis. In what could only be described as a sorry return, Cairns was taken out of the attack immediately after his very expensive solitary over at a vital time in the match. "I think the big fella was probably a little bit nervous," New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said. "It was a little bit rusty, he didn't quite hit the mark, but that was going to come with nerves." The all rounder bowled a no-ball and a wide, and watched helplessly as the West Indies batsman plundered three fours and a six, leaving the Kiwi skipper with little choice but to banish him to the outfield. "It was a big ask," Fleming said. "He hasn't bowled in international cricket for a long time but, knowing Chris, he'll want to get into it again as soon as possible." Clearly nervous after his long break, Cairns overstepped the crease with his first ball and was promptly spanked to the boundary by Ramnaresh Sarwan. His footwork was right for the second delivery but not his line and the ball was called wide. Cairns fared no better with his first legitimate delivery as Sarwan helped himself to a second boundary but did receive a warm applause from the St. George's Park crowd when he managed a dot ball next up. If the 32-year-old was hoping that would mark the end of his troubles, he was to be sadly mistaken. Sarwan clubbed a third boundary off the next ball and then took a single to let Ricardo Powell in on the act. Powell showed Cairns the sort of respect you would expect
for a bowler who has 154 one-day wickets to his credit when he
blocked his first ball, but smashed the final delivery of the
over well into the crowd for six.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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