New Wellington coach Jamie Siddons has
all the qualifications you would want for the job. The scorer of most
runs in the Sheffield Shield until overtaken by Darren Lehman and
Jamie Cox, he made an appearance in Australia's one day side before
embarking on a coaching career that has taken him from South
Australia and the national set-up under John Buchanan to being head
coach of Bangladesh for four years.
But his most important attribute is
that he has no hair. This means that there is no danger of him being
injured in attempting to pull it out as he watched Wellington once
more pick defeat from the pocket of victory with the expertise of a
Victorian scallywag, as occurred on Sunday at the Basin. Several
times his team was within a couple of proficient overs of taking the
game away from Otago, only to go down by six runs in the evening
gloom.
For most of a rainy morning it appeared
unlikely that there would be any cricket, but play began with
sufficient time for a 40-over game on a Sunday afternoon, just like
the old days. It was thoroughly pleasant, warm despite
the heavy cloud cover and – here's a word used to describe the
Basin no more than once a decade – still. The pohutukawas could
barely restrain themselves from bursting into a cascade of scarlet.
I arrived in time to see Otago succumb
to the waft-aimlessly-outside-the-off-stump epidemic that is
ravaging cricket here; New Zealand's finest had gone down to a
particularly virulent strain in Brisbane an hour or so before. Aaron
Redmond was first, followed by Craig Cumming and Nathan McCullum.
Neil Broom, with 38 from 44 balls, played well before skying Woodcock
to Rhodes, coming in from the cover boundary.
There was also a Bracewell, as there is
in most New Zealand teams; the name is now as common as Jones in the
valleys. An understanding of the Bracewell family tree is as
essential as is that of the Tudors to a student of sixteenth century
England. This was Michael, nephew of John and Brendon and cousin of
Doug. By the time I had worked that out he was gone, lbw to Jeetan
Patel for a duck.
When Wells swept Woodcock to deep
square leg Otago were 97 for six with more than half their overs
gone. That they accrued a final total of 219 was largely due to an
intelligent and determined 55 from Jimmy Neesham, a 21-year-old
Aucklander in his first season with Otago. He was well-supported in
seventh and eighth-wicket partnerships by Derek de Boorder and Neil
Wagner. The Otago dressing room applauded every run as if each were
the product of a Jack Hobbs cover drive, a surfeit of enthusiasm
filling the gap left by the departure of discrimination.
But they were helped by some poor
cricket from Wellington. There were too many loose deliveries. Two
chances were missed in Woodcock's seventh over: a difficult catch to
Pollard in the covers and as simple a stumping chance as debutant
wicket-keeper Craig Cachopa could have wished for. Barry Rhodes
spilled a straightforward boundary catch two overs later.
Wellington skipper Grant Elliott had
impressed earlier in the innings, maintaining close catchers longer
than is usual, but later he changed the bowling as often as a super
model changes her shoes. There is merit in allowing bowlers
(especially spinners) to build up pressure. Bringing himself on late
in the innings did not work either: Neesham hit him over the
scoreboard.
Even so, in good batting conditions 220
in 40 overs was eminently attainable.
Michael Papps dominated in the first
part of Wellington's reply with a robust fifty, full of trademark
pulls and cuts. Papps has moved north after ten seasons with
Canterbury. He will be an asset, but whether keeping in the game a
32-year-old whose international days are several years behind him is
in the wider interests of New Zealand cricket is open to question.
Ten years ago, when there was less cash around, he would have
retired, leaving a space for a young player.
Meanwhile, Neesham was proving as
potent with the ball as he had been with the bat. He accounted for
Boam and Elliott with slower deliveries. When Woodcock was bowled by
Ian Butler in the 28th over Wellington needed 94 to win,
having let the rate required drift over the previous half dozen
overs. Nick Beard bowled a tight spell of slow left arm from the
northern end.
Everything now depended on James
Franklin, who batted with assurance and some style throughout. He was
well supported by Cachopa, until the little keeper attempted a
dilscoop, and ended up flat on his back, stumps spreadeagled. The
Otago bowlers did their bit: both Neesham and Wagner bowled wides
that went to the boundary (I was looking forward to seeing Wagner,
the great hope of New Zealand bowling when he finally qualifies next
year, but today he had a bad day, as anyone can).
We waited for Franklin to produce the
big over that would swing the game. Perhaps T20, in which Franklin
has been very successful as a batsman, has created a false sense of
empowerment, the feeling that the the big hit can be rolled out at
will. Here, thanks in part to more good bowling from Beard, the
moment never came, and Wellington began the final over needing 12.
Neesham was brought on to replace
Beard, which I still think was a mistake, so well was the spinner
bowling. The outcome vindicated Redmond's choice, but it was a close
run thing. Scott Kuggeleijn (son of Chris, who used to coach Northern
Districts and gave short answers to long questions from CricInfo's
man) pulled the first ball, a long hop, to the boundary. A leg
bye gave Franklin the strike. He sent the ball high in the direction
of long off. It seemed at first that it would clear the boundary by
some way, but Nathan McCullum had his eagle eye on it, and knew that
it was heading straight into his hands. An ounce more power and the
game would have been won. Kuggeleijn was also caught at long off,
this time some way in from the rope, and that was that.
A fine start to my season of
spectating, and it was free. As with four-day games, it seems that
the money taken at the gate would not have paid those who collect it.
There was no food on sale, and the game was not advertised. The
weather meant that the game was not expected to start, so it is
unfair to draw too many conclusions from the sparse crowd. But there
is something of the self-fullfilling prophesy about this approach,
and that domestic cricket appears to bestaking everything
on T20, which has the prime holiday period to itself, worries
me.
But I was not as downcast as Jamie
Siddons, who stormed into the rooms leaving the air blue behind him.
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