Fleming's steel bolsters innings

By Terry Maddaford
From the New Zealand Herald, 20 December 2003

Stephen Fleming's sixth test century - his second, and just five runs short of his best, on home soil - provided much-needed steel to a New Zealand innings which promised much but fell away on the first day of the first test with Pakistan yesterday.

In conditions befitting the start of summer's National Bank-sponsored international programme, New Zealand ended the day at 295 for six (with Fleming unbeaten on 125) after getting past 100 for the loss of one wicket and 200 for two.

It was an absorbing day's play which could have been weighted more in the visitors' favour had they not given up 39 extras - including an inexcusable 30 no balls.

Amid all the doubts, questions and pre-match nervousness which surrounds the first day of any cricket test, captain Fleming admitted "it might have been a good toss to lose".

When he and Mark Richardson added 101 in 130 minutes for the second wicket and with Styris a neat 100 for the third (in 107 minutes) to reach 217 for three, the boss should have been happy after being given first use of the Westpac Park pitch by Inzamam-ul-Haq.

By stumps, much of that good early labour in taming an attack, admittedly weakened by the late withdrawal of Shoaib Akhtar who cried off with a hamstring/calf injury, was undone by some average batting. From a high of 73 runs in the fifth hour, New Zealand managed just 34 in the last.

In Shoaib's absence, Mohammad Sami - who had undone New Zealand with a five-for-10 haul in the second of the just-ended five one-day international series in Pakistan - was left to shoulder the early workload.

He rarely threatened. Any good work was undone by a spate of no balls, 14 coming in his first 16 overs.

He was upstaged by his more workmanlike new ball partner Shabbir Ahmed, who removed Lou Vincent for eight and came back later to entice a false shot from Chris Cairns and then bowl Jacob Oram around his legs.

Pakistan's late rally left the match reasonably poised after the home team had threatened to clamp a vice-like grip on proceedings.

Richardson, in a typical no-frills effort at the top of the order, worked to within sight of his 17th test half-century when he called Fleming for a quick single and the ball rebounded to land just behind Fleming's legs.

In a race he was always going to struggle to win, Richardson failed by a centimetre or two to beat bowler Umar Gul on his follow through.

Gul deftly picked up on the run and under-armed the balls on to the stumps, catching the sprawling Richardson just short.

Fleming and Styris contributed their version of damage control to ensure some stability before Styris speared a simple catch to Taufeeq Umar at first slip off spinner Danish Kaneria - a path followed 23 minutes later by Craig McMillan.

Chris Cairns, too, gave a simple catch to wicketkeeper Moin Khan to hand Shabbir his third wicket. Oram was bowled 15 minutes later, leaving Robbie Hart to join Fleming and negotiate the remaining 36 minutes until stumps.

Fleming left no doubts about his feelings after scoring his highest score in 14 test innings at the ground.

"It was a great day in terms of a challenge," he said after soaking in an ice bath to ease the pain of his 342-minute innings.

"I'm feeling pretty fresh. I look at guys like Steve Waugh and Martin Crowe who came back from breaks and came back strong.

"I was edgy today. I really want this team to do well at home. Technically, it was one of my best innings.

"For us, 300 is a good score at the end of the first day after being sent in." Happy enough with that, then.

But he was not so happy with the head-high full toss bowled by Sami which whistled past his head.

"I was very angry at that," said Fleming. "Whenever a ball goes past your head like that you have to question whether it is deliberate."

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad summed up the opening day simply. "It was not a bad day.

"There was not as much in the pitch as we were expecting."

Of the horror no ball count, Miandad said: "I'm sure we will work it out tomorrow."

And work out a way to take the remaining four New Zealand wickets before they reach 400 - perhaps a winning score on a pitch which will not be any easier in a day or two.