Signs good for Boult return
We select the XI best test victories from New Zealand as they seek their 100th win.
Trent Boult seems all but certain to return for the Boxing Day test after steaming in against Black Caps team-mates for a Victoria XI and taking the wicket of New Zealand opener Tom Latham to boot.
The star Black Caps paceman missed the first test, which Australia won comfortably by 296 runs in Perth last week, because of a rib muscle injury suffered in New Zealand’s test victory over England at Mount Maunganui last month.
But his appearance in a warmup match, albeit playing for Victoria at Scotch College in Melbourne, suggests the 30-year-old left-armer will play the second test in Australia, starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
‘‘I was a proud representative of Victoria yesterday. It was good fun and nice to get some overs under my belt, field for a bit, and get some time in my legs,’’ Boult said yesterday.
‘‘It’s all going well, I feel like I’ve ticked the right boxes in terms of my rehab and preparations, and I’m looking forward to getting out there. It was more about rhythm and loading from my point of view.’’
In the warmup match which confirmed the Black Caps are set to pick Tom Blundell as an opener in place of a struggling Jeet Raval, Boult removed Latham after he was caught at mid-off and bowled 11 overs for 1-29.
Blundell retired after scoring a brisk 59 off 70 balls as the Black Caps finished the practice fixture at 258-3, with skipper Kane Williamson (39), Ross Taylor (40), BJ Watling (37), Mitchell Santner (22) and Todd Astle (14) also retiring, while Latham (5), Henry Nicholls (20) and Neil Wagner (0) were the only players dismissed.
Boult admitted to some mental barriers ahead of his comeback and it would be a timely boost for the Black Caps with the MCG curator predicting the Boxing Day pitch will be lively.
‘‘Anyone will tell you coming back from injury, there’s a few psychological walls you need to break through,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve played 60-odd tests, so I understand what’s needed for fitness.’’
New Zealand headed to Australia earlier this month one test victory short of a century of wins.
One test drubbing later, they’re still on 99.
The next chance will begin on Boxing Day in Melbourne, with further tests this summer against Australia in Sydney and versus India in Wellington and in Christchurch.
New Zealand have made their biggest strides towards the ton this decade – they’ve won 32 tests in the past 10 years.
Compare that to the one win in the 1950s, six in the ’60s, three in the 1970s, 17 in the ’ 80s and another 17 in the ’90s, before capturing 23 test victories in the 2000s.
To mark the pursuit of a century of test triumphs, Ian Anderson delved through the archives and his own memories to compile the first XI – NZ’s top 11 victories.
As expected, one name stands out – Sir Richard Hadlee.
One of test cricket’s greatest bowlers and an all-round star for his country, Hadlee played a decisive role in more than half of New Zealand’s most memorable triumphs.
Here, in chronological order, are the First XI:
v West Indies, Auckland, 1956: Finally. After 44 tests had resulted in 22 losses and 22 draws, New Zealand won a test no-one saw coming.
‘‘In the three previous tests of the series, Everton de Courcey Weekes and his fellow West Indians hadn’t really toured; they had simply taken the lead in a regal procession,’’ revered cricket journalist Don Cameron wrote.
This was the fourth and final test in a series which had seen the tourists win the first two by an innings and the third by nine wickets.
After NZ won the toss and elected to bat at Eden Park, they took 166.5 overs to battle their way to 255, chiefly thanks to 84 from skipper John Reid. Four wickets apiece to Tony MacGibbon and Harry Cave allowed the hosts a surprise first innings lead of 110.
Denis Atkinson took 7-53 off a mammoth 40 overs as NZ declared at 157-9, leaving the West Indies needing 268 to win.
But Cave was key in reducing them to 18-5, with legendary allrounder Garfield Sobers run out for one. Weekes, who had made scores of 123, 103 and 156 in the three previous tests, was the last hope for the Windies but he was caught on the boundary by Noel McGregor from a miscued swipe at a Jack Alabaster long-hop for 31 and the maiden victory was claimed soon after by 190 runs.
New Zealand 255 (J Reid 84; D Dewdney 5-21) and 157-9 dec (D Atkinson 7-53) beat West Indies 145 (H Furlonge 64; A MacGibbon 4-44, H Cave 4-22) and 77 (Cave 4-21) by 190 runs.
v Australia, Christchurch, 1974: When NZ hosted Australia at Lancaster Park, there had been just another six test wins in 18 years, and none in the previous four seasons.
Australia had treated their cousins like second-class citizens since the first transTasman test in 1946, so the underdogs desperately sought validation and victory.
Glenn Turner was the foundation of NZ’s first triumph over Australia – he made 101 in the first innings – after the visitors had batted first – to help eke out a lead of 22 runs, when NZ’s next-best score was 24 from wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth.
Three Australians made half-centuries in their second dig but Richard Hadlee’s 4-71 and 4-75 from bother Dayle left the hosts with a target of 228.
There was a hiccup when skipper Bevan Congdon was run out, putting NZ perilously placed at 62-3, but Brian Hastings provided solid support as Turner batted for more than six hours to make an unbeaten 110 – allowing Wadsworth (who would die just over two years later) to cover-drive the winning runs.
Australia 223 (I Redpath 71) and 259 (D Walters
65, Redpath 58, I Davis 50; R Hadlee 4-71, D Hadlee
4-75) lost to New Zealand 255 (G Turner 101; M Walker
4-60) and 230-5 (Turner 110 no) by five wickets.
v England, Wellington, 1978: A win over England remained a prized treasure NZ had yet to grab in 48 years until this encounter at the Basin Reserve.
NZ’s first dig of 228 seemed uninspiring – opener John Wright took almost six hours to make an agonising 55 in his test debut, which was the highest score of the innings as seamer Chris Old captured 6-54 off 30 overs.
As if to prove a point about being the king of slow-scoring, Geoff Boycott then spent 442 minutes compiling 77 as the two Richards, Hadlee and Collinge, grabbed seven wickets to give NZ a 13-run advantage.
Hopes of a breakthrough victory appeared to vanish when a Bob Willis-inspired bowling unit ripped through the hosts after they’d reached 82-1, losing their next nine wickets for 41. But Collinge yorked Boycott for one and took three quick wickets to tear England open. Hadlee got rid of the young tyro Ian Botham and whipped through the tail as the visitors were bowled out for 64.
New Zealand 228 (J Wright 55; C Old
6-54) and 123 (R Willis 5-32) beat England 215 (G Boycott 77; R Hadlee
4-74) and 64 (Hadlee 6-26) by 72 runs.
v West Indies, Dunedin,
1980: NZ’s most nerveracking test victory came against a touring side that had won the first two oneday World Cups and were developing into the dominant test team of a generation.
Featuring the star opening partnership of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, captain Clive Lloyd and the terrifying bowling spearheads Michael Holding and Joel Garner, the West Indies were expected to wipe the floor with NZ in a three-test series.
But Hadlee was the star of day one, with his five-wicket haul helping dismiss the tourists for
140 and NZ had knocked 30 of those of by stumps without loss. Day two was more of a battle, but a Hadlee half-century gave the hosts at Carisbrook a 109-run advantage.
Haynes backed up his first innings 50 by making a ton in the second dig but only two other batsmen got past 12 as Hadlee delivered match figures of 11-102 to leave his side needing 104 for victory.
But it’s seldom that easy for NZ in second innings chases. Holding was rapid while Garner and Colin Croft steamed in and barely before fans could blink, NZ were 54-7.
Hadlee made 17, Lance Cairns pushed back his natural instincts to provide a crucial 19 from
43 balls and got invaluable and unexpected help from Gary Troup at No 10 with seven in almost an hour.
Cairns fell with NZ four short of their target but Troup and hometown hero Stephen Boock saw the hosts home, with the winning runs coming from a frantically-scrambled leg bye.
West Indies 140 (D Haynes 55; Hadlee 5-34) and
212 (Haynes 105; Hadlee 6-68) lost to New Zealand
249 (B Edgar 65, Hadlee 51) and 104-9 by one wicket.
v England, Leeds, 1983: NZ’s first test win in England came in a match where Richard Hadlee didn’t take a wicket.
Their bowling hero instead was Lance Cairns, who captured his first and only 10-wicket bag in tests. The burly inswinging folk hero took 7-74 with the aid of excellent catching before Wright and Bruce Edgar helped the visitors establish a sizeable firstinnings lead. Edgar’s innings came in two parts after retiring hurt early while Hadlee ensured his presence would still be noted by making 75 at No 7.
David Gower’s elegant unbeaten 112 was England’s only notable second innings resistance as Ewen Chatfield snared five wickets, leaving NZ to totter their way to a fivewicket triumph.
England 225 (C Tavare 69, A Lamb 58; L Cairns 7-74) and 252 (D Gower 112no; E Chatfield 5-95) lost to New Zealand 377 (Wright 93, Edgar 84, Hadlee 75) and 103-5 by five wickets.
v England, Christchuch, 1984: This one wasn’t close.
Tony Pigott, playing for Wellington as an import at the time, postponed his wedding to make his test debut for an injury-plagued visiting team – and soon wished he hadn’t.
On a sporting wicket, England insisted on bowling short and Hadlee combated it by flaying 99 from 81 balls as NZ’s first innings of 307 came from just 72.1 overs on day one.
In favourable bowling conditions after a rain break on day two, England crumbled to be rolled for 82 and fared no better when sent back in, with Derek Randall’s 25 their highest score over two innings as the test was done in half the scheduled time.
New Zealand 307 (Hadlee 99) beat England 82 and 93 (Hadlee 5-28) by an innings and 132 runs.
v Pakistan, Dunedin, 1985: OK, this one was as fingernail-reducing as the win over the Windies at the same venue.
The final official margin said two wickets, but that didn’t take into the equation that Lance Cairns had suffered a suspected hairline fracture of the skull and was never going to return to the crease in this test, despite his intentions.
Hadlee – again – turned the game when Pakistan crumbled from 241-2 batting first to be all out for 274. But that was still enough for a first innings lead as Wasim Akram – who’d made his test debut aged 18 in the previous test in Auckland – took 5-56.
The diminutive Qasim Umar completed a fine match double with a standout 89 in Pakistan’s second innings but NZ were left to chase 298. When Akram had reduced the hosts to 23-4 with a fine display of pace and swing, the target seemed awfully distant, but Martin Crowe was still at the wicket and joined by the obstinate Jeremy Coney.
Crowe became a rare victim of Tahir Naqqash’s underwhelming test career on 84 with NZ still 98 short of victory and when the helmet-less Cairns was forced to retire hurt after being struck in the head by an Akram bouncer, Coney seemed destined to run out of partners.
But Chatfield made his highest test score – an unbowed 21 from 84 balls – as he and Coney added an unbroken 50 for effectively the last wicket, with Coney joyously bringing up victory by turning one off his hip for two and high-gaiting it off the field as the crowd raced on.
Pakistan 274 (Q Umar 96, J Miandad 79; Hadlee 6-51) and 223 (Umar 89) lost to New Zealand 220 (M Crowe 57; W Akram 5-56) and 278-8 (J Coney 111no, M Crowe 84; Akram 5-72) by two wickets.
v Australia, Brisbane, 1985: This was Richard Hadlee’s test.
That’s despite one of Martin Crowe’s most glorious tons – 188 from 328 balls – and 108 from John Reid in NZ’s first innings of 553-7 declared; which was the highest innings total in their test history to date.
But those came after NZ’s greatest player had taken all but one of Australia’s first innings wickets in a masterful display of swing and control. Hadlee’s 9-52 was his career-best and at that stage the fourth best bowling figures in test history.
He played his part in the other wicket to fall, giving Vaughan Brown his maiden – and ultimately only – test scalp when catching Geoff Lawson after he’d taken the first eight.
Skipper Allan Border wasn’t going to make victory easy however and made an unbeaten 152, while a man with a habit of annoying Kiwis, Greg Matthews, made his maiden test century.
Yet Hadlee wouldn’t be denied, taking six more for match figures of 15-123 as NZ won by an innings and 41 runs.
Australia 179 (K Wessels 70; R Hadlee 9-52) and 333 (A Border 152no, G Matthews 115; Hadlee 6-71) lost to New Zealand 553-7 dec (M Crowe 188, J Reid 108) by an innings and 41 runs.
v England, Lord’s, 1999: Victory at the home of cricket for the first time.
This was a strong NZ side – Stephen Fleming leading Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Adam Parore, Daniel Vettori and Chris Cairns.
It was Cairns who set the tone, taking
6-77 in England’s first innings before Matt Horne batted for six hours to make exactly
100.
England were 172 behind when they commenced their second dig and they never looked like salvaging anything – Andy Caddick, batting at No 8, top-scored with 45 and NZ lost only Horne in chasing down 58 with more than a day to spare.
England 186 (N Hussain 61, A Stewart 50; C Cairns 6-77) and 229 lost to New Zealand 358 (M Horne 100, D Vettori 54, R Twose 52) and 60-1 by nine wickets.
v Australia, Hobart, 2011: After losing by nine wickets the previous week, hopes weren’t high for the Kiwis in the Tasmanian capital.
So when NZ were rolled for 150 in 45.5 overs on day one after being sent in, it wasn’t a great shock. What was surprising though was how that turned out to be enough for a first innings lead, which NZ had stretched to 153 with seven wickets up their sleeve by the end of day two.
But once Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor were separated on day three, Australia seemingly put themselves in the box seat, needing 240 with oodles of time remaining.
In his second test, David Warner – then famed only for his brazen Twenty20 exploits – took that approach to the chase and with Ricky Ponting looked poised to inflict another defeat across the Tasman for the Black Caps.
Yet Doug Bracewell dismissed the home side’s spine of Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey without a run being added and while Warner remained, NZ got rid of No 11 Nathan Lyon with the hosts still seven runs short of denying New Zealand their first test win in Australia since 1985.
New Zealand 150 (D Brownlie 56; J Pattinson
5-51) and 226 (R Taylor 56) beat Australia 136 and
233 (D Warner 123no; D Bracewell 6-40) by seven runs.
v Pakistan, 2018, Abu Dhabi: This had all the hallmarks of another NZ batting disaster on a turning ‘sub-continent’ – this time, Middle East – wicket.
Only Williamson looked like he had the skills to battle Pakistan’s spinners in the first innings but Trent Boult ensured the first innings deficit in a low-scoring encounter was just 74.
That didn’t seem important as only two Black Caps passed 50 in their second dig as leggie Yasir Shah took seven wickets for the match, leaving Pakistan requiring only 176 for victory.
They got to 130-3 before the wheels fell off – debutant left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel took 5-59 as a nervy ‘home’ side’s middleorder and tail capitulated.
New Zealand 153 (K Williamson 63) and 259 (BJ Watling 59, H Nicholls 55; Y Shah 5-110) beat Pakistan 227 (B Azam 62; T Boult 4-54) and 171 (A Ali 65; A Patel 5-59) by four runs.