India will be happy to get moving in the tri-series with a facile win against Zimbabwe though from our Test experience here, the wicket seems to have slowed down. Our guys call Harare a slower version of the Gabba where there is little assistance and movement for the bowlers. It is a kind of pitch where those who swing the ball stand a better chance of succeeding than purely seam bowlers.That makes us look forward to the next game against India, a side we would most probably meet in the finals. Their fast bowlers have done exceptionally well as a unit and it is something similar to what’s happening with us in New Zealand. James Franklin swings it well and we have a nice balance in our pace department. Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar, give the Indians a good crop of impressive young bowlers. They can be exceptionally dangerous in these circumstances and I have a feeling whoever bowls better and tighter, will hold the edge.Purely from a personal point of view, I would like to push home the advantage I have gained over the Indians from the first game. My job is to try and do better than the Indians, to outperform the likes of Nehra, Pathan and Agarkar. It’s a challenge that I look forward to.In the game against India at Bulawayo, we knew from the start that taking good care of the top three Indian batsmen, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, could keep them under pressure. We realised that coming from low wickets of the sub-continent, they could find it difficult to adjust to these conditions. So bowling short-pitched deliveries was the obvious choice. We definitely tried to do it against Ganguly, as well as against Sehwag who can be a devastating batsman if he is afforded the width. It is the same when the ball is pitched up to him.It feels good that success is coming to me with the new ball for in the Test matches against Zimbabwe, I bowled a fair deal with the older ball. In a way it was good that I played Tests before the one-dayers for it upped my confidence and improved my rhythm. I am able to swing it a lot more and that is most welcome. It has been the kind of return I have been hoping for in the international arena. There are a lot of things which I am now doing differently, including my action and approach to the game. No longer do I strive to be a tearaway bowler. I am a lot smarter bowler who can bowl reasonably fast when I want to but I don’t need to do it all the time.Previously I was an emotional bowler who would just be fired up with the ball in his hand and try to bowl as hard as I could. Sustaining such methods throughout was tough to follow up and the harder I tried, the more I opened myself to injury. Now I am smarter and can switch to speed because my energy levels are better spaced. It is also a good protection against injury. I have mixed emotions to New Zealand’s light Test schedule in the next few months. The run of one-day internationals could allow me to settle into a nice groove and when it is time for Tests against West Indies and South Africa next year, I could be better prepared. Every cricketer looks forward to Tests and I am no different. However for a bowler returning from injury, it is important he is not over-bowled all too quickly. Frankly, I am just glad to be back on the field.It would be all too easy and stereotype for me to declare that I hate batsmen and perhaps blood on the pitch is not too bad an idea. But that’s not the truth and besides, Indians and Zimbabweans are truly very nice fellows. It is just that I am very competitive with the ball in my hand and try to do as well as I can for my team.
Sri Lanka Cricket has officially launched the bid process for the sale ofits broadcasting and sponsorship rights for a four-year period starting inJan 2005. Prospective broadcasters and rights brokers must submit formalbids by July 22.Taj Television, the Dubai-based satellite broadcaster which has held SriLankan cricket rights since October 2001, is the early frontrunner in thebid process, having already indicated a willingness to table a record offer,said to be close to USD $ 35 million according to board sources.But Taj Television is also likely to face stiff competition, especially fromSony Max and ESPN Star, the other two Asian cricket broadcasters, becausethe four-year period will include three India visits, for one-day tri-seriesin 2005 and 2006 as well as a full tour in 2008.A three-year rights offer in 2003 flopped because Sri Lanka were unable toconfirm any India tours. The board was forced to abandon the sale untilIndia’s involvement had been secured. England and Australia, the other twomajor money-spinners in the cricket rights world, are also scheduled to tourSri Lanka during the contract period.Sri Lanka Cricket is hopeful that the sale of the rights will safeguard itsfinancial future after a difficult two years. The board faced possibleinsolvency after WSG Nimbus, a sports rights company, successfully sued theboard for unlawfully cancelling its contract in 2001. The board faces apossible US$ 6 million payout.
For the last two or three seasons, Zimbabwe’s pace attack has consisted of Heath Streak – when fit – and two or three ineffective back-up seamers who seem to bowl at least two four-balls every over and have about as much chance of earning a wicket as Saddam Hussain has of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.Perhaps this is rather harsh, but a look at many of the opposition totals during that time shows clearly the weakness of the Zimbabwean `attack’ – South Africa 600 for three in five sessions in Harare is one example. But now two young players in Andy Blignaut and Douglas Hondo are progressing beyond the cannon-fodder stage to take their place alongside their captain as bowlers of genuine international quality.Douggie Hondo in particular has started his first tour of England with a bang. He took a bagful of wickets against the British Universities in the first match and then, against Worcestershire, three in one over to turn the course of the innings.Douggie is not the quickest of bowlers, but he moves the ball predominantly away from the bat and can coax surprising bounce out of flat pitches. He has had some experience of English conditions before, after playing two seasons for Lydney in 1999 and 2000.Douggie is a very laidback character: “nothing fazes him,” said one of his team-mates. “He’s the Bob Marley of the side – his hairstyle, not his smoking habits!””It started off very cold,” Douggie says of the Universities match at Edgbaston, Birmingham, “so it took me a long time to warm up and get into it. But when I started hitting line and length, it was no different to any other match. I bowl a bit fuller here (at Worcester).”At Worcester, Zimbabwe lost the toss and had to field on a pitch that had already been used and showed definite wear at one end. “It was doing quite a lot,” he says, “but we started off bowling too short, so we didn’t get the batsmen fishing around for it. But whenever we pitched it up, it looked like something was going to happen. Sometimes things just don’t click together, but when they did we got the wickets. `Blidge’ (Andy Blignaut) bowled well in spells and so did the two spinners (Raymond Price and Grant Flower).”Geoff Marsh keeps things simple for his team and his game plan for the Worcestershire innings was simply, “Take all your chances and get one run-out. Bowl in your channels.” Douggie’s channel was off stump, moving the ball away towards the slips.Douggie bowled without effect for quite a while. Worcestershire were coasting at 187 for three. Then Douggie struck, seaming the first ball of the over away off the pitch; Kadeer Ali played defensively at it but only succeeded in edging it to wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu.New batsman Andrew Hall took a single and Ben Smith, on 53, blocked the third ball of the over. Douggie again got the fourth ball to seam away off the pitch, Smith pushed at it and again Taibu accepted the catch. Gareth Batty came in and departed first ball, beaten and bowled all ends up by a pinpoint yorker. “Don’t give a batsman a chance when he comes in,” Douggie grins.Not surprisingly, Vikram Solanki, Worcestershire’s top scorer with 74, impressed Douggie the most with the bat. “He looked the most solid of all the players,” Douggie says. But Solanki did throw away his wicket unnecessarily, stumped as he leapt down the pitch to try to hit Raymond Price out of the ground. “Pressure,” says Douggie. “That’s what we were trying to do, keep him under pressure.”Did he bowl any differently to Solanki? “The same,” says Douggie, but then admits he did adjust his length a little. “He started looking to drive (off the front foot), so I tried to force him back a bit and he wasn’t quite there.”The pitch continued to move around throughout the day, and Zimbabwe in turn struggled, finishing the day on 69 for three. Most of the movement for Douggie was off the pitch: “I’m more of a seamer, but I swung a few.” The Worcestershire pace bowlers appeared more dangerous than the Zimbabwean seamers, even Douggie for much of his 13-over spell – he took three for 53.But Douggie did find himself struggling a bit with the variable weather during the day. It began bright and sunny, but clouded over on and off throughout the day, and when it was cloudy it was quite cold. “It made me struggle a bit when it got cold,” he says. “I had to warm myself up to bowl. I become a bit more chirpy when the sun is out.””They kept the pressure on us,” Douggie compliments them. “And we stuck it out – kind of!” Grant Flower, who scored a century against the Universities, struggled to make 18. “You have your days; everyone has their days,” Douggie says philosophically. Zimbabweans will be hoping that their genial assassin will have more `days’ on this England tour.
Graham Thorpe has spoken of his immense disappointment at being sidelined once again because of injury.The Surrey left-hander has been ruled out of the Third npower Test at Trent Bridge because of a cracked bone in his right hand, sustained while facing a blistering burst from Australian paceman Brett Lee during the defeat at Lord’s.Thorpe had already been out of the game for nearly seven weeks before the Second npower Test with a damaged calf.After his heroics during England’s victorious tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka during the winter, Thorpe has been brought crashing back to earth.”The hand specialist has said I will be out of action for three weeks, leaving me little chance of making an impression in the Ashes series, and what I thought was going to be one of the most exciting summers of my career is turning out to be the most disappointing,” he said in his column on the Channel 4 website, cricket4.com.”I have played the game long enough not to get too carried away by success or failure, and even after our recent victories I knew the game could come back and hit us right where it hurts.”That has happened to me quite literally with two separate injuries keeping me out for nearly three months of the season. From a personal point of view I started June feeling very positive and with high expectations for the rest of the summer.”Normally I start the English season slowly but this year I was in good form straight away and felt I was ready to take on the best team in the world. This was my chance to live up to the world-class tag that had been placed on me after success in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.”I believe you have to measure yourself against the best and I went into this Ashes series thinking that we could compete with them at last.”However I have suffered two injury setbacks with the calf strain keeping me out for six weeks and now the broken bone in my hand which will rule me out for three weeks. This latest injury is a real hammer blow and has come at the worst possible time.”I simply cannot describe how disappointed I feel at the moment. It has come as such a shock after having so much success since I returned to the England team last summer.”Although Thorpe may be out for three weeks, there must be some doubt whether he will play in the Fourth Test at Headingley because he will have had so little match practice for the best part of three months.He said: “There will be little action left in the series by the time I’ve recovered from this injury and I’ll feel a good opportunity has passed me by. As a player you always look forward to an Ashes series and after having six weeks off I was determined to come back and make a mark.”When I was struck on the hand by Brett Lee I knew I had suffered a bad injury. I could not make a fist or hold the bat properly and probably wouldn’t have come out after tea. Lee was pumped up but I was determined not to show that he had hurt me and I was in pain, but in the end he got me out a couple of balls later.”Thorpe continued: “It was a very hard Test for me anyway. I went into the match without any match practice but felt I could do a job for England, and I don’t regret it.”We have not competed with Australia so far in this series and from a team perspective that is the most disappointing aspect of the first two Tests. At the start of the series we said it would be vital to take our chances but we have dropped catches, which has naturally increased the pressure on us.”It’s an extremely tall order for us to come back and win the series, but what we can do though is get back to the standards we set over the winter and stand up to Australia. They have had it all their own way and we just don’t know how they’ll react if we start putting them under pressure. We are simply not helping ourselves at the moment and we need to start giving ourselves a chance of winning.”
A little known fact for you: today was the first Liverpool Premier League game without Steven Gerrard registered in the squad since May 1998. That’s 17 years with a tub-thumping Gerrard at the heart of all things Liverpool.
It was always going to difficult (impossible) to replace Gerrard but it will be very interesting to see how the club move on with their favourite son tearing it up for LA Galaxy in the MLS.
Liverpool’s first game of this season, against the same Stoke team that tore them to shreds with a 6-1 drubbing on the final day of last term, offered as a few tantalising clues of what can be expected post-Gerrard – even if it did end up being a relatively dour 1-0 win for the Reds.
Grab yourself a biscuit and enjoy our three things we learned about a Liverpool sans Gerrard offering
1. Milner and Henderson just won’t do
James Milner and Jordan Henderson (especially the latter now he’s got the captaincy) have got some big boots to fill and, on today’s showing, but are going to need to up their game considerably.
Between the two of them they offer fantastic honest hard graft but what was clear from today was that Liverpool were desperately missing some creativity from deep. Phillipe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, though nott setting the world alight themselves (until the Brazilian’s scorcher), were starved of possession from early on and consequently Liverpool failed to ever really click into gear.
The supposed theory behind having Henderson and Milner as a deep-lying two posits that this will build a foundation for Liverpool’s more gifted attaching midfielders to work off, but on the evidence of today, this s
2. Someone needs to step up and become the main man at Anfield
Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling. Regardless of what they did or didn’t achieve at the club, these are all BIG characters with distinctive playing styles that have left Anfield in the last couple years.
Of course, when you’re bringing in an influx of new names and faces, it’s always going to become difficult to achieve a solid identity or persona, in the same way that Gerrard characterised everything about the club or Suarez brought to life those around him in only the way he can.
This one is just a matter of time and hoping that certain individuals begin to impose themselves on both the team and the club in a manner necessary for the club to continue challenging at the business end of the season. Phillipe Coutinho showed glimpses of what he’s fully capable of last year and after providing the decisive moment in the win at Stoke, Liverpool fans will be desperate for him to push on and do for the club what Eden Hazard has done, for example, at Chelsea.
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3. The team feels it lacks an identity
Wasn’t this season supposed to be the season we see Liverpool fully adopt the certified Brendan Rodgers brand of passing football?
Admittedly Stoke isn’t the easiest place to come to play football – reference any sort of Stoke-based meme from the last five years – yet Liverpool looked a long way from displaying a coherent system.
Where does Emre Can fit into the system and are Phillipe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino too alike to fit into the same starting XI? Despite a promising win in the first game of the campaign, there are still a lot of questions that need answering at Anfield.
Shoaib Akhtar has been cleared to play in the IPL after the Appellate Tribunal decided to suspend his five-year ban for one month, until they reconvene on June 4. The PCB has, in turn, granted Shoaib a No Objection Certificate to feature in the IPL, where he will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, confirmed that Shoaib will play the tournament. “We look forward to Shoaib playing for us,” Modi said. “I am going to call him immediately and invite him to come to Kolkata tonight or tomorrow morning.”Farrukh Aftab, the head of the three-man tribunal, announced the decision. “We have suspended the ban for one month and the next hearing will be held on June 4,” Aftab told reporters in Lahore. “Had we not suspended the ban, he could not have been played the in IPL, which we thought was injustice to Akhtar.”Meanwhile, Shoaib expressed relief after his clearance. “This is a great relief for me as I am keen to play in the IPL,” Shoaib said. “But this is just one battle won and we still have to win the final case.”The tribunal’s decision to grant Shoaib a temporary reprieve comes after his lawyers pressed for the suspension of his ban.Earlier, the tribunal, on April 30, had decided to uphold the PCB’s ban on an interim-basis. Shoaib was banned for comments he made after not being offered a contract by the PCB, in which he lashed out at domestic tournaments, pitches and the administration in general. He made the comments while on a two-year probation after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the World Twenty20 last year. Shoaib has the additional burden of dealing with a Rs 22 crore (approx US$3.37 million) defamation suit filed against him by PCB chief Nasim Ashraf.The Knight Riders franchise, which signed him for US$425,000 in the player auctions, would welcome his arrival and hope for a turnaround in their fortunes. The team has suffered four consecutive losses after winning their first two games. Shoaib returns to one of his memorable hunting grounds, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where the team has five remaining home games. His was a revelation in his first Test at the venue, picking up eight wickets in a match-winning effort.
Jason Arnberger, the Victoria opener, could become an umpire as soon as next season. Arnberger missed all of 2006-07 with a persistent back injury and is waiting to hear from surgeons whether his playing days are over.Arnberger was not given a Cricket Victoria contract for 2007-08 and although he would like to play on, he realises that is no certainty. His problem relates to a joint where his pelvis joins his spine and while doctors have been deciding on his future, he has been doing part-time work as a delivery man and has started an umpiring course.”It’s a career that has interested me for a while now,” Arnberger told . “Although I would love to play the game for a couple more years, I know there’s a chance I may never play again, so I am seriously considering the move.”If a return to batting is ruled out, Arnberger will speak to Cricket Victoria about a possible full-time umpiring position. Arnberger believes the calibre of umpiring in Australia has fallen away in the last decade but he hopes that decline can be arrested. “I think it can improve,” he said. “I think that the standard has dropped off a little bit since I came to Victoria. And they’re struggling to get the numbers at the moment, so the more better candidates they can get, the better.”He has discussed his possible move with Paul Reiffel, his former Victoria team-mate who now regularly officiates in first-class matches, and Paul Wilson, the fast bowler who played one Test for Australia and is now umpiring in Western Australia. “They have told me they enjoy it,” Arnberger said.”I think it’s a bit more difficult when you get up to four-day cricket and the pressure builds up but I certainly want to give it a go. And umpiring at grade level appeals to me, too, because I know a lot of the players and feel as though I will be able to stay in the game a lot longer.”A significant number of umpires in England’s domestic cricket have played at first-class level and although it is less common in Australia, there has been a gradual increase in recent years. Two of the three who officiated in this year’s Pura Cup final – Rod Tucker and Bruce Oxenford – were former state players.Arnberger, 34, was keen to have been a part of Victoria’s campaign last season after a strong 2005-06 in which he was the Bushrangers’ second leading Pura Cup run-scorer, with 721 at 45.06. His first three seasons were with New South Wales but he moved to Victoria in 1997-98 and quickly became a regular at the top of the order, currently sitting seventh on the state’s all-time run list.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) have again committed themselves to a new dispensation of cooperation, after settling their latest pay dispute. The two sides have also pledged to work together to dispose of all outstanding matters (including retainer contracts) no later than August 31.The WICB have agreed to pay the players a total of US$100,000 for the four preliminary matches in the upcoming tri-series in Singapore and Malaysia, and an additional US$50,000 if the team reaches the final.”WICB and WIPA each recognise their common interest in the development and success of West Indies cricket,” a joint statement signed by Ken Gordon, the WICB president and Dinanath Ramnarine, the WIPA executive president said. “The relationship in the past has been one of conflict and controversy – a situation which is inimical to West Indies cricket, particularly for the stability, growth, and development of the game in the Caribbean.”Both parties recognise the goodwill which has made this agreement possible and restate their desire to improve the earnings of the Board and the Players whenever practicable.”The parties settled the dispute, after the WIPA agreed to accept a minimum fee of US$30,000 for the junior players and the upper figure for the more seasoned players now stands at US$75,000. The WICB claimed that the WIPA’s original demands for payments ranging from US$40,000 to $US95,000 per player was unacceptable.The two parties have also committed themselves to making public statements on controversial issues, only after every reasonable effort has been made to resolve differences internally.”Both parties acknowledge that there is a Dispute Resolution Process, as is contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement which will be signed by August 31 and emphasise their commitment to follow this process,” the statement said. “Both parties commit themselves to engage in a relationship of mutual respect and the honouring of all agreements arrived at between the parties.”
Rahul Dravid has expressed his confidence in the Indian batting line-up despite the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Speaking to the media before leaving for Colombo for the triangular IndianOil one-day tournament also involving the hosts and West Indies, Dravid said: “There is still a lot of quality in our batting. Both Sourav and Sachin are experienced players. It [their non-availability] gives an opportunity to some of the other guys to show they can play at this level.”Tendulkar, the leading scorer in one-dayers with 13,642 runs, has been ruled out of the tournament following an elbow surgery. While, Ganguly provisionally included in the squad, is doubtful as he is serving a six-match ban for his team’s slow over-rate during the home one-day series against Pakistan in April. A decision on his suspension is expected to be announced next week.”The composition of the side gives us the option to play whatever combination welike,” said Dravid. “We do have two specialist spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. If the conditions permit, we might play both of them or it will be three pacemen and one spinner.”Suresh Raina, the all-rounder, and Venugopal Rao, the middle-order batsman, are the uncapped players in the team.Greg Chappell, the new coach, said his team needed to show consistency if theyaimed to begin the fresh season on a bright note. “Our aim in the series is to play consistent cricket,” said Chappell. “The players will have to do the basics right day in, day out. If they can do that, the outcome will look after itself.”India is scheduled to take on Sri Lanka at Dambulla on July 30 and West Indies the following day.Indian squad:Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Jai Prakash Yadav, Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao, Mahender Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Laxmipathy Balaji, Sourav Ganguly.
Andrew Strauss became only the fourth player to score a Test century on debut at Lord’s to put England on top in the first Test. After New Zealand were bowled out for 386 shortly before lunch, boosted by a whirlwind innings from Chris Cairns, Strauss scored a memorable 112 on his home ground, and put on 190 with Marcus Trescothick as England closed on a healthy 246 for 2.Apart from that thumping thunderbolt of a knock by Cairns – 82 from 47 balls – in which time he went past Viv Richards for the most sixes ever hit in Tests, it was unquestionably England’s day. Stephen Harmison helped wrap up the tail with three quick wickets in the morning, and then Trescothick and the impressive Strauss put their side in control with a commanding batting display.It couldn’t have gone much better for Strauss, who joined several exclusive clubs. He became the first England player to score a hundred on Test debut since Graham Thorpe in 1993, and the first Middlesex player to do so for England at Lord’s (indeed no Englishman had ever scored a Test-debut century on his home ground before). He also became the second Englishman, behind John Hampshire, to score a debut ton on this ground, and the second Middlesex cricketer to make a century in his first Test match, after Pelham Warner against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1898-99.Strauss must have had a few extra nerves jangling when he came out to bat shortly before lunch. However, he was in good touch from the off and looked like an old hand. He was surprisingly assured for a debutant, driving well through the off side, and also quick to pick off anything on his legs. He was positive from the start, smacking Chris Martin through the covers, and then lifting him over gully for his half-century.His confidence then grew and grew, and Martin, in particular, came in for punishment as Stephen Fleming was left scratching his head for ideas to break Strauss’s impressive partnership with Trescothick. Strauss did have one spot of bother when, on 74, he was nearly run out by Mark Richardson at short leg after coming down the track to Daniel Vettori. He continued to make good progress towards his century, but became stuck in the nervous nineties – and also survived an enormous slice of luck at 91, when he inside-edged Martin firmly onto his off stump, but the bails miraculously stayed put as the ball flew for four.He spent all of 40 minutes scratching around in the nineties, but it was worth the wait when he stroked Martin through the covers to start the celebrations. Strauss punched the air and took off his helmet as the crowd rose to their feet. He even got a handshake from Fleming, the New Zealand captain and a former Middlesex team-mate. His adventure finally came to an end, though, when he clipped Vettori, via his pad, to Richardson at short leg with four overs remaining (239 for 2).Strauss’s enthralling entrance to Test cricket rather overshadowed the captain Trescothick’s innings, which was all about timing and placement. As usual, he didn’t move his feet much, but waited for the ball to come to him. He got going by punching Daryl Tuffey down the ground for four, and then cut Jacob Oram to the boundary in the next over. Not even Cairns could repeat his earlier heroics with the ball, as he was cut and driven with ease. Trescothick then signalled his half-century, and the hundred partnership, with a crunching cover-drive off Martin. Trescothick received the applause, but he was quick to thank Strauss at the other end.However, Oram finally put a smile on the New Zealanders’ faces when Trescothick nibbled at an awayswinger through to Brendon McCullum, the wicketkeeper, for a captain’s innings of 86 (190 for 1).Mark Butcher survived a few close shouts for lbw before the close, but he played an important part in helping Strauss before finishing on 22 not out at the end of a good day’s work for England, started by Harmison under early gloomy skies. Harmison struck on his fifth ball of the day when Oram nicked him through to Geraint Jones for 67 (287 for 6). But just when England managed to get rid of one big hitter, another one, in the form of Cairns, strode to the crease with intent.
He walloped Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones all round Lord’s with some outrageous and extravagant strokes. But the fun really started as he approached a lightning half-century, which he notched up from only 37 balls by flicking Jones over midwicket. Jones was then deposited into the Mound Stand for six, and then Cairns somehow squirted Harmison over point for another. That shot took him to 84 Test sixes, equal with Richards at the top of the list.The six which took him clear was probably one of the highest of the 85, over square leg. For good measure, he hit the next one into the crowd over point. Andrew Flintoff did get his man the third time, when Cairns went for another big one, but scooped it down to fine leg, where Harmison took a good running catch to close the innings.Cairns’s cameo was all the more important considering the tumble of wickets around him. Tuffey, the nightwatchman, was bowled all ends up by Harmison (324 for 7), McCullum inside-edged a Jones half-tracker into his stumps (329 for 8), and Vettori also played on, to Harmison, for 2 (338 for 9).