Date:30/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093057022100.htm

Sport - Cricket

New Zealand ‘A’ flatters to deceive

Karthik Krishnaswamy

India ‘A’ manages to take a slender first innings lead

— Photo: K. Pichumani

COCK-A-HOOP: Ashok Dinda is ecstatic after breaching the defence of Nathan McCullum.

Chennai: New Zealand ‘A’ plummeted to 230 all out on the second day of its first four-day match against India ‘A’ at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, after a 90-run fourth wicket stand between Peter Fulton and James Marshall had taken the side to 179 for three.

India ‘A’ lost Shikhar Dhawan in stretching its lead from 18 to 45 in the 14.3 overs possible before bad light ended play. Trent Boult forced Dhawan with a probing line to edge a low catch to Aaron Redmond at slip.

The moment that swung day two came an hour after lunch. Fulton, who made 37 in two-and-a-half hours — his five boundaries and one six were sharp riffs amidst interludes of unhurried defence — was bowled attempting to sweep Mohnish Parmar from outside off. The score at that point read 179.

Dinda’s burst

It remained at 179 as Ashok Dinda, let loose in a three-over burst from the other end, sent Marshall and Nathan McCullum back with identical deliveries that differed only in response.

Marshall, who had hooked and uppercut two successive Dinda bouncers for four just before lunch, was trapped leg-before, feet continuing to bisect the crease even as the ball came in sharply off a full length.

McCullum, Sunday’s six-wicket hero, moved his feet, but only to make way for the ball to disturb the parallel geometry of the stumps.

The New Zealand ‘A’ batsmen’s parade continued, until No. 10 and No. 11, Michael Mason and Trent Boult, delayed tea with judicious use of the face of the bat and edges.

Their 28-run partnership ended when Parmar switched ends after a 14-over spell that had given him two wickets for just 19 runs. On his follow-through after his first delivery from the Pattabiram Gate end, Parmar leaped to his left to end the ball’s loopy journey off Boult’s bat.

Earlier, after openers Aaron Redmond and B.J. Watling had looked untroubled in the first hour against seamers Sudeep Tyagi and Dinda, Amit Mishra’s introduction produced a mini-collapse.

Mishra ended the 65-run stand by deflecting a Redmond drive onto the stumps at the bowler’s end with Watling out of his crease. In his next over an alluring leg-break deceived Redmond in the air, and his early drive ended in Yusuf Pathan’s raised hands at cover. A skimming googly then breached the gap between Greg Hay’s pads.

The scores: India ‘A’ — 1st innings: 248.

New Zealand ‘A’ — 1st innings: A. Redmond c Yusuf b Mishra 51, B.J. Watling (run out) 10, P. Fulton b Parmar 37, G. Hay b Mishra 6, J. Marshall lbw b Dinda 51, N. Broom c Vijay b Parmar 2, N. McCullum b Dinda 0, R. Young c Parmar b Tyagi 10, B. Arnel lbw b Tyagi 2, M. Mason (not out) 18, T. Boult c & b Parmar 10; Extras (b-8, lb-10, nb-14, w-1): 33; Total (in 83.1 overs): 230.

Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-71, 3-89, 4-179, 5-179, 6-179, 7-181, 8-189, 9-202.

India ‘A’ bowling: Dinda 17-3-44-2, Tyagi 15-2-49-2, Mishra 22-4-61-2, Parmar 26.1-7-57-3, Yusuf 3-2-1-0.

India ‘A’ — 2nd innings: S. Kukreja (batting) 15, S. Dhawan c Redmond b Boult 7, M. Vijay (batting) 4; Extras (w-1): 1; Total (for one wkt. in 14.3 overs): 27.

Fall of wicket: 1-12.

New Zealand ‘A’ bowling: Mason 5-1-9-0, Boult 5-3-6-1, Arnel 2.3-0-4-0, McCullum 2-0-8-0.