da apostebet： Otago could be well pleased with the way they handled the first day oftheirShell Trophy match against Auckland today for they seldom play to theirbest onthe foreign field that is the outer Eden Park field with its pitch ofvariable quality
Don Cameron13-Dec-2000Otago could be well pleased with the way they handled the first day oftheirShell Trophy match against Auckland today for they seldom play to theirbest onthe foreign field that is the outer Eden Park field with its pitch ofvariable quality.This time Otago gained most advantage of the lively pitch as theydismissedAuckland for only 157 in 79 overs, and then scored 77 for three wickets.But Otago must have wondered whether they actually bowled well on thepitch which heavily favoured the faster seam bowlers, or whether theyshould havesmashed the Auckland first innings into little pieces.Obviously overjoyed that their skipper Matt Horne had won the toss andputAuckland in to bat on a greenish pitch, the Otago seamers David Sewell,JamesMcMillan, Karl O’Dowda and Craig Pryor reacted like a lot ofsuper-chargedschoolboys just starting their holidays.With heaps of energy they banged the ball into the pitch and waited forthenew ball and the spicy pitch to do all the work.This emphasis on energy rather than accuracy made life awkward for theAuckland batsmen, but did not put their wickets in consistent danger.Instead the Aucklanders spent much of their time ducking and dodgingtheshort-pitched fliers, or watching the ball swerve wide down both sidesof the pitch.The Auckland oepeners Tim McIntosh and Blair Pocock did become thefirstand second of the five lbw victims of the day when David Sewell and KarlO’Dowdadid get the ball on target.But then John Aiken and Richard King were able to battle through tolunchat 65 for two wickets, when Otago might have expected a fourorfive-wicket haul.O’Dowda winkled out Aiken at 83, but King looked capable of foiling theerraticOtago bowlers, and leading Auckland to a half-respectable score.Then came the critical moment — the arrival at the crease of PaulWiseman,the New Zealand off-spinner in the 52nd over.Wiseman was checking the test-worthiness of his damaged ankle and didnotmake much use of some gentle spin and a useful bounce. But he did tiedown oneend, the Auckland batsmen could not relax, and frustration set in.So from 115 for three Wiseman took two wickets, as did Craig Pryor, andAuckland were close to the rocks at 124 for seven. Dion Nash offeredsomeresistance, but this time Otago did not let the Auckland batsmen off thehook.Wiseman finished with two cheap wickets and 14 overs that showed heshould be fit for the first test in December.Pryor would have tasken special delight in his best first-class bag offourwickerts for 44 from 21 overs, for he was playing against a side thathad not mademuch use of his talents over the last three or four years, leading himto becomeanother Aucklander looking for the cricketing pot of gold in Dunedin.Chris Gaffaney steadied the Otago innings after Matt Horne and AndrewHore were out at 19, and if he can survive the start tomorrow when thepitch willhave some early-morning spite he could be the man to put Otago in aneven strongerposition.