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England v New Zealand
Mar 13-17 |
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Confident New Zealand hold all the aces
First appearances can be deceptive and for three days the Hamilton Test looked a nailed-on draw. Then wickets started to tumble, but while New Zealand's collapse was partly a result of over-confidence with a sizeable lead already secured, England's was the complete opposite. They are a team bereft of any form, yet capitulating for 110 on what was still a decent pitch is one of their worst efforts of recent times. A series that was meant to signal a recovery for England is now lurching towards an embarrassment. New Zealand were outstanding last week, led from the front by Daniel Vettori, and they head to Wellington with everything in their favour.
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Captain fantastic: Daniel Vettori led from the front in Hamilton as New Zealand took a series lead
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Weather, |
Wellington
Cloudy
High: 18°C |
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New Zealand (probable): Jamie How, Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori (capt), Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.
England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Andrew Strauss, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Tim Ambrose (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty Panesar.
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| Your guide to who's hot and who's not in the New Zealand v England Test Series. |
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Ryan Sidebottom
The one positive England took from Hamilton was Sidebottom's 10-wicket haul and his hat-trick, the 11th by an England bowler in Tests. He is now far and away their most consistent bowler and his efforts are even more commendable given the lack of support. Some of his team-mates could learn from his commitment and attitude and everyone is asking where he was for those six years.
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Daniel Vettori
Adam Gilchrist is leaving the international stage, but in McCullum there is a player capable of carrying the flag for destructive wicketkeeper-batsmen. He was the star performer during the one-day series, giving England's quick bowlers neck-ache as he dispatched them into the stands, and his form continued with an amazing 170 off 108 balls in the domestic one-day final.
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Kevin Pietersen After his breathtaking entry into international cricket, have opponents worked Pietersen out? In Hamilton, Daniel Vettori was willing to set defensive fields to choke his run-scoring strengths, and it worked as he crawled to 42 in 131 deliveries in the first innings, his slowest scoring rate in any Test innings. What’s more, in nine Tests since June 2007, he averages 19.44 in first innings.
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Mathew Sinclair
Most New Zealand players came out with their reputations enhanced after Hamilton, however Sinclair struggled in both innings. He was already under pressure going into the match and will be nervously looking over his shoulder. The home side can't always rely on their lower order to stabilise an innings and Sinclair needs to fire.
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Stephen Fleming
It looked as though Fleming was playing on a different pitch to everyone else as he stroked a graceful 66 in the second innings. There was some concern that his pending retirement would cause him to lose focus, yet the opposite has happened and he appears relaxed and at ease with himself. His average is just a few clicks below the 40 mark and a century in Wellington – where he has played a lot of his cricket – would be a fitting part of his farewell series. New Zealand will miss him when he's gone.
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