As the perenial over-achievers make it to another semi-final, Adam Bayfield looks at the victory that got them there.
New Zealand have made a habit over the years of punching above their weight at global events. Perennially touted as ‘dark horses’ before big tournaments, they seldom fail to reach the semi-finals. In South Africa they have lived up to their disproportionately high standards once again, defeating England, buoyant conquerors of the fancied Sri Lankans and the hosts, by four wickets in Johannesburg to deliver yet another appearance in the last four.
On a lively Wanderers wicket under overcast skies, the Kiwis, reduced to a skeletal squad by injuries to important players,fully exploited their good fortune in winning the toss (Andrew Strauss’ precious luck with the coin deserted him at a most inopportune moment), bowling in those fabled ‘right areas’ to extract the kind ofvariable bounce that causes batsmen to wake up in a cold, breathless sweat. In the first over Strauss received an absolute snorter from Kyle Mills (not a phrase you hear too often) that lifted off a length, while conversely Joe Denly and Ravi Bopara were bothundone by deliveries that kept low.
Shane Bond, alarmingly expensive so far in the tournament, looked much more comfortable here and was rewarded for his efforts with the outstanding figures of 3-21. The real hero with the ball, however, was Grant Elliott, who will probably be as surprised as everyone else to have picked up four wickets, but rather more delighted. The all-rounder was famously the victim of a controversial run-out at the Oval in 2008, when Paul Collingwood, the then England captain, refused to call him back after he was dismissed following a mid-pitch collision with Ryan Sidebottom, leaving Elliott to trudge, furious and disbelieving, off the ground.
The Black Caps were so incensed after that incident that they slammed the dressing room door in Collingwood’s face when he went to apologise, and, judging by some of the body language on the field on Tuesday, it would seem that it still rankles. Certainly, Elliott seemed uncommonly jubilant after removing Collingwood thanks to an excellent Ross Taylor catch, but then that could have simply been because the Durham man had been the lone bastion of English resistance, with a battling 40 (‘he loves a fight, does Collingwood’, said one of the commentators as he walked out to bat – they might as well record that soundbite and have it ready to trot out whenever he comes in, so often is mention made of his qualities as a ‘scrapper’; it is also likely, transposed into the past tense, to be the first line of his obituary).
Many in the commentary box felt that the track was so poor as to be unfair, but in this batsman-friendly era sporting pitches are wonderfully refreshing, since they precipitate a rigorous examination of a player’s technique. The flat decks that have become so dismayingly ubiquitous around the worldtend to make mediocre batsmen look good and good bowlers look mediocre, whereas you need concentration, application and no small amount of talent to succeed on juicy pitches like this.
That said, it was certainly easier batting second. Condemned to first use, England were unsure what would constitute a challenging total and that uncertainty translated into tentative strokeplay, whereas the Black Caps, aware of exactly how many runs they needed, were free to go about chasing them at their own pace. Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill evidently decided that a frantic pace would be most appropriate, shrewdly realising that if they poked and prodded around on this surface they would eventually receive an unplayable delivery, so better to take some calculated risks and add as many runs as possible before the inevitablejaffa came along. The openers rode their luck to flay the ball all around the ground, and by the time they were separated they had added 84 precious runs in less than 13 overs, andthe game was, essentially, in the bag. A late flurry of wickets probably led to a rapid reduction in the size of fingernails amongst New Zealand supporters, but the relief eventually came as the unflappable Daniel Vettori dragged them over the line.
Afterwards Strauss sought to play down his side’s defeat; havingplayed so well in the first two matches, he will be desperately hoping that this batting collapse does not herald a return to normality. One question that will be weighing on his mind is a highly unexpected one: should Eoin Morgan retain the gloves? The Irishman has been deputising for the sick Matt Prior, and has so far filled in admirably. Might England be stronger with Morgan behind the stumps and a more robust batting lineup? Although, it has to be said, that question assumes that Ravi Bopara and the words ‘more robust’ go hand-in-hand, which is somewhat doubtful.
The Kiwis will be particularly pleased that their passage to the semi-finals has been sealed by victory over England, a team whom, according to their fast bowler Chris Martin, they relish beating more than any other due to the supercilious attitude of some of their players (whom, rather disappointingly, he pointedly refused to name – though you can probably have a guess).
Two teams that, before the tournament, seemed to have more problems than anyone else(with the significant exception of the would-be-funny-if-it-wasn’t-so-depressing West Indies) have thus deposed Sri Lanka and South Africa, a pair of formidable outfits. Nobody saw that coming. The only remaining question is who will join them in the semi-finals. Pakistan are already guaranteed of progress, with India and Australia fighting it out over the one remaining berth. Wednesday is a big day.
New Zealand 147 for 6 (Guptill 53, Broad 4-39) beat England 146 (Collingwood 40, Elliott 4-31, Bond 3-21) by four wickets
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