da stake casino： It is a measure of the growing stature of the New Zealand Test side that they finished the year 2001 as the best performed of all the Test nations
da bet nacional： Lynn McConnell31-Dec-2001It is a measure of the growing stature of the New Zealand Test side that they finished the year 2001 as the best performed of all the Test nations.Yes, their three Test victories included two over the hapless Bangladesh side, but the effort against Australia highlighted just how far this side has come in 12 months.There is no escaping the fact that the New Zealand team of the moment is riding an escalator towards the top of the performance graph rather than hovering near the bottom not sure of which foot to put on the escalator first.There is still a significant amount of work to be done to realise the full potential of the side but 2001 provided the first evidence that things are starting to fall into place in the New Zealand cricket mechanism.First and foremost there is a competitive core of players attempting to gain the selectors’ favour. That is the healthiest thing of all.There is sufficient skill in the bowling armoury for New Zealand to avoid being in the position it was in last summer when an injury epidemic broke out.The emergence of a genuine fast bowler in Shane Bond adds bite to the attack and if he can be sufficiently well handled during what is going to be a hectic 2002, then New Zealand should have every chance of being the best-performed Test nation at the same time next year.That is not to forget that two long standing problems have not gone away. The opening batting position, with a permanent partner for Mark Richardson has not been resolved, although it has to be hoped his liaison with Matt Horne becomes a permanent one.And a back-up for spinner for Daniel Vettori appears no closer. Vettori’s skills, and his continuing development, are one of the most exciting things about the New Zealand team at the moment and while his skill is almost freakish, there is a dire need for another spinner to emerge.It should not be forgotten either that the manner of New Zealand’s one defeat this year, by Pakistan at Eden Park, was the result of the most miserable batting performance in living memory with nine wickets falling for 26 runs to result in a 299-run loss.It was the lowest low of the year and after a redemption on the flattest track in the world game at Jade Stadium in the second Test, New Zealand found its finest touch at Hamilton where it achieved its finest win, by result alone, and inflicted the worst defeat in Pakistan’s history.The loss of the return tour to Pakistan due to the aftermatch of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States was unfortunate, and with rising tension between Pakistan and India, it is increasingly likely that this series when rescheduled for next year, may well be played on neutral territory.However, the lack of a tour to Pakistan did mean that New Zealand was in a fresh state when arriving in Australia. There was a great deal of hope that a revitalised team, with Chris Cairns, Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori back in harness might prove a match for the world champions.Fickle Australian weather meant the issue remained unresolved. Australians will claim the weather robbed them of victory chances in the first two Tests while New Zealand will have long memories over the umpiring decisions of Zimbabwe’s Ian Robinson who had a Test to forget in Perth.Whatever, the series provided some outstanding cricket from both sides. Stephen Fleming’s stature as a captain rose, the rankings of his players rose, and the appreciation of the New Zealand public of their side rose.It was a welcome acknowledgement of the side’s development and when the home series against Bangladesh was so quickly wrapped up, the scene was set for New Zealand to look forward to a home series with England that threatens to be a great example of the attacking attitude of the home team and the biggest boost for cricket in this country since the 1992 World Cup.Tests:Team records:
Team Tests Won Lost Drawn Tied Win %New Zealand 8 3 1 4 0 75.00Australia 14 8 3 3 0 72.72South Africa 13 6 3 4 0 66.66Sri Lanka 13 8 5 0 0 61.54Pakistan 6 3 2 1 0 60.00India 13 5 5 3 0 50.00Zimbabwe 11 4 4 3 0 50.00England 13 4 7 2 0 36.36West Indies 11 2 6 3 0 25.00Bangladesh 8 0 7 1 0 0.00
Top New Zealand run scorers:
Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct StMH Richardson 8 12 1 663 143 60.27 46.04 2 4 7 -CD McMillan 8 11 1 494 106 49.40 61.13 1 4 4 -SP Fleming 8 11 1 476 105 47.60 47.83 1 5 9 -MS Sinclair 8 12 3 431 204* 47.88 44.02 1 1 8 -NJ Astle 7 9 1 334 156* 41.75 52.35 1 1 3 -
Top New Zealand wicket takers:
Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 5 10 SR EconCL Cairns 5 158.2 29 614 23 26.69 7-53 2 - 41.3 3.87DL Vettori 5 197.2 45 577 19 30.36 6-87 2 - 62.3 2.92DR Tuffey 4 144.5 37 442 16 27.62 4-39 - - 54.3 3.05CS Martin 5 150 26 607 15 40.46 4-52 - - 60.0 4.04SE Bond 4 123.1 20 439 14 31.35 4-47 - - 52.7 3.56
The One-Day International record is not so bright, this despite an outstanding home series against Pakistan which was won in the last game.New Zealand has been far too inconsistent in its one-day play and it is fast running out of time to have a suitable match plan with which to prepare for the World Cup in 2003.The tri-series in Australia with South Africa is an outstanding chance for the side to rectify what has been a disappointing record in this series since it last made the finals back in 1990/91.It is also a chance to develop some consistency in key batting positions, especially at the top of the order in support of Nathan Astle and also to develop some successful strategies with bowling at the death in games.The statistics for performances during the year highlight the inability of New Zealand to tie down opposing sides with accurate bowling.The best economy rate among the top five bowlers was Chris Harris’ 4.03, and that is too high, especially when other bowlers are conceding around 4.5 to five runs an over.New Zealand will have a chance to defend its ICC KnockOut title this year but it will have to be playing far more consistently if it is to lift its overall record and to match the advance it has made in its Test status.One-Day Internationals:Team records:
Team ODIs Won Lost Tied NR Win %Australia 21 18 3 0 0 85.71South Africa 21 17 4 0 0 80.95Pakistan 21 14 7 0 0 66.66Sri Lanka 34 22 12 0 0 64.70India 24 12 12 0 0 50.00West Indies 30 13 17 0 0 43.33England 14 5 9 0 0 35.71New Zealand 23 8 15 0 0 34.78Zimbabwe 37 10 27 0 0 27.02Kenya 9 1 8 0 0 11.11Bangladesh 6 0 6 0 0 0.00
Top New Zealand run scorers:
Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct StNJ Astle 18 18 1 735 119 43.23 75.07 3 3 10 -CD McMillan 23 22 3 666 104* 35.05 83.66 1 3 4 -MS Sinclair 16 16 1 509 118* 33.93 64.59 2 2 4 -SP Fleming 17 17 1 457 67 28.56 67.50 - 4 9 -CZ Harris 23 21 6 439 56 29.26 61.31 - 2 12 -
Top New Zealand wicket takers:
Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 4w 5w SR EconDR Tuffey 16 116 9 511 24 21.29 4-24 1 - 29.0 4.40CZ Harris 23 176.5 7 714 20 35.70 3-23 - - 53.0 4.03CD McMillan 23 87 4 471 17 27.70 3-20 - - 30.7 5.41JEC Franklin 14 107 5 525 14 37.50 3-44 - - 45.8 4.90DL Vettori 16 149.1 8 613 14 43.78 3-21 - - 63.9 4.10
