This is the first post in a series of recollections, mostly of matches involving New Zealand. These are some of the games which changed the way I looked at cricket, or simply left lasting impressions - some of them bittersweet. I begin with what was probably the greatest kiwi test win in recent times, the 83-run win in the final test at the Oval 1999 which clinched the series 2-1.
New Zealand in England
4th Test, The Oval: NZ 236 (Fleming 66*) & 162 (Cairns 80) beat Eng 153 (Cairns 5-31) & 162 (Atherton 64, Nash 4-39) by 83 runs.
New Zealand's 1999 tour of England was played out during something of a lull in the cricketing calendar; it was the only ongoing series in a two month period between the end of the World Cup and the start of the Asian season, and featured the then two lowest-ranked teams in the world. Besides the incredible turnaround by the kiwis which saw them claim a rare overseas victory, I'll remember the series for turning me into a serious viewer of test cricket. Up to that point, I was a fair-weather follower of the game, the sort who devoured one-day internationals but had not the patience to sit through seemingly endless sessions of the longer version. I switched schools in the middle of that year, and being in Class XI meant I had a lot of free time on my hands. As a result, I must have watched every ball of that series on TV and finally had to agree with my dad on the unparalleled joys of test cricket.
England, following a disastrous World Cup campaign, were beginning a new era under skipper Nasser Hussain and this series was viewed as little more than preparation for the their tour to South Africa later in the year. Their opponents were given little hope by the rampant British press, with Ted Corbett labelling them as 'one notch short of being the most boring, most faceless side ever - how inspired to pit them in a four test series'. All this clearly did not take into account NZ's recent progress under outgoing coach Steve Rixon; the Aussie had gradually turned the side into a fighting outfit who tended to be at their best when the odds were stacked against them. Stephen Fleming was a man in control of his side, but still growing as a leader. After the first test, when a kiwi second-innings collapse handed England an expected victory, NZ drew level at Lords and utterly dominated the rained out third test at Manchester. Going into the Oval, the visitors faced serious injury problems; their first choice opening bowlers Geoff Allott and Simon Doull had long been ruled out, while Dion Nash and Chris Cairns were doubtful starters. This seemed to generate a wave of renewed optimism in the English ranks, but finally both Cairns and Nash were declared fit. In hindsight, thank God!
On an unusually damp Oval wicket the kiwis were put in, and by the end of the second session were 104 for 7. The top order had been fairly solid after a dreadful first game at Edgbaston, but a combination of loose strokes, accurate bowling from Andrew Caddick, and expert slip catching saw them wilt here in the decider. It was that kind of series, however, in which the kiwis seemed to find somebody to bail them out every time a crisis was encountered. Dion Nash helped Fleming add 53 before being dismissed for 18, and then Daniel Vettori joined his skipper and set out to play the sort of counter-attacking innings which would frustrate many an opponent in years to come. With the England bowlers feeding him to his strength square of the wicket, Vettori scored 51 in 48 balls, put on 78 for the ninth wicket with Fleming and seized the momentum. When NZ finished on 236 Fleming had made an undefeated on 66 off 234 balls, a sure sign of a previously free-flowing player having added a new dimension to his game following the responsibilities of captaincy. Fleming's penchant for the long, invaluable, grinding test knock perhaps had its roots in this innings.
England were simply insipid in reply, scoring 150 for 7 by the end of the second day and losing their last three wickets for the addition of just three runs the following morning. Vettori in particular was to benefit from their defensive approach, finishing with 3 for 46. The heroes of the third and fourth days however, were two players who throughout their careers had probably been more conspicuous by their injury-induced absences from the national side. I speak of course, of Chris Cairns and Dion Nash. To me both were special cricketers in their own right, but I can't recall seeing either of them play with the same level of passion they showed over those two days. Cairns helped wrap up the England innings to finish with 5 for 31, one of the more hostile spells of fast bowling he produced. I particularly remember Cairns setting a deep square leg in order to try to bounce Hussain out, and Nasser fell right into the trap straightaway! A lead of 83, so far so good.
In their second innings, NZ seemed destined to undo all the good work upto this point. They were reduced to 39 for 6, the worst offender being Adam Parore who shouldered arms to a straight one from Caddick. Then came Cairns who produced an innings for the ages. Initially he led a counter attack with Craig McMillan (who was the seventh out at 79), batting out of his crease to counter the seam movement and hitting straight. He was then joined by Nash, who was content to hang around while his partner took matters into his own hands. Phil Tufnell was operating over the wicket in a bid to tie them down, but Cairns - his 'bad attitude' days now well behind him - negated that plan by batting well outside his leg stump, using his feet and hitting him for four straight sixes. It was, in the words of a devastated Ted Corbett, 'a daring, resourceful, skillful innings, heralding the arrival of the new Botham'. Certainly in terms of psychological impact on the opposition, this knock was up there with those Botham hundreds of '81. Cairns was denied a well-deserved century by a stunning return catch by Allan Mullally, but his 80 had ensured a lead of 245. Given that England had only crossed 200 twice in the series so far, the kiwis stood a definite chance. But recent passages of play had left me shaken, and I still had my doubts. NZ proceeded to snare two early wickets - Darren Maddy to Dion Nash and Nasser Hussain to Shayne O'Connor - but the ship was steadied by two old pros, Mike Atherton and Graham Thorpe. They saw England safely through to stumps, with 155 more needed.
Thinking about the fourth and final day's play still gives me the chills. On that intense Sunday afternoon, I sat transfixed in front of the TV, never daring to leave for fear of missing a crucial moment which might decide the series. Surely all those hours spent as a mute spectator would bear fruit? England began quite confidently, but you sensed the ice was yet to be broken. At 123 for 2, just when they looked to have things well under control, left-armer Shayne O'Connor struck in a crucial passage of play. Operating over the wicket, he gave Thorpe a working over with both his away-swing and choice verbals, and finally induced an edge to Fleming in the slips. The series was in the balance, and it appeared to be a matter of which team would be able to keep its head. But while the kiwis of yesteryear would have played the waiting game in such a situation, they - specifically one man - chose outright aggro and settled the outcome, a fitting reply to all those 'boring side' accusations.
Dion Nash's value to the side was much more than is apparent from his career stats. His chief attributes as a bowler were tirelessness , a wicked outswinger, and an ability to keep at the batsman verbally or otherwise. Up to this point he had been outstanding but luckless in the series. But in this particular spell, he was at his fiery best, perhaps buoyed by the occasion. He induced an under-edge from an Atherton pull stroke, saw off Mark Ramprakash next ball with a perfectly pitched away-swinger, and then unleashed a mouthful on Ronnie Irani. Alec Stewart had to intervene to separate the pair, but himself succumbed to the next ball by pulling Nash straight to square-leg. If ever an argument could be made for the effectiveness of 'mental disintegration', this was it. 143 for 3 had become 148 for 6, and it was a passage of play only a test match could have thrown up; England were sunk for 162 in such haste, it felt surreal. I was particularly pleased for Nash because his heroic 11 wicket haul at Lords on the 1994 tour was not enough to seal victory on that occasion.
Apart from the coming-of-age of Nash and Cairns, the cool-headed captaincy of Fleming and the farewell present for Steve Rixon were the other happy memories I have from that series. Fleming would later remark, "We ended the tour as grown men." For me, it represented a growing up of sorts too. I was now a dedicated viewer of test cricket, and better still, the side who had my unwavering support had shown themselves to be more than worthy of a four-match series.
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