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| 12 November 2004 | Friday | 28 Ramazan 1425 |
Sinclair rescues New Zealand from collapse
SYDNEY, Nov 11: Mathew Sinclair was the only New Zealand batsman to offer promise ahead of next week's Test against Australia with a stylish 88 in the opening tour cricket match against New South
Wales here on Thursday.
The Australian-born opener was the only Kiwi batsman to cash in after all of the team's top six batsmen reached double figures.
Sinclair's dismissal after tea heralded the visitors' demise with Test leg-spinner Stuart MacGill collecting 3-11 after the interval.
NSW took the honours on day one of its four-day cricket match, bowling the New Zealanders out for 213 off 72.4 overs and finishing at 26 for one at the close.
Greg Mail was 12 not out with Matthew Phelps on five.
MacGill finished with 4-57 off 21 overs after Black Caps captain Scott Styris decided to bat first in overcast conditions.
The 32-Test veteran was on the verge of his second hat-trick against the Kiwis after picking up Gareth Hopkins and Ian Butler with consecutive balls.
However he was unable to deliver the killer blow against No.11 Chris Martin with the ball skidding down the leg side.
Fast bowler Brett Lee (3-52) did his bid for a Test recall no harm by bowling Hamish Marshall (18) and captain Scott Styris (10) to upset the Kiwis' steady opening before picking up Martin (3) at the end.
New Zealand's Craig McMillan (14) did not help his chances of a recall to the national team by swiping wildly at a wide ball from MacGill to leave the visitors at 98 for four.
McMillan, who only arrived late Wednesday as cover for ill captain Stephen Fleming, came into the side after Nathan Astle pulled out with a niggling back injury.
But the experienced right-hander showed the rashness in his 13-ball knock that has seen him fall out of favour with national selectors this year.
Sinclair and Jacob Oram (26) ensured their team would post a respectable total by adding 78 runs for the fifth wicket before Oram became Jason Krejza's (1-25) maiden first-class wicket.
But the wheels fell off after Sinclair scooped a simple catch to square leg just 12 runs short of a century.
The back pain that kept Astle out of the Black Caps team was not expected to keep him out of the first Brisbane Test, starting on November 18.
Astle has been suffering from lower back pain since the beginning of the week.
While he could have played, Black Caps coach John Bracewell said, it was felt that letting him rest during the four-day match was the better option.
"It is just a matter of giving it time to settle down as we look ahead to the first Test match," Bracewell said.
"With time and some treatment he will be right for the Test series and there is nothing to suggest anything other than that."
Scoreboard
New Zealand (1st Innings)
M. Richardson c Krejza b Nicholson 14
M. Sinclair c Krejza b Nicholson 88
H. Marshall b Lee 18
S. Styris b Lee 10
C. McMillan c Haddin b MacGill 14
J. Oram c Mail b Krejza 26
J. Franklin lbw b MacGill 0
G. Hopkins c Mail b MacGill 4
P. Wiseman not out 21
I. Butler lbw b MacGill 0
C. Martin c Phelps b Lee 3
Extras (b1, lb8, w1, nb5) 15
Total (all out, 72.4 overs) 213
Fall of wkts: 1-39, 2-68, 3-83, 4-98, 5-176, 6-184, 7-184, 8-193, 9-193, 10-213
Bowling: Lee 16.4-4-52-3 (4nb 1w), Nicholson 17-4-41-2 (1nb), Clark 12-4-29-0, MacGill 21-5-57-4, Krejza 6-2-25-1
New South Wales (1st Innings)
G. Mail not out 12
P. Jaques c Hopkins b Franklin 8
M. Phelps not out 5
Extras (w1) 1
Total (1 wkt, 12 overs) 26
Fall of wkt: 1-8
Bowling: Martin 6-2-9-0, Franklin 5-1-17-1 (1w), Oram 1-0-0-0.-AFP
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