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Pool
A : New Zealand Vs United States Of America at
The Oval
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Kiwis
wipe away the Americans by 210 runs
Report
by B.V.Swagath
Sept.
10th, 2004
For
once, U.S.A. failed to dominate and show its
supremacy, this was not an Olympic event nor was
it a war against Iraq or the Taliban. It was
U.S.A’s 1st One Day International
in Cricket, playing a top Kiwi side at The Oval.
New Zealand gave the Americans a perfect lesson
of what a One Day International would be as they
beat them by a whopping 210 runs. In the
hindsight it was a decent show by the George
Bush’s oops Richard Staple’s United States
of America. Chasing a mammoth target of 348, USA
got to a rollicking start from Rohan Alexander
and Johnson as the two openers put up the 50
within 9 overs. But from then on it was a
Oram-Vettori show as the two picked up 8 wickets
between them and USA were shot out for 137.
Former West Indies opener, Clayton Lambert top
scored for USA with 39. Jacob Oram for his 5/36
was easily the best bowler of the day.
USA
had earlier won the toss and elected to field
first, a “common sense” decision, as they
would just love to be on the field for a long
time! The New Zealand openers Stephen Fleming
and Nathan Astle were not off to a flier and
were tied down by accurate bowling by medium
pacers Johnson and Reid.
The Kiwis were pegged back at 43/2 after
losing Fleming and Marshall and it didn’t look
like a high scoring total coming up from their
batsmen. But things changed drastically in the
slog overs. Astle and Styris had put up the
ideal platform for the slogs as they took NZ
past 200 in the 40th over. After
Styris and Cairns got out, in came Craig
McMillan and he blazed his way to a rapid 64*
(of 27 balls with 2 fours and 7 sixes). Nathan
Astle was also in high gear in the slogs as he
raced away to an unbeaten 145 (of 151 balls with
13 fours and 6 sixes). This pair put on an
incredible stand of 136 runs in just 46 balls to
take New Zealand to a supreme 347/4. The stand
out bowler for USA was Reid, who was lucky
enough for completing his spell in the early
part of the New Zealand innings. Reid had
respectable figures of 1/37 in his 10.
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