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Plays of the Day from the third day of the first Test between New Zealand and England in Dunedin
March 8, 2013
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Matches:
New Zealand v England at Dunedin
Series/Tournaments:
England tour of New Zealand
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England
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Long wait of the day I
Let's leave Hamish Rutherford aside for one moment. His opening partner, Peter Fulton, is almost as a good a story - given a chance to resume his Test career more than three years after his previous appearance. When he helped a short ball from James Anderson to long leg to reach fifty it was his first in Tests since March 2006 when he had made 74 in just his third innings. His celebration was muted, a gentle wave of the bat to the dressing room and the stands - where his girlfriend was enjoying a day with the Barmy Army - but this was a moment an awfully long time in the making.
Long wait of the day II
Dale Steyn, caught at short leg by James Taylor, on August 19 was Stuart Broad's last Test wicket before today. The length of time is slightly misleading - in six months England had played four Tests until this one - but it does include two wicketless outings against India before Christmas. Broad finally ended his wait in his 20th over of the innings when BJ Watling misjudged the line of his first delivery and lost his off stump.
Stats of the day
Rutherford's 171 meant the record books were well-thumbed; one of the landmarks he passed could not have been any older. When he reached 166 he went past Charles Bannerman, whose 165 in March 1877 in the first Test ever played was the highest score on debut in a first innings against England. Rutherford's final tally was only five short of George Headley's 176 in 1929-30 as the highest score on debut against England. His stand of 158 with Fulton was also New Zealand's best by a new opening pair since Rodney Redmond (with a century in his only Test) and Glenn Turner added 159 against Pakistan in 1972-73.
Frustration of the day
Shortly after Rutherford reached his debut hundred he bunted a straight drive back past Anderson in his follow-through. Technically it was a chance, but would have been a startling grab. Anderson's response was to bang the next ball in short. Rutherford allowed it to hit his arm as he dropped his hands - ignoring the short ball as he did throughout. It was all a bit too much for Anderson. As the ball bobbled back down the pitch, he took a kick at it with his size 12s and sent it, rather apologetically, dribbling to Matt Prior.
Drop of the day
England have been forced to juggle their slip cordon again following the injury to Graeme Swann. Jonathan Trott has moved to second (where he held a sharp chance off Ross Taylor) and, when he isn't bowling, Anderson is at third. However, when Anderson has the ball, it requires another change. Kevin Pietersen was there for a while, but when he went off the field with a knee injury it was Joe Root's turn. Shortly after Rutherford fell to the first delivery with the second new ball, Dean Brownlie edged to third slip but Root, diving to his left, could not hold on.
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Assistant Editor Andrew arrived at ESPNcricinfo via Manchester and Cape Town, after finding the assistant editor at a weak moment as he watched England's batting collapse in the Newlands Test. Andrew began his cricket writing as a freelance covering Lancashire during 2004 when they were relegated in the County Championship. In fact, they were top of the table when he began reporting on them but things went dramatically downhill. He likes to let people know that he is a supporter of county cricket, a fact his colleagues will testify to and bemoan in equal quantities.
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Underrated team VS Overrated team
Posted byI think he is referring to an opening partnership involving a debutant, as Rodney Redmond was against Pakistan in 1973
Posted by donovancarragher on (March 8, 2013, 14:13 GMT)@Allan Draycott - the author says "best by a new opening pair". I guess his definition of "new" excludes Richardson and Fleming
Posted byThere have been 6 New Zealand opening partnerships between the Fulton-Rutherford partnership in this match and the Turner-Redmond partnership against Pakistan at Auckland in February 1973 that have been greater than both - the last being the 163 between Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming at Trent Bridge in June 2004.
Posted by reeja on (March 8, 2013, 12:35 GMT)these kiwis are flying high.