'Best chance' of beating India drowned out at Carisbrook (21 December 1998)

21 December 1998

'Best chance' of beating India drowned out at Carisbrook

The Christchurch Press

New Zealand lost perhaps its best chance of beating India in the three-test BNZ cricket series because of the first-test washout at Carisbrook.

Kiwi coach Steve Rixon acknowledged that playing in Dunedin's often chilly climate was more advantageous to New Zealand than the visitors from the sub-continent.

"The cold weather is an important factor in our favour. Now the Indians have had that much more chance to acclimatise," Rixon said.

However, he said, the second test, which starts in Wellington on Saturday, and the third test in Hamilton in the New Year were still good match-winning opportunities.

"We were well prepared for this one and ready to go. Now the guys have had no time out in the middle for a while and a break before the second test begins."

Rixon said the players were given no choice whether they wanted the game to remain as an abbreviated test match squeezing out whatever play possible. They were told an official one-dayer was being staged.

"We now have to make the most that we can from this game and will play it as a serious one-dayer."

However, Rixon said if the outfield was slippery, with the risk of injury, he expected common sense to prevail. "Having no play in the test is disappointing for everyone: players, spectators, sponsors, the works."

Two who probably deserve most sympathy are Wellington opening batsman Matthew Bell, who will now have to wait another week to make his test debut, and Dunedin-based umpire Steve Dunne.

While Dunne has controlled games all over the world as a neutral official, he has yet to stand in a test in his home city.

He was meant to umpire the New Zealand Pakistan test at Carisbrook 10 years ago, but that game was also washed out.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)