New Zealand: Cup showdown at the Basin (4 February 1999)

4 February 1999

New Zealand: Cup showdown at the Basin

The Christchurch Press

Craig McMillan played all the textbook shots, and some others, in his virtuoso innings of 125 as Canterbury swept into Saturday's Shell Cup cricket final against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.

McMillan usurped Llorne Howell by scoring the fastest 50 by a Canterbury batsman as the red-and-blacks beat Northern Districts by a massive 140 runs in yesterday's semi-final in Hamilton.

McMillan made light work of batting on a wearing wicket and managed to invent a new shot along the way.

After reaching his century, McMillan reverse-swept New Zealand team-mate Daniel Vettori for four - and then reverse-pulled him for six.

His over-all effort of 125 from 102 balls - with 12 fours and five sixes - prompted his coach Garry MacDonald to describe it as one of the best innings he had seen.

"The only trouble is the kids in Christchurch see how he plays those reverse shots and want to play them," said MacDonald.

McMillan admitted the high-risk strokes gave national coach Steve Rixon nightmares, but he pointed to the three fours and a six, from four attempts, as proof of their success.

About the only thing McMillan did not score was $25,000 for striking sponsorship signs at long-off and long-on.

He tried his hardest, though, with shots near the left and right of them.

"I had them in my sights but they are not the easiest to hit," McMillan said.

McMillan teamed with Chris Harris to add 141 for the third wicket as the visitors crushed Northern's spirit by amassing 272 for eight.

Northern's chase was over almost before it began - it crashed to 25 for four and was all out for 132 in 27 overs.

"We thought if we could win the toss and bat first and get around 250, it would put the pressure on them," McMillan said.

McMillan made sure he achieved his hundred, his first this season at any level, after getting to 50 from just 31 balls. It bettered, by one ball, Howell's hard-hitting effort against Wellington earlier this season.

McMillan's innings tally of 17 boundaries is third only to Chris Cairns (19) and Blair Hartland (18), the players to have Canterbury's highest one-day scores with 143 and 161 respectively.

After losing the all-important toss on a brown wicket, Northern seemed psychologically deflated and struggled to bowl consistently to the Canterbury top-order.

The game had nothing in the way of big-match atmosphere with only a pitiful few hundred watching on an otherwise perfect day.

Like last year, Northern bowler Alex Tait finished with four wickets, taking his tally to 99 for Northern at one-day level. But this time they did not come cheaply or in one over. However, he was injury-stricken and struggled to the crease.

The Northern bowlers battled to restrain the Canterbury batsmen and Michael Parlane will rue misjudging an outfield catch off McMillan when he was on 80.

Northern's top-order batsmen succumbed to another splendid opening spell from Geoff Allott and Warren Wisneski, with Allott in particular making the most of the new ball as he collected three wickets.

Allott will have enhanced his claims for a return to the New Zealand one-day team for the forthcoming South African series. His performance was watched by national selectors Ross Dykes and Rick Pickard.

He not only bowled accurately, but with some hostility, dragging more from the wicket than his Northern counterparts. He dismissed pinch-hitter Daniel Vettori with a rising delivery and hit Matthew Hart on the helmet.

MacDonald felt Northern gambled a lot on winning the toss and failed.

"I think they were desperate to win the toss with the side they had. It was always going to be difficult for any side to chase too many runs, and I think the toss had a big bearing on it," MacDonald said.

He said eight of the Canterbury players in the team had played in the losing Shell Cup final a year ago and needed no other motivation for the encounter.

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