A TIE is a tie is a tie, and in yesterday's one-day match in Napier we had another of them.
England, requiring 62 runs from the final 10 overs to take a clinching 3-0 lead in the five-match series against New Zealand, could manage only 61. Each side scored 237 runs and afterwards the England captain Michael Atherton neatly described the situation as dormie two: two up with two to play, in Auckland on Saturday and in Wellington on Tuesday.
Much of what went on at McLean Park yesterday could be described as brash and vulgar, yet it was also hugely compelling, as another sell-out crowd would breathlessly confirm.
Craig White and Dominic Cork, showing much responsibility, both played innings which might be described as controlled desperation as the target came down to 49 off seven, 45 off six, 34 off five, 26 off four, 21 off three, 13 off two and, ultimately, eight off the final six balls from Geoff Allott.
A rare dot ball was followed by a frantic single; seven off four balls. White was then run out going for an optimistic second, so that Robert Croft came in to face with six needed off three and with the match, for so long in the balance, now tilting New Zealand's way. When Croft heaved his first ball, which was not very short, through midwicket for four, the tilt suddenly went the other way with two needed from two, but the spinner was bowled next ball. Darren Gough took a wild swing at the final ball, missed, but scurried through for the bye which means that New Zealand can now only draw the series.
Nick Knight and Atherton had made such a good start for England that 52 runs had come from the first six overs. But then man of the match Chris Harris turned the match with a spell of three for 12 in seven overs, bowling Atherton, Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain, all with medium-paced inswingers of full length - a sort of Waqar in slow-mo - so that England slumped to 114 for for four.
Ronnie lrani, whose international chances may be scarce in future, soon perished before Graham Thorpe, with his 10th one-day half-century, rallied his side. When Thorpe was sixth out at 174 in the 40th over, and with batting looking difficult under the patchy floodlights, the match appeared to be drifting away from England before White and Cork added 58 in 10 overs.
New Zealand had looked about 30-40 runs short when they batted, after winning the toss. The pitch was well grassed, offering some lateral movement, but the boundaries were short and the outfield very fast.
They struck such a tempo in the early overs that a total of 300 looked within range. The 50 came up in 8.1 overs. But once again the essential frailty of their batting undermined their ambitions. Like a fickle lover they were unable to sustain partnerships and the steady haemorrhaging of wickets put a brake on their run-rate when they should have been accelerating.
When Robert Croft was introduced at 103, Lee Germon, showing signs of premeditation, charged down the wicket to his first delivery. It was fired down the legside and Stewart completed a simple stumping.
It was now that New Zealand looked to Stephen Fleming and Chris Cairns to move the innings into overdrive but both batsmen failed them. Fleming, who had been dropped by Andrew Caddick when six, added just six more before he was run out going for an ill-judged single and Cairns, who had been pinned on the back foot by Caddick's excellent second spell, was fourth out at 140 when he flicked the same bowler straight to square-leg.
Young, who had made a good 53, went two overs later, getting a big inside-edge to a Caddick delivery he should have been forward to and it was the eighth wicket pair of Gavin Larsen and Simon Doull who made a total of it.
