E-Paper
Bevan as always made it count
We always knew prior to the Guwahati game that the race between India and us would come down to the last match in Hyderabad, writes Chris Cairns.
We always knew prior to the Guwahati game that the qualification race between India and us would come down to the last match in Hyderabad. A win for us against the Aussies would have put enormous pressure on the Indians.
Our arrival in Guwahati was met by the most ardent and vociferous fans I have ever encountered. They positioned themselves outside our hotel front gates and great cheers were bellowed out whenever they got a glimpse of the Black Caps.
For all of us this situation is quite unusual, as at home in our very small country of four million people, there is no such pandemonium associated with fame.
A trip to the ground was also quite humorous. As we would board our bus, our fleet of security vehicles would get themselves in file and then we would move out through the gates and make the 150m journey to the ground!
Actually, the bus would not even get out of first gear during the ride! To balance this was the hospitality we received and there was always someone close at hand to cater to any need.
It seemed the toss would be crucial with a start time of 8.30am but looking at the wicket prior to the toss, I could see the wicket was not as heavily grassed as the previous two, so seam movement might not be as radical.
Fleming won the toss and elected to bowl and soon a familiar scoreline during this competition of 60 for 4 greeted the Aussies.
If there is a batter the Aussies look to and who has bailed them out of a tough situation more often than not, it is Michael Bevan. He again displayed his skills to manipulate the ball around the field and help post a competitive total of 225.
At the break I felt this was very achievable and probably 20 runs light of what Aussie would wanted to have been defending. Our reply faltered at the start and we also found ourselves in the 60 for 4 position.
Harris and Styris then set about pulling us back into the game but once Styris departed, wickets fell at regular intervals and we could not get close enough to the target of 225.
The dressing room was in a sombre mood after the match as we realised again that we are competing with this Aussie outfit but not finishing the game off.
We now have six days to reflect on what has gone wrong but more importantly what we will need to do to achieve a spot in the final against the Aussies.
Even if India beat the Aussies in Bangalore, a win against the home team in Hyderabad will see us into the final. That is all that will occupy our minds in the next few days.
