Date-stamped : 24 Feb97 - 14:16 Report - Electronic Telegraph One-Day International: Rain favours England after roaring start Christopher Martin-Jenkins in Auckland CRICKET is cricket however long a game lasts but there was something rather sad about the fact that the crowd for the last day of the enthralling Test match at Eden Park a month ago was fewer than a thousand, whereas yesterday 24,000 went away apparently quite contented after a wholly unsatisfactory finish to the second of the five one-day internationals. They seemed either unaware or unconcerned that New Zealand, having made a competitive total, had no chance because of a rain-reduced target which greatly favoured the side batting second. England had, in any case, got away to a roaring start in pursuit of a total of 253 for eight and Nick Knight, on his way to a commanding 84 not out from 69 balls, had already made 29 off 20. Moreover, it was New Zealand's misguided choice to bat first in conditions that were exceptionally humid, with showers confidently forecasted. When a team hits a winning streak, however, as Nasser Hussain willingly admitted after leading England to a six-wicket win after a revised target, the ball keeps rolling your way. New Zealand's administrators had rejected the chance to play under the Duckworth/Lewis method of determining revised targets in rain-affected matches. Although it rather counted against England when they also found themselves chasing a target in the second of the internationals in Zimbabwe, the latter method is undoubtedly fairer in that it takes into account the speed at which the sides have made their runs at the point where rain interrupts. Yesterday's old-fashioned and time-dishonoured method came up with a revised figure which allowed England 20 overs to score a further 85 runs against a ball liable to get wet, with 10 wickets in hand. The Duckworth/Lewis procedure, which will be used in one-day games in England this summer, would have revised their target to 164 in 26 overs as opposed to the actual one of 132 in 26. This was achieved with six overs and three balls to spare, Knight hitting splendidly off both front foot and back through the gaps. Alec Stewart, supremely confident, preferred the airborne route while making 30 off 26 balls with four fours. The open spaces on Eden Park's lush but speedy outfield yawned all the more invitingly because New Zealand were also obliged by the agreed rules to keep nine fielders inside the circle for 15 overs, regardless of the reduced number of overs. When Stewart was given out lbw, Simon Doull picked up a couple of wickets as England sent in their long-handle men with an anxious eye on a heavy grey sky, but the rain did not come and the runs did - comfortably. For Knight, it was a welcome end to a barren run and he finished the match with a flourish of three fours, hitting 12 in all and putting firmly behind him a period in which he had scored only 112 runs in nine international innings since excelling in a rather more significant run-chase in the Bulawayo Test. Hussain, deputising as England captain for the first time when Mike Atherton finally rested a stiff back, sympathised with Lee Germon but said that he would have bowled first anyway. The weather and the probable help for new-ball bowlers were his reasons. In the event, England were almost as wild with the new ball as they had been in the Test match here, but another wily piece of bowling by Robert Croft and a good effort by Ronnie Irani, who took one for 13 in his first five-over spell simply by bowling straight and to a length, pegged New Zealand back after they had reached 96 for two in the 20th over. It is something of a mystery why England keep giving the new ball to Alan Mullally when he seems unable to control the swing, especially when it is a white ball. He bowled five wides in his first two overs, which cost him 18 runs, mainly against Brian Young's crisp and punitive strokeplay. The breaks did not all go England's way because Young, having made 28 from eight overs, appeared to hit the cover off Darren Gough's first ball only to survive the appeal to Doug Cowie. The experienced Cowie otherwise made less of an impact on the match than the flamboyant Brent Bowden, an umpire bidding shamelessly for television stardom. 'Billy' Bowden's signalling, more Torvil and Dean than Harold Bird, may be all part of the entertainment but he will stand or fall, I trust, by the quality of his decisions. He turned down what looked a very deserving lbw appeal from Mullally when, by the 38th over, Chris Cairns had made the first 40 of a handsomely made 79 from 74 balls. The marking time of Cairns during the matches against England has been frustrating for him and New Zealand. He has a real touch of class about his batting and few batsmen anywhere can hit sixes with less effort than he does. England had not bowled accurately enough by the highest standards, Irani and Croft excepted, but their fielding was relatively sharp and as Hussain said in his mature assessment after the game, the confidence which has come from winning has made a difference of perhaps 10 per cent: the difference between winning and losing tight matches. Next stop Napier and a day-night game on Wednesday. Atherton is hopeful that he will be fit, but he should not fret if he is not. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Report from The Press Rain compounds NZ woes England takes 2-0 lead in one-day series with easy victory AUCKLAND -- New Zealand was on the wrong end of a rain-affected one-day cricket international yesterday and now faces an uphill task to win the five-match series against England. Chris Cairns plays powerfully through the line to score a six down the ground at Eden Park yesterday in the second one-day international against England. Cairns top scored for New Zealand with 79. Having made a challenging 253 for eight wickets in 50 overs, New Zealand bowled badly, suffering further when the rain arrived to leave England needing 132 in 26 overs. That equated, after the rain, to just 85 in 20 overs and, thanks to brilliant batting from opener Nick Knight, England reached 134 for four in 19.3 overs. Knight, out of touch throughout the tour, slammed 84 not out, including 12 boundaries, off just 69 balls, to put England 2-0 ahead in the series. Rain had been forecast in Auckland and it invariably hits the team bowling second. New Zealand captain Lee Germon, however, chose to bat first and it proved costly. The Kiwis got off to an excellent start through opener Bryan Young, who hit 46 off 59 balls, and were 62 for two after 10 overs. Chris Cairns, playing as a batsman, carried on Young's good work by hitting a bold 79 in 76 balls. Stephen Fleming and Chris Harris both struggled to keep the runs ticking over, but shared useful partnerships with Cairns for the fourth and fifth wickets. England's bowlers played their part in New Zealand's total by dishing out 16 wides, but pulled the innings back through off-spinner Robert Croft and all-rounder Ronnie Irani, who both bowled tidy spells. Cairns struck sixes off Irani, left-arm fast bowler Alan Mullally and fast bowler Andrew Caddick, reaching his half-century off 58 balls. Harris was out at 189, having added 51 in 76 balls with Cairns, but Germon didn't last long. When Cairns was run out by Dominic Cork, following through to pick-up and hit the stumps from close range, New Zealand was in danger of falling well short of expectations. However, Dipak Patel and Gavin Larsen shared a valuable stand of 34 in 22 balls at the end to carry New Zealand past 250. Patel effortlessly lifted Cork into the crowd at long on before becoming the third batsman to be run out in the innings, off the final ball. However, all the good work was undone in six awful overs from Heath Davis and, especially, Simon Doull. Doull was consistently short and wide and Knight and Alec Stewart cashed in, his first three overs costing 29 runs. Davis went for 18 off three and England was speeding towards victory when the rain arrived. Play was stopped for nearly two hours before the sky cleared and the covers came off, allowing a finishing scenario strongly in the batting team's favour. Knight, strong square on both sides of the wicket, picked up where he left off, taking three fours in the first over after the resumption from Davis. Nine came from Larsen's first over as Knight went to 50 off 31 balls. Stewart joined in, slamming Davis to long on and over cover for further boundaries before being leg before wicket for 30 off 26 balls. New Zealand then had some success with Cork, Irani and Graham Thorpe all falling cheaply. However captain for the day, Nasser Hussain, and Knight got England home. Knight finished the game in appropriate fashion, taking three fours in successive balls from Nathan Astle. The teams now travel to Napier for the third one-dayer, a day-night match, on Wednesday. Source :: The Canterbury Press (http://www.press.co.nz/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)