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SPORTS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013 Photo of the day Win was nice but just a step forward for NZ: Hesson WELLINGTON: New Zealand coach Mike Hesson conceded more consistent in their bowling and batting. that at times in the past 12 months he had felt the cricketing “If the performance came in isolation I guess it wouldn’t gods were conspiring against his side winning a test match bring as much satisfaction. Since England last (March) we after putting themselves in a position to do so. have been consistent in the way we have gone about things. New Zealand had not won a test since they beat Sri Lanka “It’s not a win in isolation. It’s something we have built up in Colombo in Nov. 2012, a match that ended with Brendon over a period of time and we know that we haven’t nailed it McCullum replacing Ross Taylor as captain. Under McCullum, yet, but this is just another step forward for this team.” the team had failed to win a test, having drawn six and lost four games before they clinched their first win with an innings Pace trio and 73 run victory over West Indies in the second test in Hesson believed his trio of pace bowlers, Tim Southee, Wellington on Friday. Trent Boult and Neil Wagner complimented each other’s On at least four of those previous occasions, however, New strengths and weaknesses and the introduction of leg-spinner Zealand had been in a position where they could have broken Ish Sodhi gave them greater balance as well as attacking that duck and won the game. None more so than in the third options. Top-order batsman Kane Williamson was also a more test against England in March when Matt Prior saved the than adequate off-spinning option, which allowed New tourists at Eden Park with a century, and against West Indies Zealand the luxury of nurturing Corey Anderson as a batting last week in Dunedin when rain halted the game when New all-rounder he said. Zealand needed 33 runs to win. “Corey in the last 12 months has certainly grown as a crick- “Yeah. I think there was,” Hesson said when asked if he had eter,” Hesson said. “He complements the bowling group very at times felt the luck of the game was never going to go New well and is growing into a very good all round cricketer.” Zealand’s way. “When the ball bounced on Prior’s stumps and Hesson was reluctant to develop Anderson, who can bowl ricocheted quite a distance there were a few of us looking at at over 140 kph, as a third seamer which could allow greater each other and going ‘what have we done here?,” he added of flexibility in the composition of the side because of his size. a delivery at Eden Park that Prior survived. The 23-year-old Anderson would not look out of place in “Then Dunedin was a few things down there that occurred the All Blacks loose forwards and Hesson said he had injuries Daniel Mueller performs in Steinsoultz, France on October 19, 2013. — www.redbullcontentpool.com where you wondered ‘when was it going to turn?’. “I guess for earlier in his career that was a factor against turning him into it to change so quickly yesterday was satisfying for the guys. an out and out third seamer. “Corey is a big guy and he has “We have put in a lot of work in different tests ... and it just had injury concerns so it’s not something we want to push,” hasn’t worked for us so now we’re all pretty delighted that the Hesson said. “In certain conditions when you play two spin- win has come.” Hesson, like McCullum, had felt that it was a ners he could do that third seamer role but he is a batsman Australia wrest back matter of time before they claimed the win, believing the who bowls for us. “We certainly don’t want to turn him into a team was slowly improving from match to match and getting 20 (over) a day man.” — Reuters control again in Perth PERTH: Australia wrested control of the third test back punish a short ball from the Victorian, Pietersen did not from England for the second day in a row yesterday, reduc- really get hold of his shot and Johnson leaped to take a ing the tourists to 180 for four at the close of play and tak- superb catch at mid on and send him packing for 19. ing another step towards reclaiming the Ashes. “I just thought it was fantastic piece of athleticism really, Ian Bell, who had made nine not out, and Ben Stokes, great catch and a really important wicket for us,” unbeaten on 14, will resume on day three on Sunday with McDermott added. “The two wickets in that last session England trailing Australia’s first innings tally of 385 by 205 were very crucial to our day. And the last three hours of runs. The tourists need at least a draw to keep the series bowling and fielding were superb.” Johnson’s was the first alive and had built a solid platform when Alastair Cook and wicket to fall in a day which started when England Michael Carberry put together the highest opening part- removed the last four Australian batsmen at a cost of an nership in eight tests against Australia this year. Australia’s additional 59 runs to their overnight tally of 326. bowlers, though, are charged with confidence after domi- The England attack, though, will rue not driving home nating the English batsmen in the first two tests in their advantage when they had Australia floundering at Brisbane and Adelaide and defied energy-sapping temper- 143-5 on the opening day of the match. atures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius to strike back. “Ideally we’d have liked to have lost a few less wickets,” Carberry and Joe Root, controversially, fell in the half an Carberry added. “But having said that Australia, credit to hour before tea and Cook and Kevin Pietersen were dis- them, bowled very well. “We’re still in the hunt. We’re 200 missed in the final session - all without the standout behind so we have to get through the new ball tomorrow bowler of the first two tests, Mitchell Johnson, taking a sin- and get up near the Australians’ total.” — Reuters gle wicket. “Other bowlers are getting vital wickets at vital times,” Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott told reporters. “Everyone’s chipping in, bowling tightly, bowling good lines and more importantly swinging the old ball. SCOREBOARD DUBAI: Shahid Afridi plays a shot during the 2nd T20 match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Dubai, on Friday.— AFP “We’ve got 12 overs until the new ball tomorrow, so a wicket early would be ideal and we can get stuck into PERTH: Scoreboard at close on the second day of the third them with the new ball.” England dealt with the first new Ashes test between England and Australia at the WACA S Lanka over the moon ball reasonably well but Carberry had already survived a yesterday. couple of scares when he played on a Ryan Harris delivery from around the wicket for 43 half an hour before tea with Australia won the toss and chose to bat after Pakistan win 85 runs on the board. The tourists would probably have Australia first innings (overnight 326-6) been happy to get to tea with just one wicket down only C. Rogers run out 11 for Root to follow Carberry to the dressing room for four D. Warner c Carberry b Swann 60 DUBAI: Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal said his team Pakistan were on course for achieving the target at 83-3 some 20 minutes later. S. Watson c Swann b Broad 18 were over the moon on keeping their world number one sta- but lost Sharjeel Khan (50), Umar Akmal, Umar Amin and Shane Watson’s delivery beat his bat and umpire Marais M. Clarke c Cook b Swann 24 tus intact with a win against Pakistan in the second Twenty20 Bilawal Bhatti (all three without scoring) in the space of seven Erasmus raised his finger in the midst of a frenzied appeal S. Smith c Prior b Haddin 111 in Dubai on Friday. The 24-run win levelled the two-match balls and two runs. G. Bailey c Pietersen b Broad 7 series 1-1 and dashed Pakistan’s hopes of replacing Sri Lanka Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez conceded losing four from the Australians, who thought they had heard a nick. B. Haddin c Anderson b Stokes 55 as the number one team in the Twenty20 rankings. wickets in the middle was the turning point. Root immediately sought a review but departed shaking M. Johnson c Prior b Broad 39 Chandimal said his team showed great resolve in their “We were going well but lost four wickets in the middle his head as the TV umpire and the battery of technology P. Siddle c Prior b Bresnan 21 comeback win after losing the first match, which was also in which really made the difference and the credit goes to Sri available to him did not find sufficient evidence to over- R. Harris c Root b Anderson 12 Dubai, by three wickets. “We are over the moon. We keep our Lanka,” said Hafeez, who also blamed bowlers. “We leaked turn the decision. N. Lyon not out 17 No.