Nash bares his teeth
By David Hopps
From The Guardian, June 21, 1994

David Hopps on a bowler who proved the master of Lord's

Dion Nash, a fresh-faced enthusiast from Red Hill farming stock, possesses the sort of youthful innocence that in New Zealand often brings fond descriptions as a gee-whizz kid. Nash had every justification to be starry-eyed last night, because yesterday at Lord's the gee-whizz kids came of age.

Nash's match figures of 11 for 176 in 56 overs represented the best by a New Zealand bowler against England. He was desperately unlucky that they did not bring the victory to level the series, but he did take hold of the patronising assessments encouraged by the Kiwis' innings defeat at Trent Bridge and throw them back into sheepish English faces.

"Nash had a great game," agreed New Zealand's captain, Ken Rutherford, "but it was the contribution of all the other young guys - Hart, Thomson, Fleming and Parore - that offers us so much hope for the future."

England's captain, Michael Atherton, spent much of the last hour in the shower, unable to bear the thought that Peter Such might have to emerge at No. 11 to try to save the game. "Suchy said he wasn't in nick, and coming from Suchy that was quite worrying," Atherton said.

That desperate recourse was made unnecessary by Steve Rhodes, whose first two Tests have confirmed his reputation as a player of iron resolve. Here was the very essence of the player of tough temperament upon which Raymond Illingworth has placed so much emphasis. The chairman of selectors, describing himself as "elated" by England's survival, could not resist a reference to his "brave little Yorkie".

Rhodes batted for more than five hours in the match, saving the follow-on in the first innings, saving the match in the second. He defended as if his life depended on it, exchanged acceptable levels of gamesmanship as he was crowded by close fielders, and was lauded by Atherton for "a lot of gumption".

On his first wide-eyed gaze around the Lord's visitors dressing room, Nash had required only a few seconds consideration before deciding where he should take up residence. He settled himself on a green leatherette bench, directly underneath the honours board celebrating in gilt-lettering the most famous Test bowling performances on the ground.

"I just parked myself underneath and hoped some of their achievements would leak down on to me," he said. It will be fitting if he now takes his place among them.

Three Englishmen lead the way - Ian Botham, who trampled in like an excitable heifer to take eight for 34 against Pakistan in 1978, Hedley Verity, eight for 43 against Australia in 1934, and a second slow left-armer, Derek Underwood, whose eight wickets against Pakistan came in 1974.

But the performance that came most regularly to mind was Bob Massie's 16 wickets for 137 on his debut for Australia at Lord's 22 years ago. Not since Massie's phenomenal display of swing bowling can the outside edge have been passed with such regularity.

Nash relied more on seam than swing, cutting the ball back up the slope with a consistency and degree of bounce that beggared belief. Massie's light shone only briefly, but Nash has the look of longevity about him. In naming him as Man of the Match, Fred Trueman, announced that "a star is born".

There was more than a hint of Trueman in Nash's stocky athleticism. From the moment that he ended Stewart's first-innings charge with a steepling leg-cutter, most of his wickets were gained in classical style.

The applause of the Lord's crowd has left Nash bewildered. "There were times when I didn't know whether to smile, wave or salute," he said. He settled for smiling and, over the past five days, he has smiled like never before.

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