The Summer Game
By D.O. & P.W. Neely (excerpt).
...Without doubt the outstanding performance in the New Zealand
team's tour of England in 1994 was the performance of Dion
Nash in the second test against England at Lord's. He captured
six wickets in the first innings and five in the second innings
to become the highest wicket-taker in one test match at Lord's,
as well as scoring 56, his highest score in first-class cricket,
in the first innings. It was a remarkable performance, totally
unexpected in the light of his form on the tour, when in the
first-class matches that he had played prior to the test match
he had only captured nine wickets. Nash came into prominence
with the New Zealand Youth side that toured India in February/March
1992. There he showed his undoubted batting skills, scoring
a century in a one-day international against Young India as
well as a century in a test against Young India. He was also
the leading bowler on the tour, and was selected to tour Zimbabwe
and Sri Lanka with the New Zealand side at the completion
of that tour. Playing for Otago in the Shell Trophy competition,
he captured five wickets against Northern Districts in the
1993-94 season and owed his place in the touring side to his
bowling for an Academy XI at the end of the season., where
he captured five wickets against Otago and six wickets against
Northern Districts. An injury to Chris Cairns left a position
open for him. Nevertheless, his success at Lord's was unexpected,
considering that he had only taken nine first-class wickets
in the tour up to that point. Though the 1994 New Zealand
side's tour to England was disappointing, it did show that
as New Zealand cricket leads into its second century there
are some outstanding young players who will be the scorers
of Test hundreds and the takers of five wickets in an innings
that will help New Zealand win test matches in the near future.
[Articles]
|