MARTIN CROWE, the former, Kiwi captain, officially welcomed the MCC to their tour of New Zealand this week, presumably in the belief that England had submitted to demands from the House of Commons back benches and returned home from Zimbabwe in disgrace. And it has to be said that, before Cyclone Drena intervened, the MCC were making rather a better fist of it than the last lot.
Nothing can be taken for granted, this winter of all winters, but by dismissing an Academy x for 201, the tourists were comfortably on course for victory.
Such an assertion might not win universal acceptance, but Pukekura Park, with its flat pitches and short boundaries, is heavily laden in favour of the batsmen Central Districts made a record Shell Cup score of 376 in 50 overs on the same square last week and conditions were pretty much identical.
In Zimbabwe, England had already endured Cyclone Atherton (a self inflicted cyclone, this one, characterised by a lack of runs and a poor image) Cyclone Bulawayo, a storm that centred upon the coach, David Lloyd, as Zimbabwe's negative bowling denied England a Test victory by a single run and Cyclone Chicken Farmer, as Eddo Brandes left his flu ridden flock to hound them to their third successive one day international defeat.
After all that, Cyclone Drena introduced itself comparatively feebly, persistent rainfall from lunchtime onwards soon forcing an abandonment. It should have blown itself out well before the start of England's four day match against a Selection XI, which begins at Palmerston North on Monday.
Atherton has described his predicament as much worse than the ball tampering allegations that beset him during the Lord's Test against South Africa more than two years ago. That was a traumatic week, this has become a perpetual mental torture.
The only way to begin to arrest, the trend is with a first class victory and, intriguingly, England launched their New Zealand programme yesterday with a new ball attack untouched by the failures in Zimbabwe. Andrew Caddick finished with the best figures of the day, three for 44 in eight overs, while for Dominic Cork there was the satisfaction of completing his first competitive bowling spell for four months in reasonable shape. Not since 1991, when he was awaiting his first England A tour to the West Indies, has he had such a prolonged break.
Cork is one England bowler certain to play in Palmerston North. Caddick should be another after his three wickets. They included the openers - Lawson, who edged an outswinger to give Russell the first of his five catches, and Bell, who chopped on. Howell, at number three, would have been caught at slip, first ball, by Thorpe had not Caddick overstepped.
It is fortunate that England were, taking wickets, because the Academy side, with ages ranging from 17 to 24, began at quite a lick reaching 74 by the 12th over when Howell became their third man out, driving through the ball with yes, the confidence of youth, but youth benefiting from proper tuition.
Craig McMillan, captain of New Zealand U19s on their successful tour of England last summer, was massively impressive as he scooted to 58 from 56 balls, an innings that included seven crisp boundaries and a six over midwicket against Irani.
With 21 of the Academy's 46 overs still unused, for him to be sixth out, charging Irani and lofting him to Silverwood in front of the sightscreen, was a criminal waste.
