Bond blitz stuns India

Bulawayo, August 26:

New Zealand made effective use of the substitute rule in place for the triangular series in Zimbabwe as they beat India by 51 runs in Bulawayo. Paceman Shane Bond took 6-19, the best figures by a Kiwi, after being brought into the game at the half-way point. India were 44-8 at one stage in reply to New Zealand’s 215. But they managed to reach 164, thanks to a stand of 118 between Jai Prakash Yadav (69) and Irfan Pathan (50).

Bond had Pathan caught by Brendon McCullum in the 37th over. The end came two balls later as Yadav mis-hit a ball from Jacob Oram to Craig McMillan at mid-off. The Indian innings was in part a carbon copy of New Zealand’s, with the Kiwis reduced to 36-5 by an excellent spell of new ball bowling from Pathan and Ashish Nehra. Lou Vincent (4) was lbw to an in-swinging delivery from Pathan. Hamish Marshall and Nathan Astle departed in similar fashion and Fleming (5) departed caught behind. They were rescued by McMillan (54) and Oram (36), who put on 91 in 16 overs, and McCullum gave the innings a final flourish with 49 off 39 balls.