The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Franklin runs through England batting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Franklin runs through England batting

CHESTER-LE-STREET (ENGLAND), JUNE 29. Left-arm seamer James Franklin took a career-best five wickets Tuesday to put New Zealand in control of the triangular series one-day match against England at the Riverside.

The 23-year-old had five for 42 off 10 consecutive overs with the new ball. England was all out for 101 in 32.5 overs.

Franklin's new ball teammate, Jacob Oram, initiated the collapse and finished with three for 23 off 10 overs.

Only a last wicket stand of 23 between Steve Harmison and James Anderson lifted England above the century mark. Both players hit personal bests to ensure England avoided falling below its lowest ever one-day total of 86.

It was the second straight batting failure for the host, which crumbled for 147 all out last Sunday as part of a seven-wicket defeat to the West Indies at Nottingham.

New Zealand, and Franklin, had a poor start after Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss and chose to bowl.Fleming's opposite number, Michael Vaughan, and Marcus Trescothick hit four boundaries off Franklin, who conceded 17 runs off his first two overs.

But once Oram breached Trescothick's drive to clip the top of off stump at 24 for one, the England innings subsided. Left-hander Trescothick made 14 — which ended up being the top score.

Six runs later, Franklin began his heroics as he bowled Vaughan (12) through the gate with a huge inswinger. The England captain passed 1,000 runs in his 46th match with his second boundary but fell soon afterward.

The 6-foot-6 Oram struck again at 37 for three when wicketkeeper Geraint Jones deflected a cut back onto his stumps. Franklin then stole the show by ripping through the middle and lower order.

Durham batsman Paul Collingwood, greeted by a sellout crowd of 17,000, failed to give his home fans something to cheer about. The right-hander edged Franklin to provide gloveman Gareth Hopkins with the first of three catches on his debut.

Left-hander Andrew Strauss stuck around for 29 deliveries before he top-edged a Franklin bouncer to fine leg for Oram, who made a fine catch running in 15 yards.

At 65 for seven, Franklin removed Ian Blackwell and Ashley Giles off successive balls. Blackwell was plumb leg before pushing forward tentatively, while Giles nibbled a catch to Hopkins.

Franklin just missed claiming a hat-trick as umpire Jeremy Lloyds ruled against a close leg before wicket appeal against Darren Gough.

Chris Cairns soon claimed Gough to a first slip catch, and Oram rounded off his spell by ending Anthony McGrath's stay. — AP

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