LONDON, 22 May 2004 — Debutant Andrew Strauss, a late replacement for injured England captain Michael Vaughan, scored a century at Lord’s yesterday to turn the first Test against New Zealand in the home’s team’s favor.
The Middlesex skipper shared an opening partnership of 190 with acting captain Marcus Trescothick (86) as the home side reached 246 for two at the close of the second day in reply to New Zealand’s 386.
Strauss was out for 112 four overs before the end of play, caught at short-leg off left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.
New Zealand, who resumed on 284 for five, owed their final first innings total to Chris Cairns, who struck 82 from 47 balls with four sixes, 10 fours and a five.
Cairns, playing his final Test at Lord’s, broke former West Indies’ captain Viv Richards’s record of 84 Test sixes with his penultimate six off Andy Flintoff.
Zimbabwe-Australia Test Series Called Off
In London, Zimbabwe’s two-Test series against world champions Australia was called off yesterday, just 24 hours before it was due to start.
In an unprecedented move, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) and Cricket Australia (CA) agreed at a meeting in Harare to postpone the matches. Because of Australia’s tight schedule, the games are highly unlikely to be played for at least four years.
