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Vaughan still upbeat after dismal display
ENGLAND held a dressing-room
inquest after slumping to a 189-
run defeat in the opening Test
against New Zealand, maintaining
their desperate record away
from home.
No sooner had England completed
their capitulation to 110 all
out shortly after 3.30pm than the
entire squad began the inquiry
into how they were outplayed
and out-thought by a New
Zealand side who have played
only eight Tests in two years.
Only Ian Bell and Alastair
Cook reached double figures as
seamers Chris Martin and Kyle
Mills tore through England's batting
to continue the tourists' run
of one overseas Test triumph
from their last 17 attempts.
England entered this series as
overwhelming favourites, having
only recently slipped from their
number two world ranking following
successive series defeats
to India and Sri Lanka.
We have two games to put it
right,'' insisted defiant captain
Michael Vaughan.
We know where our destiny
lies in this series now - we have
to win two games.
You always try to win every
game. But we know exactly what
we have to do now, and that's to
play positive cricket."
The dismal display follows a
similarly inept performance in
their previous Test against Sri
Lanka at Galle last December
when England were dismissed
for 81, and came just a day after
Ryan Sidebottom's hat-trick
seemed to have given them a
chance of a victory.
Both sides began the final day
at Seddon Park harbouring
hopes of winning, with New
Zealand resuming 269 runs ahead
on 147 for eight.
They quickly declared on 177
for nine to leave the tourists chasing
a challenging target of 300 off
a minimum of 81 overs.
Their challenge was over before
it really began, Mills claiming
four wickets for two runs in
25 balls, and immediately after
lunch England lost three wickets
in nine balls once Martin found
some reverse-swing.
Even an unbeaten 54 from Bell,
which included five fours and
two sixes, could not put a veneer
of respectability on an innings
which ended with 26 overs of the
final day remaining.
Bell shared a 33-run stand with
last man Monty Panesar. But by
then the game was lost, leaving
England in danger of three successive
series defeats for the first
time since 1999.
The last time that happened
England changed a captain -
Alec Stewart made way for Nasser
Hussain - but Vaughan insists
the only thing lacking in the
camp is a bit of confidence.
Of course, it affects the team
and it's mine and Peter's job to
make sure the players are in the
right state of mind going into
Thursday's game now,'' he said.
I'm captaining differently
now to when I started, because
I'm more experienced, but I'm
not captaining any different to
the way I was in 2005.
We're just struggling a bit as
a team, and that can happen. But
there's only one group of players
that can put that right, and that's
the group that's in the dressing
room now.
We have to make sure we go
out and express ourselves in a
better fashion than we have done
in this game.
Sometimes when you've had
defeats like this and you've got
two weeks it can really dwell on
your mind.
We'll arrive in Wellington and
start the game on Thursday, so it
can be a good thing - but we have
to make it a good thing."
9:08am Monday 10th March 2008
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