Bowlers powerless against onslaught

Mar 1 2013

England's bowlers proved powerless to resist an hour-and-a-half of unexpected punishment, before an early declaration from the New Zealand XI on day three of their warm-up match.

Graham Onions in particular was taken apart in a spell of 4-0-36-0 with the second new ball as Corey Anderson (67) and BJ Watling (66no) raced past a century stand in only 18 overs.

It was a worrying passage of play before next week's first Test, as England's seamers - in the absence of their rested frontline team-mates James Anderson and Steven Finn - were dispatched to all corners of the Queenstown Events Centre ground by the seventh-wicket pair.

Watling will keep wicket, and bat in the middle order, for his country in Dunedin - but all-rounder Anderson has just three Twenty20 caps in terms of international pedigree.

Even with him finally gone, Watling and Neil Wagner still appeared to have England's measure before declaring 77 runs behind on 349 for seven.

England had taken the second new ball at 224 for six, but - rather than the anticipated wickets - it was a surge of boundaries which swiftly followed.

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