00:00On March 11, 1989, Under the skies of Auckland, John Wright crafted a calm and calculated
00:07knock of 59 runs from 79 balls, spending 99 gritty minutes at the crease, laced with
00:13several elegant boundaries and a towering stick.
00:15John Wright inning was the cornerstone of New Zealand's spirited total of 249.
00:20His opening stand of 94 runs with the ever-reliable Andrew Johns laid a solid platform, igniting
00:27hopes of a Kiwi triumph.
00:29Although Pakistan chased down the target with seven wickets in hand and just nine balls
00:34to spare, it was John Wright vintage display of poise and precision that stole the cricketing
00:39soul of the day, a true masterclass in controlled aggression, one that still echoes in the annals
00:46of audio history.
00:47John Wright, Richard Hadley is with me in the studio just before play starts and Richard,
00:51this man, very keen to get a big score I would imagine.
00:53I'm sure he is because he's had a couple of disappointing games so far or innings and I think if he survives
00:59more than 10 balls, anything after that's a bonus.
01:01It's a beautiful day here in Auckland and the pitch, the prospects for this pitch playing
01:08well are good again Richard.
01:09Well it's the test pitch and a lot of runs are scored, well over a thousand runs and one
01:13would suspect today that 250 is in order but of course Pakistan had that nightmare against
01:18Auckland didn't they when they were bowled out for about 48 so they're going to have a
01:20bit of repeat, I'd say it's very unlikely but quite significant actually I think that New
01:27Zealand are batting first and Pakistan chasing because they've batted first in the fast and
01:30not done the job so perhaps they prefer chasing a target today with their batting line-up.
01:35A big crowd in it, it's far from capacity, here's Imran in the first over to John Wright.
01:39Not exactly on the spot right away from Imran but of course he does angle the ball across
01:47the left-hander, at times he comes from very wide on the crease as he looks to get the
01:52outside edge of the left-hander's bat.
01:54One of the surprises today Peter is Amir Malik still keeping wickets, he had a bit of a disaster
02:02I believe in the last match where you can see there's something like 10 buys and I would
02:06have thought that Yusuf would have come in and kept wickets, of course he came back particularly
02:10well, he's not there and they're fielding wish.
02:14So New Zealand has been put into bat by Pakistan which is the first over Imran Khan bowling.
02:19Still with the red ball for this match.
02:21Downstead, the Pakistan fielding effort at Wellington was abysmal, Imran Khan went public after the
02:33match and said it was one of the worst one-day fielding displays he could remember by a Pakistan
02:37team.
02:38The punishment for the Pakistan side was a solid two-hour session back at the Basin Reserve
02:43on Thursday morning, there was no batting and bowling, it was all fielding.
02:46The Pakistani team knows that they did not exactly cover themselves in glory on Wednesday,
02:51they've worked hard on it since.
02:53Let's see if we can see a better effort in the outfield from Pakistan today.
03:00I must say that the one for Basin Reserve is just a little bit bumpy, a little bit deceptive,
03:13but here at Eden Park, an absolutely magnificent service to play on, and so really we should
03:17see a great spectacle.
03:18But again the atmosphere rather low-key.
03:20Gone are the days where the crowd is sort of here before the beginning of the match,
03:26the ground loosely sold out, or the gates closed, but it'll build up as the game goes on.
03:31We remember back to the Halcyon days of 82-83 when there were the best part of 40,000 people,
03:36and here it's far from that at the moment.
03:39The other opening batsman for New Zealand today is Andrew Jones moving up the order from number 3.
03:49Jones coming in to replace Robert Vance in the openness, Robert Vance the Pelkman today.
03:54Jeff Crowe coming in to be New Zealand playing 11 and he'll bat at number 5.
03:58Jones with two consecutive half centuries so far in the series.
04:02Once not out, once run out.
04:05But he has had experience of opening the batting in one-day internationals before.
04:12He's done the job successfully.
04:15The end of the first over from England, it was a maiden, New Zealand Nampana.
04:22There comes from John Wright, what a good shot.
04:34That was an absolutely marvellous stroke and I'm sure that will make John Wright feel good.
04:40Not a good ball, it was short and wide of off-stump and he fairly cracked it away, a beautiful stroke.
04:45And that's given the crowd something to come out of their traps on already.
04:50And I'm sure, as I say, John Wright, who's been in not very good form lately,
04:53really will feel a lot of confidence as he felt that hit the middle of the bat.
04:58And a single for right.
05:07And this is much more profitable over from New Zealand.
05:11That's in the air.
05:20Through gully.
05:21And a single for right.
05:23To end the over.
05:24Six overs now.
05:25And New Zealand 16 without loss.
05:35And that really should have been stopped.
05:37By our keep.
05:40And the New Zealand batsman get another run.
05:43Didn't he hit that one well though?
05:45I mean, again moving into position.
05:47He barely cracked it away.
05:51Not a good piece of fielding.
05:56Seven overs gone.
06:01Oh, this is a good shot.
06:02He kicked this one out.
06:04It's six runs.
06:05Over mid-wicket.
06:08Shortest bounds.
06:09Readmitted lead.
06:10What a good shot.
06:19He's straying a little down the line of leg.
06:21And John Wright picking it up.
06:24Yes.
06:25He just picked up the line beautifully there.
06:26And actually hit it over mid-wicket.
06:28A straightish mid-wicket.
06:30A really fine shot there from John Wright.
06:32Over to the wood clear.
06:35And John Wright catches in.
06:37This'll be four.
06:41Not a good delivery from Salim Gerfa.
06:44Dropping it short and wide.
06:45And John Wright running a fine catch-off.
06:47And starting to come forward.
06:48But seeing the width wide of the off stump.
06:49And just clipping it between cover point.
06:50And that very wide gully.
06:51And that racing away to the fence before.
06:52Jaffer is in his fifth over now.
06:53He has none for 23.
06:54With Imran having about five at the other end.
06:55None for 14.
06:56Oh, he swung this one away.
06:57He couldn't hit it that well.
06:58But I think he might pick up four.
06:59Yes.
07:00That good car that couldn't catch up with.
07:01Oh, he swung this one away.
07:02He couldn't hit it that well.
07:03But I think he might pick up four.
07:04Yes.
07:05That good car that couldn't catch up with him.
07:06Shortest delivery.
07:07He swung it away mid-wicket-ish.
07:08And reasonably short boundary up there.
07:09The rest of the road.
07:10He's on his fifth over now.
07:11And he has none for 23.
07:12With Imran having about five at the other end.
07:14None for 14.
07:15Oh, he swung this one away.
07:16He couldn't hit it that well.
07:17But I think he might pick up four.
07:18Yes.
07:19That good car that couldn't catch up with him.
07:20Shortest delivery.
07:21He swung it away mid-wicket-ish.
07:22And, reasonably short boundary up there.
07:25But, let's get a look.
07:27He swung it away mid-wicket-ish.
07:32And a reasonably short boundary out there, but didn't he hit it quite as well as he would have hoped, I don't think.
07:38No, he didn't. He got it fairly high up on the bat and really just got over that inner ring, saving the single.
07:44Pitched and almost stopped.
07:50And that's evidence of that as he swung away to square legs, stopping it slightly short.
07:56It wasn't that short, but it was straying down that lead side, and that's what comes from bowling around the wicket.
08:01It was just mentioning, and John Wright just swung him away.
08:07And just short of a length, drifting down, and New Zealand go to 50, 51.
08:19John Wright giving his up for a marvellous shot, 4-1.
08:23Stepping away outside the legs, heading into the Fenton line, off for 4, and John Wright's got 50.
08:29That's his 6th boundary, he's had a 6 as well, he's 52.
08:43Great return to form by the New Zealand captain, that's his 18th half century in one day internationals.
08:49And here's the shot again, stepping away a little bit outside the leg stump.
08:55Slamming it away down through mid, off for 4.
08:57A little neck I think, yes, John Wright got the little neck.
09:11Army attacks the catch.
09:13And that he's in an opening, partnership is broken, John Wright out for 59.
09:17John Wright out for 59.
09:23So we see Wright getting down the pitch out of his crease, and just the smallest of nicks.
09:33Progressing there, giving himself a little bit of room, and trying to thrash it through the offside or over the top.
09:37I'm not quite sure where in the end, but it certainly wasn't there to be hit.
09:41And John Wright playing a very useful knock for New Zealand indeed, with his 59 runs coming from 79.
09:49John Wright was known for his strong determination and solid skills long before he became India's respected head coach.
09:59As a cricketer, he made history by becoming the first New Zealand best man to score over 4,000 test runs.
10:06A left-handed opening best man with a solid defensive game and a range of stylish shots, John Wright played a key role in New Zealand's success during the 1980s.
10:16He helped his team to win the important matches abroad, especially against strong sides like England and Australia.
10:23One of his proudest achievements was scoring a test century against each of his six teams.
10:29New Zealand played during his time, including a memorable 100 against Sri Lanka in 1991.
10:35But one of the most talked about moments came in 91-92 at Christchurch.
10:40John Wright was 0-99, just one run away from a mass saving century.
10:46When he tried to attack England's Phil Tufnel, missed the ball and got stumped.
10:51England quickly bowled out the rest of the team and won the game with only nine minutes left on the clock.
10:56After retiring from cricket, John Wright moved into coaching.
11:00He started with Kent in England and then took on to the challenging role of coaching the Indian national team.
11:05It was not easy, but John Wright gained respect for his honest and hardworking approach.
11:11He built a strong partnership with Indian captain Saurav Kongoli and together they led India to several historic victories.
11:19Like the famous win over Australia at Kolkata in 2001, a series win in Pakistan and away test win in England and Australia.
11:28He left the Indian team in 2005 and returned to coaching five years later, this time for New Zealand.
11:35In 2010, he was appointed as New Zealand coach.
11:38Under his guidance, New Zealand achieved a rare and memorable test win in Australia over 2011 and reached the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup.
11:49However, after losses against South Africa and West Indies and disagreements with New Zealand cricket director John Buchanan, John Wright stepped down in July 2012.
11:59Despite the ups and downs, John Wright remains a respected figure in cricket history, both for his achievement as a player and his impact as a coach.
12:12So, thank you very much.
12:13Thank you very much.
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