Queensland upset Black Caps in final warmup

Queensland defeated New Zealand today in the second and last of the Black Caps' warmup games at Allan Border Field, Brisbane, before playing in the Singapore triseries against Pakistan and South Africa beginning Sunday.

Seven New Zealand bowlers took wickets in this practice game as Queensland, batting first after Jimmy Maher won the toss, recovered from 4/28 to finish with 9/191 in their fifty overs. James Hopes (37) and Scott Prestwidge (29) restored some order before Lee Carseldine added 42. Brendan Creevey (36*) hit three sixes in his 34-ball cameo at the end of the innings.

Geoff Allott took two wickets in one over, being NZ's only multiple-wicket taker of the innings. Bowling practice was the order of the day for New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

After Monday's onslaught, when they amassed 321 in fifty overs, today's effort in chasing 192 was a big anticlimax. A tenacious Queensland attack had the complete top half of the New Zealand batting order back in the pavilion before the sixteenth over was finished, the score being 5/52.

The experiment of opening the batting with both Daniel Vettori and Scott Styris was a double failure. Vettori made a second-ball duck, and Styris was out for 4. Both fell victim to Scott Muller. Chris Cairns, batting at first drop, struck two sixes off Muller before edging a catch to Wade Seccombe off Carseldine. Cairns made 13.

Matthew Pascoe took two wickets in three balls, separated by only a no-ball, to put the Black Caps into a humilating position at 7/74 at the end of the twentieth over. Craig McMillan, who scored a century yesterday, shared a fifty-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Paul Wiseman before hitting a return catch to Dale Turner after he had made 39.

Sixty-eight to win in nineteen overs is a friendly enough run-rate, except when there are only two wickets left and no recognised batsmen. Wiseman (38) and Shayne O'Connor (25*), for a time, made it look like the unlikely could happen, but they departed within five balls of each other and New Zealand were all out for 168 in 44.1 overs.

Lee Carseldine had a fine all-round day for the Queenslanders, top scoring with 42 and then taking 2/13 from his seven overs. Pascoe finished with 3/18 from five, however Scott Muller (2/51 from eight) proved yet again to be expensive after his early successes.

Adam Parore kept wicket for New Zealand today, having flown into Brisbane this morning to replace the injured Chris Nevin, who is returning home with a tendon strain and will miss the Singapore tour.

For Queensland it was an upbeat end to four games in five days as sparring partners for both the Australians and the New Zealanders, who were looking for match practice before embarking on their next international ventures.