Half-centuries from Robert Key and stand-in captain Marcus Trescothick lifted England to a convincing eight-wicket defeat against the Nicky Oppenheimer XI in their opening tour match

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller in Randjesfontein08-Dec-2004England XI 190 for 2 (Key 87, Trescothick 85*) beat Nicky Oppenheimer’s XI 172 for 4 (Johnson 74) by eight wickets (D/L method)
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Marcus Trescothick steers England to a sweeping success© Getty Images
Rain was predicted for England’s first outing of their South African safari, and by God was rain delivered, as the heavens descended 22 overs into the match to turn Nicky Oppenheimer’s private ground at Randjesfontein into a private boating lake. And yet, thanks to a state-of-the-art drainage system (and the efforts of the De Beers Stone Works band, who kept the crowds royally entertained in a two-hour rain dance) the game resumed soon after lunch as a 39-overs-a-side affair. That proved to be ample time for England to wrap up a eight-wicket win, with Robert Key and the stand-in captain, Marcus Trescothick, cracking their way to a pair of boundary-laden half-centuries.With just four working days before the first Test at Port Elizabeth on December 17, the importance of this match was not to be underestimated, despite the tranquillity of the surroundings and the apparent futility of the playing conditions. The day began with a bank of filthy clouds looming over the cypress trees at the scoreboard end of the ground, and with that in mind, Trescothick opted to field first on winning the toss. After all, the need to get Steve Harmison and his cohorts up to speed is the primary aim of this week’s matches.Harmison, fresh from a two-month break, was certainly speedy in an opening spell that whistled through at an uncomfortable height for the Oppenheimer pairing of Andre Seymore and Francois du Plessis, while at the other end, Matthew Hoggard chugged in contentedly in a controlled foray that claimed the first wicket of the day, a fenced edge from du Plessis that was comfortably caught low down by Trescothick at first slip.England’s back-up seamers did not enjoy quite the same degree of respect, however. Simon Jones trapped Seymore lbw as he offered no stroke, but was repeatedly clubbed through midwicket in an eight-over stint that went for 48 runs. And Andrew Flintoff’s first over of the tour was greeted with a vast straight six from the former Zimbabwe star, Neil Johnson, whose rampaging 74 was one run more than any of the current Zimbabwean batsmen managed in the four matches just gone.Johnson was really hitting his stride as the rains approached. He met Paul Collingwood halfway down the track to loft him into the pavilion, and followed up with two more sixes in consecutive deliveries off the toiling Gareth Batty. But a deafening crack of thunder brought the fun to a temporary halt at 84 for 2, and as the players fled the field, attention in the media tent focussed on the rapidly collapsing marquee roof, which was filled almost to bursting by the cascade of water, and required eight men with plastic chairs to tip the bulging reservoir out of harm’s way.

And yet the show went on. Only 22 overs were lost despite this …© Getty Images
While the crowd took shelter beneath the trees and temporary stands, the players were zipped up behind a specially designed screen that ran along the front of the Oppenheimer’s majestic gazebo-style pavilion, and at that stage a resumption seemed the last thing on anyone’s minds. But the ground’s architects had clearly legislated for such adverse conditions, and as the eight sluice drains on the bottom side of the pitch worked overtime, the De Beers band kept the crowd’s minds off their long-extinguished braais.When play did eventually resume, the Oppenheimer XI lost two wickets in search of quick runs, but were kept ticking over by JP Duminy and Wendell Bossenger, who heaved through the line to good effect, to set England a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 185. With no fielding restrictions being imposed for the day, Trescothick and Key began cautiously against a Test-class attack of Heath Streak and Charl Willoughby, and picked off just 50 runs in the first 15 overs.The introduction of the spinners, however, changed the tempo of England’s performance. Werner Coetsee was slapped over midwicket for three sixes in two overs by Key; du Plessis received similar treatment from Trescothick, and by the time Streak was recalled to the attack, England were swinging so gleefully that he too was dispatched for a six apiece in his comeback over.Key was eventually yorked by Lonwabo Tsotsobe for an 85-ball 87, which left just enough time for Johnson to ruin Mark Butcher’s day with a neat catch at first slip off Willoughby. But Trescothick and Graham Thorpe completed an emphatic victory with 21 balls to spare, as England made it seven one-day wins out of seven since arriving in Southern Africa. There will be stiffer tests to come, but they can set off for their three-day match at Potchefstroom on Saturday in deservedly high spirits.