Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns combined forces to take New Zealand to an ultimately comfortable six wicket victory over Zimbabwe in their World Cup Super Six match on Saturday.Astle, New Zealand’s leading scorer in one-day cricket, took his total past 5,500 with a patient unbeaten 102. Cairns, who took his first wickets of the tournament with two for 16 from four overs, was equally restrained with 54. The pair added 121 for the fourth wicket. SCOREBOARD Zimbabwe: Craig Wishart c Styris b Cairns 30, Dion Ebrahim b Adams 0, A Flower run out 37, G Flower c Cairns b Oram 1, G Whittall c McCullum b Cairns 0, T Taibu lbw Harris 53, A Blignaut run out 4, H Streak not out 72, S Ervine not out 31; Extras: (lb-9, nb-2, w-13) 24 Total: (For 7 wkts, in 50 overs) 252 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-59, 3-63, 4-65, 5-98, 6-106, 7-174 Bowling: Bond 10-1-37-0, Adams 5-0-54-1, Oram 10-4-28-1, Cairns 4-0-16-2, Vettori 10-0-52-0, Harris 10-0-45-1, Astle 1-0-11-0. New Zealand: C McMillan c Taibu b Hondo 8, S Fleming lbw Blignaut 46, N Astle 102 no, S Styris c sub (Friend) b Blignaut 13, C Cairns b Ervine 54, C Harris 14 no; Extras: (b-2, w-7, nb-1, lb-6) 16 Total: (For 4 wkts, in 47.2 overs) 253 Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-72, 3-97, 4-218 Bowling: H Streak 10-0-59-0, D Hondo 8.2-0-52-1, A Blignaut 10-0-41-2, G Flower 10-0-33-0, G Whittall 3-0-19-0, S Ervine 6-0-44-1 Man-of-the-match: Nathan Astle New Zealand were set a competitive target of 253 after Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak and Sean Ervine produced some of the most extraordinary late-hitting ever seen in a World Cup.Steak, after rebuilding the innings patiently during a 68-run stand with Tatenda Taibu (53) after his side had slumped to 106 for six then teamed up with Ervine.A savage assault resulted in 62 runs, almost a quarter of the team’s score, coming off the last 18 balls. Streak, who ended on 72 not out, and Ervine, who made 31 from 14 balls, hit eight fours and three sixes in those final three overs.Captain Stephen Fleming led from the front as New Zealand set off in pursuit of Zimbabwe’s 252 for seven. Fleming stroked 10 fours in his 46 from 42 balls, including three in a row from Streak.After his dismissal, Astle took responsibility for the innings, against an attack lacking leg spinner Brian Murphy who tore a calf muscle practising in the break between innings.Streak, who ended on 72 not out, and Ervine, who made 31 from 14 balls, hit eight fours and three sixes in those final three overs. Chris Harris went for 23 in the 48th, Daniel Vettori’s 49th went for 13 and Andre Adams was then mauled for 26, his last three deliveries hit by Ervine for six over midwicket, four to the same area and four down the ground.Chris Cairns’s first two wickets in the World Cup, after being sidelined for almost a year as a bowler, were completely overshadowed. After Adams had bowled Dion Ebrahim off an inside edge for a golden duck with his first legal ball in the second over after Zimbabwe had opted to bat.Cairns then removed Craig Wishart and Guy Whittall, as well as taking the catch to remove Grant Flower, as Zimbabwe collapsed to 65 for four.Adams ended with one for 54 off five overs.
