would not get their money's-worth from a truncated match were soon allayed by an astonishing innings from New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who bludgeoned the bowling in scoring 106 from just 57 deliveries, including nine sixes and ten fours. Muttiah Muralitharan, arguably the world's best spin bowler, came in for most of the punishment, being hit for seven sixes in just three overs. New Zealand reached the winning total for the loss of only one wicket. First match The second match The second match was a more even affair. It was held at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, on 24 January. New Zealand batted first and scored well in the early stages, but lost wickets at vital times, much of the damage being done by bowlers Andrew Bichel and Lance Klusener. Only Nathan Astle was able to produce a big score, finishing on 109. New Zealand were all out for 256, a respectable score, but less than they would have wanted on what was a good batting pitch. The total was never going to be enough, however, especially after Matthew Elliott and Nick Knight got the World XI off to a flying start. Elliott was particularly belligerent, his 57 runs including three sixes. Although the World XI lost several wickets, their batting continued at a fast pace, and they reached the required target in the 48th over for the loss of seven wickets. Second match The third match The third match was somewhat disappointing. It was played at Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton, on 26 January. The World XI struggled to deal with a variable pitch, and were bowled out for 81 in 20.5 overs. Nick Knight scored 43, but the rest of the batsmen fell quickly. Chris Cairns took 6 for 12 and Jeff Wilson 3 for 6. The New Zealand batsmen did not find conditions much easier, as Ian Harvey took 4 for 17, but managed to reach 83 for 6 in the 16th over, winning the series 2–1. To compensate the crowd for the unusually short game, the players agreed to play a 10 over-a-side match later in the day. More than 30 sixes were hit, as the game finished in a tie with both sides scoring 178. Third match MCC vs International XI (14 June) Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) won by 112 runs In a charity match at Lord's, Brian Lara came to regret the decision to bowl first,