James marshalls New Zealand

James Marshall shows fight and skill for his hundred

James Marshall did his country - and family - proud with a hundred for New Zealand, on the same day as twin Hamish was bringing up a three-figure double for Gloucestershire.

James, narrowly the elder of the identical brothers, followed Hamish to his century at a respectable distance of 10 minutes - with 166 miles between respective venues, Chelmsford and Bristol.

Not even the best number-crunchers could recall whether a comparable feat had previously been achieved in cricket history, although the understandable rarity of twins in the first-class game is not a promising starting point.

Marshall’s 152-ball hundred against Essex, marginally quicker than his brother’s in a LV County Championship defeat against Glamorgan, made up for the unproductivity of the Indian Premier League contingent - who managed 64 for five dismissals, out of the tourists’ 348 for nine.

The Kiwi number three was much required, as Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum’s first efforts back in the longer game came to little following their arrival from the sub-continental Twenty20 franchise tournament.

New Zealand were indebted chiefly to Aaron Redmond that they came through an awkward morning session without serious damage, after being put in on a greenish pitch.

Redmond, on trial as a potential long-term opener, did his prospects of a maiden Test at Lord’s this month no harm.

The compact right-hander had a high boundary count of seven in his 35, although Essex’s policy of persisting without a third man contributed significantly to that statistic.

Mark Pettini’s refusal to post anyone in the run-saving position was, in fact, responsible for 87 of the first 200 runs scored.

Jamie How and Redmond were embattled through a tough first hour as former England fast bowler Alex Tudor and Tony Palladino gave them plenty to think about on a sunny morning.
They beat the bat with seam and swing on a slow pitch which played a little better than many might have feared from its initial appearance.

Aaron Redmond perished shortly before lunch

Redmond survived How when the latter got no worthwhile stride in and was beaten on the front-foot defence to go lbw to Palladino.

Essex relied on an all-seam attack through the first session, and it looked as if Redmond would see four bowlers off until the last of them - Ryan ten Doeschate - struck in his first over.

The medium-pacer got his man in a near action replay of Palladino’s success against How an hour earlier, a hint of inswing beating the forward push for another lbw verdict.
Kiwi attempts to up the tempo after lunch soon foundered.

Taylor set out to ruin the economical figures Palladino had earned in the morning - taking 14 off one over, including a straight six, but then nicking the first ball of the next to first slip.

McCullum flayed one boundary through the off-side off ten Doeschate but soon saw a firm push in the same direction well-held in the gully by James Middlebrook.

Marshall (128) was therefore required to reapply the glue in the middle order - and duly did so in a fifth-wicket stand of 128 with Daniel Flynn which lasted 25 overs.

Marshall reached his hundred with a typically unfussy single pushed into the leg-side - to go with his 14 fours - but shortly afterwards saw Flynn go to ten Doeschate (5-57).

The South African Dutchman again struck in his first over of a new spell, Flynn mistiming an attempted big shot off the back foot which made it only as far as mid-off and provided an anti-climactic end to a promising innings from the left-hander.

Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori failed to significantly improve the IPL balance, although the latter did cause a flutter in English hearts when his cut at ten Doeschate was dropped by Test opener Alastair Cook - who immediately left the field on his way for a precautionary x-ray on his right little finger.

Marshall ploughed on until he picked out deep square-leg with a pull, to give ten Doeschate his fifth wicket.

By then, though, he had done plenty to put New Zealand in acceptable shape and himself in position to win a sixth Test cap - and first in almost three years - at headquarters.